legless lizard

animan

hello again as some of you may remember i was going to get a snake a while ago but unfortunatly my mam said no so she said i could get a lizard so i want the closest thing to a snake as i can get so its a legless lizard for me preferably an eastern glass lizard does anyone know where i can get one do they sell them in reptile haven

animan

c'mon i really want to know

tallus

Have you tried calling Reptile Haven ? It's always a good start.

animan

yes but there was no answer

soularnights

I know its not legless but did you ever consider a monitor.
http://www.kingsnake.com/oz/lizards/monitors/vglebop.htm
And maybe after showing your mam the monitor she probably wouldn't mind a snake. They grow very large and are meat eaters too.

tallus

soularnights wrote:

I know its not legless but did you ever consider a monitor.
http://www.kingsnake.com/oz/lizards/monitors/vglebop.htm
And maybe after showing your mam the monitor she probably wouldn't mind a snake. They grow very large and are meat eaters too.

Aren't those things nasty buggers? and they grow quite large too.

Our man in Havana

Slow worms are legless lizards - Ben in Reptile Haven should have some or could get some for you they are soooooo like snakes except they blink. Skinks are similar to snakes but have legs.

Not all monitors are nasty - my bosc is nice huffs & puffs a bit but thats it.

animan

first of all i would like a monitor but they grow too big and i have heard that they are very expensive to look after second thanks bond007 ill go in this weekend and talk to ben about it. i have heard great things about him also do slow worms need a heat mat since they live in england and places like the burren and if so i have an empty fish tank that has a 1-2cm gap underneath could i just slide it under there or does it have to be stuck to something and what would be a good bedding

tallus

I was just wondering .. would a slow worm have to be hibernated ?

animan

i suppose they would because even corn snakes need to be hibernated if you want to breed but can live normally if you dont it might be the same with the slow worms

tallus

Aye that's true of Leopard geckos too, tho not total hibernation just a cooling down period.

Our man in Havana

Have never kept slow worms so would need to do some serious research to answer your question.

You can get dwarf monitors will have to look for info on the species - cant think of the name at this moment in time! My bosc is small he had some problems when I got him with calcium difficency (sp) so he is around 3 feet long with the tail & he does not cost a fortune to feed etc - monitors tend to get very fat so they should not be feed too much they are great escape artists tho!

tallus

They look great too. Only ever saw one Bosc monitor years back in the pet shop that used to be in the Georges St arcade.

animan

so do any of you know how much a slow worm would cost roughly

animan

any one know any thing about slow worms as pets anything will be helpful

tallus

No idea dude, did you manage to get a hold of Ben in the end?
I'm sure he will give you a few pointers. Ok dude I googled Slow worm and got this : http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/281.shtml
I recommend you try it

FranknFurter

IIRC, slow-worms cannot be bought or sold in europe without a special licence, and they are an endangered species.
I could be wrong, but I remember trying to source one about 10 years ago and being told that.

B

animan

first of all no i havn't got a hold of ben yet but i am going in today second slow worms used to be endangered but aren't anymore so it is fine to sell them i'm not one of these people who just buy a pet and then do research i have been looking for the perfect reptile for me for the past year

tallus

animan wrote:

first of all no i havn't got a hold of ben yet but i am going in today second slow worms used to be endangered but aren't anymore so it is fine to sell them i'm not one of these people who just buy a pet and then do research i have been looking for the perfect reptile for me for the past year

And yet you only decided on a slow worm in the past week ?

animan

yes but i had decided on a european glass lizard which is simaler(sp)and i will be doing research into slow worms that is why i am going into reptile haven today not to buy one but to find out about them.

FranknFurter

After some research........
Apparently its a pretty grey area, BUT, it seems its legal to keep them (or sell them) ONLY if you can provide paperwork proving that they are captive bred or wild-caught (Licenced). And were not taken from their native habitat.
therein lies the problem. Very few people breed them in captivity as it is thought they do not make good pets because of their extremely secretive nature.

Apparently, to keep one "properly" you would need to have a viv with loads of hiding spaces and would rarely see the lizard except when it briefly comes out to feed (usually at night) or bask.

Im sure Ben will have all the up-to-date legal info, but it is worth remembering that they might not be the most actively visable reptile in the world, and can lose their tails (often fatal) if startled (and get startled easier than most reptiles seemingly).

Seems to me they would be a rather specialized reptile to keep, even though given their diet and temp requirements they would first come across as being easier than most.

B

Another consideration, according to research carried out in 1978, "The slow-worm is possibly the longest-lived small lizard in the world. Records show that they can live up to 30 years in the wild, and they have been known to survive to 54 years in captivity".

So expect this to be a very long-term relationship!

animan

went in today and talked to ben he doesn't have slow worms but does have a cross between a slow worm and a european glass lizard and he let me hold it and this does not drop its tail off he said that he only got in 2 and he is holding this one for me its setup and care are the same as a slow worm so i'm getting everything set up thi week and picking up my new pet next week

tallus

That's excellent animan hope it all works out well for you and best of luck with the new critter, I'd be interested in seeing photos when you get it.

animan

yeah thanks tallus can't wait till next week just wondering can i put the heat mat on a peice of wood or something to raise it up to the bottom of the tank oh yeah nearly forgot how do you post pictures

tallus

I suppose you could tape it to the bottom of the tank? I did that in the past.
To post a pic, click on Go Advanced below the window you type replies in, then scroll down to "manage attachments'

animan

o.k thanks tallus

animan

just thought of what i'm going to call him(i think) he shall be called wait for it .............legs:D

tallus

lol

Shelli

What kind of lizard is it your getting? Sound very interesting.

animan

its some sort of cross between a slow worm and a european glass lizard there is a name for it its a something beginning with s glass lizard and its not slow

animan

just 2 days to go getting really excited and have the tank set up

tallus

Sounds pretty sweet dude, I look forward to seeing Pics Tell Ben that Greg says hello when you're talking to him.

animan

found out the name i was well of its a percivals legless lizard picked it up today ill post pics later

Demonique

tallus wrote:

Aren't those things nasty buggers? and they grow quite large too.

Depends on the species. Komodo dragons are massive, but Ridgetail Monitors are quite small, about 2 feet long.