How to Take Care of a Blue Belly Lizard
Blue belly lizards, also called western fence lizards or swifts, are low-maintenance pets and easy to handle. These lizards tame well, are very active and are fun to watch. When you give your blue belly lizard the right diet and habitat, you'll find that it can become the best pet you ever had.
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Things You'll Need
- 5 to 20 gallon aquarium tank
- Substrate (soil and rocks)
- Driftwood
- Ants, spiders, crickets, waxworms, and other small bugs
- Calcium powder supplement
- Water dish
- UVB light
- Terrarium heater (optional)
- Paper towels (optional)
Instructions
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5 Steps to a Healthy Blue Belly Lizard
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1
Line the bottom of the aquarium tank with soil. Add some rocks and driftwood for your blue belly lizard to climb on. You can also use paper towels as a substrate.
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2
Position a 60-watt UVB light to shine into the tank. Don't use spotlights, because they can burn your lizard. You can also add a terrarium heater if you live in a colder climate. Blue belly lizards like warmth--80 to 95 degrees during the day and 75 to 80 degrees at night.
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3
Feed your lizard ants, spiders, crickets, waxworms and other small, non-threatening bugs. Feed baby blue belly lizards ants at first, until it is big enough to handle larger insects. Dust the insects with calcium supplement powder for added nutrition. Feed your lizard in intervals of two or three days, up to one week. Also add a shallow water dish to the aquarium.
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4
Clean the aquarium tank every two to three weeks. Wash the driftwood and other play items with mild soap and warm water.
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5
Hold your blue belly lizard in your hand. Over time, your lizard will get used to being handled and fall asleep in your hands, enjoying the warmth of your body heat.
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Tips & Warnings
Adopt a blue belly lizard when it's still small so that it will tame faster. Add fresh water to your lizard's water dish every day to avoid bacteria and algae buildup.
Don't house male blue belly lizards together. Males are very territorial and will likely kill each other if placed for prolonged periods in the same tank. Don't feed mealworms to a small lizard. Mealworms are far too big.
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Comments
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Thanks
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We found fliless fruit flies at pet store , due to temp change, no ants were found...our inch sized lizard loves them.
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hey mom you have bo. love your daughter. Annabelle.
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Good info! The first thing the boys have brought home! This will be interesting! Could be worse. Cant wait to see what they start leaving in their pockets for me!
