Granite night lizard (Xantusia henshawi)

Short answers

Granite night lizard: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 60×40×40 cm.

Granite night lizard: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 24–28 °C, at night 16–19 °C.

Granite night lizard: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Not essential.

Granite night lizard: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 10–15 years.

Granite night lizard: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

24–28 °C

Night temperature

16–19 °C

Humidity

40–55 %

UVB

Not essential

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 60×40×40 cm

Substrate

Sand-loam with stone slabs lying flat on one another

Feeding

Food

Small insects

Feeding interval

Adults 2×/week

Key facts

Adult size

6–9 cm

Life expectancy

10–15 years

Origin

Southern California, Baja California

Protection status

Captive-bred animals only

Brumation

Yes, 8–10 weeks at 12–15 °C

Cohabitation

Keep as a pair or one male with several females (1.2) in a large, rock-rich terrarium with plenty of tight crevices for each animal; males do not tolerate each other.

Notes

Extremely flat-bodied and living in narrow rock crevices — instead of caves it needs stone slabs laid on each other with a gap of a few millimetres. Active at dusk and at night.

Do you keep this species?

Add your animal to Reptoria – Reptoria reminds you about feeding and shedding. Add your animal for free →

Look for Granite night lizard (Xantusia henshawi) in the marketplace →

Related species

• Island night lizard (Xantusia riversiana) – Intermediate
• Sandstone night lizard (Xantusia gracilis) – Intermediate
• Desert night lizard (Xantusia vigilis) – Intermediate
• Yellow-spotted night lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum) – Intermediate
• Knob-scaled lizard (Xenosaurus grandis) – Experts
• Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) – Experts
• Large psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) – Intermediate
• Pamphylian green lizard (Lacerta pamphylica) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Granite night lizard (Xantusia henshawi) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 60×40×40 cm), substrate (Sand-loam with stone slabs lying flat on one another), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.