Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I have an alligator lizard that's about 10-12 inches from head to tail. I'm not sure what type it is, or what age or gender, but he/she seems pretty healthy, LOVES to eat crickets, and is a little hyper and antsy at times but is alright to handle. My question is this: are there OTHER types of lizards that are safe to house WITH alligator lizards? I have a fairly large tank for him, but I want to get other lizards to add to it to have a little liz-aviary-aquarium type thing. I would add more alligator lizards, but probably wouldn't be able to keep babies if they laid eggs. Thanx for reading this, and please right back AND/or email me at j15y15@comcast.net with any information, ESPECIALLY about possible roommate species for him. Thanx again!

It is important to know what kind of alligator lizard you have when choosing companions. Northern's for example like it moister than southerns. Do you know where yours originated from?

An easy way to tell northerns and southerns apart is to flip them over. Southerns will have faint lengthwise stripe that appears to run down the center of their belly scales. In northerns, these stripes will appear to run down the edges of the belly scales.

Mixing species is always a bit risky so other alligator lizards of the same species and from the same locality as yours would be the best bet. Skinks are the only other lizards I can think of that would have similar needs. A large species such as a Gilbert's Skink would be best. But, when introducing another species or even an individual of the same species from a different area you run the risk of introducing parasites and diseases which your lizard is not equipped to handle.

I'd also recommend quarenteening any new acquisitions to make sure that they don't have mites and are in good health before making introductions.

-Alice

I just checked my Alligator Lizard's belly for the stripes you mentioned, and according to that method, he's a Southern. With that information, can you give any more advice as to housing companions, aside from the Gilbert Skink? Are there any other types of skinks or other lizards that might work as well? Also, are mights fairly visible so that you can check for them easily? And how do you sex an alligator lizard? Thanx for your help so far, and I hope you can answer these questions as well!

The biggest problem in finding companions is the size issue. At a foot in length your alligator lizard is not done growing. Depending on what subspecies it is it could get considerably larger. This means that any cage mates you select would need to be large enough to not be consumed. For this reason I don't think that the smaller western skink would be a good choice.

All the other lizards are going to like it a bit drier than your alligator lizard. Spiny lizards (Sceloporus sp)like the western fence lizard would be your next best bet. They are heavy baskers, however, so you would need to provide a UV light and a strong basking light. You would also need to keep humidity levels low. Because of their rough scales, mites are common and very difficult to find on spiny lizards so you would risk infecting your alligator lizard.

Most of the other native lizard species are restricted to desert environments so they would require high heat, bright light, lots of UV and minimal humidity. None of which would appeal to your alligator lizard. Therefore, I think that a Gilbert's skink because of its large size and similar habitat pereferences would be the best choice if you want to add a different species.

Mites are about the size of a grain of pepper and they reside under the scales of reptiles and feed off the blood of their hosts. Because of their smal size and secretive nature, mites often go unnoticed until they have reached dangerous levels. Good places to look for mites are in the ears, behind the limbs, in the corner of the mouth, and around the vent. Also watch your lizard carefully and see if you see anything crawling on it. Abraided or roughened scales or rubbing on cage furnishings are some warning signs to look for.

Sexing alligator lizards is difficult. Mature males will have broader more triangular heads than females. If your lizard is still pretty fiesty you can grab it roughly and flip it over, males will sometimes evert a hemipenis while trying to poop on you (lizards that have been habituated to handing usually won't oblige).

Southern alligator lizards come in a wide array of colors. Look in the kingsnake alligator lizard photo gallery for examples. So, it is possible to stick with alligator lizards and still "spice up" your tank.

For information on southern alligator lizard subspecies and other lizard species check out www.californiaherps.com. Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition by Robert C. Stebbins is also an excellent reference.

If you know the location that your lizard originated from, I would probabley be able to tell you what subspecies you have.

-Alice

Thanx again for your help. So now, if I did stick to various alligator lizards, can you mix subspecies, and where can they be acquired? This one was caught in at an elementary school about 6 months or so ago, so I'm not sure about where to actually purchase those. Also, this is probably a long shot, but I did as you suggested and browsed through the photo gallery, and found a picture of a "red eyed crocodile lizard" do you know anything about these, or their maintenance, etc? Like I said, it's probably a long shot, but they are quite interesting! Thank you again for your quick and informative replies!

The answer to mixing subspecies is yes and no. Where their ranges meet the subspecies will hybridize. So, they should get along fine if housed together. But, if you do produce young, these should not be released because you could genetically "contaminate" the wild population if the population at the release site is pure. If you are not planning on incubating eggs, you shouldn't have a problem. You could also try getting some northerns as they share much of their range with the southerns. Unlike the southerns the northerns are live bearers.

In most cases it is illegal to sell native reptiles, so in order to obtain another alligator lizard you would be best off catching one yourself. The book by Stebbins has excellent range maps and habitat descriptions if you decide to go this route. A little concerted searching in your area, however, should be sufficient to turn up some color variations. Most of the alligator lizards I've posted in the photogallery came from my own backyard.

As far as the red eyed croccadile lizard is concerned, I'm not sure off hand where exactly it originates from (definately not from this continent). They like it very moist and cool. Around $60 dollars is the cheapest I've seen them offered for. Most of these are also wild caught. In order to house these with your alligator lizard and have a chance of either surviving, both would have to be taken to a vet and treated for internal parasites, even then the different bacteria and viruses present in each lizard could prove lethal to the other.

Do you know the name of the city / town that your lizard originated from? If you do, I could tell which subspecies you probabley have.

-Alice

Any suggestions on HOW to find them? Like what type setting is a good place to look: under rocks, under leaves or grass, things like that. He was found in El Cerrito, a city in the bay area, near Richmond, Pinole, Berkeley, Hercules... that general area.

In that area you have the California subspecies of southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata). You also have the San Francisco subspecies of the northern alligator lizard in that area (Elgaria coerulea coerulea).

Flipping boards, logs, and rocks in brushy areas and weedy fields is a good way to find alligator lizards. Sometimes you can also find alligator lizards abroad in the afternoon on warm days in such areas. Persistance pays off it may take several trips before you are successful. If you live in a rural area you could even try leaving out some boards in your backyard that you could check regularly.

-Alice