My friend has a yellow throuted plated lizard. It is about 9 years old. He has a problem though. The lizard always keeps his eyes closed. This has been hapening for about 4 months or so. He spends a lot of his time burying himself and hiding under substrate. He barely eats and drinks. He stopped eating krickets 6 months ago. It seems like he does feel like chasing after them and seems like he eats more things that arent moving. Here is some info on his setup 29 gallon tank coconut substrate hiding log basking temp is 80-90 degrees normal temp is about 75 degrees night temp is the 60-70 degrees water bowl feed fruits and crickets and mealies hot rock ( not good but he had it for 9 years and hasnt bother the lizard )
Unfortunately I don't know much at all about these lizards. Do you know if the lizard is/was getting calcium supplement with D3? If it wasn't getting either that supplement or a UVB source chances are it's suffering from a calcium defficiency and some sort of MBD. Here are a couple of links for you to get more info on these little guys. Sorry I can't help you more! Good luck!! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PlatedLizards/ http://people.qualcomm.com/ntenny/tracheloptychus-care.html http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=173
i have sudan plateds i have mine on newspaper, with a sandbox and some hides basking temp is about 100F and i have a UVB flourecent on them i dust there crix in calcium 2x and D3 1x week i also make a mixture they just love for when im away and my has to feed em: handful of superworms handful of crix can of dog food from a vet vits n calcium squash babyfood pedilite i blend it all together and freeze it in ice cube tray then feed them a cube every 2 days they love it so maybe ur friends plated would eat that maybe try to get a UVB flurecent and take out the substrate and replace with newspaper just to see if he starts eatting maybe hes impacted..
I have a couple of these guys. They are usually very hardy. They do tend to bury a lot..it's in their nature. I use the crushed walnut shell bedding and have foudn it to be very safe for them...but impaction is always possible with it, too. Hot rock should be taken out even if he hasn't had a problem. Basking temp should be a little higher. One reason he may not be eating the crickets is because he's eating the mealies too much. They can become preferential feeders easily and mealies aren't nutritious enough. Mine have never eaten fruit even though we've offered it and still do occasionally. Mealies a the french fries of the feeder world. So he may be sluggish from malnutrition if he's not eating more crickets. Depending on how many mealies he offers and how often, he may want to hold back on them for a while to try to persuade him to eat the crickets. Also, excessive hiding and keeping the eyes closed are signs of overheating. Are you sure those are the temps?? Could it maybe be a little hotter than that? I have a rock cave for mine to hide in. They can bask on top but it stays cool inside and they practically live in there. They live in and around termite mounds on the wild, so they like dark deep places and loose dirt to hide in. And basking temps that are high but resting/hiding temps that are considerably lower. How is he checking the temps? I'll post a caresheet for you that I wrote. It's going up on the caresheet site soon so here's a little "preview"...good luck!
Care and Husbandry of the Yellow-Striped Plated Lizard (Gerrhosaurus flavigularis) Angie Stidham, Capital University Natural History Known as both the Yellow-Striped Plated Lizard and the Yellow-Throated Plated Lizard, Gerrhosaurus flavigularis is a relatively long, slender lizard whose natural habitat in Africa ranges widely through the mountainous and desert regions from the eastern portion of the continent towards the southern portion. Key features of G. flavigularis are their long, thin bodies, short, stout legs, triangular shaped head, and long (nearly twice the length of the body) tail. Lizards are commonly between 16 and 18 inches long. These features make G. flavigularis an excellent burrower that can disappear into loose soil in a matter of seconds. In the wild they can commonly be found in burrows of their own creation or termite mounds. Their coloration and patterning is essentially the same between individuals. The scales on the underside of the lizard are generally white to medium yellow. Dorsal scales are generally dark brown to deep red with two yellow to white stripes down the back starting from behind the head and continuing down the tail. Ventral scales are commonly light brown to deep orange with scattered yellow to white scales. Scales are separate but form in lines across the body and move together in an accordion-like fashion as though there was one large banded scale. These bands of scales have been termed “plates” for their uniform appearance. G. flavigularis sheds frequently and scales shed individually or in short strips. Toes on both front and back legs are clawed. Teeth are small, barely noticeable, but jaw pressure is relatively strong, giving the lizard a surprisingly strong and effective bite against it’s small insect prey. Eyes are large, dark with circular pupils. G. flavigularis is an excellent runner and swiftly outruns predators. Primarily insectivorous, these lizards are also known to eat some fruits and vegetables and some small vertebrates. Species is oviparous (egg-laying) and females lay 2-6 oblong-shaped eggs underground and hatchling are approximately 100 centimeters long. Males have 11-17 large femoral pores along the inside of each back leg. Many individuals of this species offered in the pet trade are wild caught and will require an extensive quarantine period due to possibility of parasitic infection. A wellness checkup by a qualified veterinarian is highly recommended for new arrivals and a deworming regimen followed since many infections may go unnoticed for several weeks. Recommended Enclosures Being excellent burrowers, G. flavigularis does not require a tall enclosure. One adult lizard may be housed easily in a 20 gallon long glass aquarium but large accommodations are always recommended, upwards of a 4ftL x 4ftW x 2ftH enclosure. Lid should be screened to allow for air changes and release of excess heat. Lid should be secure, even able to be locked, since these lizards can climb or jump when necessary and are strong enough to lift many commercially available lids easily. Substrate can vary. Newspaper, recycled paper liners, and reptile carpet are acceptable but do not allow for burrowing. Crushed, rounded walnut shells, leaf-litter, or reptile bark (dry mulch) substrate are suitable and allow for burrowing. Sand should be avoided to prevent impaction due to ingestion. Although G. flavigularis does not shy away from open spaces, a hide box should also be provided to allow shelter from heat and environmental stress. Substrate should be sifted a few times each week to remove loose fecal material and changed completely at least every three months. Wet substrate, especially wood varieties, should be removed in a timely manner to prevent mold or fungus growth. Hide can be cork bark, half-log real wood, stone cave, or false stone cave. A large, shallow water dish should be provided and water changed daily. Artificial plants can be added to vivarium for appearance and shelter. Rocks a various sizes are also acceptable and provide both hiding spaces and basking locations. Large rocks should be placed in cage securely to prevent rolling or slipping. Logs or branches can also be added provided they are properly disinfected. Lighting and Heating A heat lamp with a simple 60-watt bulb can be sat on top of the lid (as long as the lid is heat resistant – metal frames are best). A broad-spectrum reptile bulb is recommended and UVA/UVB lighting can be used but is not necessary. Light should be provided for approximately 12 hours each day with 12 hours of dark. Cycles may be changed to match natural daylight cycles but a consistent day/night cycle is recommended. If necessary at night, a blue or black reptile ‘night’ light can be used to supplement heat. Since G. flavigularis prefers arid to desert climates, the temperature of the enclosure should be between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and about 10-15 degrees less at night. Under tank heatpads are also available for heating but lighting should still be provided for proper maintenance of circadian rhythms. There are a variety of different cage thermometers available and regulating and monitoring the temperature in any enclosure is a good idea. Digital thermometers are best for accurate monitoring and are fairly inexpensive. Humidity maintenance is not necessary as humidity can be relatively low. If scales are not shedding properly, misting the lizard with warm water is acceptable to aid shedding process. Feeding G. flavigularis is insectivorous and should be offered crickets dusted with a calcium supplement three times a week. One adult lizard can easily consume 8-12 crickets at one feeding but care should be taken to avoid overfeeding. Crickets may be left in cage until next feeding, but fewer crickets should be added if there are any leftover from previous feeding. Mealworms and waxworms can also be offered once weekly as a supplemental food source. Worms should be offered in shallow dish to deter escape as they will burrow into loose substrate. Grasshoppers and termites can also be offered. Wild caught insects should be avoided as these insects may harbor transmissible parasites. Some lizards will accept fruit such as apples, pears, banana, strawberries, or grapes, chopped finely but most will not. Such diet supplements should only be offered as treats a few times a month.
Hey Angie is it important to use calcium w/D3 if you're not using a UVB light or is regular calcium fine?
I use the calcium D3 with these guys because they don't bask a whole lot and therefore don't get alot of UV of any length. I only dust the crickets with it so i don't worry about mega-dosing and they're usually so fast at eating the crix there's not much worry about the dust coming off before they eat. But it kind of depends on the animal itself. If you're using a UVA/UVB light and they bask enough, supplements aren't technically necessary but still recommended and again, i'd stick with the Cal/D3 or possibly alternate. You know, like how we're supposed to with salt and iodized salt. you want trace amounts but not a large dose if the diet and environment are proper.
Huh? Should I be doing something with salt? I've never heard that before. I just eat whatever's available. Big old spoonfulls of pure salt! Seriously though, what's the scoop on that?
Technically, doctor's recommend that you use iodized salt because it's iodized for a reason...we need trace amounts of iodine and many vitamins don't have that...that's why they iodized it to begin with. But to prevent overdosage of iodine in the diet, mostly for people with high salt diets, it's best to alternate between iodized and regular salt. But it's not compeltely necessary. Overdosing on iodine is extrememly rare. unless of course you really are eating spoonfuls....LOL!
Well my skin is orange and wrinkled and I'm always thirsty. I seem to attract deer quite often for some reason too. Hmmm better look into this a little more.
