Aligator Lizards

[jaxom1957]

Does anyone have any experience keeping alligator lizards? I'm getting a pair of California alligator lizards (Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata) in a month, and it's difficult to find information about keeping them. :shrugs: They're common from Baja California to British Columbia, but the only information I've found is on field observation. I'm going to use them as my "lizard scenting" source.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Matthew]

All I can say is...enjoy. These things will defecate on you, bite you, scratch you, hiss at you, and even drop their tails on you. I've not personally kept any, but Jesse (an old buddy of mine) kept a pair for a while and they are just not a fun lizard to have.

As for care, I think they're pretty similar to most other diurnal lizards. I'll run through what we did, but to be honest, we were only able to keep his alive for a little over a year and a half. I'm not sure if that's the norm in captivity or even what their lifespan is in the wild -- but that's how long his lived. We pretty much just tried to cover all the bases with them...

Lighting - We used a 5.0 UVB strip bulb to provide them with UVB and a 75w heat lamp. They seemed to love to bask, but as we weren't sure whether they needed belly heat or over-the-top heat, we used a brick as a basking post to absorb the heat from the heat lamp. That way we were covered with both.

Temperature - We kept the basking area in the mid-to-high 90's with the cooler side being low-to-mid 80's. They seemed to enjoy the heat during the 'day' and preferred the cooler side after 8-9 hours of 'sun'.

Substrate - We used a mixture. I can't quite recall what was in it, but I know we used Indiana soil, potting soil, and a small amount of clay to make it a firmer surface. I'd say that something like Bed-A-Beast would work just fine, though I couldn't be for sure.

Cover - In the wild, they often stick to woody areas and places they can move about unseen, so we put quite a bunch of cover on the cool side -- fake vines and plants, mostly. It had an aesthetic appeal, but I'm not sure whether it was necessary or not in a viv that size.

Viv Size - We kept both of them in a 40g breeder.

Water/Moisture - We always kept a bowl of water in there, but 'I' personally can't recall ever seeing them drink from it. At the very least it provided some ambient humidity. I think Jesse misted them about 1-2 times a week. :shrugs:

Feeding - His liked earthworms and crickets a good deal. Both of his seemed to have pretty good appetites and it's pretty funny watching them chase around crickets (they move kinda like a snake). We did dust with regular calcium once a week. Not sure if they should have been dusted more regularly or not.

I can't think of too much more right now; like you said, there's not a whole lot known about keeping them in captivity. I can see why, as they're a horrible pet with the above mentioned defensive tactics they pull.

Sorry if I wasn't a lot of help, but maybe that'll get you started? Good luck!

 

[jaxom1957]

All I can say is...enjoy. These things will defecate on you, bite you, scratch you, hiss at you, and even drop their tails on you. I've not personally kept any, but Jesse (an old buddy of mine) kept a pair for a while and they are just not a fun lizard to have.

Thanks, that was very helpful. I shouldn't have the biting, scratching and defecating difficulties with the pair I am getting. They are captive bred babies, hatched out the end of July, and are used to being handled.

I have a month to get ready for them, and have the full-spectrum light already. I'll buy the overhead heat source next week. For now, they are going into a 20 gallon viv; I'll pick up a 40 later if they get too cramped. I have some great looking rocks from my tropical fish days that will make nice basking beds.

I might try live plants (in pots, in case I need to change them out) and soil with live earthworms. It will be interesting to see if I can balance the ecology. I'm thinking mealworms and crickets, dusted with calcium. It gives me a reason to learn about "gut loading". Everything I've read says they enjoy water and are good swimmers, so I'll put as large a water bowl as I can fit in the viv. Lots of branches and greenery.

I'm looking forward to having these guys. They seem very "snakey", both in anatomy and coloring; my first thought when I saw a color picture of them was, "They look like corn snakes!"

Again, thanks for the reply and the information. It was very helpful.

 

[tom e]

All I can offer is how pretty they are. My sister has several of these in her garden in Long Beach. I've found the easiest way to catch them is offering a finger. It's they're favorite lure..
Good choice! Can't wait for pics..

 

[Thoth]

Here's what it says in one of my herp books about Southern Alligator Lizards (the only entry for Elgaria; not quite the subspecies you want, but it may help):

Southern Alligator Lizard

Family & Scientific Name: Anguidae; Elgaria multicarinata ssp.

Identifying features: They have short but functional legs, attenuate form, and a lengthwise skin fold on each lower side. Dark stripes along centers of belly scales are visible.

Similar species: Northern alligator lizards are less elongated and have the dark belly stripes between the scale rows. Texas alligator lizards have a white mottled gray belly and may have dark lines along the centers of the belly scales.

Range & Origin: Pacific coast of the United States and Baja California. All specimens in the pet trade are collected from the wild.

Adut Size: 12-14 inches.

Life Span: To 10+ years.

Terrarium size: One or two specimens can be kept in a 20-gallon, long terrarium. Three or more specimens sould have a 40-75 gallon terrarium.

Terrarium type: This is a dry woodland and semi-aridland species. The terrarium substrate should consist of several inches of almost dry, sandy soil, over which a layer of leaf litter is strewn. Hides should be provided. One end of the terrarium should be illuminated and warmed from above.

Social structure: Usually communal.

Diet: A variety of insects, crickets, mealworms, waxworms, grasshoppers, and roaches are accepted. Dust insects with vitamin D3-calcium powder twice weekly for baby lizards and ovulating females, once weeky otherwise.

Potential problems: When properly fed, hydrated, and warmed these are hardy, relatively trouble-free species.

(Although, fair warning, this book says the "hardy, relatively trouble-free" thing about half the animals in the book.)

Hooray for copyright infringement! I guess the least I could do is credit them:

Bartlett, Patricia P., et al. Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates: An Identification and Care Guide. Barron's, 2001.

 

[jaxom1957]

Here's what it says in one of my herp books about Southern Alligator Lizards (the only entry for Elgaria; not quite the subspecies you want, but it may help

California alligator lizards are the main subspecies, so the general information applies to them most. Thanks for the information.