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I reluctantly took in a pair of sudans that a young woman couldn't take care of, and they were very thin and dehydrated when I got them a few weeks ago.

Female. Spine showing

I got them hydrated and am putting them through a round of panacur, and they are slowly starting to gain. But their personalities! The male especially runs to the front of the quarantine enclosure to see what I have to eat, and they both eat right out of my hand! I have also trained them to eat crix from a jar. Both of them will now dive head first to the waist into a large jar to eat crix!Is this level of interaction and brightness typical of sudans?

They are devouring a large salad topped with veggies, fruit and bird and ig pellets every day (same salad that my herbivores and other omnivores get) plus they get a boatload of bugs. Once they gain good weight and are ready to just maintain, what should the veg/bug ratio be?

I only have experience with one individual. He tends to be a bit more feisty at first, but calms down once he's in your hand.

We tend to feed him 4-5 crickets (dusted) and about 2-3 fork fulls of veg/salad 3 times a week (mixed greens, zucc/squash, repcal, and sometimes a little fruit and other vegs). I dont know if thats too much or too little, but he's been in our collection for at least 8 months and is doing great. Hope that helps.

Well, as you can see in those early pics, these poor things were very thin. You could see their spines and their legs were baggy. They are now polishing off a large salad plus about 20 bugs a piece daily, but they still have catching up to do. Here they are now!

I will put them on a diet if they keep eating like this, but they went for awhile with improper care. They do have adorable personalities. These are a bit flighty, but quick to turn back around to see whats up, or see what the big human has in her hands!

Hello:
Those are some great looking Plated Lizards and it looks like you're really doing well with them.
Actually the one's you have are known by several names including Giant Plated or black-lined Plated (even though that is another species entirely). They are, however, not Sudan Plated Lizards (Gerrhosaurus major major). The Latin name for yours is (Gerrhosaurus major grandis).
There is a lot of confusion with the common names of this group of lizards for some reason. The Sudan Plated is a solid red/brown on top with a lighter belly. Some males (like mine) have a bluish-grey color on the underside of the chin.
The Plateds you have are subspecies of Sudans so they are very closely related. They are very beautiful lizards that can live for nearly twenty years.
Have a Great Day!!!

I am glad to know their true identity! They are beautiful lizards, and I love their personalities!

Hey, are you Spawn on Fauna?

I bred these in the 80's. The first lizard I ever bred and hatched! I fed dog food twice a week, fruit salad weekly and kept a bowl of superworms topped off every day. I would guess the pair ate 200-300 large Superworms a week. They also polished off a full chicken eggs shell every month, year round.

First year I only got one HUGE egg. The next three years she gave me three HUGER eggs. Had the pair for over ten years (adults when I got them). The male died of old age (I guess) and the female? She seemd heartbroken and died a year later. She failed to thrive after he died.

The females have orangish chins and the males steel to sky blue. brighter in both genders during spring.
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