My Reptiles

Reptiles are my area of expertise having worked professionally as well as keeping a small collection of my own over the years. I started out with a male leopard gecko by the name of Nero, they are often sold as a good beginner species for people new to the hobby. I’m happy to say that he is alive and well still going strong at the ripe old age of 10 which is pretty good for a species with an average life expectancy of 15 years. Did I stop there no my interest in this group of animals only increased as I got older, which brought me to my next addition Eric the bearded dragon. He is also alive and well but younger than Nero at only 8 he’s still got many years left in him. Next I have Sid the African House snake who is 6 years old but can easily live to 20. Finally the last of my collection is Merlin the Horse field tortoise and Mildred my female leopard gecko.

Now you may be wondering how I find the time to feed, clean and generally maintain my collection. It’s all down to planning I have a feeding regime for every one of my animals noting down vital supplements of vitamins and minerals to ensure they stay healthy. I also full clean all the vivarium’s once a week, along with daily poop picks. If you can keep on top of general maintenance then they really look after themselves but leaving it too long in-between cleans can cause issues. As for diet I did my research before buying the animals to make sure I knew what and what not to feed them. This is very important to get right before acquiring a reptile as some require more than one type of food E.g. Bearded dragons need both live food (locusts , Crickets) and leafy greens (Kale, Romanian lettuce, Herbs). Therefore you must be comfortable with handling insects which are still alive without freaking out which could cause stress to your animal. Leopard geckos on the other hand are exclusively insectivores which means they only eat insects. In this instance be sure to provide a good variety of feeder bugs along with the odd dusting of calcium powder to promote healthy bones.

Most Reptiles are long lived Merlin is a Horse field tortoise which means he alone can reach 50 years old on average. Bearded dragons can also reach 20 years old so be aware of this before buying an exotic pet. With this in mind I strive to ensure that I provide a stimulating environment for my animals which means providing enrichment. Enrichment for my tortoise for example is puzzle feeders rather than your average bowl and a deep substrate he can burrow in. The latter may sound dull but it enables him to express natural behaviours which could be oppressed if he didn’t have the choice. Enrichment can be even simpler than that take the leopard geckos for example they like to hide in the day becoming active at night. Therefore providing caves and other hiding spots is really going to improve their welfare, adding or moving hides around the enclosure also encourages foraging or exploratory behaviours. Sid being a snake is a predator so providing enrichment for him can be done in the form of old factory senses e.g. smell. Spreading the scent of the dead rat pup you before feeding around the enclosure will engage his brain into hunting mode. This means he spends more time exploring or creating pathways in his substrate which he actively enjoys doing.

Overall guys if you stick to a good cleaning regime, correct diet and try to make your reptiles life generally more interesting e.g. enrichment then your be on the right track. Reptiles can make great pets but make sure you have everything ready before buying your new animal. Hopefully this segment gives you an idea of how interesting reptiles can be as pets. Next time I will cover some of the rather amusing antics my awesome animals get up too.