Texas Reptile Exchange Inc

Adding a reptile to the household can be a great decision if you have taken the time to choose a species that will fit into your home well. For the health and wellbeing of the animal, it is important to make sure you have their enclosure set up and all your necessary reptile supplies purchased before bringing the animal home. Making a list of necessities is a good way to ensure you have everything you need. While all reptiles require a certain degree of specialization, there are a number of essentials that every species alike will require.

The most obvious essential is the enclosure itself. It is important that the cage is secure and that its material and layout reflect the needs of the species you are keeping. Many snakes prefer a humid environment and use mostly horizontal space, so for small juveniles, a properly sized aquarium with a ventilated lid can make a good enclosure. Arboreal lizards including iguanas prefer a lot of vertical space and climbable walls, so it is important to provide them with mesh walls and a tall enclosure that allows them to stretch their legs and explore every inch of their habitat.

Food and water dishes are also needed, but in different forms for different animals. Some animals such as snakes feed infrequently and on live food only, making a food dish unnecessary. Others such as bearded dragons need freshly chopped fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, making it important to provide them with a shallow ceramic dish to prevent the food from becoming contaminated. Snakes need deep water dishes for soaking and bathing, while desert reptiles such as certain breeds of geckos may prefer a shallow dish that they can occasionally take a sip from.

It is necessary for hygiene and environmental reasons to add a substrate to the habitat. Keeping a substrate instead of a bare floor makes it easier to monitor waste and clean the cage, while certain specialty substrates will help keep environmental factors stable. Juvenile animals should be kept on a carpet-type bedding or newspaper to prevent them from accidentally ingesting small pieces, which can cause fatal blockages. Older desert animals enjoy sand, while adult rainforest or arboreal reptiles prefer moss or fiber beddings. Soft wood beddings such as pine should be avoided, but non-aromatic aspen can be used for nearly any adult reptile and is a popular choice with snakes.

Once you have selected an enclosure and outfitted it with substrate and dishes, you can select a heating element which will usually be an overhead lighting gradient such as clamp lamps with bulbs of different spectrums or wattages. Decorate as necessary with functional objects that the reptile will appreciate, such as climbing branches and basking rocks, as well as misters or water pools. At this point, your habitat is ready to become home to your new reptile. Introduce him slowly and allow it to become acquainted with its new home, outfitted with all the supplies you carefully chose for its specific needs.

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Note to the client: We are all still getting used to the new format of the website. The keyword density tool indicated that you wanted the keyword used only once instead of using a certain keyword density. If this was not what you wanted, do not hesitate to let me know and I will change the article to fit your density requirement. Thank you!
Lindsey

Once you have decided on a new species you want to own as part of your reptile collection, it is time to figure out how you want to acquire the animal. Common species, subspecies and morphs can easily be found in pet stores, but finding animals that are even slightly more uncommon can become a significant challenge. At this point, you may want to consider visiting a reptile show as a possible way to locate and buy your new addition.

Shows usually feature a wide variety of breeders who each have their own specialty, making it possible to find colors that you would never find in a shop. Even common reptiles such as ball pythons have a huge number of possible phenotypes, ranging from the albino clown morph to banana spider or even cinnamon orange ghost. Leopard geckos are another animal that is widely represented in pet stores, but only in the most common traditional morph. At a breeders show, you can easily find geckos in such colors as super hypo tangerine or blizzard morph. If you visit a show and do not find the morph you are looking for, you can inquire with a breeder and get contacts for a nearby breeder who might have what you need, since most breeders are widely connected with others within their field.

Another benefit of acquiring reptiles at a show is the overall health and quality of the animal. Most people who exhibit at shows are committed to the long-term well-being of their stock, which means that these animals get better care and have been more selectively bred than animals at a store. Most store animals are mass-bred without any thought toward physical attributes or health, while a dedicated breeder will carefully select each pair while considering what offspring they may produce. This means that you will purchase healthier animals without long-term health problems that can eventually make good breeders themselves if you become serious enough at the hobby to become engaged in breeding and exhibiting.

Many breeders at a show are also more dedicated to establishing and maintaining a working relationship with their customers. If you purchase an animal and later want to buy another for companionship or breeding purposes, they will help you select the best individual from their stock for your needs. If you have trouble between two animals and need to return or exchange one, they will generally be understanding about this. Show breeders will also assist in troubleshooting if there is a behavioral problem or other issue with the animal you purchase, and will do their best to help diagnose and reverse the problem.

These are just a few reasons that purchasing your reptiles at a show is better than buying them at a pet store. You will end up with a happier and healthier animal and a better personal experience of ownership. Show breeders will do their best to ensure that you end up with an animal that is right for you, and will help make your relationship with the animal and your working relationship together last.

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Note to the client: We are all still getting used to the new format of the website. The keyword density tool indicated that you wanted the keyword used only once instead of using a certain keyword density. If this was not what you wanted, do not hesitate to let me know and I will change the article to fit your density requirement. Thank you!
Lindsey

Looking for a new pet, try a reptile supplier.  You can find reptiles such as corn snakes, hermit crabs, frogs, iguanas, leopard geckos, bearded dragons, blue tongue skinks and California king snakes. You can also find the items used for their care and safe keeping.  The supplier is also a good source for live food for your new reptile pet as well.

The supplier will carry the exact food your pet prefers whether it is rats, small insects and larger insects like crickets, mealworms, waxworms, grass hoppers, pill bugs and nightcrawlers, pinky mice and reptile supplements. They will supply cages and terrariums.  They’ll also supply bedding, habitat furnishings and backgrounds.  Supplies that keep the habitat comfortable for the reptile can be obtained from misters and foggers, water filters and pumps.  Hygrometers, thermometers and health supplies are available from the supplier as well.

The needs of your reptile pet could include bedding that is made of Douglas fir bark , New Zealand sphagnum moss, alfalfa meal bedding or desert blend calcium sand.  Douglas fir bark keeps the terrarium smelling clean and fresh.   New Zealand sphagnum moss increases the humidity in environments meant to be humid.  If your pet sometimes eats his environment when feeding, alfalfa meal is the ideal bedding.  Bearded dragons thrive in desert blend calcium and the sand stimulates digging and burrowing.

Cleaning supplies for the animal’s habitat are important to maintain its hygiene and health.  Keep unpleasant smells to a minimum and keep the environment clean without harming the animal with non-toxic cleaners.  The cleaners are also made to disinfect and kill a broad spectrum of bacteria.  A scooper may also be required to remove pet droppings and other substrates.

The supplier will be able to supply the tools for the complete care of your new reptile pet.  You  can buy reptile kits that supply everything that you need including the lighting, food, cage decorations, hiding places, feeding dishes, bedding and water conditioner.   The habitat will be perfectly matched to the pet’s particular needs.  Pumps and filters insure proper circulation of water in the pet’s environment. The pumps can create waterfalls and make waves.

Live plants can be included in the pet’s environment.  Crinum aquatic can be used as a centerpiece, while aponogeton longiplumulosus with its fluted leaves add a unique look to the aquarium.  The crinum calamistratum has dark green ruffled leaves.  Adding texture can include moss balls and broad leaf plants like anubias barteri.  The total look of the reptile’s habitat will be improved with green vegetation amid the sand and bark.
A reptile specialist will have all the supplies needed to create the total habitat of your reptile pet.  Lights, water pumps, water filters, bedding, food and the terrarium can all be obtained from one location.  The supplier can also give great tips on the care of your pet’s health and nutrition.  The live food can come from the same supplier as his bedding and other environmental elements.  If you decide to start with a reptile kit, the total needs of the pet will be satisfied from the very beginning of the pet’s new life as the family pet.