Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi.
I just recently got my first ctenosaura similis! I belive that's what it is... the pet store wasn't too sure on the scientific name. I will upload a picture later and get people's opinions...
Anyway,
All this lizard wants to eat, and eats ravishly, is superworms and crickets.
It won't hardly touch any kind of fruits/veggies that I offer it.
It is still fairly young, at about 2 feet including tail.
The pet store was feeding it crickets and superworms, and it was turning very very VERY fat, but ate very well.
Now, since I have had it, it has lost some wieght and is still very skittish/nervous.
Has no interest at all in it's freshly made salad every day, except when I top it with a few super worms, in which he/she ravishly eats... and then leaves the salad to rot under the basking lamp or fall victim to the recently discovered fruit flies.

Just curious about what I should do about this.
Thanks

First thing to do is make sure it's a C. Similis or a Ctenosaur at all. Usually by 2 feet long they are eating about 50% Protein (crickets,etc.) % 50% veggies. Try colorul, storng smelling & seet smelling fruits & veggies. Like Yellow Squash, Collar or mustard greens , Red apples, Strwawberries. Things with more pungent or sweet odor than just lettuces & other greens just to get hem started. Then, they'll peretty much eat whateer you get in front of them!

Be careful about feeding excess quantities of mealworms and superworms. I have had cases where the get compacted because of the cartelige. Crickets are better. Try feeding it grapes, strawberries, and bananas mixed in with finely chopped collard greens and grated carrots. Similis becomes mainly vegatarian as it grows older. I see the ones running loose here grazing on grasses and weeds. One most important thing is UVB lighting or direct sunlight.

Good luck,

Manny

Beautiful!

Probably don't need to say this, but just in case: Make sure you have the basics down - sufficient space, a basking site with plenty of heat, a place to be cool and a hiding place.
Good luck.

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