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Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles

August 3rd 2008 20:00
A very important illness that can affect all sorts of pet geckos, is Metabolic Bone Disease, which is commonly refferred to as MBD.

Metabolic bone disease affects the joints, muscles, and bones of the reptile. You will commonly see the wrist and ankle joints affected first. The reptile will begin to sit on its wrists and walk a little bowed.

At the first signs of the illness, you want to contact a local reptile vet so that you can get proper instructions. But, if you catch the illness early on, all you should have to do is bump up the supplements that you are already providing (if you aren't dusting the food, you want to start ASAP).


If you have a diurnal reptile that requires a UV light, you will want to change the bulb to ensure that the reptile is getting the appropriate UV rays to help it absorb the calcium supplements. You may also want to consider puting the reptile in an enclosed area outside on a sunny day.

A good idea is to take a rubbermaid tub, cut out a hole in the lid, screen it, and then you have a safe enclosure that your reptile can hang out in while outside. The screen will ensure the rays to the reptile, and it will prevent predators from snatching up your pet. Having the screen also allows for proper ventillation so that the reptile doesn't bake in a completely sealed container.

You may want to consider liquid calcium, but watch the amount that you do give the reptile, as you do not want to overdose the reptile on the supplement. You may want to consult a reptile vet so that you know how much and how often to provide the supplement.

Now, if your pet reptile has MBD that is advanced, you will want to just go straight to the vet as soon as you can. The vet will give yo ua proper prognosis and treatment, if he thinks the reptile will recover.


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Caring for Ball Pythons

July 2nd 2008 15:30
Ball pythons are one of the best beginner snakes that you can bring home, but even still you want to make sure that you know and understand how to properly care for them. These guys can live 20 to 30 years, which is a pretty good bit of time when compared to the average dog.

So before you get your ball python, you want to make sure that you know how to properly care for it. You want to make sure that you're ready for an aquarium that's at least 3 feet long, and for feeding medium to large sized rats.

Depending on the sex of the snake, your enclosure and feeder size will vary. IE because female ball pythons reach about 6 feet long, you'll need a larger enclosure, and will eventually need to feed larger prety. Males, on the other hand tend to top out around 3 to 4 feet and can live fine in 29 gallon tank, but of course a 40 gallon breeder is always better.

The one thing that you want to be aware of with ball pythons, besides their medium size and very docile personality, is that they are the worse feeders. Ball pythons are the picky eaters of the bunch. They get stressed out easy and tend to stop eating if you move their tank or upgrade to a larger tank, amongst other factors.

It's not uncommon for a ball python to stop eating for an entire year before feeding again. Although, this is not recommended and if your ball python stops eating fro an extended period, you'll want to consult a vet in case there's something else wrong.



Ball pythons, like other pets are a committment, and if you're looking at getting one, you need to do all the research first.
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African Fat Tail Geckos

June 23rd 2008 13:47
Also, commonly referred to as just AFT. African fat tails are probbably one of the more docile pet reptiles that you can find on the pet trade, even more calm than leopard geckos.

These guys are just a tad smaller, in length, than leopard geckos, and a tad bulkier.

Normal Banded AFT


As for husbandry, AFT's need a minimum of a 10 gallon enclosure for one gecko, although a 20 gallon long does so much better.

They need temperatures aroung 86F-88F, which is easiest to achieve by a properly sized and used under tank heater. They really don't need an overhead light, unless you want to stimulate a day/night scenario, and because they are nocturnal AFT's don't need UV lighting.

Besides a slightly lower enclosure temperature, the other main difference between African fat tail geckos and leopard geckos is the humidity level. They require a higher humidity. You can best achieve this by providing a humid hide that is kept moist at all times. If you opt to spray the cage, you make the entire cage wet, and can possible have the humidity a little too high. With the moist humid hide, the gecko can use it as needed.

(Yes leopard gecko need a humid hide as well, but you only keep it moist when the leopard gecko is going to shed.)

As for substrate and decor... You'll need 2 hides plus the humid hide, a water bowl, and a calcium dish; if you have an AFT that is mealworm trained, then you'll want to add a bowl for mealworms, although most African fat tails prefer crickets or captive bred roaches such as dubia or discoid nymphs.

You'll want to use a solid substrate, such as paper towels, tile, shelf liner, as if you opt for a loose substrate- sand, dirt, moss, etc- you will increase the impaction risks.

Het Amel AFT


African fat tails do not come in as many morphs and varieties as leopard geckos. Currently, you'll find Banded, Stripe, Amelanistic, White Socks, Patternless, Striped Patternless, and a few others. The cheaper morphs are the Banded and Striped African fat tails. You're not going to find the others in a pet store.
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Tips for Caring for Crested Geckos

June 19th 2008 14:28
Crested geckos are one of my favorite geckos to keep as pets. They come in a variety of patterns and colors, many of which are still being perfected, as the species is still pretty new to captivity. But, even though crested geckos are newer than other species kept as pets, their care is pretty much set and simple.

When you care for a crested gecko, you need to have at least a 15 gallon tall aquarium. Babies and juveniles can be housed in various sized kritter keepers, but adults need at bare minimum a 15 gallon tall tank, which measures about 18"W x 18"D x 18"T.

They need height over length, so remember that when hunting for the perfect tank for your new or potential pet.

Harlequine Crested Geckos


As for decor, it's pretty simple. Vines and plants. Just make sure to provide the gecko with plenty to climb on and hide in.

Spray the enclosure of babies and young juveniles twice a day, and adults once a day to keep up the humidity in the tank.

As for diet, it's pretty simple, they need to be fed Crested Gecko Diet (CGD), which is a powder meal replacement that needs to be mixed with water and provided daily. Younger geckos feed well off of crickets, whereas adults don't really need them but appreciate them. I feed babies and juveniles crickets every other day with CGD daily, and adults get crickets about once a week with CGD daily.

A lot of people claim that crested geckos can be fed baby food instead or in combination with the CGD, but it's really not recommended by more experienced keepers. Baby food is fortified with nutrients for humans, and not reptiles.

Harlequin Partial Pinstripe Crested Gecko


But, for the most part that's it... These guys are pretty simple to take care of, and are hendleable for the most part. They are jumpy, so you just want to let them jump from hand to hand without grabbing at them from behind.

Pinstripe Crested Gecko


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Reptile Impaction

June 6th 2008 15:04
One of the most serious reptile health concern is probably the easiest one to prevent. There are so many people that have pet reptiles and think that they're doing the best they can to care for them, but they're housing the reptile on sand or some other loose substrate. I mean, yes, there are some reptiles that need to be housed on sand, such as the U. milli, but the majority of the reptile population isn't caring for knob tail geckos. They're caring for leopard geckos, bearded dragons, and other simple to care for and docile pet reptiles.

So, here's how it happens... Mom and child go to the pet store to purcahse a pet reptile. They have no clue what they want, much less how to care for it. They get there and the pet store employee says, you should get a leopard gecko because they're small and easy to care for. They agree. The trio starts shopping....

The worse product that is more than likely going to be purchased on that trip is calcium based sand or even playsand, but more than likely calci-sand. The employee is going to state, it's the best product to house reptiles on because it supplies them with calcium, and look there's even a cute leopard gecko on the bag. The child picks out his favorite color; they go home and set up the cage...

Well, about 4 to 6 months down the line, the gecko that was probably a near hatchling at 3-4 inches, is not skinny, not eating, and not pooping...

What's wrong with this gecko?

Simple. This leopard gecko has been housed on a sand that sounds seemingly great, but when wet, calci-sand clumps and well in a reptile's body, it does the same.

This gecko is suffering from impaction, which is basically severe and fatal constipation.

Leopard Gecko Impaction


Now, this is correctable if the signs are notices early and soon enough, but if you do not catch the symptoms of impaction at it's earliest moment, you may lose the pet reptile that you've been caring for and loving all this time.

The simplist measure is prevention, so avoid any and all lose substrates. Now, again, there are a few reptile species that should be housed on sand, but at this day and time, you're not going to find those reptiles at a pet store.

Remember that even though the pet store has the reptiles housed on loose substrates and in semi-fancy enclosures, the reptiles are only there for a short period of time, in which the employees will more than likely not see any signs of impaction. If they do, they either 1) won't notice or 2) won't tell you... Unless of course there is an employee that really knows his/her stuff when it comes to caring for reptiles, which is actually seldom. IE the majority of the time, the employee isn't going to know any more about the reptile than what he read from a 30 year old caresheet that has never been updated.

General substrates that you want to avoid putting in your reptile's enclosure include:
* Calcium based sand
* Vita sand
* Play sand
* Dirt
* Bark
* Woodchips
* Walnut shells
* Corn cob

Bearded Dragon Impaction


Remember that the majority of reptiles that are sold as dessert species are not dessert in the terms of naturally housed on sand in the wild.

If you absolutely refuse to listen to an experiences keeper of reptiles and you really want to house your reptile on sand or another loose substrate, wait until the reptile is at least 1 year old and more accurate at catching its food. And, even still you want to avoid calcium based sands, as they truly do entice the reptile to lick it, and it will clump in your reptiles intestines.

You still want to avoid bark, woodchips, and other similar substrates, as feeder insects, like crickets, can hide under the chips, making it hard for the reptile to find his dinner.
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Bearded Dragons are next to leopard geckos in the most commonly kept pet reptile. They're considered a beginner pet reptile, but I believe they a one notch above beginner, as they do require a more complex enclosure and diet. They're not like leopard geckos who only need belly heat and can survive without lighting; they're not like leopard geckos who only need crickets or mealworms to survive.

Bearded dragons are more complex than an 8 inch gecko. These guys are typically 16 to 24 inches in length. They require at least a 40 gallon enclosure with UV lighting, regular lighting, and an under tank heater. Bearded dragons need to be able to get within 6 inches of the UV, unless you are using a UV heat emitter bulb. The tubes do not emit UV very far, which is why bearded dragons need to be able to get 6 inches of the tube; plus they need to be replaced every 4 to 6 months, even if they still work because the amount of UV released begins to decrease


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Leopard geckos make wonderful pets for any reptile enthusiast- beginner to more advanced. My first reptile was a standard morph, female leopard gecko. I recieved Banon on my 16th birthday, and I've had her ever since. Now, since then, I've added various other morphs and my tallies are up to 25 plus hatchlings, so as you can see these guys are very simple to care for.


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Breeding Reptiles

May 6th 2008 22:11

The last post wasn't too informative or flashy, but I thought that it was necessary to get more information and background about myself out there. I do breed reptiles over varying species to include leopard geckos, crested geckos, gargoyle geckos, and soon to be knob tail geckos.

[ Click here to read more ]
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goReptiles

May 5th 2008 16:08

I shared in my "Welcome" post that I breed reptiles. It's true. I'm not a girly girl who prides herself on shopping, shoes, and boys. Well, yes boys are nice, but it's not one of those "OH MY GOD that guy is HOT!" moments.

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