How to Breed Long-Tailed Grass Lizards

Long-tailed grass lizards are energetic, quick and interesting animals that make unique pets. These greenish-brown reptiles get their name from their lengthy tails, which often span longer than their bodies. If you want to increase your long-tailed grass lizard family, consider breeding a pair. These animals have been known to mate in captivity when provided with an ideal habitat that promotes good health and breeding.

Establish a male and female pair of long-tailed grass lizards. You can buy these animals from a pet shop. Males will have a hemipenal bulge found at the base of the tail. A male lizard may also have more vivid colors than a female and a larger head.

Create a stress-free environment that encourages breeding. Use a full-spectrum ultraviolet light above the terrarium. Keep the temperature of the tank in the low 80s during the day and low 70s at night. Create a basking spot with a heat lamp or heating pad. This area should be between 90 and 95 degrees. Keep the humidity level at 70 to 75 percent. Light the tank for 14 hours each day.

Provide decorations that encourage breeding. A female long-tailed grass lizard will lay her eggs in a moist and warm spot, typically under a plant or object. Include an array of branches, vines, cork bark and live or silk plants in the terrarium to give it plenty of options to choose from.

Feed the lizards a multivitamin or mineral supplement once a week to keep them healthy enough to breed. Additionally, give the animals calcium daily to better condition the female for carrying eggs. Ask a pet shop employee which supplements will be best for your pair.

Stimulate the lizards' breeding instinct by changing the conditions in the terrarium. Long-tailed grass lizards typically breed during the spring months. To make your pair think it's the mating season, start by creating a winter-like period of shorter days and slightly cooler temperatures. This shorter light period should last about 10 hours a day. Because lizards hibernate through the winter, prevent them from going into hibernation by limiting this winter schedule to a few days or up to a week. Then begin increasing the light time back to normal conditions of about 14 hours each day. This will make the lizards think it's spring and encourage them to breed.