Collared Lizard Care and Information
by Luke Tansley on in Lizards
This year our store manager Sam has been bringing much more variety to the kind of reptiles we typically keep in the Northampton Reptile Centre. From this we have been able to get hands-on experience with many more amazing species of reptile and, in general, we have found that these less common species have been extremely popular for new and experienced keepers alike. One of the species we were most surprised by and delighted with were the common collared lizards.
These colourful little lizards can be found in arid regions around the Southern USA and Mexico. When mature the males display a bright yellow head and chest with greens, teals and blues along the torso and arms. These vibrant colours are broken up by bands of white and black around the neck of the lizard hence the name. From previous experience, we have found that most of the other species of this size and general appearance tend to be extremely shy and quick to run away. When researching the species we found that they are well known for running upright on their hind legs at high speed. Other lizards that we have kept with this trait have been a little more difficult to get used to handling so we fully expected the collared lizard to be the same. However, after spending some time with the young collared lizards it became apparent that they were intelligent, interested in their environment, curious about our team and customers. Though they were quite fast and unsure when they first arrived, a little time and interaction quickly got them acclimatised to us and the shop. Once tamed we found the collared lizard to be of a similar disposition to our most popular pet lizard the bearded dragon making them a brilliant choice for young keepers and new keepers. While all of the collared lizards displayed similar interest and attitude we also found that each lizard was delightfully unique in its interactions with us and their environment.
These little lizards have been a really pleasant surprise for our team and customers. We will definitely look to keep them available whenever possible as they have been a brilliant addition to our store! If you are interested in picking up this species please check our recommended set up list and care sheet. If there are any species you would like our opinion on please email the suggestion to sales@reptilecentre.com and we will look to do a blog on the species.
As ever if you have any questions about the species or need any help with your reptile, invertebrate or amphibian please contact us on 01604753823 or by email at sales@reptilecentre.com .
