please help :(

Question
QUESTION: i love lizards snakes etc and i really want a lizard something around the 11" mark give or take a little but i have a HUGE problem with insects in general and having to pull off body parts before using them as feed could u please please reccomend a small lizard that is a herbivore or maybe one that isnt so in to crickets.. please help im beggining to think i'll never have one

ANSWER: Hello Nadine, there are few options of herbivorous lizards but you are not helpless so lets go over some options.

Well the Mali Uromastyx (which is NOT recommended as a beginner lizard SO DO A LOT OF RESEARCH first and be sure you are ready for a long and hard commitment) would work but they get a little larger then 11 inches and require a large enclosure for their size. But they are herbivores so read up about them and see if this may be a good solution:
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/390.html
They tolerate being handled and are very docile but need very specific care.

The Bearded Dragon is not strictly herbivorous but as an adult will eat more vegetation then insects. But while young need insects as the main part of their diet. You don't have to pull off body parts to feed them. You can feed them the way they are or stick them in the freezer (in a container of course) for a short time to get them into an almost hibernation state and then they are unaware of what is happening around them and are slow and sluggish. But they too get about the same size as the Uromastyx from 11 inches to 20 depending on gender and the animal itself.
Bearded Dragon Care:
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/48.html

You may have more luck looking into a tortoise. Some stay small in size are strictly herbivorous and are easy to care for. It is not a lizard but another option you may be interested in.

The Russian Tortoise gets up to 10 inches and are herbivorous.
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/182.html

Good luck, and if these options don't do it for you let me know.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you very much for all your help..i was very interested in both of the lizards you suggested the only problem i had was the size of them both i have no problem personaly with the size but only have limited space to keep one the biggest enclosure i can house right now is 110cm length by roughly 40-50 cm front to back but can be as tall as needed and obviously i wouldnt get one if this enclosure size is cruel for the lizard is there any way u could find out the max size of a female mali uromastyx i have looked and found alot of varied sizes wich range from 20cm to 40" which is very confuzing i have already read some care sheets ov both lizards you suggested and i am definatly interested in devoting my time to my new family member :).. thank you for all your help so far and i hope you can help me a little more hehe thanx

ANSWER: Your welcome Nadine, sense both of those lizards are ground dwelling they dont need the height but average for that size of a tank is about the same height as depth (front to back)

The dimensions for the minimum size enclosures are as follows
Bearded Dragon & Mali Uromastyx need the same size enclosure: 170 litres (45 gallons) measures: 3ft (36 inches) long, 19 inches high and 19 inches deep. Converting to:
91cm long 48cm high and 48 cm deep. So that space you have would work great for a Bearded Dragon or Uromastyx. Make it as big as possible though. If you custom build the tank it would help get the biggest size as you can. As this is the bare minimum and they would be much happier in a larger enclosure but this is suitable more so for the Bearded Dragon then the Uromastyx.

Thank you for doing your research I hope you learn as much as possible before getting one and it seems you are very devoted and into the animal's best interest so I trust you will do whats best in all cases.

The most likely reason you are getting so many different measurements is because there are many species of Uromastyx which all range in size. Getting up to 40 inches the Uromastyx Maliensis (Mali Uromastyx) is the smaller of most of them. The maximum size a female Mali can grow is about 18 inches however there isn't a lot of information about them so but 18 inches is rare they average more around 14 inches

Some say 10-12 inches (22-27 cm) others say more around 14-16 inches and other up to 18. It is a strong possibility however that they will not get any larger then 14 inches. Females are generally smaller as well and are smaller then most Bearded Dragons.


Hope that helped, good luck


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: wow thats great thankyou very much for all your help.. is there any chance you could give me a small idea of how they like the're enclosure i.e. different levels or if they want deep substrates?? again thankyou for all your help i am now beaming with the thought of having one :)

Answer
Hi, well neither of them like deep substrates.
You should never use:
sand as a substrate because it can cause fatal impaction.
Heat rocks, heat caves
plastic dial thermometers (digital are best)

They need more ground space then height because they are ground dwellers, and because they dont have such a great sense of balance you shouldnt supply a lot of high climbing areas but they still enjoy a nice log and rocks for them to get closer to the heat lamp for basking. I find tile is the best flooring for both as it looks natural, easy to clean, and has no risk of impaction. They love hiding places like little caves and such, I like to make mine rather then buy them from stores. I have one that was a clay pot that I tipped upside down cleaned well and broke off a little opening with a hammer, then just covered the sharp edges that broke off so they cant get hurt. Be sure there is nowhere that they can get stuck under or between. Thats the basics, be sure you have a food dish and water dish in each.

You can be creative with the enclosures many people go all out when customizing them but they don't require a lot of different specialties. Although you could build in some shelving ledges for him/her to climb onto.

You will need a warm end and a cool end, thsi way they can regulate their body temperatures as needed. They need the heat to have energy and digest food but they also need a place to cool down. So be sure you have a good range in temperatures.

Something like thsi is nice but be sure everything is secure:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d146/mmarrella/pets/newtank2.jpg

Good luck