Prove to be the ideal temperatures for most temperate and subtropical species. Many species of lizards, regardless of climatic origin, will drink water from a bowl or other container. The provision of water can be as simple as the inclusion of a water dish or as complicated as the elaborate arrangement of a waterfall and its corresponding lagoon.
Drinking water, as well as the water that is provided for the lizard to soak in, should always be clean. The bowl should be emptied and refilled daily. If chlorine in tap water is a concern, bottled mineral water is commercially available. Many lizards are good swimmers, but others are not so adept. To eliminate the threat of a fatal fall into a water dish, it is a good idea to place non-sedimentary rocks, such as red shale, in an arrangement that provides the lizards with ease of access both into and out of the water. Either a drip system or the use of an air stone in conjunction with the water bowl will increase humidity as well as enable the lizard to find the water more easily. (Drip systems and air stone agitation of the water should be avoided in desert terrariums.)
Plastic plants can be used to decorate the terrarium environment, although they inspire nearly the same apathy in the viewer of such a habitat as do their sea-going counterparts that can be found in many uninteresting aquariums. Although plastic plants give the terrarium an unnatural “look,” they do have their advantages. Many “species” of fake plants are tough enough to withstand the abuse that is sometimes dealt out by rambunctious lizards. Additionally, the probability that pesticides have been applied prior to purchase is extremely remote. Conversely, most real plants will probably harbor these toxic substances. It is advisable to thoroughly clean any plant that has been purchased from a source where pesticide contamination is a possibility, although all traces of the poisonous chemicals might not be removable.