Chuckwalla update pics

[aliceinwl]

I've had my little cb male chuck, Rigel, for just over a year now. When I got him, he was on the skinny side and only 14 grams. At his last weigh in, however, he tipped the scales at 140! He's also starting to show some nice color. My wc female, Gracie, is doing well too. She was 35 grams when I got her and over twice Rigel's size. She's pushing 80 now, but only half Rigel's size ;)

Here're some pics of Rigel, the first is him the day I got him and him at his last weigh in and then some pics of him showing some color.

-Alice

[TheKingOfPrague]

cool looking animal. how'd you aquire a cb one?

[Art Klass]

Those are great pics. Very cool lizards. Art

[aliceinwl]

Thanks guys :) Watch the classifieds in late summer. Usually at least one clutch a year makes it onto the KS classifieds. I got mine from Ben Seigal in 2004. They seem to be pretty pricy ($150), but the disposition is so much better than that of wc that it's worth it. These guys also do not seem to fair well as wc's when they spend any length of time with a dealer etc., older animals are usually a challenge to get established, and they never seem to like you. My wc girl still runs when I reach in, but Rigel's my buddy, always checking to see if I've got a treat for him :)

-Alice

[coyote]

Why did you pick the Uro forum?

[aliceinwl]

Chuckwallas are kind of North America's answer to the Uromastyx. They're similar in terms of temps, lighting, and diet and on other forums that I've participated in there was a lot of cross posting between these species and a lot of keepers interested in both. Plus, I enjoy reading about uros and about a year ago Rich was threatening to get rid of forums that hadn't had a new post in over a month and I was afraid the uro forum would get the ax. Since I don't have any uros, I figured chucks were close enough. But if anyone gets tired of seeing them in this venue, let me know and I'll stop posting about them here.

-Alice

[g&mgeckos]

Alice great looking animal! I love that color he shows in the last couple of pics! So you planning to breed your pair?

[aliceinwl]

I'd like to someday. In CA, the limit is two and I would only be able to legally keep the offspring for 45 days, so I would need to have homes that I could adopt them out to lined up. My female is also growing at a much slower rate than the male. Depending on Gracie's size, I might consider it in a couple of years. I'd definately miss them in the winter, if I had to brumate them ;)

-Alice

[USMCtanker]

whats kindda chuckwallas u talking about. bc i know i have them all over my house here in cali

[aliceinwl]

Currently there are no recognized subspecies of chuckwalla in the United States. They all are considered common chuckwallas, Sauromalus ater. There is a lot of variability in terms of color and pattern depending on locality. My female came from the mountains outside of Mojave. Rigel was captive bred and his parents are said to have originated from the Eagle and Coxcomb Moutains. I live in on the central coast of CA so it's a bit of a drive to see wild chucks. It must be awesome to have them running around the yard!

-Alice

[DavidE721]

Hello,

I just obtained an Angel Island Chuckwalla male for Deer Fern Farms, and he's the most personable lizard I have ever handled. A nice species indeed!

Concerning the connection between Uromastyx and Chuckwallas, there are a few herp dealers such as the one indicated above that sell both types of animals. Doug at Deer Fern Farms indicated that one reason they sell chuckwallas is that their overall husbandry is much like that for Uromastyx. The Angel Island species in particular have a very calm, laid-back disposition, which makes them excellent pets.

Dave