Size- 4-7 inches
Lifespan- 5-8 years
Curly Tail Lizards are a group containing about 20 species, native to Peru, the Caribbean, and Cuba. The name comes from the rapidly twitching tail. The tail is used for fighting and threatening other Curly Tails by lashing it around furiously. It's tail is also used to distract predators during an attack. The lizard will frantically twitch its tail to focus the attacker's attention on the tail. Don't handle this animal by the tail because the tail can come un attached from the lizard and it will never grow back to it?s original beauty. Curly Tails make great starter lizards. They are relatively calm for lizards of this size. The body is robust with some species being very colorful. Some species may have a small dorsal crest. Curly Tails are diurnal lizards which can be found anywhere from sandy beaches to open forests or rocky deserts. They are ground dwellers, but can be found climbing among rocks and low branches.
Purchasing
When picking out a lizard, it should be very alert, when the cage is opened, it should run and hide, or at least look to see what is happening. Look for a healthy looking lizard, it should not look dehydrated, or be missing any parts of its body. Its cage should clean and not over crowded.
Housing
A standard 10+ gallon aquarium with a tight fitting lid. A good rule for housing smaller lizards, is for every three animals there should be at least 10 gallons. You will often see small plastic containers with colorful lids. These are not suitable for housing any number of lizards and should not be used under any circumstances. There should be a lot of hiding spots and basking places. Never house two males together in anything less than a 50 gallon tank, AND there should be three females for each male.
Setup
Plants serve many purposes in an enclosure. They can help keep the humidity up, help the animals hide from other animals and people, and make the enclosure a lot more appealing to the human eye. Also make sure that there is good ventilation, this will help promote the health of the lizard. The best way to supply your enclosure with fresh air is to construct or purchase a tight fitting screen for the top of the enclosure.
Bedding
You can very easily simulate the ground of the forest or desert floor by mixing Moss, pine shavings, sand, and bark Calci-sand and walnut shavings should never be used because it is deadly to the lizard. I use Carpet, it is easy to clean, harmless to the lizard and it looks good, all you need to do is get two pieces of carpet the size of the bottom of the cage and switch one while you clean the other.
Heating and Lighting
Temperature is very important to a reptile because they can not produce heat themselves and it helps with digestion. There should be a warmer side and a cooler side so that the reptile can regulate it?s body temperature. The warmer side of the tank should be between 80-85°F with a basking area of around 88°F. The cooler end of the enclosure should be around 10-15°F cooler and at night the temperature should not fall below 60°F. Temperatures can be easily achieved by a 60 watt light bulb in a 20 gallon cage. Be careful that the temperature does not get to hot because it could cook the lizard, one way to tell if the lizard is over heated, is a lizard will generally sit with its mouth open for long periods of time, this is the only way they can release heat, try to adjust the temperature to cool it down some. Heat rocks are not recommended because they can burn the lizards belly, because lizards can only sense an over all temperature, and not a regional temperature. They also need a source of UV light, to help them produce vitamin D, it also helps to bring out their colors. This type of lighting can be bought at most pet stores. Make sure that there is no plastic or glass in the way of the light, because this will filter out the UV rays. Lights should be on between 12 to 14 hours per day and off at night, if they are not turned off at night it can disrupt their sleep, causing stress to your lizard. Always use a thermometer and humidity gauge in all reptile enclosures. All reptiles need a day/night cycle, a plug in timer works the best to keep the lengths of day and night consistent. Infrared night-light can be used to maintain proper temperatures at night.
Feeding
The diet is the most important part of the care of any animal, because different animals, and different species may require different types of food to maintain proper health. Curly Tail lizards can handle eating medium to large crickets. They will also eat small amounts vegetables and fruit, or lick fruit flavored baby food from shallow dish. Meal worms also make great treats for any reptile. You should dust the food lightly with a vitamin supplement made for reptiles every other feeding, to make up for any deficiencies in their diet..
Watering
You should provide a shallow bowl for them to drink from and also mist the enclosure daily. Humidity should be maintained around 30%. Live plants not only make the enclosure look better, but they also help with the humidity.
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