NOTE: There are 67 different species of Alligator Lizards. Be sure you know what kind you have. We breed Northern Alligator Lizards (for the subspecies we breed go to FAQ). All kinds of Alligator Lizards are relatively similar in size, but different in origin and sometimes in color.

Introduction:

          Alligator lizards are wonderful pets. Some people can’t afford a big reptile, and some people don’t have room for them. I explain an Alligator lizard as a big lizard in a tiny body. Somewhat like bearded dragons, in a much smaller body, they bond to their owners rather quickly if handled frequently and can become wonderful pets. With a somewhat alligator appearance and a frisky attitude, these reptiles make a wonderful pet for almost anyone, that is, if you do your research!

Origin-Alligator Lizard range throughout the entire US, from Washington to Baja California to Texas, from the north to the south to the west, these lizards can be found almost anywhere throughout the United States. They live in heavily planted areas where they can burrow in between rocks, hide in bushes and splay out upon stones. These lizards are most definitely not desert dwellers, living in dense conditions, tending to like rain and mist, but preferring warm areas.

Anatomy-The body is long, their tail just as long, oftentimes longer than the body. Depending on the species, the colors range from red to black. Their legs fit alongside their body, short but fast, their toes long, their nails helping them climb up rocks. Their teeth are sharp, their eyes alert and moving. Their tongue slithers in and out of their mouth like a snake’s. The head of a male is larger than the width of the body, the head of a female the same width as the body. Some might think the Alligator lizard has skin and not scales, but it does have scales, indeed.

Choosing-Choosing a healthy Alligator lizard is important to ensure a healthy life from the start. Choose one that is plump with a long tail. The skin should be free of punctures, and their feet free of toe nips; although it is common for their litter mates to mistake a toe for a cricket, so one or two can be forgiven. Their eyes should be alert and free of discharge. The tank should be relatively clean, but make sure any poo in the tank is solid, the tank should never be littered with poo.

Bringing him home-Bringing your little one home is a rewarding experience; after all, you have a new addition! But hold back your excitement, keep the container he is in closed and keep the car warm, try to keep the container dark. Have the tank set up before bringing the new addition home, so any additional stress can be avoided. Stress and lead to death if you are not careful. Put the container on its side inside the tank, and leave the room. Don’t take the lizard out of the container and put him in, let him venture out himself. Keep the tank warm and have crickets in the tank just in case he happens to be hungry after the trip. Remember NEVER handle him for at least three days after bringing him home. Give him as much time as possible to get used to the new situation! But remember to keep the socialization, handling at a young age is always important if you plan on handling him as an adult, so don’t wait more than two weeks to handle him.

Shipping-If you’re getting your alligator lizard shipped to you; remember that this is a very stressful process for your lizard. You’re better off picking him or her up. But if you must get him shipped, be sure you are familiar with the breeder’s shipping process and costs so you understand it.

Indoor Enclosures-Having an indoor enclosure is the only option for your Alligator lizard. An outdoor enclosure is best not being used. For information on what to keep in the enclosure, read on!

Going outdoors-Being permanently enclosed outside is NOT for alligator lizards. Do not keep him or her in a tank outside. If it is 75*F+ outside, you can bring a small container (with a mesh lid…or just set a 10 gallon mesh lid on top of the container) outside and let them soak up some natural sun and UVB. They can stay outside for the whole day if it is over 75 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but bring them inside at night. Leaving them outside is extremely disastrous. Raccoons, birds, opossums, etc. are very much capable of getting their paw into the tank. Never, EVER put him or her outside without the container or tank he is in being 100% enclosed. A ventilating lid MUST be used. Don’t put a container lid on the container you have him in, or there is no point in having him or her outside because the only reason you would is so he or she could get UVB and natural sunlight. Even if it is a see-through lid, the heat would build up in the container, and sun and UVB cannot go through plastic. I suggest setting a 10 gallon mesh lid on top of the container, or just put the tank outside.

Attitude towards people-Before thinking about anything else, realize what their attitude is like so you don’t get one and hate the way the lizard acts. You must understand this kind of lizard to keep one as a pet.

           Notice that Alligator Lizards are confident lizards. They are not very easily intimidated by humans, and while they are not poisonous lizards they can give quite the painful bite! You don’t want that to happen. To make sure it doesn’t happen, handle the babies from the day you get them (see Handling). Since our babies are always handled from week one, they will be much more social than if you get one from anywhere or anyone else. If you handle your lizard frequently, he will become attached and accustomed to you, and will beg to be let out and hang out with you!

Attitude towards others- An alligator lizard’s attitude towards other alligator lizards is fairly docile. Every once and a while they may snap at each other, but otherwise can be housed together. They are not territorial lizards, but always be sure to provide many hiding places so they don’t argue over “a favorite”.

The tank- One (-two) adult alligator lizard can be housed in a 10 gallon tank. A rule I use is one (-two) per 10 gallons.

More than one in a tank- I am asked frequently, “can more than one be successfully housed in one tank?”. And the answer is yes, they can. But beware that in almost all cases, one alligator lizard will not flourish as much as the other if they are raised together in the same tank. One will usually not get as much of food, etc. When housing more than one together, provide MANY hiding places, a few different water sources, a few extra crickets, etc. Make sure each one gets the same amount of everything! For your lizard to be it’s happiest, use this rule: one (-two) per 10 gallon.  

Lighting- Most alligator lizard species need to be kept at 80+*F year round, it depends on the species. For Northern Alligator Lizards, keep the temperature between 80*F-90*F. A 60watt bulb approx. 12 inches above the tank has worked well for many people. UVB is not essential for alligator lizards although it can assure a healthier lizard. A Powersun, Mercury Vapor, Repti Sun, or Repti Glo work well if you decide to use UVB.

Other forms of heat- Heating Pads can be used as long as they are small and cover 50% or less of the tank. Never use heat rocks, or your lizard will suffer from severe burns.

Substrate- A substrate that has ALWAYS worked well for us is paper towels. There is no risk of impaction, it is cheap, easy to clean and the lizards love to crawl under it. Sand and gravel can cause impaction. Gravel can damage the lizard’s teeth if he accidentally snatches one up with a cricket. Paper towels are always safe and what I always suggest and use!

Hiding places- There are many hiding places and decorations you can get at the local pet store for you Alligator Lizard. If you don’t want to spend the money on it, you can get a variety or rocks and sticks and parts of logs from outside. Always boil anything you get outside to kill any microscopic parasites that could harm your lizard!

Water- As far as water goes, it’s a need for Alligator lizards. In the wild, some alligator lizards will dive into water and swim quickly away from predators if they are near any water. They are great swimmers! Get a shallow water bowl that they can climb out of and into, keep it shallow so there is no risk of drowning. Something cheap that has worked for me is cutting down the side of a cup two times, bending the cut part down and then filling the bottom of the cup with water. They can crawl up the bent part of the cup, drink water, and it is very shallow and rather easy to get out of if they fall in. You can mist the tank with water as much as once a day.

Food- Hatchlings and Juveniles will eat twice a week, adults will eat once a week. Approximately three crickets twice a week for hatchlings and juvies, and ten+ crickets a week for adults. One of the only safe things for hatchlings to eat, I’ve found, is small crickets. Feed them small crickets ONLY until they are full grown. You can also try baby waxworms. The only way you can get baby waxworms is by breeding them. Post a thread about breeding waxworms on the forum and we will help you with that. When they are no more than 2 centimeters long, you can feed them, but not after they are 2 cm long. Then you can try small mealworms and other types of worms such as full grown waxworms and phoenix worms. ALWAYS BE CAREFUL WHEN FEEDING MEALWORMS! They can cause impaction, blocking your lizards’ intestines because they have something on their shell called chiten, and plus their shell is hard, making it hard for your lizard to digest. NEVER FEED MEALWORMS TO ANY LIZARD THAT IS NOT FULL GROWN, they have a much more likely chance to get impacted from them. It’s not a great idea to feed them to adults either, but if you insist, feed the smallest mealworms you can find, and be sure you wait until the lizard is full grown before you feed any size of mealworms. Some other worm options instead of mealworms are butter worms and phoenix worms, as well as waxworms.  Do not feed them insects from outside, who knows where they have been?

Handling- When Alligator lizards are babies, they might be a little bit “fidgety”. They will scare more easily the younger they are. When your Alligator lizard is under five months old, handle him frequently, everyday but for no more than ten minutes a day to avoid stress. As they get older, they will become trustworthy to you can beg to be let out of the tank!

Growth Rate- Alligator lizards are not rapid growers, but they do grow! Every month they should be growing about 1 inch or more. Usually at two years old, they will be full grown, sometimes younger. They are capable of breeding at one year old. Growth rate always depends on the amount of UVB, temperature, feeding, amount of vitamins and calcium, etc.

Health-

Hatchlings-

Breeding- Northern Alligator lizards are one of the few reptiles that give live birth. Southern Alligator lizards lay eggs. They are capable of breeding year round but usually breed in the wild spring-summer.

ADDITIONAL:

Is the Alligator lizard for you? The Alligator lizard is a lizard that takes time and effort as far as care and taming goes. Be prepared to mist the tank a couple times a day, provide lots of hiding places, buy UVB lights and dust the food with vitamins and calcium, clean the tank once a week, and ensure each lizard gets the same amount of everything if you are going to own more than one. Be prepared to handle young lizards daily to ensure a lizard that is tame when it gets older and develops sharp teeth, and also be sure you are up for frustration when week after week your baby runs away from the giant moving hand you put in the tank! All of this will pay off when s/he gets older.

Consider this…price list *PRICES FOR ONE LIZARD*.

Food-$2-$6 a week

Tank-$10-$30

UVB-$20-$50 per three months

Accessories-$0-$20

Substrate-$5-$15 per two months

Heat-$6-$15 (every time the bulb burns out)

*VET CARE NOT INCLUDED IF IT IS NEEDED*

What age is for you? There are many ages of alligator lizards available often, adults are most often available. Hatchlings are fidgety, and will run most often run away from your hand; they have more of a chance of getting hurt or catching onto certain diseases. They are fairly fragile. A little bit less of the same goes for juveniles. Adults are hardier, but have sharper teeth and if you just got one as an adult, you have more of a chance of getting bitten since they haven’t been handled throughout their lifetime. If they are wild caught, they may die earlier because they probably have parasites, etc.

How many? Alligator lizards do not NEED to live with each other, but they are capable of living with each other IF you have the correctly sized tank for numerous lizards. Scroll up to ‘The Tank’ and ‘More than one in a tank’ for more information.