Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  As autumn approaches I invariably receive questions from reptile owners whose pets have lost interest in food.  This most commonly occurs among Red Eared Sliders, Box and Painted Turtles, and other North American species, but may show up in lizards and snakes as well. 
Amphibians in general, and reptiles from regions without [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Classified within the family Iguanidae we find some of the most the world’s most popularly kept lizards, such as the Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) and the Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus).  As we will see, this diverse group is also populated by a number of oddities as well – rare island dwellers and [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Despite – or perhaps because of – its immense size, impressive armament of teeth and scarcity, the spectacular Crocodile Monitor Lizard (Varanus salvadorii) is often considered the crown jewel of private and public monitor collections.
I became acquainted with these formidable giants when they were first imported into the USA, and have [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. After shedding, leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) sometimes exhibit a condition that superficially resembles what snake owners know as “retained eye caps”. However, the structure of a leopard gecko’s eye, and that of the closely related banded and fat-tailed geckos, is nothing like that of a snake’s, and problems following shedding must [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Please see Part I of this article for more on bent-toed geckos (Genus Cyrtodactylus; C. louisiadensis and C. irianjayaensis).
UVB and Calcium
Although nocturnal, assume that bent-toed geckos require UVB radiation (others in the genus seem prone to metabolic bone disease). As these lizards generally do not bask at very high temperatures, a [...]

A Control Program Backfires
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Please see Part I of this article for background information. With introduced green iguanas (Iguana iguana) driving endangered burrowing owls from their nests and raccoons (Procyon lotor) devouring sea turtle eggs, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection initiated control measures. At a preserve in Dania Beach, an intensive [...]

Bent-toed geckos (Genus Cyrtodactylus, i.e. C. louisiadensis and C. irianjayaensis) are becoming ever more popular in captivity but, while a fascinating group, their care is often fraught with difficulties, and there is a great deal of conflicting information being circulated. A recent note from blog reader Dave, upon whom I can always count for interesting [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Released and escaped green iguanas (Iguana iguana) have now established huge populations in southern Florida. Although I must admit to a certain degree of fascination with introduced species, there can be no doubt that the massive lizards have caused a great many problems in their adopted environment.
An Impressive but Bothersome Invader
Normally arboreal, [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Breeding season aggression is a potentially serious concern for owners of male green iguanas.  Spurred by reproductive hormones, mature males, even those which have been placid for years, may suddenly become dangerously aggressive.  This most often, although not necessarily, occurs in the late winter to early spring in the USA, so I [...]

Breeding Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius) at Home: Determining the Sex of Your Pets
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
The ever popular leopard gecko is a good choice as an introduction to the breeding of lizards in captivity. Success, while not assured, is common…yet, these little fellows are so captivating that even zoos and well-experienced breeders continue to work [...]