Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey spawn my night lizards I was telling you about had babys!The bad thing is that it happened while I was in south dakota instead of in OK.so right now my mom and step dad are taking care of them.I said they should put them in their own tank and have reptibark as bedding a couple of hides and a water dish.they just noticed them today and tomorow they will get them some baby crickets to eat.they are in a ten gallon with a heat pad.also they are 2 inches long and have not shed yet.please give me some advice as these are the first real baby lizards Ive had under 3 1/2 inches long.
Nick

Wow, are you sure they can take even newborn pinheads? I've had night lizards, and those little guys can just barely take a 1/4 inch crick as adults....

well Im not sure right now im out of town and there at my moms house.diamond reptile told me thats what they feed there baby night lizards.also the species I have is the tropical night lizard.some call them bark lizards though.
Nick

Ah, I see. I had desert night lizards, myself.

Hello Nick:
That is certainly good news. To add to the good news I will tell you that Lepidophyma babies are usually very hardy and will feed readily. I have raised them before. The setup you have them in is fine though I would be careful about the heating pad. Only keep the heating pad under half the cage. This way if it is too warm for the babies they can move away from the heat. Pinhead to week old crickets are fine for their first meals. The other thing to be careful of is dessication from lack of water. Being babies they don't have much water storage capabilities in their little bodies. They may not drink out of a dish so the best thing to do is keep the water dish (very shallow of course) in the cage but also sprinkle water over the bark in about a third of the cage. Many babies start out by drinking what seems to be rain drops or morning dew. They may not drink from a dish at first. Water the same area twice a day. That way the rest of the cage can remain dry.
I hope this info helps. If you have any other questions just post them. Let us know how they do.
Good Luck and Have A Great Day!!!

Well I just got home from south dakota but my step dad had to get them to eat by forceps.tonight I am going to try again and I put some baby food in with them just to see if they would eat some.Is there any way I might get them to eat by themselves instead of forceps or not.We found 2 more today too.also thanks for the info.if you can awnswer any of these questions please do and thanks again as these are my first baby lizards.
Nick

Hi Nick:
Give them a day or two and they will eat on their own. Babyfood watered down with H2O will be accepted by some of them. Some adults will eat it regularly. The best way to entice them to try it is todab a little on the end of their muzzle. They will lick their face clean and get nutrition at the same time. This is the same technique used to get stubborn baby Day Geckos to start feeding. Within a week you should see the babies actively seeking out food. Just be sure they always have some water misted around them. Remember, dessication is a major cause of death in newborn lizards of small varieties.
Good Luck and Keep Us Posted!!!

this morning I saw a few of them chasing prey but they couldnt quite get them so I just pinched the legs off and put them back in and left them alone to eat in peace.also I saw some fighting between a few of the lizards should I seperate them or not?thanks for the baby food info too.also Im keeping them plenty moist.thanks again
Nick