Hi, you should go over to the stained glass and mosaic forum. There are several artists there who make the most amazing things out of diamond lath and or hardware cloth and mortor. They hold up in the weather as these folks are from all over. I haven't tried it yet, but its on my list (making a sculpture). Good luck with your lizard. I think its a wonderful idea! I suggest that you go to the bottom of the sg&m forum and search for scupture, or lath or Rianna (the woman who taught some of them her technique for making scupture) before you ask a general question. They have answered peoples questions before. Then once you've done some research, ask more particular questions. Kathy Here is a link that might be useful: Stained glass and mosaic forum

Susigz - type post photos in the search box at the bottom of the page and you'll get lots of help! I'd post it for you here but I don't know how to do that. Don't worry, it took me forever to figure it out and if you see my latest post, I still screw it up! Hester

Thank you both! I think it is definitely a Amorphophallus , perhaps Amorphophallus 'Konjac'. I should be able to figure it out from here. I just needed a push in the right direction since "lizard plant/tree" got me nowhere quick and I really had nothing else to go on. If it blooms it will go well with my Stapelia gigante.... :) Thanks again

Marilyn - sorry - just wanted to clarify that my previous post wasn't aimed at you in the very least. Again, you are doing the responsible thing by not releasing that animal. If you would like some more options as to care and whatnot - you've prooobably got a nearby or local herpetological society that might know of someone responsible who would take it off your hands. Now, while they can get quite aggressive, they are nonetheless interesting, impressive animals (rather personable and curious) and make good display animals at zoos. A local nature centers might also be interested if they have setups showing "Exotic Species". Then again, sometimes these unwanted rescues end up having silver linings to them - I've got a few animals that I took in as rescues and couldn't get rid of initially that I've become quite fond of (even if they are still a pain in the butt at times...haha). As for enclosures, you could possibly make a relatively cheap, large, outdoor enclosure for the animal which would solve many many problems and keep costs and maintenance down to a minimum. Since Ctenosaura are excellent diggers, I would recommend making what is basically a wood-framed (1"x1" pine wood beams work well) box that is enclosed on ALL sides with a lockable, hinged lid. I'd also probably use 0.5" x 0.5" heavy duty wire that is stapled to the wire frame. Dig a hole, sink the enclosure in there a bit and fill in with dirt - this way the animal can behave naturally and dig, but not escape. You could also landscape it with some boulders and plants...make yourself a neat little outdoor enclosure that I'm sure you'd end up enjoying. Here's an example of an enclosure that I made for my turtles if that helps you visualize what I'm talking about at all - I would just recommend making a wood frame and keeping the rest wire though. This cost about $100 to make and measures around 9x4 feet and 24" tall. It cost a little more than what you'd make because I used cedar (the moisture levels here would have rotted pine in a couple years). Here is another enclosure I used (for turtles) that is more suitable for a lizard. What you can't see is that the enclosure is totally enclosed - that enclosure is essentially a wire box that is sunken into the ground. Hope that helps and gives some encouragement. ~Mike