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Xeaal

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Can anyone please point me in the right direction for information about keeping (and where to buy) legless lizards in Victoria? Thank you.
 
1) Buy a blue tongue
2) Buy a butchers knife
3)....

Nah jokes I have no idea mate but I am sure a few people will be able to help you, just remember there are a a few different species of legless liz's.
 
Down here in VIC we can keep 3 species of legless lizard; P. nigriceps, P. lepidopodus & Burtons. None of them are cheap or readily available. Burtons are very hard to keep due to their specialisation in eating lizards. The other two although relatively easy to keep are very rare and not really suited to a beginner reptile keeper. I'd say leave them to experience keepers and breeders until captive populations increase. If you really want to get into keeping them start off by keeping species of geckos with similar requirements.
 
An introduction to keeping and breeding Australian reptiles by Michael Swan and Damian Goodall.
This book has some info about flap-foots in it. You should be able to get it at the library if your a tite rrs like me!
I'd be keen to here if anyone is breeding the common scaly-foot.
 
Those three species you mentioned are perfectly fine for the most retarded of keepers. Extremely easy to keep.

To who ever wants them, read up about Levis levis. Eastern, western and northern scaly foots can be treated exactly the same. Common scaly foots are more dinurnal and I give them a spot light.
 
I already have 3 snakes and planning on more, but everything I read about the legless lizards fascinates me. Have several books I am pouring through at the moment, but would just like a bit more knowledge - preferably from someone who has actually kept them - before I make any final decisions about keeping one. Kind of like to do all my research first lol - but this doesn't seem to be a subject there is an awful lot of information about. One thing I have heard is that they can be fed weeny little baby mice instead of skinks.. yes? no? As I said.. more knowledge required before decisions are made.
 
Go read about scaly foots. Unless you're prepared to force feed pinkies to a Burtons leg less lizard don't bother reading about them.

Theres not a great deal out about scaly foots but they almost bullet proof.
 
You are getting ahead of yourself

I keep eastern hooded's and have got advice from a few other people
they eat crickets, mealworms and sometimes some fruit pieces
I also know of a few people who keep common scalys that feed them insects and fruit
Avoid burtons to you get some more experience keeping other scales
 
I have seen the burtons before and if you get them as hatchlings you can bring them up on crickets and pinkies but it may be difficult at first because there diet is hardwired in as babies however it still can be changed as they are very remorseful and hardy. They also like a hot dry environment with dry grass and plenty of hiding spots. In the wild they have been known to live in termite and ant hills so try to put some artificial termite mounds and hills. Make sure the mounds have easy access for you otherwise you will never find them. They have very good hearing and are easily spooked they also don't like much handling (they are more for show).
 
I have seen the burtons before and if you get them as hatchlings you can bring them up on crickets and pinkies but it may be difficult at first because there diet is hardwired in as babies however it still can be changed as they are very remorseful and hardy. They also like a hot dry environment with dry grass and plenty of hiding spots. In the wild they have been known to live in termite and ant hills so try to put some artificial termite mounds and hills. Make sure the mounds have easy access for you otherwise you will never find them. They have very good hearing and are easily spooked they also don't like much handling (they are more for show).


Kudos for trying to help but seriously??? You have seen them and so are giving advice?

Burtons will not eat crickets and if you try to keep them on crickets it will be you that is remorseful....not the Burton's. They will be dead.
 
Pygopus schraderi and Pygopus nigroceps - the eastern and western hooded scalefoots/feet are the commonest breed in captivity and available n licence in Victoria. They can be kept as a knob tailed gecko and feed on crickets and woodies. There are a growing number of people keeping them. Danny Brown has included them in his recent husbandry guide alongside geckos.

Burtons are specialised lizard feeders best suited to the more experienced keeper.
 
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Burtons themselves are ridiculously easy to keep if you can legally fed them skinks or geckos. In Queensland you can do this legally but in other states keeping them can be problematic and usually involves some form of force feeding. Hence why sponge bob said for experienced people only.

Mine happily eat Asian house geckos which are in abundance here in Brisbane and are a feral pest.

The scaly foot group are easy to keep if you can find them as various insects and fruit are their preferred diet and housing is simple for the nocturnal species. Just treat them like a terrestrial gecko as stated by someone earlier.
 
@ spongebob - P. schraderi - the species most commonly available in captivity is actually not available here in VIC, I'm working on the situation though. If they were available here then I'd say that people should definitely go for them.
 
Pygopus schraderi can be kept in Victoria. When the species was added to the list (whenever it was), P. schraderi was recognised as a subspecies of P. nigriceps and can therefore be listed as P. nigriceps schraderi.
 
Here's some legless lizards I found in Melbourne. But I dont think you can keep these guys in captivity though.
I hope this helps.
P1040334.jpgP1040325.jpgP1040276.jpg
 
Thank you so much - those pics are great!!! When you say you found them in Melbourne.. do you mean 50km away from the nearest bird-poo, outback Victoria or do you really mean "Melbourne"?
 
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