Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[squamigera]

Finally done! I still want to install a better UV light, but that'll have to wait a couple days. He seems very happy. The first thing he did was murder his thermometer/hygrometer, which was expected lol. I'll have to figure out how to mount it in a way thats more lizard proof.
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Welcome psii! I love the names, especially bingo and bongo for the frogs <3

[Raven_Wolf]

Finally done! I still want to install a better UV light, but that'll have to wait a couple days. He seems very happy. The first thing he did was murder his thermometer/hygrometer, which was expected lol. I'll have to figure out how to mount it in a way thats more lizard proof.

Is that a Savannah monitor? That setup is wicked. I wish I could do something like that ^^

[TyrannosaurusWreck]

My bearded dragon absolutely LOVES to burrow in his substrate. I used to have him on tile and he would scratch on the corners, but now he doesn't. The substrate provides him tons of enrichment!

Cool! What substrate are you using? I've thought for a while about going bioactive for my beardie, but I'm not quite ready to commit yet.

I use a mix of playsand and organic topsoil! The only thing to make sure is that there isn't anything else added to it, especially fertilizer. I've also considered adding excavator clay so that the substrate can hold itself up better and he can make tunnels. I still have tile in his enclosure, which overs about a fifth of the ground, since it helps keep his nails trimmed.

[squamigera]

@Raven_Wolf, Thanks! Yes, he's a savvy

@TyannosaurusWreck, keeping tile in there is a good idea, Imma remember that for when I revamp my beardies enclosure. I might just put a big tub in her tank now because that sounds like really good enrichment!


Edit: a pic of the boi

[72027]

reposting my updated version of the leopard gecko faq as the one on the front page is very incorrect
i know leopard gecko care very well. if you have any questions, pm me!

leopard gecko care sheet

Are they easy to care for?
Yes! They are not much work. They do not stink, only their poop does. They don't make much noise either. A few chirps here and there when surprised, happy, or defensive. A scream only if they are defending themselves.

What do they eat?
Leopard geckos are mainly insectivores, meaning they eat only insects. Gutloaded crickets, locusts, and dubia roaches are amazing staples! Mealworms can also be fed, but should not be the only feeder. They are high in fat and have a hard exoskeleton that is difficult to ingest. You should mix them into your diet with dubias or crickets. As an occasional treat, you can feed superworms, waxworms, butterworms, silkworms, and hornworms. Waxworms are very fatty and highly addictive, so they should not be fed often. A pinky mouse can be fed once a year only to an adult leo but it is not necessary. It will aid in breeding females as the pinky mouse will give them the calcium boost they need after laying eggs. Diet variation is very important!! At least have two different types of insects to feed, though more is always better. Never feed your leo insects you find in your home or outside. When feeding crickets, make sure to take out the remaining crickets after your gecko stops hunting. The crickets can bite a gecko and it can stress them out so far as they drop their tail.

How often do I feed them?
Baby geckos (under 6 months) should be fed daily, juveniles (6 months to a year) every other day, and adults (over a year) once every few days. Two insects per inch long your leo is should be fed every day, though for larger insects, such as dubia roaches, only a few a day need to be fed. Once your gecko gets around its adult size, the two insects per inch does not become applicable anymore. However much your gecko can eat in 15 minutes is what they should be fed. The reason the two insects per inch rule applies to babies and not the 15 minute rule is because babies will overeat and get sick. Calcium and D3/vitamins are required to be put on their insects. Follow the instructions as said on the packaging. If they do not get calcium, leos will eventually get mbd (metabolic bone disease) and pass away. Vitamins allow them to absorb the calcium. D3 can be given on the insects or can be given through a UVB light.

What do they need in their cage?
A 10 or 20 gallon can be used for baby geckos, but juveniles and adults need a 20 gallon, better longer than taller. Bigger tanks are always better but be sure to fill in the space so your gecko can feel safe and secure. Always use a mesh/screened lid!! Leopard geckos do not need high humidity. For substrates, you can use paper towels, tile, reptile carpet, or eco earth. Paper towels should always be used for the first weeks with your leo. Tile can give your tank a clean, pleasing look, but it has to be textured. You can also use non-adhesive shelf liner. With reptile carpet, their claws can get stuck and pulled out and so can their teeth, but it is still usable. Just watch out for those two things. It is cheap and can be washed for reuse. Eco earth works for a natural look. It is dirt-like and digestible, and can be used for bioactive enclosures. Just be sure it does not get too humid in the tank as it can very slightly raise humidity levels though normally should not be an issue with screen lids. Geckos under 6 months should not be housed on eco earth. Sand should never be used. If digested, your leo can become impacted, and impaction can lead to a slow and terrible death. If you are reading this and you house a leopard gecko on sand, please change it out and give your gecko a shallow, warm soak. You will need a heating pad with a connected thermostat. Heating lamps are not the best option since it doesn't heat the ground underneath hides and heats your leo from the back down when they need heat from the belly up. A heating lamp can become expensive with all the new bulbs you will have to buy, while heating mats can last for years with proper usage. You can use them, but it is not as recommended as heating mats are. Heating pads and lamps should only heat half of the tank, leaving the other half cool. You will need two thermometers with probes to check the temps of both sides of the enclosure. The warm side should be around 90 degrees and the cool side should be room temperature. A minimum of three hides are needed. One on the cool side, one on the warm side, and a humid hide on the warm side. The humid hide should have wet paper towels or wet moss in it at all times. It will provide your gecko with a second water source and make shedding easier. The moist hide should have a bottom and be a closed hide with only a small hole for an entrance. Also a shallow water dish is needed. If you feed worms, you will also need a food dish. Never house multiple leopard geckos in a tank. They can breed, fight, hog food, and bully one another. Even if they seem fine together, it may happen eventually. They are solitary and do not require a tank mate. They do not care if they are siblings, it is irrelevant to them. A brother and a sister will mate. A brother and a brother will fight and a sister and a sister will fight. Females DO fight one another!!!

How do you clean their cage?
Geckos tend to do their 'business' in one corner of the cage. Once you can tell where it goes, you can put paper towels there and replace them up daily. Change its water daily and clean its water bowl out twice a week as it gets yucky fast. You will have to spray its moist hide one to three time a day depending on how fast it dries up. Cleaning differs for different substrates. If using paper towels, they should be replaced twice a week. Reptile carpet should be rinsed and disinfected once a week and washed in a washing machine once a month. Tile should be soaked in very hot water with dawn dish soap for 10 minutes, rinsed, dried, and disinfected once a week. Eco earth should have a half change once every few months and a complete change once every six months. The small amount of substrate in their 'poop corner' should be replaced once a month. Bioactive tank substrate rarely ever has to be cleaned as the insect cleanup crew does it for you. For all substrates, you should clean the glass with a vinegar and water or bought solution once or twice a month. Clean all their hides and accessories once a month. Keep leos in a medium container or critter keeper while doing anything other than daily cleanings.

What if my gecko is shedding?
If your gecko starts turns white, dont worry, its not dying or sick!! It is about to shed. If it starts to shed its skin, just leave it alone for about a day and spray it moist hide more often than you normally do. If after a day or so there is some stuck shed on its feet or head, you can help it by placing them in a small container filled with warm (not hot!) water that reaches their belly. They cant swim so make sure not to have too much water. You can use a dropper or your finger and put some water on it's head or wherever else the stuck shed is. Let it soak for five minutes before taking it out. Soaking helps loosen stuck shed and allows it to lick it off easier. After soaking, try (your best) to use a paper towel and gently dry it with small dabs as the water does make them cold as it does with humans. Another option to getting shed off is to wet a q-tip and rub the stuck shed either until it rubs off or is thoroughly loosened. Built up stuck shed can cause your gecko to lose toes, have its sense of smell impaired, and more. If your gecko is still having problems getting stuck shed off, you can post here for additional help.

How do I hold it?
Its best to start getting your gecko warmed up to you at a young age. If your gecko is not used to being held, place your hand in the tank for 10-15 minutes a day. This is all you have to do. If you want to speed up the process, feed them with tweezers (you can buy ones for reptile insects) or your fingers if you are comfortable enough. Eventually your gecko will realize you are not a threat and climb onto your hand to investigate. Handle it over the enclosure for the first few times you handle it, in case it gets spooked and tries to jump or run off. It will also feel much more safe over its enclosure. Eventually you can transition to outside of the tank. Always have your other hand near it because it can jump off. Allow it to crawl up your arm and onto your shoulder. Once you feel comfortable with it, you can let it on your bed and other alike places. Just keep a close eye on it as it will dart off the bed. A fun thing you can do is watch a movie with it. Leos actually really like to watch movies and it will keep it interested! You can also set up a fun obstacle course for it in a cardboard box. You can keep it out for a maximum of 15 minutes, because it will eventually get cold. If its laying on you, you can keep it out for a bit longer, as it will take advantage of your body heat. Be careful not to pick your gecko up by its tail, as it will drop it and it will not grow back the same. Unless you scare it badly, it will not bite you. If it does, it will not hurt horrible. It feels like a small pinch, though in most cases it feels like nothing and is just a warning peck. If it feels threatened, such as when you pick it up when it is not conditioned to you, it may bite and hold on. In that case it may hurt and you may bleed slightly but these kind of bites are few and far between and should not happen if your gecko is comfortable with you. If the wound bleeds, clean it out well and keep an eye on it. Leos are not venomous so you will be fine but make sure for signs of infection/transmitted bacteria from their mouth.

Note: This is not the complete guide to owning a leopard gecko. Additional research should still be done.

[blueberriesryummy]

Hi everyone! I'm a very infrequent user on chicken smoothie, but I remembered about this forum and decided to come back on to see if anyone had any advice on taking care of bearded dragons.
I'm a college student right now and, ever since I was young, always dreamed of owning a pet lizard.
When I was eight, I owned two leopard geckos, but I had to give both away because it was difficult to keep up with their care.
Ever since then, I've only owned a cat and a dog and have been hesitant about getting another pet reptile.
But now, especially being stuck at home, I've been doing a lot of research about potentially getting a pet reptile in the near future. I decided on a bearded dragon because their sociability and personalities are attractive to me and I think they would make a cool companion.

I also have a couple of questions:
Is it not a good decision to have a reptile as a full-time college student?
Is it better to rescue a bearded dragon from a reputable source than adopt from pet stores?
Are there any cheap alternatives to have your lizard cared for while on vacation?
Are there any recommended groups/organizations to be a part of?
Any other advice?

(also-- I'm sorry if these questions or this post seem stupid, i'm just really nervous about getting back into being a reptile owner-- i want this to be a success for both me and my future pet.)

[squamigera]

^^

These questions aren't stupid at all! Asking questions is how you learn. I can't answer all of them, and you might already know some of this, but here

As long as you have enough time to provide basic care, a reptile is fine even if you're a full-time student. It takes me like 10 minutes to clean my beardie's enclosure and feed and water her. They don't need a lot of attention like a dog or cat. The worst that'll happen if you don't handle your beardie a lot is it'll be less good with handling when you do take it out. For where to get one- that depends on what you want, rescuing a beardie is a great thing to do, but buying from a reputable breeder is a good option too imo. I would probably buy from a breeder directly rather than from a pet store, if you choose to buy instead of rescue. I rescued my beardie and she's great, but she also had her issues. As for groups and organizations, I can't think of anything beardie specific. You could follow USARK on Facebook, it's an advocacy group for responsible reptile ownership.

As for general advice, make sure you beardie is getting the right diet. Feeding too many bugs and not enough greens can lead to obesity. Collared greens are the healthiest staple, but not always the tastiest lol. Also, dubia roaches are wonderful, they're very nutritious and don't have a ton of exoskeleton. They also don't stink, don't bite, make little to no noise, don't jump, and are terrible climbers. I buy mine from GotDubia. Also, UV lighting is important for beardies. This bulb is my #1 recommendation.

[Samurott12345]

Hi everyone! I'm a very infrequent user on chicken smoothie, but I remembered about this forum and decided to come back on to see if anyone had any advice on taking care of bearded dragons.
I'm a college student right now and, ever since I was young, always dreamed of owning a pet lizard.
When I was eight, I owned two leopard geckos, but I had to give both away because it was difficult to keep up with their care.
Ever since then, I've only owned a cat and a dog and have been hesitant about getting another pet reptile.
But now, especially being stuck at home, I've been doing a lot of research about potentially getting a pet reptile in the near future. I decided on a bearded dragon because their sociability and personalities are attractive to me and I think they would make a cool companion.

I also have a couple of questions:
Is it not a good decision to have a reptile as a full-time college student?
Is it better to rescue a bearded dragon from a reputable source than adopt from pet stores?
Are there any cheap alternatives to have your lizard cared for while on vacation?
Are there any recommended groups/organizations to be a part of?
Any other advice?

(also-- I'm sorry if these questions or this post seem stupid, i'm just really nervous about getting back into being a reptile owner-- i want this to be a success for both me and my future pet.)

Hey there! I'm also a full time college student with a part time job and I currently own 2 reptiles, one being a bearded dragon! He was my first reptile and I've had him for almost 4 years now. I have the privilege of still living with my parents, however the reptiles are my responsibility. I pay for everything they need. Now, even with my job and my studies, I still have enough time to dedicate to both of my pets. The only concerns you may have is affording one. Bearded dragons themselves are pretty cheap, I paid about $50 for mine, however their supplies are not cheap. Tanks alone can cost hundreds of dollars, which is a huge expense. I would say the minimum tank size for an adult is 40 gallons. Also, uvb light fixtures are not cheap, and they are essential to keeping your beardie healthy. Also, uvb lights must be changed every 6 months.

As much as I like to encourage people to adopt pets, it is a little harder to find reptiles for adoption, so don't feel bad if you end up buying one. I bought my beardie from a reptile store. There's also craigslist, however be careful if you decide to pick one up form there. People aren't the most honest there and you could end up with a very sick beardie. Vet bills for exotic animals are not cheap, so that's another thing to keep in mind when picking where to get one.

Overall, please make sure you will be fully committed to taking care of a bearded dragon before getting one. They are expensive, but totally worth it. If you want more details and advice, feel free to PM me!

[Targaryen]

Got my first boa this time last week. She's a 9 month old female Boa Constrictor Amarali, Bolivian Locale. (Short-tail boa!)

[sir stingray.]

I'm going to share my Leopard Gecko's story.
I have a leopard gecko who is a few years old. Her name is Daisy. She had a sister named Violet! Her sister and her had lived together in a small tank and they were neglected by their past owner. He didn't feed, water, or socialize them. One had sadly died about a year ago. I finally got Daisy, but she was horribly underweight. She still is underweight. So, we got a few fatty foods for her. Now we feed her normal food, yet she still is underweight. She isn't used to being fed once a day, so she has a bit of trouble eating. She has bad aim when hunting and she takes around 20 minutes to even start looking to find food, and worse, has a hard time swallowing. When I had first gotten her, I decided to clean out her tank. Turns out, her past owner never cleaned out the tank and didn't get out Daisy;s sister's body. So Daisy was tortured every time she went in her wet hide. Her new tank is beuatiful now and gets cleaned weekly (since she doesn't poop a lot) and her wet hide is re-wet daily. <3 She is starting to be more social and is just so sweet!