Bearded dragons in woods
Im an owner of an adult bearded dragon.
When i spotted two baby beardies at allamuchy mountain park right off the trail i couldnt believe my eyes.
Can someone please explain why in the world i found them in cold woods?
Fyi they are safe now in my home in a tank with heat lamps and food.
Lina Is the chin smooth? It kind of looks like it in the picture. If so, it's not a bearded dragon. There's a native lizard that has that color pattern.
GC 
Rebecka 
Eastern fence lizard looks a tad bit similar bur the colors and spikes are identical to bearded dragon.
Based purely on google images, I'm tending to agree with Lina.
Look at the "ears"... that's one of the main differences I'm seeing between bearded dragons and fence lizards.
Both are kept as pets, so I guess you can't go "wrong".
Mark Mc. 
Also looks similar to a Leopard Gecko. Bring it to Jim at Hackettstown pet for confirmation.
Walking Girl The fence lizard is definitely what I had in mind when I posted. I think unless you've got one of these up close you really won't be able to tell by a picture. But I thought the easy way, in addition to ears is the bearded lizard has a very spikey chin, but the fence lizard is smooth. As long as you take care of them Mike is probably right - a well cared for pet is what it is.
Put them back. Let them be happy and free in the woods like they were.
Why do people insist on capturing, caging and controlling animals?
Not cool.
Josh if they are in harms way keep them but other wise take them back were you got the
Caged Animal The purpose of this post was not to help me identify what kind lizard i found. They are definitely bearded dragons and they are not native to a NJ. They need high temptures to survive which is what Im providing for them. May i also mention they both have slight deformities and could have gotten eaten at this point already.
I get it ..circle of life..food chain.. Etc..But Im an animal lover and know they would not survive long with cold temps and made the best decision at that point.
Thanks for your input.
Thank you for taking care of these babies, Lina! That was an extremely kind thing to do. I second bringing to Jim at Hackettstown Pet for absolute species confirmation, just for clarification on if they might have any needs that are different from a beardie. I'm glad they are safe and will be under your care - the thought of someone tossing them out, if they are beardies, to fend for themselves in this climate is heartbreaking.
Fellowbeardielover why would anyyyyyone suggest she return them to the forest..the moron who decided they weren't a dream pet and dumped them is the "Not cool" person in. im a friend of lina and both babies have little oddities here and there, so my thought is someone didn't want imperfections and dumped then. They wouldn't survive the temperature and woupd freeze, or die of starvation esp with autumn here.
They are cuties though
booksandtea The wetlands along Waterloo road are some of the most prolific amphibian habitats on the east coast. Quite a few group are involved with restoration and protection of them during spawning in the early spring. If these are native species please return them to the wild. Besides being the right thing to do, keeping them is quite illegal. If on the other hand they are exotic or non native, then you should keep them. They do look like fence lizards to me, but you could reach out to Rutgers Herpetology program at Cook College for confirmation.
Agust the photo is not the best with the shadows etc, but having the privelege of hanging with them for the afternoon, they are def bearded dragon babes...with some deformities like lina mentioned.
Northern Fence Lizard picture attached. Color is wrong, not as wide/flat as the beardies, ear holes, plus they're are skittish. Not going to just chill in someone's hand like a pet would. Good thing you found them Lina.
KevinThose definitely look like little baby bearded dragons. I had 2 babies and they to were deformed, but they lived and healthy lives. They would never survive the woods here. Need heat and special diet. Ty for saving the little ones.
Mel1963 Having owned a Uromastyx lizard, which needs even hotter temps than a Beardie (120 F) and knowing other reptile lovers with Beardies, I can tell you that putting them back where they were found is beyond risky. These are NOT an amphibians. They are reptiles that require very warm temperatures and low moisture to survive and thrive and someone must have dumped them in the park, leaving them to die.
Consider showing them to Jim at Hackettstown Pet just to be sure they're Beardies. You did a good deed by saving them.
SquirrelGirl Those are definitely bearded dragons, I have had them before. Also, wild lizards are almost impossible to catch, and they most definitely will not pose for a picture in someone's hand.
Jesse341 Glad to hear they were saved, then! I also liked this thread because I knew nothing about our native Fence Lizards, and so read and learned about them. Have never seen one in the wild, though... maybe one day.
4catmom And I thought my cat and chickens taking dust baths together was cute! Thanks for sharing that! The world can learn a lot from animals!
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