If you are thinking about buying a pet lizard one thing to consider is how long they might live. This is certainly something to think about especially if you have any life-changing plans coming up like going off to school. Or moving across the country.
How long will you be housing and taking care of your pet lizard? How will this fit into your plans? Are you buying a pet for your son or daughter? If that lizard is a very long-lived species, what will the plan be when they decide to move out?
If that lizard is a very short-lived species will it cause too much trauma for them when their pet passes away? How long will you be taking care of it? How long will your pet lizard be with your family?
So, how long do lizards live in captivity? I decided to do some research to answer this very question. As it turns out it really depends on the species. My research involved a sampling of 25 species that are commonly kept as pets. Here’s what I found.
Based on 25 different species commonly kept as pets the average age of a pet lizard in captivity is 13.6 years. This very much depends on the specific species and can even depend on gender. Male panther chameleons average about 3 to 5 years of age. If females are breeding, they may only last 2 to 3 years. On the other side of the spectrum, uromastyx lizards can live more than 30 years but 15 years is more typical.
I wanted to focus my research on lizards that are actually kept as pets. And narrow that list further to include those that are the most common and most popular, such as bearded dragons, crested geckos, leopard geckos, blue tongued skinks, green iguanas and so forth. The entire list is below.
25 Lizards Commonly Kept as Pets
- Ackie Monitor
- African Fat-Tailed Gecko
- Argentine Black and White Tegu
- Argus Monitor
- Asian Water Monitor
- Bearded Dragon
- Black Throat Monitor
- Blue Tongued Skink
- Chinese Water Dragon
- Chuckwalla
- Crested Gecko
- Dumeril’s monitor
- Frilled Dragon
- Gargoyle Gecko
- Giant Day Gecko
- Green Anole
- Green Basilisk
- Green Iguana
- Jackson’s Chameleon
- Leachianus gecko
- Leopard Gecko
- Ornate Uromastyx
- Panther Chameleon
- Savannah Monitor
- Veiled Chameleon
When researching the life span of each lizard species I began to realize that there is a lot of variability. Some species live longer than others and some don’t live nearly as long as I thought. So, asking “how long do lizards live in captivity” may not be the right question.
I’m reminded of the movie I,Robot when the hologram of Dr. Lanning tells Detective Spooner (played by Will Smith), “I’m sorry, my responses are limited. You must ask the right questions.”
The answer to our question really depends on the specific species. So, a better question would be, “How long do leopard geckos live?” Of course, if you aren’t considering a leopard gecko then your question would be…well…you know what I mean.
Not only is their variability when considering a range of 25 different species there are also wide age ranges within a specific species.
For example, the average captive lifespan for bearded dragons is between 6 and 10 years, but there are reports of some living up to 20 years. Ours is currently at 13 years. 6 to 20 years is quite a bit of a range. This is like saying most humans live about 75 years but some live to 150!
The following chart shows the 25 species in this study and their average life expectancy in captivity. Keep in mind that averages are not meant to be exact numbers. Some individuals will live longer and some will not even reach the average age.
| Species | Average Lifespan in Captivity |
| Ackie Monitor | 17 years |
| African Fat-Tailed Gecko | 20 years |
| Argentine Black and White Tegu | 17 years |
| Argus Monitor | 17 years |
| Asian Water Monitor | 16 years |
| Bearded Dragon | 10 years |
| Black Throat Monitor | 20 years |
| Blue Tongued Skink | 17 years |
| Chinese Water Dragon | 15 years |
| Chuckwalla | 25 years |
| Crested Gecko | 17 years |
| Dumeril’s monitor | 10 years |
| Frilled Dragon | 10 years |
| Gargoyle Gecko | 17 years |
| Giant Day Gecko | 8 years |
| Green Anole | 3 years |
| Green Basilisk | 7 years |
| Green Iguana | 10 years |
| Jackson’s Chameleon | 8 years |
| Leachianus gecko | 17 years |
| Leopard Gecko | 17 years |
| Ornate Uromastyx | 15 years |
| Panther Chameleon | 4 years |
| Savannah Monitor | 17 years |
| Veiled Chameleon | 6 years |
| Average Lifespan in Captivity | 13.6 years |
What Determines How Long a Lizard Will Live?
So, what determines how long your pet lizard will live? This question is probably best asked when looking in the mirror because the answer will be staring right back at you.
The single most important factor affecting your pet lizard’s quality of life and how long that life will be is you. Owning any animal requires taking on responsibility. One of the oldest, most rewarding and interesting ways to teach a child responsibility is to get them a pet to take care of.
In captivity, your lizard depends on you for everything. They depend on you for how much space they will have to stretch out. They depend on you for what kind of food they will eat, the quality of that food and how often they will be able to eat it.
Your pet lizard depends on you to learn as much as you can about its specific needs and to provide the right conditions for it to be healthy and happy. This includes the right kind of lighting, temperature, humidity levels, substrate, access to water, places to hide and places to explore.
Pet lizards can’t do any of these things for themselves. In the wild, all of these things are provided by mother nature. In captivity, you are taking on that role. This can be sobering and exciting.
There are certainly other factors that have an impact on how long your lizard will live. Some of these things are just not in your control.
Genetics, unforeseen health issues unrelated to husbandry, and natural disasters come to mind. You can only control what you can control. And you can control how you care for your pet.
Some keepers make honest mistakes, that if corrected, won’t impact their pet lizard’s health significantly. We all make mistakes and that is part of the learning process.
With a little research and talking to other more experienced keepers, this can be an ongoing and rewarding process, especially if your collection grows from one species to another and another or even more. Part of the joy of keeping reptiles as pets is learning all about them! It’s so much fun!
Unfortunately, some owners don’t take this role very seriously. Some don’t do enough research and fail to provide the right conditions. And sadly, some are just lazy and negligent. Their animals live out a sad existence and die slowly. Don’t let that person be you.
The best thing you can do is find the right information. And this should start before you buy your new lizard. So, how do you find the right information?
How Do I Find the Right Information?
In our world, there is no shortage of information. Even in places that have little food, you can still find internet access. We are swimming in a sea of videos on YouTube, posts on social media, and searches on google. The key is getting the right information.
So, how do you get the right information?
Hopefully, you are buying your new pet lizard from a breeder. If that is the case you are getting off to an excellent start. Breeders started off just like you with an interest in buying a new pet lizard.
They learned all they could and took that interest so far that they are now reproducing the lizard species they love.
They are experts. Reputable breeders will often have something called a “care sheet” this is a one- or two-page document that will give you the right information on how to care for your new pet reptile.
If you are buying your lizard from a pet store, they may also have a care sheet or even a book about how to care for your specific species.
Always cross-reference any of the information they give you with another credible source. I have seen pet stores recommending the wrong guidelines for caring for a specific kind of reptile way too many times.
Even if you didn’t buy your animal from a breeder you can often find breeders online that share that information freely on their site.
There are also reputable websites that have very helpful information such as reptilesmagazine.com. I have often found answers to my questions on their website.
Other experienced keepers, who have kept the species you are interested in successfully, are also good people to talk to.
What Kind of Keeper Will You Be?
Raising reptiles and keeping them as pets can be fun and interesting. It’s a hobby that is growing in popularity every year. Keeping your favorite lizard can be fun and exciting but comes with responsibility.
It’s up to you to decide what kind of keeper you are going to be. Most people want to do everything they can to care for their reptiles so they have a good quality of life.
Do your best to control what you can control, learn as much as you can, and provide the best quality of life you can for your pet lizard.
As you do this, your amazing reptilian pet will have a long and happy life, and you will have a wonderful and rewarding experience.