Heres a great dos and donts list from reptilesmagazine. Awesome tips for the beginner herp/reptile keeper! Herpkeeping Dos - Do research any animal you’re thinking about buying, to be sure you can care for it properly. - Do have the enclosure set up before bringing a new herp home. - Do quarantine new specimens before adding them to an enclosure containing other animals. - Do set up a temperature gradient for reptiles, so they can thermoregulate. - Do provide hiding places for your herps; this makes them feel secure. - Do pay attention to the cleanliness of your reptile enclosures, especially aquatic turtle tanks. - Do try to find a reptile-knowledgeable veterinarian in your area. - Do know how big an animal will be when full grown, especially if you’re thinking about buying a baby. - Do provide UVB lighting for reptiles that are active in the daytime. - Do consider joining a herp club or attending a herp expo. They’re fun! - Do be sure your herp enclosures are escape-proof. Herpkeeping Donts - Don’t buy a reptile (or any animal) on impulse. - Don’t try to scare people with your reptiles, especially if you own snakes. Act responsibly. -Don’t handle all herps too often; many, such as day geckos, are better as display animals than pets that you should handle. - Don’t keep animals that require different habitat types in the same enclosure. - Don’t keep animals illegally. - Don’t neglect your pets. Give them the attention they deserve by performing routine maintenance chores, such as cleaning their enclosures, feeding the proper foods, etc. - Don’t overfeed your animals. This can be unhealthy for them. - Don’t release pets into the wild. - Don’t keep more herps than you can reasonably care for. Avoid “collector-itis” if keeping many reptiles will mean they are neglected. - Don’t purchase sick animals thinking you will take them home and make them well. Start out with healthy animals. - Don’t handle reptiles, especially snakes, too soon after they have fed.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 13:10:16 +0000
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