ALL EYES ON ME

By Tarron Boon

The Moroccan eyed lizard (Timon tangitanus) is a medium-sized member of the “wall” or “true” lizards. They inhabit a wide range across most of Morocco and northern Algeria, with the possibility of a population in north-western Sahara, though recent surveys have been unable to quantify this. With such a broad range, T. tangitanus are quite adaptable to differing habitats. Their main habitat choices range from Mediterranean scrubland, open woodland and forest to mid-elevation mountain ranges, preferring areas with open basking space near to rocky outcrops or tree hollows in which to escape to. These are an incredibly easy species to care for in captivity due to their adaptable and docile nature. They are highly visible, full of personality and have interesting behaviours that leave the keeper entertained all day long.

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced within this species as females attain a slimmer head and body shape and more muted colouration. Females will range from a dull brown to an olive-green colour, with some blueish rings, or ocelli. “Ocelli” refers to the eye-shaped spots or patterns on the body for which the “eyed” lizard gets its name. Males, on the other hand, have a thicker set skull, wider body, and a greater range of colourations. Male colours will vary from a light green to deeper greens and some blues, with a greater number of ocelli.

Moroccan eyed lizards are omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates, such as Coleopterans (beetles) and

Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), as well as plant material, such as flowers, leaves, and berries. This is an excellent reflection of their broad habitat use and exposure to harsh seasonal fluctuations in the wild.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) places T. tangitanus in the ‘Least Concern’ category due to its wide distribution and presumed large population size, with minimal population decline. The main threats to T. tangitanus are habitat destruction for wood extraction and traditional medicine use. Both threats are considered localised and not a significant threat.

As a minimum, a pair should be kept in a 4 x 2 x 2ft (120 x 60 x 60cm) enclosure, but they will use all available space offered. Building an enclosure as large as possible should be a priority. For indoor keeping, wooden enclosures are best as they will retain the heat, but provided space is accommodated, many materials can be used.

When kept indoors year-round, the heating and lighting setup is vital. T. tangitanus are a Ferguson Zone 3 species, meaning they are an “open or partial sun basker” requiring a UVI of around 3, with a degradation down to 0 in covered shade. Heat should be provided by a high quality, white light emitting Incandescent or Halogen flood bulb, with the basking zone large enough to cover the entire body of the animal. For some, this may require more than a single bulb. Of course, this heating should also be controlled by a quality thermostat. Basking temperatures should reach around 32°C to 35°C. Keepers should be encouraged to watch their animal's behaviour to help to determine their own preferred basking temperature. Additional lighting, in the form of 6500k LED’s, can also be provided. These will be placed more centrally in the enclosure and provide an almost daylight colour of lighting, improving the visual aspects for both keeper and inhabitant. They are also of benefit to any live plants in the enclosure.

Substrate and décor should be as natural as possible and allow the animals to express natural behaviours, including digging, climbing, wedging into rock cavities and if possible, live plants can be added for more sight, smell, and taste stimuli. A basic soil mix is a good choice for most enclosures. I choose my own blend of a clay heavy soil, mixed with some coconut coir, loose sand, and pebbles/rocks, to give a firm base that could hold tunnels. It remained dry on top but retained moisture underneath to provide humid tunnels for hiding in, and at one point, it incubated eggs for a few weeks before I found them.

For my own animals, I have tried various setups, depending on availability and space during my time with them. The one shown in this article started life as two separate 4 x 2 x 2ft enclosures. I cut a hole in the adjoining wall, added some plastic tubing, and covered with rocks, which allowed me to give them a full 8x2x2ft (240x60x60cm) enclosure, but ensured I could separate my male and female, should there be any issues, simply by placing some additional rocks in the way.

Each side of the enclosure was outfitted with its own heating and lighting system, utilising 100w Halogen floods around 30cm from the basking zone. This provided a wide basking area to cover the lizards entirely. UVB was provided by a 12% T5 UVB lamp at each basking zone. Each side also had a 22w Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar for overall lighting and plant growth. By supplying two separate basking areas, I was able to minimise competition for heat and UVB, reducing the risk of fights in the enclosure. It also meant that, if I did have to split the two up, there was already heating and UVB in both enclosures.

I utilised rocks across the entirety of the enclosure(s) to provide plenty of hiding spots, and various temperatures around the basking zones. All rocky areas were supported by rocks and bricks that rested on the base of the enclosure to prevent collapses that could endanger my animals. Around the rocks, I placed a range of branches for climbing on, and planted a few Carex spp. grasses and other succulents, such as Echeveria, Crassula and Sansevieria. To keep correct humidity levels in the enclosure, plants should be watered directly at the base.

In a preferable situation, I would like to keep T. tangitanus in a large outdoor enclosure. Not only would this allow a larger space for them to live, but being outdoors, under natural sunlight, with seasonal variations and the like, is a much better life for them. I do not personally do this as my living situation does not yet allow it, but I have plans in time to create an outdoor enclosure.

This would consist of digging up a large square of land, around 6 to 7ft (180 to 210cm) deep. Lining the entire base with a breeze block wall, to around 3ft (90cm) above ground level, placing approximately 1ft (30cm) of hardcore at the base (to allow for drainage) and then refilling with soil. Above the ground, I would use excess soil to create mounds, along with rocks and plants to create a living space. A greenhouse will be placed inside the wall, to create a basking area above ambient temperatures, but with access in and out at all times.

Whilst filling in the hole it is possible to put in hibernation pods, wooden boxes with insulation around, and premade tunnels down so the animals can manage their own hibernation. However, some people do prefer to hibernate their animals themselves, especially those in more northern latitudes, where winters can be very wet. To prevent predator access, the entire area will have a frame built around it, above the wall, with a fine screen mesh to prevent mice and rats getting in.

Hibernation is an important part of the lifecycle of the Moroccan eyed lizard In the wild, hibernation is an evolved function in response to food scarcity and lower temperatures. As they have evolved to function in this way over hundreds of thousands of years, it is only right that we offer the same choice in captivity.

Hibernated animals tend to live longer, have increased fertility and a greater energy in the spring. If an animal is not hibernated over winter, you can find them become more sluggish and any mating is likely to result in fewer fertile eggs, if any. From my own experience, I have found that in the years they are hibernated, the male comes out ready to mate, but can become excessively aggressive toward the female, leading to me splitting them up for the rest of year. Whereas, when not hibernated, the male is a lot less aggressive, but also has less interest in mating.

As hibernation is an important aspect of care, any keeper of T. tangitanus indoors, should be willing to have spare enclosures ready for the male to be separated out. I tend to start the hibernation process in October, taking cues from the animals as temperature and air pressure changes in the autumn time. At this point, I will do a health check on each animal, ensuring they are at a suitable weight, well hydrated and otherwise healthy. They should also be given a final feed and allowed some time to digest this and pass waste. If all is well, I will begin lowering the temperature of the enclosure over the course of a few weeks.

This starts by dimming the heat bulb down until it is consistently off. After this, I will turn off the LED Lighting, as it can generate a lot of heat and affect the temperatures. Leaving the UVB lights on at this point allows them to notice a reduced light, without putting them into complete darkness. It also ensures they can synthesise D3 a little bit longer, though this is reduced due to a lack of basking heat.

After a bit of time of just UVB, these lights will go off, so that the only light available is whatever comes through the reptile room window. At this point, the T. tangitanus slow right down, and tend to stick in one spot, not moving much. It is important throughout this process to ensure they always have fresh water. Even when in hibernation, they will still drink.

Next, I place them in a tub that has enough soil for them to bury into if they wish. I use a ventilated 18L Really Useful Box (RUB) with a standard, fertiliser-free topsoil, per animal. Once in these tubs, I move them into our utility room, which is cooler than the rest of the house, but not quite as cold as putting them outside. They will remain here for another few days, before going to their final hibernation spot.

The final job is to place the RUBs into a larger RUB or other box, which is filled with packing peanuts or another form of insulation. This allows them to reach temperatures much lower than in the home, but the insulation protects from large temperature variances through the day. Here they will stay until the weather begins to warm in the spring, around March, when I reverse the whole process and get them warmed up.

Throughout the process and during hibernation, it is a good idea to check on the animals every 2 to 3 weeks. Check weight, appearance, hydration and ensure the substrate in the tub hasn’t dried out, damped off or moulded. If the keeper is concerned at all, they should slowly warm them up and get them back into their enclosures. In time, they will eat and drink and hopefully be fine. Of course, ensure you can see a veterinary professional if feel it necessary. This process can also be used to control the hibernation of T. tangitanus kept outdoors. Of course, the management of heating and lighting is much more natural, due to the normal seasonal variation.

Breeding of T. tangitanus is relatively simple. As previously mentioned, best results are made when the adults have been properly hibernated.

In the spring, the male will start showing interest in any females around. They will follow them around the enclosure, tasting their scent, nudging their back legs and generally focus on nothing other than their potential mate. If the female is willing, she will respond to these signals with her own, such as lifting her tail to ‘present’ herself and staying around the male. At some point the male will bite on to the female’s neck and position himself to mate. This can look quite rough and may even tear the female’s skin, but it shouldn’t cause too much damage and will heal relatively quickly.

Once the deed is done, the male may continue to show interest in the female, especially if they are a single male/ female pair. At this point, it may be necessary to remove the male. If the female doesn’t show any interest in mating, either before or after an initial mating, the male may get a little more aggressive and force her to mate. This could lead to fighting among the pair, so removal of the male will be needed again.

Upon a successful mating, the female will soon show signs of being gravid. These can include eating less, as the space in her body is taken up by eggs, a growing abdomen and increase in digging behaviour, as she finds somewhere to deposit the eggs. Internal incubation lasts around 1 to 2 months, after which she will deposit anywhere from 8 to 20 or more eggs in a burrow, which is then covered up. How you incubate the eggs will be a matter of personal preference. Most people will pull the eggs and incubate themselves.

Incubation temperatures vary from person to person, with some opt for 27°C to 30°C, whilst others suggest lower temps are much more natural, around 25°C. I personally prefer to incubate them in a rub filled with soil, eggs buried, and the tub placed in the warm reptile room with no insulation, at room temperature (approximately 18°C to 22°C in this room). Eggs can take up to 12 weeks or so to incubate. Warmer temperatures will cause hatching earlier, with smaller babies. Cooler temps take longer to hatch, but the babies come out larger and generally stronger.

Babies can be kept the same as the adults, although it is best for the first few weeks, to keep the enclosure sterile and substrate free. Use paper towel or similar, so you can monitor the babies more easily, and reduce the risk of impaction whilst they are young. Once they have grown a little and are feeding safely and accurately the babies can be moved onto a soil-based substrate with appropriate décor.

Overall, Timon tangitanus are a fascinating and fun species to keep in captivity. They do incredibly well if kept outdoors, where appropriate, but can also be a great species to keep indoors where necessary. These make a wonderful alternative to more common species of a similar size, such as bearded dragons, as they are relatively easy to keep, even if they are a little less handleable.

Have you seen any disease, noticed unusual symptoms, or had unexpected deaths in your tadpoles?

Are your tadpoles bloated – maybe with pink or yellow discolouration around the abdomen?