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Curly Tailed Lizard

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4.9K views 31 replies 10 participants last post by  JordanR  
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi guys been a while since i was last on here so good to be back :)

Have this little guy from the shop weekend he/she was on its own and i had a free viv so i got him/her ...

was sold as a brown anole, fair enough... but comparing to other brown anoles looks rather different and i am aware theres alot of different species out there
so im trying to narrow it down.

just curious as the tail is different colour ect, is this due to it being pulled off so a regenerated tail maybe? or just a colour variation?

Any ideas ???

if link dont work let me know. :)

Many thanks
Jordan

http://s38.photobucket.com/user/jordyrenton/media/gizmo_zps4pyie9iy.jpg.html?filters[user]=146191090&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0
 
#9 ·
Seconded.

I'm not sure why you would buy an animal from a pet shop with clearly no idea what you've bought. It's extremely irresponsible and I'm not sure why you would risk the health of an animal in this way.

A few years back there used to be two great sites about the Leiocephalus genus. Unfortunately both have been taken down. This site still provides a short overview: https://www.fsbio-hannover.de/oftheweek/143.htm There is quite a bit of information on the internet on this species, especially in German (which should translate decently with google translate). I'd highly suggest looking for forum post from Thomas Ackermann, he posted a wealth of information on this species.

I've been lucky enough to observe this species in de wild. A very interesting species, both in behaviour and looks.
 
#4 ·
well that would explain why i could not match his species... well that changes things ...that shows the shop had no idea what they where selling then... i paid ÂŁ14 for him so im not to upset.. either way he is fun to watch.


any special requirements for these guys?

the vivarium set up at the moment is bark with live plants, temp is 26/27 during the day about 20/21 night and humidity is 50/70
 
#5 · (Edited)
Not a lot of information online about their care, but you probably want to raise the temperature and lower the humidity- the few care sheets out there all suggest basking temperatures of 35+. I'd imagine a diurnal basking species like these require UV as well. How big is the vivarium?
 
#6 ·
yeah i know very limited... at the moment i have a 5.0 uv florescent tube light.. viv size will measure tomorrow when i can find my tape lol but its not a small viv i like to give them space ... i have a basking spot at the moment 100w bulb, i will put one of the probes near that to get a better reading but my ambient is 26/27 .. shall i raise ambient or keep as is and just check on the basking spot for meantime?
 
#10 ·
I agree with you yes. I assumed it was an anole done my research on anoles I couldn't see him very well as he was running fast in the viv the bloke told me he was a brown Anole and me not being an expert I took his word then I realised and off my back came for help. So risks to the lizard I doubt as he was in a viv in the shop no heat just a water bowl. Called them up they realised they made the mistake as they were moving stock. So I'm here trying to make this little lizard comfortable now I know. He is in a re set up viv and basking and shedding also and eating his crickets. He got uv and basking lamps. With thermostat... Thankyou for the website that is better then what I have found! Appreciate it :)
 
#11 ·
Not an urgent issue, but I'd upgrade the 5% UV tube to a 10. This is a male you have, they are sexually dichromatic with the females being striped in brown & cream. You got a bargain- L. personatus (masked/ornate curly tailed iguanid) usually retail at ÂŁ30 or more! A basking spot of 100F will suit him fine, along with a dry loose substrate. How big is he?
 
#14 ·
OK nice one. Viv set up now he is basking and shedding and his colours are coming through looks really interesting I must say.

He now has a uv 10. He been eating his gut loaded crickets dusted with calcium.

Sand and soil mixed I used a coco brick soil and come out nice he enjoys it.. For leaf litter what do you recommend?


I have a few succulent plants also to make it more natural.

Cork bark ect and some nice rocks under basking lamp.


I think I'm going the right way for him.
 
#16 ·
Yes I have a dish for him bottled water not tap, he was drinking this morning. He has a nice granite boulder now he basks on and it retains great heat through the night now also my night temp without and with heat mat was 20/21 now replaced with a nice boulder and sits at 21/23
 
#26 ·
I called a shop I will find out tomorrow if I can get a female hopefully. I will post some pics later, next week I will get him a nice viv that's more suitable he is in a small exo terra at the moment which is the backup viv.. What size would you recommend for two curly tails?
 
#29 ·
I got a 2.2 group from Crystal Palace Reptiles in 2003 and they provided me with hours of fascination. I had them in a 60" viv so even though the territorial larger male would chase the smaller one around, there was plenty of room for him to escape to, bask, and live peacefully (most of the time!) while the big guy got to mate with the two girls and strut his stuff bobbing and posturing like a mad thing.

It was really interesting watching the little guy work though, as he did sneak in and get his chances to mate with the females under the other male's nose, as it were... The whole dynamic within the group was fascinating to watch and you can only see this sort of thing in very large vivaria (60" x 24" x 24" is pretty big for four 7" lizards) - in smaller enclosures the smaller male would be bullied and stressed to the point of death, but here he not only did well but carved out a niche for himself as the resident happy-go-lucky stud-muffin and all round amusing little philanderer... despite the big fat male being nicer looking and more majestic, I actually always liked the little guy a lot more as he amused me.

I want to keep this species again, this time in one of my fake rock builds, to provide the males perches from which to perform their cool bobbing and posturing rituals... it really was like keeping miniature iguanas!

The species bred very frequently and the babies were easy to rear. As a keeper, I can't recommend this lizard enough.
 
#30 ·
They do sound really fun, my one bobs every now and then when I walk up to the viv which is funny he is also throwing sand/soil digging for things and runs and basks again. As for vivarium more floor space rather then height? or do these like to climb branches ect? Have a more rocky outcrop type?
 
#31 ·
They do sound really fun, my one bobs every now and then when I walk up to the viv which is funny he is also throwing sand/soil digging for things and runs and basks again. As for vivarium more floor space rather then height? or do these like to climb branches ect? Have a more rocky outcrop type?
They will use whatever you give them, but if you intend to have a group floor space is more useful than height in this species.
 
#32 ·
OK nice one thankyou :) well I find out tomorrow if my shop can get me a female.. Within next few months after they grown abit I will upgrade them to a bigger viv to get a possible group. . What are they like when it comes to handling mine seems beyond freaked out soon as I change water but I'm sure he will relax soon?