# Ameiva ameiva - jungle runners/ dwarf tegu



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

After a long time searching I've finally managed to get some, not having room for their bigger cousins I chose the smaller option. I appreciate they aren't rare but still there is very little known about them and most if not all available today are still wc. My aim is to gain a better understanding of their needs in a captive enviroment and general husbandry, and to acheive cb rather than captive hatched.

I bought 2 hoping that I had a pair, really not the easiest to sex visually amongst a viv with several aged animals in, So it was fingers crossed, lol

They are housed in a 4x2x2 with branches at certain heights but choose to stay mainly at ground level. A damp but not wet mix of sand and eco earth is being used as a substrate choice and seems to be proving adequate for their need to burrow and dig.

Their colours have come through well since I got them, not sure if lots of UV or the wide choice in food being offered has anything to do with it but hey, still learning. They eat from my hand already and are by no means as skittish as ive been lead to believe.

They have eaten everything offered to date insect wise and also a small amount of meat for protein.

Today I noticed them locked up in the process of mating and this has gone on all morning at regular intervals, this could be the start of something beautiful, lol

If you want an entertaining lizard that is active non stop trust me these fit the bill :2thumb:
Hope you like


----------



## ocean123 (Mar 7, 2011)

These look awesome, wouldn't mind a pair if your successful breeding them.:2thumb:


----------



## welshMorphology (Feb 16, 2008)

WOW! Congrats on them they have been on my "wish list" for about 20yrs now. Superb creatures indeed. Have fun working with them and I wish you every success with them too


----------



## Dregone (Jun 17, 2012)

how big they grow to ??


----------



## St185 (Jun 28, 2011)

Omg they are stunning little things.
I'm sure you won't need it, but good luck with breeding them.


----------



## Stivali (Apr 9, 2012)

Wow, not seen these little fella's for donkey's years - used to keep a few some 20 years back (when they were common stock at most rep shops).
I had a couple of pairs and tried everything I could think of to encourage them to breed - but had only infertile eggs.
Mine were fairly tame, though were easily startled by sudden noises/movements.
I seem to recal they had an appetite for sweet fruits too..

Very pretty!


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

ocean123 said:


> These look awesome, wouldn't mind a pair if your successful breeding them.:2thumb:


I will bear that in mind : victory:



sammibee said:


> WOW! Congrats on them they have been on my "wish list" for about 20yrs now. Superb creatures indeed. Have fun working with them and I wish you every success with them too


Thank you



Dregone said:


> how big they grow to ??


Male measures approx 15 inches nose to tip of tail, so not monsters by any means.



St185 said:


> Omg they are stunning little things.
> I'm sure you won't need it, but good luck with breeding them.


Thanks



Stivali said:


> Wow, not seen these little fella's for donkey's years - used to keep a few some 20 years back (when they were common stock at most rep shops).
> I had a couple of pairs and tried everything I could think of to encourage them to breed - but had only infertile eggs.
> Mine were fairly tame, though were easily startled by sudden noises/movements.
> I seem to recal they had an appetite for sweet fruits too..
> ...


Ive tried fruit but they weren't interested, will try something really sweet next time, thanks for that. Also could you remember the average clutch size they were laying?


----------



## Stivali (Apr 9, 2012)

Blueberries were popular iirc..but they didn't get them often - they were hard to come by back then. One of my pairs was cohabiting with a young iguana and they often raided the fruit dish.

I had clutches from 4 to 9 eggs at a time (smaller females laid less eggs than the larger every time). Whilst the female is gravid the male can become protective/aggressive - I often got bitten the week before the female laid!
I was told once that frequent misting stimulates breeding, especially after a drier period, but we were all just fishing in the dark back then - I'm not sure if I even knew the country of origin at the time!


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Stivali said:


> Blueberries were popular iirc..but they didn't get them often - they were hard to come by back then. One of my pairs was cohabiting with a young iguana and they often raided the fruit dish.
> 
> I had clutches from 4 to 9 eggs at a time (smaller females laid less eggs than the larger every time). Whilst the female is gravid the male can become protective/aggressive - I often got bitten the week before the female laid!
> I was told once that frequent misting stimulates breeding, especially after a drier period, but we were all just fishing in the dark back then - I'm not sure if I even knew the country of origin at the time!


Thanks for that, will have to watchout for the male then, lol
In truth im not sure if I have a small female or large having never seen them before at adult size, not even sure if she is fully grown, time will tell.


----------



## a153fish (Nov 2, 2011)

I used to catch these in the US. In Miami Florida to be exact. They escaped from importers and had become quite prolific in areas near the international Airport. It's been over 20 years, but I can't imagine that they are not still there. There was also a large poulation of Brown Basilisks in that area. I can tell you miami is hot and humid! Their winters are mild, rarely going below 50. They do get a lot of rain in the early summer months. Hope that helps a bit?

Oh, they are also some of the fastest lizards I ever tried catching. They also were quite nasty when caught as wild types. Their bite can be quite nasty too, so be carefull. I tried keeping some but they would smash their faces against the cage. I needed a much bigger enclosier for them, so I released them. I did raise some green Basilisks for a while. I miss those lizards a lot. They would come down off their perch, and take dead mice from tongs. Good luck with those Ameiva's!


----------



## jeff33 (Mar 24, 2008)

I kept these years ago. A very nice sized lizard, which is very active. I would suggest a faecal test I'm sure if they are WC. They will probably need de-worming.


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Just an update, first clutch of eggs laid yesterday, 6 in total. Knew she had laid, but what a job to find them, lol 
pic of eggs in album.


----------



## Stivali (Apr 9, 2012)

Fantastic - that didn't take long:no1:


----------



## Paul112 (Apr 6, 2007)

Congrats! Absolutely love Ameivas, something very enchanting about the green colouration.

Best of luck with them and the eggs,
Paul


----------



## welshMorphology (Feb 16, 2008)

BRILLIANT Dude, thats awsome news please keep us updated of the egg developement :2thumb:


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Another couple of matings and another clutch of eggs seems more than likely,
These ameiva have taken to their new captive lifestyle so well its wicked :2thumb: I think I have got the conditions spot on or as near as I can.

I only wish I had a better camera to capture their true beauty, the colours are really stunning and I can't capture them on mine :bash:

Eggs from previous mating seem to be doing fine and still looking good, so fingers crossed.


----------



## ocean123 (Mar 7, 2011)

Looks like you've cracked it with the ameiva Paul, well done:2thumb:


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

ocean123 said:


> Looks like you've cracked it with the ameiva Paul, well done:2thumb:


Thanks m8

However I'll only consider them cracked once Ive hatched some, Halfway there though :2thumb:


----------



## ocean123 (Mar 7, 2011)

True, but the signs are promising : victory:


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

3 weeks on and a second clutch has been laid, smaller this time, 5 eggs in total and again no sluggs, Now have 11 x eggs cooking ( fingers crossed I hatch atleast 1 ) : victory:

A little ameiva loving - click to play


Clutch 2


----------



## XtremeReptiles (Aug 10, 2011)

Paul P said:


> 3 weeks on and a second clutch has been laid, smaller this time, 5 eggs in total and again no sluggs, Now have 11 x eggs cooking ( fingers crossed I hatch atleast 1 ) : victory:
> 
> A little ameiva loving - click to play
> [URL="http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww16/preshy/th_Ameivaameivamating.jpg"]image[/URL]
> ...


Good luck mate, looking forward to see if these hatch. Put me on the waiting list if they hatch and you decide to sell :whistling2:


----------



## Jimmy P (Mar 14, 2012)

Paul P said:


> 3 weeks on and a second clutch has been laid, smaller this time, 5 eggs in total and again no sluggs, Now have 11 x eggs cooking ( fingers crossed I hatch atleast 1 ) : victory:
> 
> A little ameiva loving - click to play
> [URL=http://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww16/preshy/th_Ameivaameivamating.jpg]image[/URL]
> ...


Congrats on the 2nd Clutch mate! hope everything goes well  

Thanks

James


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

First clutch looking really good, possibly some hatching action any time soon.
Second clutch looks to have failed all bar one.
Today I've had yet another clutch laid, 6 eggs again


----------



## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

Well done Paul, funky little things that would be a nice variation to the norm.


----------



## Jimmy P (Mar 14, 2012)

Great news once again Paul, hope everything goes ok with them. :no1:

Thanks

James


----------



## Whitey93 (Aug 4, 2012)

hey guys new to this thread so if anyone can help that would be awesome 

i maybe getting a ltc breeding pair of these and was just wondering if there was a care sheet out there for these guys

or maybe u could just help paul with things like temp,substarte,feeding,and anything else important


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Hi m8

If you can find any care sheets regarding care for these youvve done better than me.
There is so little info to find on this species despite the amounts exported from south America. I have found one instance of a keeper in the UK hatching eggs from a wild caught female, nothing more. I really don't think cb exist only captive hatched.

Im at work at the mo but later I'll pm you the way it seems to be working for me, not to say I'm even doing it right though.


----------



## Whitey93 (Aug 4, 2012)

must be doing something right to have several clutches from them

and these are the only half decent ones i found

The Living Rainforest - View a Care Sheet

tegus - Care Sheets Information about Tiger Ameiva (Ameiva Undulata) Lizards tegus ,characteristics and sexing, Description of Diet, Diet-Carnivorous,Supplements, Nutrition and Usage - calcium and vitamins, Lighting and UVB,Tempatures and Humidity,Ca


----------



## Whitey93 (Aug 4, 2012)

Paul P said:


> Hi m8
> 
> If you can find any care sheets regarding care for these youvve done better than me.
> There is so little info to find on this species despite the amounts exported from south America. I have found one instance of a keeper in the UK hatching eggs from a wild caught female, nothing more. I really don't think cb exist only captive hatched.
> ...


OKAY mate some pics of the set up would be much appreciated aswell as all the helpful information


----------



## lucas829 (Apr 17, 2012)

they are gorgeous dude! man i want them now haha


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Whitey93 said:


> hey guys new to this thread so if anyone can help that would be awesome
> 
> i maybe getting a ltc breeding pair of these and was just wondering if there was a care sheet out there for these guys
> 
> or maybe u could just help paul with things like temp,substarte,feeding,and anything else important


 My pair are kept in a standard 4x2x2 wooden viv, I lined the bottom with a pond liner to aid with retaining the moist ( 50/50 mix of eco earth and playsand ) but not wet substrate. The substrate is around 4 inches deep, and if kept damp enough holds a nice burrow. Try for a humidity level of around 70-80.

I use a floresant light coupled with an Arcadia 100w D3 basking lamp for a nice natural looking illuminated viv. 12hr day / night cycle.

Plenty of hides are needed until they become accustomed to their new surroundings.
Daytime air temps range between 70-90 throughout the viv.

I have a basking site, which incorporates a log, this does get very warm indeed and they spend a little less time on the top and more time slightly lower down on a slightly cooler basking rock. (I’ve still yet to find their optimum basking temp)

Feeding is not an issue with them and I feed a variety of locusts, crickets, morios, mealworms and roaches, the occasional fuzzy mouse and cooked chicken.
I have tried and tried but have yet to get mine to eat fruit.

Depending on where yours come from in S. America relates to how many clutches you’ll have and the number of eggs during a breeding season. I believe mine to be from an area with a prolonged wet season, hence the number of clutches to date. I have found the eggs to be rather large though in comparison for the animal’s size.


----------



## Whitey93 (Aug 4, 2012)

Paul P said:


> My pair are kept in a standard 4x2x2 wooden viv, I lined the bottom with a pond liner to aid with retaining the moist ( 50/50 mix of eco earth and playsand ) but not wet substrate. The substrate is around 4 inches deep, and if kept damp enough holds a nice burrow. Try for a humidity level of around 70-80.
> 
> I use a floresant light coupled with an Arcadia 100w D3 basking lamp for a nice natural looking illuminated viv. 12hr day / night cycle.
> 
> ...


cheers mate do u just leave it at room temp at night


----------



## SnakeBreeder (Mar 11, 2007)

Stivali said:


> Wow, not seen these little fella's for donkey's years - used to keep a few some 20 years back (when they were common stock at most rep shops).
> I had a couple of pairs and tried everything I could think of to encourage them to breed - but had only infertile eggs.
> Mine were fairly tame, though were easily startled by sudden noises/movements.
> I seem to recal they had an appetite for sweet fruits too..
> ...


You were lucky to get hold of pairs.
About 30 year ago, before my sone was born, I had a single animal and was never able to get a mate for him.
It's good to see these avaialble again.


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

At last after what seems an eternity of waiting, not sure but I believe these to be the very first cb ameiva ameiva in the UK. I know they have been hatched in the UK before but only from wild caught females gravid when captured.

Day 74 and 5 very healthy agile little beauties, so so chuffed.
Second clutch all failed, third clutch still looking good, and 7 eggs laid yesterday, I may just have cracked these :2thumb:


----------



## Whosthedaddy (Nov 29, 2009)

Well done Paul, keep it up as would be nice to see something little different available for that 'Beardie' sized lizard that is so unique.


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Whosthedaddy said:


> Well done Paul, keep it up as would be nice to see something little different available for that 'Beardie' sized lizard that is so unique.


Cheers m8


----------



## Jimmy P (Mar 14, 2012)

Paul P said:


> At last after what seems an eternity of waiting, not sure but I believe these to be the very first cb ameiva ameiva in the UK. I know they have been hatched in the UK before but only from wild caught females gravid when captured.
> 
> Day 74 and 5 very healthy agile little beauties, so so chuffed.
> Second clutch all failed, third clutch still looking good, and 7 eggs laid yesterday, I may just have cracked these :2thumb:
> ...


Well done mate! Great news! :no1:

Thanks

James


----------



## welshMorphology (Feb 16, 2008)

A HUGE CONGRATS Paul, I have been waiting for this to happen for you :2thumb:


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Jimmy P said:


> Well done mate! Great news! :no1:
> 
> Thanks
> 
> James





sammibee said:


> A HUGE CONGRATS Paul, I have been waiting for this to happen for you :2thumb:


Thanks guys, 

Day 2 and all have shed already, hunting at its best, no leaf unturned and no cricket safe, looks like they have their parents appetites, lol


----------



## Whitey93 (Aug 4, 2012)

congrats mate ......... gimme gimme gimmme:whistling2:


----------



## Stivali (Apr 9, 2012)

Congrats Paul, fantastic news!


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

The 6th egg from the first clutch hatched 2 days after the other 5, first clutch resulted in a 100% hatch rate :2thumb:

week later and all I can say is that they are insane feeders, never stop eating and the growth in a week is very noticable. First impressions looks as though I have mixed sexes here so the future looks bright for the next generation of CB ameiva.


----------



## Lozza.Bella (Apr 24, 2010)

*Only just seen this thread, a massive congratulations Paul, you must be so proud of yourself, and your little beauties  
As said before it would be great to see these thrive as a captive bred population, are they similar to Ackies in husbandry? *


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Lozza.Bella said:


> *Only just seen this thread, a massive congratulations Paul, you must be so proud of yourself, and your little beauties
> As said before it would be great to see these thrive as a captive bred population, are they similar to Ackies in husbandry? *



Thanks

The care of these is more geared to tropical lizards, they are just a smaller cousin of the tegu, growing to around the size of an ackie.


----------



## bob marley (Sep 27, 2012)

i once went to a shop it said amieva amieva £20 isent that insanely cheap for a species only just bred in captivity?


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

bob marley said:


> i once went to a shop it said amieva amieva £20 isent that insanely cheap for a species only just bred in captivity?


When I first saw these it was years ago, When I actually thought about trying my hand at keeping them they had all but vanished from the trade and I couldnt believe that for the amount of time theyve been in the hobby nobody has managed to or actually suceeded in breeding them. The low price of Wc animals doesnt help, the trouble is when buying WC is they dont tend to fair well, most are laden with parasites and of course their age is unknown, keeping them alive long enough to get them established seems to be the key.

However once accustomed to captivity all I can say is they are wonderful little characters to keep.


----------



## bob marley (Sep 27, 2012)

ahh ok:2thumb:


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Well its been a good year with this pair of ameiva, far than exceeded any of my expectations in the first year of working with them, another 6 eggs laid this morning :gasp:

Will try and get some updated photos of the first hatchlings, already measure around the 7 inch mark and I'm expecting them to be sexually mature at 6-7 months and getting greener by the day.


----------



## Stivali (Apr 9, 2012)

Fantastic! Good work..:no1:


----------



## Paul112 (Apr 6, 2007)

They look fantastic, you should be very proud!

Best,
Paul


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Clutch 2 started to hatch this morning 3 more healthy very fast babies with 4 more eggs yet to hatch.


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

One day old, shed and eaten 5 crickets, thats how you start life with a bang :mf_dribble::mf_dribble:










6 babies from 7 eggs and another good hatch rate.


----------



## Jenface (Apr 8, 2012)

Put my name down for babies. Fantastic lizard =]


----------



## boyd1955 (Jun 17, 2011)

Wow these are amazing little guys ... I'll be keeping an eye on this thread ... Maybe be able to find some room for some little ones in the future if you keep up this success
Well done that man : )


----------



## Paul P (Feb 10, 2009)

Jenface said:


> Put my name down for babies. Fantastic lizard =]


More than welcome if you really want to have a crack at them : victory:



boyd1955 said:


> Wow these are amazing little guys ... I'll be keeping an eye on this thread ... Maybe be able to find some room for some little ones in the future if you keep up this success
> Well done that man : )


Cheers m8, doesnt look like number 7 is going to make it this time though, still hasn't hatched :whip:


----------

