Reptile Care

Did you know that snakes are almost blind when they are about to shed?
The skin gets an oily coat underneath, which is meant to protect the new skin and help the old one to detach easily. The eyes of the snake can look really while, or milky when this stage of the shed is reached.

Usually, when my snakes have milky eyes, I know they will shed in about a week. When they are coming up to a shed, they stop defecating and will become quite unsociable, hiding away in their shelters. It's best not to touch a snake or other reptile at this time, as the new skin could be damaged by handling.

Once your snake has shed, it will probably rest for about a day before being really interested in food or socialising again.

Remove the shed skin from the cage as soon as possible, and don't forget to check it to see if the shed is complete. If any old skin is left on the snake, it could lead to health issues. (See further down the page "How Do I Know When My Snake Is About To Shed" for more information)

Here's a photo of one of my snakes with white eyes - the shed will be in about a week.

Some people use sticky tape to mend items, or hold them into position.

Did you know that this is an absolutely horrendous thing to do in any reptile cage?

Why? Because if the tape starts to unpeel, as it often does, the animak may catch its scales on the tape, and will have no way of getting it off.

This can cause tearing to the skin, and believe me, you don't want to see this type of injury to your much loved pet. It is very painful, and has even been known to result in death.

Please be careful, and keep those nasty sticky things out of your reptiles cages!

Have seen a report on TV about reptile smuggling into Australia.

Two suspicious parcels were x-rayed at Sydney Airport, and were found to contain two snakes. The parcels were taken to a secure quarantine area to be opened by a specialist reptile handler.

In each parcel was a mature and well fed green tree python, both in excellent condition.

What is so upsetting about this, as well as the risk to our native wildlife, is the fact that these beautiful pythons, which are on the CITES list, had to be euthanised.

What a waste of life! The poor innocent reptiles were sacrificed to some greedy person's whim. It's not as if these snakes aren't available in Australia, because they are - they're native to the North East of the country.

This isn't off topic for this lens, by the way - it comes under care of reptiles, on the national level!

Simple answer: Yes.

Some reptiles drink infrequently, but it's important for them to have access to clean water all the time.

There are some reptiles, such as the keelback, which spend much of their time in the water, and of course, they will need a tank in their cage, containing rocks and vegetation.

Keep your pet's water bowl clean and change the water frequently. It's a good idea to fill the bowl half full, in case the reptile gets in. This stops water overflowing everywhere.

You may never see your pet drink, but supply water for it anyway - it will appreciate it.

Reptiles may shed several times a year. Young ones, and those recovering from an illness or injury, will shed more often than healthy adult reptiles.

Before a snake sheds, it usually becomes very quiet and secretive, and may refuse food. Some snakes also become a little snappy at this time.

You will notice over a period of time that the reptile's skin is becoming dull and dark, and this is the first sign that a shed is on the way.

When the time is closer, you will notice that the animal's eyes take on a bluish tinge, or become almost white. This is when the snake will be at its most vulnerable, as it is blind at this time.

Once the eyes have cleared, the shed is imminent.

A shed should only take a few minutes, if all goes well, and the skin should be in one piece. If it isn't, check the cage to make sure all the skin has been shed, as a piece remaining on the animal can cause problems, and must be removed.

If you have a reptile, and it is having trouble shedding, you should ensure it has water, and also some rough articles in its cage to rub up against.

When the snake has problems, it can be placed in some warm water for about fifteen minutes, as this helps soften the skin, so that it is easier to shed.

To see the full sized image, please
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This isn't exactly the nicest subject, and it's not something I've been asked about, but it IS important.

Please keep your reptile's cage clean.

This means removing faeces and other debris, such as shed skins. Not a fun job, but if you want to keep pets, then you have to take care of them properly.

The cage should be cleaned out fairly regularly, but don't use strong detergents, or dangerous chemicals. Clean water is best.

It's also necessary to give your snake or lizard clean water, and wash their water container. Once a day isn't too often for this, especially if they swim or poo in their water bowls.

A large snake can make a terrible mess of a cage after a big meal. On one occasion, my largest python actually crawled through his faeces, resulting in my taking him to the bathroom and washing him to get rid of the smell! :-)

Since the snake had crawled over my partner as well, he also had to head for the bathroom, and was not impressed. Of course, I had to laugh - it's not often there's a lighter side to cage cleaning!

To answer this question, I'm going to quote from
my website:-

Dragons are omnivores, and as such, will take a wide variety of foods. Adults may be fed about once a week and younger dragons two to three times a week.

The size of the food should be no larger than the space between the dragon's eye-sockets, as too large a portion can cause impaction and may be fatal.

Bearded dragons should have their food supplemented with calcium and vitamin D powder. This can easily be added to minced meat or other such food, or sprinkled on their meals.

Some of the items dragons enjoy include : crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, worms, snails, pet mince, clover, lettuce (this is best chopped) bananas, clover. Also try green beans, peas, carrots, corn and broccoli.

There are sure to be many other items they will eat that I haven't mentioned, but these will give you dragon a varied and balanced diet.

Dragons like to drink water which is running down their faces in preference to that in a bowl, so you will need to mist them quite often. They also like to run through shallow water. Approximately 2-3 cm deep should be sufficient.

This depends on what species your python is, and where it comes from. Most pythons are tropical, and so require temperatures similar to those of their homes.

Of course, if you are living in a tropical area, then your python won't need heating, as it will be in its natural area.

For the most part, keep your cage at about 25-32C at the hot end, and about 18C at the cool end, if possible. Your snake will then be able to self regulate its temperature by moving about as it wishes. A little cooler at night is acceptable.

I'd recommend some research online, into the needs of your particular species of python.