How to Care for a Texas Spiny Lizard
Purchase a large cage., Cover the bottom with cage carpet., Add plants to the terrarium., Provide a hiding place., Give your lizard ample light.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Purchase a large cage.
Texas spiny lizards are active creatures that grow to about
7.5” to 12”.
They need a large cage that accommodates their size and provides them with plenty of space to run around.
They are also arboreal, meaning they need to climb.
Get a 36 to 50 gallon cage or terrarium to make sure you’ll have room for plants, logs, and vines for your lizard to play with.Be sure the cage is enclosed so that the lizard doesn’t escape. -
Step 2: Cover the bottom with cage carpet.
To cover the bottom of the cage, you can use either cage carpet, sand, small rocks, or powdered walnut shell.
Cage carpet is generally recommended, however, as lizards might consume alternative floor types, which can lead to digestive issues.Cage carpet can be a bit trickier to clean.
Make sure to give yourself some time every month to dedicate to keeping your lizard’s cage carpet in good condition.
Cage carpet can be purchased online at PetSmart or Amazon.
Call your local pet store to see if they sell cage carpet. , Plants will make your lizard feel more at home in its terrarium, and also give the lizard something to climb in.
Put as many plants, vines, branches, and sticks that you can in the cage so that your lizard will have ample climbing material.While it’s okay to put live plants, vines, and branches into your lizard’s home, be sure they don’t carry too much moisture.
The Texas spiny lizard prefers a drier environment.
It’s best to put a mixture of live and fake climbing surfaces into the cage.If you find plants outside, make sure they are free of bugs and are not poisonous.One of the Texas spiny lizard’s hobbies is digging into decayed logs.
Put a piece of an old log into the cage once every few weeks to give the lizard a nice activity. , Lizards like to have a place to hide themselves every so often.
Add a log that can accommodate the length of your lizard to the cooler side of the cage.
Remember that Texas spiny lizards grow to about 12”.It’s best to get a hollowed out log so that your lizard can hide completely.
You can buy a hollowed out log at most pet stores.
If you’re handy, make one yourself!You’ll also want to have a part of the cage left open for the lizard to play in.
Try to put this on the opposite side of the cage from the hiding spot. , Texas spiny lizards are diurnal and like to bask in the sun, so will need full spectrum UVB cage lighting to stay healthy and happy.
You’ll want the cage to be between 80-88 degrees during the day, 70–80 degrees at night, and 100-108 in the lizard’s basking spot.Make a basking platform around 12 inches from the basking light.
The UVB rays aren’t strong enough to be placed any farther away from the lizard.Only put lighting on one side of the cage since your lizard needs a cool place as well.
Ask about how to properly set up cage lighting at a local pet store to ensure your lizard’s health and safety. -
Step 3: Add plants to the terrarium.
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Step 4: Provide a hiding place.
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Step 5: Give your lizard ample light.
Detailed Guide
Texas spiny lizards are active creatures that grow to about
7.5” to 12”.
They need a large cage that accommodates their size and provides them with plenty of space to run around.
They are also arboreal, meaning they need to climb.
Get a 36 to 50 gallon cage or terrarium to make sure you’ll have room for plants, logs, and vines for your lizard to play with.Be sure the cage is enclosed so that the lizard doesn’t escape.
To cover the bottom of the cage, you can use either cage carpet, sand, small rocks, or powdered walnut shell.
Cage carpet is generally recommended, however, as lizards might consume alternative floor types, which can lead to digestive issues.Cage carpet can be a bit trickier to clean.
Make sure to give yourself some time every month to dedicate to keeping your lizard’s cage carpet in good condition.
Cage carpet can be purchased online at PetSmart or Amazon.
Call your local pet store to see if they sell cage carpet. , Plants will make your lizard feel more at home in its terrarium, and also give the lizard something to climb in.
Put as many plants, vines, branches, and sticks that you can in the cage so that your lizard will have ample climbing material.While it’s okay to put live plants, vines, and branches into your lizard’s home, be sure they don’t carry too much moisture.
The Texas spiny lizard prefers a drier environment.
It’s best to put a mixture of live and fake climbing surfaces into the cage.If you find plants outside, make sure they are free of bugs and are not poisonous.One of the Texas spiny lizard’s hobbies is digging into decayed logs.
Put a piece of an old log into the cage once every few weeks to give the lizard a nice activity. , Lizards like to have a place to hide themselves every so often.
Add a log that can accommodate the length of your lizard to the cooler side of the cage.
Remember that Texas spiny lizards grow to about 12”.It’s best to get a hollowed out log so that your lizard can hide completely.
You can buy a hollowed out log at most pet stores.
If you’re handy, make one yourself!You’ll also want to have a part of the cage left open for the lizard to play in.
Try to put this on the opposite side of the cage from the hiding spot. , Texas spiny lizards are diurnal and like to bask in the sun, so will need full spectrum UVB cage lighting to stay healthy and happy.
You’ll want the cage to be between 80-88 degrees during the day, 70–80 degrees at night, and 100-108 in the lizard’s basking spot.Make a basking platform around 12 inches from the basking light.
The UVB rays aren’t strong enough to be placed any farther away from the lizard.Only put lighting on one side of the cage since your lizard needs a cool place as well.
Ask about how to properly set up cage lighting at a local pet store to ensure your lizard’s health and safety.
About the Author
Samuel Gibson
Enthusiastic about teaching creative arts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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