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My wife has wanted a collared lizard for a very long time so i decided to get her one at the Repticon show in Houston this morning. They are wild caughts but they did not know the locality. Any ideas? I never realized how much personality these little guys have. We've been watching and laughing quite a bit. Never seen a lizard chase its tail before. He seems to be in good health and ate immediately. I've set him up in a 68 gallon tank with a 120w mercury vapor. I kept banded geckos in this tank before but relocated them. I'm guessing its a male since his throat has blackened considerably since I got him home. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Chris

Here he is.

and his new home

Hello,

You have a male Great Basin collared lizard there. My guess would be collected from Nevada. I do notice that his tail is slightly thin. These wild caught collareds will go down hill fast if there stressed out and there captive needs are not met. It sounds like you have the right idea with the size of your enclosure and vapor bulb. If you have anyway to get him some natural sunlight for a period of time that would benefit that little guy the best. I would also soak him in a little water and let him hydrate.

Thanks for the reply. He does have a somewhat thin tail and about mid way down it has a slight break. He may lose it. He drank from the water bowl pretty quickly and he got a good soaking this morning. He has no issues eating. He ate 10 crickets and a superworm yesterday shortly after being put in the tank. He is very active and curious.

Chris

Best wishes with your new collared, he is a good looking boy but I agree with Steve, he needs to be hydrated and needs some beefing up. The wild caughts are awesome but can be very difficult to get going sometimes. So I hope he does well for you! :0)

I would also check him for any mites he may have. Make sure he has no sores, rough red scales, any crusty looking areas on the vent.
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Eve
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