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Desert basking lizard

Collared lizard

Crotaphytus collaris

Kept the same way as the bearded dragon and Uromastyx, so they share one kit: the same heat, light, and humidity, sized to the animal.

Build a collared lizard setup See the gear
Photograph of a Collared lizard
Photograph by Dakota L., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
40 to 48°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
25 to 35°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
20 to 26°C
UV index at the basking spot
2.9 to 9.5 Zones 3 to 4. Open or partial sun basker, thermoregulator
Humidity
50 to 70%
Daylight hours
14 h in summer, 10 h in winter
Winter
Hibernation A prepared, months-long dormancy. Not optional for this animal.
Where it lives
Rocks, crevices, or burrows, Grassland or savanna
Adult length
20 to 38 cm
What it eats
Carnivore
When it is active
Diurnal
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
8 years

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that suits a collared lizard

Chosen for desert basking lizard. The setup builder puts the whole kit together, sized to the animal, with the reason for each piece.

Build the whole kit

Same care group

Kept the same way

Where it comes from

USA (Arizona, Nevada, SE Utah, S Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas), Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, N Durango, Coahuila, N Zacatecas, Nuevo Leon; W Louisiana) auriceps: E Utah, NW Colorado;

Breeding: oviparous. There may be temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) or temperature-dependent survival rates in both sexes (Santoyo-Brito et al. 2017).

Where the figures come from