Re: Leopard Lizard

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Posted by Dino on January 15, 1999 at 16:17:49:

In Reply to: Leopard Lizard posted by Chris Miller on January 14, 1999 at 22:52:19:

: Hi all,

: I just recieved a CB leopard lizard, Gambelia wizlenii from the widow of my animal behavior professor. In all of the funeral arrangements, the lizard was kind of forgotten, and was hungry and thirsty when I recieved it, but I nursed it back to health. The other day when I was feeding it a moth it grabbed ahold of its tail and took off an inch and a half. Within 15 minutes it had scabbed over, but there is still a bit of bone hanging out, I have been treating it with a topical antibiotic and increased calcium to help healing along with some vitamin E. I basically have three questions with regards to this lizard, which I know is no longer a part of Iguanidae but this is the only place that I can think of to ask.

: 1. Will the tail regenerate, at least enough to cover the bone?

: 2. I noticed that in the morning the lizard gets a white chrystaline powder in its nostrils. What is this, and does it require a vets attention?

: 3. How do you sex these lizards when not in the breeding season?

: Thanks for any replies and info,
: Chris Miller and Grover (named for my professor)

Chris,
Greetings.I have not really dealt with Leopard Lizards in more than ten years.As a matter of fact,I was even totally unaware of them being reclassified.They are superb animals,and I must admit that I have only had dealings with WC specimens.But prompting my memory,I cannot ever recall collecting any animals that had a regenerated tail.I don't recall ever collecting an animal that had any damage to their tails.Anyhows,I don't know how much help I can be in answering your questions,but I will try to take some guesses.
1)I would guess the tail will regenerate.Iguanas,to which these animals(or so I thought)have much in common,can regenerate their tails,though the regenerated version is always lackluster in comparison to the original.
2)Again guessing,I would say that the chrytaline substance to which you refer is again similiar to the substance that Iguanas expel through their nostrils,which is their way of ridding their bodies of excess potassium,sodium and chloride.Many Iguana owners will notice an increase in "sneezing" when their Iguanas have fed on too high levels of these solutions,indicating a possible diet re-evaluation.
3)My third answer is not so much a guess as the others.I would suggest probing your animal.Probing,if you are inexperienced,should be done by either your vet,or an experienced herper that you think you can trust to perform the action.I say trust because,though many know the schematics of probing,a less than gentle hand can disrupt many things inside the animal.You may also seek some pictures out,and/or see if you can find some documentation on these animals having any femoral pores(like Iguanas) or color traits that could clue you in to it's sex as well.

Hope some of this helps,maybe it can at least get you going in the right direction.Let us know how things turn out.Good luck with all.

Dino

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: : Hi all, : : I just recieved a CB leopard lizard, Gambelia wizlenii from the widow of my animal behavior professor. In all of the funeral arrangements, the lizard was kind of forgotten, and was hungry and thirsty when I recieved it, but I nursed it back to health. The other day when I was feeding it a moth it grabbed ahold of its tail and took off an inch and a half. Within 15 minutes it had scabbed over, but there is still a bit of bone hanging out, I have been treating it with a topical antibiotic and increased calcium to help healing along with some vitamin E. I basically have three questions with regards to this lizard, which I know is no longer a part of Iguanidae but this is the only place that I can think of to ask. : : 1. Will the tail regenerate, at least enough to cover the bone? : : 2. I noticed that in the morning the lizard gets a white chrystaline powder in its nostrils. What is this, and does it require a vets attention? : : 3. How do you sex these lizards when not in the breeding season? : : Thanks for any replies and info, : : Chris Miller and Grover (named for my professor) : Chris, : Greetings.I have not really dealt with Leopard Lizards in more than ten years.As a matter of fact,I was even totally unaware of them being reclassified.They are superb animals,and I must admit that I have only had dealings with WC specimens.But prompting my memory,I cannot ever recall collecting any animals that had a regenerated tail.I don't recall ever collecting an animal that had any damage to their tails.Anyhows,I don't know how much help I can be in answering your questions,but I will try to take some guesses. : 1)I would guess the tail will regenerate.Iguanas,to which these animals(or so I thought)have much in common,can regenerate their tails,though the regenerated version is always lackluster in comparison to the original. : 2)Again guessing,I would say that the chrytaline substance to which you refer is again similiar to the substance that Iguanas expel through their nostrils,which is their way of ridding their bodies of excess potassium,sodium and chloride.Many Iguana owners will notice an increase in "sneezing" when their Iguanas have fed on too high levels of these solutions,indicating a possible diet re-evaluation. : 3)My third answer is not so much a guess as the others.I would suggest probing your animal.Probing,if you are inexperienced,should be done by either your vet,or an experienced herper that you think you can trust to perform the action.I say trust because,though many know the schematics of probing,a less than gentle hand can disrupt many things inside the animal.You may also seek some pictures out,and/or see if you can find some documentation on these animals having any femoral pores(like Iguanas) or color traits that could clue you in to it's sex as well. : Hope some of this helps,maybe it can at least get you going in the right direction.Let us know how things turn out.Good luck with all. : <li>Dino

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