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Wyoming Herp Laws and City of Cheyenne Ordinances
It is legal to keep any species of reptile or amphibian (some require permits) within the state of Wyoming, save for two: the Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis ssp.) and the Manitoba toad (Bufo hemiophrys).
Wild-Caught Herps:
If you wish to sell, import or export, transport, or confine live wildlife in the state of Wyoming, you must abide by the regulations posted here -link-
Essentially, a permit is required to do any of the above, unless exempted. As well, transporting wildlife THROUGH Wyoming requires an interstate transportation permit, and the animals must be retained in the conveyance vehicle for the duration of the trip through the state.
Herps exempted may still need to be in compliance with Commission regulations and Wyoming statutes, and animals may require a certificate of veterinary inspection before they may be imported into the state. You may not release or abandon any of these species.
Herps which do not require a permit:
Amphibians. All amphibians, except that the importation and/or possession of the Manitoba toad (Bufo hemiophrys) is prohibited; certificate of veterinary inspection is not required.
Reptiles: all reptiles; certificate of veterinary inspection is not required.
As far as I can tell from reading these regulations, it is legal to sell any species of herp legally taken in Wyoming, in state or elsewhere, without a permit. I encourage all persons to look over these regulations for themselves, and tell me if I've missed anything.
Most species of herps are legal to take in Wyoming. Regulations regarding this are here -link-
Herp species legal to take without a permit:
Amphibians
Frog
Bullfrog Rana catesbieana
Northern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens
Boreal Chorus Frog Psendacris triseriata maculata
Salamander
Tiger Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum
Barred Tiger Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum movortium
Blotched Tiger Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum melanostictum
Utah Tiger Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum nebulosum
Toad
Great Basin Spadefoot Scaphiopus intermontanus
Great Plains Toad Bufo cognatus
Plains Spadefoot Scaphiopus bombifrons
Woodhouse's Toad Bufo woodhousei woodhousei
Reptiles
Lizards
Eastern Fence Lizard Sceloporus undulatus
Eastern Short-horned Lizard Phrynosoma douglassi brevirostre
Many-lined Skink Eumeces multivirgatus
Northern Earless Lizard Holbrookia maculata maculata
Northern Plateau Lizard Sceloporus undulatus elongatus
Northern Prairie Lizard Sceloporus undulatus garmani
Northern Sagebrush Lizard Sceloporus graciosus graciosus
Northern Tree Lizard Urosaurus ornata wrighti
Prairie-lined Racerunner Cnemidophorus sexlineatus viridis
Red-lipped Prairie Lizard Sceloporus undulatus erythrocheilus
Snakes
Bullsnake Pituophis melanoleucas sayi
Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis
Eastern Yellowbelly Racer Coluber constrictor flaviventris
Gopher Snake Pituophis melanoleucas
Great Basin Gopher Snake Pituophis melanoleucas deserticola
Plains Hognose Snake Heterodon nasicus nasicus
Prairie Rattlesnake Crotalus viridis viridis
Red-Sided Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
Smooth Green Snake Opheodrys vernalis
Valley Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi
Wandering Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans vagrans
Western Plains Garter Snake Thamnophis radix haydeni
Turtles
Common Snapping Turtle Chelydra serpentina serpentina
Western Painted Turtle Chrysemys picta belli
Western Spiny Softshell Trionyx spiniferus hartwegi
These species of herps may not be taken unless it is for scientific/educational purposes, by persons possessing a specific permit to do so.
Amphibians
Frogs
Spotted Frog Rana pretiosa
Wood Frog Rana sylvatica
Toads
Wyoming Toad Bufo hemiophrys baxteri
Boreal Toad Bufo boreus boreus
Reptiles
Snakes
Midget Faded Rattlesnake Crotalus viridis concolor
Rubber Boa Charina bottae
Black Hills Redbelly Snake Stoveria occipitomaculate pahasapae
Pale Milk Snake Lampropeltis triangulum multistrata
Turtles
Ornate Box Turtle Terrapene ornata ornata
Oddly enough, the attractive Great Plains Skink (Eumeces obsoletus) does not appear to be listed in any of these sections. Upon calling the Department of Wildlife Management, I was told that this species is also collectable without a permit.
I have made some phone calls to several numbers, and was able to gain the information that it is legal to collect herps in accordance with the above regulations in pretty much all public areas in Wyoming, including State Parks, Recreation Areas, and National Forests. For those in the Cheyenne area, it is specifically legal to collect in Curt Gowdy State Park, Vedau Woo Recreation Area, and Medicine Bow National Forest. You may want to double check other specific State Parks or areas.
City of Cheyenne Ordinances which may apply to herp owners:
Vicious animals: Any "known vicious animals" that may manifest a disposition to bite must be properly secured and muzzled. I would expect, though cannot guarantee, that large reptiles could fall under this ordinance, so using a very secure, locking cage would be wise if you keep a large, aggressive herp. I would hope that law enforcement would not expect us to muzzle a monitor lizard or python.
Animals at large: You may be subject to fines if your herps are found loose outside. It is a simple 25 dollar fine for the first offense, but goes up progressively with each additional offense. If it's a vicious animal, it may be taken and euthanized or banned from the city as well.
Interestingly, you may not sell LESS than 12 of any single species of animal under 6 weeks of age to a single purchaser. This is a bizarre ordinance, in my opinion, but there it is.
You may not give away animals as prizes, for the purpose of attracting people to places of amusement, or inducements to enter business agreements.
You may keep amphibians and "non-poisonous reptiles" within city limits. This ordinance is ambiguous on whether they must be small. Other "wildlife" or "exotic pets" of the herp variety are prohibited, thus, no venomous.
Animals kept within a dwelling unit may not number more than 4 adults.
Any "poisonous, venomous biting, or injecting" species of reptile, amphibian, or arachnid may not be in the city, period. Obviously this ordinance is not well enforced, or understood, as local pet stores can and do offer tarantulas and scorpions for sale. However well any of these ordinances are enforced, it behooves us to KNOW them, because they could be arbitrarily enforced if the city so wishes.
The final applicable law states that cages need to be kept clean and sanitary, which is just common sense.
What you need in order to keep a reptile or amphibian
First, be sure that you have space in your home to put the animal's enclosure. The size of the enclosure will depend on the species of the animal. It could range from a simple 5 to 10 gallon aquarium for small animals such as poison dart frogs or a single anole, on up to an enclosure the size of the room for larger snakes, monitors, or tortoises. In addition, the enclosure needs to be in an area free of drafts from windows or doors, and away from heating vents which might cause temperature fluctuations in winter. It must also be in a quiet area. This should be stressed, because it can be difficult to find a calm, quiet area in some active households. Next to the speakers or in the path of a lot of foot traffic is not a good place to keep a herp.
Next, be certain that you have or can afford to purchase or build an enclosure of appropriate size for the animal you wish to keep. This will require some research, as some species have very modest needs, while others require very elaborate setups in order to do well. As a rule, desert species prefer a long, low setup, as do most semi-aquatic frogs and terrestrial species. Arboreal species prefer a tall setup, and species which spend equal amounts of time climbing, walking, and swimming require considerable space in all dimensions. In general, species that require a high humidity do better in closed off environments such as a glass or plastic tank, which helps keep the moisture in. However, some tropical rainforest species have very exacting requirements for a very high humidity combined with excellent ventilation: This is true of many chameleon species. These species do best in completely open or mesh enclosures. Species with higher temperature requirements may also do better in more closed off cages, so as to retain heat.
One of the things to look for in a good enclosure is construction: (is it made of appropriate materials for the environment you wish to put in it, ie, sealed against rot if it will be exposed to high humidity? Will it withstand the attention of a very strong animal? Will it prevent injury to claws, toes, and noses?). Wire mesh cages should be plastic-coated, and screen can catch claws. A cage without a tightly locking lid might allow a strong snake or monitor to escape. Be sure that the materials the cage is made of are non-toxic, and will not release toxic fumes if exposed to high heat or moisture.
Another thing to look for in an enclosure is ease of cleaning. It should be non-porous, so that wastes cannot soak in where they can't be cleaned out again. All exposed surfaces should be accessable so that they can be washed and sterilized. There should be no crevices, cracks, or joints that would allow wastes to seep in, insects or mites to hide, or fungi and bacteria to grow. Perching branches and decorations should be removeable for cleaning, or replacement.
Is your enclosure designed with display of the animal in mind? If so, can you decorate it attractively and see the animal within it clearly? Enclosures not meant for display may be as simple as a ventilated sweater box of appropriate size.
Once you have your enclosure set up, next you must be certain that you have the necessary equipment to maintain temperature and humidity. Reptiles and amphibians are ectotherms. This means that they cannot regulate their own body temperature internally. The euphemism "cold-blooded" has probably cost many herps their lives over the years, as people assume that the animals are happy at room temperature, and not bothered by the cold. In reality, herps DO regulate their body temperatures...they simply do so externally. To warm up, they bask in the sun or seek out warmer areas, and to cool down, they retreat to shade or water, or burrow, depending on the species. Most herps have an optimal temperature range which they seek to maintain. Our body temperature is kept at around 98.6 degrees farenheit. This temperature is what some species of herps also seek to maintain...others prefer a body temperature cooler or even warmer than this. If a herp cannot regulate its temperature and maintain it at the proper level, then it will be unable to properly digest its food and behave normally.
This is where research on the species you wish to acquire is again essential. You must learn what the daytime and nighttime temperatures are in the area where that species lives, and then you must duplicate them in its captive environment. You should also create a temperature gradient within the cage: that is, one area very warm, while another is cooler. This allows the animal to move around the cage to maintain its ideal temperature. Most common pet species do well with a gradient that ranges from around 75 to 80 degrees farenheit on the cool side to 95 in the warmest spot. However, some species such as green iguanas and uromastix need a hot spot of well over 100 degrees farenheit, while montane species such as Jackson's chameleons will succomb to heat stress if temperatures rise above 80 degrees or so. If you plan to keep a montane or other cool environment species, be sure that your average room temperatures are low enough to accomodate its needs. It may require its own air conditioning unit.
In order to maintain these temperatures, you will need to acquire heating equipment. A variety of choices are available. Perhaps the best for most diurnal (active during the day) species is a heat lamp. You can purchase a simple metal clamp lamp at a hardware store. Be sure it has a ceramic fixture to withstand high heat. A reptile "day" bulb can be purchased from a pet store. These bulbs duplicate uva light, so that the color is natural, and they may cause animals to behave more naturally and be more active than an ordinary bulb. There are also red and blue lights available which can provide heating for nocturnal species without disturbing their activities. The color of the light does not trigger them to believe it is daytime. The lamp should be placed over top of the enclosure, on a non-flammable surface, on one side of the cage so that a heat gradient is created. Lamps should always be placed outside the enclosure to prevent burns.
In addition to heat lamps, there are also undertank heaters, heat strips, and various types of hot rocks. Undertank heaters are excellent to supplement a heat lamp or provide sole heat for a nocturnal species, as are heat strips. They can be placed under one side of the enclosure. They also should not be placed inside the enclosure. Hot rocks seem convenient, but can be extremely dangerous, and are the least recommended source of heating. For one thing, they do not heat the enclosure. Reptiles are required to sit on the rock itself in order to warm up, and cool down again as soon as they move off. Additionally, if the thermostat within the rock is faulty, or wears out over time, the rock may overheat. This has caused many terrible tragedies among reptile keepers. Reptiles do not have skin which is very sensitive to temperature. Instead, they have a light sensitive organ on top of their head known as the "third eye", which allows them to judge heat and light from the sun. Thus, if the rock overheats, the reptile may not realize that it is being burned until it is far too late. Reptiles have been killed this way, and a great many dreadful injuries have occurred.
If you MUST use a hot rock, replace it once every year, and monitor its temperature on a daily basis. Some people have attempted to help reduce the burn risk by placing a cloth around the rock. This has caused fires! It is not recommended by the manufacturer, and may actually increase burn risks in some cases. Additionally, some herps may ingest the cloth and this must be surgically removed (pythons are particularly well known for ingesting cloth). Hot rocks should never be used as a primary heat source, and should always be much larger than the reptile they are used with, to prevent it from being covered by the animal's body and concentrating the heat. While hot rock technology has improved over the years, they are STILL not a safe choice for providing heat for reptiles and amphibians. The most ideal form of heat for herps is an overhead heat lamp: This is closest to what they have evolved to use, and allows them to thermoregulate in the most natural possible fashion.
Next, all diurnal species will require a flourescent UVB-producing light, and some nocturnal species may benefit from it as well. Special reptile light bulbs are sold in pet stores for this purpose. Pay attention to the amount of UVB radiation produced by the bulb. With these lights, the higher the better, as none of them can come close to duplicating the level found in natural sunlight. UVA radiation, produced by the reptile heat bulbs, is not enough. It must be UVB, currently produced only by special flourescent bulbs. The importance of these bulbs cannot be overstressed. For some species, such as green iguanas and uromastix, they are absolutely essential, and even supplements cannot be used to override the need for this lighting. UVB radiation is used by reptiles to produce vitamin D3. This essential nutrient is used in the calcium metabolism, and without it herps develop metabolic bone disease ("rubber jaw"). Their bones become soft and brittle, and they eventually die from lack of utilizable calcium in their system. This light should be placed over the enclosure, with a basking area at a distance of less than one foot beneath it (preferably no more than 6 to 8 inches), and no glass or plastic between it and the reptile. (Wire mesh is best, screen can also reduce UVB). Diurnal reptiles are not well-equipped to derive vitamin D3 from dietary sources. Nocturnal reptiles can usually acquire what they need from their prey, as can snakes.
At least 2 thermometers should be used in the reptile enclosure. They should be placed inside, one at the level of the basking perch, the other in the coolest area of the enclosure. There are stick-on thermometers for reptiles available at pet stores. Use these to ensure that heating sources are set to the right temperatures, and are at the right distances from the enclosure to provide a proper heat gradient for your species. Set up heating and lighting BEFORE you bring your pet home, so that you have a proper environment ready for it and don't have to experiment after it arrives.
Now that heating and lighting are taken care of, humidity should be addressed. Desert species exposed to high humidity levels can develop respiratory infections. Tropical species kept too dry tend to have problems with shedding and mucous membranes. Proper humidity levels can be essential for herp health, and of course this is all the more true for amphibians, which usually require high levels of humidity to prevent dehydration.
For reduced humidity, use only a shallow water dish, and provide adquate ventilation. Make sure substrates stay completely dry, and clean, to prevent moisture buildup. In a dry climate, this is fairly easy to do, but keeping enclosure humidity levels down in a humid climate can be a challenge. Reptile hygrometers may be available at your local pet store, or via catalog or online. These will allow you to monitor the humidity level in the enclosure--simply place within the cage as you would a thermometer. Use a hygrometer whenever the humidity in an enclosure is a concern.
For increasing humidity in an enclosure, use a substrate which can safely be kept moist. Plain soil, shredded coconut fiber, bark chips, and mosses are all adequate choices. Attention must be paid to ensure that wastes are not allowed to collect in these substrates, for in a humid environment they will quickly mold, which can have serious health effects on your herps. They should be changed whenever they appear to be degrading, or immediately if they develop any sort of odor or appear soiled. Daily misting can be used to raise humidity levels, and some herps enjoy being misted. Many smaller herps also gain most of their drinking water from lapping dew, so misting can provide them with drinking water. For species like this, mist at least twice a day. A shallow bowl with a bubbling stone in it can also entice some dew-drinkers. Be careful that herps cannot fall into water sources where they might drown, and provide ample escape routes from the water if this is a concern. In-tank waterfalls are being sold now, and these can be a lovely addtion to a tropical setup, as well as increasing humidity levels. While expensive, the new ultrasonic foggers made for high humidity reptiles (or decorative fountains) are excellent for cleanly raising humidity levels. A very few delicate herps must be kept in a very high humidity environment with lots of ventilation and a DRY substrate. Read up carefully before you acquire your animal. If your animal's humidity requirements are significantly higher than the humidity of your local climate, purchase a hygrometer to monitor the enclosure.
Now that the basic environmental needs of your herp have been addressed, it's time to think about substrate and cage furnishings. In a non-display enclosure, newspaper is a very practical and safe substrate, and easy to clean. For desert reptiles, playground sand or calci-sand (made for reptiles) is the best choice. Other substrates pose a risk of impaction if they are ingested. Very fine sands can cause irritation. For tropical species, moss, coconut fiber, or bark chips work well, as does sterile plain soil (without vermiculite or perlite). Bad choices for herps include aquarium gravel, ground corn cob, very fine sands, or soils containing vermiculite and perlite. These all pose a risk to reptile which might accidently (or even purposefully) ingest them. Impactions can only be treated surgically, and only if caught very soon after they occur. Vermiculite and perlite particles seem to resemble food to some herptiles. Other substrates can stick to food items, causing them to be ingested accidently. Corn cob swells when moistened, so it poses a very serious risk.
Branches should be clean, and free of very rough spots which could cause abrasians. Take care small twigs cannot snap off and cause punctures. Branches should be fastened in place securely, so they cannot be pushed over, or fall down and crush a herp. Rocks should also be secured in place, not stacked so that they might fall. If you use live plants, take care that they are not contaminated by pesticides or fungicides. It's a good idea to replace the soil they are potted in, if you purchase them. Plastic or other artificial plants should be free of parts which can come loose and be ingested. All should be able to be taken down and cleaned and sterilized.
A small, shallow water container works well for most reptiles, but those which like to submerse themselves or swim will need larger, deeper ones. Be sure that herps that go into the water can easily get back out again, and not become trapped. A cat litter pan can work very well for a good sized water container that goes into an enclosure, and it can easily be lifted out and cleaned. Be sure containers cannot be knocked over, which could wet down the substrate too much and cause mold to grow. Containers for water should be easy to clean and sterilize, and should be cleaned on at least a daily basis, as well as when they are soiled.
Now you have set up a suitable environment for your pet, so it's time to be sure that you have researched its dietary needs, and have the proper foods and supplements on hand for it. Most herps are insectivorous. The safest foods for them to eat are commercially or home-raised crickets, mealworms, and wax worms. These insects are deficient in some nutrients, so should be dusted with a calcium or calcium/D3 supplement. You may wish to alternate this with a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. Both types of supplements can be purchased from a pet store or other supplier of pet products. Don't overdo supplements--shake some crickets with powder in a bag, or dust them lightly. Crickets and mealworms should be gutloaded. This means that you keep them for a day or so before you feed them to your herp, and feed them a nutritious diet. Many times, pet stores will not feed their crickets or mealworms while they are in the store, or will feed them a cheap food low in nutrition. By providing some fresh fruit or vegetable and some nutritious food, you ensure that rather than having an empty gut, they have a gut full of good food which your reptile will then ingest along with them. Several commercial cricket gutloading formulas are also available. Be sure that you do not over or under feed your herp. Some herps will eat enough to become obese, which can cause serious health issues. This is less of a problem with small insectivores than with large carnivores and omnivores. Remove any uneaten food items from its enclosure promptly. Stray crickets can and have attacked herps and bitten them badly, particularly if there is no other food or water for the crickets within the enclosure.
In addition to commercial food insects, you can also capture insects yourself to supplement your herps. Be aware that this increases the risk of parasite transmission. You must take extreme care that the wild insects you gather are non-toxic, and that there is no chance they have been exposed to pesticides or other harmful chemicals. However, greater variety in a herp's diet may well make it worthwhile to do this, so long as you take ample precautions. For larger herps, earthworms, pink mice or rats, and fish make good food items. They also carry some increased risk of parasite transmission. Goldfish are not a good food item, but tilapia, feeder guppies, and other feeder minnows are fine. Buying bait minnows from a bait and tackle store is not recommended, as these pose a very high parasite risk. Pink mice and rats should have their rump dipped in calcium powder before feeding, and should be offered only occasionally, as they are high in fat. Earthworms have an excellent nutrient balance. If you offer any of the higher risk food items, you should have a vet check your animal at least once a year for parasites.
Second most common after the insectivorous herps are the carnivorous herps. These animals, including primarily snakes and some monitors, tend to favor fish, other herps, birds, or mammals as prey. The safest food for a carnivorous herp is probably a commercially or home raised mouse or rat which has been pre-frozen and then thawed to room temperature before feeding. Contrary to popular belief, while some reptiles require the stimulus of movement in order to trigger their feeding instincts, the vast majority of snakes and monitors will accept dead prey items. You may need to work with them a while in order to train them to do so, but it is well worth your time. Dead mice do not fight back, and in an enclosed space, mice and rats can inflict serious or even deadly wounds on reptiles. Even knocking a prey item unconscious before feeding it is preferable to simply feeding live prey. Remember that you have a captive animal, it is not in a natural environment, nor should it be subject to laws of natural selection--you are responsible for its well-being. Freezing also reduces the risk of parasite transmission, and it means that you can stock up on prey items in quantity, and store them cleanly without odor or need to care for them. "Mice on ice" are commercially available now, pre-frozen and individually sealed against freezer burn. You can buy exactly the sizes and quantities you need. Be aware the some herps may be resistant to eating mice or rats at all. The animals at highest risk for rejecting these prey items include hatchling snakes of many species, and any imported snakes or herps. These animals may prefer very specific kinds of prey in the wild, and may be resistant to converting in captivity. If your carnivorous herp refuses mice or rats, and is otherwise healthy, you may need to try offering it the type of prey it would normally take in the wild. Once you have discovered what it will eat, you can begin the process of teaching it how to eat safer food items. You can, for example, rub a dead lizard over a pink mouse in order to give it the scent of a lizard. Once a herp has begun eating frozen thawed mice or rats, you've won that particular battle.
Least common among herps are the omnivorous and herbivorous animals. Among these are bearded dragons, blue-tongued skinks, green iquanas, and tortoises. Research your animal's dietary needs carefully. Too much protein or fat in the diet of an herbivore can be extremely harmful. Herbivorous reptile diets are more complex than simply throwing in some salad mix. Most vegetables grown for human consumption are low in the nutrients that herps need to stay healthy. You will have to pick and choose carefully to create a balanced diet for your herp. Commercial diets for herbivores and omnivores are currently in their infancy, and should be used only occasionally or as a supplement, and not as a primary source of nutrition. Never feed dog or cat food to any herptile. These foods are far too high in fat, and lack nutrients most herps need. Particularly detrimental is feeding these foods to any herbivore.
Check around for resources online and in books and magazines for lists of food combinations suitable for herbivorous and omnivorous herps. Be sure books and magazines are no more than 5 years past their publishing date, as advances in knowledge of reptile nutrition and care are very recent, and older publications may have outdated information which might be harmful. If preparing complex, mixed salads on a daily basis is not for you, then do not consider purchasing an herbivorous reptile such as a green iguana or tortoise. There are supplements designed to be sprinkled lightly over the salads of herbivores, so read their directions on doseages carefully.
Now that you have a complete enclosure, and have purchased or made arrangements for providing a proper diet for your pet, it's time to decide whether you will be getting a wild-caught or captive bred animal. Whichever you decide, you should have a veterinarian picked out. This should be a vet who has extensive experience with herps. Your local cat and dog doctor will not do. A wild caught animal should be seen by a vet as soon as possible after purchase. They invariably must be treated for parasites, and may have other problems as well. Wild animals which have undergone the stress of shipping may be in extremely poor health, even if it is not immediately apparent. Like birds, herps will hide their illness until they are on death's door, showing few symptoms to indicate that all is not well. By the time they appear ill, they are VERY ill. In contrast, a captive bred animal acquired from a reputeable breeder is most likely in fine health, and may need only an annual checkup to ensure that it stays that way. Take care with cb animals purchased from pet stores--they may have been housed in cages with animals which were wild-caught, or in cages which wild caught animals were previously housed and which were not sterilized afterward. Thus, though they may arrive in your home healthy, they may have picked up disease or parasites from the wild-caught animals, and should be monitored carefully and vetted. They may also have undergone a lot of stress while on display in the store, something which can reduce herps' immune function and appetite, so be aware of the relative tolerances of various species to stress before purchasing an animal from a pet store.
In conclusion, research is the key. Don't purchase an animal simply because it looks neat, if you have never heard of it before and are unsure of its requirements. Be sure you have all of its requirements met BEFORE you bring it home, and that you can afford to continue to meet them. Always judge an animal's suitability based on its ADULT size. Too many people purchase animals as babies, either not realizing what size they will reach when they grow up, or assuming that they will be able to give the animal away when it is larger. The reality is that zoos will not take these animals, and reptile rescues are absolutely full of half-grown pythons, green iguanas, and monitor lizards which outgrew their owners' capability to care for them. Herps will NOT slow or cease growing simply because their enclosure is too small. Ignore tales told by people who claim that they will not outgrow their cage. Tragically, most of these larger species die before they reach adulthood, due to the stress of being kept in too small an enclosure, or other aspects of improper care. Be certain that you know how long the species you intend to acquire will live. If you cannot afford to maintain the animal for its entire lifespan, do not purchase it.
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Selecting a Healthy Herp
The first rule is, never make an impulse buy. If you seen an animal for sale that appeals to you, go away and do research on it, then come back and buy it later if you find that it's suitable and you can care for it. Research the species you want, set up their enclosure and stabilize it, THEN go select and purchase the animal. This is very important, because having a stable and quiet environment for your pet when it first comes home can make a huge difference in its stress level and health. Moving is a traumatic experience for a herp to begin with. Minimizing the time it spends in transit and getting it into stable surroundings quickly will minimize its stress.
The first thing you will need to decide is where to purchase the animal. With some species, your choices are limited, as only a few dealers may carry them--with others, you have the full range of choices, from online and mail-order to buying directly from a local breeder or dealer, or from a pet store. Check all of the available sources. Unless you are specifically looking for genetic diversity for a breeding project, you will want to try to find a captive bred animal. If you cannot find one, only then should you select an import. Captive bred animals will most likely be free of parasites, accustomed to captivity and eating food available in captive conditions readily, and healthy. Imports WILL need to be deparasitized, may carry other diseases or infections, may refuse readily available foods, and may be dehydrated and in overall poor condition. Even if they appear to be healthy, always treat an imported animal as though it is in need of prompt intensive care....chances are, it is. Reptiles and amphibians are stoic. This means they will not show signs of illness until they are on death's door. The reason for this is simple.
In the wild, predators seek out weaknesses in prey species. It's easier to catch an animal that is already sick or injured than it is to catch one that is strong and healthy. A visible sign of weakness is a magnet to predators, so showing any sign of weakness, even if you are desperately ill, is a bad idea. Animals that acted ill when they were, were the first to be weeded out of the gene pool. The better an animal is at acting normally when it is ill, the better chance it will avoid predation, and might possibly recover. This makes things harder for us, because the sooner you can catch an illness, the better chance it can be successfully treated before it becomes fatal. You will need to observe your animals every day, and learn their normal behavior and routines. Be aware of any small change in their behavior, from sleeping more than usual, to eating less than they normally do, or spending more or less time basking when the temperature has remained the same. These can all be signs of illness.
In most cases, buying directly from a captive breeder is the best choice. The animals will generally be healthy, and you can select the one you like best. However, it is not always possible. Other choices have various benefits and risks. Buying from a breeder by mail-order poses some risk because you cannot see the animal in person before you buy it. Also, it may be injured or stressed by shipping. Chances are high, though, that you will receive a healthy animal, and if something goes wrong, the post office may reimburse you or the breeder may compensate you for it, depending on who is at fault.
You may also find captive bred animals at pet stores. Whether this is a good option really depends on the store. Keep in mind that animals on display in a store have been subjected to a lot more stress, not only from shipping, but from continual exposure to the public. If you find a truly excellent store that keeps its animals in optimal condition and pays attention to sanitation, it may be a viable option. Avoid buying from stores that do not have adequate enclosures for their animals, that have poor sanitation or a lot of poor-looking animals, or which mix species in the same enclosure. This is particularly dangerous, as diseases and parasites can easily be transmitted under these conditions, and a minor virus in one species can be deadly to another. There's no use buying a captive animal for its improved health if it's been kept with imports which have passed on parasites and disease to it.
If the animal you want cannot be found as a captive bred specimen, or you need to buy an import for some other reason, then your primary options are buying from a distributer online or through mail order, or from a pet store. It's difficult to find a facility that imports animals and will sell them directly to the public in person. Buying an import is always risky. If you can see a photograph of the animal before you buy it, or the dealer has a VERY good reputation, then purchasing through the mail is a viable option. However, the fact that you cannot examine the animal before you buy it makes this a generally huge risk. You will not be able to see it eat, or assess if it has injuries or other obvious problems. Buying from a pet store, on the other hand, means buying an animal that has been subjected to even more stress, and stress is a big killer in herps. It makes them more vulnerable to disease and parasite infestations, which can quickly overwhelm them. It reduces their appetite, and curtails normal thermoregulative behavior. Even the healthiest-looking import or wildcaught animal, from any source, should be immediately treated for parasites, rehydrated, and placed in a quiet and suitable enclosure to adapt to its new surroundings and recover from its ordeal.
One thing many people have trouble with is identifying a healthy animal from one that is not doing well. One of the more obvious signs of health in a herp is its weight. Sick animals don't tend to eat well, if at all, and lose weight as a result. So choose an animal that has good weight. Selecting a sick animal will most likely result in tragedy, and while you may feel sorry for it and want to help, many of these animals, particularly imports, are past the point where even the best medical care can save them. Below are two examples, one of a healthy animal with good weight, the other of a very skinny reptile which we were attempting to rehabilitate several years ago (a rescue).
(The healthy picture will be forthcoming)
This bearded dragon is extremely thin. You would be better off not buying an animal in this condition, as it most likely would have extensive medical problems and a might well die even if given immediate treatment. Note that the hip bones are clearly visible, and the spine sticks up so that the sides fall away from it in concavity.
Drugs of choice to treat parasite infestations in wild caught animals include panacur and flagyl. Talk to your veterinarian about this. Have your animals tested to see what types of parasites they have: panacur is for worms, flagyl is for protozoal infestations. Avoid ivermectin or ivomec, this wormer has caused problems in several species of herps, and is particularly deadly to turtles and tortoises. Any injury should be addressed as well, cleaned and disinfected, and the animal should be put on antibiotics. Do not purchase an animal that appears unable to properly close its mouth, has a nasal discharge, audible breathing, or swelling of the mouth or eyes. These are due to infections as well. Check inside its mouth to see that there are no whitish, cheesy-looking deposits, this is a sign of a common infection called "mouth rot", or stomatitus. If your animal develops these conditions after you bring it home, vet it immediately. It will most likely be put on an antiobiotic or antifungal, depending on the cause of the problem.
Wild caught animals may take time to adjust to captive conditions, and to prey items you offer them. Do not allow an animal to starve if it refuses easily acquired prey items. This is most common in snakes, but is occasionally seen in lizards as well. Be aware of your animal's dietary requirements--some herps require special prey items. Horned lizards, for example, do not do well unless their diet consists largely of ants. Many species of snakes are specialized feeders. Queen snakes eat mainly soft-bodied crayfish. King and milk snakes often prefer lizards and other snakes, and the hatchlings of a wide variety of snake species, including some pythons and boas, are adapted to eat lizards, though they may turn to mammals or birds as they grow larger. If a very young milk or king snake refuses pink (baby) mice, you may have to offer it a small lizard. If it accepts this prey, then use a dead lizard to scent a pinky by rubbing it over the surface of the mouse. Very often, a snake that would refuse a pink mouse outright will accept a scented one. From there, you can reduce the amount of scenting each feeding until the snake is eating unscented mice. This is the basic procedure for converting any herp from one prey item to another, when there is no dietary need for it to be eating an uncommon prey item.
It's our hope that this information will help people new to keeping herps select a healthy animal so that they will have a positive experience with their new pet.
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Keeping Humidity Levels High in Cheyenne's Climate
With humidity levels that are usually under 30%, Cheyenne's arid/semi-arid climate can pose problems to keepers of herptiles that require high humidity levels. Here are some tips on how to deal with the problem:
If you keep desert species, they will require a humid hide. A humid hide is simply a plastic box that is filled with damp/wet moss, paper towels, or other mold-resistant bedding. This should be changed at least once a week, and checked daily to make sure it is still damp. An easy way to made a humid hide is to take a deli cup, tupperware-style box, or margarine tub of appropriate size, and cut a round hole in lid. This way, you can place the bedding inside, snap on the lid, and the animal can enter and exit the box through the hole in the top. This prevents animals from digging and dragging the bedding outside of the box. This method works great for virtually any species. Humid hides can also be used for animals which are not desert species, but may be having problems during shedding time--corn snakes, ball pythons, and boas will appreciate these boxes.
If you keep a lot of humidity-loving species, your easiest option may be to simply humidify the entire room. Purchase a good quality humidifier, and keep it clean and filled--simply set it up in the room with your herps. This is an excellent option if you keep chameleons or crested geckos, which do very well with open mesh cages, but require a high humidity level.
If this is not an option, or if your collection is in one room but consists of mixed desert and temperate/rainforest species, using an in-cage humidifier, misting system, or fogging system is recommended. You can cover part of the screen with plastic, as well--but keep in mind, many humidity-loving species also need good air flow. An aquarium air pump can be used to introduce fresh air to a tank, and may help with this problem. Keep everything scrupulously clean, as a closed, humid environment invites the growth of bacteria and molds which may harm your animal.
Use a humidistat for any species which has humidity requirements that exceed Cheyenne's average. Lack of humidity can cause respiratory problems and shedding and skin problems, so it's very important to make sure that humidity levels are correct. Many species can tolerate humidity levels lower than those recommended (for example, species recommended to have 80% humidity can often do well at 60%), but when they shed, they will need the humidity to be raised. Retained skin from a bad shed can cause skin infections, and even more dangerously, it can act like a tourniquet on toes and tail-tips, causing these extremities to die and fall off. In snakes, retained eyecaps can cause infection and lead to blindness. Take improper shedding very seriously, as it can become a very serious issue, and monitor your humidity levels carefully.
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Selling Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide For Pet Stores
Many care sheets for various species, and information on selecting herp pets in general, are available for prospective reptile and amphibian owners. However, the number of resources available for pet stores is far more limited, and general sentiment against pet stores is negative, due to the fact that many of them do not care for reptiles and amphibians in their stores properly.
This is a "care sheet" to explain how a store can do this without breaking their bank. It's recognized that stores obviously cannot afford to have a veterinarian see every animal that passes through their hands. Few stores can stay in business when they engage in that practice, and those which do generally sell extremely expensive and rare species to offset the costs, or are a large chain that keeps a veterinarian on staff. However, there are other inexpensive ways to maintain the health of the animals that pass through a store.
Why bother? It's simple. If you sell reptile and amphibian care products and feeder insects and animals, you want your customers to buy healthy animals that will live out their full lifespans. Animals which die in the first month after they are purchased discourage people from buying those animals again, and certainly discourage them from buying them from your store. Doing your best to make sure that they take home a healthy animal with correct information on its care is in everyone's best interests. By stocking the proper care equipment for the animals you carry, your customers will keep coming back, for food, supplements, and other supplies. If their experience is great, they may even come back for a second herp pet.
In this sheet, we will explain how to go about ensuring that animals which arrive in your store healthy remain that way, how to buy healthy animals, which species make the best choices for pet store sales, and some husbandry equipment that will always be in demand by knowledgeable customers--or customers who will become knowledgeable. We'll also include tips on offering complete herp setups that really are complete, support for customers who call in with questions about the animals they've purchased, and placement of displays.
The first crucial key to creating successful reptile displays with healthy animals will be your suppliers. The cheapest wholesaler is not necessarily (in fact, is seldom) the best. Losses of animals that you are expected to absorb, or which are unreasonably high, are a good reason to switch to a different wholesaler. A key word to look for when buying reptiles for sale is captive bred (cb, or cbb). This means that rather than being captured in the wild and subjected to the stresses of importation and disease and parasites, the animal was born in a captive environment, and is most likely free of parasites or disease, and in good health. This makes a tremendous difference in how much stress an animal can tolerate--how well it holds up under shipping and display, and thus how well it will do for a customer when they bring it home. Whenever possible, buy animals from local breeders--these animals will not have undergone the stress of shipping, and should arrive in your store in pristine condition and health. It's not unreasonable to expect 0 losses from locally captive bred animals of hardy species. With that in mind, take your opportunity to ask questions--when was the animal born (never accept an animal that is less than 3 weeks old), when did it last eat, and what has it been eating? Ask if it is eating on its own, or if it needed to be assisted.
A few warning signs:
A GOOD wholesaler should also be able to tell you when an animal last ate unassisted, and what it ate. Any wholesaler or breeder who sends you an animal which is clearly emaciated and not feeding should be avoided forever after. An animal in this condition is close to death from parasites or disease, or failure to adapt to captive conditions, and most likely even immediate veterinary care cannot save it. They've sent you a "living dead" animal, and they do not deserve your further business. It takes a fairly long time for a herp to reach this stage of deterioration, so it did not simply happen in transit--the animal was already in ill health when it was shipped to you. You would not accept a rabbit, cat, or dog that arrived in this condition--do not accept a reptile or amphibian in this condition, either.
The next thing to address is what species of animals your store should carry. Many stores experiment with various types of herps, appealing to the public's desire for the unusual, and trying to see which of the vast array of species available will sell best. But some species are too delicate to hold up under store display, and require extremely specialized care to survive in captivity at all. Wholesalers often do not admit to, and will even downplay, the difficulty of the care for many species. So how do you pick out what to stock from those huge lists? Here are some mainstays which SHOULD do well in your store, and for your customers:
Lizards:
Leopard geckos
Fat-tail geckos
Bearded Dragons
Blue-tongued skinks
Tokay geckos
House geckos
Green anoles
Brown or Bark anoles
Grandis (giant) Day Geckos, or the smaller gold dust day geckos.
Green water dragons
A few notes about the above animals: Tokay geckos can and will deliver a painful bite. Grandis day geckos have fragile skin, and should be handled carefully. Green water dragons are prone to rubbing their faces on the glass, so a band of paper should be placed around the lower part of the tank to make the glass visible for them--placing the tank lower will allow customers to see the animals. Tokay geckos, house geckos, and anoles will most likely be difficult to find captive bred. House geckos and anoles have very similar requirements and may be housed together, but with that exception, none of these species should ever be housed with any others, to prevent transmission of parasites or disease from wild caught animals to captive bred ones. Iguanas are a common mainstay in many pet stores, but in truth these are not easy to care for animals. If you must stock them, stock only a few at a time, and provide complete information on their adult size and care--your customers will thank you for it. The ones who already know the facts on this animal will still buy an iguana, while those who simply wanted a pet lizard will make a different choice (and likely choose a more expensive, but smaller, animal).
Chameleons are fascinating and charismatic lizards...but they are also VERY delicate animals. If you must have chameleons in your store, stick to Veiled chameleons of no less than 3 inches snout to vent length (well established youngsters, not newborn hatchlings), or Jackson's chameleons of similar size. Never purchase wild-caught chameleons. House your chameleons in a mesh cage and keep temperatures and humidity levels appropriate for that species diligently. Jackson's chameleons require surprisingly LOW temperatures. Keep their cage well out of the way of store traffic, in a back corner or other area where they will be more secure and less exposed and disturbed. It cannot be stressed enough how delicate these animals are. They do not appreciate handling, noise, commotion, or environmental changes, and can very quickly decline and die in high stress situations. Being housed with others of their kind is a major source of stress for these extremely territorial, aggressive, and solitary animals. I do not recommend chameleons for the majority of pet stores, as these are simply not animals that do well in display situations. If customers wish to individually order them, house them properly in the back of the store away from public traffic until they are picked up.
Snakes:
Corn snakes
King snakes
Milk snakes
Ball pythons
Sand boas
If you desire to stock larger species, boa constrictors are popular, and also consider the pricey but truly beautiful rainbow boas. Avoid burmese or reticulated pythons unless requested, these animals become awesomely gigantic as adults, which is a similar problem to that of the iguanas. An adult retic or burm should not be handled by any person alone for safety reasons, so this is truly a potentially dangerous animal which is capable of killing an adult human accidently. Ball pythons should be captive bred, not captive farmed (cf). It is extremely important to be sure they are feeding well, as this species, while making a hardy and docile pet, has individuals prone to feeding problems. Listen to feedback from your customers to ensure that your supplier is being honest with you about the animals you purchase for sale.
Turtles:
Red-Eared sliders
Painted Turtles
Box turtles
Be certain that box turtles are captive bred. Wild caught animals can be difficult to acclimate in the long term. While they appear to be hardy, and can live for a long time under adverse conditions, in reality many turtles are difficult to keep in a captive environment, and will eventually decline. Many also become much larger than people realize. Smaller tortoises tend to have more exacting captive requirements, while larger tortoises are unsuitable due to their size and weight as adults. Snapping turtles are an example of an aquatic species which becomes unreasonably large. Several of the smaller turtle species, such as map turtles, are difficult to care for as they have exacting environmental requirements.
Frogs and Toads:
White's Tree Frogs
Fire-Bellied toads
Green or gray tree frogs
Pac-Man frogs
Dwarf or African clawed frogs (strictly aquatic)
A few of the above species are difficult to find captive bred, and as with the lizards, these species should always be housed seperately. Be sure that customers are aware of the adult size of pac-man or African clawed frogs, both of which become much larger than most people realize. Be certain customers are aware that some species of frogs and toads secrete a toxin through their skin, and all amphibians should only be handled with wet hands, after very thoroughly rinsing the hands with hot water to remove any soap residue. Hands should be washed with soap and water afterward.
Salamanders and newts:
Red-bellied newts (primarily aquatic)
Tiger salamanders
Axolotls or mudpuppies (strictly aquatic)
As with frogs, newts and salamanders may secrete toxins through their skins, and should be protected from chemicals or skin damage by thoroughly rinsing the hands before handling, and handling with wet hands. Wash hands with soap and water after handling these animals.
The next logical step is to be sure that your store stocks the proper food for the animals you've decided to carry. If you have green anoles or house geckos, or baby herps of any type, you will need appropriately small food items for them. Insectivorous lizards and amphibians which are below a certain size will need 1/4 inch crickets. Do not assume that they'll be able to handle the typical medium-sized crickets most stores stock. In general, food insects should be easily eaten, not require a struggle for the animal to swallow them. If you are unwilling to stock 1/4 inch crickets, then avoid selling hatchling insectivorous lizards, fire-bellied toads, or adult green or brown anoles or house geckos.
Small snakes require small mice. Some wholesalers will try to sell more animals by providing improper care instructions for them, and among the worst are the instructions on feeding insects to hatchling snakes. It sounds convenient that you may be able to feed crickets to hatchling snakes if you don't have mice, but it is not true. The vast, vast majority of snakes will never touch the insects, which may then turn tables and nibble on them at night. The few that do will still not be receiving proper nutrition. The only snakes known to consume insects that appear regularly in the pet market are green grass snakes--and these are difficult to keep healthy in captivity. Hatchling corn, king, and milk snakes require pink (newborn or day-old) mice to eat. These can be fed live, pre-killed, or frozen/thawed. If you don't care to stock live baby mice, set up a small freezer, and stock a variety of frozen mice for sale. This way your patrons will be able to continue feeding their snakes properly after they purchase them. Make sure that frozen mice are warmed completely through before feeding them--thawing by placing them in a plastic bag in a cup of hot water works well. Never microwave them. As with the lizards, if you are unable or unwilling to stock baby mice, either live or frozen, do not sell hatchling snakes--sell only adults or larger snakes that can eat adult mice.
Green iguanas, blue-tongued skinks, and older bearded dragons all require fresh veggie salads. Many recipes for these can be found online. Feed primarily dark green leafy vegetables (with the exception of spinich and cabbage), such as dandelion greens, turnip tops, collard greens, beet tops, chicory, mustard greens, arugula, or escarole. Mix at least 3 or 4 of the above greens. Chop these all up into pieces no bigger than the animals' heads. You can also add a bit of grated sweet potato or yam, or winter squash, or a bit of carrot. Do not feed any sort of lettuce or broccoli, and offer fruit sparingly if you choose. Be sure to wash everything carefully to eliminate pesticide residues. The above mix should sustain your herbivores and ominivores well while they are in your store, and can last in the fridge for several days. Throw it out and replace it when it begins to wilt. Baby green iguanas should be fed this mix 2 or 3 times per day--practice will tell you how much to offer them at a time to prevent excessive leftovers. You can sprinkle lightly with a calcium supplement, but otherwise they will require nothing else, and should not be given insects. Blue tongued skinks and bearded dragons should be offered this an hour or so before they are fed insects, every day. This is a good diet for any herbivore or omnivore you may stock, it's not terribly expensive, and will prevent potential health problems. It should be well accepted by the animals. Commercial herbivore or omnivore diets for reptiles could be used IF all of the animals are observed eating the formula, and if the reptiles won't be in the store for longer than a week or two. These commercial diets have led to health problems if given as a sole food source over a long period of time.
The next thing you'll need to address is caging. The primary rule to this, is never house different species together. They almost always have different care requirements, and can transmit diseases to one another even if they don't show symptoms. If you are lacking in space, stock fewer species. Be sure you know the basic environmental requirements of the species you choose to stock--for example, are they from the desert, or from a humid tropical region? Improper humidity levels can cause respiratory infections and other problems in herps--easily avoided by spraying a humid tank with water a few times a day, and ensuring that desert tanks stay dry save for a small dish of water. Snakes should be provided with a bowl of water deep enough to soak in, and many lizards benefit from a humid hiding area, even if they are desert animals. This allows them to properly shed their skin without retaining bits of it on toes and tail tips, which can cause loss of digits and disfiguration. Placing a hygrometer in each cage will allow you to keep track of the humidity for whichever species you choose to put in it.
Temperatures are also extremely important to herptiles. They should never be left without a proper source of heat--it is essential to their health and resistance to infection and disease, and for their ability to digest food properly. Place a heat source over or under one side of each cage, and use a thermometer in the cage to determine if the basking area temperatures are correct for that species. Some species require lower temperatures, and some require very high temperatures--incorrect temperatures can cause illness if the animals are too cold, and death by heat prostration or even burns in reptiles that become too hot. Setting up intitially with heating equipment and rheostats for each cage is a small initial investment that will allow you to forevermore adjust the temps to whatever species you put into that enclosure. Some species require UVB light for proper vitamin D metabolism. Any animal that you tend to keep in your store for more than a couple of weeks which has this requirement should be provided with it. Others may be all right for the few weeks before they are sold, particularly if you occasionally dust their feeder insects with a calcium/D3 supplement. Your green iguanas WILL need a UVB flourescent or one of the new mercury vapor UVB producing basking lights, particularly hatchlings which grow quickly. Remember that lights further than 6 inches from the basking area provide no UVB benefits, and no glass or plastic may be between them and the animal. So long as your shop temperatures do not fall below about 75 degrees at night, you can place all of these lights and heaters on a timer to switch off overnight. If temperatures do drop lower than this, some species will require overnight heating. Note that Jackson's chameleons cannot long tolerate temperatures ABOVE 75 degrees Farenheit.
Cleanliness is the third part in maintaining good health in these animals. Do not just clean, but STERILIZE each cage after its occupants are sold, before you place any new animals in the cage. A bleach solution can be used to soak the tank and the cage furniture very inexpensively--rinse very thoroughly with hot water, and dry completely to get rid of bleach residue. Do not order a new batch of animals before all of the previous occupants are sold, and clean and sterilize when your last animal is sold, rather than waiting until your new animals arrive. This way you don't have to worry about having a tank ready for them. Replace any litter or bedding, or thoroughly wash cage carpets. Keep cages scrupulously clean while they are occupied--dishes should be scrubbed and refilled every day, or whenever they become contaminated with fecal matter or dead feeder insects. If you use cage carpets, plan to run a batch through the wash each evening. If you use litter, use a scoop to remove feces from cages, and change the litter at least once a week. How thoroughly you need to clean will also depend on how many animals are in the cage--of course, clean more often and diligently if the cage has a lot of animals in it. Not only will this keep your animals healthy, but the bit of extra elbow grease will really impress your customers, who pay closer attention to this than you might think.
To avoid stress and injury to the animals, do not excessively overcrowd them. It's better to have 3 or 4 animals available at a time, rather than 10 of them all crowded in one tank. Keep the temperments of the species in mind as well when you place your orders. Chameleons should not be housed together. Males of many species will fight if housed together. In short term situations some may tolerate this, but try to avoid it to prevent your animals from injuring one another. And of course, never house much larger animals with smaller ones. Provide hides for your animals...the downside is that your patrons will have more trouble viewing them, but the stress of not having one is not worth the extra visibility. Again, keep different species seperate at all times, and always keep captive bred animals seperate from wild caught animals--do not transfer any materials between enclosures, including cage furniture, or bedding scoops, without sterilizing them first. Don't offer food items rejected in one cage to another. At the end of the day, before you close up, ensure that all uneaten food has been removed from the cages. In particular, track down any live feeder insects that may have escaped in the cages of diurnal herps, as these crickets can chew on and injure herps while they are sleeping at night. Herps will not defend themselves from attacking insects. All of this requires nothing more than a bit of cheap bleach and small bit of time and effort on the part of your employees or yourself. The rewards will be apparent within months.
Now you have done the best you can to offer healthy animals for sale....people will need the proper equipment and information to keep them that way.
Some essentials to stock:
Care books for every species you carry.
Tanks in various sizes and shapes and/or reptile cages such as Vision or Neodesha. Be sure that you carry cages for adults of any species you stock--stock a large iguanarium or similar large reptile cage, for example, if you carry green iguanas--stock high aquariums if you have aboreal species, and long aquariums if you have terrestrial species.
UVB flourescent lights in a variety of sizes.
Overhead heat lamps, and bulbs for them. You may also offer ceramic heat emitters.
Undertank heaters
Rheostats and thermostats
Thermometers and hygrometers that stick inside the cages.
Calcium, D3, and vitamin supplements
Cricket and mealworm gutloading formulas, including moisture sources like "cricket water" gel cubes.
Bedding, and cage carpets in a variety of sizes
Screen tops for aquariums
If you carry chameleons, stock mesh cages.
Humidifiers or misters for tropical cages. Drip systems for water are also useful.
Feeding bowls, basking branches, and decorations which are easy to clean and sterilize.
Cricket keepers which make it easy to gut load and feed crickets to reptiles.
Feeder insects in appropriate sizes. 1/4 inch crickets if you carry small herps, and larger ones for the adult insectivores.
Mealworms. People would rather spend slightly more for healthy and vigorous worms than less for half-dead ones, so keep that in mind when you do your ordering.
Feeder mice. If you carry hatchling snakes, or stock a lot of snakes, a small freezer in your shop to keep frozen rodents is a great idea. You will be amazed at how many of these you sell, in all sizes. Many people will use frozen mice to supplement everything from leopard geckos and bearded dragons up to large monitor lizards, as well as feeding them to their snakes. Your live feeder mice and rats will probably still sell just as well. If you buy frozen rodents individually vaccuum packed, your customers can purchase the exact quantities they need, and they'll appreciate this. If you get enough requests, you may even wish to stock frozen rats.
Some items not to bother with:
Hot rocks. Cheaper than an undertank heater, and just plain bad for the animal, reptile groups have been attempting to get stores and manufacturers to stop selling these things for years. Simply don't offer them, and explain to customers why, if they ask. Risks for burning the animals are extremely high, and many have been injured or killed by them. They have even started fires and burnt down houses. They do not heat the air in the enclosure, forcing the animal to sit ON the rock to receive heat. Encourage use of overhead or undertank heaters instead--you will make more money on them, anyhow.
Sprays or creams that claim to help animals shed or provide vitamins when you spray them or spread them ON the animal. These are smelly, messy, and not particularly good for the animals.
Complete diets for insectivorous animals. For example, there is a type of "leopard gecko food" which is nothing more than dried flies impregnanted with some vitamins. The vast, vast majority of geckos will not touch this with a 10 foot pole, and you'll make more money selling live crickets anyhow. Whole freeze dried crickets occasionally will be accepted, perhaps with that new vibrating food dish to make them look alive. If you're in doubt, offer it to your own animals in the store. If they turn up their nose, don't bother to stock it. The same thing will happen to people at home--they may buy it once, but they won't buy it again, and it will sit on your shelves taking up space. Omnivores and herbivores are a bit more tolerant of unusual non-moving foods, so a few bearded dragon, iguana, or monitor/tegu foods will most likely do all right.
Some suggestions for setups and displays:
Place delicate or shy animals higher, and in more out of the way places in your store to help avoid stressing them from the continual commotion and attentions of children. Place smaller animals at eye level in preference to larger ones--people can look up or down and see a larger animal easily, but smaller animals will be more likely to catch their attention at eye level. Group enclosures that have animals with similar requirements--all the desert animals in one area, tropical next to that, and so on. Post the basic care requirements and adult sizes of animals on or by the cages, as well as the prices. Good basic information would be temperature range and basking spot temp, humidity level, and snout to vent or total length of the animal when it is a fully grown adult. A small note on what it eats would also be helpful (ie, insects, vegetables, mice, etc). Be sure to inform customers that wild caught animals will require a vet trip and deparasitization right away, and that most herps should be given a checkup at a vet once a year, like any other pet. It's better to discourage a person from buying an animal they aren't financially prepared for than to allow them to purchase it and have it die in their home of neglect. A person who truly wants a good reptile pet can often be directed to a species more appropriate to their level of experience and pocketbook. They may be paying you a bit more in order to pay a vet a lot less.
Complete cage setups:
Some stores choose to offer complete reptile setups for new pet owners, to make it easier for them to see what a total purchase will cost them, and ensure they have all of their equipment. However, many of these stores sell setups that aren't REALLY complete. Here are a couple of designs for TRULY complete setups:
Leopard Gecko:
20 gallon long aquarium with screen top.
Overhead heat lamp with day and nocturnal heat bulbs.
Rheostat
Cage carpet for 20 gallon long.
2 Hiding caves.
2 shallow dishes, one for food, one for water.
Powdered calcium/D3 supplement
Powdered multi-vitamin supplement
Long, low branch for climbing.
Plastic desert type plant.
Stick on thermometer and hygrometer set.
Book on leopard gecko care.
Green or brown anole, or house gecko, green or gray treefrog:
10 gallon aquarium with screen top.
Undertank heater
If you stock it, a base for the aquarium designed to provide air space and a cord exit for undertank heaters.
Rheostat
Flourescent light fixture with UVB reptile bulb.
Humidifying reptile bedding, shredded bark, etc.
2 shallow dishes.
Climbing branches with smaller thinner branchlets (must reach up near flourescent light, preferably within 3 to 4 inches of it).
Plastic plants for decoration and cover.
Powdered calcium supplement.
Powdered vitamin supplement.
Stick on thermometer/hygrometer set.
Automatic drip system or mister.
Book on green anole care (or house gecko, or green tree frog care).
The above setup is also appropriate for tiger salamanders or fire-bellied toads (remove climbing branches, and add a hiding cave of appropriate size). Switch to a 20 gallon high aquarium for a setup for multiple anoles, tree frogs, or house geckos, or gold dust day geckos. Switch to a 30 gallon high, and slightly thicker climbing branches, for a grandis day gecko.
Bearded Dragon:
30 gallon regular or tall aquarium with screen top (yes, even for a hatchling--they grow very fast).
Flourescent fixture with UVB reptile bulb.
Overhead heat lamp with daylight bulb.
Rheostat
Sturdy, thick climbing branch that goes up near the top of the cage (large enough to support an adult bearded dragon).
Cage carpet for 30 gallon tall.
Hide cave large enough for an adult bearded dragon.
1 shallow dish for food.
1 larger, slightly deeper dish for water (large enough for an adult to soak in).
Plastic plants for decoration.
Powdered calcium/D3 supplement
Powdered vitamin supplement
Stick on hygrometer, and 2 stick on thermometers.
Book on bearded dragon care.
Caution customers who buy hatchling bearded dragons with this setup that the water dish should not be completely filled, to prevent the hatchling from possibly drowning. He will grow into his dish within months.
Basic Snake:
(good for corn snakes, king snakes, and milk snakes).
20 gallon long with a locking screen top.
20 gallon long cage carpet OR reptile bedding which can retain moisture.
Large hiding cave (big enough for an adult to coil up in).
Large deep water dish (big enough for an adult to soak in).
Overhead heat lamp with daylight bulb OR undertank heater
Rheostat.
Humidity and temperature guages.
Book on corn/king/milk snake care.
If you include an overhead heat lamp, a low, sturdy climbing branch may also be added.
The above setup can also be sold for ball pythons by switching the 20 gallon long for a 30 gallon long tank. If this is sold with a hatchling snake, be sure to caution customers not to fill the water dish completely, to prevent the young snake from possibly drowning--or provide a second, smaller dish. You might also wish to provide a small hiding cave, as well as the large one.
The only animals which will TRULY require the customer to buy more than one setup are green iguanas and green water dragons, and boa constrictors. The boas can be sold with a 30 gallon long setup as above. The other two animals start out as small hatchlings which can be housed in a 50 gallon aquarium until they reach a larger size. At this point, they must be moved to a very large sturdy reptile cage, such as a large iguanarium. A setup like that used for the bearded dragon will work, but the tank size should be increased to 50 gallons, a damp reptile bedding should be provided rather than a cage carpet, and the water dish can actually be replaced with a small cat litter pan. The large reptile enclosures seldom are designed to contain small hatchlings, unfortunately, making this transitional cage necessary. Let customers know that the setup IS transitional, and that a larger cage will be required. The 50 gallon setup should last about 1 or 2 years for these species, but no longer than that.
Boa constrictors will require either a custom built cage, or a very large commercial cage (such as Neodesha or Vision) of a good 4 feet in length. These snakes can reach 7 to 12 feet long. If you choose to stock these very large reptile cages, be sure they are locking, and offer them to people who come in to buy juvenile boas. These types of cages will contain small boas as well as adults, so if the customer chooses to purchase a setup like this, they will not need a transitional cage. Furnishings for the cage should be just as with the basic snake setup, but scaled up in terms of heating fixtures and bedding quantities. These cages will also work well for rainbow boas.
Selling complete setups ensures that customers have everything they need for their new pet, and it's CONVENIENT. The price need not be anything lower than the combined retail value of all the components--the convenience alone will sell the setups. Knowledgeable buyers will appreciate that the setups are truly complete, and beginners will appreciate what you've done even more as they learn more down the road. Obviously stocking all of these setups would be space prohibitive, but you can offer one or two of the ones which go with the animals you tend to sell the most of, or you can offer the setups and assemble them at the customer's request. As well, you will also be selling more items with a complete setup than you would with a partial one...some customers may be reluctant to purchase additional items that would be needed to round out a partial setup, but offered in one package, they'll be buying everything they need.
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Herpetocultural Myths and Legends
Over the years, a variety of myths, misinformation, outdated information, and outright urban legends have followed (plagued?) the herpetocultural community. Well-meaning folks, doing research to learn how to care for their charges, have often helped to spread these strange legends. I've done my best to compile the most common ones here, and present the REAL information on these issues and events. They range from the serious to the silly...I hope you find this collection enlightening. If you know of any other odd or unverified stories that you feel belong here, just let me know. :)
Night of the Living Mealworms
Can mealworms eat their way out of a herp's stomach? Ewwww...
No, they can't...the stomach of a healthy herp has a protective lining, and mealworms die quickly when submerged in a liquid. Add stomach acid, and they are most likely completely deceased in less than 30 seconds. Most herps also break the chitin shell on the worm before swallowing it, making death even faster.
So, why has this myth persisted? Herptiles may die for a variety of reasons in a captive situation. The most common reasons are internal parasite infestation, and infection. Both of these causes may impair digestive functions. In very rare instances, a large number of mealworms, swallowed whole, could impact the digestive system of a herp that isn't digesting its food properly to begin with. In a healthy animal, chitin would be excreted as a sort of sand, or in very tiny pieces, even if the mealworm was swallowed whole. Intact mealworms (or other insects) in feces indicate a digestive problem.
Loose insects in the cage can be a big problem...if they have nothing else to eat, crickets and mealworms will sometimes try to nibble on a sleeping herptile. If the herp is seriously debilitated, too sick to move away (or dead), mealworms may eat their way IN to its stomach. People finding a herp in this condition are likely to believe the insects were responsible for its demise.
What about zophobas (super) worms? They're scary looking, and can even give a painful pinch, but they can't eat their way out of a herp's stomach, either.
Don't Turn the Eggs!!
If you turn a reptile egg, the embryo will suffocate and die! Right?
Actually....no one knows for certain whether this ever happens, but usually NOT. This was tested over 5 years ago (an article was written in Reptiles magazine) by someone who incubated several clutches of reptile eggs, turning some, and leaving others in the position they were laid. No difference in hatch rates was noted.
He did this test precisely BECAUSE no one else ever had...the idea that a reptile egg might suffocate if turned started out as pure speculation. Most likely, someone wanted to improve hatch rates, and thought that one reason for poor hatch rates might be that the eggs were turned. They came up with a perfectly logical reason for why this might be a problem, and suggested it to others....but somewhere along the line, the game of telephone turned a possibility into a fact, without an ounce of proof.
It persists, passed from one herpetoculturist to another, presented as a proven fact that folks have absolute faith in. If it makes you feel better, take care not to turn your eggs....but if you do so accidently, don't panic.
They'll most likely be just fine.
Keep 'em Small
This is a myth that tends to persist among the less informed members of the populace, rather than within the experienced herp-keeping community itself. It relates not only to reptiles, but also to fish and amphibians. The idea is quite simple--the animals will not grow too large if you keep them in a small cage. It's complete nonsense, of course...the adult size of a species is dictated by genetics, health, and nutrition, not the size of its enclosure. In the case of fish, the sad truth is that a tank which is too small will be depleted of oxygen by a growing fish--the lack of oxygen may stunt the fish's growth, but will also kill it fairly soon after.
Reptiles of course will simply continue to grow within their too-small cage, until the stress caused by the overcrowding causes them to become ill and die. It is inhumane to keep any animal in an enclosure which does not meet its minimum requirements for space, and a growing juvenile should always be given a larger enclosure if it outgrows its previous cage. For lizards, the rule of thumb is that the length of the cage should be 3 times the length of the lizard, the width should be 1 and 1/2 times the length of the lizard, and the height may vary depending on the lizard's habits--for arboreal species, it should be at least 3 times the length of the lizard, and at least 1 and 1/2 times the length of the lizard for terrestrial species. These are minimum space requirements for a single animal, and some species require more room than this.
Multiple animals also require much more space. In the case of snakes, a cage should be at least 1/2 the total length of the animal, and 1/4 the length of the animal in width. Arboreal species, as with lizards, must be much taller. An 8 foot long red-tailed boa requires a 4 foot by 2 foot cage, and would be happiest if the cage were 4 feet high as well. The more active the species, the more space it requires...likewise, some more delicate species require a great deal of cover and space to feel secure and thus stay healthy. Make sure that you can provide adequate space and an appropriately-sized enclosure for an animal of adult size before you decide to purchase or adopt an adult or juvenile of that species. Several commonly available reptile species become frankly gigantic...green iguanas, savannah monitors, and burmese and reticulated pythons are the most impressive examples.
Let Them Eat Sand (or not)
It's true, reptiles can develop an intestinal blockage (referred to as impaction of the intestine or bowel) if they consume indigestable material, and the material cannot pass through their system. This issue was first noted with bedding materials like crushed corn-cob or bark chips...consumed accidently, these can lodge in the intestine, and the blockage will kill the animal. Recently, the finger has been pointed firmly at sand. Now, for very small animals with thin intestinal tracts, eating large amounts of sand could indeed cause an intestinal impaction.
But the truth is, for most adult animals, ordinary sand simply has a particle size too small to become hung up in the intestinal tract and cause a blockage. Unless the animal has a serious behavioral problem, and eats sand continuously in very large quantities, it can't block the animal's intestinal tract. Sands with larger particle sizes may be riskier than ordinary play sand, and of course gravels pose a high risk. Calcium sands are no safer, as they do not digest well (contrary to their advertising), and might actually encourage animals to chow down.
A valid suspicion is that most animals assumed to die of sand impaction actually die of a variety of other causes...it's very rare for an animal to eat large quantities of its substrate. An animal that dies with sand in its intestinal tract did not necessarily die of sand impaction. If you do notice your animal eating substrate as if it were a tasty treat, remove the animal, and be sure to use only substrates it cannot eat in the future. I would also recommend the animal not be used in breeding programs, as this rare behavioral problem (called pica) is not well understood and might be heritable.
Wild animals do encounter loose sand, dirt, and debris in the wild...if these species were prone to eating these materials deliberately in quantity, they would quickly die out. Some people (including veterinarians) now believe that sand may get hung up in the folds of an animal's intestinal tract, creating what is termed "chronic impaction"--this isn't impaction, but rather a condition caused by the sand filling in intestinal folds, which can lead to reduced nutrient absorption. Whether or not this is a real condition remains a subject for further research. ANY loose substrate includes risks...for some species, loose substrates are necessary, as with animals that need to burrow in order to feel secure. For others, you can forgo them.
Whether the risk is worth it, is something that has to be decided on an individual basis, for loose substrates provide an outlet for natural behaviors such as digging for many species. This one is a partial myth...a minor danger inflated beyond what it deserves, and some assertions made that have not yet been proven scientifically.
The Safe Roaches
Feeder roaches have begun to increase in popularity--they breed quickly, they grow to reasonable sizes, and they do not make noise or produce strong odors. This would seem to make them ideal, particularly when we are told that these tropical species will not establish themselves in a house and infest it the way common house roaches will. Don't believe it! Several species of tropical roaches can and will infest a house, and they can be quite difficult to eradicate.
Nauphoeta cinerea, the lobster or little brown Cuban roach, is one of the worst offenders. If you keep this roach (and it does make an ideal feeder), you must take careful pains to avoid escapees, for they will indeed survive and breed in a house. If you keep them in your house, be prepared to live with the consequences. Keeping edible items very well secured in sealed containers, and removing any open sources of water will help prevent them from overrunning your home.
Conversely, I have never heard any tales of hissing roaches establishing themselves in a home, and when I kept hissers myself, even the occasional escapee would later be found deceased, so that species is probably safe to keep in a home without fear that it will become a problem. Still, if you live in a humid Southern area, do not discount the possiblity entirely. It should be noted that crickets can also survive in a house...but they do not generally find any place in a house where they can successfully deposit their eggs, so an actual infestation of crickets is unlikely.
Escaped feeder insects are one of the hazards of keeping insectivores, and one that we have no real choice but to put up with if we want to continue keeping these animals, as it is virtually impossible to never have an insect escape....but be aware that some insects are more prone to becoming a permanent problem rather than a temporary one.
Banded Gecko Care Sheet (Coleonyx ssp.)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place the open-bottomed hiding cave toward the middle of the cage. Dampen moss or torn paper towels, not too wet (or wring them out), and place in closed-bottom hiding box or cave (leave room for the gecko). Place this on one side of the cage. Place watering dish on same side as the damp cave. Place food dish and other decorations as you please. Stick one thermometer down low on the same side of the cage as the damp cave, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your gecko into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including banded geckos, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 65 to 70 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 60), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 10 degrees or so at night. Try to provide your lizard with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.
Purchase crickets or mealworms to feed your lizard. 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch crickets should be the mainstay of the diet, with mealworms being offered occasionally for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). These lizards are strictly insectivorous. Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit parasites.
Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby geckos will eat only tiny mealworms and 1/8 inch "pinhead" crickets. Adult geckos can eat 1/4 to 1/2 inch crickets. An adult banded gecko will consume about 2 or 3 1/2-inch crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day. If the reptile has to struggle to swallow the insect, it is too large--use a smaller-sized feeder insect. Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
About banded geckos:
These lizards are not difficult to keep, and are suitable for beginners if captive-bred. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. They reach a size of 4 to 6 inches as adults, and can live for 20 years or more. They usually reach near adult size in about 18 months (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). Banded geckos found in the pet trade may or may not be captive-bred. Take care to find out for certain, as wild-caught animals need immediate veterinary care to check their overall health and clear them of the internal parasites which all wild animals carry.
Banded geckos are a bit small to be handled, and this must be done gently. It may take some time for a gecko to come to trust you enough to allow you to pick it up. Babies in particular tend to be skittish, and are so tiny that it is probably best not to try to handle them. Teach them to trust you slowly and gently, if you wish to handle them. Most will calm down and not be inclined to bite. However, you should handle your banded gecko only for fairly short periods, occasionally, to avoid stressing them. They may try to escape your grasp, and can be very wiggly...a long fall could injure them, so be very careful when you are carrying them. They can run surprisingly fast. Their tail may also detach, and though it will grow back, this is stressful, and the new tail will not be as attractive as the original. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. If you are lucky, they will enjoy your body heat. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
Banded geckos do not have the sticky toe pads that arboreal gecko species have, so they cannot climb walls or glass. They also have something that most other geckos do not have: eyelids. They walk using a gait which is VERY rare in reptiles. It is called a "semi-erect" stance. Most reptiles walk with their belly very low to the ground. Mammals walk with their legs directly underneath them. Crocodiles and a few species of geckos, such as the banded gecko, walk with a gait that is somewhere in between...not quite upright, but definitely not sprawling as most reptiles do. You may notice that your gecko has a definite personality, and preferences. When hunting, most geckos will twitch their tail like a cat. All told, these are fascinating and attractive animals, and well worth keeping.
To maintain them in the long term, have your gecko checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your gecko behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most banded gecko illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection. Occasionally, some geckos will eat their substrate. If you catch your gecko doing this, switch to cage carpet immediately, as this behavior problem can lead to a deadly intestinal blockage. It is best to keep juvenile banded geckos on paper towel or newspaper, as their intestinal tracts are so small that sand particles are more likely to cause an impaction if accidently swallowed.
Some geckos may stop eating for a few days before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). They will also spend a lot of time in their humid hide box. This will help loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. They will eat their shed skin, so you will probably not find it in the cage. After your gecko sheds, check its toes and tail tip to be sure that no skin remains stuck there. If it does, you may need to carefully use tweezers to remove it, or take it to a vet if there is a lot of it. Retained skin on the extremities can cut off circulation and cause the gecko to loose toes. However, using a humid hide box should prevent this from ever happening.
With the proper care, your banded gecko should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Day Gecko Complete Care Sheet (Phelsuma spp.)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom, and dampen it, if necessary (some come pre-moistened). Place the water dish in a corner, with the airstone in it. The bubbling will attract the lizards to the water. These lizards will not usually drink still water. Place food dish, climbing branches, and other decorations as you please. Stick one thermometer about mid level on the side of the cage away from the heat, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, at the level of the highest branch that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one side of the tank, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side with the higher thermometer, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank. Place the full-spectrum light on the top of the tank, and turn it on. The highest branch should be no more than 6 inches from the light.
Turn on the heat lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the warm side of the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your lizard into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat and rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including day geckos, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 70 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 70), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your lizard with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good. The humidity level in your lizard's tank should be kept at around 80%. Mist the tank once or twice a day to keep the humidity level up, and encourage the lizards to drink water (they will drink from the droplets). Good air flow and cleanliness are important for these species. A small computer fan, or an air pump, can be used to circulate fresh air into the tank. Be sure that air entering the tank is not too cold or dry.
Purchase crickets or mealworms to feed your day gecko. 1/4 to 1/2 inch Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet for smaller species, with mealworms being offered occasionally for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). Larger species of day gecko can handle adult crickets. Day geckos are insectivorous. Vary the diet with occasional offerings of butterworms or wax worms. If available, silkworms are extremely nutritious and make an ideal staple for most insectivores. Silk moths will also be well appreciated. Day geckos also take small amounts of fruit puree (fruit baby food), offered in a tiny cup attached to one of their branches. Additional calcium supplement can be added to this, as can a bit of bee pollen or other supplements. Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit parasites.
Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby day geckos will eat only small mealworms and true "pinhead" crickets, or flightless fruit flies. Adult day geckos of smaller species can eat 1/2 inch crickets. You should not offer crickets larger than this. An adult gecko will consume about 1 to 3 crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day. Adults of larger day gecko species may eat 5 or more adult crickets per feeding, every other day. Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
About Day Geckos (ssp.):
These lizards are definitely "hands-off" reptiles, and are suitable for a person who has a moderate amount of experience with keeping reptiles. They are not well-suited for beginners to reptile-keeping. They are best not handled, as they are very delicate, their skin tears very easily, and they are EXTREMELY quick. Small geckos are excellent candidates for inclusion in elaborate, planted vivariums. They are relatively easy to care for, but can be quite nervous and jumpy. The smaller species reach a size of around 4 to 6 inches as adults, and can live for 5 to 10 years, depending on species. Larger species may reach up to 12 inches in total length, and live for up to 15 years. As a bit of trivia, the "Geico Gecko" is clearly a day gecko, but it is not of any specific identifiable species.
Captive bred animals tend to live longer than wild caught animals. They usually reach near adult size in about 18 months (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). Day geckos are diurnal, and will be awake and active during the day, and sleep at night.
Most day geckos available are captive bred. Wild-caught animals may carry internal parasites, so have a veterinarian do a fecal check after you have them settled in, and quarantine and test any new animals before adding them to an existing group (always a good idea, even with captive bred animals). A few wholesalers will treat wild-caught animals for parasites, but this treatment does not always clear the animals completely of internal parasites, and not all wholesalers do this. Internal parasites will eventually build to lethal levels in a captive situation, so it is very important to have them dealt with right away. Keep animals in an easy-to-sterilize quarantine cage (with proper warmth and hiding places) until they are declared parasite-free.
If you must handle your day gecko, take care, because they can quickly leap out of your hands and run underneath or behind furniture, straight up the walls and across the ceiling, etc. Be very cautious when opening the cage, to make sure you know where the gecko is. If it is lying just beneath the rim of the lid or door, you may want to try to encourage it to move before you open the cage. They can be extremely difficult to recapture. You may wish to use a deli cup and piece of cardboard to capture your gecko, rather than grabbing it with your hands, as their skin is very delicate. Day geckos may also bite, though this pinch is seldom painful...take care that they do not injure their jaws in their attempt to defend themselves, though. Larger species of day geckos may give a fairly painful bite. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
Day geckos have specially designed structures on their toes, so that they can climb walls or glass, and even run across a ceiling upside-down. Day geckos have detachable tails, so if roughly handled, their tail may break off. This is stressful for them, so do your best to avoid it, but the tail will grow back, though it won't look as nice as the original. Male and female geckos look very similar. With a bit of practice and reference to some photos, you will note that male geckos have two visible bulges on their tail just behind the vent--these are their inverted hemipenes. They also have a line of pores running in a V shape along their inner thighs. These pores are less noticeable or absent in females. Male geckos "call" during the breeding season...a barking, or chirping sound. Geckos of both sexes may also bark or squeak when disturbed or frightened. As with most reptiles, never keep more than one male in an enclosure--males will fight one another. You may keep one male with several females.
To maintain them in the long term, have your lizard checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your lizard behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Lizards can be somewhat fragile if they become ill, so quick treatment can make all the difference.
With the proper care, your day gecko should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Desert Night Lizard Complete Care Sheet (Xantusia vigilis)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place the open-bottomed hiding cave toward the middle of the cage. Dampen moss or torn paper towels, not too wet (or wring them out), and place in closed-bottom hiding box or cave (leave room for the lizard). Place this on one side of the cage. Place watering dish on same side as the damp cave. Place food dish and other decorations as you please. Stick one thermometer down low on the same side of the cage as the damp cave, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 90 to 95 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your gecko into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including desert night lizards, do best with a night time temperature drop. These lizards live in the Sonoran Desert, so they can take extremely cold night time temperatures--your house will not get too cold for them at night, so simply switch off their heating equipment. Try to provide your night lizard with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.
Purchase pinhead to 1/4 inch crickets, fruit flies, fly larvae (often sold as fish bait) or small mealworms to feed your night lizard. Wax worms and butterworms are usually too large to be given to desert night lizards. Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet, with mealworms, fly larvae, and flightless fruit flies being offered for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). Desert night lizards are strictly insectivorous. Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. Be careful not to offer food items that are too large. Small mealworms should be kept refrigerated until 24 to 48 hours before you feed them to the lizards--then they should be warmed. If kept at room temperature, they will quickly grow too large for your night lizards. Newly shed (white) mealworms will be easier for the lizards to eat. The smaller mini mealworms (Tenebrio obscurus) can be offered as well, if you can find them or order them. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit parasites.
Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby night lizards (if you should happen to acquire one) will require miniscule food items such as fruit flies, and true pinhead crickets. Adult night lizards can eat 1/4 inch crickets, no larger. An adult night lizard will consume about 2 or 3 1/4 inch crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day. Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
About Desert Night Lizards:
These lizards are quite hardy, and easy to care for. They are somewhat flighty, but can become used to their keeper's presence. They are far too small to be handled. They reach a size of only 10 to 12 centimeters as adults; their lifespan is unknown. These tiny lizards are live-bearers, retaining the eggs inside their body until they hatch, then giving birth to live offspring. 1-3 babies are born, and interestingly, the female cares for them for a short time after birth. (They should be removed promptly if you should happen to get babies, to prevent the adults from eating them).
Desert night lizards have a lot of personality, and stalk their insect prey with a cat-like twitching tail. Take care if you must handle them, for they may try to escape your grasp, and can be very wiggly...a long fall could injure them, so be very careful when you are carrying them. Night lizards can detach their tails, so be very careful not to put pressure on the tail if you pick them up. They can run surprisingly fast. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
Desert night lizards cannot climb walls or glass, but they appreciate a variety of low climbing and hiding places. They have no eyelids. Males can be told by a row of noticeable pores on the underside of their upper thighs (femoral pores). Do not house two males in the same enclosure--they may fight. Several females, or one male with a female or two, will work well.
To maintain them in the long term, have your night lizard checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your lizard behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. The tiny size of these lizards makes diagnosis and treatment difficult, so the quicker they receive attention, the better. The lizards you acquire will be wild-caught. This means they are virtually guaranteed to be carrying some internal parasites. Because internal parasites which pose no problems in the wild can build to lethal levels in captivity, these must be eliminated to ensure your lizards' health. A fecal check done by a veterinarian will identify the types present, and the vet will administer worming medications appropriate for their weight. This should be done within a week of acquiring them, after they are eating and drinking in their new home. Keep their cage furnishings minimal (dishes, and 1 hide), with paper towel or newspaper as a liner. These will have to be disinfected several times during the worming process to prevent the lizards from being reinfected. Once they are clear of parasites, you can decorate the cage more attractively.
Night lizards may spend a lot of time in their humid hide box before they shed their skin. This will help loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. They may or may not eat their shed skin, and you may find parts of it in the cage--it is shed in a number of pieces. After your lizard sheds, look at its toes and tail tip to be sure that no skin remains stuck there. If it does, you may need to carefully use tweezers to remove it, or take it to a vet if there is a lot of it. Retained skin on the extremities can cut off circulation and cause the lizard to loose toes. However, using a humid hide box should prevent this from ever happening.
With the proper care, your desert night lizard should thrive problem free for its full lifespan...perhaps you can tell us how long they are capable of living.
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Green Anole Complete Care Sheet (Anolis carolinensis and several other Anolis ssp)
This care sheet is focused on green anoles, but several other similar small anole species have the same care requirements, so this care sheet may be used for them as well. They are the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), the big-headed anole (Anolis capito), the crested anole (Anolis cristatellus) and the bark anole (Anolis distichus). These anoles have all naturalized in Florida, so can be kept under the same environmental conditions as green anoles. Mixing different species in the same enclosure is not recommended.
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom, and dampen it, if necessary (some come pre-moistened). Place the water dish in a corner, with the airstone in it. The bubbling will attract the lizards to the water. Anoles will not usually drink still water. Place food dish, climbing branches, and other decorations as you please. Stick one thermometer about mid level on the side of the cage away from the heat, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, at the level of the highest branch that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one side of the tank, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side with the higher thermometer, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank. Place the full-spectrum light on the top of the tank, and turn it on. The highest branch should be no more than 6 inches from the light.
Turn on the heat lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the warm side of the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your anole into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat and rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including green anoles, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 70 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 65 or 66), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your anole with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good. The humidity level in your anoles' tank should be kept at around 80%. Mist the tank once or twice a day to keep the humidity level up, and encourage the anoles to drink water (they will drink from the droplets).
Purchase crickets or mealworms to feed your anole. 1/2 inch Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet, with mealworms being offered occasionally for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). Green anoles are insectivorous. They may occasionally take small amounts of fruit puree, offered in a tiny cup attached to one of their branches.Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit parasites.
Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby anoles will eat only small mealworms and true "pinhead" crickets, or flightless fruit flies. Adult anoles can eat 1/2 inch crickets. You should not offer crickets larger than this.An adult anole will consume about 1 to 3 crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day. Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
About Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis):
These lizards are an excellent introduction to "hands-off" reptiles. They can tolerate some handling fairly well, but generally do best if not handled. They may become tame enough to accept food from tweezers. Small anoles are excellent candidates for inclusion in elaborate, planted vivariums. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for, but can be a bit nervous and jumpy. They reach a size of just over 4 inches as adults, and can live for 4 to 8 years. Captive bred animals tend to live longer than wild caught animals. They usually reach near adult size in about 18 months (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). There are albino anoles available from some breeders, but they are quite uncommon. Most anoles available are wild-caught, and most are older juveniles or adults. This means they may carry internal parasites, so have a veterinarian do a fecal check after you have them settled in, and quarantine and test any new animals before adding them to an existing group (always a good idea, even with captive bred animals). Green anoles can change their color from a bright green to a rich chocolate brown color, and shades in between. Both colors are normal, and reflect a combination of factors including mood and temperature. They do not change color to match their background. A very dark brown anole with almost black patches on the sides of its head is exhibiting coloration related to stress. If your anole shows this coloration for a long time, and it has not been subjected to any obvious stress such as handling or cage cleaning, it may be ill, and should be seen by a veterinarian.
Green anoles can come to tolerate occasional handling, though they often remain nervous and somewhat flighty. Take care, because they can quickly leap out of your hands and run underneath furniture. Anoles may also bite, though this pinch is seldom painful...take care that they do not injure their jaws in their attempt to defend themselves, though. Teach them to trust you slowly and gently, if you wish to handle them. Most will calm down and not be inclined to bite. However, you should handle your green anole only for fairly short periods, occasionally, to avoid stressing them. They may try to escape your grasp, and can be very wiggly...a long fall could injure them, so be very careful when you are carrying them. They can run lightning fast. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. If you are lucky, they will enjoy your body heat. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
Anoles have specially designed structures on their toes, so that they can climb walls or glass. They are not as proficient at this as geckos, but always make sure you know where your anoles are before opening their tank--they may be on the glass just under the rim, which would enable them to slip out quickly when the top comes up. Anoles have detachable tails, so if roughly handled, their tail may break off. This is stressful for them, so do your best to avoid it, but the tail will grow back, though it won't look as nice as the original. Male and female anoles both have a flap of skin under their throat called a dewlap, which is brightly colored when extended. Males are easy to tell apart from females once the anoles are near adulthood--their dewlap is a bit larger, their snout is noticeably longer, and full grown adults have a slightly raised ridge that runs along their spine. A displaying male will stand up tall, raise this dorsal ridge higher, flag its dewlap, and bob its head. Females will often bob their head in response, and may flag their throat fan as well, but usually maintain a lower profile than males. As with most reptiles, never keep more than one male in an enclosure--males will fight one another. You may keep one male with several females.
To maintain them in the long term, have your anole checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your anole behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Anoles can be somewhat fragile if they become ill, so quick treatment can make all the difference.
With the proper care, your anole should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Green (Chinese) Water Dragon Complete Care Sheet (Physignathus cocincinus)
This care sheet is focused on green water dragons, but several other lizards have the same care requirements, so this care sheet may be used for them as well. They are the basilisks (Basiliscus ssp), the sailfin lizards (Hydrosaurus ssp.) and the Australian water dragon (Physignathus lesueurii). These animals all come from very similar environments, and have similar dietary needs. All of these lizards tend to be more highly strung and nervous than green water dragons, so should be kept more isolated, and have more cover provided for them. They may also benefit from a bit more space--larger cages or enclosures will help. Mixing different species in the same enclosure is not recommended.
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom, and dampen it, if necessary (some come pre-moistened). If you are using a glass tank, or a cage with clear glass or acrylic on a lower part, you will need to cover part of the glass. Green water dragons do not understand glass, and cannot see it--they will attempt to repeatedly walk through it, eventually seriously damaging their face, and even completely rubbing away their snout and jaws. Covering the transparent areas with paper (at least the lower half of a glass tank) prevents this terrible damage. You should also observe your dragons carefully to be sure they do not rub their faces on the mesh or wire of a cage if it is not glass. Place the water dish in a corner or on one end. Place food dish, climbing branches, and other decorations as you please. Be certain that at least one sturdy branch will allow the lizard to sit within 4 or 5 inches of the UVB lamp. Stick one thermometer about mid level on the side of the cage away from the heat, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, at the level of the highest branch that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one side of the tank, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side with the higher thermometer, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the warm side of the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your dragon into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat and rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes. You may need additional lamps for very large cages. If your cage is mesh, and the interior temperature will not adjust, you may have to raise the temperature of the entire room to provide a proper environment.
Most reptiles, including green water dragons, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 75 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 70), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your dragon with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good. The humidity level in your dragon's tank should be kept at around 60% to 70%. Mist the tank if the humidity drops below 60%.
Due to the size of these lizards, another option is available for their housing. You may choose to allow them to freely roam in one room of your house. Covering the floor with plastic sheet (if it is not linoleum or tile), and a layer of newspaper, will make cleanup easier. A child's plastic wading pool serves as a nice pond, and large tree trunks and branches can be leaned against the walls (and secured to them) to provide climbing space. Be sure that everything is firmly secured, so that dragons cannot knock it over, or they may be injured or killed if something heavy falls on them. If the branches are not placed over the water pool, and the floor is hard, some sort of cushioning material should be put under them...a dragon plunging to a hard floor from a high branch could be seriously injured. Secure lights and heat lamps CAREFULLY as well. Heat lamps must be out of reach of the lizards, so they do not attempt to climb on them. Flourescent lamps, since they must be closer to the animals, should be very securely attached to the ceiling. The mercury vapor lamps are an excellent choice for this type of setup, as they can be secured further away from the animals and still provide UVB in ample quantity (as well as heat). Halogen lights are also a possibility for free-range room-sized setups. Dragons do extraordinarily well in a free-range setup, face-rubbing is not a problem, and the tail problems don't seem to develop in those conditions either.
Purchase crickets, superworms, nightcrawlers, wax worms, butterworms, feeder roaches, or mealworms to feed your dragon. A wide variety of insects is best. Do not feed excessive quantities of waxworms. Take care that the nightcrawlers you purchase were not raised in manure, and are a low risk for parasite transmission. Larger dragons may also be given appropriately sized mice--pre-killed or frozen/thawed only. They may also appreciate fish, but do not offer goldfish, as these are likely to transmit parasites and contain an enzyme that destroys a B vitamin (thiaminase). Tilapia are a good choice, and fish can also be cut into strips for dragons that will accept non-moving prey items. Green water dragons are omnivorous. The other half of their diet should be comprised of nutritious mixed green leafy vegetables, a few other vegetables, and a small amount of fruit. A salad recipe used for iguanas is ideal. Dragons also enjoy colorful edible flowers. Baby dragons will most likely not eat vegetables, but as the dragon grows older, it will eventually begin to eat more greens, until they make up 50% or more of its diet.
Some appropriate vegetables for water dragons include escarole, dandelion greens, mustard greens, collard greens, grated carrot, grated sweet potato, grated parsnip, green beans, and grated squash. Berries, cantalope, kiwi, figs, and mango are good choices of fruits. Edible flowers include dandelion flowers, nasturtiums, and rose petals. Avoid all forms of lettuce, spinich, broccoli, and cabbage. Lettuce has little nutritional value, spinich, cabbage, and other brassicas contain chemicals that can destroy necessary nutrients and cause deficiency diseases in reptiles. Make sure that all vegetables and fruits are thoroughly washed to remove pesticides, and cut into 1 inch pieces (for adult dragons) or coarsely grate for younger dragons. Calcium supplement powder can be lightly sprinkled over the salad (use a selection of 3 or 4 different items for each salad, and rotate the varieties used). Some individual water dragons can be picky about the vegetables or fruits they will accept--a few will not eat them at all! Don't be too alarmed by this. A balanced omnivorous diet is preferable, but if your fully adult dragon will not eat greens, just be sure to provide a wide variety of nutritious insects, and supplement well.
Place your crickets, superworms, or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets, superworms, or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby water dragons will eat only mealworms and 1/2 inch crickets, wax worms, and butterworms. An adult green water dragon will consume about 5 to 15 large crickets or superworms, 1 mouse, 3 to 6 earthworms, or 3 or 4 thin strips of tilapia, per feeding, and they should be offered insects or meat every other day. Greens should be offered daily. Babies should be offered animal food every day, and it is probably not necessary to offer greens to very young dragons, as it is almost unheard of for hatchlings to eat it. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket or superworm. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
The water pan should be changed and scrubbed daily. Water dragons virtually ALWAYS defecate in the water. This keeps the rest of the cage clean, but means that prompt attention to daily water changes is very necessary. If using a larger pond, a powerful filter, and a suction device for spot removal of droppings can be used to cut back on full water changes.
About Green Water Dragons (Physignathus cocincinus):
These lizards are good intermediate reptile pets. They can come to tolerate a fair amount of handling, but tend to be more standoffish than bearded dragons or some iguanas, and not quite as intelligent. They can learn to look to a person for food, but usually prefer not to be handled, even when quite tame. Their personalities make up for any of their drawbacks--they are alert, and have a lot of attitude. Captive bred animals tend to live longer than wild caught animals. They usually reach near adult size in about 2 to 3 years (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). Some green water dragons available are wild-caught, and most wild-caught animals are older juveniles or adults. This means they may carry internal parasites, so have a veterinarian do a fecal check after you have them settled in, and quarantine and test any new animals before adding them to an existing group (always a good idea, even with captive bred animals). Green water dragons are usually a bright green in color. Females tend to be more drab than males. A male water dragon in display colors is truly a beautiful sight, with bright green body, shades of pink, turquoise, and white around its jaws, and an orange throat and patches behind its front legs. A very dark olive dragon with almost black patches on the sides of its head is exhibiting coloration related to stress. If your dragon shows this coloration for a long time, and it has not been subjected to any obvious stress such as handling or cage cleaning, it may be ill, and should be seen by a veterinarian. An adult male water dragon can be a formidable size, reaching as much as 3 feet or more in total length. Females tend to be a bit smaller, around 2 feet long. Their tail can be fully as long as their body.
Green water dragons can come to tolerate regular handling, though they often remain nervous and somewhat flighty. Take care, because they can quickly leap out of your hands and run underneath furniture. Dragons may also bite, and they have very formidable jaws. If your lizard opens its mouth in a gape, this is a warning that it may bite. Teach them to trust you slowly and gently, if you wish to handle them. Most will calm down and not be inclined to bite. However, you should handle your green water dragon only for fairly short periods, to avoid stressing them. They may try to escape your grasp, and can be very wiggly...a long fall could injure them, so be very careful when you are carrying them. Their sharp claws can deliver stinging scratches, but should not be clipped as they need them to climb safely. Water dragons may plunge recklessly off any perch they are on when they are alarmed or startled, so take care that there are no sticks pointing upward, or other things they might injure themselves on when they fall from a height. They will often aim for their water when they make these jumps. They can run lightning fast. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. If you are lucky, they will enjoy your body heat, and come to expect food from you. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
Green water dragons do not have detachable tails, so take care when handling them that their tail is not broken. Their tail will not grow back. A broken tail should be treated. For think tail tips, careful and regular cleaning and application of antibiotic ointment or betadine solution will often do. Any sign of failure to heal, swelling, or extension of the damaged area means a veterinarian is needed. If the tail is broken further up, away from the tip, then a veterinarian should be seen promptly. Captive dragons are prone to a peculiar "tail rot" problem, where the tip of the tail turns black and falls off. The condition can continue, consuming more and more of the tail. This progressive problem should be treated by a veterinarian, who will amputate the tail above the affected area. Sterilizing the cage and environment is a reasonable step to take before placing a treated animal back in its home. It is not yet known what specifically causes this condition. Males water dragons are easy to tell apart from females once the dragons are near adulthood--their jaws are larger and heavier, their colors are much brighter, and they have a large raised area of flesh along the back of the head and neck, with longer spines on it.. A displaying male will stand up tall, expand its throat, and bob its head. Females will often bob their head and expand their throat as well, but usually maintain a lower profile than males. As with most reptiles, never keep more than one male in an enclosure--males will fight one another. You may keep one male with several females, but observe carefully for negative interactions--chasing, nipping, or harrassing. If you see one animal being chased excessively, or any are not able or willing to eat well, then they should be seperated.
To maintain them in the long term, have your water dragon checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your dragon behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Water dragons can be somewhat fragile if they become ill, so quick treatment can make all the difference. The most common medical issues water dragons face in captivity are parasites, infections due to injuries (particularly of the face, tail, and toes), and MBD (metabolic bone disease, which can be prevented by use of UVB lighting and calcium supplements).
With the proper care, your water dragon should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
A few notes on the other species which share these basic care requirements: Aside from the need for a bit more space and cover, some of these species have slight dietary differences as well. Sailfin lizards will probably eat greens earlier than water dragons, and the adult diet is the same--about 50/50 plant and animal matter. Basilisks eat a bit less vegetable matter than water dragons or sailfin lizards, but should still be provided with mixed greens regularly. Green basilisks may be subject to deterioration of their crests in a captive situation, similar to the tail rot problem in water dragons. This problem should be treated similarly, with veterinary care and sterilization of the environment. As with the tail-rot, the cause is not yet known.
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House Gecko Complete Care Sheet (Hemidactylus frenatus and several other small nocturnal tropical geckos)
This care sheet is focused on house geckos, but several other similar small nocturnal gecko species have the same care requirements, so this care sheet may be used for them as well. Mixing different species in the same enclosure is not recommended.
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom, and dampen it, if necessary (some come pre-moistened). Place the water dish in a corner, with the airstone in it. The bubbling will attract the lizards to the water. These lizards will not usually drink still water. Place food dish, climbing branches, and other decorations as you please. Stick one thermometer about mid level on the side of the cage away from the heat, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, at the level of the highest branch that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one side of the tank, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side with the higher thermometer, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the warm side of the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your lizard into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat and rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including house geckos, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 70 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 65 or 66), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your lizard with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good. The humidity level in your lizard's tank should be kept at around 80%. Mist the tank once or twice a day to keep the humidity level up, and encourage the lizards to drink water (they will drink from the droplets).
Purchase crickets or mealworms to feed your house gecko. 1/4 to 1/2 inch Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet, with mealworms being offered occasionally for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). House geckos are insectivorous. Vary the diet with occasional offerings of butterworms or wax worms. If available, silkworms are extremely nutritious and make an ideal staple for most insectivores. They may occasionally take small amounts of fruit puree, offered in a tiny cup attached to one of their branches. Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit parasites.
Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby house geckos will eat only small mealworms and true "pinhead" crickets, or flightless fruit flies. Adult house geckos can eat 1/2 inch crickets. You should not offer crickets larger than this. An adult gecko will consume about 1 to 3 crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day. Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
About House Geckos (Hemidactylus ssp.):
These lizards are hardy "hands-off" reptiles, and are suitable for beginners. They are best not handled, as they are delicate, and EXTREMELY quick. Small geckos are excellent candidates for inclusion in elaborate, planted vivariums. They are generally hardy, and easy to care for, but can be quite nervous and jumpy. They reach a size of around 3 to 5 inches as adults, and can live for 6 to 10 years. Captive bred animals tend to live longer than wild caught animals. They usually reach near adult size in about 18 months (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). House geckos are nocturnal, so you probably will not see them during the day, which they typically spend hiding behind bark or plants high up on the sides of their cage. If you wish to view them at night while they are active, a blue light (or reptile "moonlight" bulb) will not disturb them.
Most house geckos available are wild-caught, and most are older juveniles or adults. This means they may carry internal parasites, so have a veterinarian do a fecal check after you have them settled in, and quarantine and test any new animals before adding them to an existing group (always a good idea, even with captive bred animals). A few wholesalers will treat wild-caught animals for parasites, but this treatment does not always clear the animals completely of internal parasites, and not all wholesalers do this. Internal parasites will eventually build to lethal levels in a captive situation, so it is very important to have them dealt with right away. Keep animals in an easy-to-sterilize quarantine cage (with proper warmth and hiding places) until they are declared parasite-free.
If you must handle your house gecko, take care, because they can quickly leap out of your hands and run underneath or behind furniture, straight up the walls and across the ceiling, etc. Be very cautious when opening the cage, to make sure you know where the gecko is. If it is lying just beneath the rim of the lid or door, you may want to try to encourage it to move before you open the cage. They can be extremely difficult to recapture. You may choose to capture a gecko using a deli cup, and sliding a piece of cardboard beneath it to trap the gecko, rather than using your hands--be careful not to pinch toes. House geckos may also bite, though this pinch is seldom painful...take care that they do not injure their jaws in their attempt to defend themselves, though. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
House geckos have specially designed structures on their toes, so that they can climb walls or glass, and even run across a ceiling upside-down. House geckos have detachable tails, so if roughly handled, their tail may break off. This is stressful for them, so do your best to avoid it, but the tail will grow back, though it won't look as nice as the original. Male and female geckos look very similar. With a bit of practice and reference to some photos, you will note that male geckos have two visible bulges on their tail just behind the vent--these are their inverted hemipenes. They also have a line of pores running in a V shape along their inner thighs. These pores are less noticeable or absent in females. Male geckos "call" at night during the breeding season...a barking, or chirping sound. Geckos of both sexes may also bark or squeak when disturbed or frightened. As with most reptiles, never keep more than one male in an enclosure--males will fight one another. You may keep one male with several females.
To maintain them in the long term, have your lizard checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your lizard behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Lizards can be somewhat fragile if they become ill, so quick treatment can make all the difference.
With the proper care, your house gecko should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Leopard Gecko Complete Care Sheet (Eublepharis macularius)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place the open-bottomed hiding cave toward the middle of the cage. Dampen moss or torn paper towels, not too wet (or wring them out), and place in closed-bottom hiding box or cave (leave room for the gecko). Place this on one side of the cage. Place watering dish on same side as the damp cave. Place food dish and other decorations as you please. Stick one thermometer down low on the same side of the cage as the damp cave, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the lizard might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on the side opposite the humid cave, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. It is important to set this up before putting your gecko into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating either of these devices, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including leopard geckos, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays at about 75 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 71 or 72), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your gecko with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.
Purchase crickets or mealworms to feed your gecko. Crickets should be the mainstay of the diet, with mealworms being offered occasionally for variety. (Crickets are in general more nutritious). Leopard geckos are strictly insectivorous. Commercial crickets and mealworms are the safest and least expensive food items. You may try commercially dried crickets in a vibrating food dish, if you like, but not all animals will convert to accept dead insects. If yours will, be sure that you keep the water dish filled, as it will need to drink more water than an animal that is eating live insects. You may catch wild insects to feed your lizard, but this is risky, as you cannot be sure they have not been exposed to pesticides or other toxic chemicals, and there is also a chance that some may transmit parasites.
Place your crickets or mealworms in a seperate escape-proof cage. A plastic "critter keeper" works well. You should feed crickets or mealworms for 48 hours before giving them to your lizard. Ask your pet store what, if anything, they feed their crickets. If they use a cricket gutloading formula, you will not need to wait. Most stores house mealworms in refridgerators, where they are dormant, so these will always need to be fed. Feeding insects nutritious food before giving them to your reptile is called "gut loading". A reptile eats not only the insect, but the contents of its gut as well. An empty insect is much less nutritious than one full of good food. Provide a piece of fruit or commercial cricket drink for water, and nutritous food--either a gut loading formula or fruits and vegetables to feed them. Wash these thoroughly first to get rid of pesticide residues.
Crickets and mealworms are very low in calcium, one of their drawbacks. As a result, even if you use a gutloading formula that contains calcium (which substantially increases their calcium content, but may kill your crickets if used for more than a couple of days), you will need to dust them in order to balance out their mineral content. Every other feeding, place the crickets in a small baggie with a bit of mineral powder, and shake until they are coated, just before you feed them to your lizard. Once a week, use a vitamin powder instead. The difference these supplements have made in reptile husbandry cannot be overstated....they will allow your pet to have a healthy, long lifespan. Baby geckos will eat only small mealworms and 1/4 inch "pinhead" crickets. Adult geckos can eat fully grown crickets. An adult leopard gecko will consume about 5 to 7 crickets per feeding, and they should be offered food every other day. Babies should be offered food every day. Offer crickets one at a time, until the lizard refuses further food...remove the last cricket. Never leave food insects inside the cage, as they may nibble toes and tails. Crickets are particularly known for injuring sleeping reptiles, particularly if they have no other food sources. A reptile will not kill a pesky insect in self-defense.
About leopard geckos:
These lizards are probably the best "first pet" lizards you can find. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. They reach a size of just over 8 inches as adults, and can live for 20 years or more. They usually reach near adult size in about 18 months (so feed your babies plenty, they grow very fast). They come in a variety of color morphs and patterns, and pretty much all of the geckos you find on the market today are captive-bred. This means they are generally free of disease or parasites. Baby leopard geckos have bright bands of black and yellow on their bodies (unless they are an unusual color morph, such as leucistic, which has no bands or color). As they reach adulthood, these bands will disappear, and will be replaced by other patterns. In a normal gecko, this will be fine patterns of black spotting on a yellow background.
Leopard geckos tolerate handling well, though it may take some time for a gecko to come to trust you enough to allow you to pick it up. Babies in particular tend to be skittish. A leopard gecko CAN deliver a painful bite. Teach them to trust you slowly and gently, if you wish to handle them. Most will calm down and not be inclined to bite. However, you should handle your leopard gecko only for fairly short periods, occasionally, to avoid stressing them. They may try to escape your grasp, and can be very wiggly...a long fall could injure them, so be very careful when you are carrying them. They can run surprisingly fast. Reptiles, unlike mammals or birds, do not usually appreciate affection, and they are not social. Tolerance is the best you can expect from any reptile or amphibian. If you are lucky, they will enjoy your body heat. The fun of these animals comes from observing their natural behavior and appearance. In that respect, keeping reptiles and amphibians is much like keeping fish.
Leopard geckos do not have the sticky toe pads that arboreal gecko species have, so they cannot climb walls or glass. They also have something that most other geckos do not have: eyelids. They walk using a gait which is VERY rare in reptiles. It is called a "semi-erect" stance. Most reptiles walk with their belly very low to the ground. Mammals walk with their legs directly underneath them. Crocodiles and a few species of geckos, such as the leopard gecko, walk with a gait that is somewhere in between...not quite upright, but definitely not sprawling as most reptiles do. You may notice that your gecko has a definite personality, and preferences. When hunting, many geckos will twitch their tail like a cat. All told, these are fascinating and attractive animals, and well worth keeping.
To maintain them in the long term, have your gecko checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your gecko behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most leopard gecko illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection. Occasionally, some geckos will eat their substrate. If you catch your gecko doing this, switch to cage carpet immediately, as this behavior problem can lead to a deadly intestinal blockage.
Some leopard geckos may stop eating for a few days before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). They will also spend a lot of time in their humid hide box. This will help loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. They will eat their shed skin, so you will probably not find it in the cage. After your gecko sheds, check its toes and tail tip to be sure that no skin remains stuck there. If it does, you may need to carefully use tweezers to remove it, or take it to a vet if there is a lot of it. Retained skin on the extremities can cut off circulation and cause the gecko to loose toes. However, using a humid hide box should prevent this from ever happening.
With the proper care, your leopard gecko should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Ball Python Complete Care Sheet (Python regius)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place one hiding cave one one end of the cage. Place the other hiding cave on the other end of the cage. Place watering dish wherever you like, as well as the other decorations. Be aware you will need to change the water daily, so don't cover the bowl or place things that will make it hard to take out. Make sure that there is always an available water supply, particularly for hatchling snakes, which are delicate and prone to dehydration. Stick one thermometer down low on one end of the cage, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the snake might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one end of the cage, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on one side, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be around 90 degrees Farenheit. The cool side should be no more than 85 degrees, and no less than 80. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. Most undertank heaters get up to 110 degrees, so a rheostat is necessary. Checking the actual temperature of the cage floor is highly recommended when using an undertank heater. The surface should be no warmer than 90 degrees on the warm side of the cage. You can do this using a thermometer with a remote probe, and placing the probe on the cage floor. It is important to set this up before putting your snake into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating heat lamps as well, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Ball pythons do not require a night time drop in temperatures, and allowing temperatures to fall too low at night may put them at risk of respiratory infections. A small drop of 5 degrees should be well-tolerated, but you will need to insure that temperatures stay consistant at night.
Try to avoid feeding your snake a live rodent. If the snake refuses thawed rodents (available at some pet stores, and through mail order), you may try pre-killing a live rodent for them. A live rodent can VERY easily injure a snake, in the close confines of a cage, and they also may transmit internal parasites. In the wild, the snake can escape from overly aggressive prey, but wild snakes are still occasionally injured. You do not want this to happen to your pet. Purchase frozen rodents of appropriate size (these should be as big around as the widest part of the snake). Ball pythons can be convinced to eat frozen/thawed rodents with a bit of patience, if they aren't already eating them when you get them. If your snake refuses a frozen/thawed rat, try offering a rodent that you purchased live, but have pre-killed for the snake. A frozen/thawed rat can be refrozen once if it has been out no longer than 1/2 hour. Baby rodents may contain less calcium than adults...some people recommend dipping their hindquarters in calcium powder before feeding them, and there is no problem with doing this. Ball pythons have a reputation for being picky eaters, and in many cases, it's deserved. You may need to experiment to find out what your python will accept. CBB animals have been started on rats or mice--they may accept one, but not the other. They may also be more difficult to convert to eating dead prey than some other species, but patience and persistance will eventually win over all but the most stubborn and finicky individuals. It is well worth the time and effort in the long run, to protect your snake's health.
Because ball pythons can be finicky eaters, it's best to offer them food in their own cage. Wait until early evening, when the snake awakens and begins to move around--it will only do so if the lights are out. Also, be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly after handling your snake's food, before you put your hands near your snake. Snakes have strong predatory instincts that are triggered by movement, and the scent of prey. Your snake may bite you if its predatory instinct is triggered by your hands, either because they smell like food, or because it's used to food coming when its cage is opened. This is not the snake's fault--it will usually let go of you immediately if you don't smell like food...it may hang on and try to eat your fingers if your hand DOES smell like food, because it doesn't yet realize that it's you. Once it realizes its mistake, it will let go. Bites due to feeding mistakes are the most common bites received by snake owners...they are always the fault of the keeper. A misting bottle can be used to stop a snake from hunting if it appears ready for food when you want to handle it. A few gentle sprays will usually send the snake looking for shelter from the 'rain' rather than looking for movement of prey.
Never house more than one ball python in a cage. Ball pythons are generally shy animals, and live solitary lives when not breeding. Company may stress them.
Once every few months, completely clean the cage-remove all the furniture, throw out any loose bedding, and wash everything thoroughly with soap and water. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse very thoroughly, and let it dry. Dry any wood furniture in the sun, and replace it after it's completely dried and the bleach odor is gone. Do this also when preparing a cage that's been used before for a new animal. If you prefer, chlorhexedrine solution may be used to disinfect, instead of bleach.
About Ball Pythons:
These snakes are a good choice for a "first pet" snake. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. Adult snakes can reach lengths of up to 6 feet, but usually get no more than 4 or 5 feet. They can live for around up to 30 years in captivity. It takes most female snakes around 3 years to reach breeding size (males can breed when they are one year old), but they will continue to grow slowly over the course of their lives, once they reach three years of age. They come in a wide variety of color morphs and patterns, which are available from a large number of breeders. Wild caught ball pythons are not very commonly available now, but captive hatched babies are very commonly offered during the summer. Captive hatched ball pythons come from wild parents. The eggs are collected, and placed into large pits in Africa, to hatch. These babies are often shipped straight out of the egg, and can be found in pet stores everywhere. They tend to be a bit more fragile than captive born and bred babies, but they can do well if treated properly. A fecal check should be done by a veterinarian shortly after you acquire the animal, to identify whether any parasites are present, and treat the snake to eliminate them. Internal parasites can build to lethal levels in captivity, due to continual re-infection, so they must be eliminated promptly. This is especially important with CH babies, as they are prone to carrying parasites.
Baby ball pythons will generally be shy, and will hide their head defensively. Some younger snakes may be snappy. Ball pythons seldom defecate as a defense mechanism. If you work with them and handle them gently for 10 to 20 minutes or so every day, they will become used to you, and will become less defensive. Do not begin handling your python until it is eating regularly. Bites from a ball python bleed, because their teeth are needle sharp and quite long, but they will not be very painful. Ball pythons are not venomous. A serious bite from a fully grown adult python may require medical attention, in some cases. Never pull away or try to pull the snake away if you are bitten--this will make the wound much worse, even to the point where it may require stitches. It may also injure the snake or break its teeth. Gently coax the python to release you on its own by moving its coils off of its head if necessary, and tapping it on the nose, or spraying water on its nose. Keep as still as possible, as pythons instinctively constrict their prey until it stops moving. Most defensive bites are released immediately. Most accidental feeding bites involve constriction, and may take a bit longer. The snake will let go once it realizes it made a mistake.
When you first bring your snake home, leave it alone for at least 1 week, without handling it, to allow it to settle in and recover from the stress. Then, you may offer it food--when it eats, leave it alone for at least 2 days afterward, so that it can digest its food. Handling soon after eating may cause a snake to regurgitate its meal. Never handle a snake that is not eating well, or is ill, unless absolutely necessary. Handling is very stressful for reptiles, even if they are tame and used to you. If a hatchling snake goes longer than 4 weeks without eating, seek veterinary attention. For adults, seek attention if the snake goes without eating for more than 8 weeks. This is a longer period of time than many other snake species, as ball pythons have a slow metabolism. Males may cease eating during the fall and winter months, but you will come to know your snake's habits over time--if its pattern of behavior changes, assume that something is wrong, and act accordingly. Monitoring your snake's weight is useful as well. A snake that is losing a lot of weight needs an immediate vet check.
To maintain it in the long term, have your snake checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your snake behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most ball python illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection, but if left for a long time, they can become life-threatening and difficult to treat.
Some ball pythons may stop eating for a week or so before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). Before shedding, the snake's colors will become faded and dark, and its eyes will become cloudy. The snake is nearly blinded by this pre-shedding condition, and it may be irritable as a result. A snake "in the blue" (close to shedding) should not be handled, as the new skin beneath its old one might be damaged. A snake's skin should come off in one intact piece. If it does not, the humidity in the cage is too low. Adding an airstone hooked to an air pump in its water dish may help raise the humidity. You can also mist several times a day with a spray bottle. Skin retained on the eyes or in other areas may be gently removed, after the snake has been placed in a plastic box (with air holes) and wet paper towels for a few hours. It should come off easily--if it does not, don't pull hard, as you may injure the snake. A piece of scotch tape can be used to remove eye caps, after soaking--if they do not come off easily, take it to a vet to have the skin removed. Skin stuck around the snake's tail can cut off circulation, and lead to loss of the tail. Retained eye caps can lead to eye infections, so it's important to inspect the skin every time your snake sheds.
With the proper care, your ball python should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Ball Python Care on a Budget: The Bare Bones Version (Python regius)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Some Recommendations For Equipment
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Use a soldering iron to create a series of small holes along the top edge of the bin. About 3 rows of holes is sufficient. Be sure there are no very rough/sharp edges sticking through inside the bin. Carefully create 4 holes at equal distance along the top rim of the bin which go through the lid as well. Make sure that the distance from the edge of the lid and bin rim is very short, and that your padlocks can fit through the holes. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place one hiding cave one one end of the cage. Place the other hiding cave on the other end of the cage. Place watering dish wherever you like, as well as the other decorations. Be aware you will need to change the water daily, so don't cover the bowl or place things that will make it hard to take out. Make sure that there is always an available water supply, particularly for hatchling snakes, which are delicate and prone to dehydration. Stick one thermometer down low on the side, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer (or remote probe from an indoor/outdoor thermometer) on the opposite side of the cage, on the floor of the cage over the heat pad. Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one end of the cage, as far to that side as possible. Arrange heat rope to loop back and forth beneath half of the bin (without crossing the rope over itself).
Turn on the heat source, program the thermostat if you are using one, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be around 90 degrees Farenheit. The cool side should be no more than 85 degrees, and no less than 80. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to add another heat source, or adjust your thermostat or rheostat if they are aren't supplying full power. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need to turn down your thermostat or rheostat. Most undertank heaters get up to 110 degrees, so a rheostat is necessary. Additionally, many heating pads and devices actually get hotter as they get older, making a reliable controller essential to prevent serious risks of burns or even fires. If you believe your older heating device is getting TOO hot, replace it with a new one. Checking the actual temperature of the cage floor is highly recommended when using an undertank heater. The surface should be no warmer than 90 degrees on the warm side of the cage. You can do this using a thermometer with a remote probe, and placing the probe on the cage floor. It is important to set this up before putting your snake into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home.
Ball pythons do not require a night time drop in temperatures, and allowing temperatures to fall too low at night may put them at risk of respiratory infections. A small drop of 5 degrees should be well-tolerated, but you will need to insure that temperatures stay consistant at night.
Try to avoid feeding your snake a live rodent. If the snake refuses thawed rodents (available at some pet stores, and through mail order), you may try pre-killing a live rodent for them. A live rodent can VERY easily injure a snake, in the close confines of a cage, and they also may transmit internal parasites. In the wild, the snake can escape from overly aggressive prey, but wild snakes are still occasionally injured. You do not want this to happen to your pet. Purchase frozen rodents of appropriate size (these should be as big around as the widest part of the snake). Ball pythons can be convinced to eat frozen/thawed rodents with a bit of patience, if they aren't already eating them when you get them. If your snake refuses a frozen/thawed rat, try offering a rodent that you purchased live, but have pre-killed for the snake. A frozen/thawed rat can be refrozen once if it has been out no longer than 1/2 hour. Baby rodents may contain less calcium than adults...some people recommend dipping their hindquarters in calcium powder before feeding them, and there is no problem with doing this, though no particular problems have been found from feeding baby rodents without supplementing calcium. Ball pythons have a reputation for being picky eaters, and in many cases, it's deserved. You may need to experiment to find out what your python will accept. CBB animals have been started on rats or mice--they may accept one, but not the other. They may also be more difficult to convert to eating dead prey than some other species, but patience and persistance will eventually win over all but the most stubborn and finicky individuals. It is well worth the time and effort in the long run, to protect your snake's health. Make your attempt a long-term effort--give it at least 6 months of trying all of the various methods before giving up and accepting that your snake will only eat live prey. There are a small percentage of ball pythons that fall into this category. Always be sure to supervise them carefully and be prepared to intervene with forceps to help prevent serious bites if they happen to grab their prey the wrong way. NEVER leave a live weanling or adult rodent alone with a snake. Rats and mice have both been known to attack and even succeed in killing a snake. Never starve a snake to attempt to get it to eat a new food item. Ball pythons are more likely to switch to a new food item if they are used to eating regularly--they will be hungry 'on schedule'. You may wait one extra day to encourage them, but if they refuse the new food item, feed them what they will eat, and try again at the next scheduled feeding time. Ball pythons are well equipped to live for many months without food--in some cases as long as a year! They will not cave in and accept a strange food simply because they are hungry. Snakes have starved to death rather than eat an unfamiliar food.
Because ball pythons can be finicky eaters, it's best to offer them food in their own cage. Wait until early evening, when the snake awakens and begins to move around--it will often only do so if the lights are out. Also, be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly after handling your snake's food, before you put your hands near your snake. Snakes have strong predatory instincts that are triggered by movement, and the scent of prey. Your snake may bite you if its predatory instinct is triggered by your hands, either because they smell like food, or because it's used to food coming when its cage is opened. This is not the snake's fault--it will usually let go of you immediately if you don't smell like food...it may hang on and try to eat your fingers if your hand DOES smell like food, because it doesn't yet realize that it's you. Once it realizes its mistake, it will let go. Bites due to feeding mistakes are the most common bites received by snake owners...they are always the fault of the keeper. A snake cannot control its own instincts, nor learn not to react instinctively. We must learn to understand their behavior, instead. A misting bottle can be used to stop a snake from hunting if it appears ready for food when you want to handle it. A few gentle sprays will usually send the snake looking for shelter from the 'rain' rather than looking for movement of prey. A snake hook or other similar tool can be used to gently touch and move the snake in order to let it know that it isn't feeding time as well.
Never house more than one ball python in a cage. Ball pythons are generally shy animals, and live solitary lives when not breeding. Company may stress them.
Clean the cage whenever the snake urinates or defecates--if using newspaper or paper towel, remove all of the soiled paper and replace it. Wipe out if necessary. If using aspen or coconut fiber, dig out and discard the soiled area, and replace it with fresh. Once every week to two weeks, completely replace the substrate. Once every month, completely clean the cage-remove all the furniture, throw out any loose bedding, and wash everything thoroughly with soap and water. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution or chlorhexedine solution for 5 to 10 minutes (never mix bleach with chlorhexedine). Rinse very thoroughly, and let it dry. Dry any wood furniture in the sun, and replace it after it's completely dried and the bleach odor is gone. Do this also when preparing a cage that's been used before for a new animal.
About Ball Pythons:
These snakes are a good choice for a "first pet" snake. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. Adult snakes can reach lengths of up to 6 feet, but usually get no more than 4 or 5 feet. They can live for around up to 30 years in captivity. It takes most female snakes around 3 years to reach breeding size (males can breed when they are one year old), but they will continue to grow slowly over the course of their lives, once they reach three years of age. They come in a wide variety of color morphs and patterns, which are available from a large number of breeders. Wild caught ball pythons are not very commonly available now, but captive hatched babies are very commonly offered during the summer. Captive hatched ball pythons come from wild parents. The eggs are collected, and placed into large pits in Africa, to hatch. These babies are often shipped straight out of the egg, and can be found in pet stores everywhere. They tend to be a bit more fragile than captive born and bred babies, but they can do well if treated properly. A fecal check should be done by a veterinarian shortly after you acquire the animal, to identify whether any parasites are present, and treat the snake to eliminate them. Internal parasites can build to lethal levels in captivity, due to continual re-infection, so they must be eliminated promptly. This is especially important with CH babies, as they are prone to carrying parasites, but since parasites can be easily transmitted by live rodents or by anything that has come into contact with the feces of an infected snake, any ball python can potentially have them. The vet check and fecal exam are relatively inexpensive, and well worth it to safeguard your pet's health.
Baby ball pythons will generally be shy, docile, and will hide their head defensively. Some younger snakes may be snappy, usually from hatching to 3 or 4 months old, but calm down and become docile later on. Keep in mind that animals have individual personalities, and it's always possible to get a very defensive, overreactive snake that will bite, or a very outgoing and calm animal--the temperment most ball pythons have isn't the temperment they ALL have. Ball pythons seldom defecate as a defense mechanism. If you work with them and handle them gently for 10 to 20 minutes or so every day, they will become used to you, and will become less defensive or frightened. Do not begin handling your python until it is eating regularly. Bites from a ball python bleed, because their teeth are needle sharp and quite long, but they will not be very painful. Ball pythons are not venomous. A serious bite from a fully grown adult python may require medical attention, in some cases. Never pull away or try to pull the snake away if you are bitten--this will make the wound much worse, even to the point where it may require stitches. It may also injure the snake or break its teeth. Gently coax the python to release you on its own by moving its coils off of its head if necessary, and tapping it on the nose, or spraying water on its nose. Keep as still as possible, as pythons instinctively constrict their prey until it stops moving. Most defensive bites are released immediately. Most accidental feeding bites involve constriction, and may take a bit longer. The snake will let go once it realizes it made a mistake.
When you first bring your snake home, leave it alone for at least 1 week, without handling it, to allow it to settle in and recover from the stress. Then, you may offer it food--when it eats, leave it alone for at least one full day afterward, so that it can digest its food. Handling soon after eating may cause a snake to regurgitate its meal. Never handle a snake that is not eating well, or is ill, unless absolutely necessary. Handling is very stressful for reptiles, even if they are tame and used to you. If a hatchling snake goes longer than 4 weeks without eating, re-evaluate your husbandry. Are the temperatures correct at all times? Does the snake have small, close hiding spaces on each side? Has it been left alone? Was it eating before you got it, and if so, what? (Try feeding it what it has eaten before). If none of that solves the issue, seek veterinary attention promptly. For adults, seek attention if the snake goes without eating for more than 8 weeks. This is a longer period of time than many other snake species, as ball pythons have a slow metabolism. Males may cease eating during the fall and winter months, but you will come to know your snake's habits over time--if its pattern of behavior changes, assume that something is wrong, and act accordingly. Monitoring your snake's weight is useful as well. A snake that is losing a lot of weight needs an immediate vet check.
To maintain it in the long term, have your snake checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your snake behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most ball python illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection, but if left for a long time, they can become life-threatening and difficult to treat.
Some ball pythons may stop eating for a week or so before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). Before shedding, the snake's colors will become faded and dark, and its eyes will become cloudy. The snake is nearly blinded by this pre-shedding condition, and it may be irritable as a result. A snake "in the blue" (close to shedding) should not be handled, as the new skin beneath its old one might be damaged. A snake's skin should come off in one intact piece. If it does not, the humidity in the cage is too low. Adding an airstone hooked to an air pump in its water dish may help raise the humidity. You can also mist several times a day with a spray bottle. Skin retained on the eyes or in other areas may be gently removed, after the snake has been placed in a plastic box (with air holes) and wet paper towels for a few hours. It should come off easily--if it does not, don't pull hard, as you may injure the snake. A piece of scotch tape can be used to remove eye caps, after soaking, by wrapping the tape around your finger sticky-side out, and very gently rolling it across the eye cap--if they do not come off easily, take it to a vet to have the skin removed. Skin stuck around the snake's tail can cut off circulation, and lead to loss of the tail. Retained eye caps can lead to eye infections, so it's important to inspect the skin every time your snake sheds.
With the proper care, your ball python should thrive problem free for its full lifespan of 15 to 30 years.
Printer friendly version - HERE -
Corn Snake Complete Care Sheet (Pantherophis gutatta gutatta (formerly Elaphe gutatta gutatta))
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place one hiding cave one one end of the cage. Place the other hiding cave on the other end of the cage. Place watering dish wherever you like, as well as the other decorations. Be aware you will need to change the water daily, so don't cover the bowl or place things that will make it hard to take out. Make sure that there is always an available water supply, particularly for hatchling snakes, which are delicate and prone to dehydration. Stick one thermometer down low on one end of the cage, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the snake might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one end of the cage, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on one side, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be around 90 degrees Farenheit. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. Most undertank heaters get up to 110 degrees, so a rheostat is necessary. Checking the actual temperature of the cage floor is highly recommended when using an undertank heater. The surface should be no warmer than 90 degrees on the warm side of the cage. You can do this using a thermometer with a remote probe, and placing the probe on the cage floor. It is important to set this up before putting your snake into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating heat lamps as well, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including corn snakes, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays above 65 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 65), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your snake with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.
Never feed a snake a live rodent. If the snake refuses thawed rodents (available at some pet stores, and through mail order), you may try pre-killing a live rodent for them. A live rodent can VERY easily injure a snake, in the close confines of a cage, and they also may transmit internal parasites. In the wild, the snake can escape from overly aggressive prey, but wild snakes are still occasionally injured. You do not want this to happen to your pet. Purchase frozen rodents of appropriate size (these should be as big around as the widest part of the snake). Corn snakes can be convinced to eat frozen/thawed rodents with a bit of patience, if they aren't already eating them when you get them. If your snake refuses a frozen/thawed mouse, try offering a rodent that you purchased live, but have pre-killed for the snake. A frozen/thawed mouse can be refrozen once if it has been out no longer than 1/2 hour. Baby rodents may contain less calcium than adults...some people recommend dipping their hindquarters in calcium powder before feeding them, and there is no problem with doing this.
To feed your snake, place the food in a seperate container, and put the snake into that container with its prey. This will prevent the snake from associating the opening of its cage, or your smell, with its food. Also, be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly after handling your snake's food, before you put your hands near your snake. Snakes have strong predatory instincts that are triggered by movement, and the scent of prey. Your snake may bite you if its predatory instinct is triggered by your hands, either because they smell like food, or because it's used to food coming when its cage is opened. This is not the snake's fault--it will usually let go of you immediately if you don't smell like food...it may hang on and try to eat your fingers if your hand DOES smell like food, because it doesn't yet realize that it's you. Once it realizes its mistake, it will let go. Bites due to feeding mistakes are the most common bites received by snake owners...they are always the fault of the keeper.
NEVER house more than one corn snake in a cage. Wild corn snakes prey on rodents, primarily, but may occasionally take lizards. Attempted cannibalism is a possibility, and not worth the risk. Usually corn snakes will not actively set out to eat one another, unless one of them is very much smaller than the other, but if the other snake has the smell of food on it....well, then the risk is high.
Once every few months, completely clean the cage-remove all the furniture, throw out any loose bedding, and wash everything thoroughly with soap and water. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse very thoroughly, and let it dry. Dry any wood furniture in the sun, and replace it after it's completely dried and the bleach odor is gone. Do this also when preparing a cage that's been used before for a new animal.
About Corn Snakes:
These snakes are a good choice for a "first pet" snake. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. Adult snakes can reach lengths of up to 6 feet, but usually get no more than 4 or 5 feet. They can live for around 12 to 25 years in captivity. It takes most snakes around 3 years to reach breeding size, but they will continue to grow slowly over the course of their lives, once they reach that point. They come in a huge variety of color morphs and patterns, which are available from a large number of breeders. Wild caught corn snakes are rarely ever available. A fecal check should be done by a veterinarian some time after you acquire the animal, to identify whether any parasites are present, and treat the snake to eliminate them. Internal parasites can build to lethal levels in captivity, due to continual re-infection, so they must be eliminated promptly.
Baby corn snakes will very delicate, and may be snappy, flighty, and defensive. Corn snakes may also defecate on you, and release a pungent odor from musk glands inside their cloaca. If you work with them and handle them gently for 10 to 20 minutes or so every day, they will become used to you, and cease this defensive behavior. Many corn snakes calm down to the point where they may contentedly coil around your hands, without attempting to flee. Some corn snakes will bite. Bites from a corn snake will probably bleed, because their teeth are needle sharp, but they will not be painful. Corn snakes are not venomous.
When you first bring your snake home, leave it alone for at least 2 days, without handling it, to allow it to settle in and recover from the stress. Then, you may offer it food--when it eats, leave it alone for at least 2 days afterward, so that it can digest its food. Handling soon after eating may cause a snake to regurgitate its meal. Never handle a snake that is not eating well, or is ill, unless absolutely necessary. Handling is very stressful for reptiles, even if they are tame and used to you. If a hatchling snake goes longer than 2 weeks without eating, seek veterinary attention. For adults, seek attention if the snake goes without eating for more than 3 or 4 weeks.
To maintain it in the long term, have your snake checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your snake behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most corn snake illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection.
Some corn snakes may stop eating for a week or so before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). Before shedding, the snake's colors will become faded and dark, and its eyes will become cloudy. The snake is nearly blinded by this pre-shedding condition, and it may be irritable as a result. A snake "in the blue" (close to shedding) should not be handled, as the new skin beneath its old one might be damaged. They will also spend a lot of time soaking in their water dish. This will help loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. A snake's skin should come off in one intact piece. If it does not, the humidity in the cage is too low. Adding an airstone hooked to an air pump in its water dish may help raise the humidity. If your snake has skin retained over its eyes, they will need to be removed by a vet. Skin retained in other areas may be gently removed, after the snake has been placed in a plastic box (with air holes) and wet paper towels for a few hours. It should come off easily--if it does not, don't pull hard, as you may injure the snake. Take it to a vet to have the skin removed. Skin stuck around the snake's tail can cut off circulation, and lead to loss of the tail. Retained eye caps can lead to eye infections, so it's important to inspect the skin every time your snake sheds.
With the proper care, your corn snake should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Garter Snake Complete Care Sheet (Thamnophis ssp.)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place one hiding cave one one end of the cage. Place the other hiding cave on the other end of the cage. Place watering dish wherever you like, as well as the other decorations. Be aware you will need to change the water daily, so don't cover the bowl or place things that will make it hard to take out. Stick one thermometer down low on one end of the cage, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the snake might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one end of the cage, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on one side, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be 85 to 90 degrees. The cool side should be no more than 75 degrees. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. Most undertank heaters get up to 110 degrees, so a rheostat is necessary. Checking the actual temperature of the cage floor is highly recommended when using an undertank heater. The surface should be no warmer than 90 degrees on the warm side of the cage. You can do this using a thermometer with a remote probe, and placing the probe on the cage floor. It is important to set this up before putting your snake into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating heat lamps as well, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including garter snakes, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays above 65 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 65), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your snake with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.
Purchase frozen rodents of appropriate size (these should be as big around as the widest part of the snake), and nightcrawlers (available at bait shops), unless you know that your snake is already eating rodents. Garter snakes can be convinced to eat frozen/thawed rodents with a bit of patience--and it's well worth the time, because the other foods they eat are prone to transmitting dangerous parasites to them. Offer nightcrawlers first to make sure your garter is eating well--feed 3 times per week. Then, thaw one of the mice, rub a nightcrawler over it, and offer it to your snake. You may offer a nightcrawler along with it, as encouragement. Your snake may not accept this prey item at first. It can be refrozen once if it has been out no longer than 1/2 hour. Keep trying...eventually the snake will accept the mouse. After it is used to eating worm-scented mice, you can offer it plain mice. Mice should be fed once a week for juvenile snakes, and once every week or two for adults. A large adult garter snake may take two adult mice at a feeding. Many people will recommend that garter snakes be fed goldfish, guppies, or rosy reds. Guppies are ok for tiny snakes, but goldfish and rosy reds contain an enzyme that destroys an essential nutrient (thiaminase). Feeding these items can cause deficiency disease and death, over a long period of time. Caution: nightcrawlers, leaf worms, and red worms are safe for garter snakes to eat. Red wigglers (Eisenia foetida), the most common species used in vermicomposting, may be toxic and deadly to them.
Never feed a snake a live rodent. If the snake refuses thawed rodents (available at some pet stores, and through mail order), you may try pre-killing a live rodent for them. A live rodent can VERY easily injure a snake, in the close confines of a cage. In the wild, the snake can escape from overly aggressive prey, but wild snakes are still occasionally injured. You do not want this to happen to your pet. Garter snakes are not well adapted to feeding on rodents, though some do so in the wild, occasionally...the risk of injury from rodent bites is even greater for a garter snake. Baby rodents may contain less calcium than adults...some people recommend dipping their hindquarters in calcium powder before feeding them, and there is no problem with doing this.
To feed your snake, place the food in a seperate container, and put the snake into that container with its prey. This will prevent the snake from associating the opening of its cage, or your smell, with its food. Also, be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly after handling your snake's food, before you put your hands near your snake. Snakes have strong predatory instincts that are triggered by movement, and the scent of prey. Your snake may bite you if its predatory instinct is triggered by your hands, either because they smell like food, or because it's used to food coming when its cage is opened. This is not the snake's fault--it will usually let go of you immediately if you don't smell like food...it may hang on and try to eat your fingers if your hand DOES smell like food, because it doesn't yet realize that it's you. Once it realizes its mistake, it will let go. Bites due to feeding mistakes are the most common bites received by snake owners...they are always the fault of the keeper.
NEVER house more than one garter snake in a cage. Wild garter snakes prey on worms, fish, frogs, slugs, salamanders. Attempted cannibalism is a possibility, and not worth the risk. Usually garters will not actively set out to eat one another, unless one of them is very much smaller than the other, but if the other snake has the smell of food on it....well, then the risk is high.
Once every few months, completely clean the cage-remove all the furniture, throw out any loose bedding, and wash everything thoroughly with soap and water. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse very thoroughly, and let it dry. Dry any wood furniture in the sun, and replace it after it's completely dried and the bleach odor is gone. Do this also when preparing a cage that's been used before for a new animal.
About Garter Snakes:
These snakes are a good choice for a "first pet" snake. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. Adult females reach a size of up to 54 inches as adults, depending on species, with males being smaller and more slender. They can live for around 12 to 15 years in captivity. It takes most snakes around 2 or 3 years to reach breeding size, but they will continue to grow slowly over the course of their lives, once they reach that point. They come in a variety of color morphs and patterns, which are available from a few select breeders. Most garter snakes on the market will be wild caught, and it should be assumed that they have the internal parasites normal to wild animals. A fecal check should be done by a veterinarian soon after you acquire the animal, to identify what types of parasites are present, and treat the snake to eliminate them. Internal parasites can build to lethal levels in captivity, due to continual re-infection, so they must be eliminated promptly. Baby garter snakes will very delicate, and may be snappy, flighty, and defensive. Garters may also defecate on you, and release a pungent odor from musk glands inside their cloaca. If you work with them and handle them gently for 10 minutes or so every day, they will become used to you, and cease this defensive behavior. Many garter snakes calm down to the point where they may contentedly coil around your hands, without attempting to flee. Some garter snakes will bite. Bites from a garter snake will probably bleed, because their teeth are needle sharp, but they will not be painful. Garter snake saliva does contain venom, but they have no means to introduce it into the blood stream. You will most likely not even experience any redness or swelling from a garter snake bite. Nonetheless, you should not allow a garter snake to chew on you for a long time, and if you have an allergy to bee stings, be very aware of the fact that this snake produces true venom, and you may have a reaction to its bite. This snake is considered harmless because, to date, no one has experienced anything beyond an extremely mild reaction to its bite--and that only very rarely, under unusual circumstances.
To maintain it in the long term, have your snake checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your snake behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most garter snake illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection.
Some garter snakes may stop eating for a week or so before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). Before shedding, the snake's colors will become faded and dark, and its eyes will become cloudy. The snake is nearly blinded by this pre-shedding condition, and it may be irritable as a result. A snake "in the blue" (close to shedding) should not be handled, as the new skin beneath its old one might be damaged. They will also spend a lot of time soaking in their water dish. This will help loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. A snake's skin should come off in one intact piece. If it does not, the humidity in the cage is too low. Adding an airstone hooked to an air pump in its water dish may help raise the humidity. If your snake has skin retained over its eyes, they will need to be removed by a vet. Skin retained in other areas may be gently removed, after the snake has been placed in a plastic box (with air holes) and wet paper towels for a few hours. It should come off easily--if it does not, don't pull hard, as you may injure the snake. Take it to a vet to have the skin removed. Skin stuck around the snake's tail can cut off circulation, and lead to loss of the tail. Retained eye caps can lead to eye infections, so it's important to inspect the skin every time your snake sheds.
With the proper care, your garter snake should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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King and Milk Snake Complete Care Sheet (Lampropeltis ssp.)
Bare minimum equipment needed:
Optional equipment:
Setting up the enclosure:
Rinse out the cage with very hot water, and dry it. Place the substrate in the bottom. Place one hiding cave one one end of the cage. Place the other hiding cave on the other end of the cage. Place watering dish wherever you like, as well as the other decorations. Be aware you will need to change the water daily, so don't cover the bowl or place things that will make it hard to take out. Make sure that there is always an available water supply, particularly for hatchling snakes, which are delicate and prone to dehydration. Stick one thermometer down low on one end of the cage, on the inside of the cage so that you can read it. Stick the other thermometer on the opposite side of the cage, either at a ground level or if you have placed branches, at the level of a sturdy basking spot that the snake might climb to (if using overhead heat). Place the humidity gauge down low in about the middle of the cage. If you are using an undertank heater, place this beneath one end of the cage, as far to that side as possible. If you are using an overhead heat source, screw in the bulb, and place the lamp on top of the screen on one side, as far to that side as possible (take care not to overlap plastic tank edges), so that it is pointing down into the tank.
Turn on the lamp, and leave the tank for about an hour. Come back, and read the temperature gauges. The warmest area of the cage should be around 88 to 90 degrees Farenheit on the surface of the substrate. Some Northern species will do better with a basking spot of 85 degrees Farenheit--if your snake spends most of its time on the cooler side of the tank, adjust the temperatures downward slightly. The cool side should be no more than 80 degrees. If the cage is cooler than this, you will need to either add another heat source (if using an undertank heater), or use a higher wattage bulb in your overhead lamp. If the cage is warmer than this, you will need a thermostat or rheostat for your undertank heater, to lower the temperature, or use a lower wattage bulb in your overhead light. Most undertank heaters get up to 110 degrees, so a rheostat is necessary. Checking the actual temperature of the cage floor under the substrate is highly recommended when using an undertank heater, as a burrowing animal might be burned if the cage floor becomes too hot. The surface should be no warmer than 95 degrees on the warm side of the cage. You can do this using a thermometer with a remote probe, and placing the probe on the cage floor. It is important to set this up before putting your snake into the enclosure, and preferably before bringing it home. A thermostat or rheostat is a good idea for regulating heat lamps as well, particularly if your indoor temperatures are subject to changes.
Most reptiles, including king and milk snakes, do best with a night time temperature drop. If your room stays above 70 degrees Farenheit, you can simply turn off the heating elements at night, or when you are done viewing your animals. If it drops too much lower (below 70), you may need to leave a heating source on overnight. Check your night time temperatures, and try to arrange it so that they fall 5 to 10 degrees at night. Try to provide your snake with very regular day and night schedules (a timer comes in handy). 12 hours of each is good.
Never feed a snake a live rodent. If the snake refuses thawed rodents (available at some pet stores, and through mail order), you may try pre-killing a live rodent for them. A live rodent can VERY easily injure a snake, in the close confines of a cage, and they also may transmit internal parasites. In the wild, the snake can escape from overly aggressive prey, but wild snakes are still occasionally injured. You do not want this to happen to your pet. Purchase frozen rodents of appropriate size (these should be as big around as the widest part of the snake). King and milk snakes can be convinced to eat frozen/thawed rodents with a bit of patience, if they aren't already eating them when you get them. If your snake refuses a frozen/thawed mouse, try offering a rodent that you purchased live, but have pre-killed for the snake. A frozen/thawed mouse can be refrozen once if it has been out no longer than 1/2 hour. Baby rodents may contain less calcium than adults...some people recommend dipping their hindquarters in calcium powder before feeding them, and there is no problem with doing this. Always verify that your king or milk snake IS feeding on rodents before you purchase it. These snakes often need to be started out on prey scented with a lizard or frog, or even given a lizard as a first meal, as they do not normally eat rodents in the wild. It is the responsibility of the breeder to ensure the hatchlings they produce are feeding on rodents before they sell them to the pet trade, but not all breeders are responsible...always insist on seeing the animal eat before you bring it home.
To feed your snake, place the food in a seperate container, and put the snake into that container with its prey. This will prevent the snake from associating the opening of its cage, or your smell, with its food. Also, be sure to wash your hands very thoroughly after handling your snake's food, before you put your hands near your snake. Snakes have strong predatory instincts that are triggered by movement, and the scent of prey. Your snake may bite you if its predatory instinct is triggered by your hands, either because they smell like food, or because it's used to food coming when its cage is opened. This is not the snake's fault--it will usually let go of you immediately if you don't smell like food...it may hang on and try to eat your fingers if your hand DOES smell like food, because it doesn't yet realize that it's you. Once it realizes its mistake, it will let go. Bites due to feeding mistakes are the most common bites received by snake owners...they are always the fault of the keeper.
NEVER house more than one king or milk snake in a cage. Wild king and milk snakes prey on lizards, frogs, rodents, and other snakes. King snakes in particular favor eating other snakes. Attempted (or successful) cannibalism is virtually a certainty with some species, and a strong risk with others. Breeding these snakes requires careful attention to brumation, and observation of their behavior. Even experienced breeders sometimes lose king or milk snakes to cannibalism during breeding attempts.
Once every few months, completely clean the cage-remove all the furniture, throw out any loose bedding, and wash everything thoroughly with soap and water. Then soak it in a 10% bleach solution for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse very thoroughly, and let it dry. Dry any wood furniture in the sun, and replace it after it's completely dried and the bleach odor is gone. Do this also when preparing a cage that's been used before for a new animal.
About King and Milk Snakes:
Many of these snakes are a good choice for a "first pet" snake. They are generally docile, hardy, and easy to care for. A few species may be a bit more nervous or nippy by tendency.Adult snakes vary in size according to species and subspecies. Most range between 20 inches in adult length to up to 8 feet or more...the record is held by an Eastern Chain King that reached 82 inches. They can live for around 10 to 15 years, up to a record of 23 years in captivity. It takes most snakes around 3 years to reach breeding size, but they will continue to grow slowly over the course of their lives, once they reach that point. They come in a moderate number of color morphs and patterns, which are available from a large number of breeders--the natural colors of the wild morph are often quite spectacular. Wild caught king or milk snakes are less commonly available, but be sure to verify that the snake you purchase is captive bred--a wild king or milk snake is unlikely to willingly eat rodents, and may be very difficult to establish. A fecal check should be done by a veterinarian some time after you acquire the animal, to identify whether any parasites are present, and treat the snake to eliminate them. Internal parasites can build to lethal levels in captivity, due to continual re-infection, so they must be eliminated promptly.
Baby king and milk snakes will very delicate, and may be snappy, flighty, and defensive. King and milk snakes may also defecate on you, and release a pungent odor from musk glands inside their cloaca. If you work with them and handle them gently for 10 to 20 minutes or so every day, they will become used to you, and cease this defensive behavior. Many king and milk snakes calm down to the point where they may contentedly coil around your hands, without attempting to flee, though most will move through your hands rather than sitting still. Some king and corn snakes will bite. Bites from a king or milk snake will probably bleed, because their teeth are needle sharp, but they will not be painful. King and milk snakes are not venomous, though some milk snakes do indeed mimic the color pattern of the very venomous coral snakes. If you ever find a milk snake in the wild, remember the rule of thumb (which only works in the United States)--red touches black, venom lack. Red touches yellow, kill a fellow. Do not approach or attempt to handle any red, black, and yellow banded snake in coral snake territory unless you are completely sure you know exactly what it is. Coral snakes can be quite docile in demeanor, but if they decide to bite, their venom can kill.
When you first bring your snake home, leave it alone for at least 2 days, without handling it, to allow it to settle in and recover from the stress. Then, you may offer it food (if it has not already eaten just before purchase--wait a week between meals for juvenile snakes)--when it eats, leave it alone for at least 2 days afterward, so that it can digest its food. Handling soon after eating may cause a snake to regurgitate its meal. Never handle a snake that is not eating well, or is ill, unless absolutely necessary. Handling is very stressful for reptiles, even if they are tame and used to you. If a hatchling snake goes longer than 2 weeks without eating, seek veterinary attention. For adults, seek attention if the snake goes without eating for more than 3 or 4 weeks.
To maintain it in the long term, have your snake checked by a veterinarian once a year for parasites or other health problems. If you notice your snake behaving abnormally, particularly if it stops eating, or seems less active than usual, seek medical care for it immediately. Reptiles do not usually show illness until they are seriously ill. Treated quickly, most corn snake illnesses are not serious, the majority being related to parasites or to an infection.
Some king or milk snakes may stop eating for a week or so before shedding their skin, something they will do several times a year (more when they are young). Before shedding, the snake's colors will become faded and dark, and its eyes will become cloudy. The snake is nearly blinded by this pre-shedding condition, and it may be irritable as a result. A snake "in the blue" (close to shedding) should not be handled, as the new skin beneath its old one might be damaged. They will also spend a lot of time soaking in their water dish. This will help loosen the skin so that it comes off easily. A snake's skin should come off in one intact piece. If it does not, the humidity in the cage is too low. Adding an airstone hooked to an air pump in its water dish may help raise the humidity. If your snake has skin retained over its eyes, they will need to be removed by a vet. Skin retained in other areas may be gently removed, after the snake has been placed in a plastic box (with air holes) and wet paper towels for a few hours. It should come off easily--if it does not, don't pull hard, as you may injure the snake. Take it to a vet to have the skin removed. Skin stuck around the snake's tail can cut off circulation, and lead to loss of the tail. Retained eye caps can lead to eye infections, so it's important to inspect the skin every time your snake sheds.
With the proper care, your king or milk snake should thrive problem free for its full lifespan.
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Keeping and Breeding Crickets (Acheta domestica)
Some folks use an aquarium, but I've found the best container is a 30 gallon plastic tote. put a layer of newspaper in the bottom, and a 2 inch band of vaseline below the inside rim (this will prevent crickets from crawling out of the bin). A stack of cardboard egg cartons, paper towel cores, and similar cardboard objects will give the crickets plenty of hiding places and reduce cannibalism tremendously. These cheap, disposeable hiding areas make cleanup a snap, plus, paper towel cores can be picked up, and the crickets inside easily shaken out into a container, to make collecting them for feeding extremely easy and fast.
Place a shallow dish of water with a sponge in it, or a dish full of commercial "cricket water" (the non-fortified kind, as the calcium loaded kind will kill the crickets if given long term). Another dish that the crickets (including pinheads) will be able to get in and out of easily should be placed in the cage to contain food. Another dish with and inch or two of moist (not wet) soil will serve as an egg depository.
Feed the crickets a mixture of whole grain cereal, a small amount of dog or cat food, and fresh dark green leafy vegetables (wash carefully). A bit of carrot, or other veggies may also be well accepted. Offer the moist foods seperately from the dry, and remove once a day to prevent mold growth. Mold is a serious threat to the cricket colony. Feeding your crickets a nutritious diet at all times ensures that you'll have a high survival rate, and that you won't need to seperately gut-load them before feeding them to your animals.
Just add the crickets--25 or 50 of them should be plenty. If they are not already adults, you may have to wait a while for them to grow up. Once you have chirping males, with wings, and adult females with their long ovapositor (the tube sticking out from their hind end), they'll be ready to breed and lay eggs. Give them three or four days, then remove the soil container, and replace it with a fresh one. This serves two purposes: The first is that it prevents the adult crickets from eating the eggs. The second is that if you hatch the eggs laid within a few days in another container, all of the crickets in that container will be around the same size--this is very convenient for feeding your reptiles.
You can place the egg-filled soil container into a new tote, set up the same way, and wait for them to hatch. Keep the soil slightly moist. If you want to save the eggs, you can simply place the soil container in your refrigerator for several weeks, then bring it out later to hatch the eggs. Be sure to check occasionally to moisten the soil, if necessary (don't let it get too wet, nor completely dry out). Misting the soil with a spray bottle works well for controlling the amount of moisture you add. Your crickets will breed and grow most quickly at around 80 degrees, but they'll also be fine at 70. Don't allow them to overheat, temperatures over 90 will kill them. Babies are particularly sensitive to heat. If they get too cool, they will probably stop breeding and be less active. Freezing temperatures will kill them.
Once all of the adults in your original container have died, clean it out and scrub it thoroughly, then set it up with the soil container that was last in there to hatch more. Be sure to do this every time, or you will find that crickets develop a really horrible odor. You can do this with however many seperate totes you want, keeping 4 or 5 going at once if you have a lot of reptiles. The number of baby crickets you hatch depends on how many adults you started with, of course.
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Keeping and Breeding Lobster Roaches (Nauphoeta cinerea)
Some folks use an aquarium, but I've found the best container is a 30 gallon plastic tote, or plastic garbage can. Put an inch of play sand in the bottom, and a 2 inch band of vaseline below the inside rim (this will prevent roaches from crawling out of the bin). You may also use the commercial product called Bug Stop.A stack of cardboard egg cartons, paper towel cores, and similar cardboard objects will give the roaches plenty of hiding places and reduce stress. These cheap, disposeable hiding areas make cleanup a snap, plus, paper towel cores can be picked up, and the roaches inside easily shaken out into a container, to make collecting them for feeding extremely easy and fast. I have found that roaches are somewhat less likely to hide inside the cores than crickets, preferring the egg cartons.
Place a shallow dish of water with a sponge in it, or a dish full of commercial "cricket water" (the non-fortified kind, as the calcium loaded kind will kill the roaches if given long term). If you live in a VERY dry area, observe your colony carefully--if you see molting difficulties occurring, lightly mist the colony once or twice a week. Another dish that the roaches (including nymphs) will be able to get in and out of easily should be placed in the cage to contain food.
Feed the roaches a mixture of whole grain cereal, a small amount of dog or cat food, and fresh dark green leafy vegetables (wash carefully). A bit of carrot, or other veggies may also be well accepted, as will a small amount of fruit. Offer the moist foods seperately from the dry, and remove once a day to prevent mold growth. Mold is a serious threat to the roach colony. Feeding your roaches a nutritious diet at all times ensures that you'll have a high survival rate, and that you won't need to seperately gut-load them before feeding them to your animals. You will find that the roaches are very efficient, and do not eat a great deal, so offer moist foods very sparingly.
Just add the roaches--25 or 50 of them should be plenty, but 100 or 200 would be better to establish your colony quickly. It's best to allow the colony to establish itself and raise a generation in the new container. 5 to 6 months is the best time frame to establish a lobster roach colony before you begin feeding them off. At this point, you should be able to feed a small number of animals from this single colony, without ever purchasing more. Keep an eye on your colony to determine how many roaches you can feed off while still maintaining colony numbers.
These roaches are tropical, and breed best at around 80 degrees Farenheit, though they will do ok at 70. Temperatures lower than this will cause them to cease breeding. They can survivor temperatures barely above freezing, if not left in them too long, so they are quite hardy.
It may be several years before you actually need to clean the cage, which is just as well, because removing all of the roaches to another container is not a particularly easy task. You will find that lobster roaches have virtually no odor at all, so long as you are diligent about removing the moist foods and replacing the water container. Occasionally, remove the egg crates, and dump the droppings collected on the tops of them out to help keep down the mess.
Because these roaches can climb glass, and are rather fast, there are a variety of techniques for feeding them to herps: Among them are freezing, beheading, and scalding. What I have found to be the absolute best method is to take a pair of sharp scissors, grasp the roach by its wings (if an adult), and carefully trim all 3 legs on one side of its body, removing the feet. The roach can still run, with little reduction in speed, but it CANNOT climb glass. This works extremely well, and still allows the herps to get exercise by chasing the insects.
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Keeping and Breeding Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor)
Mealworms are the larvae of the darkling beetle, and they eat a variety of grains. They were often found in flour, hence the name. "Millworm" may be a regional variation on the common name. This care sheet may also be used for the smaller "mini-mealworms"--they can be kept in a smaller container.
To set up a mealworm colony, you'll need a plastic shoebox style container--16 qt minimum. Some people prefer to use several shoeboxes. Put a couple inches of a cereal product in the box--bran, baby cereal, an unsweatened cereal such as Wheaties (crushed), etc. Add at least 50 mealworms, and a piece of carrot, apple, or wrung-out paper towel or tissue for moisture. Don't overdo the moisture, as this can lead to mold which will kill the worms. Replace it after it's completely dried out. They need less moisture than you might think. I've been extremely pleased with the results of using soaked tissue or paper towel for mealworms--they will chew the tissue into a froth that will wind up covering the surface of the substrate. It holds in just the right amount of humidity to keep the worms in excellent health, but does not cause mold to grow. You may want to use non-bleached paper towel if you're concerned about chemicals.
Depending on their size, in a few weeks the worms will metamorphose into pupae, and then emerge later as darkling beetles. Some people move the pupae into a new container, stating that the mealworms will sometimes eat them, but I have not personally had this problem in my colony. The beetles will mate and lay eggs in the substrate. Some people will wait several days, then move the beetles to another container, so that there will be eggs in each container. After what will seem like a very long wait, minute mealworm larvae will hatch. Care for them the same way you did the original larvae, until they are big enough to use as feeders. Save a good number of them to metamorphose into darkling beetles and keep the colony going.
Before feeding mealworms to your reptiles, you may wish to gut load them with additional foods--move a number of the worms to another container, and provide them with the foods you want to put into your herps, such as fresh dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, oranges, etc. Do this for about 24 hours before feeding them off. Do not give them calcium powder, however. If you do this, the worms will most likely die, usually within a day or two. Some commercial gutloading products contain a lot of calcium--do not leave the worms with this for longer than 12 hours before feeding them off, and do not put them back in your colony after they have been eating it.
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Keeping and Breeding Superworms (Zophobas morio)
Superworms are the larvae of a darkling beetle, and they eat a variety of grains. These beetles and larvae are much larger than the more commonly known mealworms.
To set up a superworm colony, you'll need a plastic sweater-box style container--30 qt minimum. Some people prefer to use several boxes, and in fact using at least 2 boxes is preferable for superworms. Put 3 to 4 inches of a cereal product in the box--bran, baby cereal, an unsweatened cereal such as Wheaties (crushed), etc. You'll want to start with at least 20 superworms, and put in a piece of carrot, apple, or wrung-out paper towel or tissue for moisture. You can also use commercial "cricket water", which is a gel substance that is resistant to mold. Don't overdo the moisture, as this can lead to mold which will kill the worms. Superworms create more moisture from their waste than mealworms, and you must be careful not to overcrowd them, as a result. Use cardboard egg crates to provide them with more space, and to help keep water sources off the substrate. Replace the water medium after it's completely dried out. They need less moisture than you might think. I've been extremely pleased with the results of using soaked tissue or paper towel for mealworms and superworms--they will chew the tissue into a froth that will wind up covering the surface of the substrate. It holds in just the right amount of humidity to keep the worms in excellent health, but does not cause mold to grow. You may want to use non-bleached paper towel if you're concerned about chemicals.
Select the largest, fully grown superworms from your colony, and seperate them into small, individual containers. Film cannisters work well, as do old pill bottles (wash carefully), and other similar-sized containers. You MUST seperate the worms from one another, or they will NOT metamorphose. They seem to metamorphose more quickly if there is no food in the container with them, but if yours do not pupate within a couple of days, provide a small amount of food and moisture for them. Once the larvae have pupated, move them into a SEPERATE box, set up the same way as the original box. Do not place pupae in with larvae...the aggressive and voracious superworm larvae will eat them. There is no need to provide moisture until the beetles emerge, but provide the new beetles with a source of water promptly. Superworm beetles will emit a piercing defensive chemical odor when disturbed, which smells vaguely like leather tanning solution. Most reptiles will not eat the adult beetles, though a few species do not appear to mind the odor--skinks in particular have been known to enjoy the beetles.
The beetles will mate and lay eggs in the cardboard egg crate or in a piece of rotted wood. Some people will wait several days, then move the beetles to another container, so that there will be eggs in each container. After what will seem like a very long wait, small superworm larvae will hatch. Care for them the same way you did the original larvae, until they are big enough to use as feeders. Save a good number of them to metamorphose into darkling beetles and keep the colony going.
Before feeding mealworms to your reptiles, you may wish to gut load them with addition foods--move a number of the worms to another container, and provide them with the foods you want to put into your herps, such as fresh dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, oranges, etc. Do this for about 24 hours before feeding them off. Do not give them calcium powder, however. If you do this, the worms will most likely die, usually within a day or two. Some commercial gutloading products contain a lot of calcium--do not leave the worms with this for longer than 12 hours before feeding them off, and do not put them back in your colony after they have been eating it.