One of the first things you need to do before buying your reptile is to buy or build the reptile cage. There are variety of reptiles out there that range from big to small, long to short, climbers to non climbers, desert, and so on. Each reptile has its own needs and requirements. Now once you figured those out, you can start thinking about buying or building you reptile cage.
You have a choice to either buy or build your own reptile cage. Building a reptile cage is cheaper but it takes a considerable amount of work involved. Now think about how big your reptile gets when it reaches adult hood. There are some reptiles out there that may require you to build your own reptile cage (for example: an iguana). To provide a sufficient amount of space for an iguana, you would have to build the reptile cage. But you can also build a reptile cage for any reptile too. If your going to build your reptile cage, think about if it is going to be an indoor or outdoor reptile cage, so you will get the right materials and see if you have enough space for the reptiles cage. Think about anything and everything that your reptile will need to live a full life and add some more things to that already long list. Keep in mind about the lizards lighting, heating and if you want high humidity. Also, figure out how you are going to take the lizard in and out the cage, whether it be through the top or with front sliding doors. Your reptile is the most important thing here and you are building your reptile cage around the needs of your reptile, not the other way around. Building your own reptile cage is cheaper, gives you fulfilling feeling that you did it yourself, and you have the option to make it look however you want. If you decide to go this route, then enjoy building your masterpiece reptile cage.
Some people either don't have time or don't want to build a reptile cage, So you can buy you reptile cage. Now when your looking to buy a reptile cage, browse around online and not just at your local petstore. You can usually find better deals and the prices are going to be cheaper online aswell. Also, while you are looking around, try to get the best bang for your buck. You don't want to buy a cheap reptile cage and have it break causing you to buy another. That is wasted money. Try to look for well put together reptile cage that has a decent price. You may also want to compare the price of a store bought cage to if you built your own and see what the difference is.
Whatever you decide to choose, I am sure your reptile will love it! Good luck with your Reptile Cage!
Monday, May 10, 2010
How To Feed A Sick Leopard Gecko
Sick leopard geckos need alot of extra TLC(tender loving care). A leopard gecko most likely will not want to eat if it is sick, but it is VERY important that it does. So here is how you are going to help your leopard gecko out.
Things You Will Need
Things You Will Need
- .5CC or 1CC Plastic syringe with out needle
- Chicken or turkey baby food
- Pedialyte
- Paper towels
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Preparing:
Take you chicken or turkey baby foodand put a spoon full into a bowl. Then take your pedialyte and pour about 2 or 3 spoon full into the bowl. (The pedialyte is used to make the baby food more of a liquid and the pedialyte will help rehydrate your leopard gecko.) Mix it with a spoon until it is a liquid. - Take your syringe and suck up as much as you can of the liquid in the bowl.
You want to get as much in there as you can because all of it might not go into your leopard geckos mouth. - Lay out the paper towels.
- Pick up your sick leopard gecko gently.
- Set the gecko on the counter and get your syringe.
- Take the syringe and put it very close to leopard gecko's mouth. Lightly squeeze a little bit at a time and wait for the gecko to lick it off. It might take a few times for the gecko to accept it. Keep repeating that until the syringe is empty.
- Try to get as much of the food into the geckos mouth, you can't overdue it.
- Be gentle and calm
- Be patient
- Don't force the leopard geckos jaw open because you may accidentally harm the jaw.
- Don't squirt the food into the gecko's mouth if it opens up, it may go down the wrong way in the throat and harm your gecko.
Leopard Gecko Care Sheet
Leopard Geckos are one of the most commonly kept reptiles due to they are very docile and low maintenance. This makes them an excellent choice for children. Leopard geckos have been captive bred in North America for more than 25 years. The price range for leopard geckos can be anywhere between 20-2,000 dollars. The more expensive geckos have been specially breeded for collecting. Don't worry, There are no health differences between an inexpensive and expensive leopard gecko. When Leopard geckos are born, they are around 3 inches in length, adult females are 6-8 inches, and adult males are 8-10 inches. There are giant blood lines that can reach 12-13 inches long too. Buying a leopard gecko is a serious commitment as they can live between 10-20 years.
Housing A Leopard Gecko. A 10-15 gallon enclosure can house one adult leopard gecko comfortably and a 20 gallon tank can house 2 adult leopard geckos comfortably. Geckos are going to need three hides, one for the warm side and one for the cool side so they can thermo-regulate their body temperature. The third hide box is going to be the leopard gecko's moist box. You put this on the warm side with moss inside it and damp the moss. This will raise the humidity in the hide box, to help with shedding and a gravid female can lay her eggs there. Only use a screen top, as this allows for circulation and you can place accesories such as lights on top. For more about leopard gecko enclosures, visit Reptile Cages.
Heating And Lighting For A Leopard Gecko. Leopard geckos require heat to be able to digest just like all reptiles. The hot side of the cage should be around 90 degrees farenheight and the cool side can be room temperature. You can provide heat by an undertank heater or a heat lamp. An undertank heater is the best source as leopard geckos feel heat from their bellies. But you can use a heat lamp with a rock under it. Never use heat rocks as they can overheat and burn your leopard gecko. You can leave a under tank heater on all the time.
Leopard geckos are active at night, which means they do not need any special uvb lighting.
Food And Water For A Leopard Gecko. Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means they eat only insects. Use this rule when feeding; The width of the food should be no wider than the width between you leopard gecko's eyes. You can feed them mealworms, superworms, crickets, or dubia roaches. Dubia roaches are the healthiest insect you could give to your leopard gecko. When leopard geckos shed their skin, it is normal for them to eat it. Feed a baby gecko 2-3 times a day and an adult once every other day.
Fresh clean water should be provided daily to your leopard gecko. You may not see them drink because they are active at night, but they do. Be sure the water is shallow, so your leopard gecko can't drown.
Substrate For A Leopard Gecko. You can use newspaper, paper towels, or repti-carpet as substrate. You can use play sand if you feed your leopard geckos in a different enclosure. I chose to use repti-carpet from birth to adulthood for leopard geckos so there is no risk of impaction. Leopard geckos will chose a corner of their cage to use as the bathroom so you can just spot clean that area without messing anything else up in the cage.
Supplements For A Leopard Gecko. You should give your baby gecko calcium with D3 7 times a week and multivitamins 2 times a week and your adult gecko calcium with D3 5 times a week and multivitamins 1-2 times a week. You do this process by dusting the live food before you feed your leopard gecko. You can also put a little dish of calcium with D3 inside the leopard geckos enclosure, they will lick it as they please.
I hope my Leopard Gecko Care Sheet helped you and answered any questions you had. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments below and I will answer you promptly.
Housing A Leopard Gecko. A 10-15 gallon enclosure can house one adult leopard gecko comfortably and a 20 gallon tank can house 2 adult leopard geckos comfortably. Geckos are going to need three hides, one for the warm side and one for the cool side so they can thermo-regulate their body temperature. The third hide box is going to be the leopard gecko's moist box. You put this on the warm side with moss inside it and damp the moss. This will raise the humidity in the hide box, to help with shedding and a gravid female can lay her eggs there. Only use a screen top, as this allows for circulation and you can place accesories such as lights on top. For more about leopard gecko enclosures, visit Reptile Cages.
Heating And Lighting For A Leopard Gecko. Leopard geckos require heat to be able to digest just like all reptiles. The hot side of the cage should be around 90 degrees farenheight and the cool side can be room temperature. You can provide heat by an undertank heater or a heat lamp. An undertank heater is the best source as leopard geckos feel heat from their bellies. But you can use a heat lamp with a rock under it. Never use heat rocks as they can overheat and burn your leopard gecko. You can leave a under tank heater on all the time.
Leopard geckos are active at night, which means they do not need any special uvb lighting.
Food And Water For A Leopard Gecko. Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means they eat only insects. Use this rule when feeding; The width of the food should be no wider than the width between you leopard gecko's eyes. You can feed them mealworms, superworms, crickets, or dubia roaches. Dubia roaches are the healthiest insect you could give to your leopard gecko. When leopard geckos shed their skin, it is normal for them to eat it. Feed a baby gecko 2-3 times a day and an adult once every other day.
Fresh clean water should be provided daily to your leopard gecko. You may not see them drink because they are active at night, but they do. Be sure the water is shallow, so your leopard gecko can't drown.
Substrate For A Leopard Gecko. You can use newspaper, paper towels, or repti-carpet as substrate. You can use play sand if you feed your leopard geckos in a different enclosure. I chose to use repti-carpet from birth to adulthood for leopard geckos so there is no risk of impaction. Leopard geckos will chose a corner of their cage to use as the bathroom so you can just spot clean that area without messing anything else up in the cage.
Supplements For A Leopard Gecko. You should give your baby gecko calcium with D3 7 times a week and multivitamins 2 times a week and your adult gecko calcium with D3 5 times a week and multivitamins 1-2 times a week. You do this process by dusting the live food before you feed your leopard gecko. You can also put a little dish of calcium with D3 inside the leopard geckos enclosure, they will lick it as they please.
I hope my Leopard Gecko Care Sheet helped you and answered any questions you had. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments below and I will answer you promptly.
Bearded Dragon Care Sheet
Bearded Dragons make a wonderful addition to any family especially if you have kids that want a reptile. These lizards are great for begginers and expert reptile hobbyist. Bearded dragons are very docile in captivity and are becoming more popular as pets because bearded dragons are easy to breed in captivity. But you do need to undertsand that Bearded Dragons do require some special attention and is a serious commitment as they can live between 6-12 years.
Choosing a Bearded Dragon can be very fulfilling and exciting, but you do not want to buy a bearded dragon off an impulse. There are some things you need to look at before buying a bearded dragon to make sure it is healthy. Now it does not matter if you are going to buy from a breeder or the pet store, you are going to be looking for the same things in a bearded dragon. Here is a list:
Search For Reptile Tanks on Amazon.com
Bearded Dragon Lighting. Bearded dragons require 12-14 hours a day of uvb light to process calcium and vitamin D3. You can also use unfiltered sunlight, which is the number one best way. Many people can't provide their bearded dragon with unfiltered sunlight, so they use uvb flourescent tubes which is perfectly fine as long as the bearded dragon can get within 5-6 inches of the uvb light and the uvb light is not going through glass, glass will reflect the uv rays and the uvb tube will be useless for your bearded dragon. You should replace the uvb flourescent tube every 4-6 months.
Here are the products that I personally use:
For the light fixture, I suggest the Low Profile Desert Reptile Light Fixture - 2 x 36 in. Lamps - T-5
For the UVB light, I suggest the Zoo Med Reptisun UVB 10.0 HO Light 36in
Heating For Your Bearded Dragon. As with any other reptile, bearded dragons can't digest their food without heat. A bearded dragon's basking spot should range between 100-110 degrees farenheight for baby bearded dragons to sub-adults and 95-100 degrees farenheight for adults. The cool side of the cage should be around 85 degrees farenheight. Bearded dragons thermoregulate, so it is very important that there is a cool side in the enclosure. Night time temperatures can fall down to 65 degrees farenheight but not below that. You can use a heat lamp with a ceramic socket with a reptile basking bulb or a house bulb to give your bearded dragon it's heat. An important note; Never use heat rocks, they will burn your bearded dragon.
I use 8.5 inch Dimmable Heat Lamp w/ clamp
with Zoo Med Repti Basking Lamp 75 Watt for Reptiles
.
Substrate For Your Bearded Dragon. For baby bearded dragons, it is best to use paper towels, newspaper, or repti-carpet. As they reach adult hood, you can use play sand but I prefer to keep using repti-carpet. You do not want to use sand for baby dragons because they can get compaction from it. But it is not only sand that can cause compaction, any loose substrate can cause it.
I personally use Green Reptile Terrarium Liner 55gal.
Feeding Your Bearded Dragon. Bearded dragons are omnivores so there is a variety of live food items that you can feed to your bearded dragon. Some of these food items are healthier than others. The healthiest food you could feed to your bearded dragon are dubia roaches. An alternative to dubia roaches are crickets. The rule for feeding live food to your bearded dragons is the width of the food item should be no larger than the width between your bearded dragon's eyes. If it is larger than your dragon's eyes, it could cause impaction. You can also feed your bearded dragon mealworms, superworms, and wax worms as a treat. You should feed a baby dragon 3 times a day, a sub-adult 2 times a day, and an adult once every other day. Do not feed wild bugs because they could have parasites or pesticides that can harm or kill your dragon.
A bearded dragon also needs to be fed greens and vegetables everyday starting a week after it was born. Here are some healthy greens and vegetables you can feed; Dandelion greens, Collard greens, Mustard greens, Bok choy, Kale, Turnip greens, Escarole, Chicory, Butternut squash, Any form of squash, Green beans, and Parsnips. You should not feed spinach because it causes calcium to bind and won't be digested. Greens and vegetables should be diced up to be smaller than the width between your bearded dragon's eyes.
Supplements For Your Bearded Dragon. Bearded dragons need calcium with D3 and multivitamins to live long healthy lives. If your bearded dragon does not get enough calcium, it will develop MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). For baby dragons to sub-adults, there food should be dusted 7 times a week with calcium and 2 times a week with multivitamins. For adults, their food should be dusted with calcium 5 times a week and with multivitamins 2 times a week.
I use Fluker's 4 oz Repta Calcium
.
Water For Your Bearded Dragon. Most bearded dragons will not drink from water sitting in their cage, so it is not necessary to have a bowl of water in their enclosure. They will receive most of their water from baths and live food.
Baths For Your Bearded Dragon. Bathing your bearded dragon is extremely important. Baths will hydrate your bearded dragon. You should give them a bath at least once a week for 15-20 minutes, you can't overdue giving them a bath so don't worry about that. The water should be warm enough for a human baby to go in, you can test it with your wrist or elbow. Bathing also aids in shedding, so if you see your bearded dragon having a little trouble with a shed, give him a bath for 10 -15 minutes. Bathing can also help in digestion, if a bearded dragon is compacted bathing them might help loosen their bowel up. Now be prepared, as your bearded dragon will most likely poop in the bath, this is normal and makes clean up alot easier.
I hope this Bearded Dragon Care Sheet helped you. Leave comments if their is something you don't agree with, if you would like me to add something, or if you just want to say thank you. I will answer any questions you ask.
If you would like to browse other items related to bearded dragons such as guide books, Search Amazon.com for bearded dragon
Choosing a Bearded Dragon can be very fulfilling and exciting, but you do not want to buy a bearded dragon off an impulse. There are some things you need to look at before buying a bearded dragon to make sure it is healthy. Now it does not matter if you are going to buy from a breeder or the pet store, you are going to be looking for the same things in a bearded dragon. Here is a list:
- A bearded dragon should be very alert and curious with bright eyes and should be able to lift it's head up. When you are in front of a bearded dragons enclosure, they should be looking at you with interest.
- Make sure the bearded dragon is not lethargic (very skinny). If it is, this means it is not eating or has a disease. A bearded dragon's belly should be roundish.
- Look at the mouth, eyes,"butt area", and nose on the bearded dragon to make sure there is nothing built up. These areas should look clean.
- Check for any signs of disease, external parasites, sores, look at the bearded dragon's toes to make sure it has all of them, and look at the tail to make sure it is straight and not bent in any area.
- Do not get a bearded dragon that is under 5 inches long, I prefer 6 inches in length, because baby bearded dragons can be more prone to illness due to stress and some baby bearded dragons die due to natural causes.
Search For Reptile Tanks on Amazon.com
Bearded Dragon Lighting. Bearded dragons require 12-14 hours a day of uvb light to process calcium and vitamin D3. You can also use unfiltered sunlight, which is the number one best way. Many people can't provide their bearded dragon with unfiltered sunlight, so they use uvb flourescent tubes which is perfectly fine as long as the bearded dragon can get within 5-6 inches of the uvb light and the uvb light is not going through glass, glass will reflect the uv rays and the uvb tube will be useless for your bearded dragon. You should replace the uvb flourescent tube every 4-6 months.
Here are the products that I personally use:
For the light fixture, I suggest the Low Profile Desert Reptile Light Fixture - 2 x 36 in. Lamps - T-5
For the UVB light, I suggest the Zoo Med Reptisun UVB 10.0 HO Light 36in
Heating For Your Bearded Dragon. As with any other reptile, bearded dragons can't digest their food without heat. A bearded dragon's basking spot should range between 100-110 degrees farenheight for baby bearded dragons to sub-adults and 95-100 degrees farenheight for adults. The cool side of the cage should be around 85 degrees farenheight. Bearded dragons thermoregulate, so it is very important that there is a cool side in the enclosure. Night time temperatures can fall down to 65 degrees farenheight but not below that. You can use a heat lamp with a ceramic socket with a reptile basking bulb or a house bulb to give your bearded dragon it's heat. An important note; Never use heat rocks, they will burn your bearded dragon.
I use 8.5 inch Dimmable Heat Lamp w/ clamp
with Zoo Med Repti Basking Lamp 75 Watt for Reptiles. Substrate For Your Bearded Dragon. For baby bearded dragons, it is best to use paper towels, newspaper, or repti-carpet. As they reach adult hood, you can use play sand but I prefer to keep using repti-carpet. You do not want to use sand for baby dragons because they can get compaction from it. But it is not only sand that can cause compaction, any loose substrate can cause it.
I personally use Green Reptile Terrarium Liner 55gal.
Feeding Your Bearded Dragon. Bearded dragons are omnivores so there is a variety of live food items that you can feed to your bearded dragon. Some of these food items are healthier than others. The healthiest food you could feed to your bearded dragon are dubia roaches. An alternative to dubia roaches are crickets. The rule for feeding live food to your bearded dragons is the width of the food item should be no larger than the width between your bearded dragon's eyes. If it is larger than your dragon's eyes, it could cause impaction. You can also feed your bearded dragon mealworms, superworms, and wax worms as a treat. You should feed a baby dragon 3 times a day, a sub-adult 2 times a day, and an adult once every other day. Do not feed wild bugs because they could have parasites or pesticides that can harm or kill your dragon.
A bearded dragon also needs to be fed greens and vegetables everyday starting a week after it was born. Here are some healthy greens and vegetables you can feed; Dandelion greens, Collard greens, Mustard greens, Bok choy, Kale, Turnip greens, Escarole, Chicory, Butternut squash, Any form of squash, Green beans, and Parsnips. You should not feed spinach because it causes calcium to bind and won't be digested. Greens and vegetables should be diced up to be smaller than the width between your bearded dragon's eyes.
Supplements For Your Bearded Dragon. Bearded dragons need calcium with D3 and multivitamins to live long healthy lives. If your bearded dragon does not get enough calcium, it will develop MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease). For baby dragons to sub-adults, there food should be dusted 7 times a week with calcium and 2 times a week with multivitamins. For adults, their food should be dusted with calcium 5 times a week and with multivitamins 2 times a week.
I use Fluker's 4 oz Repta Calcium
. Water For Your Bearded Dragon. Most bearded dragons will not drink from water sitting in their cage, so it is not necessary to have a bowl of water in their enclosure. They will receive most of their water from baths and live food.
Baths For Your Bearded Dragon. Bathing your bearded dragon is extremely important. Baths will hydrate your bearded dragon. You should give them a bath at least once a week for 15-20 minutes, you can't overdue giving them a bath so don't worry about that. The water should be warm enough for a human baby to go in, you can test it with your wrist or elbow. Bathing also aids in shedding, so if you see your bearded dragon having a little trouble with a shed, give him a bath for 10 -15 minutes. Bathing can also help in digestion, if a bearded dragon is compacted bathing them might help loosen their bowel up. Now be prepared, as your bearded dragon will most likely poop in the bath, this is normal and makes clean up alot easier.
I hope this Bearded Dragon Care Sheet helped you. Leave comments if their is something you don't agree with, if you would like me to add something, or if you just want to say thank you. I will answer any questions you ask.
If you would like to browse other items related to bearded dragons such as guide books, Search Amazon.com for bearded dragon
General Reptile Information
Reptiles, otherwise known as reptilia, are amnion. Amnion means they reproduce completely on land. Their extraembryonic membranes provide nutrients, protect the embryo and facilitate waste and gas exchange.
Scales on reptiles are used to help protect from predators and dehydration.
Reptiles are ectothermic, that means their body temperature matches the temperature surrounding them.
Reptiles have a four-chambered heart, well developed lungs, and their tongue is used as a sense organ.
These are just some general information about reptiles that most of you probably don't care about, but for those that do, there you go. If you would like me to add something just let me know.
Scales on reptiles are used to help protect from predators and dehydration.
Reptiles are ectothermic, that means their body temperature matches the temperature surrounding them.
Reptiles have a four-chambered heart, well developed lungs, and their tongue is used as a sense organ.
These are just some general information about reptiles that most of you probably don't care about, but for those that do, there you go. If you would like me to add something just let me know.
Welcome To Pet Reptile Zone
Welcome To Pet Reptile Zone! Here at Pet Reptile Zone, I will be posting information about pet reptile care sheets, pet reptile medicine, pet reptile habitats, best food for your pet reptiles, and much more. Pet Reptile Zone will be the only stop your going to have to make on the internet to find out information for your pet reptile. Enjoy and feel free to post comments about how you feel about the website and any information you would like me to talk about. If you have a certain reptile that you would like to know about, Just post a comment about it and I will get it up asap. Enjoy your time here at Pet Reptile Zone!
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