Shopping List for a Sudan Plated Lizard Setup

For your convenience, we have put together a list of supplies that ReptiFiles personally recommends to help you put together your new Sudan plated lizard setup exactly the way it needs to be. In other words, we’ve all but done the shopping for you! ?

For advice on how to choose a healthy pet Sudan plated lizard, click here.

To see which products we recommend, click the links below. Just so you know, this page does contain some affiliate links, but using them won’t cost you a penny extra.

*To save A LOT of money on shipping, I highly recommend buying these products at your local home improvement store instead of online.

Approximate minimum investment before you buy the Sudan plated lizard or insects: $660

All of these supplies for just one Sudan plated lizard setup may seem ridiculously expensive, and after seeing the number above, you may be questioning whether all of it is really “necessary.” The answer? Yes. It is necessary! We at ReptiFiles advocate for a higher, more humane standard of reptile care, and that starts with more investment in the enclosure and supplies. Reptiles are NOT cheap pets.

Fortunately, with this shopping list, you can buy things one at a time as your budget permits.

Keep in mind that your Sudan plated lizard setup needs to be entirely ready to go before you bring home your new pet. This will save you a lot of stress, and does your new pet a big favor, too.

We also recommend finding an experienced reptile veterinarian in your area. It’s always better to do a little bit of research when nothing’s wrong than to find yourself in a panic when your pet gets sick.

tawny rough-scaled plated lizard
Contributed by WabbyTwaxx on Flickr

How to Select and Buy a Pet Sudan Plated Lizard

Sudan plated lizards have yet to be reliably bred in captivity, so most (if not all) of the specimens available in pet stores are wild-caught (WC) rather than captive bred (CBB). Sometimes they are captive born, which is when a pregnant female is harvested from the wild, lays her eggs, and the eggs hatch in captivity. However, as we come to understand rough-scaled plated lizard care better and they become more popular as pets, more captive-bred individuals will become available.

We at ReptiFiles advise buying directly from a breeder if possible. If not possible, look to adopt a plated lizard from a rescue or someone who has lost interest and is selling theirs. WC plated lizards are likely to carry a higher parasite load than captive-bred animals, and less likely to thrive as pets.

Avoid buying Sudan plated lizards younger than 3 months old, as older individuals are more likely to survive the stress of transitioning to a new home than younger ones.

Buying In-Person

If you are buying a Sudan plated lizard in-person, you are most likely at a pet store or reptile expo. In this setting, try to get a look at the animal up close, so you can gauge its overall health:

  • Is it
    alert, watching you and its surroundings?
  • Do the
    spine or hip bones seem to protrude? (bad)
  • Does the
    body seem sunken at all? (bad)
  • Are the
    eyes clear and open?
  • Are the
    arm and leg bones straight?
  • Are the
    tail or toes blackened at all? (bad)
  • Are
    there any open wounds? (bad)
  • Does it
    seem clumsy? (bad)
  • Does it
    try to wriggle free if held?

If you’re at a pet store, look at the enclosure:

  • Is there
    both a heat source and UVB?
  • Is the
    enclosure clean?
  • If
    there’s glass, is that clean? Clean enclosures usually mean an animal is well
    cared-for.

Buying from a Breeder

Whenever possible, buy from a small breeder who specializes in Sudan plated lizards, not a big-box reptile distributor (Underground Reptiles, Backwater Reptiles, LLL Reptile, etc.). The narrower their focus, the more likely you are to receive a healthy, high quality animal. Some questions to ask yourself as you evaluate the breeder:

  • Do they provide
    plenty of information in the listings for each available animal?
  • Do they
    offer a live-arrival guarantee?
  • Do they
    offer a health guarantee?
  • Do they
    have a DOA (dead-on-arrival) policy?
  • Do they
    have a good reputation in the reptile community?

Some questions to ask about the lizard:

  • Does
    s/he have a good appetite?
  • When was
    the last time it ate, and how much?
  • Have
    they had any past health issues?
  • Did the
    mother/father have any recurring health issues?
  • (If adult
    female) Has she ever been with a male?

Of course, buying directly from a breeder often means that you have to pay more, but it’s worth the extra money to get a healthy animal. Also, buying online means that you will have to pay for overnight shipping — in the US, that’s usually around $50.

The Sudan Plated Lizard Care Guide — Table of Contents

  1. Introduction to Sudan Plated Lizards
  2. Shopping List
  3. Enclosure Size Requirements
  4. Enclosure: Lighting & UVB Requirements
  5. Enclosure: Heating & Temperature Requirements
  6. Enclosure: Humidity Requirements
  7. Enclosure: Choosing a Substrate
  8. Decorating the Enclosure
  9. Feeding Your Sudan Plated Lizard
  10. Handling and Taming Tips
  11. Common Illnesses and General Health Information
  12. Additional Resources