Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently have one female Corytophanes cristatus, and I'm currently in the process of buying a male. I'm curious if anyone knows about how often they should be fed. Mine is very shy, and I rarely see it eat. Sometimes, it will even noticeably lose weight and then gain it back. With what frequency should I feed them?

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Roy Blodgett
royreptile@yahoo.com

1.1 Drymarchon corais
0.1 Coluber mormon
1.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (desert phase)
1.0 Boiga dendrophila dendrophila
0.1 Candoia aspera (red phase)
1.1 Uroplatus henkeli
0.1 Corytophanes cristatus
2.1 Pogona vitticeps (snow and red/gold)
1.0 Iguana iguana

“All men lie enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.”- Herman Melville

That's usually what I do, but it seems as though she picks and chooses when she wants to eat. Sometimes I'll feed her and she'll ignore the crickets for a few days. Anyway, I've had her for about 8 months so she can't be doing badly. Here is another picture of her, this species can change color rather dramatically.

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Roy Blodgett
royreptile@yahoo.com

1.1 Drymarchon corais
0.1 Coluber mormon
1.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (desert phase)
1.0 Boiga dendrophila dendrophila
0.1 Candoia aspera (red phase)
1.1 Uroplatus henkeli
0.1 Corytophanes cristatus
2.1 Pogona vitticeps (snow and red/gold)
1.0 Iguana iguana

“All men lie enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.”- Herman Melville

Hello Roy:
I'm glad to hear that your female is doing well. They are extreme cryptic predators and that is probably why you don't see her eat more often. Also, this species likes large insect prey including beetles. The biggest crickets you can find might entice her more and try leaving a small bowl of superworms under a favored perch site and see if any come up missing. Also try offering food at different times of the day . Being "sit and wait" predators, they may have different activity periods during the day.
Spring is here so there should be a few more of these delightful lizards appearing on various dealers lists again. I plan on getting back into them this year myself.
Have a Great Day!!!

Thanks for your helpful advice and input. I'm purchasing my male from Intense Herpetoculture, as they have hand-picked imports which are eating well and are in great condition. They had an ad in the classifieds, or you could check out the sight and see if you like them. When you get yours I'd love to hear about them and see some pictures.
My e-mail is royreptile@yahoo.com if you'd like to contact me about them.
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Roy Blodgett
royreptile@yahoo.com

1.1 Drymarchon corais
0.1 Coluber mormon
1.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (desert phase)
1.0 Boiga dendrophila dendrophila
0.1 Candoia aspera (red phase)
1.1 Uroplatus henkeli
0.1 Corytophanes cristatus
2.1 Pogona vitticeps (snow and red/gold)
1.0 Iguana iguana

“All men lie enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.”- Herman Melville

Intense Herpetoculture also has a Corytophanes hernandezi. I personally think that cristatus is more attractive, but still, those hernandezi are pretty cool.
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Roy Blodgett
royreptile@yahoo.com

1.1 Drymarchon corais
0.1 Coluber mormon
1.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (desert phase)
1.0 Boiga dendrophila dendrophila
0.1 Candoia aspera (red phase)
1.1 Uroplatus henkeli
0.1 Corytophanes cristatus
2.1 Pogona vitticeps (snow and red/gold)
1.0 Iguana iguana

“All men lie enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.”- Herman Melville

Hello Roy:
I had a C. hernandezi about fifteen years ago and saw a couple others. They were all males and that's why I only got one. Mine seemed a little more active than the C. cristatus but they do seem to be smaller in stature. The "horns" on the sides of their head are real cool.
I'll let you know for sure when I pick some C. cristatus up. I'd like to end up with 2.4 by the end of the season.
Have a Great Day!!!
P.S. You should check out the Mountain Horned Dragon forum. We talk quite heavily about Forest lizards in there. There's lots of care tips there.
Take care.