Lizard Husbandry Requirements

Important husbandry requirements for some lizards

For information on how to house a lizard, see Lizard Housing.

For information on lizard diets, see Lizard Diet.

Species/ Habitat (vivarium)	POTZ	Humidity	Lighting	Diet
Bearded dragon (Pogona spp.)/ Terrestrial, desert	25-30	20-30	UV-broad spectrum	I,c,h
Green anole (Anolis carolinensis)/ Arboreal, rainforest	23-29	70-80	UV-broad spectrum	I,c
Green iguana (Iguana iguana)/ Arboreal, rainforest	30-35	60-80	UV-broad spectrum	H,i,c
Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularis)/ Terrestrial, desert	25-30	20-30	No specific requirements	I,c
Plumed basilisk (Basiliscus plumiformis)/ Arboreal, rainforest	25-30	70-80	UV-broad spectrum	I,c,h
Water dragon (Physignathus lesueri)/ Arboreal (semi-aquatic) rainforest	25-30	80-90	UV-broad spectrum	I,h

Note: temperatures shown are ideal ambient daytime temperatures (POTZ). These should be allowed to fall by approximately 5°C during the night and hot spots may be 5°C higher.

• I - Insectivorous
• H - Herbivorous
• C - Carnivorous

Upper case letters indicate majority, lower case letters indicate minority

Literature Search

Use these links to find recent scientific publications via CAB Abstracts (log in required unless accessing from a subscribing organisation).


The three big reptile diseases: husbandry, husbandry and husbandry...! Paré, J. A.; The North American Veterinary Conference, Gainesville, USA, Small animal and exotics. Proceedings of the North American Veterinary Conference, Volume 21, Orlando, Florida, USA, 2007, 2007, pp 1603-1604 - Full Text Article