Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've recently created a large enclosure for my two G. validus. On a him, I purchased several red clay saucers -- the kind used under flower pots to hold water. I placed these in a a pile in the center of the new habitat, leaving lots of gaps.

The plateds *love* the saucers. They sun on them, rearrange them, digging under them, and climb over and around them. This morning, I found Clyde curled up like a pill-bug under a 6" plate! One of their favorite activities is curling under the plates with just a nose out, jumping out to grab a passing snack.

It's nice to know a "hunch" worked so well.
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Scott Robert Ladd
1.0.0 Iguana (Rex)
1.1.0 African Giant Plated Lizard (Clyde, Cassie)
1.0.1 Uro mali (Wizard, Dizzy)
0.1.0 Corn Snake (Amber)
0.1.0 Red-Eared Sliders (Emerald)
0.0.1 Musk Turtle (Sausage)
0.1.0 Parakeet (Zeus)
1.4.0 Homo sapiens (Scott, Maria, Elora, Becky, Tessa)
blog: http://chaoticcoyote.blogspot.com/

>>On a him...

Should be "on a whim".

Scott,

You've essentially created one of the key elements of Plated Lizard habitat - rock crevices. In the wild nearly all of the Plated species occupy rocky outcrop type habitats where they retreat into crevices at the sight of predators or at night when the temperatures drop and the rocks are still holding radiant heat from the day. I think some kind of rock-work structure is essential to any captive Plated habitat. How is the new G. validus doing?
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Matt Campbell
25 years herp keeping experience
Full-time zookeeper
Personal collection - 21 snakes (9 genera), 20 lizards (4 genera), 6 chelonians (2 genera)

>>You've essentially created one of the key elements
>>of Plated Lizard habitat - rock crevices.

The I succeeded at my goal. "Real" rocks were hideously expensive, and the stacked plates seem to be worked very well.

>>How is the new G. validus doing?

She's very skittish, but that doesn;t surprise me at all. She spent six months in a twnety-gallon tank in the back of a nice-but-ignorant pet store, so she's not used to much human contact. The day I found her sleeping under her rug was the day I convinced them to let me take her home.

She has calmed a bit, but will dive into her pot (a half-pot wall-hanging that makes a nice "cave" if she notices someone looking at her.

It took Clyde almost six months before he was friendly. After almost a year, he recognizes his name, doesn't fight when handled, and can sit on me for hours while I work (he thinks I'm a big hot-rock...)

These lizards require great patience, but having successfulyy worked with Clyde, I think I can bring the new girl around. She's eating well, and sunning when she thinks no one is looking.

One interesting observation: Our Uro malis and iguana tend to be rather causal about defecating -- yet neither plated has ever done anythign scatalogical on a person or desk. I'm probably anthropomorphising here, but they seem a very "proper" lizard (as opposed to the iggy, who seems destined to stain any shirt he is brought near!)

..Scott
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Scott Robert Ladd
1.0.0 Iguana (Rex)
1.1.0 African Giant Plated Lizard (Clyde, Cassie)
1.0.1 Uro mali (Wizard, Dizzy)
0.1.0 Corn Snake (Amber)
0.1.0 Red-Eared Sliders (Emerald)
0.0.1 Musk Turtle (Sausage)
0.1.0 Parakeet (Zeus)
1.4.0 Homo sapiens (Scott, Maria, Elora, Becky, Tessa)
blog: http://chaoticcoyote.blogspot.com/