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Sick Spiny desert lizard

22 12:00:09

Question
QUESTION: I recently inherited a spiny desert lizard (with blueish belly) and he has been great. The last few days however he is not eating crickets as much and is real lethargic and seems sluggish. What can be wrong and what can i do? this is my first lizard and im not familiar with them...

ANSWER: In order to make some suggestions as to what the issue may be, I first need to know ALL of the details of the setup you are keeping him in, including heat, light, temperature control and gauges, handling (if any), and how the previous owner was keeping him.

Has he ever been to see a vet?  Wild-caught reptiles must be deparasitized to survive long-term in captivity.
Desert Spiny Lizards require high UVB and high heat basking areas, as well as cooler retreats, in their cage.  

What type of supplements are you using on his crickets?  Desert Spiny Lizards also eat a bit of vegetation, so they are omnivorous.

He isn't really a great choice for a first pet lizard!  I would ALWAYS recommend that a first-time keeper start with a captive-bred, 'beginner level' animal, such as a leopard gecko.  Your desert spiny is neither, so if you are to keep him alive, you're going to have to learn very fast.

Truly GOOD care sheets are lacking for this less commonly-kept species.  They do need a large enclosure, usually a 20 gallon with plenty of height, and plenty of climbing and hiding places.  The temperature should be 75-80F air, with a 95-100F basking area, and drop to room temperature at night.  

If you have all of that taken care of, then you will need to get him to a vet immediately, because if he's not too cold, then he's definitely extremely ill.  Make sure you find a vet who has lots of reptile experience.  ARAV.org is a good place to check.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We bought a desert lizard starter kit from Petsmart with a humidity n temp gauge. It said to keep it 85-95 temp during day. We have a day light and a uvb light and a black light all set up for day and night time. We have a white calcium supplement but he won't eat the cricket . The tank it came with was a 10 gallon

Answer
Petsmart has a reputation for inadequate reptile care information, and I have yet to see a 'reptile starter kit' at any pet store which was actually complete and correct for the species it was intended to house.  This is no exception.  I'm sorry, you got taken.  A 10 gallon tank is completely inadequate, and the stick-on round or strip temperature gauges are useless and highly inaccurate.  You said your kit came with temperature control--what kind?  Is it a rheostat?

Get a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer from Walmart.  They usually have them for 10 bucks.  Place the probe in the cage where the lizard will be sitting, under the heat lamp.  If it's not 95 to 100F, it's too cold.  The temperature on the other side of the cage should be 75-80F, no hotter.  A good gradient is necessary for the lizard to thermoregulate.

If you can provide a photo of the lizard, I can tell you what his body condition is, and whether he needs a vet immediately.
How long have you had him in this setup, and how has he been eating for you up until recently?