Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[Sixx O'Clock]

My parents have given a definite yes to the bearded dragon! We're redoing one end of the house, so she said she'll save space for a big tank. I'm very excited! I'm going to have to wait a bit though. I'd love any husbandry or just bearded dragon tips from those who've owned one!

I owned a bearded dragon in the past, so I'll give you some tips on how to keep yours happy and healthy.
They like to have lots of space to run around in, but they don't like reflective surfaces. Buy a background for your tank, preferably one that wraps around the back and sides of the tank. When it comes to substrate, I just bought my beardie some sand-colored felt and cut it to the size of the bottom of the tank. With felt though, you do still need to make sure that your beardie doesn't get its claws stuck. I would say steer clear of loose substrate like sand if you're getting a baby dragon, but it is generally okay with adults. Vita-sand is a good sand to use, as it reduces the risk of impaction if swallowed, since it's made of calcium. If you're worried about impaction or claw snagging issues at all, just go with paper towels on the bottom of the tank. Easy to clean, and virtually no risks.
Beardies love to bask under their heat lamps, so having a basking rock under the lamp is usually a good idea. I also gave my beardie sticks and things to climb on, he seemed to enjoy that.
When it comes to their diet, definitely do your research. I was new to owning a bearded dragon, too, and I didn't give him the proper diet. I regret it so much, and that's why I had to give him up to someone who knew what they were doing.
They need a balanced diet of insects and greens. I don't have too much knowledge on specific foods, so that's why I strongly advise you to do research on that.

[Marley.&.Me]

louis must be dreadfully sick. i got him two years ago from Petco and he's been the sweetest most loving thing ever.




when i first got him two years ago

[valiant.]

Vita-sand is a good sand to use, as it reduces the risk of impaction if swallowed, since it's made of calcium.

vita-sand should not be used for any type of lizard. because it has calcium in it or coating it reptiles tend eat it as a source of calcium and this causes impaction more often than regular sand.

[tea!]

Hello everyone !!
Just a quick update on the crested gecko im holding for a friend !!
It's getting super big and it's colors are showing so well oh gosh they
are just such a gorgeous gecko !! Finally not skinny and pale ! aaa here's a pic :


now for my question :
I have 3 leopard geckos and I've been thinking of housing two
of my females together! They are around the same age and size
(Kiwi is a bit longer, just a tiny bit). Their exo-terras are right next to
each other so they have always been able to see each other through
the glass screen and they seem to be pretty chill with each other. I've
also held them together and nothing bad happened, didn't even look
at each other. I was wondering how I would go about housing the two.
I have a very large exo-terra tank with multiple hides, which Bubs currently
lives in and it just seems so big for her !! Should I introduce them ? Should I
just kinda place them in the tank together and keep a close eye on them ?
Should I just not try ? Aaaa if anyone could help/give me any tips that would
be awesome ! Kiwi is living in an exo-terra too but it's not too big rip.

[rose;]

I was wondering how I would go about housing the two.

Dont.
I know that sounds rude but seriously, why do you even want to house them together when they already all three have perfectly adequate housing? They gain nothing from it, other than an increased risk of injury or even death. It doesn't matter if they seem to get along, or don't mind each other. It takes one day for things to change and then you have an injured gecko, which could be completely avoided by not cohabbing.
Sorry but not sorry for having strong anti-cohabbing views.

Vita-sand is a good sand to use, as it reduces the risk of impaction if swallowed, since it's made of calcium.

vita-sand should not be used for any type of lizard. because it has calcium in it or coating it reptiles tend eat it as a source of calcium and this causes impaction more often than regular sand.

agreeing here, use just straight play sand if you use sand. Loose substrate is not bad if other husbandry (temps, lights) are spot on, but they must be spot on to avoid impaction. A soil/sand mix is better, I use a 70 soil/30 sand mix for my bioactive set ups and this allows for them to dig, which is good stimulation for them.
Other advice: GET THE RIGHT UVB LIGHT. seriously, save you so much in the long run. I use arcadia lights since they come with a warranty and don't have to replaced that often and are generally agreed to be very good lights. Get the temps and all that set up before getting the dragon, saves a lot of trouble. Yearly check ups are good also, like any other pet.

[DoubleONothing]

Vita-sand is a good sand to use, as it reduces the risk of impaction if swallowed, since it's made of calcium.

vita-sand should not be used for any type of lizard. because it has calcium in it or coating it reptiles tend eat it as a source of calcium and this causes impaction more often than regular sand.

agreeing here, use just straight play sand if you use sand. Loose substrate is not bad if other husbandry (temps, lights) are spot on, but they must be spot on to avoid impaction. A soil/sand mix is better, I use a 70 soil/30 sand mix for my bioactive set ups and this allows for them to dig, which is good stimulation for them.
Other advice: GET THE RIGHT UVB LIGHT. seriously, save you so much in the long run. I use arcadia lights since they come with a warranty and don't have to replaced that often and are generally agreed to be very good lights. Get the temps and all that set up before getting the dragon, saves a lot of trouble. Yearly check ups are good also, like any other pet.

Thanks! The substrate is what I'm on the fence about, I can't figure out which one to use. I've heard newspaper is a substrate people tend to use - I don't really like the way it looks, so could you use some sort of coloured paper or something like that? (It's fine if that isn't possible, I'm just exploring every option)

[Sixx O'Clock]

Sorry, I had to research a bit on loose substrate since I never use it in my tanks. I guess my research was off. Hopefully everything else I suggested was okay, at least.

[blueh]

In general, don't use anything that is marketed towards reptiles. It usually always has problems; heat rocks, heat lamps (nothing horrible about them, but floods are cheaper & last longer), calcium sand, repti-sand, viva-sand. Anything calcium based won't be good for anyone. The only thing reptile-marketed I use is UBV bulbs & cork that I get from shows.

Substate for beardies that I've used & had good results with: tile w/ a dig box and sand/soil mixture (for adults).

tips for beardies:
bigger is better; they're active animals and will use ANY and ALL space that you give them.
their diet is one of the most complicated things and definitely requires research it.
they're REALLY fast. make sure you have a good grip on them.

tea! - hey! i know someone said this earlier, but I definitely would not recommend housing them together. Leopard geckos, like many other reptiles, aren't social animals and do not benefit from having another tank mate. They often fight for food, heat and hides without their owner realizing it and it can lead to death if ignored.

[DoubleONothing]

In general, don't use anything that is marketed towards reptiles. It usually always has problems; heat rocks, heat lamps (nothing horrible about them, but floods are cheaper & last longer), calcium sand, repti-sand, viva-sand. Anything calcium based won't be good for anyone. The only thing reptile-marketed I use is UBV bulbs & cork that I get from shows.

Substate for beardies that I've used & had good results with: tile w/ a dig box and sand/soil mixture (for adults).

tips for beardies:
bigger is better; they're active animals and will use ANY and ALL space that you give them.
their diet is one of the most complicated things and definitely requires research it.
they're REALLY fast. make sure you have a good grip on them.

tea! - hey! i know someone said this earlier, but I definitely would not recommend housing them together. Leopard geckos, like many other reptiles, aren't social animals and do not benefit from having another tank mate. They often fight for food, heat and hides without their owner realizing it and it can lead to death if ignored.

Thanks! I think I will be going with tile, as it's easy to clean. There's actually a pet shop where I live that has an employee who is really knowledgeable about reptiles. Recommend against sand, told us we'd need a big tank, things like that. He also said they didn't have a tank big enough for one in the store, but if we gave him the tank sizes/modifications, he'd send them to where they get there tanks from for the store and get it made for me.

He did say that things by Exoterra and Reptileone were good brands, has anyone had experience with them? Also, I've heard that you can use fish tank decorations in dragon tanks, but there are mixed opinions, so if anyone's used them, please let me know!

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure my dragon's going to be happy and healthy!

[Sixx O'Clock]

@DoubleONothing

Generally speaking, most fish tank decorations are okay for terrariums. They're made out of the same materials as terrarium decorations usually, so there's not much difference. However, I wouldn't recommend using any fake plants in your tank. Beardies sometimes like to nip at leaves and such, and if they manage to get a leaf off of a fake plant and eat it, it could prove to be fatal. If you want plants in your tank, do some research on bearded dragon safe plants.
I do have a tip for you, if you're looking to save some money on the setup of your tank. You can take sticks and rocks from your yard or park (as long as no pesticides were used in that area) and use them in your tank.
For sticks, bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for at least 2 hours. This will kill off any bugs or parasites that may be living on the sticks.
For rocks, clean them thoroughly with soap and water, rinse, and then you can either place the rocks in a container with 10% bleach to 90% water for 30 minutes, and then a pure water bath until the bleach smell is gone, or spray with white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (in separate bottles) and let it sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing.
(*I got this information from a reptile forum.)