Shingleback care?

[Sam123]

Hi all, I am still rather new in keeping reptiles, but I have seem to be addicted.
Anyhow, I am looking into getting a pair of shinglebacks with the eventual purpose to breed them, but I cannot for the life of me, find that much about them. So it would be greatly appreciated if some people could give me some general husbandry tips about how to look after them (like temperature and common illnesses to look out for), As well as suggesting a good book to buy which has detailed care instructions on shinglebacks.
On another note it would also be greatly appreciated if anyone could suggest some good private breeders or pet shops who sell shinglebacks.
-Kind regards
Sam

 

[nick_75]

Hi Sam,

Find a copy of the book A Guide to Australian Lizards in Captivity.

Regards,
Nick

 

[Nero Egernia]

Captive husbandry of Bobtails, Shinglebacks, or Sleepy Lizards (blegh, so many names!) can generally be similar to the captive care of arid species Blue-tongue Lizards such as Tiliqua multifasciata and Tiliqua occipitalis. Basking temperatures can range from 40°C-45°C, while the remainder of the enclosure can be left to ambient temperatures. They require a decent amount of floor space as they're fairly active. Substrates such as leaf litter are ideal as they love to bury themselves. Keep the conditions dry as high humidity can make them prone to scale rot and respiratory infections. Other than that, these guys are hardy critters and should present few problems.

As mentioned before, find yourself a copy of A Guide to . . . Australian Lizards in Captivity by Dr Danny Brown or Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards edited by Mike Swan, or Keeping Shinglebacks by Darren Green.

Here's a good link of Bobtail care at Pilbara Pythons.

In regards to breeding, have you decided what subspecies of Bobtail you're after? Seeing that you live in Sydney Tiliqua rugosa aspera would likely be more available to you. Picking a particular subspecies can also help you to determine what they would encounter in the wild, thus refining your husbandry techniques. Good luck with whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have heaps of fun with them. They're great pet lizards that generally tolerate regular handling. The only thing I would nit pick about them is that they can have disgusting poo.

 

[Sam123]

Captive husbandry of Bobtails, Shinglebacks, or Sleepy Lizards (blegh, so many names!) can generally be similar to the captive care of arid species Blue-tongue Lizards such as Tiliqua multifasciata and Tiliqua occipitalis. Basking temperatures can range from 40°C-45°C, while the remainder of the enclosure can be left to ambient temperatures. They require a decent amount of floor space as they're fairly active. Substrates such as leaf litter are ideal as they love to bury themselves. Keep the conditions dry as high humidity can make them prone to scale rot and respiratory infections. Other than that, these guys are hardy critters and should present few problems.

As mentioned before, find yourself a copy of A Guide to . . . Australian Lizards in Captivity by Dr Danny Brown or Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards edited by Mike Swan, or Keeping Shinglebacks by Darren Green.

Here's a good link of Bobtail care at Pilbara Pythons.

In regards to breeding, have you decided what subspecies of Bobtail you're after? Seeing that you live in Sydney Tiliqua rugosa aspera would likely be more available to you. Picking a particular subspecies can also help you to determine what they would encounter in the wild, thus refining your husbandry techniques. Good luck with whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have heaps of fun with them. They're great pet lizards that generally tolerate regular handling. The only thing I would nit pick about them is that they can have disgusting poo.

Yeah I have now done a bit of research into them, and I do want to get tiliqua rugosa aspera, but I cannot (again) find anyone who sells them, do you know anyone who might have some? I have already posted an add on rdu with no luck so far It seems that it is going to be a long process again like looking my inland carpet

 

[Katemichelle]