Have you developed an interest and love for lizards? If you are planning to get one for yourself, you will need advice on which lizard to pick as a pet. Maybe you need advice on which is the best pet lizard for beginners, or which one is suitable for an advanced lizard keeper? Either way, there is a lot of planning that you need to do before getting a lizard.
This article will help you answer questions on most popular lizards and will give information on their personality, sizes and some special requirements. We will also discuss which lizards are better for beginners and advanced keepers.
Different factors, such as lizard behavior, life expectancy, maintenance price and others will be key when choosing your pet lizard!
What factors should you consider when choosing a pet lizard?
- Size of a lizard – and do you have enough space to accommodate its enclosure?
- How friendly it is and how much attention it needs to stay tame
- Price of a lizard and how easy it is to find
- Price to setup its vivarium/terrarium and buy all the supplies
- Life expectancy – can you accommodate it for many years (sometimes up to 15-20)?
- Overall personality – will it be aggressive or let you handle it easily?
- How experienced you are in caring for a lizard
- How much time you can spend to care for it
- Lizard’s diet – will you be happy to feed it live crickets, cockroaches or even mice and rats?
- Lizard’s lifestyle – is it diurnal or nocturnal (active during the day or night)?
- Legal issues – some states forbid owning a certain lizard
- Do you want male or female? And do you plan on breeding lizards after some time?
- How often will you have to clean your lizard’s enclosure? Some species defecate more than others.
So, are you ready to bring a lizard home?
General advice when choosing and buying a pet lizard:
- Make sure your lizard was captive bred. This means less chances of parasites and viruses. Captive bred lizards adapt to terrarium living easier and are less aggressive. This is more ethical as well.
- If you consider getting few lizards, you should generally not keep two males together in one terrarium. For most lizards it is better to live alone, and for some – in a group. One or more females and one male can live well together.
- If you plan to breed lizards – get a female and male. If you are getting a pet lizard as a display pet – to watch it and enjoy its company, it is better to choose one male lizard. Male lizards get bigger and usually live longer.
- Make sure your lizard is healthy and that its tail has not been dropped before (if applicable). If it has and you feel fine about it, breeders should be honest about it and lower the price. Your lizard should be walking confidently, and its spine should be straight. The eyes should be opening fully, and skin should not be damaged or cracked. Also watch out for skin shedding vs. skin disorders.
- You can get both baby and teenage lizards. A problem will baby lizards is that they need special care and are very fragile. They will also be much smaller so will need a different enclosure until they grow up.
Top 12 pet lizards – best lizards to own as pets
Best beginner and intermediate pet lizards
Bearded Dragon
Bearded dragons make amazing pets. They are one of the most popular lizard pets in the USA. ‘Beardies’, as they are
often called by the owners, make good pets because they are friendly and entertaining. Beardies also sleep at night, which means that you will be able to watch it in activity during the day. Let’s see their characteristics:
Bearded dragon lifespan: It can vary depending on care and other factors. Average lifespan for beardies is 5 to 10 years, sometimes up to 15 years.
Bearded dragon personality: Beardies tend to be laid-back and friendly. After getting to know them and some handling, beardie will start trusting you. They are also docile, and you can easily handle them and feed them. Some owners also love the fact that beardies can wave to them! This is thought to be a sign of waving hello or showing submission.
Some beardies are even intelligent and make entertaining pets as they like watching people’s actions and being handled. Sometimes you will notice your beardie watching every step you make.
They also look like dragons and are active during the day, all of which makes them beautiful lizards to keep and display. Some beardies even love being picked up and played with.
They also love to eat, and you giving your lizard some treats will earn trust! Just be patient with your beardie to create that special bond.
Bearded dragon size: Bearded dragons are not large lizards. They are usually between 12 and 24 inches. An adult beardie weighs around 250 to 500 grams, approximately.
Special care requirements: Bearded dragons come from dry parts of the world, which means that they will need full spectrum lighting for most parts of the day. You will also need to feed them not only fruits and vegetables, but insects too. Insects that you can feed your beardie include crickets, butter worms, earthworms and others. Make sure you are comfortable with this.
Overall: Bearded dragons make one of the best lizard pets. They are not too hard to find and buy. Most beardies are funny and affectionate. They are not too large either, so you won’t need too much space for its tank. The only minus is a requirement to feed it with fruit & veg and insects.
Read full care guides on bearded dragons on this page.
Leopard Gecko
Leopard geckos are one of the other most popular lizard pets. These lizards are good for both beginner and advanced lizard keepers. 
With controlled lighting and heating, you will be able to come back and enjoy your lizard in your free time. Feeding adult leopard geckos is also simple – you will need feed them only once in 2-3 days with few worms or crickets.
Leopard gecko lifespan: Leopard geckos have different lifespans. But on average, they live from 6 to 25 years. Negative factors such as poor care, overbreeding and lack of proper diet shortens life expectancy of leopard geckos. With proper care, you leopard gecko can live from 10 to 25 years.
Leopard gecko personality and looks: Leopard geckos tend to be very affectionate and docile. There are many leopard geckos of various beautiful colors and patterns.
They get comfortable with people handling and touching them. What is more, they are nocturnal, which means they will be mostly active at night. This also means that it will be hiding for most of the day, usually under the rocks or in hideouts.
Leopard gecko size: Leopard geckos are relatively small, ranging from 7 to 12 inches. Male lizards are usually larger than females. Leopard geckos have perfect size bodies with thick trunks for comfortable handling. They are not too heavy either – an average adult leopard gecko weighs around 65 to 110 grams.
Special care requirements: You will need an approximately 10 to 20-gallon tank for housing your leopard gecko. Even though you can house it in a small 10-gallon tank, larger enclosure will create more comfort for your pet.
You will also have to feed your leopard gecko with insects, such as mealworms, crickets, locusts and others.
Overall: Leopard geckos make very good lizard pets. They are not too large and don’t require big enclosures. Caring for leopard gecko is not too hard, either. There are no special lighting requirements for its enclosure.
Read full care guides on leopard geckos on this page.
Blue-tongued skink
Blue-tongue skinks also make amazing lizard pets. They are especially good for both beginners and advanced lizard keepers. 
Even with its quite frightening looks, blue-tongue skinks can be easily tamed, are gentle and docile.
Blue-tongue skink lifespan: Blue-tongues live for around 20 years if you properly care for them. This can be less (around 10-15 years) if not cared for properly or if they develop any diseases.
Blue-tongue skink personality and looks: Blue-tongued skinks make amazing lizard pets. They are usually easy to tame and handle, and are docile. Their beautiful blue tongue will also be amazing you every time lizard slides it out of its mouth. Bluetongues are also intelligent and curious.
Blue-tongue skink size: Blue-tongue skinks are quite large lizards. Adult bluetongues reach around 16 to 25 inches in size.
Special care requirements: As bluetongues are large lizards, they will require a relatively big enclosure. Heating bluetongue’s terrarium is very important, and you will need to create warm/cool sides.
You will also not need to feed your bluetongue with live insects, and can substitute protein intake with meat and even canned dog/cat food. Finding blue-tongue skink is also not too easy, and prices can range from 200-250$ for one. What is more, you will have to clean its enclosure quite frequently (they defecate often).
Overall: Blue-tongued skinks make amazing lizard pets. They are intelligent, docile and very hardy. Even though finding the bluetongue litter might be hard, finding one in summer might be much easier.
Crested gecko
Crested geckos are also popular pet lizards. These lizards are quite small, so they will be easy to handle.
They are also docile and can be easily tamed. Crested geckos also need a simple diet, which means that you will not need to spend lots of time and money to buy and prepare its food! You can keep your crested gecko on mix-with-water diet, and give it live insects from time to time.
Crested gecko lifespan: Crested geckos that are cared for well live for minimum 15 years. Average lifespan for cresties is 15-20 years.
Crested gecko personality and looks: Crested geckos can be of different colors and have different patterns on their skin. They are nocturnal lizards, which means that they will get active at night and be hiding during the day.
Crested gecko size: Crested geckos have an average size of 5 to 8 inches in total, from head to tail. An adult crestie should weigh around 25 to 55 grams.
Crested gecko requirements: One of the special requirements for crested geckos includes a vertical terrarium with tree branches and foliage. This is because crested geckos like climbing branches and glass and need foliage to hide.
You should also be gentle when handling crested geckos, are they are relatively small. You should avoid touching its tail – as accidental tail loss means that your crestie will not grow it back!
Overall: Crested gecko will make a good lizard pet. It will not require much time or difficult diet. It is also small and needs a small, but long vertical enclosure with lots of branches and foliage.
Read full care guides on crested geckos on this page.
Argentine Black and White Tegu
Argentine black and white tegus and very intelligent and interesting lizards. They are rather docile and sometimes show attachment to their owner.
They are also beautiful and have thick and large bodies. They are good for keepers with some experience and advanced keepers. Tegus are one of the best lizards for handling.
Having said that, I included black and white tegu in beginner list, as they make one of the best lizard pets! If you do your research and take its care seriously, you can enjoy having tegu in your life.
Argentine black and white tegu lifespan: These lizards live for approximately 15-20 years with good care.
Argentine black and white tegu personality and looks: Black and white tegus are smart and can even show love to its owners. You can tame it well and handle easily. As they are smart, they can sometimes try to escape their enclosures and your house.
Argentine black and white tegu size: These tegus get very big, reaching around 4-5 feet for males and 2.5-3 feet for females.
Argentine black and white tegu requirements: As these lizards get rather big, you will need to setup a large enclosure for it. Also, you will need to feed your tegu fruit & veg and mainly live insects or even rodents (occasionally).
Overall: If you have enough time and dedication, black and white tegu can be one of the best pet lizards for you. They are smart, beautiful, and if you spend time every other day handling it, it will show love and affection.
Ackie monitor, or spiny tailed lizard
Ackie monitors make good beginner and intermediate pets. They are rather small, love being active and are beautiful. They can be of different types – yellow and red.
Ackie monitor lifespan: Varies, depending on care and maintenance. Ackie life expectancy is around 10-15 years, even up to 20.
Ackie monitor personality and looks: Ackies tend to be active and docile. They are fine with owners handling them and they also tame well.
Ackie monitor size: Varies, approximately 18-28 inches. Red ackies tend to be larger. Females are smaller.
Ackie monitor requirements: You will have to feed your ackie live food, including crickets and mice. You will also have to create special burrows for them to hide in or have proper substrate for the to dig. Plus, you need to have controlled heating, UVB lighting and lots of hides.
Overall: Ackies are good pets for beginners and advanced keepers. They are small, easy to handle and entertaining. They are also beautiful and can bond with their owner.
Uromastyx
Uromastyx lifespan: Varies with species, ranging from 15-20 years. The oldest Uromastyx was 30 years old.
Uromastyx personality and looks: Uromastyx are laid back and rarely bite their owners. 
They are also beautiful and interesting to watch as they are diurnal, love digging and generally being active. Regular handling can create a friendly bond with your uromastyx.
Uromastyx size: Varies with species, approximately 10-20 inches.
Uromastyx requirements: Controlled heating (high temperatures for healthy digesting and basking), lighting and enclosure fitted with hides.
Overall: Uromastyx is a good choice for a pet. They are medium sized, not aggressive, and look like mini dinosaurs! You will also not need to feed it any live food. They can whip you with the tail if you make them angry!
African fat-tailed gecko
Fat-tailed gecko lifespan: Depends on health and maintenance, ranging from 10 to 25 years.
Fat-tailed gecko personality and looks: These lizards are interesting and active (however, they are nocturnal). 
They are fine with owners handling them and can be become tame with regular handling. It is also fragile and can easily lose its tail.
Fat-tailed gecko size: 8-9 inches.
Fat-tailed gecko requirements: Fat-tailed gecko will require a special diet consisting of insects. Their diets are similar to leopard geckos’.
Overall: African fat-tailed geckos make good beginner pets, as they don’t have too many requirements and their enclosures can be easily set up.
Having said that, children should be supervised when handling these lizards, as they are fragile. Also, they can be quite hard to find.
Best advanced pet lizards
Green anole
Green anole lifespan: Captive bred green anole live for around 4-8 years.
Green anole personality and looks: These lizards can be of different beautiful colors. 
They are very small and active, like to climb and hunt for live food. They are also fragile, and you will have to be gentle when handling them.
Green anole size: Males – 7-8 inches, females – around 5 inches.
Green anole requirements: Your green anole will require controlled lighting and UVB and UVA light exposure. What is more, you will need to feed green anole crickets, worms etc.
Overall: Green anoles make good pets as they are easy to find and are cheap. They are also active and interesting to watch.
They like to hunt and climb, but will also need special setups and can get stressed easily. Green anoles are good for both intermediate and advanced keepers.
Green Iguana
Green iguanas are amazingly beautiful. They have large spikes on their bodies, and look like mini dragons. 
They are also very intelligent. One of the notable features of iguana is the size – they can reach 6 feet in length!
Green Iguana lifespan: With good care your green iguana is expected to live for around 10-15 years, even up to 20. If a green iguana develops any disease, its life expectancy will become lower – 9 to 11 years.
Green Iguana personality and looks: Green iguanas are beautiful animals. They are large lizards with thick bodies and lots of spikes and sharp claws. Baby iguanas are quite active, but adults like basking and laying around.
They also like climbing, and you will have to spend time every day for taming this mini dragon. However, if your iguana climbs on you, there is a risk of cuts and injuries.
Iguanas can also be aggressive and injure you by whipping their tail. This means that you will have to spend time everyday so that it gets used to you.
Green Iguana size: Very large – from 5 to 6 feet. Baby iguanas grow fast. Adult iguana also weighs approximately 4-9 kg.
Green Iguana requirements: Caring for an iguana will not be easy. As mentioned above, iguanas grow very fast and you will have to make sure that you have enough space in your house/apartment before buying or adopting one.
Iguana’s enclosure will take up a whole small room or half of the medium size room. You will also have to set up a large terrarium (6x6x6 feet at least) and provide it with branches to climb, which will add up to the maintenance cost.
Green iguanas also love basking, so you will need to create specialized basking spots for it. You will also have an option to take it outside for basking in the natural sunlight, as this is very important.
What is more, iguanas are herbivores, so you will need to have enough veggies and some fruits to feed it every time. Caring for iguana will require time, dedication and experience.
Overall: Green iguana is a good pet for advanced lizard keepers who have enough space in their houses. They make good display pets and you can create beautiful terrarium for them to live in.
You should not get iguana if you have small kids or other pets, as iguanas can possess danger to them and even kill small animals or kids. As they also have high life expectancy, you will have to care for it for a long time, even if it doesn’t show any affection or love towards you.
So, you shouldn’t expect anything any love you’re your iguana. Its enclosure setup will not be cheap, either (around 2-3k $).
Read full care guides on iguanas on this page.
Chameleon
There are different chameleon breeds that you can keep as a pet. Most popular ones are veiled, panther and Jackson’s chameleons. 
Chameleons are fascinating and beautiful, with bright and changing colors and even horns on their heads (Jackson’s chameleon)!
Chameleon lifespan: Varies with breeds. Numbers are generally much lower for females due to mating and production of clutches. With proper care, veiled chameleons live for around 5-8 years, but it can also be 3-5 years.
For female veiled chameleons – it is around 4-5 years in captivity. Male panther chameleon lives for around 5-8 years, and females – 2-4 years. Male Jackson’s chameleon lives for around 5 to 10 years, while females – around 5 years with good care.
Chameleon personality and looks: Chameleons tend to be quiet and shy. One of the most popular characteristics of chameleons is ability to change their color in response to changing conditions, temperature and so on.
What is more, most chameleons won’t like you handling it and it can stress easily. But they are also interesting to watch and have as pets due to their attractive looks.
Generally, you will be able to spend some time during a week handling your chameleon. You will also enjoy their funny personalities and relaxed nature. If you are patient, your chameleon will get used to you, start love coming out of its cage and let you handle it with no problems.
Chameleon size: Varies with breeds. Veiled chameleon sizes are different for males (they reach around 1.5- 2.3 feet) and females (reach around 1 to 1.5 feet).
Adult male panther chameleon reaches around 1-1.5 feet, and females – around 10 to 12 inches. For Jackson’s chameleon, male species reach around 10 inches, and females – 7-8 inches.
Chameleon requirements: Chameleons will require special humidity levels (around 70%) and controlled lighting, heating and misting.
You will also have to setup foliage in its enclosure, as climbing and drinking water drops from leaves is very important to chameleons. You will also have to feed your chameleon with insects.
Overall: When getting a chameleon, make sure to choose one that is captive bred. If it is not captive bred, there is a high risk of it carrying harmful parasites and viruses.
If you are committed to getting a chameleon and can setup its enclosure properly, chameleon is a good choice for a pet lizard. It will be fascinating and beautiful to keep and watch.
Savannah Monitor
Savannah monitors are also beautiful and make amazing pets. Even though they are medium sized lizards and are quite laid back, they suit advanced keepers better. 
You can bond with your savannah monitor, but if it is not tame, its aggressiveness can ruin your interest.
Savannah monitor lifespan: If you care for your monitor well, it can live for around 15-20 and even up to 25 years.
Savannah monitor personality and looks: Savannah monitors are quite calm and relaxed, if you compare them to other monitors. They are also intelligent and active. However, they are powerful and can cause injury to their owners. It has sharp teeth and a powerful tail, and being bitten or whipped can cause serious pain and injury.
Savannah monitor size: Most savannah monitors reach around 2-4 feet, but some might reach up to 5 feet (which is rare). Female monitors are smaller, around 2-3 feet.
Savannah monitor requirements: You will need to feed your monitor only live insects and rodents (crickets, mice etc). This means you will need a constant supply of this type of food.
What is more, they are smart and enjoy escaping their enclosures. This means that you will have to prepare a stable enclosure that is very hard to escape.
You will also have to handle it daily, so that the monitor gets used to you. If you don’t have time and interest to handle your monitor every day, it will become aggressive and will injure you when handling.
Overall: Savannah monitor can become a good pet for advanced keepers. You should get it only if you can setup its terrarium properly and spend time handling and cleaning its enclosure (will be quite often).
They also live long lives, so make sure you can accommodate it for as long as needed.