Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,

I'm trying to get this forum going.

I just got some jewls a few months ago. They are from Bert Langerwerf. I lost one of them but that is in no way Bert's fault. He produces wonderful, high quality animals.

I feel three factors worked in his demise.

1. I wait too long to sepparate them. I sepparated the largest two and the smallest two into two 10 gallon tanks. By the time I did this I think the smallest one was already feeling the effects of being low lizard on the totem pole.

2. I switched from crickets to silkworms. I had lots of silkworm chow left over and wanted to use it up. Silkworms are also naturally high in calcium. I don't think the little one ever really took to the silkies.

3. I think I was keeping them too dry. Both tanks have a sizable water bowl but now I also wet the substrate every other day or so. And we all know hatchlings dry out easily.

I would welcome any thoughts from you. I am facsinated by this species and have been for a long time. I'd love to see this forum grow.

Merry Christmas,

Brian

well Im glad to see more and more people getting into lacerta keeping.I was at loveapet yesterday and saw a pair of sand lizards and this was the first lacerta besides the longtaailed lizards adn bluue tailed treee lizards I had seen in my area.how do you care for these lizards.thanks for your time
nick

Yes, you are right. Dominatn specimens can kill inferior ones just by stressing them out. Also jewelled lacertas do prefer quite moist resting places and babies do dry out relatively easy.
Ohter they are among the fastest growing and most easy to raise Lacerta species.
Males can reach 20" in their first year and females can breed at 9 monhts.
But its better to feed more sparsely and let them grow more slowly. Aiming at first breeding with 18 months and 20" at the same age.

Ci@o

Ingo