Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been hiking the mountain behind my home and have been finding numerous (100 ) granite spiny lizards per day. I have to say these lizards are possibly the most beautiful and intriguing lizards I have found here in SoCal. But their presence in my life has prompted more questions than answers. I have seen two types: one is lime green, rather large, with a reddish back and bright blue belly, the other is also rather large, with varying shades of red and yellow and black "tiger" stripes running the length of its body. Are they the same lizard showing sexual dimorphism or are they separate species/subspecies? Do they acclimate well in captivity or, if I should decide to procure a few of them, should I consider them a challenging project? I have found a few resources online and they have been helpful, but I have found, as with all things in life, the advice of kind people with intimate knowledge on the matter proves more helpful! Thanks in advance.
-----
Mollyskali

"Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity." - Lau-tzu - Tao Te Ching

I recently moved from the San Diego area. The Granite Spinys there were awesome. I would see them on the desert and coastal sides of the Baja Pennisula. The males have blue bellies and the females seemed to show more of the tiger stripes sometimes with reddish heads. They change colors depending on their mood, time of year and body temps. I had a captive hatched female and a wild caught male for awhile. The wild caught was very skiddish. Any time I came in the room, he hid. They are pretty skiddish in the wild as well. Sometime hard to get close to. I have had large males come out and do push ups at me when I was getting too close. I recently got a captive bred male(pictured a couple of post down) hatchling. It is pretty tame for a granite spiny and I hope it does well.