This article continues this previous article on Keeping Pet Reptiles.

Humidity: Humidity in a reptile’s enclosure is important at all times. It can influence  appetite and shedding. Each species has its own level but most are like the tropical species  and prefer a humidity level between 65-90%. To humidify your terrarium,  vivarium or reptiles’ habitat and maintaining the correct level of humidity in the reptiles’   enclosure can be achieved by some simple arrangements within the pets’ home.

For snakes or large lizards a good and effective source of humidity can be created by  using a tub or a shallow ground pond that has a large surface area. Humidity in a  terrarium or vivarium can be created by having a full container of water placed upon the  roof. This reservoir of water will be used to create a large amount of humidity for the  reptiles’ enclosure. Pierce the bottom of the container with a very small hole and direct  the water drops onto your selected area within the terrarium, vivarium and reptile  enclosures. The flow of the water droplets should not create any large wet spots on the  reptile enclosure’s floor. Position on the floor of the reptiles’ habitat, terrarium or  vivarium a suitable escape or hide container filled with any natural water-retaining  material. Allow the retaining material to evaporate dry of moisture and then add more water. This will create humidity within a small area that your pet can retreat into.

VENTILATION: Vents that allow exchange of air over time without creating a wind  tunnel are recommended. Reptiles have fairly low metabolic rates so as long as the air is   replaced over time they seem to cope quite well. Also, the doors themselves let air in so   they inadvertently become part of the ventilation system.

TERRARIUMS: Can be designed to your individual taste and be made of all sorts of  different materials such as acrylic, glass, wood, aluminum etc. (acrylics have better solar light transmittance than glass).

The decor is very important – use branches, abrasives to promote shedding, shelters, waterfalls, streams, mirrors, dolls (to prevent aggression and self-mutilation), insects or moving objects to avoid boredom. Snakes like to be in a group, iguanas like tactile contact  at night, auditory stimuli as well as hygiene and cleanliness. For your pet to adjust to its  new environment it is advisable to create their terrarium as closely to their natural  habitat as possible.

BASE: Preferred materials are newspaper, artificial grass, peat, compost, bark or gravel  and stones of a size that cannot be swallowed.

DIET/NUTRITION: Variations in temperature play a key role in the metabolism of reptiles. This is a result of their ectothermic nature and their dependency on  environmental temperatures. A reptile’s metabolic rate determines the amount of food that it requires to live and move about. It is this dependency on environmental temperatures rather than an internal metabolism that creates a problem for most owners of captive reptiles. If a captive reptile is kept at sub-optimal temperatures and fed too much it may cause anorexia due to the reptile’s lack of activity caused by the cooler temperatures and lowered metabolic rate, which cause improper digestion while being maintained on a constant diet. The same is also true for reptiles that are kept under conditions that are too warm and are  under fed. These reptiles will continue to increase in movement as their metabolic rate  increases and continue to burn energy faster than it is being supplied. Illness, reproduction and growth may also equally effect metabolism.

The frequency of feeding depends greatly on the metabolic rate, as mentioned earlier. Active species, like garter snakes, will require more frequent feedings than will less active species, like boa  constrictors. The nutritional qualities of the foods being offered will also play a role in the required frequency of feeding. For example: Garter snakes and Racers may be fed once weekly, larger Lizards like the Gila monster and the Savannah monitor should be fed once or twice a week, whereas some species of Aquatic Turtles, while they may present the  appearance of a slow metabolic rate, actually have a higher rate and require feeding on a daily basis. There are four basic food preferences among the countless species of reptiles.  A carnivorous diet consists of meats, an insectivorous diet consists of insects, a  herbivorous diet consists of plant matter and an omnivorous diet may consist of a  combination of the other three groups. While each species has its own unique dietary  requirements, its preference for specific food items is largely based on its natural  geographic location and the types of food items that are readily available in that location. These four basic diets may be broken down into two separate groups. Those, which  consist of animal proteins and those that consist of plant proteins. In general, herbivores  must have 80% of vegetable + fruit (60-80% salad vegetables and 10-15% fruit, 10% or  once a week animal protein which can be dog food and another 10% of rabbit feed  (alfalfa), plus three times a week additional vitamin supplements.

This article was published in Costa Blanca News.

About 64% of all Spanish households own pets. Reptiles represent a total of 4% with demand increasing steadily, especially for the more exotic and rare species (there are more than 8,100 species of reptiles). This makes customers more demanding in terms of ownership, maintenance and for veterinary expertise. Vets must be increasingly aware of all aspects of keeping and maintaining the different species.

This means we not only have to know about their condition and medicine but also their  management, biology, physiology, legal requirements and regulations (CITES) and everything to do with their world which is tremendously variable. 90% of disease in  reptiles are due to mismanagement at the place of origin or by the owner.

The variety of reptile pets assisted in our clinic is:
Turtle: 50% (40% land and 10% freshwater)
Lizards: 40% (30% Iguanas, Chameleons 3%, 7% other Lizards (Dragons, Geckos ….)
Snakes: 10% snakes (especially Pythons and Boas)
Crocodiles: 0.1%

In this article we will try and introduce the world of reptiles to you, albeit in a very concise and practical manner with emphasis on the most popular species.

HERPETOLOGY: the study of reptiles.
The Greek HERPETON: Reptile meaning: animal that creeps or crawls.
The fundamental characteristic of reptiles is that the animals have a body temperature
which is variable and dependent on external heat sources (wrongly called ‘cold-blooded’).
Before citing the most common species, it is important to briefly stress upon the most important points before purchasing and owning a reptile… which is how to have and design the best terrarium for them so to avoid as many pathologies as possible.

Faced with a huge choice, the decision factors besides the price should be knowledge about their requirements with regards to temperature and living space, what adult size  they reach and their temperament. Look out for: how the animal presents itself at the  time of acquisition: their colouring is very important if they are ill… the colour is off, the  eyes should be bright and clean, not watery, closed or sunk.

Ask if the animal has eaten before you buy, check the tail and legs to see if there are any obvious signs of mineral deficiencies. As with any pet you need to decide before  purchasing what you are looking for and what fits in with your live style. For example you  buy a very nice and small iguana one day which as a fully grown adult will be up to  two feet long and weigh eight kilos and has a life expectancy of some 30 plus years. There  are some turtles that bite, some that are very dirty and require water filters and a lengthier cleaning regime, as well as a whole host of different situations that one must be aware of in advance, as each species has unique needs and very different characteristics. Mismanagement of one or more of the following factors will determine if a reptile is best  suited or not.

TEMPERATURE: is the main factor to control because all of the animal’s vital functions  are dependant on it, such as immunity, wound healing, drug response, motor activity, neurological, reproductive, feeding, grasping capacity, digestion and enzyme activity (for example at 28° C it will take a snake five days to digest a rabbit and at 18º C 15 days. Reptiles have no temperature control so if kept too cold all functions such as digestion and nutrient absorption will slow down causing deficiencies or digestive fermentations and also predispose to immunosuppression, increasing susceptibility to infections and diseases of all types.

There should be hot and cold zones within the terrarium thus allowing the animal to choose and achieve its optimal body temperature (TCO). It is important to avoid  hypothermia and heat stroke as they are very sensitive to the slightest increase of the  critical points (max. temp/ min. temp), especially the tropical or non native. Each species  has its own TCO which we need to be aware of and know how to adjust, we must also  know which species hibernates or not. TCO (optimal body temperature) is normally  between 26-29º C and TOP (optimal preferred zone) between 22 to 32º C depending on  the species. Nightime temperatures are usually less, ranging between 20-24º C. All of the  guidelines  are dependant on the nutritional and health status of the animal, sick animals often require an increase over baseline. There are various heaters available such as stone heaters, special spot lamps, heated blankets etc. which always need to be at a  distance to the animal or covered to avoid burning. Additional thermostats are also useful  for extra safety. Bulbs (incandescent lamps between 25-60W for a volume of 30 litres)  are placed at the top mostly for heating the area of branches (for tree species), in general  the heaters should only cover half or a max. of threequarters of the total area, allowing  space for cold spots. It is not advisable that the temperature is uniform and it’s best to  control each area with a separate thermometer. Blankets are good for quarantine, but not  for aquaterrariums. Keeping your home at a constant temperature of 22-25ºC is also helpful.

LIGHT: influences appetite, synthesis of vitamin D3 and calcium absorption, particularly in lizards and UVA rays (320-400nm) influence the behavior and psyche. Minimum photoperiod from nine hours daily, except for nocturnal species. In summertime 12-14 hours in light and 10-12 in darkness is advisable whereas in winter the light hours should  shorten to eigh-nine hours.

Recommended lights are neon or fluorescent lamps or better still direct sunlight, however the conventional fluorescent bulb is not sufficient and UVB lamps, the most similar to the  sun are expensive and must be renewed every 9-12 months to ensure their effectiveness.

This article was published in Costa Blanca News.