Jeweled Lacerta (L. lepida) General Questions

[RubberDuckey273]

I've been keeping reptiles for quite a few years now, although right now all I keep are geckos and one snake. I've been wanting to get a lizard of decent size for some time now, and I recently came across someone that breeds Jeweled Lacerta near where I live. I immediately began reading up on them, and I really like what I've read so far, but I have a few unanswered questions after reading everything I've found online.

About how long does it take for them to reach full size?

To what age/ weight would they be comfortable in a 20gallon long tank? 40gallon? 75gallon? 100 gallon?

What would you consider the minimum sized tank for a single individual, keeping in mind that a larger more ideal enclosure would be built within 6months to a year?

Are there any types of food that should be avoided that are commonly fed to other reptiles?

Are all females generally brownish in color?

Any temperament differences between male and female?


I love the idea of a larger lizard that would benefit from a fairly big, natural enclosure, but I'd rather ease into it than jump right into a big expensive tank. I'd also prefer a front opening tank which tend to cost a lot more. I'm not looking for "what's the minimum sized enclosure" because of a limit of resources, but because I'd like to spend as little as possible on grow out enclosures while I work on a large, permanent enclosure.

I'm leaning towards a female if possible, because I originally was interested in something closer to 1 foot in length at full adult size. However I love the colors and overall look of this species, and I haven't really found anything else that I like nearly as much. If you know of any lizards that are similar in looks and care, but smaller with smaller enclosure needs, I'd love to hear them.


Also, a couple other (gorgeous!) species I've come across while looking up lacerta info... podarcis milensis, Gallotia galloti, and Gallotia atlantica. If anyone knows anything helpful about these species, especially if they are hard/ expensive to acquire or where they could be gotten from, I'd really appreciate it!

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I work with these guys and love them. One of my favorite non-gecko species. As babies, they are very tiny and can live in a very small enclosure. It takes them about two years to get to full size, but even then, they aren't huge lizards. They will utilize whatever amount of space you give them. They love to dig, so providing a lot of substrate is a must. So if you're going to build a front opening viv, make sure to build a litter dam of some sort so it doesn't all come pouring out every time you open up the doors. They're very active and inquisitive and they like to dig a lot and move their cage furniture around. They're a lot like mini versions of tegus in their behavior. So I wouldn't plan on using any live plants. I use fake plants, cork bark tube and slabs, pieces of slate, bamboo, rocks, etc. For food I feed mostly insects like crickets, and tropical roaches. They love to chase their prey. They don't seem very fond of worms in general but they will on occasion eat them. THey love fruit like banana, apple, kiwi, strawberry, etc. They do require a UV light and a UTH. But remember that they are not tropical, they're from Europe. So they don't require super high temps and humidity. In fact, they can be kept in outdoor enclosures in much of the US. Yes, the females are pretty much all dull muted colors. Look through this forum, I have several threads with pics of my pair. I think they're an awesome medium sized lizard and hope to see them become a more popular species in the hobby.

 

[RubberDuckey273]

Thanks for the info! I've checked out your threads, I've already done searches on all the reptile forums I'm on to see who else keeps them I also have been checking out lacertaUSA.com, but i haven't posted there yet as I wanted to read as much as i could before joining another forum.

I actually originally wanted a Tegu, but I think they'd be a bit too big for me. Also, I've been dying to get a reptile with vibrant greens and blues, but I tried keeping some lygodactylus and they were just a little too fragile for me. i adore the pea**** day geckos, but i really hate fruit flies. when i started looking up pictures of the lacerta, i was just like "yes!"

For the adult cage I want to do, I'm looking into having a big tank, probably custom made (i'm not good with building) that'll be between 18 and 24 inches tall, with the door coming up at least 6 inches from the bottom of the tank. I'd love a tank that's 24"x24"x48", but there's no way I'd have that in the first year. I think I'll be able to properly gauge what tanks to use as it grows once I actually can see it.

I'm not excellent with most plants anyway, and the build I was planning would have one or two tunnel/ hides built in (like the fake background builds) that would also have removable tops for access. I'd have about one third of the tank be the solid foam build (this is where the burrow would be), and the rest would be a heavy layer of substrate for digging. There would also be ledges built along some of the walls with branches, and fake plants securely attached for some cover as well as aesthetics. UVB and heat would be over whatever side ended up looking the best for basking. Not really sure how to position a heat mat, since I don't think I'd be able to do it under the solid side.

I've started sketching the design, even though it'll be quite a while before I ever get going on it. I just really think that this is a reptile that would utilize and "appreciate" the picture i have in my head.

I love a reptile with an appetite, so I'm excited about that aspect as well.

Thanks again for the information, if you have any other tips or comments, I'd love to hear!

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

An exoterra 36" x 18 x 24 would be a good viv to get started with. It would get you through the first 2 years until they're full sized. And really it could be used as a forever enclosure if you didn't want to build something yourself.
Exo Terra Terrariums, Habitats | PetSolutions
This is a good place to buy from as they give free shipping on orders over $49.
You can also watch your local craigslist as they do come up used from time to time as well if you want to try to save some money.

 

[RubberDuckey273]

I was considering that one actually, but I wasn't sure if it would be the right dimensions for one. That one would work great since I currently have an excellent place to put it!

Edit: also, what would be your opinion on some sort of small water feature in a large enclosure? nothing with deep water, and with enough ventilation to keep humidity from getting too high. i'm not sure if i'll be up for doing water, but i like to keep my options open.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I think that a water feature would be pretty hard to pull off because these guys dig all the time and when they do, they fling dirt EVERYWHERE! So I imagine that most any water feature would get filled with substrate on a pretty consistent basis and be quite a pain to keep up. I have a hard enough time just keeping their water bowl clean.

 

[RubberDuckey273]

yea, that makes sense. do you think they would utilize a water bowl that was raised? like built into a ledge?

 

[aquamentus_11]

how often do you feed yours, ethan?

also, to OP if he's still reading, the steppe runners are related and much smaller. males of both species get jowls (which i think are very cool)

 

[Ingo]

Hm,

I do disagree to some points. I do keep Timon lepidus since quite some time and I also published a small book on their husbandry, which was quite well percieved by german herpers.
http://www.aw-terraristik.de/shop/images/product_images/original_images/die_perleidechse_-_neu.jpg
I agree that hatchlings can be kept in a 20g. But I do disgree with the recommendations given here for later housing. At age of around 9 months jewelled lizards have already reached more than 30 cm total length and they can even reproduce at that age. As agile lizards, they should then latest be kept in an enclosure of at least 4 x 2 x 3 ft. As Adults, I consider 5 x 3 x 4 feet as a small minimum. I personally do keep my adults in a 3m x 1m x 1,4 m outdoor enclosure in (Germanys) summer and think thats a pretty good size (for indoor keeping during cold springs, I provede a ground space of 2 x 2 m). Can of couse be smaller, but the minimum I just mentioned should really be seen as such.
The lizards can grow up to 50 cm or slightly more within their second year, but reach full adult proportions not before year 3, often later. They grow lifelong, but most adult males do not exceed 65 to 75 cm of total length -even after decades-, females stay smaller and more slender.
The record specimen however was about 90 cm long.
Of course, I do offer a relatively large water bowl and I have no issues with digging in the large enclosures. They generally dig less by the way, if appropriate hide boxes are provided. With appropriate I mean, the opening should be designed as a tunnel and open under some bush to give shelter. The box itself should be half filled with an appropriate moderately moist substrate and not be too big ( I use 30 x 20 x 15 cm boxes).
So far for short.
Hope this helps

Ingo