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Old February 22nd, 2010, 12:08 AM
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Vinss Vinss is offline
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Sudan Plated Lizard: Acting Diffrent

My Sudan plated lizard has been acting weird for the past week or so. He is usually very tame and I can carry him around on my shoulder without trouble, but now he's been very excited to the point of jumping off my shoulder, refusing to eat certain foods he usually eats and attempting to evade being taken from the terrarium.

I see two major changes in the ordinary pattern that could be the cause of the disturbance:
-We got a ferret which is in the same room as him;
-I fed him crickets for a few days in a row (he usually eats tangerines).

Any idea why he'd be acting so frantic and any solution?
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Old February 22nd, 2010, 10:24 PM
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Bina Bina is offline
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There could be a few reasons for your lizard to act up suddenly.
1) Remove the ferret from the room, he may see it as a predator/threat..
2) The switch to live food...my box turtles get very excited when I feed them crickets.
The live food is great, but it does tend to stimulate them more and arouse a hunting instinct. Try feeding more greens this week.
3) Spring is coming, and my boxies get the sunshine from the window which is also a stimulant.

Try moving the ferret first and see how it goes. And NEVER trust your ferret near the lizard.
Good Luck.
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Old February 23rd, 2010, 12:29 AM
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Vinss Vinss is offline
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Thanks Bina.

Why do you say to never trust the ferret around the lizard, will it attack/eat it? my Sudan plated is in a terrarium the ferret cannot reach, but I'm just curious/alarmed by the risks.

i switched to live food because I was told by the chief of the reptile department at my job (pet shop) that Sudan plated lizards' diet was crickets and that the fruit I was feeding it could be harful to it (soft citrus), also, he refused to eat the fruit for days.
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Old February 23rd, 2010, 06:54 AM
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Melinda Melinda is offline
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when my sisters dragons enter mating season, they are terrible to be around, cross, over hyper....normally they are cuddly loving things
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Old February 23rd, 2010, 12:04 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinss View Post
Thanks Bina.

Why do you say to never trust the ferret around the lizard, will it attack/eat it? my Sudan plated is in a terrarium the ferret cannot reach, but I'm just curious/alarmed by the risks.

i switched to live food because I was told by the chief of the reptile department at my job (pet shop) that Sudan plated lizards' diet was crickets and that the fruit I was feeding it could be harful to it (soft citrus), also, he refused to eat the fruit for days.
Whenever we keep pets we need to remember what an animal's natural instincts are.....Ferrets can be amazing and fun, but I have seen a real sweet ferret suddenly turn and jump through the air to attack an African grey parrot that was just sitting there minding his own business... It was shocking, but these things happen in a split second.
Even a covered terrarium can be opened by a crafty ferret with some time on his hands.
If the tank is not successfully opened, the stress on the lizard may be too much to deal with anyway.
Our pets should feel safe and secure with us and then we will be rewarded in return with a great companion.
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Old February 23rd, 2010, 12:08 PM
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Bina Bina is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Melinda View Post
when my sisters dragons enter mating season, they are terrible to be around, cross, over hyper....normally they are cuddly loving things
YES....many animals are "love crazy" at certain times of the year.
I try to keep males and females well separated and just deal with it.
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