Life with lizards: how to raise and take care of them
Lizards are far different from other pets, but if raised right, they can be just as enjoyable.
Types of lizards that reptile lovers have as pets range from a gecko, skinny and no more than 6 or 7 inches, to a bearded dragon that can grow to be 2 feet long. Others include types of chameleons and iguanas.
Alyssa Mainhart Forte, of Butler, currently owns four lizards, in addition to other pets she’s fostered over the years. She has had her current pets for about three years, but said she had lizards growing up.
“When I was younger, I won an iguana at the Saxonburg carnival and it lasted a week because I was told at the time they love Gatorade and you had to feed them things that were just, not how you take care of reptiles,” she said.
Long gone are those days. She is now an expert on lizards. She has a 9-year-old bearded dragon named Phoenix, who she said is particularly sweet around people; a citrus bearded dragon named Freya, who is somewhere between 3 and 4 years old; a leopard gecko named Jeffrey, who is around 3 years old; and another skinny little gecko that’s about 13.
Forte, while excited to share her lizards, also outlined the work that goes into taking care of them.
For one, keeping them clean is not the hardest.
“It smells really bad when they use the bathroom, but the animals themselves don’t really smell much,” she said.
The environment itself, in addition to cleanliness, is important for the well-being of the lizard. Having a lot of lighting in their environment, plus a cage or tank that is big enough, helps the lizard stay comfortable while it is growing.
“What I’ve noticed about the lizards is that there’s a lot of false information out there. For example, Phoenix, the older dragon, what I noticed after I got him was that his original cage was too small, the lighting wasn’t sufficient. If you don’t have the right lighting it can be not good for them,” she said.
Feeding them is a process. Forte actually raises her own food for the lizards. This includes having a mill worm farm and roaches. They eat fresh vegetables too, though they don’t always enjoy them as much.
The geckos only eat roaches or mill worms, and sometime will get crickets as a treat, even though Forte said they’re gross.
Farming mill worms and roaches is much cheaper than buying them at a pet store, she said.
“If you don’t raise your own food it get’s pricey. I’ve gone to the pet store and paid, they wanted around 70 cents a roach. I’m not paying that. I didn’t think I’d raise the bugs, but it’s just became a thing,” she said.
For the most part, the lizards have a good attitude around people, she said. The bearded dragons do not bite, and will only get a little skittish if something startles them.
“Phoenix is old, he loves to just hang out, he loves being outside, so I have a little harness for him. So sometimes I’ll take them outside with me. He lets me dress him up for the holidays. He’ll hangout on chairs, around the house, but (I’m) careful about letting him around other animals that would love to eat him,” she said.
The geckos can be a little more hot and cold depending on their mood. Sometimes they’ll sit on Forte’s shoulder and mind their own business, but occasionally Jeffrey has bitten her on the finger.
“He comes out when I’m outside the glass, he’s very friendly, he just doesn’t like to be touched sometimes,” she said.
For anyone who is considering owning lizards, Forte notes they have their own personalities. She said people should know lizards are not low-effort pets.
“Really do research before you get a lizard. The setups initially are pretty expensive,” Forte said. “The lights can be pretty expensive. So you want to make sure you’re getting the right things so you’re not throwing away money on things that aren’t good for your animal.”
All lizards are different, she said. Some like to be touched, some don’t. They can recognize your voice, and building up trust can be a slow process.
“They’re not just pets like a cat or a dog, they’re exotic animals,” she said. “They need the right set up and someone who can learn, someone with patience, because they show affection but they don’t do it the same way as a cat or a dog.”
