So how to you tame a Lizard?

How to Tame a Pet Lizard, Iguana, Monitor or Dragon

A great deal about taming any lizard is to understand their body language, part of this article will talk about some basic husbandry issues and also about what the lizards body language may be telling you.

This is Raptor, he is a 5 ft Salvator Water Monitor in this picture he is 5 yrs old.

With a little time, patience and preserverence anyone can tame most any lizard to be a good family pet. There is the occasional lizard that thru his own experience with humans or individual temperament issues can not be tamed by someone without extensive experience. Most however, do not fit into this category.

These are the things you will need to tame your pet lizard

• Patience
• Willingness to commit the time necessary to properly tame your pet.
• fast reflexes
• optional - thick gloves
• Harness sutable for reptile
• Leash to fit to harness.
• thick towel
• A Smaller enclosure for taming purposes only, once tamed he can go into a larger enclosure to be enjoyed by the entire family.
• Did I say Patience?

Raptor at 12 yrs and 7 ft enjoying a great warm soak in the bath tub. Soaks are welcome for many species but should be of the correct temperature for the specific lizard type Insure that your pet lizard is housed appropriately and that the habitat is of the correct temperature at the floor level where the animal lives. This is critical because if the temperature is too cold for the reptile he may appear tame, when in fact he actually is not. Also reptiles are Ectotherms which means that they regulate their body temperatures within the environment (they do not produce body heat) instead of like us as we produce our own body heat. If the enclosure is keep too cool the reptile could develop a respiratory infection, if it is too warm he may succumb to the excess heat just like you or I would. Do not rely on temperature readings at or near the top of the enclosure, you need to know what the temps are where the reptile lives

This female green iguana is showing a passive display, notice her flap of skin or dewlap is folded against her neck Remove all cage furniture and decorations except one hide log and the water bowl until your lizard is finally pretty tame. You don't want to have to chase your pet lizard around the enclosure and scare him. When you take him out during the taming sessions do so quickly and use due care not to injure him. Just remove the hide log and matter of factly pick up the lizard. No easy task the first few times, I assure you. If you are fearful or if your pet is aggressive you can use a thick towel to drop over your lizard, then wrap him up like a baby and remove him from the enclosure. In severe cases wear thick gloves. With Gloves use extra care to insure you don't handle your pet too roughly and cause injury.

This young Iguana is ready to cut and run, the dewlap is in a medium position but the body is poised for action. Baby lizards are the toughest to capture in the beginning, but also the easiest to tame. They can dart around their enclosures (or your home) if they escape very quickly. You may want to start out with your pet lizard in a smaller cage that is easy to gain access to. This way you can capture them more easily until he is calmer around you. Make your hand flat with the fingers together when you go to pick him up this gives a visual barrier and makes it less likely for him to target and bite a finger. Place the flat of your hand directly over the lizard and quickly but gently press down pinning him to the cage floor, then you can wrap your fingers around him taking care that he can not bite you when you pick him up. Long necked lizards like monitors require extra caution to insure that they cant reach around to bite you.
If you use a towel simply drop the towel over your lizard and wrap them up gently. You can then expose his head and neck area and gently rub near his ears till he begins to calm down. For long necked lizards you will try to capture them with their neck between your first and second fingers, this gives you greater control and makes it more difficult for them to get that head around to bite.

This green Iguana is very tense and in a threat display, notice the forward tight dewlap and body angled to the side, the tail is poised to whip which can be very painful!
Several times a day whenever you walk by the enclosure stop and talk to your lizard pet, show him by your actions that he has nothing to fear from you and that you are not fearful of him. They have a very small primitive brain so it takes many many repetitions of pleasurable experiences before your lizard will begin to remember you. Some species such as Iguanas and Monitors actually recognise individual people. so in the beginning only one person should handle the lizard. Once he is tame you can begin introducing other family members. This does not mean that other family members can not drop by the enclosure and talk to your pet lizard, only that they should not try to pick him up untill he associates being picked up as pleasurable by one family member first.

No, this gecko is not dead, just calmly sitting in his owners hand. He is looking down at the ground so the owner should be wary of him making a jump for the floor and freedom. Two or Three times a day reach in and capture your pet lizard, pick him up while talking to him in soothing tones. Avoid making any sounds that even remotely sound like hissing noises, these are threatening to your lizard and will only put him on the defensive. Hold him firmly but gently so that he can not escape. Rub him along the side of the head behind the eyes, near the ears. this is a pleasurable area for them to be touched. As soon as you feel him calm down and relax a bit in your hand, place him back inside his enclosure. Being in the enclosure is what he wants so this is a perfect reward for calming down.

This green iguana while on the cage wall is calm and relaxed, notice the dewlap is folded into the neck and the body does not appear to be tense When you feed your lizard make sure you have handled the food first so that your scent is on the food. You can also place a washcloth or other fabric item in the enclosure, under the hide log so that your pet gets used to your scent. DO NOT feed a wild lizard by hand!!!! He can easily lunge past the food to your fingers! Lizards of all types have teeth even though you may not easily see them. A severe bite may require stitches so use caution. If your lizard is aggressive you will ALWAYS use gloves or a towel to handle him until he realizes you are not a predator and will not eat him.

This is the same iguana above, the eyes are closed, the dewlap is folded (the light brown under his chin area is a food bowl and not his dewlap), he is showing a submissive posture to let you know it is ok to pet him. He would NEVER close his eyes to a predator whom he feared would eat him, he considers you a friend now. With careful handling and patience you will get your lizard to accept you and your handling. There may have been some tail whips and bitten towels along the way but if you are gentle and persistent your lizard will come to realize you are not dangerous and will not hurt him. Once he is calm and accepting of you, you can begin to introduce him to other family members. While you are holding him, invite one person at a time into the room and eventually closer to where they can touch your lizard while you hold him.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to handle your lizard at or near the same time every day.
• Never put your lizard away when he is being fearful or aggressive, wait for him to calm down first. If even for just a second.
• NEVER grab any lizard by the tail, most have the ability to drop their tail as a defense mechanism and you will end up with just a wiggly tail in your hands and NO lizard...
• Use caution as your lizard is always a wild animal first and the rule of flight or fight always applies.
• As a wild animal he will always be unpredictable, if you or someone else gets bitten even after he is tame it is ALWAYS your fault.
• Just because he has bitten does not mean that he now has the "Taste of blood" and will always bite... this is an old wife's tail and simply not true.