Common Name: Painted Dragon

Scientific Name: Agama stellio

Food: Worms, Grubs, Crickets, Beetles, Grasshoppers, Waxworms. May prefer to feed at night (Supply each meal with multivitamin and calcium supplements.)

Distribution: Southwestern Asia to northeastern Africa, some parts of Greece.

Habitat: Rocky habitat.

Color Discription: Gray to almost black with light colored spots.

Physical Discription: All species are frog-like in appearance with moderately long tails. Hemipenal bulge seen in sexually mature males. Some species have long spikes on their dorsal crest; others short spikes. All have a spike behind each eye. Extremely strong claws for digging. This genus used to be included with the Gonocephalus but sorted out. Lacks the gular fold/dewlap in males. Slight lateral compression. Strong orbital ridges.

Size: 14 in (35 cm).

Temperatures: 70-82 F (22-28 C) days; drop to 68-70 F (20 C) at night

Breeding/Reproduction: Can lay up to three clutches of 8-12 eggs.

Cage Setup: Desert setup A spacious, dry terrarium that can be set up, depending on species, as desert,or dry woodland. There should be some humidity, best provided by a damp sand substrate under a dry sand later (in desert setups) or by non-toxic potted plants embedded in the substrate in one corner of the woodland setup. Hiding place throughout the tank.

Water: Spraying regularly sufficient for drinking

Special Note: Winter rest recommended.