Rainbow Whiptail Lizards are a stunning species originating from Central and South America.
|Origin||Central America, Caribbean, South America|
|Environment||Sandy beaches, Shrub-lands, Forests|
|Adult Size||12 Inches|
Hatchling Rainbow Whiptail Lizards have nine white long stripes that run into bluish-brown regions of their body. These stripes are not always equal to each other and some stand out more than others. As juveniles both males and females develop spotted markings along their hind legs, however, the males lose their spots once they mature and the females spots remain. Once fully mature the males show outstanding vibrant colours along their body, this is what has given them their name of ‘Rainbow’ Lizards. Upon comparison the female’s colouration tends to be drabber and duller looking.
Where do Rainbow Whiptail Lizards come from?
Rainbow Whiptail lizards originate from Central America, the Caribbean and Northern South America. They’re often spotted along sandy beaches or close to forest edges where they tend to remain around areas where there is a good water source. Being diurnal Rainbow Whiptails are very active during the day, as they’re often hunting for small insects to eat. Although Rainbow Whiptail Lizards can be found within the same areas as one another both the males and females can fight during mating season.
Being an active species Rainbow Whiptail Lizards require a 3 or 4ft (36-48”) enclosure. Juveniles can be kept together however males will need to be separated once adult. Females can remain together providing you have several hides for them. A deep based sand or soil substrate will allow them to dig as they would in the wild. Be sure to provide plenty of natural decors like cork branches, logs, plants or other products from our natural range.
Basking temperatures for this species should be around 95-107F (35-40F). This can be achieved by the use of a basking bulb connected to a dimming thermostat or combined UVB/UVA bulb. A high spectrum UVB light around 10% will be more beneficial to help with UVB synthesis.
Humidity should remain around 40-60% which can easily be achieved by simply having a medium sized water dish in the enclosure as well as a gentle misting of the substrate in a morning.
Rainbow Whiptail Lizards will eat a variety of live food including crickets, locusts, roaches and mealworms. Food should be dusted with calcium powder three-four times a week and a vitamin supplement should be added at least once or twice a week.