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Travelling with cats is easy because cat carriers are widely available and work well. Dogs, too, are generally pretty easy to travel with. But if you’re looking to bring a reptile home from a pet shop or from the vets things can be a little more challenging.

The purpose of this article is therefore to discuss some of the major factors you should consider when transporting reptiles or amphibians to ensure not only that your life is as easy as possible but even more importantly that your pet is kept safe and secure at all times.

Tank Decor

Many of us keep reptiles and amphibians in “naturalistic” vivariums complete with waterfalls, logs, tree bark and so on. During travel these can represent dangers as they may move or fall, causing danger to your pet. For this reason rather than transporting your pet in it’s normal cage, a better idea is generally to transfer your pet into another container that contains little or nothing.

While this may initially seem boring or unkind, it is recommended because it significantly reduces the chances of any tank décor causing injury to your pet, as well as making it easier to keep an eye on your pet while travelling.

Darkness

As with many animals such as aquarium fish and birds, it has been shown time and again that reptiles are calmer when kept dark. As an example, when zoos transport powerful reptiles like crocodilians or large pythons, they often use a tea towel or similar piece of fabric to shade it’s eyes and help to reduce stress and movement.

However the same basic principle can be applied to any reptile. Most snakes are transported in breathable bags such as those made from cotton or nylon, however when you buy a lizard, toirtoise or frog for example these may well be presented to you in a clear plastic container, where stress can occur.

In these cases it is generally a good idea to place the container into a brown paper bag or wrap it gently in a towel to help keep the animal relaxed and prevent it from getting spooked as you move about closeby.

Ventilation

Ventilation is essential for reptiles and without this over-heating can occur, especially on hot summer days. So firstly try to avoid placing reptiles or amphibians into plastic carrier bags and secondly on warm days aim to keep the car windows open to facilitate some air movement.

Temperature

As cold blooded animals, temperature is of particular importance to reptiles and amphibians and they can react far swifter to extremes in temperature. This means that you should keep the container shaded in the summer months and ensure windows are open. If possible long car journeys should be avoided altogether.

In cold weather try to keep windows closed and consider gently turning on car heating or wrapping the container in a blanket to keep your pet warm.

However while most reptiles require artificial heating in their cages, for short journeys there’s generally no need to worry about a slight drop in temperature. Certainly try to avoid carrying a reptile through extreme weather like snow or direct summer sunshine but a temperature that is comfortable for you will be acceptable for a reptile or amphibian for a period of time.

Cooler temperatures will also make your pet less active, and therefore not only less likely to get stressed but also easier to handle at the other end. However if you’re concerned that the temperature will drop too far, be aware that heat pads are available which one can warm in the microwave. These will then produce additional heat for a few hours afterwards so these can be handy if you need to transport a reptile on a cold winters day.

Humidity

For most reptiles, humidity isn’t of major importance for short periods of time. However most amphibians require a moist environment at all times if they are to remain healthy. Whilst this is unlikely to be a problem in colder weather, it’s something that should be taken into consideration if travelling in warmer weather.

Try spraying the inside of the container with declorinated water before leaving and keep an eye on it at regular intervals during the journey. If necessary, add extra water to keep your pet safe if plenty is seen to be evaporating.

Travelling with reptiles and amphibians really needn’t be difficult if you apply some commonsense and consider the needs of your pet. By following these simple rules you’ll be well on your way to ensuring that your pet arrives at it’s destination in top condition; something that surely must be of the utmost importance to caring exotic pet owners.

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B Smith via Compfight

As responsible reptile keepers our first priority must always be the health and welfare of our animals so if a reptile is too small, too fragile or too quick to be handled in a safe manner we should try to avoid holding them wherever possible.

However there are a number of reptiles that can be held safely and where this is possible it can also be highly recommended. The reason, besides the fact that it’s downright fun, is that getting your pet used to handling can make routine maintenance far easier. Generally you will find your pet gets less stressed when you are cleaning the vivarium or carrying out health checks and this should be seen as a positive step.

Traits To Look For In A Reptile

If buying (or rescuing) a reptile that you can handle is important to you then there are a number of traits that should be taken into consideration.

Calm Nature

At birth, most reptiles are scared of humans and will try to avoid contact. It is, after all, the simplest survival tactic. However while some reptiles calm down with time and effort, others will struggle to ever get over their fear.

While some reptiles will eventually happily sit on your hand or glide through your fingers, there are a large number of species for whom handling will always be stressful. They may play dead in your hand or may struggle vigorously to try and escape but handling these species will never be enjoyable for you or the reptile.

Instead, ask around and read books to uncover species that will at least tolerate a degree of handling given time which will make the whole experience far more enjoyable for you both.

Suitable Size

Tiny reptiles have equally tiny skeletons which can easily be damaged by over-eager handling, especially if they are writhing around trying to escape from your clutches. On the other hand some species get very large indeed and even when tame may present potential problems for you.

For this reason the best reptiles for handling fall somewhere in the middle – not too small and not too large. This moderate size also has the additional benefit of keeping your housing costs down as you won’d need to invest in a giant vivarium as your pet grows.

Reasonable Speed

As many reptiles are hunters they need to move fast in order to catch their prey. They also, as mentioned, generally prefer to run away from danger than fight so here too speed is of benefit to them. These two factors mean that many reptiles move very quickly indeed – especially when put into stressful situations.

Many geckos, for example, move so swiftly that they can be almost impossible to hold. You just get them onto your hand and before you know it they’ve vanished. A moderate speed therefore is important so that you can control the situation with ease and get your reptile familiar with routine handling.

Ideal Reptile Species For Handling

Fortunately despite all these different factors that one needs to consider there are still a number of commonly-available species of reptile that are ideal for handling. They are all reasonably sized, don’t move too quickly and rapidly tame down. A few even seem to actively enjoy human contact and with patience it’s possible to build up quite a bond with them.

Corn Snakes

Corn snakes are a reasonably sized species of snake that are very docile by nature.

Ball Pythons

Ball pythons reach a similar size to corn snakes but have an overall more chunky appearance.

Bearded Dragons

Bearded dragons are naturaly inquisitive, grow to around 60cm long (including the tail) and will become tame enough to approach your hand when you open the cage.

Uromastyx

Uromastyx are rather more unusual reptiles than many others on the list here and as a result may be rather more expensive to buy. Like bearded dragons though, they attain a suitable size and will sit lazily on your hand without too much effort.

Chinese Water Dragons

To many people, water dragons resemble iguanas. However this species reaches only half the size of the green iguana and also normally has a far more pleasant personality in contrast to iguanas that can sometimes be aggressive.

Bosc Monitors

Bosc monitors are large lizards so require a proportionately large cage. That said, if you can find the space, the Bosc is normally very docile and also very handsome and most will quickly learn to enjoy interactions with you (as well as a belly rub).

However there’s a lot more to these giant hairy spiders than initially meets the eye.

So let’s take a closer look at some amazing tarantula facts that you may not know about these impressive animals…

Some Tarantulas Can Hiss Like A Snake

Many types of tarantulas can make a hissing sound known more accurately as “stridulating” by rubbing together special hairs. Suddenly finding a giant spider hissing at you can be incredibly intimidating and so not surprisingly this is normally used a warning to scare off potential threats.

Tarantulas Have Two Pairs Of Lungs Instead Of One

Unlike most other groups of spiders, tarantulas are unique in that they have two special pairs of lungs known as “book lungs”. When a tarantula moults these lungs are clearly visible as lighter patches inside the skin.

Tarantulas Attract Mates By Drumming Their Legs

Tarantulas are normally solitary creatures and will often eat each other if they come into contact so mating poses special problems. As a result when many male and female tarantulas they drum their feet repeatedly on the ground to signify to the other spider that they are a potential mate rather than a potential meal.

Tarantulas Slough Their Digestive System

When a tarantula changes it’s skin, it’s not just the exosketelon that gets replaced. In addition the inside of the spider’s digestive system gets replaced and can sometimes be seen as a fragile projection on moulted skins.

Male Tarantulas Avoid Being Eaten By Holding The Females Fangs Out Of The Way

Even during the mating act a male tarantula – which is normally significantly smaller than the female – is at risk of being eaten by the female who is often either short-tempered or hungry. In order to maximize his chances of escape, most male tarantulas use special hooks on their front legs to “hook” the females fangs out of the way making it impossible for her to bite down on him.

Tarantulas Can Live For Over 20 Years

While many common invertebrates may only live for a few months to a year tarantulas can be far longer-lived with some of the Brachypelma genus regularly reaching into their twenties.

Interestingly it is only the female that live to this ripe old age. Males normally die within a few months of becoming sexually mature while the female may go on for decades.

In Some Countries Tarantulas Are Considered A Delicacy

While many people wouldn’t even want to see a tarantula let alone hold one, in some parts of the world a large, juicy tarantula makes a nutritious snack for anyone brave enough.

The giant spiders are lured out of their holes, before having their legs tied together and being tossed onto a fire. The flames not only help to cook the meat but also burn off the irritating hairs that many tarantulas possess on their abdomens.

Tarantulas Walk Using Pneumatic Pressure

With those long, spindly legs you’d think that the tarantula would have an impressive arrangement of muscles to control their walking. However this isn’t the case and while the spider uses muscles to draw it’s legs in towards it’s body, it uses internal pressure to extend it’s legs.

This is the main reason why most dead spiders are found with their legs curled underneath the body simply because the dead spider starts to dry out and so the pressure inside the legs drops which in turn causes them to curl up.

Tarantulas Can Produce Over 200 Babies From A Single Mating

After mating, tarantulas can lay several hundred eggs in one go, which are carefully wrapped up in silk to produce what is known as an “egg sac”.

The egg sacs of larger tarantulas can be larger than a golf ball and can contain several hundred eggs which all hatch within a few days of each other.

Interestingly tarantulas have even been known to store sperm within their bodies and to produce further egg sacs without needing to mate again.

Tarantulas Are Found On Every Continent Except One

The only continent that lacks tarantulas is Antarctica. Whilst many of us think of tarantulas as coming from the jungles of South America or the dry steppes of the southern US they are present as far afield as Europe, South East Asia and Australia too making them a highly successful group of invertebrates.

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It’s not through a lack of societies – most Western countries have a number of reptile-related societies as well as smaller niche societies dedicated specifically to groups such as tarantulas, tortoises and so on.

So today I’d like to take a few minutes to explain why you should you invest your hard-earned money on joining a reptile society rather than on buying more reptiles if you haven’t already….

Protecting Your Hobby

Exotic pet keepers have a lot of enemies. Despite the fact that exotic pet keepers are, on the whole, a dedicated, passionate bunch of individuals whose main priority is the health of their animals it seems everyone from well-connected animal charities to politicians to the animal health supporters dedicate huge resources to trying to outlaw the keeping of exotic pets like reptiles.

Bearing in mind how strong these foes are and the power that they have it is essential that reptile societies exist to act as a “union” and fight for our rights to keep exotic pets. A few recent examples include the way the International Herpetological Society recently took a case to court in order to prevent a reptile show getting closed down and how UK cosmetics company Lush was banned from showing an offensive and factually-inaccurate anti-reptile-keeping advert.

Remember that when you pay your annual membership fee at least a portion of this goes toward lobbying and protecting your hobby from interference.

Sharing The Latest News And Information

From recent discoveries in the field of reptile-care to captive breeding successes, from recently discovered species to new product releases these reptile societies act as conduits for distributing high-quality information to their members. Joining such a society adds a further level of interest to the hobby – as well as helping you to ensure you are using the very latest and most effective techniques for keeping and breeding your exotic pets.

Building Community

When you take up reptile-keeping as a hobby you immediately start to stand out from the crowd. From my own experiences I have found I rapidly get known by nicknames like “spiderman” or “python boy” when new friends and associates find out that I keep exotic pets.

And while, in truth, I think many of us relish this sense of being a little “different” it can be hard to find other hobbyists that understand your passions and can share tips and advice (as well as care duties when you go on vacation).

Once again reptile societies help to build a sense of “community” and to connect their members. Through newsletters, online discussion forums and live events reptile societies help to bind us closer together, make new friends and provide an excellent opportunity to learn from the experiences of other people.

Event Organizers

Thanks to their connections and the support they receive many of the reptile shows that are organized each year around the world are done so by these very same reptile societies. Despite all the cost and effort of arranging such events these really are part and parcel of being an exotic pet keeper.

These events can make up an important part of your social calendar helping you to meet new people, ask questions in person to highly-experienced keepers and also to pick up both livestock and equipment at competitive prices as a result of many hobbyist breeders displaying their wares at such events.

Once again, while some reptile shows allow non-members entry, quite a few offer members-only access or at least a discount for society members. Even more so, without the financial support from membership sales these societies simply wouldn’t have the resources necessary to arrange such events and I have no doubt the hobby would suffer as a result.

Members-Only Services

A number of reptile societies offer extra services to their members. This may be in the form of free reptile-care advice of you need it, or networking events or even down to a “breeders list” to either help you track down a certain species you’re dying to keep or a mate for one of your existing animals.

When you join a reptile society try delving deeper into these services to see just how much value they really offer you. And remember that if these services aren’t being used then they will soon stop being supported.

Furthering The Cause

On a wider scale many reptile societies further the cause of reptiles and amphibians around the world in a variety of ways. For example many of them freely offer impartial, educated advice to the media and animal charities on the proper care and maintenance of exotic pets. Others offer rescue services and help unwanted reptiles to find suitable new homes. Still others invest money in reptile and amphibian conservation thus helping vulnerable species and habitats to survive for future generations.

Whichever way you cut it, reptile societies not only make owning exotic pets more enjoyable and successful but also have wider effects that anyone who cares about herptiles should appreciate. As a result I would strongly advise you to join a reptile society if you haven’t yet done so, and if you are already a member of one or more societies then please leave a comment below with which societies you personally support.

In a way it’s a shame that most people think of the standard Chile Rose Haired and the Curly Haired spiders when they think of tarantulas because many people think that all tarantulas are a boring brown color. Of course this couldn’t be further from the truth and if you know what species to look for one can find every color under the sun – from yellows to greens, purples to reds and with everything inbetween. However possibly most exciting of all are the tarantulas clothed in metallic blue hairs that make them look more like living jewels than the “boring brown” most people associate with tarantulas.

Cobalt Blue Tarantula

Whilst the cobalt blue (Haplopelma lividum) is the classic blue tarantula and is reasonably regularly available it does have a few weaknesses, not least that it spends much of it’s time hiding away, can be very aggressive indeed and actually is a reasonably small tarantula overall.

However seeing the blue legs glowing up under natural light is truly a stunning sight and so for the more experienced tarantula-keeper no collection is really complete without one of these beauties.

Martinique Pink Toed Bird Eater

The Martinique Pink Toe (Avicularia versicolor) also known as the Turquoise Bird Eater manages to combine an unusual cute, “fluffy” appearance with fantastic blue/green hairs making this one of the most colorful tarantulas of all. Whilst they are typically a very expensive species to purchase (due to their popularity) they are indeed very easy to care for and are docile-enough to handle (unlike the Cobalt Blue tarantula) so if you can afford one, this arboreal tarantula should make an ideal pet for tarantua keepers of all levels of experience.

Greenbottle Blue

The Venezuelan Greenbottle Blue (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) doesn’t just possess metallic navy blue hairs on it’s legs but also has bright orange hairs on the abdomen as well as a gorgeous metallic mint-green carapace. It’s a combination of colors that truly blows the mind of anyone that assumes all tarantulas are a boring brown in color!

What’s more, whilst these spiders aren’t cheap (like most of the blue tarantulas covered here) they are both easy to care for and are reasonably docile. I say reasonably because they’re highly unlikely to bite and can be held safely, but they are a little skittish so care should be taken if you opt to handle your Greenbottle Blue so that your prized specimen doesn’t get startled and try to jump off your hand.

Blue Ornamental/Gooty Saphire Ornamental

A large number of different common names are used for this particularly impressive tarantula so it’s safest that we use it’s Latin name which is Poecilotheria metallica. This Asian arboreal tarantula isn’t just clothed in rich blue hair but is also covered in an assortment of markings and patternings that really have to be seen to be believed. It’s also the spider featured in the photo at the top of this article.

This is frankly one of the single most attractive species of tarantula known in the hobby but this has had to two specific problems. Firstly these sought-after spiders are severely endagered in the wild and this problem is only worsening thanks to poaching for the pet trade. Secondly whilst some dedicated hobbyists are successfully breeding this species in captivity, the young spiderlings are still painfully expensive.

And whilst there are very few tarantulas that are hard to keep, the special conditions and agressive nature of the Poeciltheria – together with the current price of Poeciloeria metallica – means that this species really is the pinnacle of tarantula care and due to their rarity this species should really be left to the experts.

So now it’s your turn… Have you ever kept any of these species? Which is your favorite? Please leave a comment below with your experiences…

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photo credit: Instant Vantage

It’s essential that any animal can protect itself from predators in the wild and tarantulas are no different. They spend much of their lives hiding in their burrows away from any other creature that may want to eat them. They also have large fangs and powerful venom which can be enough to knock out or even kill some possible predators. But some species of tarantula have one additional trick up their sleeve – urticating hairs.

Urticating hairs are found only on tarantulas from the Americas (“New World tarantulas”) which typically are less aggressive and have weaker venom than tarantulas from other parts of the world.

These irritating hairs are most often positioned on the abdomen of the tarantula though in some species they may also be found in other areas such as around the mouth parts.

When a tarantula feels threatened – either by a potential predator or an over-enthusiastic tarantula keeper – they kick the hairs off their abdomen which then create a cloud of prickly irritation in the air around them, allowing the spider to beat a hasty retreat.

Some species of pet tarantula seem far more likely to kick off their urticating hairs than others – with some tarantulas possessing an obvious “bald patch” on their abdomen thanks to repeated kicking of the hairs.

The Symptoms Of Urticating Hairs

Most commonly urticating hairs can get onto the skin of the tarantula keeper either during handling or routine cleaning and whilst not painful can lead to a “prickly” feeling on the skin which becomes red, inflamed and itchy.

Whilst not physically dangerous this itching can be very annoying and the effects can last for several days after contact has been made though some tarantula keepers have found that antihistamine gels have lessened the effect.

Whilst this is annoying on the hands and arms, the effects can be far more annoying if the hairs are breathed in – as can happen if ones face is too close to a tarantula. In this way the sensitive mucus membranes of the nose can become uncontrollably itchy for a period of time though once again it’s unlikely you will suffer from any permanent injuries as a result.

The greatest risk for the tarantula keeper is if the irritating urticating hairs get into ones eyes…

Urticating hairs in the eyes can lead to swelling, intense irritation and, according to some authorities, temporary blindness. As a result should you ever believe that you have managed to get these tarantula hairs into your eyes immediate medical treatment should be sought.

However I should say that after 15+ years of keeping tarantulas – and owning literally thousands during that time – I have never suffered from hairs in the eyes so with a little bit of common-sense the risks are almost non-existent.

Precautions For Avoiding Urticating Hairs

The media love to blow up stories about tarantulas and the “risks” of urticating hairs have been covered numerous times in the past. Unfortunately most of these stories are exaggerated and as stated the risks are minimal. That said, there are a number of precautions that can be taken if you have concerns…

1) Select A Tarantula Without Urticating Hairs

Hundreds of species of tarantula don’t even have any urticating hairs so arguably the easiest way to avoid the hairs is to simply not buy a tarantula has has them. Remember that Old World tarantulas – those from Africa and Asia – do not possess them and so this eliminates the risk. Equally, please be aware that tarantulas without urticating hairs are typically more likely to bite and may well have more potent venom – offering alternative risks to the tarantula keeper.

2) Minimize Handling

One of the most common times for a tarantula to kick off urticating hairs is when they are being picked up and handled as this can be a stressful experience for spiders. As a result doing your best to minimize handling will also greatly reduce the amount of hairs your tarantula kicks off. A side benefit of course is that a tarantula that sheds less hair will have little or no bald spot on it’s abdomen – making it more attractive to look at.

3) Keep At Arms Reach

As stated, urticating hairs on the hands and arms are annoying but rarely dangerous. However if they come into contact with the nose, mouth or eyes the risks are considerably higher. As a result try to keep tarantulas away from the face by holding them at arms reach and/or wearing a mask and goggles when interacting with them.

4) Wear Gloves

One final risk that is difficult to avoid is cleaning your tarantula cage. Whilst giant spiders are clean animals and need minimal maintenance they do have a habit of placing urticating hairs in and around their cage to dissuade predators. This is especially so if your tarantula has moulted recently. As a result picking around your tarantula’s substrate during cleaning can result in contact being made with urticating hairs so if this is a concern of yours wear gloves during routine cage maintenance tasks. Even thin latex gloves should be enough to protect you.

photo credit: chexed

If you’ve ever bred praying mantis then you’ll no doubt have seen their egg cases or oothecae as they’re often referred to. Female praying mantis lay numerous eggs together in one single neat little package, then produce a “shaving-foam” type of substance which they cover the eggs in. After a short while this “foam” dries to the consistency of polystyrene packing material. The end result in a tidy mass of eggs covered all over by a thick material which helps to protect the eggs from extremes of temperature as well as from physical damage.

These oothecae really need to be removed from your praying mantis cage after being laid to enable you to more accurately incubate the eggs and rear the youngsters. The problem is that female praying mantis glue these egg cases in place so some skill is required when it comes to removing praying mantis eggs from the cage.

Whilst it is possible to peel praying mantis eggs off the side of whatever glass or plastic container you’re keeping them in there is always a risk that you will damage the eggs in the process because they will be stuck on firmly and it will require quite some effort to dislodge them.

As a result there are two better ways worth knowing of separating the adult female praying mantis from her eggs without risking any damage to the ootheca itself.

The first method involves giving up on removing praying mantis eggs themselves and instead removing the female. Once the female has matured and has been mated, invest in a number of cages of a suitable size. A female will normally lay a number of egg cases after just a single mating though they may not all be fertile and they will typically reduce in size with each successive laying. However in this way one can wait till a female mantis lays eggs and then move her into the next cage you have ready and so on. Over time you will end up with a number of cages empty apart from an ootheca which you can then care for properly.

The alternative method of removing praying mantis eggs is to deliberately place objects in the cage that can be removed, but which will hopefully encourage the female mantis to lay eggs on them. For example it can be a smart idea to place an assortment of twigs and branches into the female’s cage – not just for her to rest on – but additionally she is quite likely to lay eggs on them. One could even go a step further and modify cheap plastic containers like ice cream tubs as homes for adult praying mantis so that even if they stick their eggs to the wall of the “cage” it is easy to cut round the egg case with a pair of scissors and remove it to a suitable incubation area before placing the adult female into a new container.

photo credit: dlm7155

The majority of snakes kept in captivity require mammals or birds to eat and it is most common for these to be fed to them dead. Feeding dead animals to a snake means there is less chance of damage being done to your snake during an attack in the narrow confines of a vivarium and additionally it is arguably kinder to the prey item. In some countries it is also illegal to feed live rodents to snakes and so feeding dead specimens circumvents these issues.

For the exotic pet keeper of course keeping a selection of dead prey items in your freezer is also a lot easier than keeping and breeding a range of mice, gerbils and so on in order to have a constant supply of livefood available. Indeed, not having to worry about cleaning and feeding the prey items themselves will considerably cut down on the work you have to do in order to keep your pets fit and healthy.

Personally speaking I keep all my frozen snake food carefully shut away in plastic tupperware boxes, each carefully labeled with the contents, and these boxes are all placed into a specific drawer of my freezer. In over 15 years of keeping dead rodents in my home freezer in this way I have never suffered from any ill health when taking into consideration basic hygiene routines like washing your hands between touching the rodents and any food for human consumption.

Frozen Rodents

Frozen rodents constitute the most popular form of snake food on the market today for a variety of reasons. Firstly rodents are available in a wide range of sizes from tiny newborn mice suitable for baby corn snakes, king snakes and the like right up to full-grown rats suitable for good-sized pythons. This means that once your snake develops a taste for rodents it can serve as a life-time food source as you simply increase the size of the prey items, the number of prey items or the frequency of feeding as the snake grows.

Secondly rodents are easy to breed and grow quickly so they can be produced cheaply and easily by breeders in ethical surroundings so the rodents themselves have a decent quality of life before being “dispatched” for use as snake food. With most snakes only needing to be fed once or twice a week, and with the low cost of buying frozen rodents as snake food it can be a very economical method of reptile feeding.

Whilst there is a limited market for gerbils as snake food the vast majority of sales are for mice and rats. Baby mice are less than an inch in length and so can be used for the hatchlings of most commonly-kept snakes. Adult mice are ideal for adult corn snakes and similarly-sized snakes and the gradations inbetween the two ensure that there is always a suitably-sized meal available irrespective of the size of your snake.

Larger snakes can be moved into rats as a food source and my own royal python/ball python now takes half-grown rats on a weekly basis which have worked out far more cost effective than trying to give him 2 or 3 large adult mice at a feeding.

For those keeping giant snakes like the huge species of python – those generally not safe to keep in the home – some suppliers make frozen guinea pigs and rabbits available as prey items.

Frozen Chicks

Frozen chicks are sometimes available in bulk packs but tend to be far less popular as snake food than rodents. This is partly because they are harder to come by, partly because there have been concerns raised by some snake keepers about the dangers of the sharp beaks that these chicks possess which could rupture a snake’s gut and lastly because generally-speaking it seems they offer less nutrition than a rodent of an equal size. Generally there isn’t much “meat” on a frozen chick when compared to a mouse or rat.

One factor in their favour is that they are an unwanted side-shoot of the poultry industry. Most poultry farmers want hens for egg laying and so the cocks are of little financial use to them. As a result the majority are disposed of as soon as they hatch and one way to recoup a little of that lost investment is by selling the dead chicks as snake food. Contrast this to mice and rats which have been specially bred as snake food and you can understand why chicks tend to be cheaper overall than rodents.

photo credit: Tambako the Jaguar

Having spent some time in Central America recently I have been lucky enough to spend considerable time observing both green iguanas (Iguana iguana) and black spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis) in their natural surroundings and whilst at face value these two species appear very similar I observed some surprising differences between their preferred habitats.

As you might imagine green iguanas were found mostly in warm, humid, forest-like conditions near water. One of the best places I found to observe these reptiles in the wild was to look into dense plant growth overhanging rivers where often dozens of specimens of varying sizes could be found sunbathing or browsing on leaves.

Watched from a safe distance these lizards seemed oblivious to any attention and could be observed without causing them any stress or worry.

As a side note, should you ever visit Costa Rica, look up the Iguana Cafe in Montezuma where you can relax in the sunshine with a cold drink and get closer to wild green iguanas than you could possibly imagine. The following video shows just how close an encounter you can have with a wild iguana though I would strongly caution you against taking risks by trying to hand feed wild green iguanas…

The real interest came when I observed spiny-tailed iguanas which I assumed would have very similar habitat requirements and lifestyles to the common green iguana. My own experiences suggest that while spiny-tails can and do climb trees they are far less likely to do so than the green iguana and you’re far more likely to see them on the ground than up in the canopy.

The environment in which the spiny-tail iguana is found is almost very different to that of the green iguana as it is far hotter, drier and dustier and looking out over fields used to graze horses and cattle one could often see these giant lizards skulking around looking for any ground-dwelling plants to eat.

This could make sense when comparing the colors of the two species. The green iguana is perfectly camoflaged when up in the forest canopy while the spiny-tail with it’s somber markings in black, gray and brown are far better camoflaged against th parched, dusty soil of the more arid areas of Central America.

An additional difference I observed while in the field was that whilst one sometimes saw several spiny-tails in the same field at the same time they seem far less sociable than the green iguanas. While it wasn’t uncommon to find trees literally dripping with adult green iguanas who seemed to be carrying on without a care in the world the spiny-tails were far more solitary and I rarely saw them in close proximity to each other.

Interestingly the fact that spiny-tailed iguanas seemed perfectly at home on dry, dusty ground meant they had also taken up residence on the beach where we stayed by the Pacific coast and a walk along the sand sent dozens of immature individuals darting off to hide behind rocks or shimmy up palm trees to escape from “danger”.

So two very similar-looking and closely-related species yet two totally different lifestyles. And it is understanding these differences and the habitats that reptiles come from that will help us to keep them properly in captivity.

My general findings from a month of watching these incredible reptiles in the wild is that spiny tailed iguanas are likely to prefer hotter, drier conditions than green iguanas and should also have a large amount of floor space where they will likely spend a considerable part of their time.

photo credit: Thomas Shahan

Indian stick insects are some of the easiest of all pet invertebrates to keep in captivity and of course have been kept by school children for decades.

Indian (or laboratory) stick insects will feed readily on common food plants such as bramble or privet, which can be kept alive for around a week if inserted into a “vase” of fresh water. If the ends of the plants aren’t placed into water in this way they can die within days in warm weather meaning far more work in finding more foliage and then cleaning out your stick insects.

Stick insects, by their very nature, like to sit off the ground and so you will normally find them climbing around (or clinging to) the food plant you have placed into their cage. Because of this a taller rather than longer cage is recommended where your stick insects will be able to moult successfully by gently slipping out of their old skins.

Old aquariums can be used as caging, or there are a huge range of specialist cages now available such as those made for butterfly breeders to keep and rear various butterflies and moths in.

Size-wise, try to find a cage at least twice as tall as your largest insect is long. A cage of around 60cm high is perfect for adults though lower cages won’t be the end of the world.

So you have your cage and you have placed some food plant in there in a small container of water such as an old jam-jar. Try to plug any “holes” in the top of the jar with cotton wool so that your insects won’t drown if they fall down and you’re almost ready to go. Of course stick insects climb and so a tight-fitting lid is very important to prevent escapees.

Besides this Indian stick insects can be kept at room temperature in a centrally heated home all year and so do not require any additional heat. It is worth spraying the cage a few times a week with a plant spray gun in order to provide moisture so your leaf insects can drink and that’s about all there is to it.

Appreciate that Indian stick insects reproduce asexually – that is that virtually every specimen you find will be a female and will reproduce without you needing any males so many people find that their population of Indian stick insects grows at an astounding rate. Because of this, try to start out with a reasonably small population or you could be spending more time trying to find homes for all your babies than actually enjoying your insects.