Care Sheet for Grass LizardsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.36 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 04/14/2005 |
Main Category: | Lizards |
Sub Category: | Grass Lizards |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Biokid87 |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Long tail Grass Lizard |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Long Tail Grass Lizards are thin and can reach lengths on average of 10-13 inches (with 75% of its length being its tail).
They have jagged scales that point to the rear.
Most males have dark strips on their backs but all males have a bulge at the base of their tail. Females do not have the bulge. |
Mostly Active During: | Both |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Make sure the lizards have access to water every day. There are two ways to provide water. One way is to have a spray bottle filled with water and spray the branches and cage walls with some water at least twice a day. (DON’T SPRAY WATER RIGHT ON THE LIZARD: soaking the lizard with water can make the lizard sick and be more susceptible to diseases.)
The second way is if you aren’t around as much or are one vacation or etc. Just have provide a dish of water. But replace the water no longer than a week for the following reasons. In my experiences a cricket always manages to drown in the dish. The crickets corpse will contaminate the water. Also the lizard can sometimes mistaken the water dish for a toilet. So this is why it is important to change the water of the dish frequently. |
Lighting and UVB: | Make sure to give the lizard at least a 8-10 hour period of cooler temperature. In other words 8-10 hours without lighting. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Long tail grass lizards are native to the tropics of Southeast Asia so make sure to keep the temperature no lower than 70 degrees F. Try not to have them in temperatures higher than 85 degrees F. They are from the tropics but when it gets to hot they can find plenty of places of good shade. |
Heating and Equipment: | It is preferable if you do not use a heating rock. Do not put the cage right at a window, especially in the summer because the cage can turn into a glass sauna and fry the lizard, even if there is something for shade...The heat accumulates through the whole cage. A regular incandescent light bulb right over or on top of the cage is perfect. |
Caging Provided: | As far as size goes, if you have one lizard have a cage no bigger then a 2 gallon cage. If you have more than one, a 10 gallon tank is preferred. "Reptile bedding" and "branches" are recommended. Reptile bedding for burrowing and branches to climb. (If you get branches from outside, its best to sterilize them. You can sterilize branches either by boiling them for about 10 minutes, baking them far about 25 min, or microwaving them for no more than 2 min) Other accessories include small plants or fake foliage and vines for shade and to hide. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | The basic diet include crickets or mealworms. (If you can, vary between both to vary their diet). Any other insects sold as food can be used as well. (Feed your pet insects from outside AT YOUR OWN RISK... they are more likely to carry a disease. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | If you properly care for your lizard, there should be no reason to feed them extra vitamins. If you notice your lizard is skinnier than usual, feed them waxworms, they are high in fat, but low in nutrients. You can buy food that is not alive. Most "lizard food" are a plastic bottle of dried-up fruit flies with additional vitamins. I would recommend nothing else. For further questions, ask the pet store workers or your Vet. |
Maintenance: | It is recommended to clean the cage. The most sufficient way is to empty the cage completely (do not reuse the bedding) and fill it up with hot water from your tub. Dump it and then scrub off any contents stuck to the cage with paper towels. Some people add bleach to rinse the cage with it and to kill any "possibly remaining germs" but I personally do not do that. IF YOU ADD BLEACH, make sure to then rinse your cage until the cage has "NO" scent of bleach. If you leave the cage smelling like bleach the fumes can quickly kill the lizard. Like I said before I do not use bleach.
As far as handling the lizard, if you want to tame your lizard, hold it at least a day. Don’t let it fall from high spots, that includes our shoulder when standing. NEVER grab or hold the lizards by the tail. If you injury or shorten their tail, it can effect their balance and climbing ability. To pick them up, gently grab them from their shoulders or push your finger from under their chin and they will climb on your finger. NEVER rub their scales from rear to front because the scales point to the rear. If you rub then the wrong way you could possibly scrape of their scales, hurting your lizard. |
Some Words on this Species: | They are great climbers with the help of their tail (they can reach from a far branch by suspending their arms and sometimes their legs to with their tail supporting all their weight.)
Sometimes they can be shy can bury themselves in the bedding, so in case you go to your cage and can’t seem to see it in the cage, "check in the bedding."
In my experiences, I have noticed that these lizards have varieties of personality. Some are laid back and can sleep on your shoulder forever, while others can be hyper, constantly jumping and on the move. |
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