Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I figured I would ask about Green Ameivas here since they are related to tegus and I din't know where else this would fit. Anyways, I have two G.A. 's a male and a female. They've been "shedding" for about 3 or 4 days now and I was wondering if it was normal for them to take this long? They're in a 30 gal (36" x 12" x 16" Basking spot mid 90's to just bellow 100. Abient temp is at 80-85 hot side and 75-80 on the cool side. Theres a shallow water dish which the drink out of but try to avoid getting wet. Mistings 2 to 3 times a day keeps the humidity from 60-80% Cypress mulch as a substrate. A hollow long and a rock that they bury under as hides. Any help would be appriciated. Thanks in advance!

That sounds about right. My amevia doesn't soak and doesn't like being misted, but I try to keep the cypress moistened daily. You can get the top of the cypress really damp (but not too wet) under the basking spot and then cover a portion of the top to increase the humidity. I also like to feed them juicy foods like freshly gut loaded bugs or pinkies/fuzzies when he looks dry and "sheddy". They have a good UV source, too, right?

yes they do have UV. I'm not sure how old the bulb is though and I fear that maybe its not giving off enough so I will most likely go buy a new one. What would you recommend for a distant between the bulb and ground is about 9-14 inches? The male might be able to take a pinkie but the female is definitly to small. I've tried meal worms and the female will eat some but the male won't. Aside from crickets, what other insects would you recommend? Lastly, how often do you dust your feeders with calcium/vitamins? Right now I'm dusting once a week with Rep-Cal calcium with 0% D3(because of the UV rays right?) and Rep-Cal herptivite advanced formula. Does this seem like good care? Aside from anoles they're the only lizard I've had and I want to give them the best care I can. Thanks!

>>yes they do have UV. I'm not sure how old the bulb is though and I fear that maybe its not giving off enough so I will most likely go buy a new one. What would you recommend for a distant between the bulb and ground is about 9-14 inches?"

I use a 10.0 linear bulb and hang it inside the cage so that it is not filtered by the screen lid of the tank. The bulb is housed in a kitchen light fixture from home depot. It hangs about 7" from the ground. Currently, the trend is to keep linear fluorescent UV bulbs between 6-10" from the basking site.

"The male might be able to take a pinkie but the female is definitly to small. I've tried meal worms and the female will eat some but the male won't. Aside from crickets, what other insects would you recommend?

I have a male and he can definitely eat a pinky whole and he shreds larger rodents to eat them. He also likes nightcrawlers, horn worms, silkworms, phoenix worms, and canned insects such as grasshoppers and silkworm pupa.

"Lastly, how often do you dust your feeders with calcium/vitamins? Right now I'm dusting once a week with Rep-Cal calcium with 0% D3(because of the UV rays right?) and Rep-Cal herptivite advanced formula."

I dust my feeders at least 3 times a week with RepCal calcium (no phosphorous). I do use D3, but that's my choice...either is fine. I also use RepCal herptivite multivitamins once a week or every other. I also gutload my feeders with fresh high calcium greens, reptile food, and/or cricket quencher.

"Does this seem like good care? Aside from anoles they're the only lizard I've had and I want to give them the best care I can. Thanks!"

Sounds good to me! I keep the temps for mine about 90-95 on the basking end. Is yours tame? Mine will watch me and come to me for feeding, but he has a hard attack if I actually touch him. If it's morning and he's cold he'll let me pet his back, but that's about it. God forbid something happen and I actually have to hold him regularly to provide some kind of hands-on care. I think he would die of stress. :0

Thanks for all the help! The male's tail is starting to shed now and the female is shedding a little more too. Canned insects? I would think they needed something fast moving to much on. But I'll give them all a try. As for being tame they're both pretty skittish, the female more so than the male. I'm thinking about separating them because the female seems to be getting annoyed by the male :/

He much prefers to chase down crickets and such, but he will also pick through canned insects in a dish. I like to offer a variety. For instance, I tried some silkworm pupa in a can recently. They are high in calcium and he likes them. I feed him a few at a time, but I also feed crickets. I also bought some dehydrated grasshoppers, but they were too dry and he didn't go for those. He ended up flicking them all over the cage...nice!

yeah same. my female is eating more now too. I've noticed that they'll sneeze every now and them. A lot more when I put the powders on the feeders. Are my temps too low for the humidity, or is it just the calcium/minerls dust? Also, has yours ever sat there and wiggled its tail at you? Is this like a defense mechanism to get you attention on the tail and not the body?

>>yeah same. my female is eating more now too. I've noticed that they'll sneeze every now and them. A lot more when I put the powders on the feeders. Are my temps too low for the humidity, or is it just the calcium/minerls dust?"

Probably just dust. They'll also huff a bit. Your temps are fine since they really don't require a high basking spot.

" Also, has yours ever sat there and wiggled its tail at you? Is this like a defense mechanism to get you attention on the tail and not the body?"

My ameiva hasn't done it, but my tegus have. And yes, it is a defense mechanism.