Q&A for How to Care for a Texas Spiny Lizard

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How often should a 2-3" Texas spiny lizard eat in a day or a week?

Community Answer

Your Texas spiny lizard should be fed a diet of insects every day.

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Question

How can I tell the gender of a Texas spiny lizard? Any specific markings?

Community Answer

A female has a V slit for the rectum. A male will have a straight line for the rectum. The males are sometimes bigger and darker, too.

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Question

How big do they grow

Community Answer

Adult Texas spiny lizards reach bewteen 7.5" and 12".

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Question

Do Texas spiny lizards eat lady bugs?

Community Answer

No! Lady bugs are toxic to the lizards and they could get very sick or even die from eating them.

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Question

How often do Texas spiny lizards drink or need to drink water?

Community Answer

Texas Spiny Lizards get their water from their food although you can put a small water dish in their cage if necessary.

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Question

Do they eat honey bees? We have a lizard hanging out on our bee hive.

Community Answer

They will eat honeybees, and they will probably not survive after doing so.

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Question

can I feed my baby lizard fruit flies?

Community Answer

Baby Texas spiny lizards should eat the same diet as adult Texas spiny lizards. Texas spiny lizards eat giant mealworms, crickets, waxworms, regular mealworms, silkworms, and non-noxious caterpillars. Try to purchase baby insects so that your baby lizard will be able to swallow its food.

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Question

Can I feed a wild caught lizard store bought cricket with dusted calcium?

Community Answer

Yes. Store bought crickets are safe to feed to wild caught lizards.

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Question

Will my Texas Spiny Lizard eat my Mediterranean Lizard?

Community Answer

Don't put them together. They will most likely ignore each other, but there could be trouble and it is safer not to risk it.

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Question

Can an adult female and a different baby spiny get along or will the adult will eat it

Community Answer

Lizards like to eat a diet of insects, so the adult female will not eat the other baby spiny.

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Question

Will they eat dead crickets?

Community Answer

No. Dead crickets are usually devoid of any of the nutrients that live ones have. Many lizards also will not see something as food unless it is moving.

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Question

Can I feed a spiny lizard roly-polys?

Community Answer

No, their shells are too tough. Feed your spiny lizard crickets or mealworms.

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Question

Can I give a Texas spiny lizard any bugs to eat?

Community Answer

Yes, feed them crickets or mealworms. Remember to dust the prey with calcium D3 powder once or twice a week.

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Question

Can I put it in a bucket?

Community Answer

No matter the kind of pet, I wouldn't recommend keeping any animal in a bucket. They need space to roam around and bask. For reptiles, it's always better to just purchase an aquarium/tank or make one yourself. Keeping an animal in a bucket is cruel.

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Question

How long do they survive in the cold?

Star Splash

Community Answer

Texas Spiny Lizards should not be left in cold. They should have UVB lights.

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Question

Can I hold the lizard once he is tame?

Community Answer

It is not recommended, as Texas spiny lizards don’t like to be picked up. Just wear thick rubber gloves to be safe if you do decide to pick him up.

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Question

I purchased 50 crickets. How do I only get a few out of the bag at once?

Star Splash

Community Answer

You should get a cricket keeper and have the crickets live in there. Then, use a small container to fish some crickets out and add calcium powder to them before feeding your lizards.

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Question

Where do I get lizard food?

Community Answer

You can buy live crickets at any local pet store or at various websites online. It depends on what's most convenient for you.

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Question

Will they eat less when they are shedding?

Community Answer

No, they will not eat less when shedding. Try to feed them the same amount as usual and take note of what happens.

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Question

Could I keep this with other types of lizards, like anoles?

Community Answer

Yes. Just watch them for aggression, and if that occurs, separate them.

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Question

Are spinys the same as the fence lizard?

Community Answer

Yes! The Texas spiny lizard and the fence lizard are one and the same.

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Question

How big do their cages have to be?

Community Answer

Each Texas spiny lizard should be in a 20-gallon tank.

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Question

I have a heating pad. Do they still need light?

Community Answer

Yes, they still need light, not only heat.

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Question

Can Texas spiny lizards eat roaches?

Star Splash

Community Answer

If you buy them, then roaches are fine, but don't feed them insects you find in the wild.

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Question

Can I still feed insects to my Texas spiny lizard without calcium D3 powder?

ScottsTots

Community Answer

Yes, but the calcium D3 powder is extremely efficient in providing nutrients to your lizard. I highly recommend it so that your spiny lizard has a healthy life.

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Question

Can i put sand in the tank?

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Community Answer

I wouldn't, as sand can cause impaction for ingestion which could kill the lizard. You should use reptile carpet instead.

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Question

Can they eat dead cockroaches?

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Community Answer

You should not feed them dead things, only feed them live bugs. Live bugs will look more appetizing to the lizard. Make sure you buy all the bugs you feed to your lizard from the pet store or online, never feed your lizard wild-caught bugs.

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Question

Can I keep them with an adult Texas ground skink?

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Community Answer

You should never keep different species of animals together. They could fight and ultimately kill one another.

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Question

What do I do if my baby lizard won’t try to catch his crickets?

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Community Answer

You can try force-feeding him with forceps or tweezers. You could also try putting him in a separate container with his food so there are no distractions.

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Question

Could my baby Texas spiny lizard be too small to eat or hunt his crickets? If so, what could I do?

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Community Answer

That could be so. There is a smaller option called pinhead crickets, but they are as small as an ant. You could also look for smaller, younger crickets, or cut up the big crickets.

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