Small tegu-like lizards?

[World of Herps]

Hello. I was wondering if there are any species of lizards that have the intelligence of tegus, that you could build a real bond with, that are about 1 to 2 feet in length. It would be nice if they had a similar diet, but it's not a huge deal. Thanks,
Teddy K.

 

[acpart]

Bearded dragons and blue tongue skinks may fit the bill.

Aliza

 

[World of Herps]

I considered them, but are they really that smart?

 

[acpart]

I have never had a skink, but my beardie recognizes the super worm container and when I put up some tiles to keep him from going under the railing on my second floor front porch, he quickly figured out how to climb over it.

Aliza

 

[Leopard leopard]

You could try a jeweled lacerta they are pretty intelligent and can get up to 2ft.
They sell them on bigappleherp.com.