|
Health Care for Lizards
General Information
A key factor in successful care of lizards
is knowing what species of lizard you have. Many
species of lizard have very exacting feeding and
temperature requirements. If you do not know what you
have, you will not be able to take care of it properly or
even be able to find out how to do so unless you can find
someone who can tell you what species you have. It is
therefore unwise to purchase any lizard unidentified and
risky to purchase any lizard without finding out its
requirements before hand and making sure you can meet
them. Certain species, such as agamids and the
old world chameleons, for example, are fragile and have
very specific requirements in captivity. These are unwise
purchases for any beginner. But since some lizard species
have been know to live 20 years and more in captivity
with proper care, it is really wasteful to plunge into
lizard keeping without first seeking information. Temperature
All lizards require heat to digest
their food, whether they are tropical or temperate
species. Since many lizards need different
temperatures for different parts of the digestive
process, at different times of the day, the best
arrangement is to provide a gradient of heat
within the cage, from room temperature to about 97
degrees Fahrenheit, so that the lizard can move to warm
or cooler spots at will. This can be done with a
incandescent light over one corner, with Hot Blocks, Hot
Rocks, or by placing an electric heating pad under one
end of the cage. Do not rest the cage directly upon
the heating pad. USE A THERMOMETER! A temperature
gradient is especially important for the iguanids, of
which there are a number of species and many related
species. For large iguanas this requirement can be met
only by having a very large cage. Light
Lizards must have ultraviolet light
or they will not survive for long. An adequate substitute
for sunlight in captivity is Vitalite Fluorescent Lights
produced by the Curotest Corporation. Lizards should
never be placed in direct sunlight (such as setting the
cage in the window) for they will quickly overheat and
die. NOTE: Vitalite does not
usually generate enough heat to be used as a heat source. Housing
Persons desiring to keep lizards often
which to house them in an artistically arranged terrarium
complete with living plants. This is a realistic
environment only for small, delicate lizards,
especially the tiny arboreal species--small anoles and
some small geckos. The larger lizards will make a
shambles out of a terrarium. Cages should have
tight-fitting lids. The bottom can be covered with paper.
(Cedar shavings and other pitch bearing woods like pine
are toxic to reptiles.) Earth, gravel, sand and other similar
substrates are attractive if they can be kept clean and
dry. The bottom of the cage should be kept dry, even for
water-loving species. A crockery water dish should be
provided and the water kept fresh. NOTE: Arboreal species may not find
a water dish. These are "droplet drinkers",
accustomed to drinking dew or rain drops. For these
you must provide water by sprinkling or spraying the cage
every day or two. A hiding place, such as a log,
piece of bark, or a box and perhaps a branch for arboreal
species are all the other furnishings required. Feces and
shed skin should be removed as they appear and the entire
cage washed periodically in a mild bleach solution. Do
not use Pine-Sol, Lestoil or other petroleum-derived
product on reptile cages or dishes. Shedding
Shedding of the epidermis, or the other
layer of the skin, is a regular and normal process.
Frequency of shedding is directly related to rate of
growth. When approaching a shed, a lizard's colors will
dull or darken. Unlike snakes, lizards do not shed the
epidermis in one whole piece. Instead, it peels off in
strips and patches. Difficult in shedding is sometimes
the result of low humidity. Feeding
Here again, identification is vital. You
must know whether you have a carnivore or an omnivore.
Carnivorous lizards should be given prey animals
appropriate for the lizard to swallow whole. Small
lizards will require a variety of live insects. Crickets,
waxworms and mealworms are available commercially.
Newborn mice are accepted by some of the larger insect
eaters and are an excellent addition to the diet. Variety
is very important. A steady diet of mealworms can
cause serious digestive problems whereas a steady diet of
waxworms can cause obesity. Never feed just one item
for a long period. For the very tiny lizard such a
anoles, variety can be hard to sustain. Baby crickets and
small mealworms can be varied by fruit flies. A wingless
variety is available commercial and is easy to culture.
Life insects may be left in the cage overnight, but they
should not be left for days on end. This is because
insect eaters are sight feeders. The feeding response is
triggered by the sight of the prey, and if the prey is
continually at hand the lizard may habituate to the prey
and eventually not respond. All insects used as food
should themselves be well-fed up until they are offered,
otherwise they have little value as food. Iguanas are not strictly
vegetarian, as is sometimes supposed. The babies require
more animal food, including insects, and the adults
prefer more plant food, but both are needed. A steady
diet of lettuce and pulpy fruit is not adequate. Spinach,
chard and dandelions are preferred to lettuce. Shaved
carrots and assorted frozen vegetables (thawed) are
excellent. Sprouts especially bean sprouts, are easy to
raise at home and highly recommended for any plant eater.
Iguanas can also be offered canned cat and dog food, plus
moistened cat chow in small quantities. Large carnivorous
lizards, such as the monitors, will eat whole adult mice,
also fresh raw fish, raw chicken parts and raw meat
scraps from the supermarket. Whole animals should never
be omitted from the diet, however. Handling
Lizards often become accustomed to
handling, but as a rule they must not be handled
except infrequently, for brief periods. The small
lizards especially can rarely survive prolonged and
frequent handling. Over-handling is one of the most
common cases of death in lizards. On the other hand,
large lizards, the large monitors in particular, have
strong claws and sharp teeth as adults and can be
dangerous. Water monitors, Nile monitors and African
savannah monitors are sometimes available through
dealers. The juveniles need careful attention and the
adults attain the size of an adult house cat or larger.
Many captive adults are gentle, but some are not and can
inflict serious wounds. Monitors should be kept only by
those prepared to maintain a potentially large,
aggressive animal. Health
It is a dismal fact that many lizards
purchased sight unseen through dealers arrive in very
poor condition. You are almost always better advised to
purchase captive-bred or long-term captive lizards, when
available. Purchasing sight unseen is always risky. Most
medical problems with lizards are directly related to
improper care--wrong identification, bad diet, chilling,
and over-handling being common. If these factors are
corrected and the lizard does not respond, a veterinarian
is needed. Try to find a vet recommended as familiar with
reptiles, since many vets lack experience in the
treatment of lizards. Nursing sick lizards is a
discouraging, expensive and time-consuming process. Do
everything is your control to get healthy animals. It
is a good idea to quarantine all new arrivals regardless
of appearance and to place new animals only in freshly
washed cages.
|
