Reptiles Magazine Community / Reptile Forums / Beginner Herpers Discussion

Heatlamp vs undertank

mississippiensisman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:42:15 GMT

I would like to know which everybody thinks is better, or other options like hot rocks(not likely) or a flourescent all- tank bulb with a heat pad.

Snake Hygiene

steph33 — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:20:41 GMT

A snake owner told me you needed to wash your hands before handling snakes, particularly when they are babies. is this necessary?

HELP!!

Gaboon33 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:55:21 GMT

HELP MEEEEEE!!!!!! My mom thinks its wrong to keep herps as pets because they're wild. I keep telling that they're not wild because they're born in captivity. SOMEONE!!! ANYONE!!! HELP ME PUT UP A CONVINCING ARGUEMENT!!!!!

An Item

Python4life — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:51:43 GMT

I was wondering what item would be best for a spotted python the average size of them is 3-4 feet.

I just want to make its living conditions better.

What was your first pet reptile, what reptile do you want?Describe how you got into reptiles

JazzyWazzy — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:03:46 GMT

My first pet reptile was a leopard gecko named Jasmine. I wasn't quite sure if she was male or female but I was just to excited about my lizard to really care that much. I spent every spare moment cleaning her tank, earning money to decorate her tank and all the books and magazines I could get, and most of all taking her out to hold her and to cuddle her.Later on I though she was a he and changed her name to Jazz. It turned she was female but the name Jazz stuck. She is the sweetest baby. I love her very much. I'm not going to say she loves being held. But she will sit on my hand or my arm and sometimes fall asleep. If she is capable of loving me, I'm sure she does. I raised from a tiny baby, and now she is a full grown and is turning four soon.

I transferred schools in the sixth grade. The one I transferred too had five science class pets. Two white dumpy's tree frogs, two leopard geckoes, and a bearded dragon. I fell in love at first sight. I would come in from lunch and recess early just to look at them. As the end of the year approached I had to have a lizard. I read up on bearded dragons and they sounded like too much work and money for an eleven year old too handle. So I settled on a leopard gecko.I now own five of the beautiful animals and love them all. I also have nine birds, and two dogs.

ball python cost

mississippiensisman — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:22:13 GMT

Hey guys, I was wondering how much you would save before buying a neonate to juvenile ball python. Planning to buy a bigger tank in about 5 months. Please respond.

Leashes

Winkthedragon — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:03:52 GMT

I was wondering if anyone here walks their herps on leashes. If so please replie and tell about expearenecs and good brands of herp leashes.

substrate for water dragons

tnemaloney — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 07:01:59 GMT

right now i am using shredded coconut husk and i dont think i like it much. he is eating it with his crickets and i am constantly pulling it out of his eyes, i have also used the fine coconut husk that looked like dirt and didnt like that ether. what else is there that is safe, and looks good? any type of sand? or should i go for the carpet? is it possible and safe to grow grass in there?

Herp Courses?!

Sampson — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:54:18 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am a keeper at an animal park in Grand Cayman who up until recently has been involved in aviculture but I am slowly becoming the primary care giver / keeper to our reptiles. We have a green iguana, a Little Cayman Grey Rock iguana and a Grand Cayman Blue iguana hybrid. We also have a caiman and a saltwater croc. BUT I feel I need to learn alot more than I already know. There must be a zoo or facility in the States that offers short courses in herp care / husbandry. I don't want a degree or anything like that, just a short (few weeks to few months) course, even an online one. Somone out there must know...please help!!

Thank you!

sick green tree frog

Brittany444 — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:29:42 GMT

For the last 2 days my GTF hasn't moved much. He sits on the ground and does not climb on the branches like he normally does. I've only had him for 2 weeks and his behavior is starting to worry me. He won't eat and lets the crickets just walk all over him. I believe the pet shop sold me the wrong daytime heating light, but I recently got the right one. I check on him constantly hoping he hasn't died, but his breathing is very shallow. Any advice would really help because this is my first frog and I'm completely lost on what to do. I change the water daily and feed him every other day.

how you start?

Reptile Maniac — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:43:14 GMT

who got you started in herps, and what was your first herp?

my uncle got me into herps and herp keeping, he got a cali kingsnake when i was little. that just sparked my interest in herps. now he owns 5 snakes and a dog. my first herp was a $7 CB occelated skink baby from our local pet shop who's trio of imports bred.

HELP!!!!!!!!

TheAnole95 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:46:47 GMT

I got henry the green tree frog sunday and he hasn't been doing much. He sits around in the same area on the glass wall all day and night. He also dosn't have a really green color, its like a really dark green. He eats the crickets i give him but he doesn't go into the water dish. the temp. in the tank is 70-75 degrees farnheight. plz help.

Green Tree Frogs

Brittany444 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:43:09 GMT

Does anyone know anything about sick tree frogs??????? I think mine is sick and I don't know what to do.

Reptiles

FattFishy — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:44:10 GMT

Hi, I'm a new member here... just joined not too long ago (about 10 mins time?). I'm much more of a fishkeeper hence my name but I also like a few select reptiles.

I've seen Bearded Dragons at Petco and thought they were pretty cute. I was wondering, what are the exact requirements for them?

I also have red ear slider turtles... but their shells are really bad looking. The markings on the bottom of the shell aren't really distinguished and the shell on top doesn't look green for about half of it. It's just silver. Eating and behavior habits aren't a concern. It eats like it always does and behaves as usual. I feed them TetraMin (if it's called that I forgot... too into fish keeping) baby turtle food sticks. Two times a day, about 3 pieces each feeding. Each turtle (I have two) eats 3 or so per feeding and live in a 10 gallon. We use reptile conditioner and the turtles are just babies, 3-4 inches. pH is 7.6 but I don't think this'll help... filter is the standard waterfall tetramin one that is green colored and uses a filter bag thingy...

I'm really new to this and would like advice.

Which UVB light?

FattFishy — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:18:20 GMT

Thanks for the information you all gave me. So I'm looking into a new light.

2 Red Ear Slider Turtles in a 10 gallon right now. Only babies, 4 inches. I have a waterfall filter (don't know the GPH) and a dock for them to sunbathe on.

Should I transfer them into a 40 gallon breeder or should I keep in them in there? It really does cost a lot and I don't want to waste any money.

Also, for the UVB lights, ReptiSun has three types. 10.0, 5.0, and 2.0. Which one should I buy?

The light for the 10 gallon is still the one that came with the fish tank. I don't want to buy the 18 inch one and find out I should buy the 40 gallon breeder and get a new light.

Please respond quick!

Trying to Find a Club/Society In My Area

Bootz — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:14:10 GMT

Hey! Does anyone know of any Herp Clubs/Societies within like 25 to 50 miles of Great Falls, Montana?

need some advice

matte2034 — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:54:44 GMT

i have a 1 yr old bearded dragon he is the runt of the litter, he had stop eating all together when i put him in a new terriaum i got him to the vet, i have been force feeding him for the past 2 weeks , he still eat's a little bit of greens and super worms but doesn't touch crickets at all, is there anything i can do to help him out with his eating habit.

Bearded Dragons

ilovehamham2003 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:37:04 GMT

I really would like to get a bearded dragon. I am not sure how to set the tank up and how to keep it warm. I have a 50 gallon tank that I think I might use. How do you st your tanks up?

pregnant box turtle

klaudia5 — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:20:29 GMT

my box turtle laid some eggs under my bed...of course they didnt survive so my brother and i decided to keep her outside where she could bury herself...she laid eggs again overnight and when we checked them they didnt survive either...we need some help to figure out what she needs to lay eggs properly i really would appreciate any advice on this subject.

I want a green tree frog

TheAnole95 — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:15:48 GMT

Hi, I already have a green anole and I'm thinking of getting a green tree frog. The only problem is that I know nothing about them except they like to eat alot. What are the measurements of the tank they live in? How much are they and the supplies? Do they need a heat lamp? Please help me.

neonates

luvmymuraco — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:07:55 GMT

how long is a snake considered a neonate? i havent been able to find the answer! thanks in advance for your help

Please Help Me

Python4life — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:36:27 GMT

I have female spotted python (Julie) i was barely able to get her, my parents hate herps. I had to research and prove myself worthy for 2 years. They never go near her. Now I am trying to get a male spotted python so I can breed them. I have always wanted to be a herp breeder, but they are holding me back from my dream.

PLEASE if you have any advice post it

Building a Vivarium for my Water Dragon

jrmartin — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:03:37 GMT

I have a Chinese Water Dragon, about 6 months old. I am currently keeping him in a large 40 gallon breeder tank, the largest available in my immediate area. Using hours of research, I have created a Vivarium for him. I will soon post pictures of the habitat on my pets' page on this site.

This is the design I used:

The bottom layer is approximately 1.5" of pea gravel, in order to allow a reservoir for the live plants. On top of that layer is 3" of organic soil, with no chemical additives. The substrate is approximately 1.5" of a mixture of coconut fiber and forest most purchased as a recommendation from the reptile supervisor at PETCO. I have planted three ferns in the soil all of which are Athyrium Niponicum Pictum or Japanese Painted Ferns. These assist with keeping the humidity at a constant 80%. Using a heating lamp, the basking area on one end of the Vivarium is at 95-100 degrees, and the shaded section at the opposite end of the Vivarium is at 70-75 degrees. As well as the heating lamp, I am using a low wattage Repti-Glow 5.0 UVB lamp. This cage is misted daily, as well as changing the water. Along with his cage, he likes to climb a fake tree and bask in an auxiliary heat lamp. This tree is also misted. The Dragon's diet consists of Crickets (about 4 to 5 daily), meal worms (until the shortage started), and Super Worms (about 3 daily). I also feed him Kale and other green vegetables when they are in season. I have tried to feed him fruit, but he will not eat it. Most of the food given is coated with a calcium powder.

Am I missing or doing anything wrong? If you could give me advice, it would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Jim Martin

Please help! Beardie with MBD not getting better

alonquie — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:15:15 GMT

I got a baby beardie about 7 weeks ago. He adjusted great and has a super healthy appetite. He eats his veggies and his mealworms and waxworms along with his vitamins and calcium supplement. About three weeks ago we noticed his tail was slightly bent. We thought he had injured it but when it seemed to get worse over the next couple of days we took him back to the pet store to ask the owner for help as she is pretty knowledgeable. She told us it was MBD and as it turned out the UVB light we had wasnt emitting UVB. I didnt know that the UVB gave out before the actual light did, so I never replaced it. So we replaced the light and he seemed to perk up a bit and I made sure he was getting lots of calcium. But then his back legs started tremoring. It's been about two weeks since we got the new light. He is still a voracious eater but he has lots of trouble with his tremors and his bent tail got a little worse and then his spine started curving too. He is beginning to look like the hunchback of notre dame. I called a herp vet and he said it takes a while for them to start getting better, but his spine and tail are getting worse. He said that warm water baths once a day might help, so I have been doing that. I asked what signs should I look for that he is getting worse and he said if the jaw is swollen or he starts losing weight, but so far he's okay in those areas. Do I sit around and wait or should I be taking him into the vet? I hate to see him suffer. Is it possible to give him too much calcium or is there anything else I can be doing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Snake eggs

dglvr0055 — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:13:35 GMT

I found some snake eggs and there were 5 but now theres 2.....the others were broken.

they are oval and white in color and they are indented, when i found them 2 days ago they were round and now they are indenting.

is that normal?

i cant see through the eggs so idk if they are any good. i think they are but im not sure ive never had reptile eggs b4.

plz help, some info would be much appriciated!!!!

heather

vitamin supplements

Quigly123 — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:52:02 GMT

i have a leopard gecko and i would like to know if I'm doing it right. I currently dust his crickets with Jurrasi cal twice a week and then once a week i dust his crickets with Jurassi vite(a vitamin supplement) once a week. Does that seem ok?

My new beardie isn't eating her salad....

ahorrod — Sat, 31 May 2008 06:45:34 GMT

Hey, I just got a new beardie yesterday (she's my first). She's 14 months and very healthy. This morning I gave her a salad consisting of carrots, romane lettce, and dandilion flowers. I washed everything and put the multivitamin on it and she hasn't touched it. I tried crickets and she inhaled those with no problem. I was even able to hand feed a couple of them. Should I be worried if she doesn't eat her salad for the first few days cause of being new here? Any help would be appreciated.... here is a pic:

viper geckos helmeted geckos

Raptor dude — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:10:13 GMT

Does anyone know how to care for viper geckos or helmeted geckos?

My one book talks about them breifly but I still dont know much about them.

Does anyone here have any info on these tiney gekos?

Bearded Dragon questions

dragonfanatic — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:17:39 GMT

I just bought a baby bearded dragon yesterday and I've been researching for a long time on how to care for him. I was wondering how long does it take before he will start eating his veggies because right now all he does is lick them and then turns away from them. I also want to know how many times a day should I mist him because I've read once a day, 3 times a day, and even 5 times a day and also how often should I give him a bath? Because I've read that bathing them helps when they start losing scales and also hydrates them. And one more more thing, He sleeps in the corner of his tank at night learned up against the glass standing............ is that not really uncomfortable for him? I thought maybe its because hes trying to get closer to me because he seems to already be attached to me

New to the hobby

Stratuslowrider — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:26:04 GMT

First off I am a newbie to keeping Herps. I have been doing some research for about 3 months now and am getting ready to make the plunge. I currently have a 29 gallon tall aquarium that is a freshwater tank, but it is coming down this week. I am looking at keeping 2 leopard geckos, but not sure if the height of the tank is going to be an issue (30x12x18) I plan on using slate and smooth round rocks for the substrate. I would like to also make my hides as realistic as possible, so I thought I would make some out of slate/rocks that are all epoxied together or use plastic containers covered in slate. I also plan to use some reptile carpet in areas, to change it up a little. I even thought about raising the surface level up a little and creating a burrow the length of the tank that would be viewable from the front in either foam or a peice of large pvc pipe lined with reptile carpet.

Do you guys think the height of this tank is going to be an issue?? I figured I could build a rock type backdrop with some smaller ledges for them to hang out on or to plant some terrestial plants to provide some natural shading.

Sorry for the long post, but trying to work out any issues before I set up the tank. Thanks Jon

Snakes

MeganRM — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:13:15 GMT

I am thinking about getting a snake and is wondering what would be a good begginer snake.Don't matter about the size or anything.

best pet lizard

lizman02 — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:24:46 GMT

what do you think would be a good lizard to get?

Plants: Orchids

Bookworm — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:48:06 GMT

My mom was just wondering, are orchids good to put in rainforest terrariums (the smaller and muniature species). None of the books I've read mention them , but they are found in all rainforest habitats and I don't think they are toxic. But are they safe for herps?

spring peeper diet.

Hydrus_V_Riddle — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:18:01 GMT

what do you feed newly metamorphosized spring peeper's?

Can you help me Decide?!?

Bookworm — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:44:17 GMT

I need help! I'm trying to choose a first reptile/amphibian and I'm having some trobble. I already have a 30gal. tall exo-terra glass terrarium rainforest starter kit (which can do basicaly all aboreal type set ups). I want a good beginer species that is also very easy to get captive bred. I've already done some reaserch and narrowed it down to 3 species:

-Madagascar giant day gecko

-New Caldonian crested gecko

-Red-eyed treefrog

what would be best for a TOTAL beginer? Also, the kit doesn't include lightbulbs or any extra heating source. I know I'm going to use the sugested exo-terra florecent ulbs, but I have no idea about the heating. Oh yeah, one more thing. How many of each species would you sugest keeping together in a 30gal. tall tank (18x18x24)? And would it be possible to keep multiple females together without a male(I know it's not smart to keep males together)? I don't want whatever-I-get breeding with each other but I do want them happy.

please name all the best lizard books that you recommend to read

UROFAN — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:24:37 GMT

Please tell me what are the best books to read on Lizards like bearded dragons uromastyxs skinks and all different kinds of lizards that you recommend to read?

Ball Python Enclosure

arusso — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:15:34 GMT

Hi, I've been reading these forums for a little while now, and now have a question I couldn't seem to find an answer to...

I'm thinking about building a reptile enclosure this summer for my 2 Ball Pythons and some other reptiles I may pick up in the future...

My question is, has anyone had experience making an enclosure that could offer some advice? I know what kind of design I want, but I'm not sure if wood is the best material, seeing as the humidity may in fact warp the wood... Has anyone tried using a sealer with success??? I'd rather not use plastic or plexi since they are hard to work with...

Aaron

leopard geck heating problem

Quigly123 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:53:22 GMT

I'm new to keeping reptiles and i just stated with my first leopard gecko. I built my own cage for him out of plastic 13 gallon sweater box. I'm currently heating it with a 60 watt red light. I have achieved a temperature of mid 90s on the warm side and low to mid 80's on the col side. buy I'm scared the red light may be bothering him because all he does is stay under his paper towel substrate. Would it be safe to use a heat mat on a plastic cage. If i could would he get burned by it if he remained underneath the paper towel substrate with only plastic separating him and the heater? What should i do with the heat?

cricket size for anoles

giantteeth — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:59:37 GMT

Hi every one! First post here - I'm becoming a reptile fanatic very quickly, thanks to two little green anoles.

Quick question - the pet store dude snottily asked why I wasn't feeding my anoles the larger crickets, as I always buy small ones. Aren't you supposed to not feed them anything larger than a quarter of their head size?

I have one anole who is over a year old, and one who is 2-3 months old. (at least that's when I bought her.) She's pretty small, so I just buy the wee crickets for both of them, gut load them, and give them what they can eat.

help bearded dragon problem

zeb — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:41:08 GMT

i just got a baby bearded dragon today at petco and a desert gecko starter set with all of the heating equiment and a 20 gallon tank. i need to know if i turn one light off at nighttime thanks.

it has one blue light and a white one but the avarge tempture is 83F but my baby bearded dragon is OK