Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is it.! . the sun has returned and our Chucks are entirely lovin' it!
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These are the Puerto Penasco, Mexico chuckwallas.. they stay out year-round but only become active again when the sun gets HOT and HEAVY.. The flowers are a favourite.. I suggest anyone wanting to keep these beautiful and friendly lizards long term with a focus on best health and reproduction look to supplying seasonal flowers.. these are Coreopsis..
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.. I take my Isla Angel de la Guarda or Hispidus chucks inside for the coolest part of the year.. Here's me putting some of them back into their habitats..
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.. really great lizards. These adults are now twenty inches or more.
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.. the Mexico chucks in general, and the Hispidus chucks especially really like the new growth on Opuntia cactus.
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.. here's one of last year's kids that stayed here.
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It's great to see these fascinating critters out and having so much fun!
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Thanks.. have a great day!
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

I always look forward to your Spring photos, Gus. Keep 'em coming!

Very nice, Gus! I love the picture with the babies hanging out with the adults. Great pictures as always. I wish we could keep our chucks outdoors.

Nick

Hi, I'm new to this forum. Thanks for posting the great photos- they look like beautiful chuckwallas.

May I ask what type of flowers you have in the enclosure? Thanks.

>>Hi, I'm new to this forum. Thanks for posting the great photos- they look like beautiful chuckwallas.
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>>May I ask what type of flowers you have in the enclosure? Thanks.

Coreopsis tincturia..

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

They are very nice! I'd love to keep me those. Do you need any special permits for these?

I love chucks! great pics and great looking outdoor habitats for them.

What type of housing do you use when you bring them indoors for the winter?

Thanks

>>I love chucks! great pics and great looking outdoor habitats for them.
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>>What type of housing do you use when you bring them indoors for the winter?
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>>Thanks

Only the Hispidus chucks come in for the winter. The others do fine in their outdoor environments.. I'll only bring in very small ones that have emerged late. I have plywood boxes, about three feet by five feet that I put the Hispidus groups in for the worst of the winter.

Hope that helps.

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

What was that they were eating? Was it MK salad? Those things are great for iguanas and Uromastyx (if the Uro will eat it). Parsnips are so high in nutrients...they are quite possibly the most nutritious veggies on the planet (with asparagus trailing at close second).

>>What was that they were eating?

Hi.. that's all fresh vegetables that I chop for them. Turnip greens, collards, kale, some red lettuce, grated carrot, squash, cactus, other stuff if I have it.

Thanks.

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

Thanks for clarifying that up! I like to ask what and how people give salad to their veggie eaters, so I can learn new stuff. Thanks again!

when you bring them inside for the winter, are you just providing enough warmth for them to have a "less severe winter" ?
do they stay in a hibernation state?

I'm considering if I would be able to keep a few chucks. I live in Safford, AZ. I would want to build an outdoor enclosure like the ones you show on your website, but wasn't sure what I would do with them in the winter. Safford usually gets down below freezing a few times during the winter. I'm thinkng I could keep them inside my garage during then winter and just use a small electric heater to keep the temp just a bit above freezing?? would that work?

thanks again!

Could you keep them outside with plenty of deep hides in case it gets too warm in the summer and then bring them into heated and lighted cages in your garage in the winter? I don't hibernate my Chucks, but maybe someone who does can chime in here. There is nothing more miserable looking than a cold Chuckwalla. BTW, that's a cute furry reptile you got there! LOL

>Could you keep them outside with plenty of deep hides in case it gets too warm in the summer and then bring them into heated and lighted cages in your garage in the winter? I don't hibernate my Chucks, but maybe someone who does can chime in here. There is nothing more miserable looking than a cold Chuckwalla. BTW, that's a cute furry reptile you got there! LOL

Thanks for the reply.

The furry reptile in my last post is Kozmo (RIP) - he belonged to a good friend of mine - the pic was taken in Utah canyon lands area.

yes, I'm relatively sure I can provide enough shade for them in an outdoor enclosure during the summer, but would prefer having them go through a winter hibernation since I believe that is what they typically do in the wild. I'm no expert on Chucks, but I have lived in Arizona for the past 35 years and when I was a younger man, I would catch wild chucks around Phoenix. They seemed to thrive in the heat - they preferred rocky ares where they could hide inside deep cracks between rocks - which was also a defense mechanism as they can puff up their bodies and wedge themselves inside the cracks so that they couldn't be pulled out.....

I'm thinking that if the chucks lived around Phx, then they should be OK where I am now in Southern AZ.... only the average annual temps are about 5 degrees cooler throughout the year where I am now compared to Phx.

Thanks again
Patrick

Sounds like fine reasoning. The sad stories about losing Chucks in winter while brumating them in coolers makes me cringe. I have been keeping Chuckwallas for more than fifty years and have never brumated them. They breed well and I know I have some that have reached twenty years or more. Burning the candle at both ends seems to work fine for them! LOL And I get to see them all winter. What more does anyone want??

Thanks for the info. that sounds like some really good experience for me to consider.

>>Could you keep them outside with plenty of deep hides in case it gets too warm in the summer and then bring them into heated and lighted cages in your garage in the winter? I don't hibernate my Chucks, but maybe someone who does can chime in here. There is nothing more miserable looking than a cold Chuckwalla. BTW, that's a cute furry reptile you got there! LOL

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I 'hibernate' some chucks.. they stay out year round and suffer no ill-effects from body temps as low as 40 degrees (F). I stop feeding them when the weather closes in. That may mean mid December to Valentine's day! But I won't allow them to get wet and cold.. and will cover their habitats when conditions warrant.
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus