Can any one tell me the care of six lined racerunners?
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Can any one tell me the care of six lined racerunners?
I have not kept these since I was a kid in Texas but here in Florida where I live now I see them a lot on my property and can give you some hints. You will want to keep them in a large tank. 55g min. and if you wanted to really do it right I would suggest one of those 6ft tanks (think they are 120g) that you can get at the shows. I know that sounds ridiculous but believe it or not that is the best way to keep them as they need lots of space this also makes an excellent display. I would recomend a pair or trio in a tank this size (some species are parthenogenic so you may not have a true pair or trio.) Here In Florida you find them in the dry scrub areas which are very sandy and have vegetation that is not sparse but is not dense either. most of the vegetation is scrub oaks, sand pines, wild rosemary, terrestrial lichens and grasses. They live in burrows in the sand are active during the heat of the day except at around mid-day when thesun is most intense on the hottest days. With this in Mind I would use deep sand as a substrate (about 6ins. or more) I would put dried leaves on top of the sand in some parts of the tank as well as pieces of bark and small pieces of dried wood and plant it sparsely with drought tolerant plants (Haworthia, and Small Aloes immediately come to mind as do terrestrial lichens.) Iwould keep the tank on the dry side but allow the bottom layer to be moist enough for burrow building. Plants are good guage for this as if the plants are doing well and properly hydrated the tank should have the right amount of humidity. You will need bright light and a very warm basking spot (110-120f surface temp.-not air temp.-) These Lizards typically go dormant here in Florida around middle of Oct to the beginning of Nov. and you do not see them again until usually sometime in mid-to-late April even though often-times the weather seems to be plenty warm enough for them to be active during their dormant period. As I said I have not kept them since childhood. I spend lots of time outdoors on my property in fla and watch them a lot so I hope that helps. As a final not thet seem to eat a lot of small insects like beetles and such, with this obsevation in mind I would try utlizing dermestid beetles as part of their diet.
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