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#2268329 Fencelizard2 View Profile	Fence Lizard Care I just recently caught a small male fence lizard on a camping trip. I have it in a 20 gallon glass tank with sand as bedding, a couple small rocks, a curved branch, a heat lamp, and a UVB light and a red night light. I feed it small crickets from Petco and occasionally beetles. Is this an OK habitat? I hope he doesn’t die. Thanks, Jacob
05/31/12  03:38pm
#2268335 ThesaurusRex View Profile	Message To: Fencelizard2   In reference to Message Id: 2268329  Fence Lizard Care 20 gallon tank - Good. Does it have a screen top? Sand bedding - Bad. They don’t usually live in areas with lots of sand and it can get them impacted. Switch to Eco-Earth or a similar substrate. UVB light - Good. Ultraviolet a day keeps the bone disease away! :P Remember, they need to be replaced every 6 months! Red night light - Bad. While not necessarily harmful, it’s unnecessary. Those lights are only for nocturnal lizards such as leopard geckos. Switch to a blue day light. Rocks and branches - A little bit of both. Anything from outside that you bring into your terrarium has to be wrapped up in aluminum foil and baked at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes. It may sound silly, but in reality harmful germs that are normally kept under control by nature are allowed to breed freely in a contained environment like a terrarium, spelling trouble for your lizard. Once it’s baked and sterile, you’re good to go. Beetles - Eeeh, I wouldn’t do that. The chitin in those beetles is most likely very hard to digest. Stick to crickets and occasional waxworms. Welcome to the forum, and the reptile community!
05/31/12  05:33pm
#2268338 Fencelizard2 View Profile	Message To: ThesaurusRex   In reference to Message Id: 2268335  Fence Lizard Care Yes it has a screen top. I’ll probably switch to Eco-Earth. Can you buy Eco-Earth at Petco? Thanks a lot!
05/31/12  06:03pm
#2268339 Fencelizard2 View Profile	Message To: Fencelizard2   In reference to Message Id: 2268338  Fence Lizard Care My fence lizard was caught on the John Martin Reservoir shoreline, so I wonder if I really need to change substrate. Because on the shoreline, it mainly has rocks and sand.
05/31/12  06:04pm
#2268356 ThesaurusRex View Profile	Message To: Fencelizard2   In reference to Message Id: 2268339  Fence Lizard Care Yes, Eco-Earth should be available at most pet stores. Fence lizards aren’t usually found near sand, but even if you found him there I doubt that’s where he does his hunting. Sand will still hold the risk of impaction, you’re better off with something a little safer.
05/31/12  08:39pm
#2268359 Fencelizard2 View Profile	Message To: ThesaurusRex   In reference to Message Id: 2268356  Fence Lizard Care OK, so could I have half the tank sand and half Eco-Earth? Anyways, is your Youtube account called jedihunter176? Thanks
05/31/12  08:57pm
#2268378 ThesaurusRex View Profile	Message To: Fencelizard2   In reference to Message Id: 2268359  Fence Lizard Care Yes. And I suppose you could, but it would look really odd, the mixture of brown and beige together. I’d recommend if you use sand, get a type of sand safe for reptile use, because I’m not sure if ordinary sand is safe for terrariums.
06/01/12  12:12am
#2268399 Spring Bloom View Profile	Message To: Fencelizard2   In reference to Message Id: 2268329  Fence Lizard Care Fence lizards love to dig a hole and sleep in it at night, but if they accidentally eat the sand while feeding, it will give them a bad tummy ache and they could die from it if they are unable to poop (Impaction). If you really like sand, switch to crushed walnut shells (They have it at the pet store). It still poses a risk of impaction but not as high as sand because the grains are larger and the lizard will spit it out. I cover my walnut shells in a substrate that looks like small beauty bark. This allows her to burrow in the sand-like shells, but the bark keeps her from getting sand on her toung when she eats. I think most fence lizards like a forest-like environment with shade, hiding places, rocks in the sun/basking light, and a place to dig.
06/01/12  09:47am
#2268585 Fencelizard2 View Profile	Message To: Spring Bloom   In reference to Message Id: 2268399  Fence Lizard Care I just fed him some crickets (15) and whenever he got a mouthful of sand, he just spat it back out and never swallowed anything. Only occasionally did he miss the cricket or get some sand in his mouth. Right now he is lounging on the log and is getting UVB:). I just spent about $50 on stuff for him. sigh. Thanks again
06/02/12  06:23pm

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