Oftentimes, living on a houseboat requires leaving many aspects of normal life behind. Houseboat owners have to adjust to having less space in their residence, which can make owning a pet difficult. Houseboats offer little space for many animals, but that doesn’t mean owning a pet while living on one is impossible.

A pet lizard is a great choice for a houseboat. Lizards are relatively easy to care for and usually take up little space, making them a great choice for a small and unconventional residence.

Here are five different lizards which make great pets for houseboats.

Bearded Dragon

The bearded dragon is a well-loved and popular lizard species. According to Everything Reptiles, bearded dragons make a great choice for a pet not only because they are friendly and docile, but because they adapt to captivity well. They also adapt well to different living situations, meaning living on a houseboat will not stress them out. Although bearded dragons enjoy spending some time outside of their enclosure if supervised, they are also perfectly happy to remain in their cage and bask in the light.

Bearded dragons are one of the larger types of pet lizards, reaching around 30 inches long by adulthood. They don’t require a massive tank, but it’s necessary that their enclosure is able to accommodate them when they reach their full size. However, these spatial requirements shouldn’t deter houseboat owners from adopting a bearded dragon. Because bearded dragons are such an outgoing species, their enclosure may be placed just about anywhere in the houseboat—no need to worry about keeping them in a quiet, isolated room.

Another reason bearded dragons make a great choice for a houseboat pet is because of their feeding requirements. In adulthood, bearded dragons only need to be fed two to three times a week. For houseboat owners that live busy lives, this can be a huge bonus.

Leopard Gecko

The leopard gecko is another great choice of pet for houseboat residents. These lizards have become a popular species to keep as a pet because of their temperament and how easy it is to care for them. Unlike other species of geckos, leopard geckos are not skittish and are more comfortable with being handled by humans. They are also less likely to cower and hide in unfamiliar environments and situations, meaning they can live on a houseboat well.

Leopard geckos are a smaller species of lizard. They will only grow to be between eight and ten inches long by adulthood, and don’t need a very large tank to be happy and healthy. Their size makes them a great choice for houseboat owners who don’t have much space for a pet.

The final reason leopard geckos make great pets for houseboats is they are very hardy and require relatively few supplies when compared to other lizards. Leopard geckos are not especially susceptible to illness and rarely get sick. According to the University of Florida, leopard geckos don’t even require a UV light in their habitat to be healthy.

Crested Gecko

Although they are a slightly-less popular species than the bearded dragon and leopard gecko, crested geckos are perfect pets for a houseboat because of how hardy they are. To put it simply, crested geckos are not picky about much. These geckos are friendly if handled from a young age, but generally prefer to stay in their enclosure. They are known to do very well in captivity, making them a great option for a houseboat.

In terms of their habitat, crested geckos are arboreal lizards, meaning they like to climb and prefer to be high up among tree branches. Although their tank does not to be large, it does need to be tall, which may help conserve space in houseboats. Another great thing about crested geckos is that they require few specificities when it comes to temperature and lighting. They are nocturnal lizards, so following natural daylight patterns is best for them. They need to be kept warm, but not much above room temperature—between 70° and 75° Fahrenheit is sufficient. It’s likely that houseboats are kept around this temperature anyways, so additional heating is not necessary.

Green Anole

The green anole is another lizard species that can thrive on a houseboat, primarily because of their convenient size. This lizard only grows to be about eight inches long and does well in a tank that has a capacity of around ten gallons. Like the crested gecko, green anoles prefer tall tanks.

Green anoles are a slightly more difficult species to care for in terms of their temperament. These lizards are shy and don’t like being handled often, so they are not a good choice for those looking for a pet they can play with. Green anoles prefer to be kept inside their tank.

The green anole is known to be finnicky when it comes to lighting and temperature. They require both a UVA and a UVB light. They also need a temperature gradient inside their enclosure with a hot side of the tank and a slightly cooler side. If temperature and lighting is not balanced properly, a green anole can fall ill. Luckily, though, it is very easy to tell when a green anole is not feeling well. If they are stressed, cold, or are not getting enough light, the green anole will turn brown. It is therefore easy for houseboat owners to know if they need to adjust temperature and light in the tank.

Blue-Tongued Skink

Houseboat owners who are looking for a less common lizard should consider adopting a blue-tongued skink. Blue-tongued skinks do well on houseboats because they are social, healthy lizards who rarely get sick if cared for properly. Like the crested gecko, blue-tongued skinks need to be handled from a young age in order to be comfortable with human interaction. These lizards are not shy, so the risk of them escaping and hiding somewhere on the boat is small.

Blue-tongued skinks are one of the larger lizard species. Adult blue-tongued skinks are usually between 12 and 24 inches long, meaning they require a bit more space than smaller lizard species. While their tank need not be massive, it needs to have enough room for the blue-tongued skink to move freely when it reaches its full size.

While this lizard is very hardy, it does have specific temperature and lighting requirements. However, these requirements are easy to accommodate on a houseboat. A blue-tongued skink requires a hot basking area with a heating lamp, but the rest of their tank only needs to be kept at room temperature. If the temperature in the houseboat falls between 70° and 80° Fahrenheit, no additional heating supplies are needed.

Summary

There are plenty of pet lizards that can live happily on a houseboat. The bearded dragon, leopard gecko, crested gecko, green anole and blue-tongued skink are all great choices because they are easy to care for and don’t require a ton of a space.

In short, those looking for a pet lizard but have very little space in their houseboat should opt for a leopard gecko, crested gecko, or green anole. Those looking for a friendly and docile lizard for their houseboat should choose a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, or blue-tongued skink. However, with the proper care, any of these five lizards can thrive on a houseboat.