Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there, I'm new to the forums, and I'd like to share a picture of my plated lizard with you guys.... His/Her name is LizzyButt. I'd love some info, like I'm not sure what type of plated she/he is. And, is there any way to tell by looking if he/she is a male or a female? Is LizzyButt full grown?

LizzyButt lives in a 65 gallon reptarium with a uva/uvb lamp and a red-light lamp as well as a heat pad. I have a thermometer and a hydrogometer in the middle of the cage. The temp is usually about 80 during the day (but of course, the heat pad area is warmer and the side of the cage with the water bowl is cooler. The humidity is usually 28%. Is that a good humidity and temperature? I spray her once a day with biomist.

I have a calcium supplement and a multivitamin supplement (the most expensive I could buy... so it better be good!) and I feed mostly can-o products. LizzyButt loves can-o-snails, can-o-pillars, can-o-crickets, can-o-hoppers, mealworms, silkworms, hornworms, waxworms, and moths. LizzyButt's favorite food is pinkies and actually he/she LOVES adult mice. I try to be sparing with them though.

LizzyButt eats off 14 inch tongs, but she/he will accept from my fingers too.

I use reptisafe for the water, along with a hydration aide (I forget the name)... is that sufficient, or is there something else I need to add?

I use absorbent cage liners for the bottom of the cage, as they can be changed everytime LizzyButt poops (which is often). Should I put in a container of soil or sand for Liz to dig? She/he seems to like to do that.

Also... are gray treefrogs a suitible food for plated lizards? She have tons of them around here. What about tadpoles?

Sorry for asking so many questions. Oh, and here is the pic!

[img=http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5518/lizzybuttf8.jpg]

I think it could be a sudanese plated lizard but I'm by no means an expert.

-Tony C

He looks like a male Gerrhosaurus major bottegoi - And he looks to be in great condition too! How long is Lizzy ? He looks prety big...From the little bit of info I could find on the species, it looks that they grow about the same size (or a little longer and heavier ?) then the "Sudan" plated lizard.

I can not find much information on the common name for this species, but they seem to be more commonly imported now then the "Sudan" or nominate form of the species, G. m. major. Both seem to show up called "Sudan" or "Grat" plated lizards.

I am fairly sure based on coloration, that you have a male. My females are a faded color compared to him, and have slightly more "feminine" looking heads. He looks alot like the larger male I have, but darker. Your set up sounds good. I am keeping mine on a mix of calci-sand and bead-a-beast. It seems to work out well. Mine love to hide under and behind stuff.

Diet sounds verry good, and I too prefer the can-o products to live insects for these guys as they are a tad slow at catching crickets. In addition to insects I have been feeding the ones in my care various fruits too. It took a few days for them to come around and try them, but now they are cleaning the bowl out daily. I give my 3 romaine lettuce, collard greens, chicory, diced strawberry, bannana, grapes, melon, papaya, mango, guava, apple, some orange, and canned box turtle diet from zoo med.

I have never given mine mice, so I don't know if that is good for them or not as a staple ?

I would not feed tree frogs or tadpoles as most frog species are in need of various conservation measures in the wild, and the risk of transmitting parasites through feeding those to lizzy would be very high.

I guess he's about two foot long.

Yep, he is a Gerrhosaurus major bottegoi

If for no other reason, consider the fact that frog populations globally are decreasing rapidly.