Copyright
2006 author and Reptiles Australia
(Full article available in Vol 1 no 6 and 2 no
1)
Basic Husbandry for Blue Tongues Pt. 2
Simon Watharow
Heating
Provision
of a thermal gradient is required for these lizards and
indeed most reptiles i.e. a hot spot that suits the
lizards temperature needs and leads down to a cooler
end. The balance is to find the overall good
temperature and the hot spot and keep the cool end as
cool as possible. In a small enclosure this may be
difficult as the entire box is largely too warm.
•
Coloured bulbs (Osram,
Phillips) 25 - 120 watt bayonet or Edison screw can be
suspended in one end of enclosure connected to a
thermostat.
•
Reflector globe (Day-Glo
Basking
Spots Heat-Glo
Infra
Red Basking Spots 40 -250 watt globe (white, red, blue
or green) usually screw in or sometimes batten fitted,
suspended
•
Porcelain heater globes Zoo
Med are specially designed to warm a given area; they
do not give off any light and are available in 5
different wattages to suit any application. 60w, 75w,
100w, 150w, 250w.
•
Mercury Vapour Bulb Oz
Bright /Aussie Sun (100 &160 watts)
Suitable
on dimmers in smaller enclosures or for use in large
tanks, Heat and Light bulbs are self ballasted Mercury
Vapour bulbs that produce UVB, UVA, Light and Heat and
are available in two flood style wattages.
•
Heat mats Microclimate
(178
x 305mm 8.5watts – 1119 x 305mm 63watts) can be
used indoors/ outdoors being splash proof water
resistant.
LIGHTING
Diurnal
lizards require UVB for vitamin D production and is
necessary for calcium absorption. Running daylight
style fluorescent tubes in indoor enclosures e.g.
Reptiglo, Reptistar etc, is essential. Often reptiles
will get lighting through windows of a room they are
housed in and while this provides light it does
not
provide
UVB.
Substrates.
θ
Paper:
Newspaper, butchers paper, absorbent towelling.
Convenient, allows large numbers of reptiles to be kept
clean.
θ
Cat Litter pellets
(Breeders Choice). Good smell reduction, clumps faces
for removal.
θ
Leaf litter,
(Naturalistic, allows shelter, good for dormancy).
θ
Palm peat,
peat moss, potting mix (Very good for use with colonies
allows natural filtration and if arranged and managed
correctly can be used for months at a time).
θ
Artificial grass mats (Good
for large lizards and allows more pleasant hygienic
looking enclosures with regular cleaning).
θ
Sand (Fine,
medium or coarse grain, red desert sand is very popular
for natural looking enclosures. However sand is a
troublesome substrate which when wet adheres to lizards
and often attaches to food.
Furnishings (Ensure
sturdy and prevent from collapsing).
θ Logs,
branches, foliage, tussock grass and leaf litter.
θ
Artificial
plants moss or rocks. (Provide great visual but ensure
Blue-tongued lizards do not ingest).
θ
Rocks
ie basalt, sandstone, granite , (Ensure safely secured
from collapsing).
θ
Roof
tiles.
θ
Slates
and bricks (Will assist in sloughing for lizards this
creates stimulation for the animals and aids in
digestion by heating the ventral surface of the
animal).
θ Moulded
fibreglass or resin landscaping. Repti Caves or
artificial dens (Great lightweight, easily cleaned and
provides comfort, security for lizards, can be
expensive).
Feeding
you blue-tongued lizards
Like
all reptiles, feeding should be done when animals have
reached their preferred body temperature(PBT). Allow
animals to be heated in the morning for a few hours
then offer food. Temperature should be maintained to
allow further digestion by lizards.
This group of lizards is predominantly omnivorous with
young lizards commonly fed more insects/plant based
foods. As they age increase their plant component in
diet intake. These lizards will forage on a wide and
varied range of food. While snails top the preference
for these lizards (watch their reactions when fed a
snail), fungi, flowers, leaves and stems of various
plants constitute a good proportion of their diet. Meat
is all too often fed to these lizards and is not
recommended as a consistent major part of their diet.
Meat should be a 10 –20 % mix with the other
components made of vegetables. Avoid fruits, in
particular banana,
as they are high in phosphorus and this will have an
effect on calcium balance. Remember that a balance of 2
parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus is desirable.
Blue-tongued lizards would rarely encounter wild
fruits.
Insects (Especially
for juvenile lizards): Crickets, cockroaches, maggots,
grasshoppers, stick insects, praying mantis, mealworms
(in small quantities), moths, beetles (in small
quantities).
Vegetables:
Spinach,
lettuce, mushrooms, shredded carrot, broccoli, peas,
corn,
Vegetation: Flowers
(especially yellow and white flowers), Dandelions,
Hibiscus, Clematitis
spp
berries/leaves, evening primrose, rose leaves and
flowers,
Mammals:
Use of pink mice/rats provides good source of fat,
protein (avoid overuse), small adult mice however
should not be a sole source of food.
Snails : It
may be unavoidable to harvest wild snails, practice
strict hygiene and house for two days to ensure
collected snails are not baited.
Egg: Boiled
mixed with other food types or as fresh slurry.
Tofu
: An
excellent protein additive
Pet Food:
Use only in small amounts no more than 10-20% of total,
canned/dry dog food, cat food non-fish
types.
Supplements
Calcium
supplements should be phosphorus free but have Vitamin
D3 e.g. Rep
cal Calcium with Vit.D.
Multi vitamin supplements like Rep
cal Herptivite or
similar products should not contain added Vitamin A as
this can lead to Vitamin A toxicity. Supplements can be
dusted on prey items like crickets, cockroaches and
mealworms then fed off. Other supplements such
as Muttonbird
oil may
be used in animals with dramatic weight loss or with a
reduced body condition ( 5 ml to 1ml per kg body
weight) This oil is high in saturated fats and promotes
rapid growth and stimulates fat storage. Not to be used
as a continuously on animals.
Water
Water
should be provided daily for most lizards in non
spilling bowls. It is often restricted to once to twice
weekly in Centralian and Western blue-tongued lizards
to reduce any humidity within the enclosure. Body fluid
can be maintained if diet consists of fresh vegetables,
which contain a large portion of moisture. When lizards
are sloughing water dish should be left in and animals
misted.
Juveniles should be watered more frequently and care
taken to observe all lizards get access to the
water.
Western Blue Tongue (Victorian Mallee form). Photo: Simon Watharow.
Blotched Blue Tongue. Simon Watharow
Captive Centralian Blue Tongue feeding on snails.