Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, i'm looking to get a mid sized lizard. I'm open to anything as long as it doesn't get too huge and isn't very aggresive. I've been looking into bearded dragos, Uros, Ackie monitors, and Blue Tegus. What i want you people to do is try and convince me why i should get a Uro. Don't over hype them, just tell me what's better about them than the other lizards i mentioned, and also what you might think is worse about them. I just need as much info as possible to find the right lizard for me. Thanks all.

Jesse

i don't know much about the other species but i do know that alot of people think beardies are personable just because they sit with you but it seems to me from observing them in pet stores that all they do is sit. i like uros because they can be curious and explore everything and paranoid, wanting to run to their hide spots. they also have more personalities to me because they have good days and bad days and they are picky about things. helga sifts through the entire bowl, just to get the peas out of it. the couple times i gave her iguana pellets, she only ate the green and purple ones. i also like them because they are vegetarians. i don't mind feeding insects but i would have a hard time feeding mice and rats. my malis are super nice but i do believe temperment can vary in uro species. you only have to worry about keeping humidity low, which is alot easier than keeping humidity high. they are also clumsy which can bring good laughs
downsides include having to balance their diets more. like you really make them salads and have to think about what you are giving them. there are alot of wild caughts so acclimation can be tough. their tails really hurt if you tick them off or startle them. sometimes it can be hard to find a knowledgable vet. and i have never tried but i hear breeding them is difficult
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Your e-mail bounced, so something is misconfigured in your profile up here.
Scales is out in Temecula- www.exoticlizards.com and some others.

I chose Uros after reading their site, in fact. Met my first one at Prehistoric Pets and then drove down to LLLReptile because Prehistoric couldn't sex theirs. I "met" a beardie at a succulent nursery in Solana and got attached, started researching, etc. Scales is the first time I saw or read about Uros. Prior to any of this, I would not have considered a reptile as anything but obscure decor (too many mean iguanas and creepy snakes growing up).
Since then (November?), I now have 10.5 Uros if I count the rescue case as a generous .5 for now. Two geyri, four hardwickii, two and a half macfads, and two sudanese (ocellata?)
Like Vonnie said, selection criteria were:

Vegetarian. I actually even eat a little bit of salad now as my diet os more balanced by virtue of having animals in the house as I'm primarily a carnivore. I have fed them crickets, but a few of them have been uneaten and are now singing to me all night. It sucks. Acquiring food is very convenient and it's fun to select the cashier least likely to know what the greens are just to cause trouble.

Personality. They are inquisitive little creatures. Personality and sociability varies per SPECIES and also per INDIVIDUAL. Beardies are, for the most part, one species as far as I know.

Size- Big Uros, small Uros, medium uros... whatever.

Don't bite. 'Nuff said. Don't stick your finger in their mouth because they WILL take you up on it.

Pricing. Uros tend to be priced higher for captive born/bred and then higher for more desirable for rarer species. Ornates may be desirable for various reasons, Sudanese and Somalian are rare and priced similarly. Beardies are priced VERY much on percieved value if you're looking for a bred color pattern. It's still a beardie, a common animal. I see beardie breeding as a more pop-culture thing and I hate pop-culture.

Variation. Various species are varied in more than color. Facial structure, tail structure, etc.

CITES Appendix II endangered species. I'm interested in breeding them, so if the animals have been imported I consider breeding them more important than anything else that is common. I have similar interests in plants. If Uro breeding catches on, it will save the wild population. If the wild population is depleted it won't be an option. It's an opportunity for my hobby to have a positive aspect on some component of the world- a fairly unusual possibility.

Desert dwellers. Hot and dry is easy. Humid is a pain. No water dish? Even easier.

That tail... face it, it's damn cool looking. Everyone remarks on it. I had a small female macfad delivered to work a week ago and everyone fell in love. Now I have permission to put a cage at my desk(it's in my car) and the rescue case is being cared for there. Sweet. It was a simple request- X other people have fish tanks; mine just won't have fish in it.

Faces- they have the cutest little faces. Short snub snout.

Vets- I happened to live next to an excellent vet. They should be easy to find in your area or I can recommend a short drive to OC

Activity level- I thought a sedentary beardie would be cool to start, but I could get a pet rock if I want stationary pets or even skip the whole pet deal and watch the radio instead of the TV on the rare occasion I watch anything. Doing my homework with a bunch of little eyes watching me, each with their own agenda is interesting. There's always action.

Girls- I'm more likely to convince any would-be love interests that Uros are not only viable that they're also cute and pretty (very nice colors without selective in-breeding). It's a stretch, but not having a bucket of mice in my house nor in my freezer is highly beneficial.

Thanks for the huge reply Eso. Sorry about the email thing, this is an old username. You make a good case for the Uros. I think i've narrowed my search down to yellow Ackies monitors and some kind of Uro. I've done more research on the Ackies so i've got to start researching each species of Uro to see which one would be best for me.

>>snip>so i've got to start researching each species of Uro to see which one would be best for me.

If you haven't been there already, Deer Fern Farms has great pages on all the common uro species available with lots of pictures and descriptions of size, personality, differences in care, etc. It was very helpful to me in deciding where I wanted to start with uros.
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Torey
Eugene, Oregon, USA
1.1 Uromastyx Geyri (Joe and Arthur)
2.0.1 Uromastyx Dispar Maliensis (Tank, Turtle, and Spike)
1.2 Anolis Carolinensis (Bowser, Leeloo, and Sprocket)
0.1 African Dwarf Frogs (Sheila)
1.0 Betta Splendens (Mr. Miagi)
1.1 Felis Domesticus (Roscolux and Jenny)

I have an egyptian mycroplepis uro and he's a real kick to watch. Just as the others have said here, uros have a lot of personality, each one is a little different. You can almost see the gears turning in their tiny brains as they curiously watch you (even when basking). That's what originally drew me to them at a pet store 3 years ago. I got mine from Doug at Deer Fern Farms.

I'm curious, why have you eliminated tegus from your list? Blues are moderately sized. I'm currently planning on getting an Argentine B&W tegu in part because of their intellect as well as their good temperament.

Craigo

"I'm curious, why have you eliminated tegus from your list?"

Basically becuase of size. Even the blues seem just a tad too big for me. Everyone suggests a 6" cage for them and i'm not sure i want to deal with that right now. 4' cage is fine, but for some reason, 6' sounds a litte too much at this point in time. Perhaps someday i'll get a larger lizard, but not until i habe a bigger place. I'm almost sure i'm gonna go with a Uro. I'm still somewhat enticed by the Ackies Monitor though. To be honest, the appeal of a Lizard that doesn't need it's water changed and that has relatively less stinky poops sounds appealing, so that's one of the reasons i'm leaning toward the Uro. I've never smelled or dealt with a smaller monitors feces, but i've seen one of the very large species literally "shoot" a wave of pee and poop out and boy did it stink.
The docile temperment of the Uro's is also a big factor in why i would want one. Even though i hear Ackies can be pretty docile, it's still a monitor.

Try this guy where I picked my Nigerians from. Very nice and fat, not skinny like you may run into. Already feeding, and a good guy to his word..Makes for a better start.
Good Luck
snakemansexotics@yahoo.com

I just answered your post in the monitor forum. Upon reading your post closer, I think YOU need to research each type of reptile you are considering purchasing. Only you know what you are looking for, what you can afford as far as the animal goes and the proper housing, longevity of the animal and costs of feeding, etc. I don't understand why you would need "motivation" to purchase a reptile. If you need motivation, perhaps it would be in your best interest to not buy anything at this time. You need a genuine desire to make the purchase, not just false motivation provided by others. This is just my take on your post, maybe others do not see it that way. Good luck, consider carefully.

Pam

I agree with your synopsis regarding the purchase of herps, frankly of any animal/critter. Reptiles need special considerations regarding climate controls, diets, handling, urgent care needs, etc. One needs to research, research, talk to those who are experienced with a given species. For instance, you and I both have knowledge with different uro species, however would never recommend a WC geryi to a beginner due to stress-related factors, the time involved and the emotional aspects as well.

One question to ponder relating to Pam's post is "I wonder how many of the thousands of iguanas up for adoption had first time buyers with little or no knowledge of dealing with a large iggy?" It goes a lot further than "oh that looks very cool, I'd love to have that!" Research and build knolwdge first and foremost!!!!

Greg

In order to provide motivation- we need to know yours.

Is your priority a nice pet that you can work with or something interesting that you want to view primarily from outside the enclosure?

Although I have not owned ackies, I kept beardeds for a dozen years and currently own and breed quite a few uromastyx.

When ‘I’ was looking for a nice pet that I could handle- I purchased an Argentine black and white tegu. I could not be happier with my decision. I personally find the care easier than uromastyx due to the lower heat requirements. I also find the diet easier than washing and chopping fresh greens every morning. The only big difference in care is the time you would need to spend handling the tegu to prevent possible aggression.

I do not know what your definition of huge is but a tegu can grow rather large compared to a bearded dragon or uromastyx. From what I have read and heard from others- a blue is smaller than the argentine b&w but similar in personality.

If you are looking for a hands on pet, are willing to put some work into handling the animal to minimize the chance of aggression and do not mind something that needs a six foot or larger enclosure then I would suggest the blue tegu.

As I said, it all depends on what your motivation and expectations are for wanting a lizard.

One other question you may want to ask if if you are right for a uro? Tells us what you know about their diets, substrate requirements, temperature gradients, general behavior, differences between species, wild caught verses captive bred, verses captive hatched. I am experienced with bearides, tegus (most speices), uros, collards, asian water dragons, and a few others. This is not bragging, bleeive me not at all. Tegus are not a beginner lizard!!!! And they are my favorite, or very very close to it. :0)

One thing I know for sure is that This is a place to start and should be the onset of your search. Do this for each specie of lizard you are fancied with, not only in appearance, but research their diets, behaviors, their skittishness factors, acclimating them, what if they don't eat?, etc. Most information will be generalized as "most" bearded dragons are very docile and friendly, however you may get that 1 out of 200 that is down right nasty. We just want you to be prepared for whatever species you decide and not get a lizard and then 2 weeks down the road you are saying you made a mistake and then now what?

Good luck!!!

Greg

I don't think you sound like you're committed to the research, time or effort, so please don't bother. There are plenty of people right now who won't provide the time or effort needed to properly raise them. Spare one of the creatures by not getting making the purchase.
(I know, now evryone can tell me how mean I am.)

I think we need to be careful with our interpretation of some of these posts.

I took Jesse’s post to say that he/she HAS been researching the specific animals mentioned but would like ALL of the information possible to make the best decision possible on which of these animals is best for him/her. I also see the post not ruling out other mid sized reptiles that he/she has not already thought about and researched. This is not to say that Jesse won’t do additional research if someone comes up with a mid sized reptile not listed in the post.

For all we know Jesse could have tens years of experience with other reptiles not mentioned here, have been researching for months on the animals he/she points out and is merely looking for first hand experience from people who already own these animals to make up his/her mind. We all know that there are hundreds of internet sites, papers, forums and other information on the internet most promoting the lizard of that particular focus. Bearded people will usually tell you beardeds are best and uromastyx people will usually focus on uromastyx. I think that Jesse could be playing devils advocate by going to the individual forums and asking those that already own these animals why they believe that the specific reptile asked about makes the best pet AND why they don’t. I think that most of us would probably agree that first hand experience directly from someone who already owns these animals is far more valuable (and credible) than advice from pet store employees and many (not all) internet sites.

With that said, I would agree with Pam that IF Jesse’s intent is to get motivation to commit to the purchase of a reptile then it might be best not to purchase one at all. If adequate research has NOT been done and Jesse just wants someone to tell him/her what animal to get then I would also suggest much more research. I just think that there are several ways to interpret this post and I guess I just read it differently. This doesn’t mean that I am right (lord knows I have had my share of misunderstanding posts)- I just think that we need to be careful with placing our own interpretation on someone else’s words.

I hope your right. There are too many people who see these as throw away pets. If they're too much trouble or if the vet cost too much the commitment is over. I can let it go in the wild or flush it down the toilet.
If this person isn't looking for something "too" aggressive, research could have already guided he/she away from a Tegu or an Ackie.
We have a post in the bearded forum where an owner said he got rid of a beardies because, "he was afraid it would rip one of his kids fingers off." This is one of the more docile reptile around.

"If this person isn't looking for something "too" aggressive, research could have already guided he/she away from a Tegu or an Ackie."

Actually, based on research and accounts from owners, Ackies are one of the most docile of the Monitors and also stay relatively small (around 2'). Blue Tegus, the ones i was somewhat interested in, are also suppose to tbe the most docile of the tegus and relatively small (around 2' to 2 1/2'). ANd according to many people, Tegus in general are more docile than monitors. I'm not saying these are as docile as a beardie or anything, but they are "relatively" docile. The people at Pro Exotics (a very good breeder) think Ackies are great for someone just getting into monitors. So in reality, GOOD research would have told me that CERTAIN monitors and tegus could actually be fairly docile animals if given proper care and handling. BTW, i'm a male, so that should make it easier for everyone

Comparing monitors to bearded dragons is apple to oranges. That being said monitors are much more aggressive than bearded dragons.
The dragons is one of the easiest, most docile and best beginner lizard around.

"I took Jesse’s post to say that he/she HAS been researching the specific animals mentioned but would like ALL of the information possible to make the best decision possible on which of these animals is best for him/her."

THANK YOU! Your post explains exactly what i'm doing. I HAVE done a ton of research already and plan to do a ton more. I've had a good amount of experience with reptiles (especially snakes). I have a good general knowledge of a lot of the more popular pet reptiles. Whenever i'm interested in a potential pet i do hours upon hours of research over a long period of time. I have countless books on animals i've never even owned, just because i wanted to know if those particular animals would be something i would enjoy. I'm just gathering information from people with hands on experience.
Rest assure those of you who think i'm some casual herper who needs a quick fix, whatever animal i chose will have a GREAT home with a dedicated care taker. I've narrowed it down to a uro or a ackies. As of last night i had done more research on Ackies but since then i've done a lot of catching up on the Uro info thanks to a link provided by someone in this thread. I've even narrowed down my Uro options to an Ornate or a Mali. So please don't vilify me as someone who isn't doing research and is going to torture some animal for some quick fix. That's all i have to say about that. Any more info is greatly apreciated.

I am glad you're doing the research. The fact that you have experience with snakes is a plus. My choices also, of the four, would be between the Ackie and the Uro. Both are great animals and a little more challenging than the beardie

hello eb924! im glad you are interested in getting a uro. they are great animals. im sorry some people are misinterpreting your post. everyone here loves uros and is just looking out for the well being of the animal. i did not see anything in your post personally that would lead me to beleive that you would be a bad lizard daddy. i took the term "needing motavation" as just a misuse in words and that you wanted us to try and persuade you into a uro so you could see all the good points of owning one. or having one own you! i think its great that your doing all your research and asking questions. i think whatever animal you chose will have a happy home. plese let us know your choice and i would love to see pics when you get your new pet! -brandy
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brandy

I'd have to agree. And not to spark an explosion, but, I came here asking similar questions. Id read some care sheets and read about the animal then I came here to get a variety of opinions. I wasnt sure if I wanted a bearded or a uro.

In fact, I ended up trading the bearded back in because I didnt realize the large amount of live prey I would need and ended up getting the uro.

Just my 2 cents worth