REPTILE HUSBANDRY

Husbandry is the care and maintenance of your pet, and this is a very important part of captive reptile care. Reptiles have not had the thousands of years of domestication that dogs and cats have had to develop into a pet. As a result, they are truly wild and need to be handled as such. The majority of health problems we see captive reptiles for revolve around nutrition and cage life. A well maintained environment helps keep your pet free of parasites, encourages normal eating and stimulates normal behavior.

Housing

• Enclosure should be secure with tight-fitting lid. It should be simple and easy to clean with smooth sides to prevent abrasions.
  
• Plexiglas, acrylic or glass are preferred materials. If wood is used, seal w/ polyurethane or waterproofing agent and caulk the joints to allow for cleaning and disinfection. (Allow to air out before placing reptile in.)
  
• The enclosure should be large enough for climbing and other activity; provide climbing branches of appropriate diameter.
  
• Food, water bowls and water pools should be placed for easy access and frequent cleaning.
  
• A good disinfectant is 1/2 cup bleach in 1 gallon of water; rinse well and dry before exposing lizard!
  
• Avoid allowing lizards free roam of the house to prevent chilling (no access to heat source), trauma and escape.
  
• If it’s absolutely necessary to house two of the same species together, make sure they are the same size animal, they are not both males, the enclosure is large enough with lots of complexity so they can stay out of sight of each other, and separate accesses are available to heat, UV light, food, water.
  
• Avoid reflective surfaces and mirrors.
  
• Acceptable substrates are newspaper, brown butcher paper, cypress mulch, organic (recycled) cellulose fiber, lab animal bedding pellets, alfalfa pellets.
  
• Unacceptable substrates are sand, pea gravel, aquarium rocks, ground corn cob, artificial grasses, walnut shell - anything that can be ingested and cause impaction; cedar chips may cause toxicity.

Light

• Full spectrum light is essential for most lizards for behavioral and psychological benefits, and activation of vitamin D.
  
• Sources of light (decreasing effectiveness): unfiltered direct sunlight, UV-B sun lamp- medical grade, FS-type fluorescent sun lamp, Black Light fluorescent tubes (General Electric Co), Vita-Lite fluorescent tubes (Duro-Lite Lamp- replace every 9-12 mo).
  
• Of no value to reptiles are: wide spectrum plant lights, wide spectrum aquaria white lights or black light blue tubes.
  
• Artificial UV sources should be no more than 18-24" away from reptile.
  
• Light should not be filtered by glass or plastic.
  
• Sunlamps (medical grade UV-B ) can be put on timer for 15-20 min/day; (caution: avoid human exposure, eye contact).
  

Heat

• An incandescent lamp may be used in the daytime as an additional source of heat (turn off at night).
  
• If hot rocks or logs are used, they should be covered with fabric to prevent contact burns on animals.
  
• Radiant heat is best; provide heating gradients with both horizontal and vertical axis, and allow reptile to bask and seek its optimal temperature.
  
• Can use combinations: thermal pads under substrate, thermal pads along back or side of enclosure, spot heat lamps, reflector lamps or coils on timers for several hours mid-day ( lamps can raise focal spot temperature10-15°).
  
• If absolutely necessary to maintain ambient temperature at night and thermal pad heating is not sufficient, ceramic infrared bulbs can be used at night (avoid Teflon-coated heat lamps).
  
• Monitor areas of cage with thermometers and observe where lizard is spending time.
  
• Temperature ranges preferable: tropical species = 77.9 - 98.6°F, temperate species 75.2 - 85.1°F.
  

Humidity and Water

• Most desert species need < 50% humidity. Tropical forest species need 60-80%.
  
• Good ventilation is required to prevent mold and bacteria growth.
  
• Drinking water can be provided in bowls or crocks for most.
  
• Chameleons, geckos and anoles require water droplets from leaves: mist enclosure daily or provide drip system.
  
• Provide humidity monitor within cage.
  
• To correct low humidity: place damp sponges in hide boxes, create humidity box (holes in side of plastic food containers & partially fill with damp sphagnum moss), frequently mist with plant mister, use room humidifier or vaporizer.
  
• Hide box for visual security can be made from cardboard box or plant pot.
  
• Real or artificial plants can be used in enclosure.
  

Segments of information above from: Exotic Companion Medicine Handbook.

The Animal Health Clinic recommends annual wellness visits for all reptiles. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at: 701-237-9310