Friday, 13 February 2009
Veiled Chameleons
Veiled Chameleons are often considered to be one of the most hardy and easy species of chameleon to own. This is not to say that a veiled chameleon is an easy pet. All chameleons require a large investment of time in feeding, watering, cleaning, and general care. Chameleons are not a good pet for children. They do not react well to handling, they easily get seriously injured and quickly die if improperly cared for. Simply put most kids are not responsible, carefull enough, nor do many kids have enough knowledge of how to care for a chameleon. I do have to admit though I have met some kids who own chameleons and are very dedicated to the care of chameleons and have made great chameleon owners. Most of them have been the kids of parents who are reptile breeders/dealers but some have just been very intelligent and dedicated reptile owners. Overall chameleons are too delicate and shy to make a good pet for the majority of kids. The best reptile for kids is either a bearded dragon or a gecko because both usually like to be handled and played with. Plus bearded dragons and geckos are sooooooo much easier to keep. Additionally a chameleon should not be the first reptile that any person adult or child should own. There is a huge learning curve with reptiles and it is better to learn with reptiles that will survive mistakes. Veiled chameleons come from Yemen/Saudi Arabia. Veiled chameleons are arboreal (they like to be in trees/shrubs) They are also diurnal (they are active during the day.)Sexing Veiled chameleons is very easy all male veiled chameleons from birth on have a tarsal spur located just behind their rear feet. Housing: Almost all chameleons with the exception of a few species of Brookesia and a few Rhampholean require screen cages. A screen cage is required because all chameleons except those genus previously listed cannot stand to see their reflection in glass. NO MORE THAN ONE VEILED SHOULD BE HOUSED IN A CAGE. Additionally chameleons need a good airflow. One should not think this means to point a fan at the cage. The only solution is a screen cage. Reptariums are good screen cages, except the mesh on top does not allow in enough light from uvb lights. If you get a reptarium you need to get a double fluorescent fixture, and get two fluorescent bulbs. The cage for an adult veiled should be at least 2 feet wide, 2 feet long and 3 feet high or at least 12 cubic feet. So the cage does not have to be 2x2x3. But the cage has to offer at least 30 inches of height for the chameleon to climb about. Feeding: You should feed veiled chameleons crickets, mealworms, superworms, waxworms, silkworms, and butterworms. A diet with variety is one of the keys to a healthy chameleon. Crickets should be the base of the diet. Crickets should be gut loaded before feeding them to the chameleon. To gut load I feed the crickets store bought cricket food made by fluker farms plus I give them fresh brocoli, a wedge of lime for moisture and vitamin c and a piece of carrot for beta carotine. A feeder insect is only as nutritious as what it eats. An unhealthy starved cricket is worthless nutritionally because basically it is nothing more than chitin. Also try to feed chameleons crickets no larger than the width of the chameleons mouth. Mealworms are an additional feeder insect and store easily in the refrigerator. Superworms are a good feeder insect but should not be fed to chameleons until they are about half grown unless you can get small superworms. Waxworms are kind of like junk food, they are high in sugar and fat and basically serve as a snack food and are not to be fed regularly. BUTTERWORMS are the king of calcium content they have more calcium than all other feeder insects by about 3 times and therefore I recommend using butterworms. Silkworms are a great source of food and I use them when available. VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS: reptile vitamin supplements are not all the same and therefore some are better than others for chameleons. I use repcal herptivite multivitamins for vitamins (the blue container) I also use sticky tongue farms miner-all indoor to provide minerals and vitimin d. I have found the combination works well. repcal uses beta carotine rather than vitamin A which avoids vit a overdosing and miner all is an excellent source of calcium minerals and vitamin d.If you cannot find miner-all indoors just use repcal multivitamin and repcal calcium with vitamin d3 (the pinkish red container. Dust feeder insects every other feeding according to directions. Veileds will eat some plant matter so occasionally offer some chopped up collard greens, carrots, and oranges all chopped up and see if he will dig in. vegetation may be eaten but it is not what you should exclusivley feed a veiled they require insects predominatly.
Leopard Gecko
The Leopard Gecko is found in the arid grasslands of Pakistan and India.It normally grows to between 6 and 8 inches long.They will become quite tame with handling and make excellent pets.When choosing a Leopard gecko make sure that the eyes and skin are clear,it has a robust body and that it is alert, active and responsive.
HousingA 30" x 15" x 15" vivarium will house up to 3 geckos. The more geckos you keep the bigger the tank must be. Full spectrum lighting is not essential as geckos tend to hide up in the day and are more active at night. A 60 watt coloured bulb should be enough to heat the above tank to a basking area of about 87 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and then bring the temperature down to between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for the night. This can be controlled by use of a dimmer switch or a dimmer thermostat. You will also need a thermometer inside the cage. Bark makes an excellent substrate to put on the bottom of your tank and once they are older you can use a reptile sand.Geckos like places to hide so kit out your tank with some rocks and artificial plants, which will give them a choice of hides.A shed/hide box with a hole at the side for entry/exit and filled with moist vermiculite is ideally placed at the cooler end of the tank and is excellent for aiding the gecko to shed their skin. Make sure to keep this box moist, so give it a spray each day.Small water bowl for drinking. FeedingLeopard Geckos like crickets; this is their main diet. Make sure that the crickets you feed are not too big for the animal to handle. A good measure is to feed crickets, which are no bigger than the size of the gecko’s head.
Prior to feeding your gecko you will need to gut load the crickets, which means, feed the crickets up so that they have some goodness to give the gecko once eaten. Things that can be used are orange slices, vegetables; tropical fish flakes and dried dog food. Feed the crickets 12 – 24 hours before you feed the gecko. You will need to dust the crickets with a calcium supplement prior to feeding. For young geckos you will need to feed twice daily and dust at every other feed and then from about 6 – 7 months old reduce it to twice weekly.
Only feed as many crickets that can be eaten in a 10 – 20 minute period, otherwise you will have a lot of crickets running around the cage and it has been known for crickets to damage sleeping geckos. Other insects that appeal to the gecko are mealworms, but only feed these about once a week, as they are not especially nutritious. It is advisable to snip/pull the head off the mealworm prior to feeding and offer them in a small shallow bowl. Wax worms are another favourite but only use these as a treat and feed them no more than about 2 or 3 each week. Once the gecko has reached adult size then feeding them a ‘pinkie’ (day old mouse) once a week will also help to keep them nice and healthy.General InformationAlways handle your gecko with care, especially the tail.This is the gecko’s defence mechanism and if pressure is applied to the tail then it can drop off. A new tail will grow again but will never be as nice or as long as the original.
Never keep two males together as they can fight, especially if there is a female around.
Spend time getting to know your gecko, don’t just watch, really observe as they will keep you fascinated for hours.
HousingA 30" x 15" x 15" vivarium will house up to 3 geckos. The more geckos you keep the bigger the tank must be. Full spectrum lighting is not essential as geckos tend to hide up in the day and are more active at night. A 60 watt coloured bulb should be enough to heat the above tank to a basking area of about 87 – 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and then bring the temperature down to between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for the night. This can be controlled by use of a dimmer switch or a dimmer thermostat. You will also need a thermometer inside the cage. Bark makes an excellent substrate to put on the bottom of your tank and once they are older you can use a reptile sand.Geckos like places to hide so kit out your tank with some rocks and artificial plants, which will give them a choice of hides.A shed/hide box with a hole at the side for entry/exit and filled with moist vermiculite is ideally placed at the cooler end of the tank and is excellent for aiding the gecko to shed their skin. Make sure to keep this box moist, so give it a spray each day.Small water bowl for drinking. FeedingLeopard Geckos like crickets; this is their main diet. Make sure that the crickets you feed are not too big for the animal to handle. A good measure is to feed crickets, which are no bigger than the size of the gecko’s head.
Prior to feeding your gecko you will need to gut load the crickets, which means, feed the crickets up so that they have some goodness to give the gecko once eaten. Things that can be used are orange slices, vegetables; tropical fish flakes and dried dog food. Feed the crickets 12 – 24 hours before you feed the gecko. You will need to dust the crickets with a calcium supplement prior to feeding. For young geckos you will need to feed twice daily and dust at every other feed and then from about 6 – 7 months old reduce it to twice weekly.
Only feed as many crickets that can be eaten in a 10 – 20 minute period, otherwise you will have a lot of crickets running around the cage and it has been known for crickets to damage sleeping geckos. Other insects that appeal to the gecko are mealworms, but only feed these about once a week, as they are not especially nutritious. It is advisable to snip/pull the head off the mealworm prior to feeding and offer them in a small shallow bowl. Wax worms are another favourite but only use these as a treat and feed them no more than about 2 or 3 each week. Once the gecko has reached adult size then feeding them a ‘pinkie’ (day old mouse) once a week will also help to keep them nice and healthy.General InformationAlways handle your gecko with care, especially the tail.This is the gecko’s defence mechanism and if pressure is applied to the tail then it can drop off. A new tail will grow again but will never be as nice or as long as the original.
Never keep two males together as they can fight, especially if there is a female around.
Spend time getting to know your gecko, don’t just watch, really observe as they will keep you fascinated for hours.
Bearded dragons originate from Australia;they are known to live in sub - tropical forests and also deserts. Bearded Dragons aren't either the smallest or the largest of the lizard family and are known to grow on average 16-24 inches from nose to tail.Bearded dragons are among the tamest of all lizards, and their outgoing personalities, activity level, appetites and interesting social behaviours make them a very captivating lizard to observe. They have a very rapid growth rate, so the 4" hatchlings can grow to their adult size within a year. Most bearded dragons adapt easily to handling and are calm enough to perch on their owner's shoulder, or be placed on a countertop, or enjoy the view from a windowsill.
HousingThe minimum size cage for up to 2 adult dragons should be 48" x 24" x 24". Several basking sites should be provided under the hot spot and the UV lighting. Bearded Dragons need to bask and they need high temperatures to help with the digestive process. Basking area should be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit with an ambient temperature of 75F and then dropping to about 65F at nighttime.Bearded Dragons need to have UV running along the top of the tank. In the wild they bask in the sun to absorb the vitamins from their food. Obviously in a tank they won't receive much sun so a UV will act as the sun. Bearded Dragons need to tell the difference between night and day, to do this you need to have your UV bulb on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours. The UV must be within 12" of the bearded Dragon to enable the dragon to get the full benefit of the UV bulb. Your UV bulb will need to be changed once a year as it loses its efficiency. You will need a ceramic heating bulb and a pulse thermostat to control the temperature of the tank. You will also need a thermometer inside the tank so that you can check they are being kept at the right temperature. Some people use 2 thermometers, one at the cooler end and one at the hotter end to monitor the temperature range. If you use only one thermometer then place it in the middle of the tank towards the bottom.A substrate is known as the material to line the bottom of the tank and these can range from newspaper, bark, and sand for reptiles.Never use hot rocks, as they are widely known to cause belly burns. FeedingBearded Dragons like fruit and vegetables as well as meat. They like a large variety of live insects, which include black and brown crickets, locusts, mealworms and wax worms. A good measure of the size of live insects to feed is that they must not be bigger than the size of the dragon's head. Do not feed mealworms to baby dragons as they contain chitilin which is hard to digest. Do not feed them insects from your garden, as you do not know if they have been sprayed with anything that can be harmful to your dragon. Fresh fruit and vegetables must be offered daily and remember that they like variety. They like to eat Chicory, Watercress, Broccoli, Courgettes, Carrot, Peas, Apple, Banana, Kiwi and grapes. Try to avoid spinach and kale as they are calcium binders and affect the dragon's bones. Another thing to avoid is iceberg lettuce, as this has no nutritional value to the dragon. Make sure to chop the food into small bite size pieces to avoid choking. Bearded dragons grow very fast and this means that they require extra calcium for their bones to remain strong and to develop at the normal rates. Bearded Dragons also need extra Vitamin D3; this vitamin is needed just as much as calcium. This vitamin is needed for your Bearded Dragon's body to absorb the calcium.All you need to do to maintain your Bearded Dragon is to dust your live food every other day with a vitamin and mineral supplement like Nutrobal. Water can be offered in a shallow dish but it is advisable to spray the cage once a day, as in the wild the dragons would drink the dew from the plants.General InformationNatural sunlight is very beneficial and should be provided if possible. Bearded dragons should never be placed outside in a glass enclosure. The animal could easily overheat and die.Bearded Dragons live for an average of 4-10 years depending on their quality of lives, if they have had good lighting and temperatures maintained as well as a good balanced diet then you could expect your dragon to live longer than a dragon that hasn't. But if you have a female that has been repeatedly bred then her life span can be expected to be quite short.Beardies will keep you amused for a long time. Just observing and interacting with them is fascinating.There are 2 things that the Beardie does; one is to nod its head (which is a sign of dominance) and the other is the arm waving (this is a sign of submissive behaviour). When they sit with open mouths this is their way of cooling down their body temperature
It is not advisable to keep two males together as they will probably fight; more so if a female is present. If you would like to keep more than one Beardie then make sure that there is only one male in the cage.
Do not mix other reptiles with Bearded Dragons, as it is an accident/fatality waiting to happen.
HousingThe minimum size cage for up to 2 adult dragons should be 48" x 24" x 24". Several basking sites should be provided under the hot spot and the UV lighting. Bearded Dragons need to bask and they need high temperatures to help with the digestive process. Basking area should be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit with an ambient temperature of 75F and then dropping to about 65F at nighttime.Bearded Dragons need to have UV running along the top of the tank. In the wild they bask in the sun to absorb the vitamins from their food. Obviously in a tank they won't receive much sun so a UV will act as the sun. Bearded Dragons need to tell the difference between night and day, to do this you need to have your UV bulb on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours. The UV must be within 12" of the bearded Dragon to enable the dragon to get the full benefit of the UV bulb. Your UV bulb will need to be changed once a year as it loses its efficiency. You will need a ceramic heating bulb and a pulse thermostat to control the temperature of the tank. You will also need a thermometer inside the tank so that you can check they are being kept at the right temperature. Some people use 2 thermometers, one at the cooler end and one at the hotter end to monitor the temperature range. If you use only one thermometer then place it in the middle of the tank towards the bottom.A substrate is known as the material to line the bottom of the tank and these can range from newspaper, bark, and sand for reptiles.Never use hot rocks, as they are widely known to cause belly burns. FeedingBearded Dragons like fruit and vegetables as well as meat. They like a large variety of live insects, which include black and brown crickets, locusts, mealworms and wax worms. A good measure of the size of live insects to feed is that they must not be bigger than the size of the dragon's head. Do not feed mealworms to baby dragons as they contain chitilin which is hard to digest. Do not feed them insects from your garden, as you do not know if they have been sprayed with anything that can be harmful to your dragon. Fresh fruit and vegetables must be offered daily and remember that they like variety. They like to eat Chicory, Watercress, Broccoli, Courgettes, Carrot, Peas, Apple, Banana, Kiwi and grapes. Try to avoid spinach and kale as they are calcium binders and affect the dragon's bones. Another thing to avoid is iceberg lettuce, as this has no nutritional value to the dragon. Make sure to chop the food into small bite size pieces to avoid choking. Bearded dragons grow very fast and this means that they require extra calcium for their bones to remain strong and to develop at the normal rates. Bearded Dragons also need extra Vitamin D3; this vitamin is needed just as much as calcium. This vitamin is needed for your Bearded Dragon's body to absorb the calcium.All you need to do to maintain your Bearded Dragon is to dust your live food every other day with a vitamin and mineral supplement like Nutrobal. Water can be offered in a shallow dish but it is advisable to spray the cage once a day, as in the wild the dragons would drink the dew from the plants.General InformationNatural sunlight is very beneficial and should be provided if possible. Bearded dragons should never be placed outside in a glass enclosure. The animal could easily overheat and die.Bearded Dragons live for an average of 4-10 years depending on their quality of lives, if they have had good lighting and temperatures maintained as well as a good balanced diet then you could expect your dragon to live longer than a dragon that hasn't. But if you have a female that has been repeatedly bred then her life span can be expected to be quite short.Beardies will keep you amused for a long time. Just observing and interacting with them is fascinating.There are 2 things that the Beardie does; one is to nod its head (which is a sign of dominance) and the other is the arm waving (this is a sign of submissive behaviour). When they sit with open mouths this is their way of cooling down their body temperature
It is not advisable to keep two males together as they will probably fight; more so if a female is present. If you would like to keep more than one Beardie then make sure that there is only one male in the cage.
Do not mix other reptiles with Bearded Dragons, as it is an accident/fatality waiting to happen.
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