I was resently given a Sudan Plated Lizard and i have the basic info, but i'm ill perpare to deal with the new arrival. I could leave him were he was, someone was selling out of the back of a car in a cooler, he was seriously dehidrated so I'm taken care of him now. He's bring housed in a cage 35"x17"17", custom water cage. Right now he isn't moving to much but i want to have a tank ready for when he's better. Would a 20 gallon long work or should i go bigger, also he'll be out alot becasue i run a small reptile awarness program at schools, he'll make a great ambasador.
Any way any info on this cool lizard great welcomed
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Rescue/ need info
crimsonwolf1313
Mar 18, 2004 09:14 PM
Replies (1)
ingo
Mar 19, 2004 01:24 AM
Hi,
Sudan plated lizards are easy to care for: They can thrive under the most adverse conditions, but heres what best fulfills their needs: They need a sandy setup with very intense lights. Metal halides of 150 W and up are a must. If theres not enough light, heat and space they become VERY immobile, hardly move and become very obese. So for an adult, floorspace should be at least 5 x 2 ft, better bigger. Also the sand layer has to be at least 6" to allow some burrowing. For sleeping they need a smaller area with moderately moist bark mulch or potting soil. They will burrow themselves there for sleeping and shedding and this will keep their scales shiny and glossy. Temps at the basking area shoulds significantly exceed 100F, but there have to be cool regions in the tank to chill out.
Some fixed rockpiles are their preferred basking spots.
They are voracious feders which do eat the usual feeder insects, small mice and a variety of fruit and greens.
In most cases you have to limit feeding to prevent obesity.
And of course take care for the usual vitamine supplementation and always offer bird grit as calcium source.
If you give dietary D3 (50-100IU/week*kg) you do not need any UVB source.
Sadly these lizards are cheap and very hardy. So people hesitate to spend much room and money on them. Thats very sad!
If you look at a sudan plated in the standard dimly lit 55g tank and compare it to an animal living in a setup I just described, you will wonder if they belong to the same species.
Its worth the effort!
Hope that helps
Ingo
