Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my friend gave me one that he cought and hes about 5 inches could you tell me care please and I would like to breed these so could you add reproduction

let it go its better off
Foot Hill Reptile Relocation, Research and Conservation

im not leting him go theres no law that says I cant keep him Ive been looking for one so long

Assuming that the five inches includes tail, you've got a baby who is only a couple of months old.

Feeding:
You are going to need to get a high quality multivitamin and calcium supplement made especially for reptiles. Alligator lizards kept in capivity will usually develope metabolic bone disease (MBD)if not given proper supplementation. Because of their rapid growth, babies are especially vulnerable. If you purchase crickets for your lizard these will need to be conditioned prior to feeding them to your lizard. You can feed crickets: flake fish food, cruched dry dog or cat food, or you can buy cricket food. Rather than giving your crickets water you should give them fresh fruits and veggies like carrots, oranges, etc as these will give your crickets vitamins, Half of your lizards nutrition comes from the stomach contents of the insects you feed him.

Housing
A ten gallon tank is the smallest size that can comfortably house an alligator lizard. But, when he grows up he'd probably be much happier in a 20. You should also make your lizard a "moist hide". Cut a hole in a plastic container (cool whip containers work great) and fill it with moist Bed-A-Beast or Repti-bark.

Lighting
Whether or not UV lights are actually necessary is debatable (I've raised alligator lizards without them). That said I now use them just to be safe.

Heating
A small undertank heating pad will work fine. Avoid hot rocks as they can overheat and cause burns.

Substrate
I house mine on rabbit pellets. Because rabbit pellets are completely digestable, I don't have to worry about my lizards becoming impacted if they accidentally get one in their mouth.

Water
Your lizard should have access to clean water at all times.

Breeding
Your lizard will not be ready to breed for about 2 years so you have plenty of time to find a mate. Mature males will have broader more triangular heads than females. But, unless yours is a male and happens to evert a hemipene sexing will be impossible at its age.

Hope this helps!
Alice

There may be a law. Did it come from California? Was it collected under a sport fishing licence? Let the poor thing go. If you have wanted one for "so" long you should already have done enough research to answer your questions
Foot Hill Reptile Relocation, Research and Conservation