Jewelled lizard

Timon lepidus, formerly Lacerta lepida, is a Mediterranean lizard with characteristic blue flank spots in typical adults.

Provide extensive running and retreat space; a colourful adult should not be bought for a compact display.

Arrange dependable holiday care and keep money available for food, replacement equipment and appropriate veterinary help. Test the habitat before the animal arrives.

Wildform proposes 180 × 90 × 90 cm or larger for one adult, with deep diggable areas, stable basking platforms and several screened retreat routes.

Measure usable internal space after substrate, guards and furnishings. Check ventilation, cable holes and access against the smallest occupant. Fix heavy furnishings independently of loose substrate.

The retrieved firsthand account calls for a substantial thermal gradient. Exact basking-surface, cool-refuge and night targets still require a current measured care plan; do not infer them from outdoor Mediterranean weather.

Record the warm and cool locations, overnight minimum and daytime maximum. Air, surface and substrate readings are different measurements. Any added heater needs compatible thermostatic control and safe separation from the animal; assess summer cooling as well as winter heating.

Agree exact-species temperature targets and measurement locations before setting up the enclosure.

Provide bright daytime illumination and a measured UVB gradient, while retaining opaque shelter at warm and cool positions.

Keep the night dark and provide retreat from daytime light. Lamp percentage, electrical wattage and a product name cannot establish the exposure reaching an animal. Check the finished installation after changes to mesh, branches or lamp position.

Agree measured UV exposure for the installation.

Keep drinking water and appropriate damp refuge/laying substrate while the main enclosure remains well ventilated. Mediterranean does not mean entirely dry.

Inspect the occupied refuge and substrate as well as the air reading. Adjust water provision and ventilation together, and clean contaminated drinking surfaces. A single humidity number cannot describe every microclimate.

Use varied suitable cultured invertebrates, with any supplementary foods and calcium/vitamin plan agreed for age and condition.

Record what is actually eaten and follow changes in growth and body condition. Food size, life stage and the full diet matter. Supplement products require an individual plan; do not combine calcium, vitamin D and multivitamins by guesswork.

Confirm the exact-species nutrition plan.

Keep singly for this plan. Use cover and calm predictable maintenance; avoid chasing or holding the tail.

Make necessary maintenance predictable and allow voluntary retreat. Prepare a secure transfer container before essential moves. Observation should not repeatedly interrupt feeding, rest or moulting.

Monitor body condition, shedding and female reproductive behaviour. Persistent straining, injury or feeding decline needs a reptile vet.

Keep dated observations of appetite, activity and condition. A sudden decline, injury, abnormal breathing or repeated failed moults needs appropriate professional assessment. This guide does not provide a diagnosis or medicine dose.

Agree the individual seasonal regime with an appropriate specialist.

Seek documented captive-bred origin and check exact-species trade controls before acquisition.

Ask for a dated source record, scientific identity, life stage and established care history. Keep new arrivals and their equipment separate while an appropriate quarantine plan is agreed. Check current official rules for the exact animal, route and transaction before importing or buying; this page does not establish legal clearance. Never release animals or viable eggs outdoors.

Check water, refuge access and the measured climate gradient. Review usable running area, substrate depth and body condition. Keep a dated record of measurements and observations, and revisit the full advice when conditions or life stage change.