for the starters

[monty bl python]

in the past few years i have gained an intrest in Herpetoculture. i have had a few wild cought lizards (such as five-lines, blue-tails, ex) but usualy end up Releasing them back into the wild within two years

my Question is what is a good beginer lizard that is a larger species

[peterm15]

how large..

a mid size would be a bearded dragon.... there easy to care for and lots of fun to play with and watch.. the startup can be expensive but its well worth it..

[Lrptls]

i would recomend beardies too but there not for every body, something about them bores me and iv already had 2 and have given them away. one of my very frist lizards was a chinese water dragon. do alot of research on them first but they are pretty easy to care for, there beautiful and they dont get huge, a male can reach almost 3 feet but most of that is their long tails.

[monty bl python]

thank you for the info

what are you thoughts on iguanas or chameleons

[thunder]

Do not, I repeat do not get an iguana. They are absolutely not for beginners. Pet stores will lie to you. They grow to be huge, require very specialized diets, need tons of space, are very expensive to maintain, and generally become ill-tempered and even dangerous upon maturity.

I don't know much about chameleons, but I think their care is very complicated, and they do not tolerate husbandry mistakes. However, unlike iguanas, if you do extensive research on the specific needs of chameleons, you may find that you can provide what is neccessary. There are some very knowledgable people on this site who can point you in the right direction.

Bearded dragons, which I know more about, make great "pet" lizards, as they are hardy, of a reasonable size, and very handlable.

If you are more interested in a smaller lizad, I would point you towards leos and fat-tails, which both stay small, are easy to care for, and can be handled.

[Tango-n-Toads]

My boyfriend has a beardie and we just love her. She's great. Very handlable, has a ton of personality, and we really enjoy having her around. She was the first herp that my boyfriend ever got and although her initial setup was quite expensive we have found it to be totally worth it.

However, beardies do eat a LOT of crickets when they are younger so you will spend quite a bit of money on bugs until they get older and you can cut back on them. Other than that the greens barely cost you a thing.