Caiman Lizard care & general info
Dracaena Guianensis
Habitat & Appearance
The Caiman Lizard is native to South America and the Amazon basins of Peru and Brazil. They live in the swampy habitats and wooded areas which are flooded. They are mostly aquatic and are excellent climbers. They spend most of their time basking in the branches overhanging the waterways. At night, they hide in trees and bushes.
The body of the Caiman Lizard is a lot like that of the crocodile. Their body is bright green with dark green banding with their head being red. These lizard can become up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 10lbs.
The Caiman Lizard is built a lot like their cousin the Tegu, with a large heavy body and short, but powerful limbs. Their jaws are very muscular to help aid in eating its natural prey of snails, crawfish, and freshwater clams. They have a long flattened tail, similar to its namesake, the Caiman alligator. The long tail helps them swim and dive. They also have a clear third eyelid, which is thought to work as a pair of goggles underwater.
In Captivity
The Caiman Lizard is very hard to keep in captivity, even a majority of zoos have given up trying to keep them.
Because their natural diet in the wild consist of primarily snails, most wild caught Caiman Lizards will refuse to eat anything else. In the last 5 years baby Caiman Lizards from South America have found their way into the pet trade. The hatchlings are more willing to accept other food sources. Even so, these are not easy lizards to keep or raise in captivity. Due to their aquatic lifestyle, they need a large pool or tank, a place to dig and burrow, and other appropriate material with dry surfaces for basking. They require high humidity and high basking surface temperatures. Also due to their large size, they require a large enclosure.
All of those facts considered, some owners say there is a great reward to keeping them. Caiman Lizards are very intelligent and can solve problems which other lizards apparently fail to. If they have been kept for a length of time and are in good health, they can even recognize their owners.
A wood mulch substrate, such as Repti Bark, works well in a cage that is at least 4ft. by 2ft. floor dimensions. You will need a pool at one end that the Caiman Lizard can completely submerge itself in, and a wooden cave large enough for the lizard to curl up inside at the other end. You should have a basking light directed at the top of the cave with the temperature maintained between 89.6 and 95 degrees. The cooler end should be kept between 77 and 82.4 degrees. The night time temperatures should stay between 69.8 and 75.2 degrees. They are diurnal, active during the day, and need the daytime temperatures for 12 - 14 hours a day with UVB light provided. They require at least a ReptiSun 5.0 for their UVB needs.
They are carnivorous and they will eat apple snails, frozen snails, canned seafood, canned catfood and crawfish.
This is not a lizard for beginners. Their large size and potentially very painful bite are just two of the reasons few people tackle their husbandry. Also, they are still a rarity in the pet trade, so you don't often see these lizards in captivity.
Habitat & Appearance
The Caiman Lizard is native to South America and the Amazon basins of Peru and Brazil. They live in the swampy habitats and wooded areas which are flooded. They are mostly aquatic and are excellent climbers. They spend most of their time basking in the branches overhanging the waterways. At night, they hide in trees and bushes.
The body of the Caiman Lizard is a lot like that of the crocodile. Their body is bright green with dark green banding with their head being red. These lizard can become up to 4 feet long and weigh up to 10lbs.
The Caiman Lizard is built a lot like their cousin the Tegu, with a large heavy body and short, but powerful limbs. Their jaws are very muscular to help aid in eating its natural prey of snails, crawfish, and freshwater clams. They have a long flattened tail, similar to its namesake, the Caiman alligator. The long tail helps them swim and dive. They also have a clear third eyelid, which is thought to work as a pair of goggles underwater.
In Captivity
The Caiman Lizard is very hard to keep in captivity, even a majority of zoos have given up trying to keep them.
Because their natural diet in the wild consist of primarily snails, most wild caught Caiman Lizards will refuse to eat anything else. In the last 5 years baby Caiman Lizards from South America have found their way into the pet trade. The hatchlings are more willing to accept other food sources. Even so, these are not easy lizards to keep or raise in captivity. Due to their aquatic lifestyle, they need a large pool or tank, a place to dig and burrow, and other appropriate material with dry surfaces for basking. They require high humidity and high basking surface temperatures. Also due to their large size, they require a large enclosure.
All of those facts considered, some owners say there is a great reward to keeping them. Caiman Lizards are very intelligent and can solve problems which other lizards apparently fail to. If they have been kept for a length of time and are in good health, they can even recognize their owners.
A wood mulch substrate, such as Repti Bark, works well in a cage that is at least 4ft. by 2ft. floor dimensions. You will need a pool at one end that the Caiman Lizard can completely submerge itself in, and a wooden cave large enough for the lizard to curl up inside at the other end. You should have a basking light directed at the top of the cave with the temperature maintained between 89.6 and 95 degrees. The cooler end should be kept between 77 and 82.4 degrees. The night time temperatures should stay between 69.8 and 75.2 degrees. They are diurnal, active during the day, and need the daytime temperatures for 12 - 14 hours a day with UVB light provided. They require at least a ReptiSun 5.0 for their UVB needs.
They are carnivorous and they will eat apple snails, frozen snails, canned seafood, canned catfood and crawfish.
This is not a lizard for beginners. Their large size and potentially very painful bite are just two of the reasons few people tackle their husbandry. Also, they are still a rarity in the pet trade, so you don't often see these lizards in captivity.