When you need to equip a living area in the apartment, and there is not so much free time to maintain the animal, you can get an ordinary lizard. She is unpretentious, does not make noise, does not require regular walks in the fresh air, for her life in captivity does not need a large terrarium. Almost perfect pet, right?
Sand lizard in nature
This animal in the home is considered exotic. That is why in order to maintain no problems, it is necessary to know its natural habitat conditions.
Anyone who walked through the woods, met these green or brown lizards, hiding quickly in the grass or bushes at the slightest danger. These are representatives of the species Lacerta agilis Linnaeus (Latin) or nimble lizards.
Currently, science knows 9 subspecies that are distributed in the vast territory of Eurasia from the Atlantic coast to Central Siberia.
Within Russia, the distribution range of these amphibians is very large: from Karelia, the Arkhangelsk and Leningrad regions in the north to the Caucasus in the south and from the border with Belarus in the west to Baikal in the east.
Accordingly, the biotope of natural existence is different: damp wetland, coniferous and mixed forest, forest-steppe and steppe, stony dry areas of the territory. It predominantly conducts daily terrestrial life, but it can climb high both on trees and on stone slopes.
Sandy (or ordinary) lizards do not go far from their habitable territory, sometimes digging narrow holes in the ground.
By the size of the sand lizard can also be different. The length of an animal with a tail is from 5 to 25 cm (depending on the subspecies). Males are usually somewhat larger than females, their color is usually brighter. The abdomen of males is greenish-yellow, and in females white or slightly yellowish.
Common lizards feed on a variety of invertebrates: snails, worms, insects. They can eat both their own and "neighbor" youngsters.
If an animal is sharply grabbed by the tail, then it may try to bite, and after escaping, leave its tail to the "enemy". In this case, there will be no bleeding, since the muscles of the animal in the area of the folded tail are almost instantly reduced. After some time, the tail process is restored (regenerated), but, as a rule, the new tail is somewhat shorter than the “old” one. This feature of the body should be considered when the home content.
The organization of the terrarium
Keep
Exotic pet should only be in a terrarium. A lizard walking around the house may be injured or burned.
The size and shape of the terrarium can be any, but there is an unwritten rule: the height of the walls of an artificial dwelling should be equal to the length of an amphibian multiplied by 2. At a minimum. Recall: lizards easily climb even along a vertical wall.
Ordinary glass can serve as a material for a terrarium (the old aquarium fits perfectly), but it is better to make a rising cover out of a wire mesh. In addition, small holes for ventilation must be arranged in the side walls.
There are variants of the "house" made from an old bookshelf. In this case, one side wall and the cover of an improvised terrarium are also made from a wire mesh.
It is recommended to cover the bottom with primer, coarse sand, pebbles and even ordinary earth are ideal for this.
It would be nice for your fast-paced pet to decorate the landscape with branches or stumps of trees, snags, stone hills, and caves. A quick lizard will definitely like this decor.
Microclimate
The animal normally feels at room temperature, but if a representative of one of the southern subspecies lives in the terrarium, then the temperature should be maintained between +25 and +30 degrees during the day and between +18 and +20 degrees at night.
Temperature conditions can be provided with either a thermo glue or an ordinary incandescent lamp with a reflector. But in this case, the lamp should be located out of reach for the animal.
Humidity should be maintained no lower than 75–80%, which is achieved by regularly spraying the internal space of the terrarium.
For catering, you need to install a cup for food and a drinker. Over time, the lizard gets used to one place to eat and drink.
Common lizard: what to feed
Argued that this brisk amphibian can be given pieces of "human" food, the remnants of a family meal. In principle, this is so, but this food should not be abused in any way.
It should still provide a diet that is close to the natural.
- That is why spiders, cockroaches, grasshoppers, worms (even flour) are normal food for lizards.
- You can prepare a nutritional mixture, consisting of grated carrots and pieces of meat (allowed the use of minced meat).
- And if you add finely chopped spinach leaves or dandelion to such a mixture, the lizard will receive not only protein, but also vitamins necessary for normal development.
Summing up
As you can see, it is quite simple to maintain a jumping lizard in a house or apartment. If you carefully monitor the well-being and behavior of the nimble green minx, establish a solid feeding schedule, maintain a normal temperature and humidity regime, and maintain cleanliness in the terrarium, the intelligent lizard will get used to its owners. And then she will not be afraid of human hands.
Video on how to keep an ordinary lizard at home:
How to keep a lizard at home: terrarium
Like any animal, a lizard must have its own house. The lizard house is called a terrarium. This is the same aquarium, but without water. A terrarium can be chosen in a very different form, but there is one prerequisite: the height of the house for the lizard must be slightly higher than two animal body lengths. If you keep a lizard at home without a terrarium, it can get sick, run away or be injured in the home. It is very easy to step on a small animal.
At the bottom of the terrarium should be poured a layer of clean earth, without fertilizers and additives. If the quality of the land is in doubt, contact your parents at the pet store. There will always offer special fillers for animal houses - coconut chips, sand, chips for rodents. There are even special mats, they can also be put in a terrarium. And it is also good to lay out the bottom with pieces of bark of various trees. In nature, the lizard loves to climb trees. Put in the terrarium a few sturdy branches and even large stones. Your new girlfriend will be grateful.
The lizard is a light-loving heat-loving animal. It will be necessary to provide two special zones in the terrarium: one is warm, where the temperature will be kept within 36 ° C, and cooler, with temperatures up to 30 ° C. Keep in mind that at night the temperature in the terrarium should not fall below 21 ° C, otherwise the lizard will freeze and start to hurt. Maintain this temperature with a glass-ceramic lamp. A lamp will also help illuminate the lizard house well.
Humidity is another very important point for the health of the animal. The lizard does not like dry rooms. The natural moisture for the animal is 50-70%. Therefore, in a cool area of the terrarium, put a special container with water so that your girlfriend can bathe from time to time. And be sure to spray the terrarium with clean water every day, but do not forget to thoroughly air so that fungi and mold do not start in the ground.
How to feed a lizard
Keep in mind that in the wild, the lizard is a predator. It feeds on insects, worms, even small rodents or small bird eggs.
To keep the lizard at home, feed it with special food that is not difficult to make yourself. This is a mixture of vegetables and meat. Finely grate carrots, add a little salad and finely chopped meat. Mix all in equal parts. Everything! Specialty dish for lizards ready!
In the summer, when the animal is active, feed the girlfriend three times a day. In winter, the lizard is calmer, spends less energy, and needs to be fed twice a day.
Make sure that the food is eaten completely, without residue. If food stays in the terrarium, it can disappear, becoming a source of unpleasant odors and diseases for the animal. Therefore, cook at one time.
If the animal eats the ration completely, drinks good water, is mobile and active - it is healthy. Watch her, learn habits. It is very interesting and informative.
Content
Want to get yourself the perfect pet that will not cause you problems? Stop your choice on the lizard. Unlike the dog, with which you need to walk and regularly engage, cats, which almost every day you need to change the tray so that there is no unpleasant smell in the apartment, the lizard is a quiet, sweet creature, which requires a minimum of care. Let's try to figure out how to keep a lizard at home.
For the maintenance of any pet, even a small lizard, you need to prepare certain conditions. To cope with this task is not so difficult, as a result you will receive an active and joyful lizard, the observation of which will give you pleasure. The purchase of the most reptile is preceded by the selection of an appropriate terrarium. For him you will need to take a certain place.
At the bottom of the purchased for the future pet home poured earth. It is important that there are no additives. An alternative to the land could be coconut chips and sand. You can use the bark of the tree as a litter. In the wild, lizards love to climb trees, so it is worthwhile to place several branches in the terrarium. Additional decorations can serve as various stones and all kinds of plants that are worth buying only at the pet store.
We create comfortable conditions for the life of a lizard.
After the house for the pet has been installed, it is necessary to select the appropriate temperature mode. The terrarium should be divided conditionally into two zones: hot and cool. One side should warm up by no less than 36 degrees, and for the other zone it will be enough 30. At night the temperature should be lower, but the limit to which it can fall is 21 degrees.
If in one of the zones there is a drop in temperature, then you can bring it to the desired level using an incandescent lamp. With this task to cope well and infrared lamp. Lizards do not like darkness, which is why you will need to install an ultraviolet lamp in the terrarium.
For a comfortable maintenance of reptiles, it is necessary to maintain a certain moisture regime. The ideal is an indicator ranging from 50 to 70%. This can be achieved as follows: in a cool area, install a small container with water. The size of the bowl should correspond to the size of the pet, this will allow him to get into it without any problems.
For feed, use a variety of insects. It is not necessary to give the lizard only ready-made food from a pet store. The mixture can be prepared independently at home: minced meat is combined with carrots. You can add various lure or minerals.
