Care Sheet for Plated LizardsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.73 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 01/28/2005 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Plated Lizards |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Pharoh08 |
Years Experience: | 1 to 2 Years |
Species: | Yellow Throated Plated Lizard |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Yellow Plated Lizard(same animal, different name) |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Males have fringes on their back legs and are generally a bit larger, females either have no fringes or just little stubs and are normally a bit smaller. Thou since my 3 were all rescues i cant say whether this applies to anything smaller than sub-adults or not. |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | They are naturally burrowers, but if given enough hides they could careless if they can burrow or not, if you want them to be able to burrow(need a extra deep cage) i would recommend a mix of sand, orchird bark and plain soil. otherwise a paper towels or newspaper is fine, or a thin layer of soil(like 1/4 inch deep) do not use pure sand with these guys, they just aren’t built to be housed on it. and when using a substrate for burrowing, try to get as much of the dust out first.
they also need a constant supply of water, and yes they will use it, and often go potty in it, so it’ll need changed at least daily, i like to use pie pans for their water dishes, they just big enough for them to fit their body in, and shallow enough that a adult can easily get out(try tart pans for younger ones) |
Lighting and UVB: | Both a UVB and a Basking light are needed for best health. i also use a ceramic heater emitter for at night. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | 90-95ish for the basking area, 80’s for the rest of the cage, and for a cool end lower 80’s, only need a cool end if the rest of the cage is high 80’s, for night temps try to not let them get much below 65-70 humidity isn’t a huge issue just so it ain’t in the tropical levels or bone dry. |
Heating and Equipment: | As said before a basking light is their main heat source, and for a adult cage the best thing for night heat is a ceramic heat emitter, most cause of the size enclosures they need, thou room heat works just as well, and if your willing to spend the extra money for a huge heating pad I’m sure it would work too. NO HEATING ROCKS EVER!!! |
Caging Provided: | As said before all mine were got as rescues, so not extremely knowledgeable of the youngs care, so i would even try to tell you what they need.
But for a Adult, a 48Lx24Wx18 or 24inch tall cage is the minimal cage size for a adult or adult pair(never keep males together), and if you are lucky enough to get a large specimen you’ll need to go bigger, as these guys can reach 3 foot, for 2-2 1/2 foot seems to be the normal. Anything smaller will just plain be cramping them, and if your making it so they can burrow you’ll can go at least 18-24 inch of space above the soil to the top of the cage.
to save cost i built all my cages, a cage for them with screening and lights(not bulbs) i built for just over $50 a piece from Loews, wood, clamp lights(basking lights) and a 2 foot long fluorescent light fixture, metal wire screening) and that even include a deck with ramp in the cage. plus $10 to paint the whole thing.
as far as hides go, be creative, my 2 guys and the girl, LOVE Christmas paper rolls, and its quite funny to walk in and see nothing be a tail sticking out of the end of the roll(even funnier with the male and female together and each end has a tail sticking out). my largest male really likes a box with a towel in it, like a dish towel or bathtowel. |
Diet: | Omnivorous |
Description of Diet: | These guys are major omnivores, the major part of their diet should be plant, as far as what yours takes, it’ll depend solely on what the individual likes, you wanna stay with the softer types of fruits and veggies, just to list the ones mine personally prefer, peaches, nectarines, sweet potato(cooked), some banana, grapes. i do know that like iguanas, the young are more carnivorous, and become more herbivorous as they grow.
as far as their carnivorous side, the normal, crickets, meal worms(kings for adults), occasional wax worm, and the occasional pinky mouse(be careful about how often u feed them pinkies, the lady i rescued the largest of my 3 from was feeding him nothing but, and it took some time to get him to accept anything else and get him on a healthy diet) |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Primarily just the live good needs supplements, i only use the calcium powder on the live, they should get most of what they need from the greens thou. |
Maintenance: | Daily water changes are a must, weekly cleanings of the cage, and the occasional bath to help the lizard shed isn’t a bad idea, these guys are decent swimmers. other than that nothing hard about them once u get them setup properly. |
Some Words on this Species: | Don’t be fulled by their cheap price tag, these guys can be expensive to setup and feed. They are also just about all wild-caught so a vet checkup is highly recommended, even if you don’t have a reptile vet in your area, most vets will at least do a poo testing for anything bad. |
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