Well, I assume lizards - because you know what they say: For every one you see, there are 8 more living in the walls. God, I hope I have that wrong…
Anyway, can anyone identify what this guy is? I’m pretty sure “yard lizard” isn’t a thing.
That is a bearded dragon. Very friendly, sweet, easy to care for pets. Where are you located? I would knock on doors; I doubt it went very far from home. Someone is probably very brokenhearted about losing their friend.
They live in desert conditions so you do not need to give him water per se. He might like some veggies that are sprayed with a mister. He would be very very happy (and healthier) if you provide a bright light to create a warm spot for him to bask, but NO electric heat rocks; it will burn his belly. PM me if you need any more advice.
If you’re (the OP) going to feed him, he’s going to need UVA/B and a very hot light to digest the food. IIRC he’s going to need temps in the area of 110 degrees.
Beardies are pretty tame and nice to have around, but it’s a bit of a pain to maintain their lifestyle.
Also, dark leafy greens, but no spinach.
Also, I agree with Miss Elizabeth. It probably belongs to a neighbor, I’d start knocking on doors as well. If anyone has kids, I’d start there.
Signs or posters are also a good idea. I find it difficult to believe he went more than a couple blocks, but you may not want to knock on that many doors.
Things that don’t contain a lizard:
Dog crate
He’s currently in a kiddie pool I have for the dogs to splash around in - let’s see how long before he figures out how to climb the daunting 8 inches to get out of this one…
Beardies can’t climb slick surfaces. They can jump further and higher then you might expect. But if you don’t have anything for him to climb on, I wouldn’t be worried about it.
In the worst-case scenario, the garage is still going to keep her in. I’m calling her Sheila at the moment.
Heh, when I saw the pic I thought he or she looked like a (young-ish) bearded dragon, but I was under the impression you’d seen a lot of them, and I started wondering if they might be native to wherever it is you live. But yeah, I agree that looks like an escaped pet.
How cool is it that you don’t have mere “lizards,” but a DRAGON?
Having a dragon is pretty cool. Hopefully the signs will find an owner soon.
Love it!!
If you don’t hear from an owner soon, and you don’t want to keep her (and I warn you, they are a total pain to keep, long term) I know a few people in reptile rescue and I may be able to help. I don’t know where you are, but you can ship reptiles, so we should be able to work something out. And if you DO decide to keep her, I can offer advice on that too, if you want it. They really make very nice pets, but they are a fair amount of trouble to keep. Totally worth it, if you love them, though.
(The trouble is all in the enclosure set up and maintenance, and in keeping and caring for their food, usually crickets. The lizards themselves are actually pretty low maintenance, so don’t worry about her if you have her for only a few days)
When I was putting up signs, one guy I saw said he used to have a setup for a bearded dragon, but she died a while ago. Said that if I couldn’t find someone, he’d take it. He also recommended a family pet shop a few blocks away, but he didn’t have a spare tank for it, otherwise he would have.
On my favorite bumper sticker.
"Meddle not in the business of dragons, for you are crunchy, and good with ketchup."
If I had a dragon, I would have this bumper sticker; even though I am sure I would taste better with ranch dressing.
Reunited! The owner lives across the street, and saw my sign. Actually, another neighbor’s kid saw the sign, who knew he had a lizard from selling Cub Scout stuff door-to-door, and showed him the sign. Apparently, the neighbor thought that Frodo didn’t get out enough, and created a harness made from kite string and a rubber band. Oddly, that system failed and Frodo got away.
:smack:
All’s well that ends well, though.
FWIW, IMO, Frodo is a much cooler name than Sheila. In fact, Frodo is a much cooler name than 99% of all pet names.
Can’t believe anyone thought putting a harness on a lizard outside would be a good idea. Aren’t hawks pretty much commonplace everywhere.
Not really. Trees on my street are about 100 feet tall or more - I’d think any local hawks would stick to the cornfields outside of town.
Frodo? Not Smaug?
I’m giving the owner ‘princess points’ for kindess to reptiles and, obvious failure aside, extra ‘creativity credit’ for the kite string and rubber band harness attempt.
C’mon, you know you would have tried it or something like it. With a bearded dragon named Frodo and the harness attempt, he sounds like he should be a Doper.
Not necessarily. Harpy Eagles, for example, live in rain forests. They’re big birds, but they fly in thick cover.
Cool birds.