How to Breed a Collared Lizard

The collared lizard, also known as the crevice lizard, is native throughout the central U.S. and Central America. Growing 6 to 12 inches in length, these lizards thrive in both desert and forest environments. Collared lizards are colorful, active creatures that can live up to 10 years as pets. If you plan on owning a collared lizard, understand that they should live in 20-gallon or larger aquariums, or vivariums. Your vivarium should have fluorescent lighting and an incandescent bulb for heat. For people who are moderately accustomed to handling these animals, collared lizards are considered relatively easy to breed.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 vivarium (1 vivarium set up with sand, mulch or orchard bark and another Vivarium without sand)
  • Water bowl
  • Food
  • Fluorescent lighting
  • incandescent bulb
  • miniature rocks or caves
  • damp sand
  • Ice cream tub
  • Vermiculite
  • Shoe box
  • Thermometer
  • Insects with calcium dust
  • Male and female collared lizards
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Instructions

    • 1

      Collared lizards need to hibernate for at least month before they're ready to mate. Stop feeding the male and female two weeks prior to hibernation. Turn down the incandescent heat in your aquarium and find a place where temperatures are between 40 and 55 degrees. If you can't reach those temperatures in a room or outdoors, collared lizards can be placed in a refrigerator. Place them in a shoe box with damp sand and a small bowl of water to keep them hydrated. Monitor the temperature every day until their hibernation is complete, which takes about 1 month.

    • 2

      Warm them up slowly. On the first day, keep them at room temperature in their vivarium. Normally, collared lizards should be kept at around 90 degrees during the day, so heat their aquariums up to those temperatures.

    • 3

      Feed them insects with calcium dust. This will help the female with egg development.

    • 4

      Watch the male lizard perform its mating dance. This should happen naturally in the vivarium. The male will bob his head and make other movements with his hindquarters. Mating should occur after the male gyrates.

    • 5

      Build a lay box. Females seek safe places to lay their eggs. Cut out a hole from a shoe box or ice cream tub and place sand and vermiculite 3 inches high.

    • 6

      Watch for the eggs. Gestation takes between 21 and 28 days.

    • 7

      Place eggs in incubator. An incubator can be made from a shoe box or open tub. Cut a quarter-size hole from a shoebox and fill it with moist vermiculite. Open tubs work as well, but make sure the incubator is in a location that stays between the high 70s and low 90s.

    • 8

      Wait for eggs to hatch. Don't disturb the incubator. Collard lizard eggs will take a minimum of 45 days to hatch. Once they've begun to emerge from their eggs, do not disturb them. Collard lizards will slowly emerge.

    • 9

      Move the babies into their own vivarium that doesn't have sand. After a few days feed them small crickets -- no larger than the area between their eyes.