Hey everyone, i just caught a lizard in South Carolina and was wanting to keep it in a tank. Ive never kept a lizrd before and this one is about 4 inches long and has black and grey bands all the way down it. On both sides of its neck toward sthe underside it has bright blue markings. does anyone know what kind this is? more importantly what should i feed it?
Help with new lizard!
- Thread starter crmarti
- Start date
Sounds like a swift, also known as a spiny lizard or a fence lizard.
Initially, I suggest releasing it back into the wild for several reasons:
1.) it was born in the wild, and belongs in the wild.
2.) swifts are often heavily parasitized, and rarely acclimate to captivity anyway.
3.) they are also very fast and skittish, and prefer not to be handled.
However, if you are absolutely bent on keeping it, you will need a heat lamp (approx 40-50 watts) and a UVB light of some kind. These lizards need both of these lights to survive.
You can keep them on almost any loose substrate, as they like to dig and burrow. I suggest aspen shavings, or cypress mulch, or simply loose dirt. They also like to climb so throw a few sticks in there.
They eat small insects mostly, so appropriately-sized mealworms and crickets should be fine.
Initially, I suggest releasing it back into the wild for several reasons:
1.) it was born in the wild, and belongs in the wild.
2.) swifts are often heavily parasitized, and rarely acclimate to captivity anyway.
3.) they are also very fast and skittish, and prefer not to be handled.
However, if you are absolutely bent on keeping it, you will need a heat lamp (approx 40-50 watts) and a UVB light of some kind. These lizards need both of these lights to survive.
You can keep them on almost any loose substrate, as they like to dig and burrow. I suggest aspen shavings, or cypress mulch, or simply loose dirt. They also like to climb so throw a few sticks in there.
They eat small insects mostly, so appropriately-sized mealworms and crickets should be fine.
A leopard gecko however would be a perfect first lizard for you
Indeed. For only $30-40, you're getting a much healthier lizard that is much easier to care for than anything you would catch wild in South Carolina.
kafiltafiisch;2281846; said:
i had one it was old tailless and covered in ticks it was cool though but i suggest release
I wonder if ticks go after big lizards. I caught 3 big lizards in area not sure what type not common anoles not geckos .
Either way they had ticks which I removed with tweezers than released them in same area I caught them . Down the block