dwarf sungazer care sheet

[cordylidae]

when i was gettign mine i found it hard to find much information on them so now i have a lil experience i thought id write a care sheet

scientific name=cordlyus tropidosternum
these are commonly known by other names such as girdled lizard and armadillo lizards

description:
thy are found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe the have spikes down the back and tail are browny coulour with black and white/grey spots and a white belly they are about 7"-10" (inc.
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housing:
these lizard will climb if they can i wouldn’t say they were arboreal more semi however still give them space to climb i would say a 45x45x60 Exo terra would hold two however more space is always better only one male should be held per enclosure one male with multiple females can work however this is not guaranteed so be prepared to separate if you are going to add a new lizard to the cage it should be quarantined for at least 3 months so u can monitor it for any illness or parasites this is very important to do as illness may not show up straight away and may pass it on to other animals the animal should be held in a different cage/viv and preferably different room
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temperatures & humidity:
a cool side at around 20c is acceptable with a basking spot of 33-37c
a 8 or 10% uv shoud be used as they are diurnal

RH should be around 50%

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diet:
dwarf Sungazers are Insectivorous although fruit will be taken occasionally all food should be no wide than the gap between it eyes

foods to be used as a staple:
Dubai Roaches ,Crickets ,Locusts and small hoppers

occasional:
mealworm,pheonix worms etc.

rarely:
Waxworms (highly addictive and high in fat) i have heard of mango and banana being taken by them however bananas bind calcium so should be fed rarely

gut loading/supplementing:
food should be supplemented with calcium dust on week days and Nutrobal on the weekends(available from any decent rep shops)
bee pollen granules can be used to feed/gut load live food or can be ground into dust and dust live food occasionally(available from Holland and Barret)
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sexing & breeding:
sexing is difficult with this species in particular most people sex by the shape of the body females are slim an have sweeping curves whereas males are more broad

breeding requires brumation/hibernation for 6-8weeks at 10-15c before brumation is initiated food should be slowly cut down until you do no feed and lighting should be slowly shortened this will give them time to digest the food and then slow down their metabolism if they are feed while they are about to brumate or while they are brumating
food will rot inside them
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temperament:
they are skittish and do not really enjoy being held but some will tolerate handling in time
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substrate:
substrate is higly debated over loose substrte of kitchen roll etc
it is down to personal choice but i will list possible substrates
reccomended:
eco earth
playsand
exo terra sand
kitchen roll
newspaper

do not use:
calci sand(http://www.petzoo.co.uk/product_info...roducts_id=467
woodchip
kiln dried sand/builders sand(this is notorious for having peices of glass in which could cut your lizard and if ingested would cause potentialy fatal internal bleeding)
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mixed species:
i have heard of these being mixed with leopard geckos with success i do not personaly do this but have heard of it being done with success in larger cages
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good reads:

UV Guide UK - Ultraviolet Light for Reptiles - UVB reptile lighting on test
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizar...-why-when.html
Engelsk_caresheet
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comments welcome
and state if anything needs changing/adding

[LauraandLee]

Well done on caresheet.

I find that my 2 hide a lot, they are really fast and will hide as soon as I open the cage.
and I have seen them drinking water from water bowl!!!

[strictly_scales]

Nice one- although the ExoTerra dimensions sound a bit off- I would choose something longer rather than higher...

Mine lives in a 36x18x24 Penine Viv with a Red Ackie. Very plump when I first got it, but trimmed down a treat. Favourite activity now is either hiding upside down beneath cork bark or peering out from beneath said cork bark.

[cordylidae]

Originally Posted by LauraandLee

Well done on caresheet.

I find that my 2 hide a lot, they are really fast and will hide as soon as I open the cage.
and I have seen them drinking water from water bowl!!!

thanks for the comment and yes i have seen mine sat by the water bowl but i have never seen him drink from it lol i have recently heard they like to soak in the water howerer care should be taken that they cannot drown

Originally Posted by strictly_scales

Nice one- although the ExoTerra dimensions sound a bit off- I would choose something longer rather than higher...

Mine lives in a 36x18x24 Penine Viv with a Red Ackie. Very plump when I first got it, but trimmed down a treat. Favourite activity now is either hiding upside down beneath cork bark or peering out from beneath said cork bark.

yes id agree the viv is better longer than that tbt id personsaly now say a 24"x18"x24" (lxdxh) but that would hold a couple heightwise they will use hieght if they are given it but i wouldnt say there need to give them anything higher than 2foot on the ackie note if i was you id remove the ackie as they will literaly eat anything(altought i couldnt see one eating one of them due to spike however agrresoin or bullying may occur) do ackies have the same requirements?



also i may see if i can edit some information on the caresheet as i would like to add/change some information if nbot heres some of it i have recently spoke to someone in poland who has breed these and has told me that they do not nessicarily require brumation to breed the information about breeding/brumation was taken from the talbo site i would also like to add that if they are brumated they should be monitored to make sure they are fine and that brumation should not be perofrmed on any underweight/unhealty animals
these animals are also well known for having shedding problems be careful to ensure that all shed have been removed especialy from around the toes as these will eventualy fall off if shed it retained