Jeweled Lacerta Care Page

Reptiles aren’t like dogs and cats that can simply roam around your house. They are very sensitive to their environment, and need their own enclosure set up according to their specific needs. This guide covers everything you will need to care for your pet jeweled lacerta properly.

Jeweled lacertas should be housed in an enclosure that is no smaller than 4’L x 2’W x 2’H. This is the recommended minimum, calculated according to the reptile’s average length and activity patterns.

However, if you can provide an enclosure with more vertical and floor space, do it! Housing your lacerta in a larger enclosure with more climbing opportunities will encourage it to be more active and demonstrate more natural behaviors.

Lacertas are extremely active and love to explore, so bigger is better. Even babies can be housed in an adult-sized enclosure as long as they have lots of hiding places to help them feel secure.

Zen Habitats 4’x2’x2’

Kages 5’x2’x2’

Kages 4’x2’x3’

Lacertas can also be kept in outdoor enclosures for part of the year if the local climate and weather is safe for the species. Size and husbandry requirements are the same, but outdoor enclosures must prevent the lacerta from escaping and prevent predators from entering. Every side of the enclosure, including the bottom, needs to be covered in wire mesh. The bottom frame of the enclosure should extend at least six inches underground to prevent the lacerta from digging out. Make sure to include an area in the enclosure that is fully sheltered from the elements.

Substrate is the material that you use to cover the floor of the enclosure. Jeweled lacertas are active burrowers, so they require at least 4-6” of loose substrate.

The best substrate for lacertas is a DIY mix of roughly 40% untreated topsoil + 40% sand + 20% excavator clay. Topsoil must not contain any fertilizers, manure, or perlite/vermiculite - read the ingredients! Mix well, soak until muddy, then pack it firmly at the bottom of the enclosure. Make sure it is 100% dry before introducing the lacerta to the setup.

You can also use a pre-packaged substrate, though this can be more costly. Depending on the brand, you may still need to add some topsoil (if too dusty) or sand (if too muddy) to reach desired consistency. Here are some recommended commercial substrates appropriate for lacertas:

JF BioBedding Desert

The BioDude Terra Sahara

Lugarti Natural Reptile Bedding

All of these substrates can easily support a bioactive setup for your jeweled lacerta. While traditional housing depends on the keeper for maintenance, bioactive setups are more or less self-sustaining, miniature ecosystems.

What makes this work is the “cleanup crew,” or bugs. They clean up uneaten food, plant matter, and fecal remains, making bioactive substrates incredibly low maintenance. All you need to do is wipe off the glass and remove large pieces of waste.

Springtails and isopods (wood lice) make a good starter cleanup crew, along with some leaf litter scattered across the surface of the substrate.

Reptiles are much more intelligent than we humans tend to give them credit for, and that means they need things to entertain them. Otherwise they exist in a state of perpetual boredom, which makes them dull, inactive, and overall less interesting as pets. When reptiles have objects to interact with in their enclosure, they become less stressed and more engaged with their environment. This practice is called environmental enrichment.

It’s important to choose enrichment items (a.k.a. enclosure decor) that are appropriate to your pet’s natural behaviors. Jeweled lacertas are natural burrowers and semi-arboreal, so a deep layer of substrate, plenty of hides, and sturdy climbing objects are essential for this species. Here are some other objects that serve a vital function in a lacerta terrarium:

UVB is important for enabling vitamin D3 synthesis, strengthening the immune system, and encouraging proper organ function. It also stimulates the production of serotonin, a feel-good hormone. When lacertas don’t get UVB, they can become D3 deficient, which leads to Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). UVB can’t just be replaced with a vitamin D3 supplement for jeweled lacertas!

UVA is important for allowing full-color vision, because jeweled lacertas can see UVA wavelengths (humans can’t!). It is suspected to play a role in mental health and appetite.

The 6500K daylight lamp provides extra illumination at a color temperature that is similar to sunlight. As diurnal reptiles, jeweled lacertas are highly stimulated by having a well-lit environment during the day. Bright daytime lighting is likely to encourage more activity, better appetite, and better mental health.

Infrared radiation (i.e. heat) is important for reptiles' thermoregulation. As ectotherms, they rely on the heat of the sun to warm their bodies and stimulate their metabolism, digest their food, and stay alert and active. The shorter the wavelength, the deeper it can penetrate their muscle tissue. In captivity, we can provide this with specific heat bulbs that emit the most beneficial infrared wavelengths (IR-A and IR-B).

All light and heat should be kept on a regular schedule using outlet timers or done manually. This allows for a predictable day/night cycle which the lizard can follow, allowing for natural hormonal rhythms and good mental health. We recommend the following schedule for jeweled lacertas, based on their natural environment:

As diurnal reptiles, jeweled lacertas need plenty of UVB in order to stay healthy. A 10-12% UVB output T5 lamp is best. We recommend an Arcadia or Zoo Med brand linear fluorescent tube, as these brands produce the best and most reliable UVB lamps on the market

The lamp should be roughly half the length of the enclosure in order to create an appropriate UV gradient, and placed on the same side as the heat lamps. So if you have a 48” long enclosure, you will need a 22” T5 HO UVB bulb.

Best UV bulbs for jeweled lacertas:

Zoo Med ReptiSun T5 HO 10.0

Arcadia Desert 12%

Distance and Mesh
The strength of the UVB lamp’s output varies according to distance from the bulb - stronger when closer, and weaker when further away. If you are using a Solarmeter 6.5 to measure your UVB lamp’s output, the UVI (UV Index) reading should be between 4.0-6.0 on the basking platform, and down to 0 on the cool side.

If you don't have a Solarmeter, here is an estimate of how far away your basking platform should be, based on which bulb you are using and whether the lamp is mounted above or below mesh:

Fixture
To optimize your UVB bulb’s performance, you will need a high-quality reflective T5 HO fixture. Some lamps come in kits that already include a fixture, such as the Arcadia ProT5 kit. Otherwise, Zoo Med and Vivarium Electronics make various fixtures for T5 bulbs.

Josh's Frogs 24” T5 Fixture

(for 22” bulbs)

Zoo Med T5 HO Terrarium Hood

Vivarium Electronics T5 HO Fixture

T5 bulbs last 12 months before requiring replacement, as their UVB output decays over time. Off-brand UVB bulbs are likely to have shorter lifespans and unreliable output. Avoid “compact” and coil UVB bulbs, as these cannot properly distribute a UV gradient across the enclosure.

It takes a lot to light a large enclosure, UVB and heat bulbs aren't going to be enough to provide the bright light that a diurnal reptile needs for simulating natural sunlight. The brightest reptile light fixture currently on the market is the Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar, which emits 6500K color temperature, filling out the light spectrum and supporting plant growth. They’re expensive, but the sheer output of bright, beautifully white light makes them worth the investment. We highly recommend installing one in your lacerta's enclosure, or one of our other recommended ~6500K daylight lamps:

Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar

Josh's Frogs Green Gro LED Light Fixture

Sunblaster 24" 6400K T5 Kit

Jeweled lacertas need access to a variety of temperatures within a certain range in order to properly regulate their metabolism:

1. Basking surface — 100-120°F
2. Cool side — 70-80°F
3. Nighttime — 65-75°F (Night temps can drop as low as 40°F, but should not go above 80°F)

All heat lamps should be turned off at night and kept on a regular day/night cycle that matches the same schedule as the UVB and daylight lamps, allowing for a natural temperature drop and a healthy circadian rhythm.

To track the temperatures in your jeweled lacerta's enclosure, you will need a good thermometer. Temp gun-style infrared thermometers are useful for measuring surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure. However, digital probe thermometers are useful for being able to track local air temperatures at a glance. It's best to have at least 2 thermometers to measure temps on each end of the heat gradient. Here are some devices we recommend for measuring temperatures:

Zoo Med Digital Thermo & Humidity Gauge

Etekcity Lasergrip 774

Although jeweled lacertas are semi-arid reptiles, they still need moisture in their environment to stay well hydrated and have healthy sheds.

The average humidity in your lacerta's enclosure should stay between 40-60%. This number is probably similar to the humidity levels in your own home, but it’s still important to keep track of the specific humidity in your lacerta's enclosure. You can measure humidity with a hygrometer like the Zoo Med Digital Combo Gauge linked in the Measuring Temperature section.

Hygrometers should be placed within 12” above the substrate towards the middle of the enclosure to give you an accurate idea of average humidity levels (or one on either side if using a thermo/hygro combo meter).

Jeweled lacertas are known to brumate instinctively during winter. Although this is a survival mechanism that enables them to live through times of cold weather and scarce food in their natural habitat, this instinct still manifests in captivity as part of their natural cycle, and is perfectly healthy.

For information on how to brumate your jeweled lacerta safely and effectively, go here.

Here is a basic feeding schedule for pet jeweled lacertas:

Hatchling, juvenile, and adult jeweled lacertas should all be fed as much as they will eat in about 10-15 minutes.

Live, gut-loaded insects should make up at least 70% of you jeweled lacerta's diet. You should also provide leafy greens and vegetables for every meal. Fruits should be offered sparingly and make up no more than 25% of their diet.

The key to a healthy, balanced diet is variety, so make sure to provide as many different kinds of foods in your jeweled lacerta's diet as possible!

Because of its high sugar content, fruit is best used as a treat only. Superworms, butterworms, and waxworms are high in fat and should be used as occasional treats rather than regular feeders.

All feeders should be captive bred. Don’t feed your gecko bugs from your backyard — these can make your pet sick! Here are some sites we recommend to buy safe, captive bred feeders:

1. DubiaRoaches.com (variety of feeders)
2. PremiumCrickets (variety of feeders)
3. Luna Roaches (discoid roaches only)
4. Beastmode Silks (silkworms only)

To make sure that your jeweled lacerta is getting all of the vitamins and minerals that their bodies need, it’s important to use calcium and vitamin supplements as part of their diet.

All feeder insects should be lightly dusted with supplement powder and previously gut-loaded with fresh vegetables. Repashy Calcium Plus LoD is a great supplement to use for jeweled lacertas, as it provides both calcium and necessary vitamins.

Your jeweled lacerta should have access to a small to medium-sized, shallow bowl of water at all times. Make sure that the water is always kept fresh and clean, and disinfect the bowl with an animal-safe disinfectant like F10SC, Rescue, or chlorhexidine once a week to inhibit pathogens.

Jeweled lacertas are highly intelligent animals that quickly recognize their keeper and can develop good tolerance and trust. A key to developing such a rewarding relationship with your lacerta is to interact with it whenever you feed it and don’t force handling right away. Lacertas are very food motivated animals, so hand-feeding will allow the lizard to associate you with positive interactions.

For handling, allow your lacerta to come to you first and crawl willingly onto your open hand. Even a tolerant lizard will become stressed and may bite if it is physically restrained and held. The more you work with your lacerta the more it will become accustomed to you, especially if you begin socialization from a young age. Another important thing to keep in mind is that every lacerta is an individual - some are calmer and tolerant of handling, while others may always be more skittish.

Possible illnesses and health problems in jeweled lacertas include metabolic bone disease, intestinal parasites, impaction, and respiratory infections. Providing proper husbandry, diet, and supplements should help avoid most health issues, but if your lacerta is displaying potential symptoms of illness, it’s important to take them to an experienced reptile veterinarian right away for diagnosis and treatment. Do not try to treat them at home, as you could make the problem worse!