(Part 2) Best products from r/reptiles

No worries. I figured you were just busy for the weekend. Like I said - you have your life to deal with. I'm not going to take it personally if you're MIA for a few days, haha. :)

I had a good weekend - I didn't do anything productive, whatsoever. Just took some time to relax and take care of myself.

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Getting to meet that milk snake is super exciting! I just did a bit of reading about them, and it sounds like young milks are usually somewhat hyperactive, but that they calm down with age.

From my reading, here's what you will need to purchase:

1. Vivarium - usually you want 1ft^2 of floor space per 1' the snake will be, full grown.
   
   From my reading, milk snakes can get between 2' and 6' full grown. If possible, find out the subspecies so we can narrow that range down. Most likely, it's a Pueblan or Honduran milk snake (two of the most common subspecies). Honduran milks can get up to 5', so a safe cage size would be 3' x 2' (length x width). Pueblans only get between 3' and 4', so we don't really need to worry about those.
   
   If you can't find out the subspecies, you could either just get a 3' x 2' viv, or get something smaller and increase the size as necessary.
   
   
2. Heating element and thermostat. A heat pad would be ideal, considering that milk snakes sometimes burrow. Here's an example of a thermostat and heat pad. You attach the heat pad to the bottom of the cage, making sure not to have the viv resting on top of the heat pad or wires (or else you run the risk of short circuits and fires).
   
   After you set up the heat pad, run the thermostat probe to the inside of your viv, usually placing it inside of the hide on the warm side. Alternatively, as milks sometimes burrow, you may want to put the thermostat temperature probe closer underneath your substrate, at the bottom of the viv. This will insure that you know what the hottest temperature that your milk can be exposed to by burrowing.
   
   My reading suggests that you want to keep the warm side ~85f - 90f. Not sure what that is in C.
   
   
3. Digital thermometer/hygrometer like this one. You want one that has probes, so you can check specific points around your viv.
   
   At first, you will want to keep your thermometer probe at the same location as your thermostat probe, just to make sure that's reading correctly. After you've verified that, you can move the thermometer probe to the cool side, so you can keep an eye on both sides.
   
   Alternatively, some people get laser temperature sensors so they can quickly and easily check the temperature of any part of the viv. You'd still need to get a hygrometer (humidity sensor) if you went that route.
   
   
4. Substrate. Looks like Aspen or Cypress are both excellent substrates for milks. You can also use paper towels or newspaper as temporary, sanitary solutions in case of any injury/illness.
   
   You'll probably want 6"+ of substrate over the entire floor of the viv, as milks do sometimes burrow. Giving them enough substrate to allow that is advised.
   
   
5. Hides, terrain, water dish, etc. Hides should be snug-ish, and terrain should look cool. Water dish you probably want to be big enough for the snake to soak in if he wants, but that's about all.
   
   Milks need like 40% - 60% humidity, so you probably don't need to worry about that in the slightest. Getting a little spray bottle might be a good choice, though.
   
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   Yeah, it's definitely something that I take for granted until someone (such as yourself) reminds me how different things are elsewhere.
   
   I've never taken Puppy to the vet. She's never had any injuries or health problems. Speaking of taking things for granted, if I ever needed a vet, I'd find one at that point. Might be a good idea to just get an idea of whether there are nearby vets for you, though.
   
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   I'd have been shocked if you'd thought about snake body language before - not many people have. Even most other reptile owners don't seem to have paid as much attention to it as I have.
   
   I can think of one particular time that I've seen Puppy "happy". It was this spring, the first time I took her outside this year. And in that case, it was more an example of "extremely relaxed" than it was "happy/excited" like you see in dogs.
   
   I'm glad you like Puppy. :)
   
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   Yeah, I understand where you're coming from. You've got to temper your desires with the realities of your situation, and a milk snake is an excellent compromise.
   
   Honestly, I have never interacted with a Woma, although I'd like to someday. From what the OP of that other thread was saying, it sounds like he was quite intent on eating their arm, and it took 5 minutes to get him off.

It's not unidentifiable. In fact, I already did it for you three months ago. It's almost certainly a Greek (aka spur-thighed) tortoise. If you see these spurs on his backside, it's a Greek tortoise.

I recommend you familiarize yourself with the care sheet from TortoiseForum. Here are the major points:

Substrate

The best possible substrates for housing Greek tortoises indoors are a 50/50 mix of top soil and play sand, cypress mulch and aspen wood shavings. (Personally I'd use cypress mulch instead of Aspen, since it's less likely to mold. NEVER use cedar.)

Food

Offer weeds such as Dandelion, clover, plantain, hawksbit, cat's ear, wild strawberry, and thistle. Store bought greens like collards, mustards, kale and turnip can be offered sparingly. Commercial diets such as Mazuri are excellent for helping the tortoises maintain good weight but again should be offered only in moderation. (I can buy dandelion greens in the grocery store here. Also, since your tortoise has metabolic bone disease, a SERIOUS condition, be diligent in dusting all food with calcium powder with D3. D3 is something that you'd supplement occasionally in a healthy tort that gets lots of UVB. Yours has been starved of UVB, and therefore needs more D3 for a while.)

Water

A shallow water dish should be available to them at all times for drinking and soaking and should be changed frequently. Tortoises defecate in water so keeping the supply clean is a must.
They also appreciate occasional misting of their environment and may see it as rain. This prompts them to empty their bowels and drink. (Animals need water. A bit of a no-brainer.)

Lighting

When housing them inside, proper lighting is essential for keeping them healthy. Mercury vapor bulbs which provide both UVA and UVB are a personal favorite of mine. A 100-150 watt vapor bulb is installed on one end only of the indoor unit and this makes for a perfect basking area. The opposite end should remain cool. You can also use a regular spot light for the basking area so long as it reaches a temperature of 95-100F. In this case, a fluorescent UVB emitting bulb will need to be installed as well. (You should ALWAYS have a UVB bulb in your enclosure. Replace it every six months, or yearly if you use a mercury vapor bulb. NEVER use a coil-shaped bulb. These bulbs are a suitable replacement for coil-shaped ones.)

Housing

Indoors, the construction of a "tortoise table" will suit the needs of these creatures well. A 3 by 6 foot unit made of plywood will suffice for a single adult and up to a pair of adults. Wood is always recommended over plastic or glass so that the tortoises cannot see out. This way they will learn their boundaries and it will lessen their attempts to escape. (Don't keep them in glass aquariums. The ability to see outside without being able to go outside can stress your tort. They don't understand transparent glass, and will never learn how to deal with it.)

In addition to the caresheet excerpts above, I recommend you give your tort a good 20-minute soak in warm (not hot) water once a week. Captive torts are almost always mildly dehydrated. Soaking encourages them to drink. It also allows them to absorb water through their cloaca.

Finally, although this tortoise is easy to care for, it is a serious responsibility. Just as you can't feed a dog nothing but table scraps, you can't provide inadequate food and UVB to your tortoise. A bit of daily sunshine just isn't enough. If you're here seeking help for your animal, I can only hope it's because you want to put in the effort to rehabilitate him.

If you want to keep your tort, do your own research and learn how to make him happy and healthy. If it seems like too much responsibility, put him up on craigslist. Mention the soft shell in the ad, and that he's free to anyone with tortoise experience. You can tell who's qualified by asking just a few questions about how they intend to house and care for the tortoise.

i definitely feel you; they caught my heart when i got my first frog at age 10 🌝 (she was an african clawed frog though. RIP Lily, i miss her)

so white’s need an enclosure with more vertical space than horizontal, since they’re arboreal. like i said i’ve got my adults in an 18x18x24 but i’ve been planning for a while to upgrade them to an 18x18x36, which i might get at the next expo.

they’re not super demanding as far as humidity and temperature goes, which makes them a great beginner frog. even so, i have a ZooMed HygroTherm hooked up to a fogger and heat mat so their humidity doesn’t drop below 50% and so their temp doesn’t drop below 75F. i got the fogger on amazon... and the HygroTherm too. together they’re pretty expensive but it really is worth it to get these frogs set up correctly. plus my HygroTherm has worked consistently and without fail for almost 8 continuous years now. really is among the best $70 i’ve spent. and for the fogger i should mention i’ve had to sort of cut a small hole in the top mesh of the cage to avoid the metal mesh of the lid rusting. i can take a picture to show you what i mean if you’d like. the frogs don’t mind; they can’t even climb onto the mesh and they never try to either. their safety and comfort is #1 so i found a way that works, lol.

as far as substrate goes, most people use Eco Earth coconut fiber. that’s what i used for years until i found josh’s frogs, and i switched to a piece of their frog foam. that shizz is a game changer. no more messy frogs, no more dumping coconut fiber out every cleaning, no more searching for frog poop. the stuff is great, and is reusable for a long time as long as you keep it clean. so that’s what i recommend for substrate.

for lighting, my guys have a dual light fixture on a timer that switches from a 23-watt UVB bulb during the day to one of these at night. the UVB turns on at 9am and it switches to the night light at 9pm.

beyond that, they just need things to climb on and hide in, and a water bowl to soak in clean (bottled) spring water that isn’t so deep that they risk drowning. it’s inevitable that they’ll often use the water bowl as a toilet, so be prepared to clean it every time you see poop in it. in addition to the water bowl my guys have a magnetic ledge, some fake bamboo, a fake vine with suction cups, a piece of driftwood, a reptile hammock, and a small hollow log in their cage. i can take a picture of the entire setup if you’d like. my female spends most of her time in the big piece of bamboo and my smaller male spends most of his time inside the log. my big male Burp is the one who’s all over the place and often sleeps on the magnetic ledge, lol.

when it comes to feeding, they eat every other day, 3 dubia roaches each. and every other feeding, one of their roaches gets dusted with a vitamin supplement, and one gets dusted with a calcium + d3 supplement. roaches that are 1/2” to 5/8” in size are best; any larger may be a choking hazard. if you’re not sure, the general rule is to not give them an insect that’s wider than the space between the eyes of the animal. sub-adult and adult roaches are an absolute no-no for these frogs as they’re wayyyy too big.

i’ll also occasionally give them a wax worm or a couple of phoenix worms to change things up. wax worms should not be given more than a couple of times a month, though, since they’re pretty high in fat and low in nutritious value. like froggy junk food, lol. i tong-feed all of my animals (except my dwarf frogs haha) so there’s never any loose insects in the cage and i always know exactly how much they’ve eaten. white’s take to tong-feeding quite well.

and that’s their basic care! like i said, they’re kinda expensive to set up properly but it’s so worth doing. once you have that out of the way they are pretty dang easy to care for. they don’t really require UVB lighting during the day since they’re a nocturnal species that hides and sleeps during the day; i just have that kind of light for them because they have a live pothos plant in their cage. as long as they’re on a consistent 12-hour day/night cycle, that’s what matters. they do soooo well on a consistent routine.

if you have any questions about their care or if i’ve missed anything, don’t ever hesitate to ask. i love these frogs dearly and am quite happy to help anyone out who’s thinking of getting some of their own. 🌝

Snarkinturtle you don't seem to have any idea about the reptile hobby in general, there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping Reptiles as pet, they may not be as cute or cuddly as a cat or dog but, that does not regard them as any less worthy of being a pet. Just because you don't think they make good pets doesn't mean that someone else might find them fascinating and enjoyable. The turtles that he would be looking at getting would be captive born and breed not wild caught in most cases, by fellow hobbiests such as myself. The hobby has done more for conservation and establishment of captive breeding of endangered animals that you'd have any idea about. Albeit, neither of those species would be ones that I would suggest as a starter for him if he's new to keeping turtles. So I really don't think your response is warrented, go spend more time in /r/Awww.

In response to yesitwas, if your interested in getting a pet turtle, I have had a lot of experience in keeping many species of turtles including the two that you mentioned. 1.) I would highly suggest first doing research in what the requirements would be in keeping one, you'll find that turtles are aquatic and will require an aquarium or tub and a large thorough form of filtration like a canister filter to keep up with the mess that they create. 2.) Next would come the species, the two that you mention get rather large and depending on where you live are illegal to keep in some states, so you would have to check on your state laws. 3.) I would urge you to start out with something that isn't as demanding or difficult in care, and space. Make sure that you are committed before you go bigger. 4.) Consider the costs, those species are not cheep nor is the appropriate set up, and that price will only go up as they get bigger. http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Turtle-Tub-Complete/dp/B002DZG2DE That is a great start off for any species of turtle and covers all your needs right off the bat. 5.) Research, there are plenty of good online reptile forums and information on lots of turtles, have a good look around. Once your ready, if adoption is the way you want to go, there is an excess of common aquatic turtles that people get when they are tiny and cute and sooner or later mom and dad get sick of taking care of them and they have to find new homes, so if you want to go the adoption route just look around I'm sure you could find a little one in need of a good home.

Personally, if you want a pet that you can interact with instead of sit and watch I would go with a Box turtle or Tortoise of some kind they aren't quite as demanding in cleaning and water needs, they are much more social and you can interact with them. Aquatic turtles are more of a watch and enjoy kind of pet, not a handling one. Look into Russian Tortoises, Red Foot Tortoises, or Box Turtles. I think you'll find them much more enjoyable.

Some important crested gecko care sheets: Pangea's and Moon Valley Reptiles. Please become a part of the crested gecko community online like Pangea's forum or Geckos Unlimited; they're great people to get to know and will better be able to answer your crested specific questions. It's not difficult to care for cresteds but there is a lot of misinformation out there and it can be confusing when you're first starting out.

Is she going to be okay with another crested near her size in an 18x24 Exo Terra?
Many people will tell you its OK to house multiples together, but in truth cresties prefer to be solitary animals. Experienced keepers and breeders sometimes keep females (who are the same weight and are very closely monitored as they can injure and bully each-other) together because they run out of space to house multiple geckos. Your two will be happier with separate enclosures and you won't have to worry about lost tails or toes. Check out this video for an example of why they shouldn't be housed together.

How often should I hold her and my other crested
Wait at least 1 week but preferably closer to 30 days before you handled them more than the 1x per week needed to clean their cages. Start with 5 minute sessions and work your way up to longer/ more often. Always hold them while sitting or at least over a table, as they tend to sometimes leap without looking. Learn to hand walk them; there are YouTube vids that explain this well.

If my house is around 70 degrees and I mist regularly will they be okay?
70 to 77ish is a good range, make sure temps don't hover around 80 (too hot) and don't stay for prolonged amounts at anywhere below 65. Humidity needs to stay at 50% to 60% during the day with a nightly misting to raise it to 80% to 100% briefly. Use distilled or dechlorinated water to mist and mix food with, and get good thermometers and hygrometers (the cheap plastic dials can be very inaccurate.) Don't soak the tank at night as this leads to mold, mist just enough so that the humidity falls back into the 50% to 60% during the daytime.

Are there any outward signs of illness I should be aware of?
Keep an eye out for stuck shed, check tail and toes when you handle them. I noticed that your gecko's tail tip looks pretty dark, so make sure that its just pattern and not necrotic from cut off circulation from stuck shed. You can give them a bath in lukewarm water if they are having trouble shedding.

Get a gram scale that measures to 1/10th of a gram (not a kitchen scale, it can't measure in small enough increments) and weigh your geckos at least once a month, every week is better. This is the best way of knowing if one is ill, don't wait until the gecko is very lethargic to take it in to vet. If the gecko looses a some weight, this is a warning that you will most likely need to take them to your local exotic vet or at the very least have the vet do a fecal test for parasites (which they shouldn't make you bring the geckos in for an appointment for.)

What are your opinions on Rapashy diet? Should I supplement insects?
Repashy isn't bad, but some have had issues with their geckos not eating it because it was reformulated recently and some geckos won't eat it now. Here's a good list of other brands your geckos will love. My crew of 11 go nuts for Pangea's watermelon diet.

Don't start feeding insects until your geckos are eating their commercial fruit mix diet, as they may refuse to eat anything but insects which will make them ill as they are fruit eating reptiles and not pure carnivores. Only once they're eating their crested gecko diet can you then introduce insects. Insects once a month as a 'treat' is good, but don't feed insects more often than once per week.

So, insects are great if they are are supplemented with dusting and gutloaded: without this, the insect are not nutritionally balanced enough to feed to cresteds. Here's a helpful list of which insects will provide the best nutrition.

So we are currently two raising two juvenile bearded dragons and I will give you the run down of what they get everyday.

5-8 Appropriately Sized Dubia Roaches
I would not suggest mealworms for a baby bearded dragon. The big issue with mealworms is that bearded dragons can have issues breaking them down. Crickets are another alright option but you can't beat Dubia Roaches. They are apparently 24% protein and unlike Crickets they don't smell, die all the time, or escape your bearded dragon. We have a colony we setup in a 20 gallon aquarium we purchased from https://www.dubideli.com/ but with just one baby you could just easily order a bunch of the size you need. For a baby you are probably looking at starting at the 1/4" sort group For roaches we generally feed them about what they normally eat but if they still look hungry we will keep feeding them roaches until they stop hunting them. Most of the time you can judge by your dragons behavoirs.

Pep-Cal Juvenile Bearded Dragon Food
This is served in a small food bowl. It is a nutritionally balanced commercial bearded dragon diet. You can soften it with either water or 100% juice. We have found that Apple Juice (we use Indian Summer) works best.

Shredded Salad
This is where the real work comes in. If you do not have a food processor I would suggest you get one right away. So every couple of days we make chopped salad in our food processor using vegtables and fruits from this list. I generally try to a good balance of healthy vegetables, if you like I can go into how to grow alfalfa sprouts at home (they are high in protein and calcium). I always make sure to add a little bit of fruit and a splash of apple juice to make it appealing. You will find what your dragons prefer. I know that for example anything that tastes like blackberries will go down well with our female so i always put a bit in the salad.

I just put a small amount of this salad in a food bowl every day and then put the rest in a tupperware container in the fridge. I generally make just enough to last 3 days.

Supplements
You must must be providing your bearded dragon with a Calcium/D3 supplement 3 times a week and a multivitamin once a week. I prefer to "dust" the roaches instead of putting the dust in any of the other foods because I can be guaranteed they will eat the roaches. You can get two jars of vitamin dust that will last you for almost forever. This is what I just pulled off my shelf and what we are currently using: [Flucker's Phosphorus Free Calcium/D3](http://amzn.com/B0002DHPF8} and Rep-Cal Herptivite Mutlivatime (http://amzn.com/B00076HT3S). I just have a vatamin schedule on the fridge.

There are a number of resources for snake ID and this list is nowhere near comprehensive.

Globally, comprehensive species lists are available via Reptile Database Advanced Search. Reptile Database is mostly correct and up to date in terms of taxonomy. Another worldwide resource is Snakes of the World which, in addition to being comprehensive for extant snakes, also provides a wealth of information on fossil taxa.

Regional guides are useful. If you're in North America, the Eastern Peterson Guide and Western Peterson Guide are great tools, as is Snakes of the United States and Canada. While plagiarized and problematic, the book Snakes of Mexico is the best easily accessible information for the region. For Central America, the Kohler book as well as Savage's Costa Rica book are excellent resources. South America is tough but has a diagnostic catalog. Australia has Cogger as a herp bible. SE Asia has two guides one in German and one comprehensive. For Europe, you simply can't get better than the three volumes of Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Africa is also difficult - no comprehensive guide exists but there are a few good regional guides like Reptiles of East Africa and Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa. Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar is a good source for that distinct region. For the Indian subcontinent, use Snakes of India

Remember, species names are hypotheses that are tested and revised - old books become dated by the nature of science itself. One of your best resources is going to be following /r/whatsthissnake, or (for North America) with the SSAR Standard Names List for the most recent accepted taxonomic changes.

Here is an example of a small personal herpetology library.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here and report problems here.

You don't want to wake them up when they are sleeping to handle them... Especially not an iguana. Iguanas do best with routine. Not all iguanas become tame. Iguanas are incredibly smart lizards and if you treat them with respect, understanding that they are smart and you are building a bond with the creature...you'll have a much easier time. It takes a while, and it's not going to be overnight, but with patience it'll mellow out.

I highly, highly recommend this book - we don't carry it, but I read it when I first started working with reptiles beyond my personal collection, and it was the most helpful book about iguana care I've ever read. Iguanas for Dummies

Good luck!

-Jen

One of my all-time favorite herp books is Dragon Songs, which gives a fascinating look into the world of crocodilian communication and social behavior. Crocodile: Evolution's Greatest Survivor is very interesting, too. It's more of a general overview of crocodilians.

I also found this one that looks pretty good: American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World.

Dragon Songs is probably the best on the list, simply because it takes such an interesting approach to understanding crocodilians.

I alredy have the cage was planning on using it just for a month or so and will then build one once school is out. Also would this be a good humidifier
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0019IHK9Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?qid=1368539926&sr=8-6&pi=SL75

I bought this on another users recommendation, https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00A8RI8TK/ref=ya_st_dp_summary