Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was driving down a neighborhood street today behind a well known reptile distributor and spotted a huge, very beautiful Ameiva. It was right in a front yard, cruised up onto the cement deck (porch-like) down and across the driveway and off into the hedges where I lost sight of it. It was so cool to see, with it’s very monitor-like walking motion. It was very bold and confident looking, not at all nervous looking, as if this were very well known territory or a familiar route. The tail was very fat and very rich blue, unlike what you see in photos, and it was a good thirteen inches or better. It seemed so healthy and vibrant to be out there taking care of itself. Well, needless to say I became instantly obsessed with Ameivas and have been trying to find out some more information on them, but there seems to be very little. I know they are a species that have become somewhat established here in south Florida, but I had never seen one before. I have the knight anoles and curly tails right in my yard but that Ameiva was quite a sight. If anyone could share some experience with captives, I have an interest in exotics that can thrive here in south Florida, and this Ameiva apparently was as healthy as any I could hope to maintain, really quite a beautiful lizard! Wish I could have photographed it.

Hi,
There are quite afew diffrent types of Ameiva here in SE. Florida, the most common I've found is ameiva ameiva.. aka. "jungle runner" or "green ameiva" there are nummerous colonies in Miami-Dade county Coral Gables, Key Biscayne, Homestead, and N. Miami beach at least.
I had some success breading a pair 10 years ago and had many clutches of eggs .. the trouble was it was tough to know the female was gravid. It may have been becasue I was pretty young then and didn't know what to look for.. what happened many times was she'd lay a clutch and before I could get in the enclosure to remove them the male would gulp down as many as he could find.
Back then everyone hatched reptile eggs in sphagnum moss so that's what I used and I think I had a total of 10 or 12 successful hatchlings. I gave them to people I knew and sold some at a flea market.
The issues I had with them is they are always so skittish.. alot of running into cage walls and scratching up their noses. Also they were abit snippy and I was bitten enough to be discouraged to handle them except when totally needed. That wasn't the kind of "pet" I wanted so I sold the pair I had.
Ameivas typically overnight in burrows they dig in dry soil and head for cover with amazing speed when approached. I've caught afew in the "wild" but most of these times the lizard had cornered itself.
If you want to feel like the coyote from that cartoon, try to catch one by sprinting behind it.. they literally leave a little cloud of kicked up dust and debris behind them as they easily accelerate away...while you gasp for breath running at full speed.
good luck.
--jeff3052336501

whoops accidently left the # of a chinese restraunt I meant to copy to another window.. sorry