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Herpetoculturial books
Keeping Sideblotched Lizards
Note:
This care sheet like the caresheet on Side blotched lizards are excerpts
from a book that I have been working on for several years.
a baby earless hatchilng c.b.01
Care sheet for the Lesser Earless Lizard:
(Holbrookia lacerata) {Cope 1880; revised by Axtell 1956.}
Also known as the Spot-tailed earless lizard,
the Northern earless lizard (H. maculata) and Southern earless lizard.
(H. m. subcaudalis).
General Information:
The Spot Tailed Earless Lizards are medium sized lizards.
generally reaching from 4 to 6” long.
Smooth scaled with gray and black chevrons extending from head to tail.
Several small black spots are located under the tail and identify these
from other lesser earless lizards.
Care is similar for all species including common zebra tailed
lizards.
(Callisaurus draconoides).
They are common in brush land and sandy sparsely planted prairies.
The range of the spot tailed earless lizard is from central and southern
Texas, Mexico and into new Mexico. Spot tailed earless lizards are
lively lizards that are very wary in captivity and must be given
substrate deep enough for them to bury themselves.
They are prone to take flight when you see them in the wild and
they do the same in captivity.
Care should be taken and the enclosure should be approached slowly
to keep them from becoming too excited and dashing about nervously.
Earless lizards of the family Holbrookia, are often all grouped
together and called “lesser earless lizards.
It is true that they lack ear openings on the sides of the head.
They have rounded compact snouts that provide them with a scoop
for burrowing into and living on sand.
They become active at 29 c and remained active to 40c.
(Captive Temperature range of 80 to 95f. works well for activity)
The Lesser earless lizards are generally active between April through October.
Nocturnal activity has been recorded, but they are mainly diurnal.
The role of the Lesser Earless Lizard in the wild:
The earless lizards, like the Side blotched lizards in the caresheet before,
are common prey items for a variety of birds and snakes as well
as Leopard and Collard lizards.
Earless lizards produce multiple clutches each year and clutches may contain up to 12 eggs.
Captive Care & Enclosures:
Both sexes exhibit head bobbing and show territorial displays.
However, I have successfully kept several males and females together
in a large enclosure measuring 4’ long by 4 feet wide with no aggressiveness.
I believe that in a smaller enclosure only one male should be kept
with several females. An ideal set up for a small colony would be a 55
gallon aquarium with at least four inches of fine to medium sand.
One or two males with several females would be a fine colony.
When setting up a vivarium for Spot tailed earless lizards, a consideration
should be to provide several rock piles, wood piles, or small fake/live cactus or succulents.
The reason for this is so that the lizards can establish territories,
which will reduce the chances of territorial squabbles.
substrate:
Several inches of fine desert sand is recommended, and deeper will be better.
Sand may also be decorated with plastic plants and fake cactus and
small shoots (leaves) of fake plants, that the lizards can hide under.
Set ups should be as natural as possible and it should be remembered
that earless lizards are nervous lizards and should be provided with
places that they can escape the watchers eye.
Lighting:
Earless lizard should be provided with full spectrum lighting that
provides the spectrum of light with U.V.a/b producing bulbs.
Lighting should be on a timer and set for 12 hour day/night cycle.
Spot lights (Clip on lamps):
A spot lamp should be placed at one end of the enclosure to create a
hot area that the lizards can go to, so that they can raise their body
temperatures. A 60 to 100 watt incandescent bulb will be sufficient.
The spot lamp should be set on the same timer as the U.V. bulbs.
Heat
Heat should be provided with the use of an “under the tank heater” (U.T.H.).
or heating pad, This pad should be placed so that it it not pinched
by the tank or wooden frame. Heating pads and heaters work best
if some air can circulate around them, providing convection.
If no air circulates around them or they get pinched the pad can
become a fire hazard.
PLEASE use common sense when installing electric devices.
The heating pad should be located on same side of the enclosure as
the spot lamp. A rock or perching object should be placed over this
spot so that the heat from the pad “radiates”.
Feeding:
In the wild, Spot tailed earless lizards eat small grasshoppers,
(40%) spiders(10%) and small larvae and similar bugs.(50%)
The captive diet should consist of small crickets (3 week old).
Medium meal worms, especially the “white” newly molted meal worms
and small wax worms.
Make sure to “dust” the crickets and meal worms at least twice
weekly with a good multi vitamin with vitamin D3.
Consider: Miner-All w/D3 or Rep-Cal w/D3 brands.
A great method for feeding small crickets and meal worms to your
lizards, is to place a small clear tupperware dish submerged into the
substrate. Make sure that the lizards can see down into it.
Place your food insects and a pinch of vitamins into this sunken dish.
It is important that you place a small piece of apple or orange for your
insects to eat and drink while in the food dish, so that the insects
do not die before they are consumed by your lizards.
Some vitamins can also be sprinkled into the food dish, but be careful
not to put too much otherwise the insects will die before being
consumed by your lizards.
Dusting:
A common term used to describe “coating” prey items with vitamins
or medications so that when consumed by reptiles they receive the
intended dose of medications, vitamins and/or minerals.
A simple method for “dusting” is to place the food insect(s) into a
plastic baggy or small plastic container.
Place a small amount of a good quality reptile vitamin/mineral
supplement into the baggy or container and shake.
Once the food is coated with the vitamins simply release them into the
enclosure.
Be sure to only coat a few insects at a time, the reason for this is that
the vitamins will kill the insects and if your animals don’t
eat all of them right away, they may all die before your lizards return for more.
Water:
Water should be provided in a small rock shaped bowl and refreshed daily.
The bowl should be low enough so that the lizards can easily see into
it.
Lizards may not drink from a dish if it is too tall for them to see into.
The water should not be located near the heat pad or spot light.
Water placed to close to the heat sources may cause humidity and
could lead to health problems.
