Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i work at petco and was there today on my day off and was looking at the reptiles while waiting for my crickets and i noticed our emerald swift had babies! we had gotten a shipment not so long ago and we got a really fat female. well i guess she was gravid..lol. ok so i took the babies and brought them home or else they will die for sure. i just want to know how long until they eat? theyre super tiny and three are not doing so well. she had 7 in total! the other 4 are VERY active. please help me out. i put them in a 10 gal. tank with eco-earth, uv strip, and sunglo. i have reptiles but not these guys. any help will be GREATLY appreciated. thanks
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0.0.1 firebelly toad- doodlebug
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
1.3.0 crested gecko- crimson, lucky, titan, red
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

You should never get a reptile you don’t know about or are not pre-equipped to maintain. That being said lets see what we can do.

Emerald Swift
Sceloporus malachiticus

Characteristics - The Emerald Swift is a lively and fascinating lizard. Generally docile, the Emerald Swift is a
tough, wild little lizard. They generally are not as easy to handle as other lizards and are probably best kept as
primarily display animals, though with gentle, consistent handling some individuals will calm down quite a bit.
Surprisingly, the Emerald Swifts' life expectancy drops once they are in captivity. If you do not provide suitable
conditions, they could die after less than a year in your care. When cared for properly though, people have had
good luck keeping these lizards and there is no reason your experience should be any different. Their body type
is stocky and they are completely shrouded, head to toe, in emerald-colored scales, the color of the deep forest.
Males tend to have a light blue hue to them, while females tend to be a little on the gray side, usually with brown
spots. These Swifts are native to Mexico and Panama, where they live in forested areas

Requirements - Since swifts are active in their native habitats successful, permanent maintenance requires at
least a 30-gallon terrarium. A screen lid is essential for proper air exchange. The enclosure must include a high
basking area with several climbing branches, a suitable hiding area, and a "cool" area to allow for
thermoregulation. Artificial and natural plants also help to create a natural look. Emerald Swifts do like to
burrow sometimes; providing a substrate they can burrow in, may help them feel more secure and less stressed
in captivity. Some swifts of comparable size can be maintained together. Ideal daytime temperature for swifts
should range between 78 and 87 degrees. Additionally, a basking lamp should be used on one end of the
enclosure to maintain a local temperature of 95-105 degrees. Nighttime temperature should remain between 65
and 75 degrees. The humidity for swifts should be kept at or near 50-75 percent. Emerald swifts are diurnal
lizards and should have full-spectrum UV lighting for about 12 hours a day.

Diet - Swifts are primarily insectivorous, but some have been known to eat small amounts of plant leaves in the
wild. Swifts do well on a diet consisting of a variety of insects such as crickets, mealworms, butter worms, and
wax worms. Adult swifts should be fed 3-4 times per week; juveniles should be fed once a day. Food should be
dusted with calcium daily and a vitamin/mineral supplement 2-3 times a week. A shallow water bowl should be
provided and changed daily.

Size and Life Span – They range in length from 6” – 8”. Their life span averages 3 – 5 years.

I got this information from this website CLICK HERE I found this page by doing a simple search on google for Emerald Swift Care and came up with 401,000 pages. Good luck and keep us informed
My Research and Collection

i know that. i am not a newbie. you have no idea what my job is like. THEY WOULD HAVE DIED. that being said i solved the situation myself. thank you.
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0.0.1 firebelly toad- doodlebug
1.1.0 white's tree frog- popeye, jack
0.1.0 southern painted turtle- ms.tortle
1.3.0 crested gecko- crimson, lucky, titan, red
1.0.0 pinto hedgehog- dante

Out of curiosity, what did you do?
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