Are Caiman Lizards Good Pets?
With a bright green body, orange or red head, beautiful bony plates sometimes with yellow stripes or dots, and a long tail, the caiman lizard (Dracaena guianensis) is certainly a gorgeous reptile.
Are caiman lizards good pets? Caiman lizards are good pets for experienced reptile owners, but not for novices. They grow to between four and five feet in length, and have specific dietary and caging requirements that are beyond the skill set of amateur keepers.
If you are wanting a pet lizard that is more challenging than a bearded dragon, I would recommend getting something like a savannah monitor.
For those who feel they are ready to take the next step however, this guide will give you all the information you need to successfully raise a caiman lizard.
Caiman Lizard Care Sheet
| Care Level | Advanced |
| Temperament | Docile |
| Native to | South America |
| Average size | 2-5 feet |
| Cage Requirements | Minimum of 8x4x4 |
| Temperature | 84-88 degrees |
| Humidity | Over 70% |
| Preferred food | Fresh water crustaceans, some fruit |
| Feeding frequency | Babies and juveniles fed daily. Adults fed every 2-3 days |
| Life span | 10+ years |
How Big Does A Caiman Lizard Get?
Caiman lizards are one of the largest lizards in the Americas.
Hatchlings start out between 10 and 16 inches in length including the tail, and they grow quickly. You can expect them to easily double in size in the first year.
Growth will slow down in the second and third years, more so for females than males.
As with many reptiles, caiman lizards reach sexual maturity and their average full size in about three years. At that time, males will measure between four and five feet long, while females will measure two to four feet. They will weigh 8-12 pounds.
Caiman Lizard Housing Needs
A large lizard requires a large enclosure. This is just one of the aspects that make these reptiles more suited for advanced keepers.
Babies and juveniles can be kept in an enclosure measuring 4′ x 2′ and at least 2′ tall.
By the time they are a year to a year and half old however, they should be moved into their adult sized house.
This needs to measure a minimum of 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and be at least 4 feet tall. You might be able to house a female in a smaller enclosure of around 6 feet by 3 feet, and 3 feet tall.
Caiman lizards like to climb, and also require a large area of water to soak and swim in.
Larger areas are better for this lizard!
Caiman Lizard Cage Setup
Depending on the species of lizard, there are three main components of an enclosure that may be important. Land area, water area and vertical climbing spaces.
Caiman lizards need all three!
They need at least enough land space to have their entire body out of the water and dry. This land space should be large enough for them to move and turn around.
Caiman lizards also enjoy climbing trees. Their natural instinct is to climb out onto a branch hanging over water. You’ll want both vertical and horizontal climbing places for these guys.
This brings us to the water element. These lizards need a large enough body of water to completely submerge in.
As you can see, the bare minimum cage sizes I listed, are the absolute bare minimum. Your caiman lizard will thrive with a much larger enclosure if you are able to provide one.
Caiman Lizard Water
Water is one of the biggest considerations for caiman lizards. You don’t provide a water dish for them to drink out of, they need a pool to swim in.
Since they will be getting in and out of the water so much, cleanliness and purity becomes a concern.
Your pet caiman lizard will need water that is at least 12”-16” deep to swim around in. This means you will also need a filtration system to keep the water clean. These guys are messy eaters, and will also defecate in the water, not to mention the substrate that will invariably end up getting in there.
You will want to manually skim the water once to twice per day to remove as much physical debris as possible. In addition to that, you should also change the water at least two to three times per week.
Check the water filter often!
Caring for the water is one of the biggest priorities to maintaining a healthy lizard.
Caiman Lizard Substrate
Caiman lizards live in tropical areas near water. With that in mind, they need a substrate that matches their natural living conditions.
Which substrate is best for a caiman lizard? A good substrate choice for caiman lizards is a mixture of sand, cypress mulch and topsoil. Make sure the topsoil is free of any fertilizer or pesticides. This combination blends well with high humidity, is somewhat sandy, and allows them to satisfy their natural digging behavior.
Be prepared to spot clean the substrate daily, by scooping out visible debris.
You should completely change the substrate every two to three weeks.
Caiman Lizard Lighting Needs
Correct lighting is crucial to the overall health of your pet caiman lizard.
Light provides warmth, vitamins and psychological health to your pet.
Do caiman lizards need UV lighting? Yes, caiman lizards need UV lighting. They need around 12 hours per day of UVB lighting for the synthesis of vitamin D3 which helps them to absorb calcium. UVA is not required, but it does help regulate behaviors such as eating and other daily activities. I recommend 12 hours per day of UVA lighting.
In addition to UV lighting, you’ll also want to provide your lizard with a basking area which is usually accomplished with a basking light.
Keep all of your lights safe. Your caiman will likely jump into the water several times per day and can splash around. Be sure to prevent your lights and electrical components from getting wet.
Caiman Lizard Temperature Requirements
The natural habitat for caiman lizards is the Amazon River Basin. Average temperatures there are in the mid 80s all year.
With that in mind, you will want to keep your temperatures in the same range.
84 to 88 degrees is the ideal temperature range for caiman lizards.
Night time temperatures can be allowed to fall into the high 70s, with 75 degrees being the lowest you want to go.
You will also need to provide a basking area for your lizard that reaches 95 to 100 degrees.
If you have the space, I would recommend having two branches hanging over the water for your caiman to perch on. Use one branch as a basking area, and have the other in normal temperatures.
This will allow your lizard to find the area where it is most comfortable.
Caiman Lizard Humidity Needs
Dwelling in the Amazon River Basin means higher humidity requirements for caiman lizards.
These guys live in an area where the relative humidity averages about 80%. The rainy season can even bring averages closer to 90%!
This can be a big challenge for the average keeper, and is one of the aspects that makes this a more advanced reptile to own.
I wrote an entire article on maintaining high humidity for reptiles if you need help achieving this. 15 Ways To Maintain Perfect Humidity For Any Reptile.
Caiman Lizard Feeding And Diet
Caimans have a fairly specialized diet in the wild.
Most of their diet consists of aquatic snails. Shrimp and fresh water clams.
This used to be challenging to reproduce in the pet reptile industry, but is thankfully much easier in modern times.
Today you can buy canned snails and canned shrimp. Pet caiman lizards can even eat some insects such as super worms and gut loaded crickets. Canned tegu food, or monitor food will also work well. And finally, an occasional serving of South American fruits such as bananas, kiwi, mango and papaya will work.
Offer you pet caiman some variety in their diet.
The staple of their diet consists of canned snails, shrimp and tegu food. You can add some insects and fruit once or twice per week.
Young caiman lizards should be fed the equivalent of 2-3 small snails, 2-3 times per day.
Juvenile caimans from one to two years old should be fed once per day. You can increase the physical size and portion size of the food to accommodate the larger size of your pet.
Adult caiman lizards can be fed every other day. Again, you can increase the physical size and portion size of their meals.
Caiman Lizard Supplements
In addition to a well balanced diet, you will also need to provide your pet with vitamins and supplements throughout its entire life.
Sprinkle food with calcium powder twice per week.
Sprinkle food with a reptile vitamin powder once per week.
Caiman Lizard Temperament And Handling
Caiman lizards are exceptionally intelligent, and will learn quickly.
Although they can be a bit shy and reclusive as babies, running away from you or displaying defensive behaviors, they can become quite friendly when handled the right way.
As with all reptiles, the first thing to do is to interact with them as little as possible for the first two to three weeks.
Allow them time to acclimate to their new environment.
After they have adjusted to their new home, begin short handling sessions once or twice per day.
Get your lizard out of its enclosure, and gently hold it until it calms down. Always end your interactions when it is calm and content.
Do be careful during feeding times. These guys have a voracious appetite, and may accidentally bite you while attempting to get the food. I always use feeding tongs and a dish.
Caiman Lizard Behavior
Most of the caiman lizard’s time is spent resting and basking on branches over the water, then swimming to cool off. Rinse and repeat.
They are diurnal which means they are most active during the day.
At night they will mostly sleep on a branch or in a hiding place.
You will find that caimans pick up quickly on routines. If you feed them on the same days and times, they will know it and begin getting excited when it’s time to feed.
Caiman Lizard Health Issues
Caiman lizards are fairly healthy overall.
Most health issues are a result of poor husbandry practices.
Respiratory infections and illnesses are of particular concern due to their high humidity needs.
You should also watch for injuries such as cuts, injured claws and impact injuries from spending their days climbing and jumping into the water.
Make sure you get a captive bred lizard rather than one that is wild caught. Wild caught lizards are often times riddled with parasites, have compromised immune systems, and suffer from dehydration and malnutrition.
Many of the health issues related to wild caught specimens may not reveal themselves for up to a year, at which time it may be too late to save them with medical intervention.
Conclusion
The caiman lizard is an amazing reptile, and can make a wonderful pet for those who have the experience and means to provide them with exceptional care.
They are a hardy lizard which typically live beyond 10 years in captivity.
Caiman lizards are a wonder to watch and interact with!