Anonymous - 2012-06-21 Only last night I was watching a documentary on komodo dragons in which the presenter found proof (!) that they were also venomous, but he said, I think, that there was only one other Lizard that was so, ie' the Mexican Bearded Lizard, with no mention of the Gila ,so I'm wondering now is the Komodo so classed or not..
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Clarice Brough - 2012-12-09 Yes, the Komodo Dragons are venomous. The Gila Monster and the Beaded lizard are the two species from the Americas that are venomous, they are lizards in the family Helodermatidae. For a long time it was thought that only these two species were venomous, but research is finding that other lizards may also have venom, though of varying degrees. The Komodo Dragon, in the Varanidae family, is one of these that is definitely venomous.
Angel - 2008-11-26 These animals are awesome. I would not want to be stuck in a room with one of these. I do wonder what type of venom this lizard produces.
mitch - 2008-03-05 These are easy animals to maintain and I have yet to have one get sick. The babies are definitely more aggressive. Natural sunlight makes these lizards more aggressive also. They need their nails clipped regularly or your hands will take a beating. If you keep more than one, keep them seperate unless they are the same size (cannibalism) and watch for fights between individuals.
faith brooks - 2009-12-21 I live in rural South Georgia. I have 5 acres of which 2.5 acres are heavily wooded. This past Summer my 3 dogs all came up limping. The oldest of the dogs quickly began losing weight and exhibiting lethargy. The youngest had "bites" on right and left feet. He was the only dog who roams the property. He showed bouts of lethargy but lost the least amount of weight. The third dog had a bite on his right foot. He is a Great Pyrenees and weighed 78 lbs when he went to the vet. The vet checked the, "bite" and said it was not a snake bite. During, the months we battled this strange illness, our vet ran over 250 tests on the Pyrenees. Never could give a diagnosis , admitted did not know what was wrong with the dogs. The oldest died. They were on three different types of antibiotics. Since cold weather has set in they are finally picking up but still underweight. We suspected tick borned illness until I was looking out on my yard by an outside camera. At first, I thought it was a snake but I noted the large tail lifted up as a counter weight to movement. It was at least 12 inches long looking from the back and it was black. My husband saw it later and said it was beaded type lizard. Our neighbor saw it on her deck near their pool. It is cold, now and I think it is hybernating. I think we will have to try and catch or kill this thing before it hurts a dog or children come summer. Any suggestions would be welcome.
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Immanuel Suttner - 2010-03-29 You can get an animal professional in to relocate the lizard..no need to kill it.
mark - 2007-09-09 Pets for Dummies, on the contrary! These critters require respect, proper care and your concentration when being interacted with. I would argue these are pets for educated!
jeff - 2007-04-29 I have enjoyed keeping these heloderms, they are a beautiful and fascinating animal. If you are experienced and give these lizards the respect they deserve, you can enjoy many years with these low maintenance animals.
The amazing Mexican Beaded Lizards are quite unique among the reptiles!
Only last night I was watching a documentary on komodo dragons in which the presenter found proof (!) that they were also venomous, but he said, I think, that there was only one other Lizard that was so, ie' the Mexican Bearded Lizard, with no mention of the Gila ,so I'm wondering now is the Komodo so classed or not..
Yes, the Komodo Dragons are venomous. The Gila Monster and the Beaded lizard are the two species from the Americas that are venomous, they are lizards in the family Helodermatidae. For a long time it was thought that only these two species were venomous, but research is finding that other lizards may also have venom, though of varying degrees. The Komodo Dragon, in the Varanidae family, is one of these that is definitely venomous.
These animals are awesome. I would not want to be stuck in a room with one of these. I do wonder what type of venom this lizard produces.
These are easy animals to maintain and I have yet to have one get sick. The babies are definitely more aggressive. Natural sunlight makes these lizards more aggressive also. They need their nails clipped regularly or your hands will take a beating. If you keep more than one, keep them seperate unless they are the same size (cannibalism) and watch for fights between individuals.
I live in rural South Georgia. I have 5 acres of which 2.5 acres are heavily wooded. This past Summer my 3 dogs all came up limping. The oldest of the dogs quickly began losing weight and exhibiting lethargy. The youngest had "bites" on right and left feet. He was the only dog who roams the property. He showed bouts of lethargy but lost the least amount of weight. The third dog had a bite on his right foot. He is a Great Pyrenees and weighed 78 lbs when he went to the vet. The vet checked the, "bite" and said it was not a snake bite. During, the months we battled this strange illness, our vet ran over 250 tests on the Pyrenees. Never could give a diagnosis , admitted did not know what was wrong with the dogs. The oldest died. They were on three different types of antibiotics. Since cold weather has set in they are finally picking up but still underweight. We suspected tick borned illness until I was looking out on my yard by an outside camera. At first, I thought it was a snake but I noted the large tail lifted up as a counter weight to movement. It was at least 12 inches long looking from the back and it was black. My husband saw it later and said it was beaded type lizard. Our neighbor saw it on her deck near their pool. It is cold, now and I think it is hybernating. I think we will have to try and catch or kill this thing before it hurts a dog or children come summer. Any suggestions would be welcome.
You can get an animal professional in to relocate the lizard..no need to kill it.
I look forward to keeping these guys. I keep monitors and other lizards now, but heloderms are the pinnacle.
Pets for Dummies, on the contrary! These critters require respect, proper care and your concentration when being interacted with. I would argue these are pets for educated!
I have enjoyed keeping these heloderms, they are a beautiful and fascinating animal. If you are experienced and give these lizards the respect they deserve, you can enjoy many years with these low maintenance animals.