Butters and friends: The thread

Chew Toy McCoy

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Chew Toy McCoy

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video was interesting. thanks.

can you / do you let it roam free within yr house?

have you noticed any kind of ability to learn a behaviour?
I probably could let her roam around freely but she does like to explore and I don't want her to end up in a place where I can't find or get to her. They aren't basking lizards and like to be hidden, or kind of like a cat in a cardboard box where they feel are secure on most sides and see what might be coming at them.

I have one of those collapsible cloth and net dog pens I sometimes put her in to let her run around in. I put in a couple bunched of blankets and branches in there so she has things and crevices to explore. They also aren't climbers so I don't have to worry about her trying to get out. Other than that she pretty much has free range on the bed where she spends most of the time between the comforter and blanket like the pictures above.

As far as learned behavior she knows where her favorite part of the bed is and when the light goes on in the morning or when I get home from work she usually comes out of her hiding spot and pushes on the front glass of her enclosure to say hi or be let out. I'm currently feeding her wet cat food which has the best nutritional value for the first year but after that I can start supplementing with vegetables and berries. Maybe some more learned training might come into the picture then with rewards. Some larger lizards like Argentine tegus have been known to exhibit some treat reward behaviors like a dog. I would love to have one of those but you pretty much need a walk-in closet sized enclosure at minimum for those.
 

Mark

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I probably could let her roam around freely but she does like to explore and I don't want her to end up in a place where I can't find or get to her. They aren't basking lizards and like to be hidden, or kind of like a cat in a cardboard box where they feel are secure on most sides and see what might be coming at them.

I have one of those collapsible cloth and net dog pens I sometimes put her in to let her run around in. I put in a couple bunched of blankets and branches in there so she has things and crevices to explore. They also aren't climbers so I don't have to worry about her trying to get out. Other than that she pretty much has free range on the bed where she spends most of the time between the comforter and blanket like the pictures above.

As far as learned behavior she knows where her favorite part of the bed is and when the light goes on in the morning or when I get home from work she usually comes out of her hiding spot and pushes on the front glass of her enclosure to say hi or be let out. I'm currently feeding her wet cat food which has the best nutritional value for the first year but after that I can start supplementing with vegetables and berries. Maybe some more learned training might come into the picture then with rewards. Some larger lizards like Argentine tegus have been known to exhibit some treat reward behaviors like a dog. I would love to have one of those but you pretty much need a walk-in closet sized enclosure at minimum for those.

thanks ! its fascinating.
i also want to say that Butters has quite an expressive face/head actually.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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Uh.......don't you worry about her urinating or worse in your bed?
It has happened but its rare. I have bedding changes on the standby. Plus she's currently going through brumation which is like hibernation for some reptiles. She doesn't zonk out for all of winter like a bear but sleeps a lot and doesn't eat too much. I've put out food daily but she probably hasn't ate it in like 2 weeks. That means nothing to really "evacuate".
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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Both those videos are fascinating! There is something rather appealing about each of those guys, especially Winston! I am charmed by Butters' blue tongue, though -- now that's so cool!
I believe the first video is an iguana, and despite their popularity, they don't really make good pets. Like a chimp they can turn on you quickly and do a lot more damage than you'd think.

Argentine tegus can do some serious damage with their bite but they tend not to bite, especially the more you domesticate them. They're probably the closest you can get to a lizard dog.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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It was astonishing how that Argentine Tegus trotted right up and greeted his person, just like a dog would do. He wasn't cute and cuddly but he was certainly interesting!
There's another video on the same channel I believe with the same tegu and owner that talks about how the lizard became her companion animal to counter depression the same way other people traditionally get a dog or cat.

Perhaps a good side effect of so many people getting depression and mental illness is society being way more open to people having pets for therapeutic reasons. The apartment complex I've lived in for over a decade had a no dog policy when I moved in, but about a year ago they started allowing small to medium/small dogs. I see a lot more people in stores and outdoor eating areas with pets now too.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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Where does she go when she does that? Bed?
You called it. That dresser is on the right side of my bed and is pretty much level with my bed. So it's an easy journey.

When I first got her I didn't know her skillset until I came home from work one day and she was sitting dead center on my bed doing "Oh, hello!" tongue flicks. That's when I ordered the sliding front panels lock I didn't think I needed before.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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If you think you might be interested in getting your very own Butters this is the YouTube channel for the breeder I got her from. There's a ridiculous amount of blue tongue skink care videos on it.

 

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If you think you might be interested in getting your very own Butters this is the YouTube channel for the breeder I got her from. There's a ridiculous amount of blue tongue skink care videos on it.

I would love one, but somehow I don’t think my cats would appreciate it. They are all extremely self-centered.
 
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