Green anoles are insectivorous animals which means that their main diet is the insects. Crickets are mostly used to feed the anoles since they are easily available and a rich source of nutrients required for the survival and good health. Anoles should be fed with crickets that are half the head size of the anole. The crickets fed to the anoles should be small in sized to avoid chocking them.

The youngest anoles can have a diet of fruit fries which is made up of small insects that are also easy to digest. Moreover, gut-loaded crickets should be the ones that are provided to the anoles. This means that the crickets are loaded with enough nutrients that ensure good health and survival of the anoles in general. It is thus the best food for the green anole.

You will realize that the crickets that are available in the pet stores are the ones that are very well fed. This means that such crickets are always expensive to acquire for your green anole. However, you can always acquire those that are not well fed and keep them for a bit longer at home as you provide pre-packaged food to them. You can as well provide the crickets with a diet of your choice as long as it makes them healthy enough for consumption by the green anole. Gut loading for the crickets van always be done using baby cereals, fruits, vegetables, greens of different varieties or even flaky fish foods among others. (more…)

The burrowing lizards are also known as tegus always need the best substrates to serve their purposes. Substrates which also mean beddings provide comfort to the pet and making their stay in the new environment better. It is aimed at ensuring that the pet remains healthy and that it is able to carry out all the activities that it can carry out in a natural ecosystem. Since tegus keep on burrowing themselves, it means that they require a substrate that can help them burrow for up to 60 cm. providing tegus with a place where they can burrow themselves means physical fitness and makes them more natural. Burrowing also allows the tegu claws to remain filed without being interfered with by the humans.

Bioactive

These are self-cleaning substrates that help the tegus to remain healthy and comfortable. The bedding can be used for a very long time without being cleaned which allows the tegu to have the longest chance of life possible to carry out all its activities. The maintenance cost us therefore low than the other substrates which make it one of the best tegu substrate in the market. This materials making up this bedding allow easy burrowing of the tegus making it as similar to the natural environment as possible. Additionally, it does not irritate the sensitive feed off the young tegus making it easy to grow the young ones. Due to its bioactive properties, even the most sensitive of the reptiles can be reared on it without being disturbed.

DIY Naturalistic Mix

The best substrate in the market has already been found. The DIY naturalistic mix is a 15% peat moss, 15% play sand, 30% sphagnum moss, and 40% organic topsoil bedding. The top of the bedding has a layer of leaves. The properties of the bedding allow it to retain much moisture generated by the reptile humidifier. It also allows easy burrowing of the lizards thus keeping them happy and healthy. Especially when kept damp, the tegus have a chance of easily burrowing just like they do in the natural ecosystem. Maintenance for this bedding is also easy unlike most of the other substrates. You do not need to worry about the health of your tegu anymore since this bedding takes care of everything and ensures that the reptile is always happy and healthy. (more…)

Red-eared Sliders, which is scientifically known as Trachemys scripta elegans, are also called Pond Slider or Trachemys scripta. These docile creatures got their name from its exclusive red markings around their ears. The “slider” in their name comes from these turtles’ ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly when they are startled. This freshwater terrapin is native to the Mississippi River Basin of North America.

Features and Characteristics of a Red-Eared Slider

The red-eared slider has features that make it look like a painted turtle. Both are almost of the same size and about the same carapace (top shell) color. However, the carapace of the Red-eared Slider is higher domed than the Western Painted Turtle and is also weakly keeled. Though they do have poor hearing, they are quite sensitive to vibrations. This makes them very easy to know when a threat is nearby, so they would just slide off from where they are and into the water.

Characteristics that most obviously differentiate the Slider from the other are the yellow marginal scutes, a yellow plastron that is covered in dark, blotchy markings, as well as the red earmark located just behind its eyes. This earmark is not always visible in older turtles, however. Its head, neck, and legs are greenish with yellowish stripes. Its olive or brown carapace usually has yellow and black continuous bands and stripes. The plastron or the bottom shell of the slider is yellow with a dark, rounded blotch in each of its scutes. (more…)

Another unique creature that has been a recent fad for pets is the iguana. This seemingly fragile reptile can grow to be a huge one and requires very specific feeding and housing requirement. Proper husbandry should include providing the appropriate heating, lighting, and humidity for a pet iguana.

Data shows that this interesting creature usually grow to as long as 6.6 ft. and can weigh to about 6 kgs. However, there are more recent reports indicating that they can grow to even larger than that, such as the one found in Fiji, which is said to be about 7 ft. and another as long as this marine iguana found a couple of years ago foraging underwater by some divers. They are known to be herbivores, so even if they do grow bigger than the regular-sized iguana, there is really no reason for you to fear. Still, you have to make sure that you have provided your pet with a room or an enclosure big enough to allow it to roam around without restrictions.

 

It is also worth noting that an iguana lives more than a decade. Online research indicates that these gentle giants can live to varied ages. Some have even live beyond 20 years. So, if you are planning to have one of these unusual creatures, make sure that you are thoroughly educated and quite dedicated so that you can provide the appropriate care that your pet will need.

One of the essential needs of a pet iguana is the right amounts of heat, light, and humidity. The design of the heating/lighting devices that may be appropriate for your pet will also depend on other factors as the size of the enclosure or habitat, the placement of the enclosure, the surrounding room temperatures, etc. There are several options available online and even in local  pet stores. When choosing the right elements for your pet’s housing, consider the following guidelines provided below.

Heating

Heat is an essential element that contributes to an iguana’s health. These docile reptiles are cold-blooded, hence would need supplemental heat to digest the food that they consume properly. They also need heat to help regulate their internal body temperatures. Your pet will need to best heat lamp source to warm its body so that all its organs will function well. Heat should not be provided in the same wavelength within the reptile’s enclosure, however. A range of temperatures (also called gradient) should be provided so that the iguana can regulate its body temperature by moving back and forth between cooler and warmer areas of the enclosure. (more…)

Lighting & Heating

Hot rocks are not recommended for iguanas! Not only are hot rocks inadequate in providing heat, but they are dangerous. There have been numerous cases of iguanas obtaining serious burns from hot rocks. Heat and light should come from above, since in the wild iguanas bask in the sunlight. Ordinary incandescent light bulbs work great to provide both heat and light. You do not need to purchase expensive “basking bulbs” from the pet store. These are no different than ordinary bulbs.

What wattage of bulbs you will need depends upon the ambient air temperature of the room and the size of the enclosure or basking area. Do not guess when it comes to temperature! It is imperative that you install a few good, reliable thermometers at various places in the enclosure to give you an accurate temperature readout. You can also hook up dimmer switches to your lights, which will allow for minute temperature adjustment.

Hooded clamp fixtures work well for basking lights, come in a variety of sizes and can be positioned in various ways within an enclosure. Be sure to use fixtures that are designed to accommodate the bulb wattage you are using. If you are using high wattage bulbs (150-250W), you must use a fixture with a ceramic socket to prevent fire hazard. Be sure to place the fixtures in such a position that your iguana cannot climb on or touch them.

If you place the fixtures inside the enclosure, it is a good idea to add a wire “bulb guard”, such as you see in the photo below, to prevent your iguana from coming into direct contact with hot bulbs. Bulb guards can be made from hardware cloth or other safe types of wire. If you have a smaller iguana that is likely to climb up on and/or cling to the light fixtures, consider placing the fixtures outside of the enclosure.

This simple bulb guard was made from a small piece of hardware cloth, which is held in place by the simple guard that came with the fixture. The edges of the wire have been bent under so that no sharp edges are exposed.

Nighttime heat – Like all other animals, iguanas must have a day/night cycle. We recommend a 12:12 or a 13:11 cycle. This means that you must shut your iguana’s lights off at night for 12 or 13 hours, or better yet, have them on a timer that turns them off at night and on again in the morning so you do not have to remember to do it. This allows the iguana to regulate behaviors and rest peacefully when necessary. Not providing a day/night light cycle can stress an iguana, causing behavioral changes such as feeding, pooping and unnecessary aggression.

Iguanas can and should have cooler temperatures at night, but they still need ambient air temperatures to fall no lower than 75-78ºF. How then, do you provide best heat lamp for iguanas, if you use light bulbs to heat the enclosure? There are a few methods of providing nighttime heat. One of the best is to use Ceramic Heat Emitters (CHEs), which screw into an incandescent light fixture and give off only heat, not light.

These are available in different wattages. It is possible to have a set up where the lights come on in the morning and turn off at night, and the CHEs come on at night and turn off in the morning. Another possibility is to use a low wattage CHE 24 hours a day in addition to the daytime lights. Since iguanas can and should have cooler temperatures at night, a CHE of the appropriate wattage should provide adequate nighttime warmth. (more…)

Bearded dragons have been a favored house pet by many pet owners for quite a number of reasons. These docile pets are not only quite tamed, but they are also easy to look after. Once they have settled in their new habitat, you only need to do a few things to maintain their health. If they are provided with adequate and proper nutrition, provided the right level of heat and humidity, as well as cleaned regularly, they may stay with you for the next 10 or more years.

That does not mean that they are free from any sickness that may cause their health to deteriorate. Like any other animals, they are also susceptible to disease-causing microorganisms widely distributed in the environment.

Yellow Fungus: A Lethal Bearded Dragon Disease

One of the diseases that most bearded dragons fear is called Yellow Fungus. It is colloquially known among hobbyists as the Yellow Skin Disease. This fungal infection can cause severe skin infections or fungal dermatitis. If not treated properly, the condition can be fatal to a birdie. Such a skin condition has been proven to be lethal to other reptile species as well.

This skin condition is clinically known as Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii or CANV. It is a skin condition that is caused by aggressive flesh-eating fungi. The fungi attack both the superficial and deep layers of the skin. The infection will first appear as yellow, brown or grayish patches on the surface of the scales. It is normally seen as a small spot that gets bigger in time. More spots may appear on other parts of the body as time passes by. As the disease progresses, the color of the patches will become dark. It will also be cracked or crusty.

The discoloration of the skin is accompanied by the formation of necrotic lesions. This formation will eventually scrape the outer layer of the skin and reveal sensitive ulcerated tissues underneath the scales. It can also spread painful swelling and inflammation under the skin. In more severe cases, hyphae of the fungus (main mode of vegetative growth of the fungus),  can extend deeper into the body cavities and internal organs of the reptile. This often causes marked pathology and the eventual death of the beardie.

Symptoms of the Yellow Skin Disease

Bearded dragons are quite active during the day if they are healthy. However, if they are infected with the Yellow Fungus, they may be quite restless.You may also observe them to lose some weight, have a poor appetite, have sunken eyes, shed irregularly. When they shed, what is left behind are dull or discolored scales with a rough appearance. They may also have wounds that have discolored scales around them. These wounds may also be swollen badly, with a discrete puss, and with a foul smell. A bearded dragon that is sheds constantly but does not gain any weight can be manifesting early signs of yellow fungus.

Causes of the Yellow Skin Disease

1. Dirty enclosures. Bearded dragons may be exposed to elements within the enclosure that are already contaminated. Choose the Bearded Dragon enclosure.

2. Overcrowding. When too many dragons are housed and handled together in a single enclosure without proper quarantine measures. Yellow Fungus is a contagious disease. A new bearded dragon needs to go through a quarantine phase until it is considered clear of any health issues. This ensures that only healthy dragons are added to the crowd. (more…)