Chuckwalla care sheet

The chuckwalla lizard is a close relative of the iguana. They are the second largest lizard in the United States; the largest is the gila monster. The chuck usually winds up in the range of 14 to 18 inches.

They have a very interesting defense mechanism. When they feel threatened they wedge themselves in between two rocks, and by using their loose skin they expand their body in such a way that it's virtually impossible to remove them.

Check out this video starring a Chuckwalla or two.

Housing

If at all possible make sure the chuck you're getting is a captive bred specimen. Wild chucks have a tough time adjusting to a small space, and will most likely not tame down. If you do get a wild chuck, they need considerably more space than a captive bred chuck. A captive bred chuck needs at least a 75 gallon tank, a wild one probably needs 150 gallons.

A chuck needs a rocky landscape. They like to sit high up and survey their surroundings. Their schedule usually consists of basking, eating and hiding. They need several rocky areas in which to hide. As with most pet lizards, you need to provide a temperature gradient in their cage, this allows them to thermoregulate their body.

Ideally you want two hides, one on the hot side one on the cold. It's suggestions like these that will reduce the amount of stress your pet chuck has to go through.

Lighting

As with most lizards, a chuckwalla needs a full spectrum of light. A UVB light is needed for a chuck to properly produce vitamin D3. This allows them to absorb calcium.

The hot side of the cage needs to have a basking temperature of 105 to 110°. The cool side of the cage can drop to the low 80s.

A mercury vapor bulb will produce the necessary UVB light and will produce the necessary heat. If you don't use a mercury vapor bulb you'll need to get a regular light to provide the heat to get the basking spot up to 110°.

The light(s) you get need to be on a timer where you have the lights on 12 to 14 hours a day. Make sure the light is not passing through glass or dense mesh, as the chuck Will not have the proper exposure to the light he needs.

Food

As mentioned before, chuck's are a close relative to the iguana. A chuckwalla's diet is very similar to the iguana.

Dark leafy greens should make up roughly 85% of a chuck's diet, with roughly 15% composed of fruits and flowers. The dark leafy greens can consist of mustard greens, dandelion greens, parsley, and collard greens.

The fruits and flowers can consist of hibiscus, roses and geranium leaves and flowers. All kinds of squash can be offered, just make sure to cook it and allow it to cool.

Brumation

A chuck's natural habitat has different seasons, a winter season being one of them. Although their natural habitat does not really get cold by our standards, the temperatures can get down to the mid-50s.

A chuckwalla can enter into a hibernation stage around October or November, and emerge around February or March. If the temperatures in your home fall below 55°, care must be taken to maintain temperatures 55° or above.

You have to make sure a chuck's stomach isn't full before he enters hibernation. In the wild, food generally becomes more and more scarce. This, and the temperature, -we can only assume prompts the chuck to begin his hibernation. Because the food becomes more scarce, there is obviously less food in the chuckwalla's stomach.

You need to try as best as you can to mimic a chuck's natural environment. This means giving him less and less food, bringing the temperature down, and bringing the temperatures back up when you're chuck emerges from hibernation.

If you decide to get a chuckwalla, please read other people's care sheets and attempt to get advice from fellow chuck owners. The chuck can be a little more complicated then your average lizard, so take the time and research the wonderful lizard known as the chuckwalla.