KEEPER NOTES ON THE ARMADILLO GIRDLED LIZARD

Note from Shane Albrecht private breeder who keeps and breeds this species successfully for many years.

“I keep my O. cataphractus in a 1.1 group with the last year’s baby staying with them for the first year. This enclosure is 5x2x2 ft (152x61x61cm) with natural sandstone rocks stacked throughout the enclosure. I use a 4ft (120 cm) 14% UVB bulb, an additional 12-watt 5,000k LED on the cool end of the enclosure and two 40W halogens on a dimmer for the basking area that reaches about 105.0 F (40,5 °C). I feed only insects consisting of crickets, Turkistan roaches, green banana roaches and dubia roaches. I feed every other day with dusting twice a week with calcium/vitamin/mineral dust. I use an astronomical timer that adjusts the lights to match the natural day length at my house in Texas, USA.”

Note from Lydie Devost-Verger private breeder, Owner at “Didiegecko Aft France”.

“I maintain my O. cataphractus by trio only. I provide lots of hiding places with stones. At the hot spot I have + 40°C (104.0°F) in the summer. I spray them twice a week. In winter I turn off the heating and leave only the ProT5 UVB with a temperature around +20+22°C (68.0-71.6°F) during the day. To prepare for winter dormancy, I feed them until November 15, and then from November 16 to December 1, no food is offered. On December 2, I cut heating and lighting until January 15, after which the process is reversed to wake them up."

Note from Luc Jacobs private breeder, Belgium.

“I started with this species in December 2013 when I received a (so-called captive-bred pair) in trade for some Rhacodactylus leachianus They were and are still housed in a 120x60x60cm cage in a room with much daylight. For extra lighting, UVB and heat, two separate heating spots were created using two 35w HID bulbs. I have used several brands and they all did their job. They are regularly replaced after reading their output with a Solarmeter 6.5.

The animals started eating without problem - they are fed with crickets, locusts, waxworms, super worms and roaches, all gut-loaded and dusted with minerals. The pair got along very well.

Lighting was on for 14 hours from March till November. In November, lights were left on for six hours and ambient temperatures dropped to +10+15°C (50.0-59.0°F). I keep feeding once every 14 days during the cooldown period."

Note from Rob Nixon –private breeder, Arizona, USA.

“I have been keeping O. cataphractus since 2013, with successful reproduction every year since 2014. I keep them mostly in 1.1 pairs, but I also have one 1.2 trio. I keep the babies with the adults for up to two years. On one occasion a 2-year-old male living with his parents displayed bite marks on the tail and flanks indicating aggression from one or both adults. I think it may be better for faster growth to keep the babies in pairs or groups together and feed them several times a week. Under my current conditions, 4-yearold animals are just reaching adult size. I think this can be achieved in two-three years, but it may not be natural for them to reach maturity this quickly. Keeping the babies with the adults does not, in my experience, reduce the likelihood of successful reproduction in the subsequent years. Typically, females give birth to a single neonate - however, one female in my care produced twins three consecutive years in a row."

Author(s): Ivan Neizhko 1, Oleksii Marushchak 2, Shane Albrecht 3, Francois Busson 4, Lydie DevostVerger 5, Luc Jacobs 6, Rob Nixon 7 1 – Senior Keeper, BION Terrarium Center, Ukraine; 2 – Head, Research and Development Department, BION Terrarium Center, Kyiv, Ukraine; 3 – Private breeder, USA; 4 – Private breeder, France; 5 - private breeder, owner at “Didiegecko Aft France”, France; 6 – private breeder, Belgium; 7 – private breeder, USA.