Today we started building what is going to be our lizard habitat for Alex the alligator lizard. The tank is designed after California's High Desert/Chaparral biome, which is present throughout most of California, especially the Sierra Nevada foothills, the Mojave Desert, and Joshua Tree National Preserve.
Chaparral habitats are most often often slopes, with most of the plant life consisting of n low-to-the-ground evergreen plants such as prickly pear (Opuntia species, see above), sagebrush, creosote bush and many more. The climates are often high and dry - kind of like a desert, but still within proximity of the coast to absorb some moisture. These habitats are often exposed to high amounts of UV rays through the entire year - which serve of some of the best basking conditions for many lizards. In fact, most of California's 70+ native lizard species are clustered around the Mojave Desert. Most chaparral habitats occur in Southern California, although coastal chaparral occurs throughout most of the California coast, into Oregon and Washington.
You may be thinking this sounds familiar. Our Hawaiian Plant habitat used to be a desert called the TMAD, until we converted it into what it is today last year. The cacti are living in our planters, although we have selected a few to plant in the lizard habitat.
We have finished planting the cacti and major landscaping, although a few plants and rocks need to be added. Lizards need to be kept on a temperature gradient, where one side of the tank is cool and one is hot. Typically, the hot side is about 100ºF while the cool side is 75ºF. However, since alligator lizards are sensitive to temperature, the hot side will be about 85ºF and the low side 70ºF. A heater will be used to make this temperature gradient, with an additional lamp that supplies vitamin D to the lizard.
Are there any other animals that will live with the lizard?
Eleodes are desert stink beetles that are native to the Pacific states and Arizona. They are mostly found in desert areas but some species are found near the coast. These darkling beetles are 1 inch long and emit a unique scent that is not dangerous, but deters predators. Our lizard is too small to eat the beetles, so that shouldn't be much of a problem.
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