Chameleon Articles Directory

How to care for reptile pets tips by ReptileHq? The Russian tortoise is one of the more popular tortoise breeds in the trade. Spend a few minutes with one and you’ll see why! These creatures are rather active compared to other species. Not only that, but they are easy to care for. Pair that with their beautiful appearance and choosing this species is a no-brainer for both beginners and experienced owners! The shell of the Russian tortoise features shades of olive green, tan, black, and brown. While most tortoises have dark scutes with a lighter center, the scutes of the Russian tortoise are the opposite. The ridges are lighter in color while the raised portion is darker. Another distinct feature is the claws. This species is sporting four sharp claws on each foot. They help the tortoise burrow in the substrate and climb on obstacles. Needless to say, creating a secure environment for this reptile is a must! They can live inside an appropriately sized terrarium or vivarium. Or, you can keep them outside. Whatever you choose, it’s important to make sure that the enclosure has tall walls that penetrate deep into the substrate to prevent escape. Can you guess what the most defining characteristic of this species is? It has an elongated shell, making it look more oval than other species.

Don’t rely on the basking lamp for all your snake-heating needs. It won’t work. Also, don’t go by the thermometers on the wall of the tank, either. They won’t tell you how warm or cold the floor is. Track the floor temperatures, air temperatures, and humidity several times a day and a few times per night for at least a week, before putting the snake in her new home. If you get this wrong, your snake will suffer. Pet snakes do not require much in the way of exercise. Allow her to do her thing, with proper climbing equipment available, and she’ll be fine. Some of the larger snakes like to have a swim in a safe wading pool from time to time. All snakes are carnivores. They eat meat. In fact, they eat their meat whole, with all the bones and innards still inside. Many types of pet snakes eat mice and rats. Some eat amphibians other reptiles. The tiniest ones might live on large insects.

It’s going to be very important to have at least one thermometer in your lizard’s enclosure. This is because you are going to need to maintain a temperature gradient within the enclosure, and using several thermometers will ensure that you are getting the temperatures just right. For your basking area, all you really need is a low watt bulb that is placed outside of the enclosure. Overheating your Mexican alligator lizard can be very dangerous, so make sure that the basking area is not getting above the required temperature. If you are not able to expose your Mexican alligator lizard to natural sunlight, you’ll need to provide supplemental UVB lighting. This can be done using a tubular or a coil UVB bulb. In our opinion, the tubular kind seems to work better, but either one is fine. Use a 12 hours on, 12 hours off schedule for your lighting. This can be ensured quite easily with the use of a timer. Discover even more information on Reptile care guides.

Humidity should be maintained between 35-75% to provide as natural as possible an environment for your bluetongue — this can be achieved by placing a shallow dish of water in the enclosure. Feed your adult bluetongue every two days in warm weather, in colder weather every three days. Remember — if the enclosure temperature is not right your bluetongue may refuse to eat. Bluetongues are omnivores and should be offered a variety of foods such as insects e.g. crickets, worms, snails and slugs. They will eat a range of chopped fruits and vegetables including dandelion, milk thistle, watercress, banana, apple, pawpaw, pear, green beans, carrots, alfafa sprouts, parsley and tomato. In addition, small amounts of moistened dog kibble and canned dog food may be given occasionally. Add a calcium supplement to the food once a week.

Wherever you keep them, you must be careful about preventing escape! Thanks to their flat bodies, these critters can slip under narrow cracks. They’re also surprisingly good climbers! Pancake tortoises are easy to please when it comes to food. Natural herbivores, these reptiles have a healthy appetite for plant-based foods. They enjoy a wide variety of leafy greens and dry grasses. The tortoises also enjoy fruits and vegetables. Here’s a species that’s on the larger side of the size spectrum. Reaching roughly 10 to 18 inches as adults, leopard tortoises are the fourth-largest species in the world! It’s not hard to see why this pet tortoise breed is so loved in the herpetology community. The shell is unique, featuring a distinct pattern that stands out in a crowd. The base color of the shell is usually tan or light brown. However, splotches of black create a spotted effect that looks like the fur of a leopard. See extra info at https://reptilehq.com/.