Armadillo Lizard

[Scott&Nikki]

Does anyone know about armadillo lizards and how they are as pets? I have not heard much about them but I saw one at Petco and im very interested. Wondering if anyone has one... here's a pic too.

 

[dsreptiles]

I owned an armadillo lizard. It was acctually my 2nd reptile. He was no so good of a pet. VERY fast, did NOT like to be handled, and when I did manage to pick him up to clean his cage he would open his mouth wide and try to bit me. Fun to watch though. VERY hardy animals.

From what I remember is they are best housed on stacked slate so they could climb between there to hide. If I recall they are live bearing and semi easy to breed. I spoke with a breeder years ago when I owned it and he said they wouldnt breed for him when they were in a room with a lot of traffic as they are very secretive. When I walked into my room as soon as I opened the door the lizard on the other side of the room would run and hide and you could hear him knocking all of the slate over.

If you're looking for a pet this is not for you. If you are looking for a lizard who you want to give an elaborate setting, and can watch on a RARE occasion, this is the lizard for you haha.

 

[djinn]

I have a pair of these. They are really skittish.

They've been relatively easy to care for, but they're really not pet lizards.
If I put my hand in the cage, they're scrambling for the hide, and if I get them in my hand, and try to put them back, they run up my arm out of the cage.

But they're voracious eaters, so I see mine whenever I put crickets in their tank.
I like the look of them. I'm hoping they'll reproduce so I can have a captive-bred baby.

I had to special-order mine, they have them at Petco?

Here's some pictures.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Yeah, I held the one at Petco and he just sat on my hand looking at me. So, that was my only basis of how they are. I appreciate your help. I'm VERY new to this reptile thing (and very addicted) but I was even shocked to see one at Petco. I had done hours of research deciding what kind of lizard to buy and never found anything about armadillo lizards. Well, thank you both. Good luck on the breeding djinn. Post some pics for me if you get some babies. Thanks

 

[SPJ]

Get a baby in the Summer when they are born and you will end up with a curious and personable lizard. Most of the ones in petstores are WC sub adults.

They are easy to care for and are fun to watch. They can be handled if they are used to people.

 

[ze-bu-lon]

I have a pair of these. They are really skittish.

Hello ( excuse me for my english cause i'm french )
Have you already seen them biting their tail and making the "wheel" ????
Are they as rare in US as in europe ???
Is there anyone who bred them too ??

 

[BalloonzForU]

I've seen them a Petsmart and Pet Supplies Plus here in Ohio.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Yeah, there is still one at the Petco by me.

 

[djinn]

Hello ( excuse me for my english cause i'm french )
Have you already seen them biting their tail and making the "wheel" ????
Are they as rare in US as in europe ???
Is there anyone who bred them too ??

The only species that does that is Cordylus Cataphractus, which is a lot harder to obtain that the species you'll get in a pet store:
Cordylus Jonesii or Cordylus Tropidosternum.

The ones that I have are Tropidosternum, I believe, and they do not exhibit that behavior at all.

Cordylus Cataphractus is very hard to get. I contacted several people, and only found one person who had a waiting list, and a price over 300 per baby. If I had the money, I think they'd be worth it.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

What's this "wheel" thing we are talking about here? I think I got lost along the way...

 

[djinn]

What's this "wheel" thing we are talking about here? I think I got lost along the way...

Actually, this picture is what made me want an Armadillo lizard.
I found it in a search, its not my picture.
Apparently, when threatened Cataphractus bite their tail and roll up into a ball like an actual armadillo.

Cataphractus just seem to have more character to their faces, and the wood-like spikey texture is more pronounced. Plus they roll up into a ball, I mean, what more could you ask for?
The live-birth of the Cordylus was also a high point for me, and is why I went ahead and got a more readily available type instead.
I figure if I don't have to handle an egg, it's that much better for the baby.