Care Sheet for Fence LizardsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.82 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 07/08/2006 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Fence Lizards |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Horned Lizard |
Years Experience: | 5 to 10 Years |
Species: | Fence lizard |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | eastern fence lizard
|
Sexing and Characteristics: | Males: usually males will have a dark bluish or green color on either side of the underside of their bellies and another bluish blotch on the chin that may be divided in half. also, they will have a thickened tail base and on the underside of that there will be two small bumps, or bulges, right above the anal area. males are usually slightly smaller than females, but more aggressive and territorial.
females: females may have the blue coloring on either side of their bellies but it will be faded and not as noticeable as in males. females do not have the blue blotch on the chin that is described above. females are more robust and and slightly larger than males. on the underside of the base of the tail you will see either one small bump or no bumps at all. |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | For substrate you can safely use potting soil mixed with sifted play sand as long as you change it every 4-6 months. you can also use newspaper or paper towels if you want to change it every day. repti carpet is ok too, except for the fact that they can get their claws stuck in the loose threads that stick up, so be aware of that.
Humidity: mist plants and the side of the tank in the morning so they can lap up the droplets like they do in the wild. mist once in the evening as well. misting also keeps the humidity level up. you also should have a water bowl that is full of clean water and is easily accessed. clean the water bowl every day with soap and water, and dry it completely before replacing it back in the cage |
Lighting and UVB: | Your lizard(s) should always have access to a UVB light source. never put your lizards cage next to a window so you can use the sun as your UVB source (this will cook the lizard). you should BUY a light from a petstore or department store, and i suggest it to be a long tube fluorescent light, that will run the length of the cage. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Humidity i covered above, but now to temperatures: 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit on the cool side, 85 in the middle ( if you have a large cage, and can control the middle) and then 90-95 in the basking area. |
Heating and Equipment: | There should be any kind of heat light or spotlight that can get the temperature to the right spot but no ceramic heaters or dark bulbs are needed. NO heat rocks! fence lizards cannot sense heat on their bellies and they will get burned. you don’t need any heat pads either, they have the same effect as heat rocks. |
Caging Provided: | I use an all glass terrarium for mine. 1 lizard can be fine in a 10-gallon, 2-3 in a 20-gallon, and 3-4 in a 30 gallon. for cage decorations you can put some rocks in for them to bask and climb on. also some sticks, logs, or driftwood to run around and climb on . they favor dead logs and in the wild are never far from a tree, since that is their main way of escape. i would put leaves and twigs on the bottom so that they can hide under them if they feel scared or threatened. also a hide should be provided in both the cool end and the hot end. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | They will attack and eat almost anything that moves and will fit in their mouths. a good diet consists of gutloaded crickets no bigger than the space between their eyes, small mealworms (only occasionally, since a mealworms exoskeleton is full of chitin and hard to digest), non-poisonous spiders, grasshoppers, and beetles (beetles seem to be favorite) you should feed 4-5 insects a day for young lizards and 3-4 three times a week for adults. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | I dust insects with a calcium and vitamin D-3 supplement once a week. a dusting supplement like this can be bought at any local petstore near you. |
Maintenance: | The cage should be cleaned every two weeks with bleach and water til its spotless. cage accessories need to be washed thoroughly and sometimes need to be soaked in bleach. |
Some Words on this Species: | although hard to catch, fence lizards are some of the best lizard species i have kept. they are great for beginners, or even experts, are easy to feed, house, and breed, although they aren’t bred in captivity very much. i would definitely recommend this lizard to anyone. |
How Members Rated
This Care Sheet | Rate This Care Sheet
Please keep all comments constructive to Fence lizard husbandry methods and care. Any degrading, sarcastic, or disrespectful comments will be removed. |
Total Members Rating: 33
| 1 |  ( 0 ) |
| 2 |  ( 0 ) |
| 3 | ( 1 ) |
| 4 | ( 4 ) |
| 5 | ( 28 ) |
|
|
