The Basics:

This distinctive lizard is light brown to dark brown in coloration, and it has a yellow underbody with a blackish pattern, especially under the chin.  About 45% of this lizard’s length is made up of its tail. Tube like structures in the lizard's nostrils help it sniff for insects. It is a common lizard in the pet trade.

Enclosure:

A 20-gallon tank with a secure screened top is good for one or two of these lizards. Do not house two males together.

Must have hide box or cave. In the wild they live under pieces of wood. Cork bark works well as a furnishing.

Substrate:

They like to dig, so their enclosure should have reptile safe bark or mulch. Avoid sand, which can become impacted. Gravel and pebbles should also be avoided. Clean the substrate daily and change it at least once a week.

Temperature:

This lizard needs a thermal gradient. Ambient temperature should be about 80° Fahrenheit throughout most of the enclosure, with a basking area of about 95°. At night the temperature should be in the low 70s.  

Lighting:

They need 8-10 hours a day of full spectrum UVB lighting so the lizard can synthesize calcium and other minerals.

Note About Day/Night Light Cycles and Heating:

 All reptiles, including this pet, must have distinct day and night periods in their enclosure to maintain their biological rhythms. (See the lighting entry above for the specific length of this animal’s day/night cycle.) The day period must be light; and night must be dark. A timer should be used to set day/night periods. A heat source may not be required to maintain correct nighttime temperatures in this lizard’s enclosure, but if one is, use heat mats or strips mounted below or on the side of the tank, infrared heat lamps, ceramic heat emitters, or a combination of these products. This will allow the enclosure to be heated while remaining dark. Follow directions carefully with all products. If ceramic heat emitters are used always choose fixtures with porcelain or ceramic sockets and to protect against fires do not place them by dry wood or flammable fabrics. Ceramic heat emitters must be kept out of the reach of children and all pets, including dogs and cats.

Humidity:

The Jones Armadillo does well with a humidity level of about 45% in its enclosure. Use a hygrometer to measure humidity levels.

In the wild they eat lots of termites; in captivity feed them gut loaded and calcium dusted crickets and occasional mealworms. Use only commercial insects, and do not feed wild-caught ones, since they can carry diseases that pose a threat to the health of this lizard. (See below for notes on gut loading and dusting crickets.)

Be careful not to feed insects that are too large for a Jones Armadillo lizard. A cricket fed to this lizard should not be longer than its mouth is wide. Another rule of thumb is that a cricket should never be larger than the distance between the lizard's eyes, or the distance from its eyes to its nose. Adults should be fed 8-10 crickets every other day. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed 6-8 appropriately sized crickets daily. (Juveniles should be offered larger crickets.)

Feeding crickets a nutritious diet will pass on vital nutrients to your reptile. When reptiles eat these insects they are able to absorb the nutrients. This is why it is important to gut load crickets at least 48 hours before offering them to a reptile. Commercial cricket foods provide a convenient way to gut load crickets. (Always follow manufacturer’s directions.) Crickets should also be provided with water, preferably in the form of oranges or a commercial water gel product designed specifically to hydrate feeder insects. Putting a shallow dish of water in the cricket holding tank will result in insects drowning and promote the spread of bacteria.  You can also create your own gut-loading formula. Our vet recommends a mix of ground up dog food, cereal and fresh greens with oranges or a commercial gel for water. 

Supplements:

Dust insects with calcium supplement and vitamin supplements. As a rule, a growing juvenile's food should be dusted more often than an adult's. Follow product label directions when applying supplements, and avoid over-supplementing food. The following is a possible supplementing schedule for this reptile. Our veterinarian recommends dusting insects with a plain calcium supplement every time they are offered to the pet. (Avoid using a calcium supplement with added phosphorous, unless specifically directed by your veterinarian, since this can promote kidney disease.) Our veterinarian also recommends dusting insects with a D3 supplement once a week and a vitamin supplement two times a month. This is only one recommendation, consult your veterinarian for specific directions on supplementing your pet’s food, since there are many variables that go into determining the best supplementing regimen for a given animal.

All water given to this pet for drinking, as well as water used for misting, soaking or bathing must be 100% free of chlorine and heavy metals. (Not all home water filtration systems remove 100% of the chlorine and heavy metals from tap water, so check your system’s specifications before using it to filter water for your pet.) We recommend that you use unflavored bottled drinking water or bottled natural spring water and never untreated tap water. If tap water is used, you should treat it with a dechlorinating treatment. Do not use distilled water, which can cause severe medical problems, since it lacks minerals that are essential to important body functions.

Clean fresh chlorine-free water must always be available to a Jones Armadillo lizard.  Provide them with a shallow water bowl, and keep it clean, because they will defecate in it. A daily misting with chlorine-free water can maintain humidity levels.