Like the other Teiids, they have the long pointed snout, long tongue and tail. Strong limbs and long claws. Like their tegu cousins, they are diurnal, omnivorous and oviparous. These are active lizards, diggers and burrowers, so need a spacious enclosure with deep substrate layer, hide boxes. Some may make use of some low climbing branches or bark slabs for basking.
Older males develop the characteristic thick jowls.
Their tails can drop off, so take care in handling them, and don't grab them. If you need to make a grab for an ameiva, slip one hand under their pelvis, thighs and tail base, the other under their chest. Species from heavily jungled areas will require one area of the enclosure to be kept a little damp - not wet, however. They will also enjoy regular baths and occasional spraying. Woodlands and grassland species may be kept in open woodland enclosures.