Fundamental Reptile Info

Question 1

Daily Tasks in the Reptile Department

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Tip Sheets

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Care Sheets

Answer 3

• Very similar to a tip sheet, but with fewer details
• Must be used with every adoption

Question 4

Nutrition

Crickets

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

Calcium

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Salad

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

Live vs Frozen

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Misters

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Litter Scoop

Answer 9

• A litter scoop makes spot cleaning very easy
• Reptile enclosures should be spot cleaned daily

Question 10

Cage Cleaners

Answer 10

• Cages must be fully cleaned once a week

• Reptile-safe terrarium cleaners or a mild soap with water can be used

Question 11

Water Conditioner

Answer 11

• Water conditioner makes our tap water safe for reptiles to drink

• Should be used for drinking water, misters, and other sources of water

Question 12

Dishes

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Sand

Answer 13

Recommended Reptile:
- desert dwelling snakes
- large reptiles
Guests Should Know:
- can be swallowed and lead to impaction
- not recommended with bearded dragons

Question 14

Reptile Carpet

Answer 14

Recommended Reptile
- young reptiles
- convalescing reptiles
- bearded dragons
Guests Should Know
- comes in green, brown, and desert

Question 15

Aspen Bedding

Answer 15

Recommended Reptile
- burrowing snakes
Guests Should Know
- not for use with heat pads

Question 16

Plantation Soil

Answer 16

Recommended Reptile
- rainforest or high humidity reptiles
Guests Should know
- also good for dry set ups after it has been expanded and dried

Question 17

Humidity

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

Heat

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

UV Lighting

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Hiding Huts

Answer 20

• 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

Question 21

Decorations

Answer 21

• Decorations allow the reptile to perform ratural behaviours such as climbing and basking
• Bearded Dragons love using hammocks to climb and lounge on!

Question 22

Secure Lid

Answer 22

• Many reptiles are escape artists. Ensuring lids are secure and locked will keep the reptile safe

Question 23

Tanks

Answer 23

• 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