Care Sheet for Alligator LizardsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 0 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 10/26/2007 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Alligator Lizards |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | PrinceSushi |
Years Experience: | 5 to 10 Years |
Species: | California Alligator Lizards |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Texas Alligator Lizards
|
Sexing and Characteristics: | Only adults can successfully be sexed on appearance. Males will have broader heads. The only other way to sex them is through probing. |
Mostly Active During: | Both |
Substrate and Water Needs: | The best substrate for a healthy lizard is a mixture of bed-a-beast(or similar product) and some clean play sand. Its best to lay the sand down and then the bed-a-beast over the top. A layer of gravel can also be placed on the bottom to aid in drainage.
Water should be provided via a medium sized, shallow dish so that the lizard can bath if he/she feels like it. Be sure to clean the dish every night. |
Lighting and UVB: | You will need a UVB lamp, Repti Glo 10.0 and Repti Sun 10.0 are recommended. The UVB fixture sure be in the form of a tube bulb, not a screw in.
Standard UVA bulb with a wattage that is capable of reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit is also needed. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Basking spot should be around 90 degrees at 6 inches away. The cool end of the tank should be 70-75 degrees or room temperature. These lizards don’t need a humid tank but a dish should be provided for bathing so the lizard can shed without issues. Keep soil slightly moist to provide your lizard with a cool retreat when hot. |
Heating and Equipment: | A heat pad or ceramic heat emitter can be used at night if you house temperature is capable of dropping below 65 degrees. UVA basking bulbs with the correct amount of wattage should be used during the day.
A digital probe thermometer should be used to correctly be able to gauge the temperature. |
Caging Provided: | A 10 gallon is best for a baby alligator lizard. Once the lizard looses its baby color and is roughly 10-12 inches long, you should move it into a more permanent 20 gallon long. Alligator Lizards have the potential to get very large, so a 40 gallon long may eventually be needed to house an adult.
These lizard will need lots of hiding places. Branches and stacked rocks work the best. Be sure to boil or bake anything you bring in from outside.
A strong screen lid will be needed as well. They will escape if given the chance.
I recommend one ceramic tile under the basking spot to hold heat. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Alligator lizards can be mainly sustained on insects such as crickets but a varied diet is required for good health.
Insects that can be fed are;
Crickets
Super Worms
Meal Worms
Small Roaches
All insects should be gut loaded. Good foods for gut loading are cat food, dog food, oat meal, fish food, fruits and vegetables.
Other foods that can be fed are;
Scrambled eggs
Frozen baby mice
Eggs and mice should only be fed to adults, and only once every few months if you decided to add this to their diet.
Alligator lizards prefer to hunt around dusk and do not like to be watched. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Alligators lizards will need Calcium, Vitamin D3 and a good multi vitamin.
I recommend
JurrasiCal Pure Calcium
Rep- Cal Calcium with Vitamin D3
Herptivite Multivitamin
A schedule for babies and young lizards:
*Pure Calcium should be added to all food except on the days when you are using a D3 or a multivitamin.
*Vitamin D3 should be given roughly 3 times a week or every other day.
*A multivitamin should be given 2-4 times a month.
A schedule for adults.
*Pure Calcium should be added to all food except on the days when you are using a D3 or a multivitamin.
*Vitamin D3 should be given roughly 1-3 times a week.
*A multivitamin should be given 1-2 times a month.
You can give vitamins and calcium by dusting their food. |
Maintenance: | Cage should be kept clean, free of bugs and fecal matter. The water dish should be washed every night. Spot clean whenever you see fecal matter. Replace all substrate every 6-12 months. You can lightly mist the tank once a week.Soil should always been slightly moist to keep the tank cool. |
Some Words on this Species: | This is not a lap lizard. They do bite and generally don’t like being touched. If you get a baby you may be able to teach it to tolerate sort periods of human interaction but thats all you can really hope for. As a baby the bite won’t be more than a pinch but as an adult they can easily draw blood.
The tank should be in an area with low human traffic. These lizards are shy and don’t enjoy loud noises or people going by the tank.
Alligator Lizards can drop their tails when needed so never pull on the tail. If the tail become semi split then you will need to take it to a vet to be completely removed.Do not try it yourself or your lizard could develop an infection.
Some alligator lizards will tolerate being in a tank with more than one lizard but generally its a disaster waiting to happen. To house more than you you need a lot of room and never house two adult males together.
Any wild caught specimens should be checked out by a vet as soon a possible since most carry mites, ticks or other dangerous parasites that could lead to death. |
How Members Rated
This Care Sheet | Rate This Care Sheet
Please keep all comments constructive to California Alligator Lizards husbandry methods and care. Any degrading, sarcastic, or disrespectful comments will be removed. |
Total Members Rating: 0
| 1 |  ( 0 ) |
| 2 |  ( 0 ) |
| 3 | ( 0 ) |
| 4 | ( 0 ) |
| 5 | ( 0 ) |
|
|
