Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[Raviolli]

Corns not so much because of how laid back they are but I've seen first hand it happen before..

[plum]

I've fed my BP in-cage for the last seven years with no problems. Plus I don't just open up my snakes' cages to feed them. They get handled often, twice a week minimum, so I'm not telling them that when I open the cage it's feeding time.

[Raviolli]

I am not saying that it is going to happen nor am I accusing any snake for doing it. I have been bite multiple times by snakes who become more aggressive due to feeding within the tank and most likely from lack of handling all together and was simply stating my opinion on the topic. :3

[GrumpyCinnamonster]

@Jazi - If you like monitors, then make it a far in the future goal and gradually work towards it by caring for larger and larger lizards. I've only had the opportunity to foster savs, and a black tree monitor short term(2-4weeks depending on severity and availability of long term or permanent homes), and they were always a handful(my first monitor came to be after having already owned and fostered many other lizards). My most challenging foster ever was one of those savs. His skin was just so bad from improper care. I would never recommend a monitor to someone who does not own their own home, or at least lives in a home owned by very understanding family. They are not suitable for apartments or rented homes, because you will be dedicating a lot of room and a lot of money towards them. They also aren't suitable if you have plans on leaving, such as to a university(why I no longer foster), unless you have a local that knows how to take care of them, and is not afraid of them.Timors can be difficult due to their shyness, and they stress easily. Don't plan on cuddling with them, or even taking them out of the enclosure at all unless absolutely necessary. They require very high humidity so an organic soil and leaf litter mix would be best for them in my opinion. However, cyprus mulch, coconut fiber, sand, organic soil, and leaf litter are all okay components for making a monitor mixture. You just got to keep it clean, and watch for mold/fungus that could easily popped up in such a high humidity.The same will work for peach throats.

@Ivalynfyre - I don't have a lot of experience with snakes, but I've always heard aspen is one of the best, and most practical substrates for snakes(even for burrowing snakes).

@Raviolli - As I mentioned, a lot of people don't take their reptiles to vets, even in emergencies, so it's really easy to not know it was impaction that killed a lizard(a lot of pet reptile owners don't even know what impaction is). Impaction or not, walnut shell can still damage the bowels and lead to life threatening infection, which is almost worse than impaction. All of the dissections I did were pet reptiles given to my instructor via a veterinarian. It's not as uncommon as you think.

@aeiou - I'm glad you didn't have any serious problems and made the switch. I've seen the damage loose substrates can cause with my own eyes. I don't understand why people choose them either. Often time I hear the excuse "it's natural" and that may be true for some reptile, but for a lot of the reptiles kept on things like sand it just isn't. It's like everyone assumes deserts have to be made of sand, and that all non-tropical lizards must live in deserts.

[bearcups]

@aeiou - I'm glad you didn't have any serious problems and made the switch. I've seen the damage loose substrates can cause with my own eyes. I don't understand why people choose them either. Often time I hear the excuse "it's natural" and that may be true for some reptile, but for a lot of the reptiles kept on things like sand it just isn't. It's like everyone assumes deserts have to be made of sand, and that all non-tropical lizards must live in deserts.

I made the switch after I'd seen her swallow and hack it back up, but an added kick in the butt to get me started was at a regular check up at the vets. I hadn't handled her because it was only a few days into purchasing her and she was settling, but he pointed out her feet were horribly scarred and sore. So I felt terrible and changed it as soon as I got home x:

I constantly take my reptiles to the vets because they never show signs of illness until its almost too late for them to be saved. They're hardy little buggers and my girl put up one heck of a fight when she cut her foot open while shedding (the one time I left she shed and did it wrong. The amount of help I had to give her TuT) and I only knew she did it when I picked her up and saw all the blood.

[Jazi]

@Jazi - If you like monitors, then make it a far in the future goal and gradually work towards it by caring for larger and larger lizards. I've only had the opportunity to foster savs, and a black tree monitor short term(2-4weeks depending on severity and availability of long term or permanent homes), and they were always a handful(my first monitor came to be after having already owned and fostered many other lizards). My most challenging foster ever was one of those savs. His skin was just so bad from improper care. I would never recommend a monitor to someone who does not own their own home, or at least lives in a home owned by very understanding family. They are not suitable for apartments or rented homes, because you will be dedicating a lot of room and a lot of money towards them. They also aren't suitable if you have plans on leaving, such as to a university(why I no longer foster), unless you have a local that knows how to take care of them, and is not afraid of them.Timors can be difficult due to their shyness, and they stress easily. Don't plan on cuddling with them, or even taking them out of the enclosure at all unless absolutely necessary. They require very high humidity so an organic soil and leaf litter mix would be best for them in my opinion. However, cyprus mulch, coconut fiber, sand, organic soil, and leaf litter are all okay components for making a monitor mixture. You just got to keep it clean, and watch for mold/fungus that could easily popped up in such a high humidity.The same will work for peach throats.

Oh yea, there's no way that I'd get a monitor at this stage in life. I'm in a small apartment, attending art school, and my future career is in a highly volatile position at this point and I could be going ANYWHERE. I'm not thinking to get a monitor until perhaps 4-5 years into the future when I've settled into a less temporary job and own my own living space as I want to dedicate two rooms to my reptiles: a main reptile room and a quarantine room. Plus I don't have nearly the experience to think about tackling an advanced-expert level lizard right away considering I don't have ANY experience with a lizard right now, and with limited funds... well... think of this as a pipe-dream-I'll-eventually-make-happen project.

I prefer peach throats tbh, but someone suggested starting with Timors to see how I like shy monitors first, which is why I chose them. I don't like the look of Savs at all... I'm a bit picky when it comes to lizards ^^; so I'm trying to find a "beginner" monitor so that I can at least handle owning a beast before I pick something that would be way over my head such as a croc monitor. I was thinking of building a natural "living" enclosure with real plants, which I know will be expensive to maintain and upkeep, but I'm one of those weird people who don't bat an eye at $1500 down the drain as long as it keeps my pet healthy and happy (spent $500 on vet bills for a hamster, totally okay with money-pit pets). I'm also one of those weird people who don't mind spending 5+ hours cleaning an enclosure considering that's how long I spent on my two gerbils back when I was a kid (4 cages, lots of tubing, and lots of toys/decorations @_@ ).

[plum]

There's ackie monitors. They're pretty small for a monitor, though.

If I ever get some kind of monitor-thingy, I'd get a tegu. I was actually looking into getting one of these guys earlier this year but I realized I'd have to bring it to college with me and it'll probably be hard enough paying for two snakes and myself. XD Tegus can get dog-tame, though, and I heard that they can even come to their names.

I only bring my reptiles to the vet if it's something I can't take care of myself. When my BP got burned? He went to the vet. But when he got a little bite from a live rat(I DO NOT feed live now!), I treated that at home.

[GrumpyCinnamonster]

There's ackie monitors. They're pretty small for a monitor, though.

If I ever get some kind of monitor-thingy, I'd get a tegu. I was actually looking into getting one of these guys earlier this year but I realized I'd have to bring it to college with me and it'll probably be hard enough paying for two snakes and myself. XD Tegus can get dog-tame, though, and I heard that they can even come to their names.

I only bring my reptiles to the vet if it's something I can't take care of myself. When my BP got burned? He went to the vet. But when he got a little bite from a live rat(I DO NOT feed live now!), I treated that at home.

Yes, this. An ackie would be better than a peach throat or timor to start. Still not fond on being handled, as all monitors are, but less likely to bite.

Tegus are lovely lizards. It takes a lot of work to tame them, and some never become "dog tame" but they are a lot less likely to bite than any monitor I know of. I've never actually heard of any one being bit by an adult, but I hear how people get bit by various monitors all the time. Of course, being ground dwellers, they take up a lot more room than arboreal species.

[Raviolli]

@Cinnamonster

I'll have to agree with you on the Tegus, I was lucky enough to help raise one and it didn't take too long before he was tame enough to follow me on a leash.

Anyways this is for anyone thinking of buying a monitor. Be honest with yourself even if there are beginner monitors.

Then ask yourself these questions first.

1. are you a homeowner?

2. do you have a spending budget?

3. are you ready for an animal that can grow over a yard long, is sheer muscle, can yank your fingers out, has freddy kruger talons for fingernails and may not ever let you touch it??

4.Can you afford about $500 for a nice cage?? and are you good with carpentry work?

5. will your floor support a one ton enclosure?

if you answered no to any of those question, you don't want one of these.

[Crum]

Hey everyone!!! I'm looking for reptile owners who are very skilled with a certain breed of lizards.
I need:
1 person who is good with leo geckos
2 who are good with beardies
2 for anoles and other small lizards
1 or 2 people for other gecko species
2-3 for exotic lizards
2-3 for snakes

I will put your name on the first post so people with questions about specific lizards can contact you by pm or message.
You have to have owned the type of lizard that you want to work for. If you have another suggestion for a category please ask.
Just quote this and tell me a bit about how good you are with that type of lizard. (you can be in more than one category)