Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just lookin around my reptile room, when i saw something green in my desert terrarium wich will be reserved for my new leopard geckos. It was an agamid lizard, hiding in the artificial plants. It was a Calotes cristatellus. They are pretty common here in Indo. U could find em in gardens and open lots.
It was very small, probably a hatchling around a few days old. I decided to try and keep it for a while. I had some bad & interesting expiriences with this lizard. I had a similiar one about a year ago wich died without any reason (bad condition though, he/she had an abcesse in his/her knee, and in that foot, it was broken, not to sure why). I also had a male that was actually a female, because she laid 2 eggs. She died because unsefficient fat reserves, eventhough i gave her crix & meallies, as well as fruit. The eggs also died. One stayed small (didnt seem to mature), and probably died, so i threw it away. The other took to long, and i thought it died. Sadly, i was mistaken. When i opened up the egg to check, there it was. A fully developed baby that seemed to die in the egg.
This new one is quite aggresive. I got bitten once. I used it to my advantage. Tried to gave em a small meallie (i dont breed crix coz a bad excpirience with salmonella), and he bit it. His jaws were to weak, so i gave him a molted meallie. Still to weak. A herper's got to do what a herper's got to do. I cutted of the meallies head, and when the animal bit it the second time, i squeezed up the meallie to reveal its juices, up the babys mouth, so he would at least eat something. The baby tried to chew, but to weak, so i let em lap up the juices (I hand fed him). Pretty gross though.
Sorry its very long. Just thought i'd share this new, familiar, wonderfull expirience.

Just letted go junior. I didnt think i had enough time to devote to him (test, school, homework, extra lessons, tsk tsk tsk). I fed him platys (i know its unnatursl. Basically i keep more turts than lizards, and i rather feed fish than meallies.) wich i cut into 4 small sections. Dusted with vit & cal, and 2 drops of water for him to drink (small tummy, the platys was not even 1 cm in length). His species is native here, so i can let him go without fear of affecting nature. I miss the lil guy, even if i only had him for a day.

That was a WISE decision for a young person to make,

I think being so tiny, and being a native lizard he should do much better back outside. He will find exactly what he really needs to eat.

I wish you well with your turtles and whatever you get in the future.

Nice Job, you gave him a GIFT, his freedom !

Take Care,

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Eve

The only sucses i had with turts are my trio of RES. The eggs r from my tutor. He keeps RES and his laid eggs from October till February everyday 2 eggs. I got 5. One had a big dent so i presumed it was dead. From the remainder, one died coz its shell cracked open before it was ready to hatch. So close to. Its tiny body was already formed and half of its lower body was still conected to the yolk sac. Now i have Sunshine, Chance, and Geno, swimming around. Chance is in solitairy confinement because i was afraid of him (the smallest of the 3) not being able to compete with his bro/sis. Sunshine has doubled in size and has a bright yellow-green colour with black splotching.
Pics comming soon.