Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Yesterday night I was given an adult plated lizard by a girl who decided that it wasn't cool enough for her. It was given to me in a cage that is 12X30 inches, with a hot rock, cedar chips, large water dish, and a half-log. The first thing I did was get rid of the cedar(I lost a few fence lizards to cedar a few years ago). So its now being kept on paper as a substrate until I can get some sand. Are there any substrates that would be better that sand? I'm kinda worried about it being on the hot rock, but it dosn't seem that hot. Is the hot rock ok? The cage seems a little small, but for now, its the biggest I have. Is there an easy way to sex plated lizards? I don't know what species it is, but its scales are very strongly keeled and its plain brown with two very faint stripes going down its back. Also, if anyone has any experience with breeding crickets, any information would be appriciated. Thank-you!

1.1 crested geckos 1.1 ball pythons 0.1 bearded dragon 0.1 amazon tree boa 0.1 miami corn snake 1.0 eastern box turtle 1.1 ferrets 2.0 cats 0.0.1 plated lizard

A few more questions. Does the plated lizard need UV light if I add calcium and vitamin D3 to its crickets?
D plated lizards need to be misted? I was wondering cause I noticed that mine is in shed.
Someone please answer!

Ok... I see that no one has answered your questions so i might as well.
Plated lizards require UVB no matter what. Get a 5.0 or higher. I recommend either Zoo Med 8.0 or Repti Sun 10.0 For desert species. For the substrate you should use a sandy soily mix that can retain moisture somewhat well and they love digging. For a basking area in the cage you should have a 100 - 150 watt bulb if there is at least 18 inches in between the animal and the bulb. If under a 10-12 inch distance you should use a 75 watt tight beam bulb.
Determining the gender of your lizard depends on the species. It sounds like a black lined to me but i havent seen it. Make sure you provide it plenty of water and hiding spots. If he is always hiding from the light then it is to warm, If he is always directly under the light then it is too cool. That size cage may be good for now. How Long is the lizard?

Any more Questions??

UVB isn't need with plated lizards. You just need a good range of temps and choices for its body to function properly. It sounds like a Sudan Plated Lizard (G. major). I've had a LTC adult for 17 years.

I think its a sudan or rough scaled, or are those the same thing? Its about a foot and a half long. The lines that I said were on it were very faint, but now that its shed they anr't realy there.
Is bed-a-beast a good substrate? I heard that sand can get in there eyes and nose and stuff. Do you think that the hot-rock is safe? I put it right inside my plateds hiding spot, so it spends more time on it now, but it still has plenty of space to be off of it and still be hiding. I'll get a uv light for it soon and might replace the hot-rock with a light . let me know what you think about the hot-rock.

Heat rocks are arguably ok or not. Some think that they get to hot and burn your animal and some say to monitor them and if they dont get to hot then they are ok. I have personaly stayed away from hot rocks. If you want 24 hour ground temperatures then i would put a heating pad on the bottom of the tank off to one side for a temperature gradient and the lizard can choose which side to be on. Also sand is arguably ok or not. Some say that sand can be eaten and they can become impacted or it will get in their eyes and nose and cause problems, but lets face it. These guys come from a semi open and arid desert where they burrow frequently. I dont worry about stuff like that unless i see it happening. If a lizard of mine showed that there were problems then i would remove the sand and use carpet or something that is not ingestible. Bed a beast is an ok substrate but i would mix it with some very fine sand and coconut husk, or orchid bark. With this mixture you can provide a few inches of ground and pack it down very well allowing them to burrow as they would like to.

I prefer mixtures over one solid substrate. I use a playsand, peat moss, and backyard dirt mixture for my SPL. Heat rocks I have never cared for. I use heat lights over boards for hot spots which heats the surface (belly temps) and the top of the lizard. Reptiles get impactions from improper temperature and humidity settings. The sand isn't a problem, but the keeper's husbandry practices are. It's one of those blame the animal or everything else but the actual problem (the keeper). The good thing is, once the problem is noticed (the keeper's husbandry mistakes) you can work on fixing the problem.

Plated lizards NOT needing UVA/UVB is news to me.
Maybe it is possible for them to live without it, but I know that as soon as I put my fixture on my cage, my lizard was much more active and stuff. That alone is a good enough reason to buy a UV fixture. If it enriches their lives so dramatically, there is absolutely no reason NOT to have one.
-----
~Sara~
5.5 ball pythons
1.0 Black-lined plated lizard (Lizzy Butt)
0.1 Burmese Python (Pixil)
2.1 Pet Rats
1.1 Dogs (Ozzie and Mandy)
0.1 Cat (Isis)
0.0.1 Synodontis Catfish (Big Spotty Fish)
0.2 Convict Cichlids