Documentary update - due to the CapCut bans, the documentary about Lake Tahoe was delayed until this week. We've found a way to hack this, and we now have access to CapCut. The Documentary will be available next week.
As you know, the CCAG is known for keeping crabs, anemones, slugs etc. and other types of invertebrates Above is a wild Southern Alligator Lizard I found in the chaparral forests of Santa Cruz. We have now been keeping one of these native lizards, along with several brightly colored Ensatinas.
The ensatinas (wild one from Marin above) are in the newly built redwood habitat, along with our Banana slugs (below, captive).
Our juvenile male Southern Alligator lizard Alex has been living in this redwood habitat for a few months now. The tank is the right size, but the biome is not. The alligator lizards prefer hot, dry desertlike climates although they can survive in colder, coastal areas and even urban areas. They can tolerate frost down to an extent, because they are actually partially warm blooded. However he needs a new aquarium and I think it's time.
I did a bit of research on how to keep these sorts of lizards, and I found that it was quite simple. I would make a desert/chaparral habitat for him, with live plants and other inverts. He would need a UVB lighting system (for vitamin D) and a heat gradient (a hot side for basking and a cooler side for chilling). These lizards like hiding and climbing structures, so finding some wood pieces from nature would also seem fit.
Alex is small, about 6 inches; his tail making up most of his length. The tank size we are thinking about is 50 gallons, which would be good when he grows up. We will need to buy the materials next week, when it will assembled too.
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