Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[rekkovi]

Yesterday I got a new friend; she is a leopard gecko! Her name is Kashmir :3 she’s a bell albino with lovely brown stripes and spots all over her body.
I have a few other reptiles so I’m not a beginner to their care, but none of them are leos so I have a few questions!
First of all, should I get a heating bulb for her? She has a warming pad on the hot side of her tank, but her terrarium is a little dark and I’m scared the pad will only warm where it is placed, making the rest of the terrarium too cold for her. Her terrarium is set in a room where the temperature is at around 22°C (71°F).

Also, how should I set up her moist hide? I have a little cave for her, but what should I do for it to stay humid? Her « substrate » is linoleum, it’s basically like fake floor. It’s great to keep her environment clean and avoid any possible impaction with sand or dirt, but it doesn’t keep the hide moist at all!
Should I put the same dirt I use in my crested gecko’s tank just in the hide? I heard she would use it in case she had to lay eggs, and that the humidity would help with her shedding.
Is feeding mealworms as staple (with some variation of course) okay? I was told the chitin was difficult to digest and could cause constipation.
How often should I dust her food with calcium and vitamins? I don’t want to overdo it or not give enough supplements...
And finally, I don’t want to scare her or anything but how long do you think it will take for her to get used to handling? I don’t want to force her but I’m a bit lost there. Handling seems to make her very anxious and I’ve never experienced that before, my bearded dragons and my crestie are all okay with it. I think I’m going to go slowly, try handling her mainly before or after feeding, so that she can associate me with food and good stuff, if that makes sense.

I’m sorry, this is so long! I hope that I get a few replies from people who are more experienced with those beautiful creatures than I am.

Thank you very much!

[catra]

Does anyone know of any western hognose breeders on the East coast of the US? I'm looking for one and have checked all my local rescues with no luck.

check fauna, i looked for 30 seconds and found people in pennsylvania, north carolina, and new york
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/ ... .php?f=502

[vencrypt]

Yesterday I got a new friend; she is a leopard gecko! Her name is Kashmir :3 she’s a bell albino with lovely brown stripes and spots all over her body.
I have a few other reptiles so I’m not a beginner to their care, but none of them are leos so I have a few questions!
---
I’m sorry, this is so long! I hope that I get a few replies from people who are more experienced with those beautiful creatures than I am.

Thank you very much!

Nice ! I also have a Bell Albino too ! They're honestly one of my favorite morphs !! I'm going to break this up in pieces:

First of all, should I get a heating bulb for her? She has a warming pad on the hot side of her tank, but her terrarium is a little dark and I’m scared the pad will only warm where it is placed, making the rest of the terrarium too cold for her. Her terrarium is set in a room where the temperature is at around 22°C (71°F).

It's good that she has a UTH! Since leos rely on floor heat to digest food, it's important to have the floor to be 88-90°F. Air temperature should not be above 94°F of they can get stressed. I use Ceramic Heat Emitters and they only emit heat no light. Lights such as UVB or anything such can damage their really sensitive eyes. Edit: I use 40w/120v CHE, though they can really dry out an enclosure so if you'd like, you can mist the tank or just the moist hide.
I usually have it on a temperature regulator so I know it doesn't get too hot in the tank. You can just use a regular light in the room, but not directly above their enclosure. Her cold side should be about 76°-80°F and moist side should be about 20-40%.

Also, how should I set up her moist hide? I have a little cave for her, but what should I do for it to stay humid? Her « substrate » is linoleum, it’s basically like fake floor. It’s great to keep her environment clean and avoid any possible impaction with sand or dirt, but it doesn’t keep the hide moist at all! Should I put the same dirt I use in my crested gecko’s tank just in the hide? I heard she would use it in case she had to lay eggs, and that the humidity would help with her shedding.

What type of dirt does your crestie have? You can use eco earth or sphagnum moss and mist it once a day. They're really good moisture holders. I've never heard linoleum used for main substrate and that sounds great! I searched what it is and sounds pretty safe. You should have at least a moist hide; it could be easy as turning a plastic Tupperware and cutting a hole into it. Just put the moist substrate in it and spray a bit of water in it.

Is feeding mealworms as staple (with some variation of course) okay? I was told the chitin was difficult to digest and could cause constipation.

I feed my leopard gecko crickets and mealworms as her staple diet. I don't like just offering just one type. Crickets are probably the best "staple" insect because they hold the most nutritional value (as I know of). Mealworms are also good as well, but shouldn't be a main staple diet because they hold more fat than crickets and aren't as healthy and don't hold as much nutritional value as crickets. I sadly don't know what chitin is as I've never heard of it.

How often should I dust her food with calcium and vitamins? I don’t want to overdo it or not give enough supplements...

I dust the insects every other feeding so I don't overdose her with calcium. I recommend repashy calcium + vitamin supplement because it combines all the needed supplements so you don't need to buy them separately. It's really healthy has well ! You can also supply a separate calcium dish if you'd like, so they can lick it off when they want to if you or they think they're not getting enough.

And finally, I don’t want to scare her or anything but how long do you think it will take for her to get used to handling? I don’t want to force her but I’m a bit lost there. Handling seems to make her very anxious and I’ve never experienced that before, my bearded dragons and my crestie are all okay with it. I think I’m going to go slowly, try handling her mainly before or after feeding, so that she can associate me with food and good stuff, if that makes sense.

Honestly, this is pretty controversial since I've seen people handle their reptiles right when they get them and then others wait about a week or even a month to handle theirs. It all depends on how your gecko is feeling. TBH, mine is still wary but getting used to me. I've only handled her once or twice while my other gecko let me handle him the day I got him, so it's really up to the gecko how they're feeling.

Hope this helps ! And hope your gecko does great with you !

[rose;]

Yesterday I got a new friend; she is a leopard gecko! Her name is Kashmir :3 she’s a bell albino with lovely brown stripes and spots all over her body.
I have a few other reptiles so I’m not a beginner to their care, but none of them are leos so I have a few questions!
First of all, should I get a heating bulb for her? She has a warming pad on the hot side of her tank, but her terrarium is a little dark and I’m scared the pad will only warm where it is placed, making the rest of the terrarium too cold for her. Her terrarium is set in a room where the temperature is at around 22°C (71°F).

Also, how should I set up her moist hide? I have a little cave for her, but what should I do for it to stay humid? Her « substrate » is linoleum, it’s basically like fake floor. It’s great to keep her environment clean and avoid any possible impaction with sand or dirt, but it doesn’t keep the hide moist at all!
Should I put the same dirt I use in my crested gecko’s tank just in the hide? I heard she would use it in case she had to lay eggs, and that the humidity would help with her shedding.
Is feeding mealworms as staple (with some variation of course) okay? I was told the chitin was difficult to digest and could cause constipation.
How often should I dust her food with calcium and vitamins? I don’t want to overdo it or not give enough supplements...
And finally, I don’t want to scare her or anything but how long do you think it will take for her to get used to handling? I don’t want to force her but I’m a bit lost there. Handling seems to make her very anxious and I’ve never experienced that before, my bearded dragons and my crestie are all okay with it. I think I’m going to go slowly, try handling her mainly before or after feeding, so that she can associate me with food and good stuff, if that makes sense.

I’m sorry, this is so long! I hope that I get a few replies from people who are more experienced with those beautiful creatures than I am.

Thank you very much!

As for feeders, the best nutrition will come from roaches. Dubia are the most common and probably relatively inexpensive at the size a Leo will be eating. They're better than crickets because they're more 'meaty'. I like to keep them more than crickets in the house anyway- can't fly, can't climb slippery surfaces, and don't make noise like crickets. They're also easier to keep alive

[fluffycat6]

Does anyone know what kind of turtle this is? Thanks!

[Acciobrains]

Dumb happy. My new rack came in today and I’m moving everyone of my stabiles in except my hoggie, Brucie. 6 34 quart tubs for the win! Everyone seems happy so far. I’m de-miting it and them for 24 Hours as precaution so that’s no fun and always gives me anxiety but gotta be safe.

So yep, I’m Quill. I own four balls, (3 yr old Lesser Bee F)Honey, ( 4 yr old Superfly M) Cedric, (1 yr old Black banana pewter M) Bjorn, and my newest one (July 17 Cinnamon Champagne F) Latte. Two snakes are being shipped out for my birthday, a 2016 albino tangerine Honduran milk snake and a locality variant corn. Woot.

I have been herping for 5 yrs now and work in a pet store as one of the heads of reptiles. We are a family owned business and we are all serious hobbiest so no persmart or petco crap flies in my store. If you have any questions let me know. In my care at work are tons of Leo’s, beardies, snakes, chameleons and some more exotics like dart frogs, leaf tail geckos and inverts. Nice to meet you all. Hope I can be of help.

[ryukrem]

My girlfriend has six leopard geckos and she went away on course for a month and I am looking after them. I am well knowledgeable on them now so don't have too many worries, but one baby is having some pretty tough sheds. Last night was tank cleaning day and when I took Senae out, she had stuck shed all over her face and head. I would have left it, except this was the second day I saw it was there. I gave her a hot soak and got it off cleanly with q-tips and coconut oil. Two other geckos needed baths too for stuck shed on their toes.

Any tips to help their sheds?
They all have moist hides.

[rose;]

Dumb happy. My new rack came in today and I’m moving everyone of my stabiles in except my hoggie, Brucie. 6 34 quart tubs for the win! Everyone seems happy so far. I’m de-miting it and them for 24 Hours as precaution so that’s no fun and always gives me anxiety but gotta be safe.

So yep, I’m Quill. I own four balls, (3 yr old Lesser Bee F)Honey, ( 4 yr old Superfly M) Cedric, (1 yr old Black banana pewter M) Bjorn, and my newest one (July 17 Cinnamon Champagne F) Latte. Two snakes are being shipped out for my birthday, a 2016 albino tangerine Honduran milk snake and a locality variant corn. Woot.

I have been herping for 5 yrs now and work in a pet store as one of the heads of reptiles. We are a family owned business and we are all serious hobbiest so no persmart or petco crap flies in my store. If you have any questions let me know. In my care at work are tons of Leo’s, beardies, snakes, chameleons and some more exotics like dart frogs, leaf tail geckos and inverts. Nice to meet you all. Hope I can be of help.

OMG no way, send me a leaf tailed gecko lol. They're so awesome

[Megaguirus]

Any tips for soothing a beardie who's stressed out about her tank being moved? It's ultimately for the best because the past location was too drafty and made temperature regulation difficult, but ever since moving the tank, she has been "glass surfing" and head bobbing a whole lot. Letting her hang out outside of the tank seemed to just stress her more, so I'm not quite sure what would be best to do now.

If it's important to know, she is still eating and sleeping fine. Her tank is 40 gallons. Temps are typically around 89 or 90 degrees F in the basking spot now, and she has a 10.0 UVB.

Thank you for any help!

Head bobbing? Lol, sounds like your lady is actually a guy. How old do you think she is? Head bobbing is typically a male dominance gesture, and he is probably trying to attack/mate his reflection, hence the glass dancing. If a dragon is stressed, typically their colors grow dark (or worse, their beard is black) and black stripes show on their belly. If this is the first time you noticed this behavior, then it is either coincidence, or something about the location that triggered the hormones.

Also, what are you using to measure the basking spot? That sounds just a little too cool to me, I heard they're supposed to be around 90 to 100 degrees. 80 to 90 is the cool side.

Oh, and an easy way to sex your dragon is to set it on a flat surface and then lift up the tail. At the base, closest to the vent, is where you're supposed to look. Two bumps means male and one bump (or none, depending on who you ask) right behind the vent is female. You can find pictures on Google if you search "How to sex a bearded dragon".

[rose;]

Any tips for soothing a beardie who's stressed out about her tank being moved? It's ultimately for the best because the past location was too drafty and made temperature regulation difficult, but ever since moving the tank, she has been "glass surfing" and head bobbing a whole lot. Letting her hang out outside of the tank seemed to just stress her more, so I'm not quite sure what would be best to do now.

If it's important to know, she is still eating and sleeping fine. Her tank is 40 gallons. Temps are typically around 89 or 90 degrees F in the basking spot now, and she has a 10.0 UVB.

Thank you for any help!

Head bobbing? Lol, sounds like your lady is actually a guy. How old do you think she is? Head bobbing is typically a male dominance gesture, and he is probably trying to attack/mate his reflection, hence the glass dancing. If a dragon is stressed, typically their colors grow dark (or worse, their beard is black) and black stripes show on their belly. If this is the first time you noticed this behavior, then it is either coincidence, or something about the location that triggered the hormones.

Also, what are you using to measure the basking spot? That sounds just a little too cool to me, I heard they're supposed to be around 90 to 100 degrees. 80 to 90 is the cool side.

Oh, and an easy way to sex your dragon is to set it on a flat surface and then lift up the tail. At the base, closest to the vent, is where you're supposed to look. Two bumps means male and one bump (or none, depending on who you ask) right behind the vent is female. You can find pictures on Google if you search "How to sex a bearded dragon".

feamles actually head bob quite a bit, maybe not as much as males but it is common. My female head bobs all of breeding season, and then proceeds to lay like 4 clutches. How long has it been since you moved her tank? They can take up to a month to adjust to a new setting, and that's pretty common. Otherwise, if she's scratching a lot and doesn't have a dig box, or loose substrate already, she may be digging to lay an infertile clutch. It's recommended that all females have access to a dig box.
I agree though, bumping up your hot spot would be good. 90 is a bit low, I personally aim for 105-110 but 100-105 is fine as well