Reptile Lighting

 Three Aspects to Reptile Lighting

    One of the most important things a reptile needs is correct lighting. It not only regulates their photo period and provides essential UVB rays, it also allows them to see there environment. Now this last one sounds pretty obvious but what most people don't realize is that most reptiles can see into the UV range and some into the IR range. So providing a UV light is important for them to feel more at home and can stimulate better appetite and activity. Some of their food sources would faintly glow in UV light and that will make it more appealing to your reptile. There can also be too much UV though. so I recommend not using a light higher than 8% UV. One major concern is the use of compact coil lights. They produce too high a concentration of UV light and can cause blindness if the reptile can get too close to the light.
    Regulating the photo period of a reptile isn't always necessary. You just want to make sure your pet gets enough light. twelve hours of daylight is usually ideal. If you are planning to breed your pet reptile sometimes changing the amount of daylight verses night can trigger them to want to breed. Some reptiles are nocturnal and can benefit from a night light. They look kind of like a black light and help your reptile see at night.
   Most reptiles need vitamin D3 to absorb and process calcium. A light that has UVB will help them produce vitamin D3 in there metabolism. You can also use a vitamin D3 supplement to help them out with this. Some reptiles will also benefit from a calcium supplement. Depending on what kind of pet you have will determine if you need to give them any supplements at all. Most snakes don't need any. Other carnivores get what they need from their prey. If your reptile is an herbivore or insectivore they probably will need a calcium/phosphorous supplement of 2/1 ratio. Phosphorous free calcium is for carnivores as the get most of their phosphorous from there prey.    

Herp Supplies

I've been raising reptiles for about fifteen years. It has been quite an interesting hobby. I've had turtles, iguanas, monitors and geckos. Presently I have bearded dragons, ball pythons, frilled dragons and a tegu. Caring for all of these critters has become time consuming but it is something I enjoy. It also was getting expensive. When I found a reptile supply store that carried everything I had been buying at pet stores but cheaper I started saving a lot of money. Now I order just about all of my supplies from this store.

More Advanced Needs of a Reptile

In my last blog post I talked about the basics of reptile care. Their more advanced needs involve the processes of their metabolism and stimulating their natural behaviors. All reptiles need vitamin D3, phosphorous and calcium among other vitamins and minerals. They use the calcium to build their bones. They use the D3 and phosphorous to absorb the calcium from their blood into their bones. What kind of reptile you have will determine the amount of these needed. They all should have a 2:1 ratio of Ca and Ph in their diet. You'll have to do research on how much of these are already in their diet to determine how much more to give them. To get the D3 you can use a powder or liquid supplement or use a UVB light in order to stimulate the production of D3. I prefer using the light because that also gives them a more natural looking enclosure. Most reptile can see in the UV spectrum and it can help stimulate them to be more active and have a better apatite.
In order to help your pet feel more at home in his or her natural environment it will be necessary for you to research where he or she is from in the wild. If it is a desert animal you can use sand or slate tiles as a substrate with rocks to climb on. If it is from a tropical area coconut bark or jungle bark would be better with branches or vines to climb on. You can use naturalistic food and water bowls for a better appearance. After you've done all of that you'll want to get the light cycle right and possibly change it during the year if your pet would usually brumate during the winter months.
Bearded dragon blog
Reptile Supplies

Basic Needs of Reptiles

There are a few basic needs all reptiles have. Food, water and heat are the first three. I'm just going to talk about these in this blog post and I'll talk about more advanced needs in another.
There is a wide variety of diets for reptiles from herbivore to carnivores to omnivores to insectivores. Depending on which one your reptile is there are a variety of prepared reptile diets for them. For example bearded dragons eat just about anything they can fit in their mouths. They like dragon pellets as well as freeze dried crickets or meal worms. They'll also eat fresh fruit, veggies and lettuces. I give mine all of these and sometimes pinkies or live crickets, meal worms or cockroaches as a treat. The best thing to do is read a book about the reptile you have or are going to get to find out what is the best for him or her.
Everything needs water of coarse but depending on what kind of reptile you have will determine how much. Some species of desert reptile will get all their water from the food they eat. It still is a good idea to keep fresh water in with your reptile just in case it gets thirsty. I will soak mine weekly so they can drink and get dirt and shed off. Some turtles and amphibians will need to be able to completely submerge themselves but will also need to be able to dry completely when they want to. It's good to have a basking light on one end where your pet will be able to climb out of the water and get close to.
Which brings me to my next topic of heat. There are many different ways of heating a cage. The easiest of course is a basking light as I mentioned before. Under tank heaters, Heat tape, aquarium heaters are also good sources. It's best if your reptile can get in and out of the heated side of the terrarium so he or she can thermoregulate.

bearded dragon breeders

Reptile Terrariums

If you want to create an artificial environment for a pet reptile there are a few things you should think about.

• Where is it found in the wild?
• What does it eat?
• How big will it get?
• Will you be housing more than one together?

The first of these points is the most important, in order to replicate your pet's natural habitat. When you're designing the terrarium think about eases of cleaning as well as what looks nice. Plastic plants are easier to keep especially of your pet would eat live ones. Some substrates are also easier to clean than others. You will also need to know what temperature to have the terrarium at. You can adjust this with heat rocks, heat tape or basking lights. A timer on your light would help regulate your reptiles day cycle. You will also need to determine your pet's need for UVB. You can provide this with lighting or supplements.
What it eats will determine what you can put in with it as far as live or plastic plants or another companion. You will also need to think about availability and expense of food like crickets, meal worms, lettuce, rodents or even other reptiles.
How big it will get will help you decide how much time and money to spend on a cage that your reptile might outgrow. Also if you will be housing more than one you will need to know how much space each one will need. Here is a good book about building reptile vivaria.
bearded dragon breeders