TERRESTRIAL LIZARDS (Ground):
TEMPERATURES - Keep the cage about 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day on the hot end and about 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
HOUSING / ADDITIONAL CARE -
Cage size is basically species specific. For something like skinks; most skinks would need at least a 30 gallon. Use shredded coconut for a substrate; with skinks, use play sand. For burrowing animals such as skinks, provide about a 6 inch depth for them to burrow in (roughly 3 lbs of substrate per gallon). With non-burrowing animals, just a few inches is plenty. Be sure to mist the leaves and sides of the glass with water daily.
Set up a hot end and a cool end. The heat mat, heat lamp, UVB lamp go on the hot end of the cage. The water dish and shelter go on the opposite end of the cage. Place a thermometer in the cage to monitor the temperatures. Use a humidity gauge to monitor humidity. Keep the humidity about 45% for non-tropical species and about 75% for tropical species.
FEEDING -
Feed small lizards small or "pinhead" crickets and large crickets to large lizards. Quantity of crickets again is species specific. You may also provide meal worms and wax worms to your animal. Be sure to dust a reptile vitamin supplement on the insects every other feeding. Zoo Meds cricket duster is the one I prefer to use.
DECORATIONS -
You may use live plants figuring of course they are considered "reptile safe". Try to get hardy, short branched plants as to reduce any destruction to them by the lizard. Fake plants work fine as well.
CARE SHEETS:
Chinese Water dragon
Blue-tongued skink
TERRESTRIAL DESERT LIZARDS:
TEMPERATURES -
The hot end of the cage during the day should be 85 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and about 70 degrees at night. A humidity gauge is not as important with desert lizards.
HOUSING / ADDITIONAL CARE -
Caging is species specific. For lizards such as Bearded dragons, you will need at least a 60 gallon cage, Schneider's skinks and Leopard geckos need a minimum of 30 gallons just to give some ideas. The substrate should be play sand (beach sand may have contaminants in it). For burrowing lizards, provide a depth of about 6 inches (roughly 3 lbs of substrate per gallon). The cage should have a hot end and a cool end. The hot end should have the heat mat, heat lamp, and UVB lamp. The cool end should have a shelter and the water dish.
FEEDING -
Feed small lizards small or "pinhead" crickets and large crickets to large lizards. Quantity of crickets again is species specific. You may also provide meal worms and wax worms to your animal. Be sure to dust a reptile vitamin supplement on the insects every other feeding. Zoo Meds is the brand I like using because that company is top of the line in reptile supplies.
DECORATIONS -
You may use live plants figuring of course they are considered "reptile safe". Try to get hardy, short branched plants as to reduce any destruction to them by the lizard. Fake plants work fine as well.
CARE SHEETS:
Schneider's skinks
Bearded dragon
ARBOREAL (Tree Canopy):
TEMPERATURES -
With these type of lizards, again most of the information is the same as with Schneider's skinks. However there are a few differences. One big difference being that the temperatures for non-desert reptiles will be lower. Temperatures between 75 - 85 degrees Fahrenheit for day and 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit for night is sufficient.
HOUSING / ADDITIONAL CARE -
For a substrate I would recommend using shredded coconut and simply follow the directions on the package accordingly. Non-desert reptiles need to be lightly misted every day. It is important to mist the leaves and sides of the glass. This is due to the fact that they will drink the water off the leaves and glass probably even more so than out of a water dish (still provide a filled water dish). For lizards which will potentially grow large such as the Green iguana, it is extremely important to have a large enclosure for him. Many people buy iguanas and quickly become in over their heads when trying to properly care for such an animal. These type animals need large enclosures approximately the size of a small bedroom once they reach their full size of 6ft.
FEEDING -
Some lizards are strictly vegetarians, such as your Green iguana for example. It is best not to feed these type of lizards any "meat" (insects, actual meat). For lizards that do eat insects, provide small "pinhead" crickets for small lizards and large crickets to large lizards. Be sure to dust a reptile vitamin supplement on the food every other feeding. This is the same for vegetarians as well.
DECORATIONS -
For arboreal lizards especially, it is important to provide vegetation and branches (fake or otherwise) for the lizard to climb on. If you do use any real branches, make sure you soak them in scalding hot water for a few hours and leave them soaking for about a week. This is to cleanse the branches of any possible parasites. Live plants always look nice, but be sure to find plants that are safe for your lizard. If you do own an iguana, provide him with a pool of water under an overhanging branch. Iguanas feel the most comfortable when they know they can jump from the branch into the water (iguanas can swim to a certain extent).
CARE SHEETS:
Green anole
Green iguana
