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 #1590502


Albinoboy29
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 Help! Help!

I just started feeding my baby alligator lizard dusted food about a month ago,,,,people say they should grow 2-3 inches a month and mine only grows about 3 cm... i dont have a UV or UVB.....
01/22/08  10:44pm

 #1606415


Xcx
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   Message To: Albinoboy29   In reference to Message Id: 1590502


 Help! Help!


GET THE UVB NOW
02/02/08  06:30pm

 #1610199


Aliceinwl
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   Message To: Xcx   In reference to Message Id: 1606415


 Help! Help!

What are you feeding it and what brand of supplement are you using?

Crickets make the best staple, but before you feed them to your lizard they need to be gutloaded. Gutloading is accomplished by making sure the crickets have something nutritious to eat before they’re eaten. 24 hours before you feed them to your lizard you should feed your crickets with things like fish flakes, orange slices, and carrots.

Many of the dusts sold, contain phosphorus. Lizards need a 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus. Feeder insects tend to be low in calcium, but high in phosphorus. So if your dust already contains phosphorus, you won’t be achieving the proper ratio. Look at the list of ingredients, stay away from dusts that contain things like calcium phosphate etc.

You also want a dust that contains vitamin d3. Since you don’t have UVB your lizard won’t be able to synthesize its own d3, and d3 is necessary for proper calcium uptake (stay away from concentrated d3 supplements like Sun Drops etc. these can lead to overdoses). I use Repcal with vitamin d3, it’s more expensive than many of the other dusts, but it works.

If you want to be really safe, you can do all of the above and get a UVB light. Just remember that UVB flourescents need to be replaced every 6 months, placed within 10 inches of where your lizard sits, and not be blocked by things such as glass or plastic.
02/04/08  11:43pm

 #1614745


Albinoboy29
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   Message To: Aliceinwl   In reference to Message Id: 1610199


 Help! Help!

Thank you for the help. i am using jurrasi cal which has no phosphous and I always gutload my crickets,,, I have noticed he is getting a bit bigger and I recently ordered a medicene from a petstore that is for lizards that need more calcium and vitimins. It is just liquid droplets that will help my lizard grow faster. also I got a brand new 15 gallon glass tank with a sliding lid and I have 2 lights on it. i also have a black light for nighttime and i am getting a UV or UVB soon but there were only the flouresnt tubes left so i have to wait. also i noticed my lizard is shedding about once a month now and he has now problems with shedding.
02/07/08  11:11pm

 #1614893


PrinceSushi
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   Message To: Albinoboy29   In reference to Message Id: 1614745


 Help! Help!

Toss out that black light. Its just going to disturb your lizards normal sleeping cycle.

First of all you NEED UVB. Alligator lizards love sun and without UVB they will quickly become lethargic and they will most likely stop eating. UVB doesn’t just effect the way they grow it effects their mood as well. Its similar to S.A.D. in humans.

You should also have a UVA bulb for basking. Be sure to read the package. It will give you all the information you need for picking out the right bulb(i.e. distance and temp).

As for the shedding problems. Do you have rocks in your enclosure? If not you should go get some. Alligator lizard are similar to snakes. They rub against a rocks until they can slide right out of their skin. A warm 15 minutes bath once a week will help soften the skin.
02/08/08  05:06am

 #1627010


Albinoboy29
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   Message To: PrinceSushi   In reference to Message Id: 1614893


 Help! Help!

Thank you... Since I just got a new 15 gallon tank and other needs like a UVB and multivitamin powder (I have calcium) and now I have my tank by the window and on sunny warm days I open the window and sun shines through the top so On hot days I just set my lights dim and open the window....ever since the new tank and lights plus being by the window my lizard started growing more,, he became wayyyyy faster,, I noticed he didnt have rubber jaw anymore and he eats crickets daily
02/17/08  11:53am

 #1630717


PrinceSushi
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   Message To: Albinoboy29   In reference to Message Id: 1627010


 Help! Help!

Its okay to dim your basking bulb but don’t dim your UVB. Glass and fine screen filters out UVB. Just keep an eye on temps while the tank is next to the window. If its staying in range you should have nothing to worry about. Also, make sure he has a hiding spot he can get to if he was shade.
02/20/08  12:18pm

 #1630791


Albinoboy29
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   Message To: PrinceSushi   In reference to Message Id: 1630717


 Help! Help!

Ok thanks,,,I always dim the basking bulb for a few reasons,,1st. It gets about 65 degrees outside right now and the basking light generates heat, The basking light isnt too bright when it dims but it still gives off heat, Also about 50% of my cage is hideouts like this huge hideout that is made from bark and twigs with leaves on the top
02/20/08  01:30pm

 #1664935


Albinoboy29
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   Message To: Albinoboy29   In reference to Message Id: 1630791


 Help! Help!

Okay so now that I have the tank I have a few new things that I added. One I added a reptiglow for night, and a UVAbasking bulb for day. I have calcium powder that is phosphous free and I am ordering liquid UVB soon. I switched out everthing and put in repti carpet and boiled and baked everything due to a slight mite infestation
03/17/08  06:54pm

 #1665378


Aliceinwl
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   Message To: Albinoboy29   In reference to Message Id: 1664935


 Help! Help!

You don’t really need the night light (it’s more for you than the lizard). Get a calcium powder like Rep-cal that contains vitamin D3. The "liquid UVB" you’re talking about sounds like a D3 supplement. Vitamin D3 has a very low toxicity threshold. I don’t think that you will be able to safely dose your / such a small lizard with such a concentrated supplement.

Make sure you have a calcium supplement with D3 and since you’ve had issues with MBD get a fluorescent that produces UVB so that your lizard can synthesize it’s own if it needs more. Don’t bother with the liquid D3 supplement, you’ll be more likely to meet with heartache than success.
03/17/08  11:10pm

 #1665405


Albinoboy29
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   Message To: Aliceinwl   In reference to Message Id: 1665378


 Help! Help!

O, well the repti glow is infrared and It is good because it ius still really cold in my room at night so I leave that on,,it generates like no light thouggh
03/17/08  11:47pm


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