Painted agamas (Stellagama stellio) are small- to medium-sized diurnal, terrestrial lizards that can be found along the northeastern and eastern Mediterranean. They prefer dry, rocky habitats, with sparse, dry vegetation. This lizard is known by many names, including painted agama, painted dragon, roughtail rock agama, clown agama, sling-tailed agama, starred agama, and hardun.
Adult painted agamas average 12-14” long, with a bearded dragon-like appearance: large triangular head, brow ridges, keeled scales, transverse ridges across the back, tubercles along the sides, and rings of keeled scales around the tail. Exact coloring varies by subspecies, but most painted agamas in captivity have a tan to gray base color with a mixture of gray, orange, and/or white spots of various sizes. The tail typically has a ringed pattern.
Painted agamas are relatively uncommon in the US pet trade, but they can make a good pet for someone who likes the idea of a bearded dragon but doesn’t quite have the space for one. This species typically acclimates to humans well and will tolerate hand-feeding as well as handling. This is an intermediate-difficulty pet reptile.
