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Jeweled Lacerta Care Sheet |
| Lacerta lepida |
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The attractive jeweled lacerta (Lacerta
lepida) attains sizes of up to 2 feet long. Also
called an eyed lacerta, its green body color is
accentuated with blue dots along the lizard’s
sides. An adult male jeweled lacerta can weigh
well over 100 grams. Males are larger than
females (weighing an average of 120-plus grams
and females weighing from 50 to 100 grams), have
a more powerful jaw structure, a larger tail
base and more prominent femoral pores. |
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 Found in Portugal, Spain,
southern France and Italy, jeweled lacertas live
in a variety of habitats, including sunny dry
areas, shady regions and near streams. According
to Bert Langerwerf, the limiting factor as to
where jeweled lacertas are found is not the low
temperatures of winter but rather the length of
summer. This is due to their long egg-incubation
period. |
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Ideal Cage Qualities - The
hatchling jeweled lacertas are kept in small
groups of three or four in a low, 20-gallon
terrarium. Cage substrate is a coconut coir and
sand mixture. We provide an incandescent light
in a hood on one end and a UVB fluorescent
fixture on the other end. These animals do not
need to be kept as hot as desert lizards. High
temperatures in the mid-90s (degrees Fahrenheit)
are adequate. Depending on the season, our
ambient temperature can range between 60 to 80
degrees. Several options for cover are provided
throughout the cage, allowing the animals to
achieve different temperatures over the course
of the day and still remain hidden. |
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| Larger jeweled lacertas are
maintained in either the small or the medium 40
gallon Breeder display cage. The cage is set up
in a similar fashion to the neonate cage, only
on a larger basis. A moist spot in the cage is a
must to prevent shedding problems. |
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Thermal Requirements - Jeweled lacertas spend a lot of time basking in the sun
or under an basking light. They need these warm
temperatures for proper digestion, growth and
other metabolic processes. Because of this need,
it is important to provide your pet with proper
light and heat exposure. In an indoor enclosure,
that translates to using an basking light that
allows the lizard to heat its body up into the
range of 85 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Equally
important is to allow the lizards to escape
temperatures that are too hot. This is
accomplished by using a large cage; heat one
side of the cage with the light bulb and allow
the other side of the cage to remain cool.
Temperature in the cool end should be between 78
and 83 degrees. |
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| Indoor jeweled lacertas must
also be maintained with a UVB light source, 5.0
percent UVB or a mercury vapor bulb. The
advantage to using a Zoo Med Powersun mercury
vapor bulb is that these bulbs provide both heat
and UVB wavelengths of light. |
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Feed Well - Feed daily.Jeweled
lacertas have a wide range of food items that
they greedily accept in captivity. Our group has
fed on crickets, super mealworms, silkworms,
hornworms, several cockroach species and even
the occasional fruit and even yogurt. The
jeweled lacertas become so eager to feed that
they will often run into the feeding cup to grab
crickets or mealworms.Have a large clean water
bowl available at all times. |
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| Along with using our UVB bulbs,
jeweled lacertas we will supplement the crickets
and mealworms with a vitamin and mineral
supplement containing calcium and vitamin D3 at
every feeding. This is to ensure that the
animals do not develop nutritional secondary
hyperparathyroidism (formerly metabolic bone
disease). |
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| With their bright coloration
and complex habits, jeweled lacertas make
fascinating pets. Especially if maintained
indoors, these animals can quickly become tame,
readily accepting food items from their keeper’s
hands. Jeweled lacertas truly are a beautiful
addition to any terrarium. |
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