Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a Southern Alligator lizard, he/she is about 5 inches from head to base of tail, I think. I haven't had a chance to really accurately measure, but it's close. I have been feeding it 3 week old crickets. So far it's eaten about 4 crickets, so how much should it eat and how often?

Also, I have been reading that they are very ornery and bite when scared. Mine hasn't bitten me yet and I've held it a lot cause he/she likes to sit o my arm, it's very tame. How about everyone else that has one? Do your's bite?

One more thing, does anyone know how to sex on of these lizards? Thanks!!

Check your post in the general forum

I feed my southern als 4-5 food items daily.

Sexing them can be problematic. Sometimes an ormery male will evert a hemipenis when you grab him. Since yours is already tame, however, this is unlikely to happen.

Looking at your picture, I'd say that it looks kind of like a female, but the head is at an angle so it's hard to tell (if you take another pic, looking straight down, I might be able to take a better guess). Adult males will typically have a wider head. It will appear very triangular and somewhat set off from the neck. Females will apear more streamlined. Sexing them by appearence does, however, involve a lot of guess work and depends on having mature animals. Since yours looks like a subadult, unless it everts something or lays eggs it'll be awhile before you can conclusively sex it.

I think that alligator lizards have gotten a bum rap. My girl red is very tame.

-Alice

I had no idea their tails were so big in proportion
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