Reptile Care Information

Dragon Care   |   Snake Care |   Turtle Care   |   Frog Care

Dragon Care

To prevent disease problems in your bearded dragon, its environment should have ideal temperature, humidity and day-length.

Housing

Bearded dragons are ecto-thermic, they can not regulate their own temperature so their body temperature changes depending on the environment. When bearded dragons are cold their body slows down. They need heat to feed, be active, healthy and breed.

• The preferred body temperature of bearded dragons is 35-39 degrees. Enclosures need to be kept at a range of 2-3 degrees either side of their body temperature.
• A 40-75 watt blue light or an infrared heat lamp should be provided at one end of the enclosure. Rocks or logs need to be placed under or around the heat lamp for basking.
• A good source of ultraviolet light (either natural sunlight or artificial UV light) helps prevent vitamin D deficiency, skin and bone disorders. You will need to replace the light every 3-6 months.
• Ideally, the enclosure should be made from wood and Perspex, and should be large enough for movement.
• A humidity level of 35-75% should be maintained. (Place a shallow dish of water in the enclosure.)
• Thermometers and humidity gauges are essential.

Feeding

Bearded dragons are omnivores and opportunistic feeders readily eating anything that moves or that they can fit in their mouth. They have a simple stomach with the caecum enlarged to aid in plant digestion and the tract ends in the cloaca.

Bearded dragons in the wild

Bearded dragons are diurnal and have a wide variety of food available in the wild. They need heat to be active, so in the wild they will often bask in the morning sun until their body has warmed enough to have the energy to forage or hunt for their food. Then they will bask in the afternoon sun to digest their food. In the wild, juveniles and adults will eat different types of food, some examples of food in the wild are:

• Small insects
• Worms
• Crickets
• Cockroaches
• Some leaves and grasses
• Some species of flowers
• Leafy greens
• Seasonal fruits
• Small rodents

Bearded dragons in captivity

The domestic bearded dragon’s diet should be close to the diet in the wild. Any fruits and vegetables must be fresh and needs to be chopped into small pieces, no bigger that the space between their eyes. The food needs to be able to move smoothly along the digestive tract to avoid impaction. Any food that the bearded dragon has not eaten needs to be removed.
Fruits and vegetables that can be offered are:

• Strawberries
• Cabbage
• Bok Choy
• Apple
• Broccoli
• Dandelion
• Cauliflower
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Pumpkin
• Spinach

Presentation of vegetables can be in a small bowl. Hygiene is important, fruits and vegetables need to be stored in the refrigerator to stay fresh, and the feeding bowl must be cleaned before and after every use to avoid contamination of any kind. Fresh water should also be given every day to every second day and can be offered in a similar type bowl but needs to also be big enough for the bearded dragon to bath in.

Live food like crickets and cockroaches should also be offered to the bearded dragon and can be sourced at most reptile supplier or pet stores. Live food will entice the bearded dragon to chase and hunt their food. Bearded dragon pellets are also available and come in different sixes; the pellets are made up of mixed ingredients but should not be the dragon’s only source of food. Small amounts of wet mixed cat food (no fish or any sea food) can also be given.

Frequency of feeding

Juvenile’s food should be 60-70% meat and 40-30% vegetation. Adults should get 30% meat and 70 vegetation.

Hatchlings – (approx. 0-3 months) should be fed small amounts of food 2-3 times a day.
Juveniles – (the first year of the bearded dragon’s life) they should be fed every day then as they grow to an adult feeding can be reduced to every second day, then every third day.
Adults full grown – can be fed once a week. Their diet will consist mainly of vegetables but approx. 30% can be live food.
Monitor your bearded dragon’s diet until a feeding routine is found that suits them specifically. Bearded dragons also need a calcium supplement to grow and it’s even more important in juveniles and pregnant females. Bearded dragons will require this for life. These supplements can be purchased at most reptile supplier or pet stores. The amount of supplement will depend on the age of the bearded dragon. Follow directions provided with the specific product.

If bearded dragons do not show interest in the food that is offered there can be many different reasons why. They will feed more in summer months and in winter if cooled down will reduce feeding or not eat all. Bearded dragons need to be warm enough to feed and to digest their food so the environment, temperature, time of feeding and health of the bearded dragon needs to be considered every time food is given. The food that is given must always be fresh with supplements given throughout their life.

If housing together, hatchlings and juveniles can be competitive over food, if one hatchling is more competitive then another they can cause injury to one another, the hatchling that is more well fed will become food dominant and may start nipping the smaller hatchlings and biting their toes. If this is evident the larger hatchlings will need to be separated from the smaller hatchlings.

Health Care

Diseases in bearded dragons

There are many different health issues that can occur with bearded dragons. One common disease seen in reptiles, mostly lizards is Metabolic bone disease (MBD). There can be a few causes, one of them being a lack of calcium in their diet. Temperature can also affect calcium absorption; they need the heat to properly digest their food. Bearded dragons also need UV lighting to assist in the absorption of calcium. If bearded dragons do not receive the correct amount of calcium, they will start to absorb it from other parts of the body, including their bones.

Some symptoms seen in bearded dragons with MBD are:

• Weakness
• Bone fractures
• Stunted growth
• Bent bones
• Lethargy
• Decrease in activity and eating

Prevention is better than cure, so monitoring your bearded dragons diet intake, giving the correct amount of calcium supplement and providing the desirable environment for your bearded dragon will ensure your bearded dragon lives a happy and healthy life.

Medical requirements

• Worming every six months.
• Annual health check.

Snake Care

Housing

Each species of python has its own preferred body temperature. The enclosure should be 2-3 degrees either side of the body temperature.

• A 40-75 watt blue light or an infrared heat lamp should be provided at one end of the enclosure. Rocks or logs need to be placed under or around the heat lamp for basking.
• A good source of ultraviolet light (either natural sunlight or artificial UV light) helps prevent vitamin D deficiency, skin and bone disorders. You will need to replace the light every 3-6 months.
• Ideally, the enclosure should be made from wood and Perspex, and should be large enough for the python move around freely and stretch out.
• A humidity level of 35-75% should be maintained. (Place a shallow dish of water in the enclosure.)
• Thermometers and humidity gauges are essential.

Feeding

Pythons will eat once a week to once a fortnight for most of the year. In winter your python will feed less to nothing at all (which is normal).

• Temperature of the enclosure determines whether your python is going to eat and digest the food. A sudden drop in temperature after feeding commonly leads to regurgitation or decay of food in the stomach.
• Whole dead prey like mice, rats and chicks should be offered. Live prey may attack and injure your snake.

Shedding

• Shedding is the replacement of old skin with new skin.
• Younger snakes shed every few months. Adults once to twice a year.
• Snakes shed their skin by rubbing their snout along a rough object until the skin splits, then they continue rubbing along their body until they are completely free.
• Correct temperature and humidity is required for a complete shed in one piece.
• A change in colour (usually dull) and a development of a blue tinge are the most common signs prior to shedding.
• Failure to shed completely may lead to infections.
• Causes of abnormal shedding – Incorrect temperature

– Incorrect humidity
– No rough object to start the shedding process
– Not enough daylight (10-14 hrs per day)
– Illness or disease.

• How to help the process: – Correct humidity 35-75%

– Correct temperature for your species of snake
– Spray the snake and the enclosure twice a day during shedding.

Health Care

• Worming every six months.
• Annual health check.

Turtle Care

Turtles spend most of their lives in the water, but they do enjoy regular access to sunshine.

Diet

• Turtles feed on aquatic animals and plants.
• Turtles need a good variety of vegetables eg: carrot, capsicum, bok choy, spinach and other green leafy vegetables.
• Whole fish, like whitebait (not fish fillet) is ideal food.
• Once a week replace the fish with a meal of preferably bloodworms.
• Short neck turtles also enjoy occasional crustaceans (prawns or yabbies), or insects (crickets & woodies).
• Feed turtles in the water, they will eat while submerged.
• Young small turtles (10-50 cent piece size) feed every day.
• Older turtles (1-2 years of age) feed every second day.
• Larger turtles (butter plate to a dinner plate size) should be fed 2-3 times a week.

Housing

• Water temperature for your turtle should be kept at 24-26 degrees.
• A UVB light source should be used (helps with calcium absorption).
• Rocks and timber should be provided for the turtle to rest out of the water.
• Regular water change.

Nutritional Problems

• Overfeeding will lead to dirty water, liver problems and severe skin and shell problems.
• Failure to feed veggies and whole fish will lead to severe nutritional deficiencies, and soft shell from lack of calcium.
• Turtle dinners and pellets are not a whole diet, and if fed as a major source of food, will lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Frog Care

Frogs come in a wide variety of different species, and each has its own requirement for temperature, humidity level and general environment.  It is, therefore, extremely important that you research the type of frog you have purchased or are considering purchasing.  Providing an environment for your frog that is as close as possible to its natural environment will make for a happier and healthier frog.

Husbandry

Frogs prefer a moist terrarium/aquarium. There are four basic types of enclosures:

1. Arboreal
2. Terrestrial
3. Semi aquatic
4. Aquatic

Your enclosure should have the following features:

• Security (to prevent the frog from escaping)
• Moisture (Not too warm. You can raise the moisture level by regularly spraying with water.)
• An environment replicating the natural environment of the species (Climbers need a tall terrarium with branches. Ground dwellers need a larger surface area)
• Frogs love, and need, hiding places
• Temperature should be 18-26 deg C (However, this can vary with different species)
• Tubular fluorescent lamps for the plants
• Ventilation
• Basking sites/rocks
• Pool (Clean bottled water in a dish large enough for the frog to completely submerge itself. Frogs don’t drink water; they absorb it through their skin.)

Diet

Adult frogs are carnivores. They feed on insects/crickets. Small frogs should be fed every 1-2 days. Large frogs can be fed once or twice a week.

Frogs swallow their food whole with limited, or no, chewing, so feeding the correct size of crickets/insects is important. Provide food that will easily fit in your frog’s mouth, ie:

• Fruit flies
• Termites
• Crickets
• Mealworms

Do not feed more crickets than your frog will eat at once. (Crickets are ravenous feeders, and if allowed, will eat a hole in your frog.)
Remember to sprinkle the food with a vitamin and mineral supplement dust.

Aquatic species may have:

• Earthworms
• Fish
• Frozen food

Hygiene

Daily cleaning of your frog’s tank is needed.
Always remove any dead or leftover food, and always remove faeces to prevent any associated parasites.

Warnings

• Do not use harsh chemicals around your frog’s tank.
• Do not use tap water for your frog (If you do, then also use a pet-store bought chlorine remover, or distil the water yourself.).
• For your own health, and your frog’s health, always wash your hands before and after handling your pet frog.