Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello

I need some help with my Collard lizards enclsure I am trying to put something that he will enjoy in his enclosure but something no TOO tall becuase then he gets on the top which of course is'nt very good.

Also I am having problems with the crickets they keep crawling on the melamine.Even though they really can't climb on it.But if they take thier time they can actually slowly cralwl on it.So I WAS THINKING about putting skotch tape or something along the sides or something but I am up to other suggestions =)

LEMME KNOW!
THANKS

-----
0.2.0 Leo Geckos

1.0.0 Collard Lizard

by the way I forgot to add that I dont have the branch in there anymore =)
-----
0.2.0 Leo Geckos

1.0.0 Collard Lizard

The first thing that I notice when looking at your enclosure is how empty and two-dimensional it is(only one plane).

What options does your animal have, as far as movement goes? It can go back and forth along the enclosure floor... that's about it. Look at how much volume is going to waste in that enclosure. The animal has virtually no ability to climb(something that collards will certainly do), or move anywhere but on the ground. There isn't much of a gradient in temperature levels available to the animal either, as you are neglecting to offer any way of allowing the animal to pursue greater heights/vertical zonation, where temps will vary with height.

I used to build enclosures for my captives similar to yours, although I did offer more usable objects and varying conditions within the enclosure, when I realized(with a little help from some of my European herp keeper buddies), how much a fool I've been for not recognizing valuable cage space that was sitting right in front of my eyes the whole time!! The walls!!!

By making the walls usable- by covering it with some type of climbable material, you will increase the total square footage of space available for your animal to use by at least five-fold. This also opens up and allows for three dimensional range of motion, as opposed to your current situation which is only two dimensioned..

I would also allow for multiple conditions within your enclosure, that the animal can use at its own leisure.. Some of the more important 'variations' being areas of different humidity levels-perhaps a couple of damp hides, as well as some dry hides, cool hides, hot hides, etc...

The more choices you allow your captive to make, the healthier and better off it will be. Also try to think 3 dimensionally... Cage walls are prime real estate which go to waste in 99% of people's enclosures.. Nothing is static in the wild, within any habitat there are microhabitats, and within each microhabitat there are micro-micro habitats(hahaha). Animals in the wild are exposed to and have access to these many different conditions, whether they be climatic conditions, or conditions that the animals seek out for their best interest, such as a damp, cool burrow, or beneath moist leaves, etc..

I hope this helps a bit, the key point to consider, in my opinion, is to offer your animal as many choices and available options/resources as possible within your enclosure's limits. Take a good look at what these animals are exposed to in the wild, how they behave in the wild, what they use in the wild... and apply that towards providing for your captive...

Take care, have a wonderful day! Best of luck to you.

Bob
*here's a link to a DIY article that I wrote up on maximization of cage space, that you might find interesting/useful. While it bears emphasis towards the tree monitors that I keep, this methodology and technique can be applie to virtually any other lizard species, even 'terrestrial' species- which will do a fair amount of climbing in the wild.. :
Maximization of Useable Cage Space

-----
Treemonitors.com

also forgot to mention, that even if you have a 250 watt bulb power his 'basking spot', the chances of you achieving a proper basking temperature for such a lizard species, when mounted that far away from the 'basking surface'(the ground, in your case), is slim to none..

Like I said, add objects in there that will offer varying heights, where the animal can get closer to the light source. Also, by doing this, you won't need such a powerful wattage bulb to acheive the same temperature, and your enclosure will experience less of a drying effect. Using such powerful bulbs 'cooks' the air, removing whatever traces of water vapor there may have been in the air. This is one of the problems that most people see with their animals that are dying/afflicted with dehydration(combined with too much ventilation). The point here is that you do not need massive wattages to acheive adequate basking temps. Simply move the main basking site closer to the source, and you will achieve a higher temp.

For collards, I would probably offer a maximum basking temperature of around 120/130F-with your current situation/setup, I highly doubt that the basking temps are anywhere's near that. And of course it is also very important to achieve a temperature gradient flowing down from that into the 70s would be ideal.

Good luck.. Again, I say look at these animals in the wild, and what they are exposed to and what they use in their daily repetoir... it will give you a much better/comprehensive understanding of their needs in captivity... Cheers,

Bob
-----
Treemonitors.com

"The more choices you allow your captive to make, the healthier and better off it will be."
We have had a bit of a tussle in the past, but I do appreciate the exchange.
If I were to write, "Keeping a reptile on paper napkins, changed every day, with a big enough plastic hide box, the healthier and better off it will be", you would attack me.
This anthropomorphic "buzz word" about "choices" has gotten out of hand.
Pidgeons actually choose to live on buildings and statues.
The person being more scientific is not the person who knows more science but rather the person understanding the need for the scientific method (or at least understanding the difference between science and opinon).
Obviously a study of captive animals using different husbandy methods is in order. Good luck with that, as not likely to be funded.
Really, none of this really matters anyway since the animals are removed from the wild gene pool.
Fantastic web site you have (seriously).
Jim
PS Don't even compare the techological revolution of aquariums vs. reptiles until you have an expensive reef tank subjected to a week without electricity after both Hurricanes Francis and Jean. Snakes survived.

Your cage is a very nice looking cage but I would put something in there so he can climb as they do in the wild.
They can be found on rock piles basking and climbing is something for them to do.
You could put some type of a ramp/shelf in your cage let him climb .
A shelf would also let him get closer to basking area and give him shade underneath. Granted branches arent natural and not what they would use in the wild and to thin for them so best not to use those . Neither is a shelf lol but it will work well for your enclosure.

if i were you, i would use one of the methods of faux rock making and create a nice rock scape for him to use all that open space. if you get creative you can maximize a whole lot of that space and make it a little more interesting for the eye as well.

you need enrichment for your collards such as this...
cheers
lat

One thing to remember is that collard lizards really benefit from light intensity. With a tall cage even the brightest bulb produces very little intensity when a great distance away from the cage floor.

For a terrestrial lizard like a collard I prefer to keep the cages somewhat short so the light intensity is still decent where they will be spending most of their time. Don't make them climb up on top of a rock pile in order to be at a light intensity they prefer. If they were a highly arboreal species it would not be as much of an issue.

At any rate, light intensity increases by distance on an inverse square. If your cage is 30" tall, for example the light intesity on the floor is only 1/4 of what it would be if the cage were 15" tall.

So by decreasing your cage height by half, you are increasing the light intensity four times.

If you decreased your cage height by 2/3 (let's say 30" to 10", for example), you are increasing the light intensity NINE TIMES!!!!

I'm all for making taller cages to provide climbing space, live plants, etc. But for a species like a collard lizard you are dramatically decreasing the one captive condition that is not only most important, but also the hardest to duplicate.