Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone out the have any?

Thank you,

Brian

well I dont have one but I think it would be cool to own one.where are you getting it from.I would recomend agamainternational.com as they breed them in outdoor enclosures.IF you need any info I could try to give you some as I have lots of books with care info.let me know
nick

I have a breeding pair.
Beuatiful lizards, but do not forget that they grow big.
My male reached 20 " within 9 months and 3 ft specimens have been recorded.
Even though the averadge specimen does not exceed 2 ft, they are as agile as any Lacerta and henc eneed a lot of space. Mine inhabit a tnak with a floor space of 6 x 5 ft and sometimes I still think that is pretty small.
So I would recommend 5 x 3 x 3 feet as a very minimum. In smaller cages you won´t sdee much of their agility and I think any strong behavioural cnage tells you tha sth in the setup ois not OK.
So big tanks for big guys.

Ci@o
Ingo

I have an outdoor pen that I will split into 10X6 foot sections. See skinks below. I am looking for cool critters that I can hibernate during the winter. Jeweleds are really cool and hibernate. I think that my pens would be easy for them to dash out of when the top is open. How tame do they become? I'm afraid a very skittish lizard wwould dask on me!

Thank you,

Brian

Personally I think these are awesome lizards. There are 2 subspecies, don't know what you'll get in the states, but the northern ones here in England get to about 2' max, the southern race actually get about a foot larger and are much bulkier but the mnarkings aren't as intense (quite rarely encountered)
These guys like a temperature of around 90F in the basking area and around 75-80 around the rest of the cage. To facilitate maximum 'behaviour' its best to have more than one basking site. These are Europe's equivalent of a monitor lizard, they'll eat anything. They love soft fruits such as bananas, mangos, peaches etc, and if you mash these up and add the vitamin supplements to them then there is no requirement for dusting the food. They'll eat snails, just about every available insect that doesn't have a chemical defence, mice (if they're too large they'll tear them apart into smaller pieces), eggs, nestling birds, and being a coastal animal are quite adept at eating large crabs. They'll initially take the plincers off, eat the legs, and actually pull the carapace apart to eat the inside of the crab. They are extremely active lizards, and will take up all the space you give them. As for tameness, they can become almost completely fearless of humans given the correct up bringing, and can be handled with ease although they're not usually content to just sit on your hand for ages like a bearded dragon, these are active lizards and the more stimulating an environment you can give them then the more rewarding they'll be as captives. As far as humidity goes they're not too fussed, but it's vital that there is a humid box, and hatchlings seem to prefer regular mistings about 2 times a day. Provide a water bowl obviously. They're quite terrestrial but will climb occasionally. They love digging as well, so I use cocoa bark substrate. You can add mealworms and waxworms to this and they enjoy rooting around and digging them out (they're sense of smell is very acute).

Well, I've written a lot here so better stop. I'm quite fond of these animals as you can see, definitely go for it mate.

Best of luck with them and if you have any questions please e-mail me.
Rob

Hi,

great. I envy you guys with warm climate!
Here in Germany there is very limited opportinuty to keep even mediterranean lizards outside.
On your Q: Jewelled lacertas sadly tend to stay very skittish if kept outside or in a calm environment.
In a very frequented room, they get used to traffic and stay much calmer.

Ci@o

Ingo

Thank you for your input regarding temperment. I am in the same climatic boat as you. I live in New England...souteastern Massachusetts. That's why I'm searching for interesting and legal reptiles that will hibernate through the winter...even if I must hibernate them indoors in a less harsh environment.

I keep my Arg. tegu and rhino iguana active all winter as they are my house pets. They are great!

Thank you,

Brian

about the temperment of jeweled lacertas.what if you were to keep a baby until it was an adult and then put it outside.would it be more tame and handleable.I live in northeastern Oklahoma and would like to keep one of these but want it to be tame if its going to get that size.thanks for your time
nick

Sadly normally even tame specimens rapidly become shy again if put outside or in a big enclosure.
The only thing that helps to prevent this is a lot of continuous traffic in front of the cage-like in a zoo.
Ci@o

Ingo

thanks for your help.I might hold out on getting one as first I have to get my step dad to allow me to build a outdoor enclosure first.thanks for you help.
nick