Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Blogs | Writers | Paid | My Orble | Login

Lizards - Pet Advice

Adopt a Green Iguana

October 23rd 2011 16:00


If you're thinking about getting a new reptile, and you fancy larger lizards, such as iguana, consider adopting one instead of going to your nearest pet store and buying a baby.

With younger iguanas, you do not know how their temperament will turn out. Even the sweetest green iguana baby with the best socialization can still turn out a tail whipper with a nasty attitude.


By adopting a green iguana, you know that the foster parents or rescue organization can tell you about the known previous care, as well as temperament of the animal.

There are plenty of green iguanas for adoption, as people tend to buy them as tiny babies, but when they grow to a few feet in length, they either toss them out or "donate" them to the nearest rescue.

So, if you're looking for a new green iguana, also keep in mind that they don't all have homes, and there are plenty of great green iguanas with wonderful temperaments that need your love.

Iguana Rescues

* The Iguana Den
* NC Iguana Rescue Association
* Green Iguana Society
* Iguana Rescue and Adoption

You can also check out petfinder.com to find local reptiles for adoption near you.



17
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Choosing a Beginner Pet Lizard

November 2nd 2010 13:03
When choosing a pet reptile, it's important to choose one that matches your skill level. If you're more experienced, a green iguana may be the pet for you, but if you're a beginner I'd stick with a beginner level reptile. There are many pet reptiles that you can choose from, but again just make sure that you do the research and match your experience with the reptile of choice.

Good options for beginners include the green anole, bearded dragon, blue tongue skink, and mali uromastyx. Even among these reptiles, you'll still find some are easier than another, but, in regards to temperament and overall skill level, these are known to be the best lizards for beginners to keep.

Best Beginner Lizard




78
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Iguanas Are Not Beginner Reptiles

October 26th 2010 12:33
Sean Halo
So many people go out and buy the baby green iguanas from the pet store, and hope that they'll be a great pet for their child or for whoever, but that's just not reality. Yes, iguanas are cute, but they are not the best pets for children, and they're certainly not the best pet for beginner reptile keepers.

Iguanas have teeth. Iguanas can be mean and territorial. Iguanas can bite. Iguanas can tail lash. Iguanas can hurt.

This reptile can reach 5 and even up to 7 feet long, including the tail, which is a pretty good size. They can weigh up to 25 pounds, which can inflict serious damage onto an unsupervised child.

Iguanas are more of a fad pet, and once one person in a group gets one, tons of people go out and buy them. Most people don't do the proper research and end up rehoming the pet or just throwing in out in the yard.

But, anyway... This is an animal that is not ideal for a beginner reptile keeper.

Both male and female iguanas can get aggressive and cage territorial. They will bite, scratch, whip their tail, and even lunge at you. Males, though, will come into season and will become very aggressive around breeding season, with or without a female being around.

There are different situations in which a pet iguana may bite, which can include but are not limited to the following:
* Accidental bites that may inflict minor damage. These bites typically occur during feeding time.
* Fear bites or tail whips can become a problem, but they're not typically a serious concern.
* Mating bites, where the male will grab hold and turn violent. Even the most docile iguana will become the slightest bit aggressive during breeding season, with or without a female present.
* Competition bites that will occur typically among two males, but can occur among females, as well. In some cases, they may confuse a human for another iguana and may go into attack mode, which can be dangerous.

When dealing with iguanas, make sure to use proper equipment and gloves, in case the iguana decides to attack.

Sue Soloman


99
Vote
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Feeding Blue Tongue Skink

August 19th 2009 16:13
Blue tongue skinks are very interesting reptiles to have as pets, but it is very important that you keep the diet right. This reptile is omnivorous, which means it eats protein matter as well as vegetation. You want to be able to reflect this in captivity in order to ensure that the diet is ideal to keeping a healthy skink.

You want to remember that variety is the key. It is best to try to stick with about 60% vegetables and fruits and 40% meats.

Vegetables and fruits that you want to stick with include: beans, peas, summer or winter squash, parsnips, leafy greens, strawberries, bananas, melon, cherries, berries, peaches, nectarines, and pears.

You want to be careful of corn ans carrots because they turn into sugars. Carrots particularly need to be limited, as they can bind with calcium, preventing the calcium uptake.

You want to supplement the foods with calcium D3 as well as a good multi-vitamin.

As for meat and proteins, you can include the following your skink's diet: low-fat can dog food, superworms, redworms, small crickets, and pink mice for adults (limit pinkies as they can be fatty).




49
Vote
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Housing a Blue Tongue Skink

August 16th 2009 15:58
Blue tongue skinks are pretty popular on the pet trade, but not everyone knows how to care for them, and if you're thinking about getting on, then you need to make sure that you know how to properly set up a cage for one.

It's pretty simple.

Size:
Hatchlings can live in 10 gallon tanks, but you will need to upgrade to a 40-55 gallon tank as the skink gets older. This species is wide-ranging in the wild, so they generally do much better in larger tanks. Just be careful that a young blue tongue can get lost and have trouble finding food in a tank that is too large.

Substrate:
It is best that you use aspen savings, cypress mulch, newspaper, or even reptile carpet. You want to avoid pine and cedar, as well as small pebbles and sand.

You want to make sure that the lizard does not swallow any loose substrates, which is why newspaper, reptile carpet, tiles, and rollout shelf liner can be be a better choice than mulch or aspen.

Decor:
Blue tongue skinks are terrestrial and do not require climbing decor, but you still want to make sure that there's a secure lid on the tank, as you want to make sure that the reptile can't escape. You may want to add low-level branches for the skink to climb on, but make sure that they are not too high. They will enjoy walking over different levels in the tank, but they are large bodied with small legs, so a fall really will not benefit the reptile at all.

It is best that you add plenty of hides so that the reptile will feel secure. Rock caves and half logs work great. You want to have at least one hide on the warm side of the tank, one hide on the cool side of the tank, and a humid hide generally in the middle of the tank. Blue tongue skinks will burrow, so keep that in mind, as well. You don't want the decor to be to heavy that it falls on the reptile while under the substrate (if you opt for loose substrate).

You may want to consider adding corkbark, PVC pipes, rocks, and other decor to the tank so that it is not one level tank. Blue tongue skinks really do enjoy having stuff to walk over. Just make sure that the decor is not too tall.

Temperature:
You want the temperatures within the tank to be around 75-85F with a basking spot of 95F.

The best way to get these temperatures is by using an under tank heater and a basking light.

Lighting:
You want to make sure that you provide the blue tongue skink with a UVA/UVB light for about 10-12 hours a day. These creatures are diurnal and need the UV rays. You can purchase a UV bulb that is also a heat emitter so that you do not have extra clamps and lights in the tank.

44
Vote
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Mali Uromastyx Care Sheet

July 9th 2009 18:33
Mali Uromastyx are not quite as popular as Bearded Dragons or even iguanas, but they are neat reptiles that make decent pets for those who are a little bit more experienced. When caring for a Uromastyx, it's important that you know all the right care before get the animal, so that you know you have eveything ready and set up. Don't get ahead of yourself and get a new pet without knowing proper care.

Housing: You can house a hatchling in a 10 gallon tank, but it will only last for about a month, so it is best that you start hatchlings off in at least 20 gallon long aquariums. When the Mali Uromastyx is about half grown, you'll want to go ahead and move it to its permanent, adult sized enclosure, which should be at minimum a 50 gallon aquarium for ONE adult. It is best that you consider bigger is better for an adult because you will need to provide basking places, hiding spots, and things to climb on; plus considering that these guys can range from 11" to 16


[ Click here to read more ]
38
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (8)Comments (8) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Housing a Green Iguana

June 30th 2009 16:11
Housing a green iguana can be a pain if you're expecting the baby iguana to stay small. These guys need large enclosures, and they don't just stop growing just because you keep it in a small enclosure, so you want to be very careful in your research before and after you get a pet green iguana.

Enclosure Size: Because adult iguanas can be very large- up to 6 feet- you want to have a large enclosure. They are not limited to the enclosure and will continue to grow throughout their lifetime. A young iguana will grow out of a 55 gallon aquarium within the first year


[ Click here to read more ]
35
Vote
Read MoreRead More Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


What to Feed a Green Iguana

June 28th 2009 15:53
Iguanas are strict herbivores and should have a diet consisting of only fruits and vegetables. In captivity, we have complete control over what the reptiles eat, so you want to make sure that you do not offer any insects and such; yes, in the wild they occasionally eat a cricket or worm, but generally, it's when the insect is on a leaf of fruit. It's not intentional.

You want to make sure that you offer fresh food and water daily. Over time, you'll be able to figure out how much you need to offer in order to ensure that your iguana is full


[ Click here to read more ]
44
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Baby Alligators Aren't Good Pets

January 24th 2009 03:05
I'm not really sure why anyone would want to have an alligator as a pet, but many people think that of having any reptile as a pet... Well, as a reptile owner and breeder, I have no clue why anyone in their right mind would want a pet alligator.

Alligators are VERY large reptiles that are VERY dangerous. Even if you raise an alligator from a baby to juvenile, you never know what to expect. It's not like taking care of a leopard gecko, bearded dragon, or even a green iguana. Alligators are beasts, and they still have the same health problems as much small reptiles that have been in the pet market for years


[ Click here to read more ]
24
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards, In Captivity
   


Why Does my Bearded Dragon's Beard Turn Black?

January 4th 2009 19:57


When in the wild, and in captivity (although, less comonly in captivity), a bearded dragon will show a variety of behaviors when he is threatened or mad


[ Click here to read more ]
27
Vote
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Lizards
   


Next Page (11-20)



[ Pet Advice Home ] [ Create A New Post ]

Whitney's Blogs

17530 Vote(s)
1169 Comment(s)
186 Post(s)
17037 Vote(s)
107 Comment(s)
252 Post(s)
21020 Vote(s)
247 Comment(s)
341 Post(s)
Moderated by Whitney
Copyright © 2012 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]