A viviparous lizard is a small reptile, the length of which does not exceed 18 centimeters, while half or even a little more overall size body makes up the tail. Unlike many of their other tribesmen, males of this species are smaller than females.

Viviparous lizard - description

These lizards do not differ in bright color. He is quite modest. In adults, the upper body and tail may be brown, brown, tan, or greenish. It has a characteristic pattern that stretches along the ridge. This is a dark band, which is sometimes interrupted. In addition, there may be two wide stripes on top and dark stripes on the sides of the body, which are limited to the lower light line, which is sometimes made up of rounded spots.

I must say that not all individuals have a pronounced pattern. Moreover, it is not uncommon for a viviparous lizard (you see the photo in our article) to be completely black. These are melanists. These animals are most often found in northern latitudes, in the mountains. This color is due to the fact that dark colors absorb heat better.

In males, the lower part of the body is brick red and even orange, females have a yellowish, greenish or light gray abdomen. In addition, males are distinguished by a thicker tail at the base.

A viviparous lizard (newborn) has a dark brown, almost black color, often the pattern is not pronounced. Over time, the color becomes lighter, gradually a characteristic pattern appears on the main background. This happens as the baby grows.

Habitat

These cute lizards inhabit almost the entire forest territory of Eurasia - from Ireland, Great Britain and the Pyrenees to Sakhalin, Kolyma and the Shantar Islands. In the west of the range, they are distributed from the Kola Peninsula to the Arctic Circle, the lower reaches of the Yenisei. Viviparous lizards also live everywhere on Sakhalin, and in the south they can be found in the forest zone.

The viviparous lizard prefers to settle on the edges, in bushes along the banks of rivers and lakes, in glades. Often they can be found in wet floodplain meadows that border the forest. In Siberia, they can also live in the tundra, in swampy areas on bumps, surrounded on all sides by water. Shelters for these lizards are dense forest floor, holes of small rodents, shallow crevices between stones, old, dilapidated stumps. Viviparous lizards do not build their own shelters.

Lifestyle

Probably, not everyone knows that a viviparous lizard is not only an excellent swimmer and diver, it also easily moves along the bottom of a reservoir. In the case when she is in danger, she instantly burrows into the silt. Lizards of this species do not run very well when compared with large green brethren.

In mountainous areas, they often live at an altitude of up to 2500 meters. They feel great in a humid environment and tolerate fairly well. low temperatures. Thanks to this feature, they were able to settle beyond the Arctic Circle, where in winter time they go into hibernation.

In the spring, when the air warms up to only + 4 degrees, and in some places there is still snow, they come out of this state. At this time, they bask in the sun for a long time, hiding in the pits of the ground, on boards, stumps. Normal activity returns to them when the air warms up above +15 degrees.

IN central regions In Russia, they finish wintering at the end of March, on Far East- at the end of May, and in the north - at the beginning of June.

How to keep a viviparous lizard at home?

Today, many animal lovers have such pets. It should be noted that it takes root well in unusual conditions viviparous lizard. Its content does not require much effort, but certain rules must be observed.

We equip the terrarium

Your pet will need a small horizontal terrarium. For one individual minimum dimensions should be - 30 × 20 × 20 cm. A certain temperature must be maintained in it. This is achieved with the help of a thermal cord, a thermal stone, a thermal mat, or thanks to heating lamps - incandescent lamps, mirror lamps directed downwards.

A viviparous lizard at home needs a warm corner, in which the temperature should be up to 30 ° C during the day, and at least 20 ° C at night. In room conditions, night heating is optional. Install a snag, wooden shelf or stone slide under the lamp so that your pet can warm up well, choosing a more comfortable temperature for itself.

The terrarium must have a small drinking pond, lizards love to swim and do it with pleasure. Shelters can be built in any shape - these can be shelves, houses, rock slides, etc. It is better to use coarse sand, gravel, coconut substrate as soil. Once a day, the terrarium must be sprayed warm water. This will maintain the necessary moisture. You can keep lizards in a group.

Daily and seasonal rhythm

Daylight hours and the operation of daytime heating vary throughout the year. When the animal is active (autumn, spring, summer), it is 12 hours. For irradiation, it is more expedient to use erythemal lamps. The session is five minutes three times a day. You can carry out this procedure with household appliances (UVI) for 1 - 2 minutes during the week. When irradiated with any kind of devices, the animal must be in a dry area.

In winter, lizards need complete rest. Within three weeks, you should very slowly reduce the duration of heating and reduce daylight hours. When it reaches six hours, the heating is turned off, and the viviparous lizard does not receive food. Keeping in captivity involves placing it after a week in a ventilated, light-tight cage, which is filled with sawdust or squeezed sphagnum. During wintering, the temperature should be maintained at 8-10°C. We must not forget about humidity. It should be maintained by spraying the soil in the corner of the cage once a week. The duration of wintering is about two months. The lizards are taken out of this state in the same rhythm, gradually increasing the heat and light day. When the six-hour day is reached, the heating is turned on, and the animal begins to be fed.

Feeding

Under natural conditions, viviparous lizards feed on small invertebrates, sometimes they eat their young. In a terrarium, they are fed with flour worms, crickets, cockroaches, zofobas, and other insects. They willingly eat earthworms, small snails and newborn mice. Feeding is done at least once every two days, but you can feed daily. Fresh water in the drinker should be constantly.

Do not neglect the various mineral supplements that are given along with the feed - crushed eggshells, preparations with a high calcium content. You can periodically add "Borjomi" to the drinker - mineral water. Once a week, give your pet concentrated vitamin preparations.

reproduction

At the age of two years, viviparous lizards become sexually mature. Distinguish between ovoviviparous and oviparous species. In the Cantabrian mountains they lay their eggs. This happens twice a season. Incubation lasts approximately forty days at a temperature of about 18-20°C.

At other points, viviparous lizards give birth to babies in a mucous transparent egg shell, which the small lizards tear for thirty minutes.

After leaving wintering (at home), the lizards are irradiated and fed with regular food. But preparations containing vitamin E are added to it. This continues for 3 weeks. Then the lizards molt, and the males acquire a "marriage" color. After that, males and females are combined in one terrarium if they were separated.

Copulation lasts no more than five minutes. Pregnancy of the female lasts from 70 to 90 days. Usually born from 2 to 12 babies.

Lizards are amazing reptiles. Most species (and there are more than 3800 of them) are predators. Only a few belong to the so-called "vegetarians". Even though they are predators, more they pose no threat to humans. Moreover, they can even become a true friend. It is for this reason that people often keep them at home, in specially equipped aquariums. And in today's article, we would like to talk about what lizards eat at home, in wild nature and what they can't eat.

Diet of wild reptiles

Lizards living in the wild, independently get their own food. There are small and great views living on different continents, etc. But on average, their diet is the same:

1. They eat what they can find on the ground. Usually these are some kind of bugs, caterpillars or worms. Some species, the most agile, can catch insects such as flies, butterflies and dragonflies.
2. They work in the gardens. The fact is that they really like the Colorado beetles.
3. The spindles have different preferences. These are legless lizards that strongly resemble snakes. These reptiles love earthworms, slugs, snails, wood lice. They also prefer the larvae of various beetles.
4. Lizards, like all living organisms, need vitamins. They get them by eating greens and vegetation, like cats and dogs.
5. Naturally, they extract water on their own, from streams, puddles, rivers and lakes.

home diet

If you have a reptile at home, then you can spoil it with insects such as flies, grasshoppers, crickets or worms. To prevent these insects from running around the entire terrarium, you can first squeeze them slightly with tweezers.

They also love lizards and mealworms. Fishermen also call them bloodworms. Before serving such a delicacy in the terrarium, they are first crushed with tweezers.

Some lizards also eat beetles. But besides cockroaches, experienced lizard breeders do not advise giving any other beetles. The fact is that they have a very rough shell.

If the lizard is large, then it can be fed with rats (small), mice, etc. Also, you can give small fish or pieces of fish and eggs.

Greenery

What do lizards eat at home from greens? In general, they can be served with greens such as lettuce, parsley, dandelion, etc.

Also, the reptile will not refuse cabbage, broccoli, cucumber, potatoes (raw and very rare), etc.

From fruits, you can give apples, pears, grapes, oranges.

Diet of different types

The agile lizard in the wild feeds on small snakes, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, etc. At home, it can be fed with similar insects: grasshoppers, crickets, worms, flies, etc. Also, it is recommended to give her a mixture of carrots and pieces of meat.

Chameleons are most often fed cockroaches, flies and grasshoppers. To replenish vitamins in the body of a reptile, you need to give him a piece of banana, orange or other fruits. You can, of course, buy bioadditives, but it's expensive, and not as environmentally friendly as a piece of fresh fruit.

Geckos eat only live food: cockroaches, flies, grasshoppers, etc. Larger individuals do not mind eating mice or baby rats. Also, the diet can include quail eggs. The terrarium should always have water and bird stone powder. In the latter, the insects are constantly enveloped before being fed to the gecko. This is necessary to replenish calcium stores. Enveloping insects in powder is necessary daily, as well as giving dry vitamins. But liquid vitamins are given 1 time in 7 days.

It is very difficult to keep Moloch at home. All because of her selective diet. The lizard eats only ants and does not eat anything else. At one time, she can swallow up to 2500 pieces of insects. Naturally, keeping a molokha in a house is a very costly business.

Skinks can be fed the same insects as the above species. They do not mind eating crickets, flies, cockroaches. These reptiles are so indiscriminate that they even eat cat and dog food.

The iguana is a purely herbivorous reptile. But that doesn't make it simple. In the wild, she only eats leaves from trees. In captivity, it can be fed lettuce, spinach, and kale. Also, you can supplement the diet with carrots and legumes. Fruits are recommended to be given in small quantities.

Monitor lizards are the most unpretentious pets. These huge pangolins eat not only live mice and insects. They do not mind eating food with a "smell". In captivity, they are fed rats, mice, eggs, fish, cockroaches, and the list goes on.

What not to feed reptiles

In general, there are no restrictions in their diet. The only thing that needs to be observed is the "purity" of food. For example, you can’t feed them cockroaches that you caught in the stairwell. The fact is that they can be poisoned. The cockroach does not care, they are used to poisons, but it will cause irreparable harm to our pet.

It is also advisable to feed lizards with moving insects, as most species do not eat dead food.

Nuances

In order for a pet to live a long time, it is necessary to take good care of it. To do this, you need to follow a few tips:

1. You don't need to feed your pet right away in the morning. Usually lizards, after waking up, take a "bath" (wash themselves) and bask in the sun (the usual fluorescent lamp). Only then are they ready for breakfast.
2. The terrarium should be stable, moderate temperature. They can't stand heat or cold.
3. You can't feed them during the day.
4. At night, you need to turn off the light so that nothing interferes with them.
5. If the pet has lost its appetite, then most likely the reason is the need for reproduction.
6. In winter, you need to increase the amount of vitamins. Otherwise, many species simply hibernate.

We hope our article helped you find out what lizards eat in nature and at home.

Before you decide to start, you need to install a terrarium for her. This animal must have its own place in your house, otherwise it may get sick, injured, or simply run away. You can choose a terrarium for your pet of almost any shape, but its height should be 2 times longer than the body of the lizard.

The bottom must be covered with earth. It should be without any additives or fertilizers. Instead of earth, you can use sand or coconut flakes. Pieces of paper or shavings for rodents are also suitable. Alternatively, you can line the bottom of the terrarium with large pieces of bark. IN natural environment habitat lizard different trees, so you can put several branches in the animal's housing.

The maintenance of a lizard house implies the constant presence of two temperature zones in the terrarium. Cold should be warmed up to 30 degrees, and hot - up to 36. The temperature at night should not be below 21 degrees. It is possible to preheat the hot zone with a glass ceramic/infrared lamp or an incandescent lamp. A special mat, which you can get at the pet store, will keep the soil warm.

Pet lizards need constant bright lighting. Therefore, install an ultraviolet lamp for it. If you want to have several animals at the same time, you need to make sure that there are several heated areas in the terrarium.

Required condition keeping lizards - external sources of heat. Thermoregulation is vital for reptiles, since the optimal temperature range for them is up to 37 degrees near a heating source and up to 26 degrees in the shade. This applies equally to tropical species and lizards living in temperate climate(the ideal temperature for the latter is only a couple of degrees lower).

Lizards also need an additional source of ultraviolet light. Special UV lamps can be purchased at the pet store.

As for nutrition, herbivorous lizards rely on fruits and vegetables that are not treated with chemicals. If you purchased waxed apples, be sure to peel off the skin. Feed carnivorous lizards with finely chopped fish; sometimes you can add a little to the diet raw meat, cleared of bones and cartilage.

There are almost 6,000 varieties of lizards. Reptiles vary in habitat appearance and food preferences. Some lizards are predators, others are herbivores, the third category eats both plant and animal food. Basically, the diet of a reptile is affected by its size. How more lizard- the more obvious that it feeds exclusively on living brethren.

Plant foods in the diet of a common lizard

Herbivorous lizards eat various varieties of fruits, vegetables and berries. Reptiles that live near gardens, fruit and vegetable plantations willingly feast on carrots, cabbage, lettuce, apples and even strawberries.

Some species of lizards consider pollen and plant nectar to be their favorite food. However, if at the time of examining the flower they come across a small fly or, then it will be a good addition to dinner. Lizards that only eat plant food very few in nature. There are only a few varieties of such reptiles.

Sometimes there are lizards with two tails. This feature is not a genetic disorder. When a reptile's tail is damaged, a new one begins to grow at the site of the break.

Feeding predatory lizards

Predatory lizards mainly feed on animals. However, in the absence of suitable food, they do not refuse vegetation. Small lizards eat worms, many varieties of insects, and prey on vertebrates. More large reptiles attack small birds and eat their eggs. There are lizards that not only prey on amphibians, snakes and small mammals, but also prey on their smaller counterparts and even catch fish.

The largest lizards, such as monitor lizards, can eat carrion. Moreover, the type of animal does not matter to them. It could be a reptile or a bird.

It is widely believed that the most predatory lizards are monitor lizards. However, there is a variety of these reptiles, which is absolutely indifferent to hunting animals, and feeds exclusively on ants.

Lizards at home

The nutrition of the lizards contained in must be treated with great responsibility. Vegetables and fruits are the usual food for herbivorous reptiles. When choosing, preference should be given to clean plants that have grown away from the carriageways of the road and have not been treated with fertilizers or chemicals. Contaminated food will cause serious harm to the health of the reptile.

If it is a predator, then its main diet should be mice, rats, insects and their larvae, worms, snails and fish. Boiled meat is recommended to give very rarely, only as an exception, if there is no other food.

For normal development, lizards need vitamins. Reptiles are prepared with special food with the addition of powdered fortified mixtures. Herbivorous lizards are advised to give boiled rice, and insects and larvae are sprinkled with vitamin “seasonings” for predators.

It is worth noting that many rodents that are commercially available for feeding to lizards are given special vitamin injections. That is why such food not only satisfies the hunger of the reptile, but also enriches the body with the necessary amount nutrients.

Advice 6: How to catch a nimble lizard, what to feed it and where to settle it

The agile lizard (Lacerta agilis Linnaeus) lives almost everywhere in Russia. Keeping such an animal at home is quite difficult. But, since this reptile is very beautiful and interesting, some terrarium lovers prefer to put up with certain inconveniences. Catching a lizard nimble, if necessary, is easy, including on your own.

Many of us have pets at home. These are not always cats and dogs that have already become traditional. Very often there are quite exotic specimens, for example, lizards. Someone, having come to visit friends and saw this extraordinary creature, may want to have the exact same one at home. But he will immediately ask himself the question: “How to take care of her and, most importantly, What should I feed my lizard at home?».

In wildlife, a lizard can be found in fairly dry and warm places. The same conditions must be created for her at home by purchasing a terrarium, which should become the habitat of the reptile. At the bottom there should be earth without fertilizer, which can be replaced with sand, a special rug or coconut flakes.

• Now regarding nutrition. First you need to know what kind of lizard lives in your home: carnivorous, herbivorous or omnivorous.

For herbivorous lizards, you need to buy a variety of vegetables and fruits. Cabbage, apples, carrots, lettuce and other vegetables are suitable for these reptiles. Wash all foods thoroughly before feeding your lizard. Try to get vegetables, fruits and herbs on the table to the lizard only from ecologically clean areas. Plants and fruits grown near highways or treated with chemicals should not be fed to your pet. Periodically, you can feed this type of lizard with boiled rice or potatoes. Mix all vegetables and fruits thoroughly before placing in the terrarium. This will diversify the diet. Pay attention to how actively your pet eats a mixture of vegetables. Perhaps some vegetable will not be to the taste of the pet. Then this product will have to be abandoned.

If your lizard belongs to a carnivorous species, then insects will be suitable food for him.: crickets, grasshoppers, locusts and others. Your pet will not refuse snails, earthworms and fish. Mice and small rats are also suitable. But raw meat should be given to him extremely rarely, only in exceptional cases, if there is nothing else to feed him. In this case, it is recommended to completely clean the meat from the bones.

Whatever species your lizard is, you must provide it with a balanced diet. In addition, your pet simply needs a regular intake of vitamins and minerals. Herbivorous, in the vitamin-mineral complex, add to rice and fruits. Carnivorous - powdered vitamins and minerals can be mixed with insects. If you plan to feed a small rodent to your pet for dinner, then shortly before feeding the rodent, you can make a vitamin and mineral injection or introduce vitamins that are produced in a gelatin capsule. In order for the lizard to get the required amount of calcium, give it crushed eggshells.

• If your pet refuses to eat and begins to lose weight, urgently start force-feeding him every 3 days.

This general principles, allowing you to understand how to feed a lizard at home. But best of all, before you go for any particular species of lizard, try to find out more about its astronomical predilections, so as not to acquire a reptile that prefers one single product that is difficult to obtain in your city. In addition, it is useful to find out about the features of the life of this species in natural conditions. You may have to feed your carnivorous lizard small insects whole, and serve large ones in crushed form.

In any case, whichever species you choose, remember: "We are responsible for those we have tamed."

Lizards are one of the most common types of reptiles on earth. However, few people know what is included in the diet of lizards.

In this article, we will look at what lizards eat. Consider the diet of reptiles will be relatively small and large species of lizards.

The diet of small individuals

The most common on the planet small lizards belonging to the lizard family are real, mainly feed on insects. More large species can feed on small vertebrates. As a rule, such lizards hunt from behind shelters. It is worth saying that among the small species of lizards there are those that are not carnivorous. Such lizards prefer to eat fruits and berries.

Some individuals of small lizards, for example, the South Asian monitor lizard, feed on ants. To catch prey, the lizard uses its tongue, which is covered with a special sticky substance. More major representatives eat fish, turtles, frogs, crabs and other arthropods. Often lizards use poison for hunting, which may not be dangerous to humans, but can be fatal to other animals. Gila monster belongs to such lizards.

The diet of large lizards

Such large lizards as monitor lizards usually prey on large animals. Their diet may include animals of large cattle or deer, antelopes and gazelles. We emphasize that we are talking about especially large lizards, these include the so-called Komodo dragons. However, among the monitor lizards there are also smaller species that eat the eggs of other reptiles. For example, crocodiles. By the way, crocodiles themselves do not belong to the suborder of lizards.

What do pet lizards eat

The diet of domestic lizards as a whole does not differ from the diet of their wild counterparts. large lizards you can feed fish, small snakes, bird eggs, you can also give food of plant origin. In addition, many lizards can eat fruits and vegetables. The most common type of food for carnivorous lizards are insects, for example, earthworms, moths, beetles, flies, larvae of various types of insects.

As for small species of lizards, for example, gecko, agile lizard, yellowbell, green lizard, insects, various mixtures of vegetables and fruits, as well as plant foods are perfect for them.

When feeding lizards, it is necessary to take into account their wakefulness period. After all, the lizard is divided into two types, one of which is awake at night, and the other during the day.

Lizards should not be fed food that has been treated with chemicals. Some of the lizards may not eat for a long time, and it is important to know that in such cases it is necessary to apply force-feeding. Forced feeding is used in cases where, as a result of prolonged starvation, the lizards show bones at the base of the tail. Forced feeding lasts for two to three days. After that, the animal should start eating on its own. If this does not happen, force-feeding continues.