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 #1738825


Aliceinwl
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 California Legless Lizard ?s

To any other keepers out there: what kind of prey items have yours accepted, what kind of supplementation regime do you use? What are your set-ups like?

I’ve had one since 2004. I keep him (I have no idea of what sex it actually is) in a 2.5 gallon tank with about 3" of sand (gathered from the site where I collected him). I have a shallow clay saucer that I fill with water and it gradually wicks into the soil keeping one corner moist. I never see mine on the surface and I’ve never witnessed feeding. I feed small mealworms as a staple. Waxworms, phoenix worms, and termites have also been taken. I’ve tried small crickets, but they have never been taken. Because the prey items tend to burrow, any vitamin dust rapidly brushes off. The mealworms will typically disappear gradually over several days so I keep some food in one corner for the worms to keep their nutrition content up.

I’d really like to feed a more diverse diet, since supplementation seems to be problematic. I’d like to know if there are any readily available prey items that I’m overlooking. Mine will only accept very small mealworms so I have to maintain a breeding colony to supply him. He’s about 6" from head to tail.
05/18/08  01:34am

 #1738861


PrinceSushi
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   Message To: Aliceinwl   In reference to Message Id: 1738825


 California Legless Lizard ?s

2.5 gallons is too small for a California legless lizard. I would say they need a minimum size of a 10 gallons. You should look into that because he is most likely stressed from lack of room. Though they seem small, they are actually very active under soil and at night.

They love HIGH humidity so sand alone is not ideal. Try a soil/coconut fiber and sand mix. You can either layer it or do a 50-50 mix. I personally do a 50-50 mix of coconut fiber and washed play sand in my tank. On the surface I have dried birch leaves and some palm husk which they hunt from. I mist twice a day.

Your dish sounds fine as long as he/she can get into it.

For food, try pin heads, sow bugs, and small earthworms.

Your very unlikely to witness him/her eating. They are extremely shy and prefer to hunt at dusk and night.

For supplements I give D3 dust twice a week, pure calcium dust twice a week, and multivitamins through the water every 2 weeks.



05/18/08  04:01am

 #1743867


Aliceinwl
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   Message To: PrinceSushi   In reference to Message Id: 1738861


 California Legless Lizard ?s

I think substrate preference may vary a bit by locality. Mine came from a coastal dune system. Since he’s been doing well for four years, I don’t think he’s stressed. By overfilling the water dish a portion of the substrate stays moist. I’ve tried pin head crickets, but they have never been taken. I take it yours has eaten pin heads? (I’ll give them another go). I’ve also offered sow bugs when they came in with the termites but they were never taken Maybe it’s a reflection on different origins? What kind of habitat did yours come from? What kind of liquid vitamins do you use?



05/23/08  02:13am

 #1744739


PrinceSushi
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   Message To: Aliceinwl   In reference to Message Id: 1743867


 California Legless Lizard ?s

Mine came from a similar area, but was found in a moist garden nearby(most likely because she was pregnant and looking for a high food source and lots of moisture).Other than the small garden she was found in, the rest of the lot’s acres were all sandy on top(about 4 inches in deepest spots) and then a sort of clay/soil mixture below. That particular area has lots of anniella pulchra.

I would at least layer your substrate so he has a choice and if he doesn’t like it, then go back to all sand.

Even though quite a few can be found in sand locations, the sand its self does not hold enough moisture. In fact the majority of the moisture received in such areas comes from local lakes and the ocean at night, which is when anniella pulchra generally comes out. With out some type of system or moisture controlling substrate, its going to be very hard for you to provide high enough humidity levels. Low humidity levels will result in poor sheds, which can be fatal on anniella pulchra due to blood constriction.

My adult female eats 1/2- 3/4 inch crickets, pill bugs, sow bugs, and earthworms.

As for vitamins, most of the liquid vitamins designed for birds works. I was actually given this tip by my vet and it has worked wonderfully. You can also use liquid vitamins for humans, but they are generally to concentrated. I mostly smash up vitamin and mineral blocks designed for fish, they are generally much safer due to lower doses. I do dust my food, but I doubt much of it actually makes it to my lizard.



05/24/08  04:07am


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