Fundamental Reptile Info Flashcards
Daily Tasks in the Reptile Department
Spot clean tanks and remove poop
• Turn on lights
Ensure every tank is operating at the correct temperature and humidity for the animal in the enclosure
Remove dirt from dishes
• Remove salads after 2 hours
Ensure all tanks are locked
Interact with all guests in the department
Dust/Front/Face stock
• Empty garbage cans, bring bags outside, replace with fresh bags
Tip Sheets
Tip sheets cover the 4 Basic Needs and are an invaluable resource of information!
• Use them for every single adoption to ensure every need is met
• Not available for every reptile because there are so many
Care Sheets
• Very similar to a tip sheet, but with fewer details
• Must be used with every adoption
Nutrition
Crickets
• Most common protein source
• Available in 2 week, 3 week, 4 week, 5 week
• General rule: lizards’ prey should be no larger than 2/3 the length of the reptile’s head
• Crickets should be offered cricket food and water gel to keep them alive and more nutritionally beneficial to the reptile
Calcium
• Calcium powder with vitamin D3 must be added to the food of diurnal reptiles. (Reptiles who are awake during the day)
• Calcium powder must be added to the food of nocturnal reptiles. (Reptiles who are awake during the night)
• Calcium is essential in preventing brittle bones and other bone disorders
Salad
• It is important that reptiles have a balanced diet. Feeding only protein from crickets is not sufficient, so vegetation through salads must also be offered
• In general, dark greens are more beneficial than light green vegetation. Avoid citrus fruits as they are too acidic
• For bearded dragons, a juvenile’s diet is 20-30% vegetation. By the time he is full grown, the majority of his diet will be vegetation with protein sources being fed 2-3 times per week
• Remove the salad after 1-2 hours
Live vs Frozen
Petland supports the feeding of frozen food items to snakes. Why?
• Live food items can fight back, leaving the snake badly injured
• Keeping live feeder items requires care and effort, whereas storing them in the freezer until ready to feed is more convenient.
Misters
• Tropical, amongst some desert reptiles, benefit greatly from daily misting or fog
• Added moisture can help with shedding
• For those who do not enjoy misting (i.e. some snakes), offering a dish large enough to bathe in is important for shedding
• Bearded dragons should be misted 1-2 times a week - but only the lizard, not the terrarium
• A large water dish for bathing should always be offered as Bearded Dragons draw moisture from the water
Litter Scoop
• A litter scoop makes spot cleaning very easy
• Reptile enclosures should be spot cleaned daily
Cage Cleaners
• Cages must be fully cleaned once a week
• Reptile-safe terrarium cleaners or a mild soap with water can be used
Water Conditioner
• Water conditioner makes our tap water safe for reptiles to drink
• Should be used for drinking water, misters, and other sources of water
Dishes
Reptiles should have a dish for salads, supplement foods, and water
. Tongs can be used to offer crickets, worms, and frozen feeder items
• Not every reptile drinks water from a dish. Some, like the crested geckos, will prefer drinking drops off of leaves or walls
• If a water dish is used, make sure the reptile can get out if he falls in
Sand
Recommended Reptile:
- desert dwelling snakes
- large reptiles
Guests Should Know:
- can be swallowed and lead to impaction
- not recommended with bearded dragons
Reptile Carpet
Recommended Reptile
- young reptiles
- convalescing reptiles
- bearded dragons
Guests Should Know
- comes in green, brown, and desert
Aspen Bedding
Recommended Reptile
- burrowing snakes
Guests Should Know
- not for use with heat pads
Plantation Soil
Recommended Reptile
- rainforest or high humidity reptiles
Guests Should know
- also good for dry set ups after it has been expanded and dried
Humidity
• It can be a challenge to maintain a high humidity level. Suggestions include:
• Adding moss to the terrarium because it can hold moisture
• Including a fogger in the set up
• Offering a larger water dish
• Humidity can be monitored by having a hygrometer
Heat
• The most common format of heat comes from light bulbs such as ceramic and incandescent
• Other formats include heat pads and heat rocks (these formats are awesome for Bearded Dragons!)
• Create a gradient of temperature by placing the light fixture on one end of the tank
• Reptiles are ectothermic
• Without heat:
• reptiles cannot digest their food and will become sick
• reptiles will be less active and their metabolism decreases
UV Lighting
• UVB is essential to produce vitamin D3, which is necessary to process calcium
• 10.0, 200, or 150 are for desert reptiles
• 5.0 or 100 is sufficient for tropical reptiles who live in the canopies or receive slightly filtered sun
• 2.0 or 100 is sufficient for tropical reptiles who receive heavilv filtered sun
• UVA allows the reptile to perceive their surroundings more accurately. This allows them to find their food source, mates, and predators
Hiding Huts
• Huts offer privacy and security
• Without a hut, the reptile is left feeling very stressed
• Sometimes not having a hut will cause a reptile to stop eating
Decorations
• Decorations allow the reptile to perform ratural behaviours such as climbing and basking
• Bearded Dragons love using hammocks to climb and lounge on!
Secure Lid
• Many reptiles are escape artists. Ensuring lids are secure and locked will keep the reptile safe
Tanks
• Arboreal reptiles (tree dwellers) prefer tanks that are tall rather than wide
• Bearded Dragons, for example, prefer tanks that are wide (~48”) rather than tall (~20”)
• Terrestrial reptiles (land dwellers)
prefer tanks that are wide rather than tall
