Alligator Lizard Eggs

My female produced for me again this year - Last year she gave me 10 eggs from a wild mating, this year - 14 eggs from a captive mating.



Last weekend I went out of town and she hadn't laid yet.
Came home Sunday evening - and she had laid.

The male was collected this year.



That's the pairing (the male is the reddish one on top).

All 14 eggs look good - so hopefully I get 14 hatchlings ... all 10 eggs hatched last year.

I removed the eggs as I'm not properly set up to keep humid but not wet soil. The mother moped quite a bit - and kept returning to the spot. So next year, I think I'll set up some drainage - and try to let her guard her eggs until they hatch. It will be an interesting experiment.

Hopefully the male will be fertile next year - I hear you have to get them really cool or they shoot blanks. Since he was wild collected this year, that wasn't an issue.

Redding, CA locality Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata - possibly with some influence from Elgaria multicarinata scincicauda as I'm not too far from the integrade range. I think I'm south of the integrade range though.

I'll post pics when they hatch - which I'm guessing will be mid to late July (took 45 to 47 days last year)

Bred under CA DFG permit RA-0280

Hi,

Congratulations on the eggs....and the hatch last year. I'm so excited about my eggs hatching, I will be thrilled if I get some captive bred MHD clutches next year!

Interesting looking lizards, I don't know anything about them but I like their appearance. I'll have to take a look around for care sheets to read up on them. Thanks for the post! Angie

They are related to the african plated lizards sometimes seen in the pet trade.
Their care is more like snake husbandry than lizard husbandry, they do require vitamin supplements and UVB light but do not require a heat lamp. They do enjoy brief periods of time under a heat lamp though.

Like snakes, in the wild they are usually only out morning, evening, and in the summer - night.

What's really neat is they hatch out patternless - with little black dots down their back. As they grow, the black dots expand to make the pattern, and the colour comes in.

Thanks Michael - there is a very large plated lizard at my vet's office in the lobby, it belongs to one of the women that has worked there forever, I notice the resemblence now that you pointed it out.

I have Jacksons chamelons, Mountain Horned Dragons and Bearded Dragons. I live in East Texas and we have lots of american anoles and 5-lined skinks and some brown and albino looking geckos all in the ferns and shrubs around my house. I keep wanting to catch some of the anoles and keep them but I'm restraining myself.

I showed the pics you posted to my bf, Jeff, he grew up near San Jose CA and he said they used to catch the lizards in your posts when they were kids. Thanks again for the info. Angie