Any Information on Caiman Lizards?

I sometimes run down to the Nashville Zoo at lunch and wander through the Herp exhibit, and today for the first time got a great look at the Caiman Lizard (Dracaena guaianensis) that they have there. What a gorgeous animal!

The limited research I have been able to conduct discloses that these lizards are in fact Teiidae, so I thought I might post here to see if anyone know anything about them...can they be kept in the US, where to buy, etc?

Any help? Thanks.

Ernie in Nashville

they were fairly common in the pet trade. What happened I don't know. Maybe their diet made them unpopular and condition of keeping. I saw them after years of not being offered at a Florida reptile wholesaler and had forgotten how beautiful they were. BUT even then I saw the diet of very large snails in cage as these were adult imported animals and re-thought my desire of wanting them !

Yea, all I have been able to learn is (1) they eat snails of the bottom of streams, (2) they are CITES II, and (3) Tony Llama got into a lot of trouble in the early '90's for have a thousand pair of Caiman Lizard boots for sale!

I was surprised that only like 6 zoos nationwide have them. Maybe they are a lot more complicated than they look.

Thanks for the info.

Ernie in Nashville

Yes they are great animals, I have seen them in the wild many times I even seen huge ones around 180 cm (the info says that maximun is 120 cm but I saw one getting rest in a piece of tree after leave I took measure of the wood and it was around 195 cm and the animals almost fitting the piece)
I am starting a breeding programm here

Regards

Gracias para la informacion, Raul! Ahora tengo esperanzas de obtener un D. guaianensis pequeno de su progama en el futuro!

Having said that, I would still like a little one NOW, even if a wild caught. Do they still export from these from Peru?

Para servirle,

Ernie in Nashville

Hola:

No es posible exportarlas del medio natural pues estan protegidas e incluidas en el Apendix II del CITES

Regards

Raul

I have not seen these for sale on the market in two years. I seen one for sale in the classifieds on reptile auction. I tried to buy it from there, but never got a responce.

I know that exportation of Appendix II species must comply with the requirements of CITES Article IV:

Article IV

Regulation of Trade in Specimens of Species Included in Appendix II
* * *
2. The export of any specimen of a species included in Appendix II shall require the prior grant and presentation of an export permit. An export permit shall only be granted when the following conditions have been met:

(a) a Scientific Authority of the State of export has advised that such export will not be detrimental to the survival of that species;

(b) a Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that the specimen was not obtained in contravention of the laws of that State for the protection of fauna and flora; and

(c) a Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that any living specimen will be so prepared and shipped as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment.
* * *

So, do you mean that the government of Peru will not issue an export permit for the Caiman Lizard, or only that they will not issue a permit for wild-caught specimens?

I don't want to give up hope just yet...!

Thanks again.

Ernie

Oh, thanks for the info, Bobby! At least two years is not thirty! I will keep nosing around on this and hope to come up with something. I know a couple of zoos have been successful in captive breeding the little darlings, but they have more money and a hell of a lot more snails than I do!

Ernie

Don't give up hope. Here is some info that says there are breeders.
http://www.herpnetwork.com/classifieds/details737.html