Reptile Care

Because of legal protections, most native reptiles cannot be kept as pets because the law prohibits it. In most cases, the only places that are permitted to house these creatures are zoos and zoological parks. Reptiles that aren’t native to Australia are subject to stricter regulations under the law since the country recognizes the tremendous threat they represent to its ecosystems.

If you have discovered or rescued a reptile, tortoise, lizard, crocodile, snake, or frog, it is in the best interest of the animal to quickly make arrangements with an organization that rehabilitates wildlife for the animal to be returned to its natural habitat.

Reptiles and Frogs as Pets

Keeping non-protected native reptiles demands specialized care and management of the animals. Animals such as tortoises, lizards, snakes, and frogs have specific living conditions and care requirements that must be met. The vast majority of reptiles are timid creatures, so touching them too much will stress them out. It is in your best interest to conduct some preliminary study before attempting to maintain a reptile as a pet since the majority of reptiles need a specific license to be kept as such.

Food

The majority of the time, domesticated snakes are used to feasting on freshly deceased mice, rats, and chickens. There is a possibility that lizards need a more involved omnivorous diet with the addition of certain nutrients. The typical food for turtles consists of meat, although calcium supplementation is necessary to prevent shell abnormalities from occurring in the animals. You should seek guidance on the appropriate food for your reptile to fulfill the requirements that are unique to the species. We can assist you in answering questions on the best diet for the reptile.

Housing

Reptiles should be housed properly, since improper housing may lead to a variety of health issues. Because of the risk of injury, reptiles should never be housed in cages made of wire. Enclosures must be constructed from the appropriate material, whether plastic, glass, or wood. Temperature is of the utmost importance, and some species of reptiles must be allowed to bask under a heat lamp that has its temperature precisely controlled. To prevent the animal from being burned, the heat lamp has to be kept out of its reach.

The levels of humidity, ventilation, as well as light all, need to be meticulously calculated and properly controlled. Vivariums, the enclosures in which domestic reptiles spend their lives, come in a range of sizes. When selecting a vivarium for your reptile, make sure it is secure against escape attempts and drafts, and pick a size that corresponds to the amount of space you have available. Remember that as most reptiles grow they will need larger housing. Additionally, the vivarium has to be resistant to both heat and moisture.

Heating and lighting systems are necessities that must be installed in your vivarium. Both lizards and snakes need heat to properly digest the food they consume and to maintain their busy lifestyles.

The animal’s vivarium should have sufficient space for it to be able to move about, investigate its surroundings, and engage in other active pursuits. The floor of the cage may need to be made out of a mix of absorbent paper, sand, smooth gravel, and leaf litter. The animal may need special regions in the habitat that is appropriate for hibernating. A regular supply of potable water, ideally rainwater, must be made available for drinking, as well as for swimming and other forms of immersion, to maintain an appropriate body temperature and enough skin moisture.

Shedding

For them to continue growing, reptiles must routinely lose their skin. Check the feet of the lizards in the vivarium carefully for any pieces of old skin that haven’t come off and remove any that you find. Make sure any old skin that was in the vivarium has been removed. To facilitate the shedding of older skin, it is possible that adding bigger rocks as well as gravel to the vivarium will be required.

Health Problems

Because keeping reptiles as pets is far more complicated than keeping other types of pets, owners often run into issues with their pets’ health as a result of improper housing, temperatures, humidity, and nutrition. Parasitic disorders, such as those caused by intestinal worms and skin mites, as well as a wide range of infections and traumas, might all contribute to the development of problems. As soon as you see any indications of illness or damage on your reptile, you must get it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Because keeping reptiles might expose their keepers to illnesses like bacterial infections, keepers must constantly wash their hands before and after touching, cleaning, or feeding their animals. A specialized veterinarian who treats reptiles should do yearly parasite exams on all of the animals in the collection. Be sure that any additional reptiles, such as a snakes or lizard, have been quarantined before adding them to a combined habitat. In a vivarium, you should never house snakes and lizards together. When housing reptiles in a combined habitat, ensure you do adequate research as even different types of snakes cannot be housed together. The same goes for lizards – lizards of different types need different environments.

Handling

The method of handling will change based on the kind of reptile that you are working with. Some species of lizard are more hostile than others, and those that are more hostile are more likely to bite. Before you handle a lizard, you should make sure you have a good understanding of its behavior and its breed. Wearing gloves is usually a good idea, particularly if the lizard tends to bite very often; nonetheless, the vast majority of pet lizards are rather small and won’t do any damage even if they bite.

When it comes to managing a snake, you must have a solid understanding of both the breed and behavior of the snake in question. Several species of snakes are not only hazardous but also hostile and even venomous. However, non-aggressive and non-venomous snakes that are often kept as pets, such as the Carpet Python, are an exception. Keeping venomous snakes is not recommended as pets as they require special care and handling and are potentially lethal.

Professional Advice

Each type of reptile has its own unique set of requirements. We ask that you visit to our facility prior to bringing home a reptile so that our veterinary team can have a conversation with you about the requirements of your reptile. This will help ensure a long, healthy life for your pet.