Bamboo Cage Decor

Bamboo makes great cage decor for reptiles, especially arboreal reptiles that like to climb around. Bamboo sticks are perfect for tree boas, rhacs, and even land snakes, as they can make great hides and shelters.

Well, I'm super stoked because while searching the classified ads posted on an internal work classifieds, I found free bamboo!

All we have to do is go chop it down and it's ours for free. The sizes range from small to extremely large.

You know you're a reptile and animal lover when you get uber excited over free bamboo. I have always done really simple caging for my crested geckos, but lately, I've been adding a little bit of corkbark here and a few fake plants there just to mix it up for them. I mean, who wants to explore through nothing but egg cartons and cardboard cup holders for ever.

Anyway, this weekend, my boyfriend and I will be going to chop down bamboo to prepare for reptile cages.

I am super excited. I told him it would be the last piece of my Christmas from him. His time is worth the free bamboo to make our gifts to each other monetarily even.

I feel like such a loser to get so excited about bamboo, but that just means that I won't have to buy more decor for a little while.

Leenah was fired up today

It is hard to see in these pictures, but my Nuu Ana Leachianus gecko was fired up today. She was showing her pink blotches really good.

I took pictures with my camera, but I just don't think I was able to capture the colors with the camera or my phone.

She was a darker tan on the bottom, pink blotches all over, and a light tan near white on top.

She was just gorgeous.

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Cheap Crested Gecko Diet Online

Repashy has worked for years creating his super food line, and one of the best products that is widely used by many Rhacodactylus keepers is Crested Gecko Diet (CGD).

I've recently gotten into selling the product, as I think it is such a good product that I believe anyone who keeps crested geckos and other rhac species needs to have a bag of CGD on hand. At my last reptile show that I vended at, many people asked if I had the product on hand, and unfortunately I did not. I will now have it available for sale at some of the best prices that you'll find.

I have 1/4 pound bags, 1/2 pound, 1 pound, and 2 pound bags.

The prices are as follows:

* 1/4 lb (4 oz)- $8.00
* 1/2 lb (8 oz)- $13.00
* 1 lb (16 oz)- $20.00
* 2 lb (32 oz)- $28.00

In order to get these prices, you will need to mention this post. I am offering these discount prices to those customers who subscribe and view my blog.

You will find that these prices are cheaper than you'll find anywhere else.

In order to get the fastest response, please email me at goreptiles @gmail. com

I offer competitive prices.

Bulk Crickets Online

Crickets aren't one of my favorite feeders to buy and take care of, but my reptiles love them. I have some geckos that won't eat any other feeder insect other than crickets, so I have to buy them once in a while and when I do, I make sure to buy them in bulk so that I get my money's worth.

The one thing that I highly recommend when buying crickets in bulk is to watch who you buy from, as some sellers will include a few surprises in with your order. You may get spiders, beetles, and other extra insects in along with your crickets, and personally, this isn't a favorite to deal with.

I've purchased from many different online sellers, and I've had problems from some of them. For example, where Premium Crickets may be fine to buy from during cooler months, you don't want to buy from them during the summer, as your order will arrive dead. The excuse is that the hotter weather causes them to die, but immediately after my replacement order came dead, I ordered from another seller and all of my crickets arrived fine. There was no difference in shipping time frame,  boxing, or packing.

Other places that I would highly recommend include Fluker's Cricket Farm, who has great prices but high shipping, which end up evening out. But, my new favorite is Cold Bloods, who has wholesale prices on crickets with any size 1000 lot of crickets only $8.50 plus shipping.

If you've used other companies to buy your crickets from, please feel free to share, as I'd be highly interested in finding the best price (including shipping costs) and the best quality.

Giving Thanks and Showing Appreciation

There has been a lot to give thanks for throughout 2010, and Thanksgiving is definitely the day to do it.

We should give thanks to our families, friends, and coworkers. For those of us with jobs, we should give thanks to our employment and bosses who fought to let us keep our jobs. We should give thanks for the food on our table and the roof on top of our heads. We should give thanks to what luxuries we have.

The economy isn't as it has been, and it won't be back to the top peak tomorrow.

We need to give thanks for what we have right now. We should not feel sorry for what we may have lost or may have had if only if things were different.

Giving thanks is important today, as we spent time with our friends and families.

This past year, I have a lot to be thankful for.

• I've been able to keep my day job, and further my online writing.
• I was able to purchase a new 2010 Acura RDX.
• I had the ability to purchase animals to better my collection.
• I was able to help various organizations that my job supports, to include Toys for Tots, the Valley Rescue Mission, and the House of Mercy.

These may be simple thanks, but they are things to be thankful for. 

My red foots are thankful mommy is able to buy dinner to put on the table.

This year, think about the things you have thankful for. Did you overcome cancer? Were you able to end your job search to become employed? Did you have a family member overcome an illness? Were you able to reach a personal goal?

There are so many things to be thankful, and it's time that you show appreciation for the things that you have and the things that you plan to strive for.

Domino my Red Foot Died

I fought with Domino and his respiratory infection, giving him two rounds of Baytril and treating his eyes with terramycin daily.

he also got vitamin soak with baby food, and he was getting worse and better at the same time.

Some days he would show major improvement and other days not.

I found him dead tonight. I hate to say it, but I am a little relieved, as he is not suffering anymore and I know I tried everything I could.

Rest In Peace Domino
You will be missed

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Where to Buy Superworms Online

I hate buying superworms in the small cups at the pet store with 25 super worms a cup. Where that may work for someone who has just one or two reptiles, it just isn't economical for someone with many hungry mouths.

Personally, it is still cheaper to breed your own feeders, but if you just don't have the time for that, buying them online in bulk is definitely the way to go.

And, since I just bought a new batch of superworms, I figured it would be a nice post to help those looking for places to buy bulk super worms online

Superworms make a good feeder insect for many reptiles, to include bearded dragons, skinks, various gecko species, and other various lizard species. Some birds, fish, scorpions, and other animals will also eat super worms as a tasty meal.

Super worms are not as cheap as mealworms, no matter buying in small quantities or bulk, so you want to make sure that you shop around to get the best deal.

I've used the following sellers, and have been quite pleased with them. You will find that during different times of the year, there will be different specials and deals available for super worm prices.

* Premium Live Worms - $19.00 per 1,000 super worms
* The Worm Company - $9.95 for 100; $22.95 for 500; $29.99 for 1000; $110.95 for 5000 super worms (free shipping on all worm orders)
* Armstrong Crickets - $18.00 for 500; $26.00 for 1000; $78 for 3000; $220.00 for 10,000 super worms

There are other insect sellers that you may have tried or that have better prices. Please let me know who you've been pleased with.

Healthy Herp Instant Meal

The Healthy Herp Instant Meals are dehydrated foods that when hydrated with water become good as new and irresistible to reptiles. This is a great additive to any diet, but I wouldn't make it the staple diet for any reptile.

It doesn't contain any preservatives or additives, and it's completely healthy and nutritious.

All you have to do is add water, let the instant meal hydrate, and offer it to your pet. You want to remove the uneaten after 24 hours so that it doesn't grow mold and become plain nasty.




The Veggie Mix is recommended for iguanas, bearded dragons, chuckwallas, uromastyx, tortoises, box turtles, blue-tongue skins, and even as a gut load for crickets, roaches, and other feeder insects. The Healthy Herp Veggie Mix contains dandelion greens, dry calendula flower petals, red clover tops, freeze dried leek, carrots, zucchini, corn, peas, green beans, and added calcium carbonate.


Crude Protein Min. 14.5% Crude Fat Min. 3.3% Crude Fiber Max. 7.5% Moisture Max. 11.8% Calcium Min. 0.61% Phosphorus Min. 0.28% LG Cup 0.16 OZ (4.68 g) sku # 71901



 The Dragon Food Mix can actually be fed to other animals besides just bearded dragons. You can feed this mix to bearded dragons, Rankin's Dragon (Lawspn's dragon), uromastyx, tortoises, box turtles, blue-tongue skins, and even as a gut load for crickets, roaches, and other feeder insects. The mix contains freeze dried grasshoppers, dried mealworms, dry dandelion greens, red clover tops, corn, carrots, green beans, leeks, zucchini, bananas, calendula petals, and added calcium carbonate.




There are other healthy herp mixes to include, fruit, box turtle, and tortoise healthy herp. I use the fruit healthy herp instant meal with my rhacs once in a while as a nice treat. I have, also, offered it to my red foot tortoises, who thought it was ok. My next adventure is trying the veggie mix with my red foots. I will definitely let you guys know how that goes. I'm actually waiting for it to come in the mail any day now.

Caring for Western Hognose Snakes

I've loved the look of hognose snakes for some time, but it's taken a good year before I decided to purchase a pair of hognose snakes. And, let's just say, I love them. My male can be a little irritable at times, but the female is super sweet. (It's actually feeding day today, so I may try to get a few pictures tonight to share.)

Hognose snakes are relatively small snakes, but they're not legal pets in all states. So, make sure that you check your state laws. In some cases, you can have hognose snakes, as long as you don't have those that may be native to your state. Basically, meaning, in Georgia, you can't have Eastern hognose snakes, but Western snakes are ok.

These snakes may hiss when nervous or scared, but for the most part, they are relatively docile. The hissing may sound like the rattle of a rattlesnake, as these snakes are said to mimic the Prairie Rattlesnake in terms of aggressive behaviors (hissing and body posture).

Hognose snakes are considered nonvenomous, as it is vary rare that a person will get bitten and envenomated, but they do have a mild venom. These snakes are rear fanged, and for the most part they will only strike when severely agitated and even then they will generally strike with a closed mouth. But, there have been some cases where mild pain and swelling may occur from a bite. Just keep in mind that the snakes have mild venom, but because the fangs are set way in the back of the mouth and because the snakes are relatively small, it's hard for them to actually envenomate an arm or hand.

Size:  Adults average between 1.5 to 2 feet long, but records have seen hognose snakes up to 3 feet.

Lifespan: up to 20 years

Housing: A 10 gallon tank is bare minimum for one adult hognose snake, but a 20 gallon long is much more suited for them, as it is easier to create a temperature gradient in a slightly larger tank.

The temperature on the hot side should be about 85F, which can be achieved using an under tank heater.

You don't have to have anything special in regards to decorations. Apsen, paper towels, tile, etc are effective substrates to use. Aspen shavings allow the snakes to burrow, which is a natural behavior for them; if you use aspen, you won't see your snakes often, as they will burrow. I've heard accounts of breeders using paper towels for their babies, but no matter what you use make sure that your avoid pine and cedar wood shavings.

Make sure to use a sturdy water bowl so that the snakes can soak before shedding, and to use as a drinking bowl. Don't use a super deep bowl, and make sure that the snake can get out of the bowl easily.

Feeding and Diet: Baby hognose snakes will easily feed on pinkie mice for a while. Typically, you'll find that 1 pinkie a week for the first 6 months will be efficient, and 2 pinkies a week for the next 6 months is ideal.

Some breeders will offer small snakes or geckos to help achieve faster growth, but that's not really the most ideal situation. These snakes will eat lizards, other snakes, geckos, bird eggs, amphibians, as well as mice.

You want to feed young snakes once every 4 to 6 days, and adult snakes once every 7 to 10 days. Make sure to feed appropriately sized feeders that are no larger than the widest girth of the snake. Also, keep in mind that F/T feeders are much more safe for your snake.

Male Hognose Snake Strikes

I took this video when I noticed my male was acting crazy. I had initially picked him up and then put him back in the enclosure. While searching for my female in her tank, I looked over and saw him all crazy. I went to pick him back up, and he started hissing and striking.

No, I didn't stand and harass him for long, so don't think that's a regular routine.

No, he wasn't hungry as he had just eaten the day before. I don't know what got into him, but here's the video. It's not the best, as even though I knew the little snake wasn't going to seriously hurt me, instinct still says jump when a snake is striking.

Caring for Leachianus Geckos

1 year old Pine Isle (still growing)

 If you like big geckos and big reptiles, then you may be interested in this giant gecko. The leachianus gecko can reach up to 12 inches and weigh up to 300 grams, depending on the locale of the gecko. Leachianus geckos are big and green and laid back, but don't let their docile temperament fool you because they can get temperamental and end up leaving nasty bites on your hands.

If you think that you're up for a leachianus gecko, make sure that you do your research, as they can be quite expensive to purchase, and you don't want to have to just give up on the new pet, nor do you want to lose your pet to neglect (IE improper housing and diet).

Size: up to 12" including the tail and about 350 grams depending on the locale
Lifespan: thought to be between 20-30 years

Housing: It is best to house these geckos individually, as they can get territorial. You'll find that even breeders see serious bullying and defense wounds on adult geckos during breeding season, so it's best to just house geckos separately.

Depending on the locale and the average size of an adult, the size of the enclosure will vary. Some say that the smaller locales, like the Nuu Ana leachies can be housed in an 18" x 18" x 18" enclosure, whereas some of the larger locales, like the GT and Pine Isle leachies need much larger enclosures.

You won't need to worry about an adult enclosure for years, so you can start off a younger leachianus in a medium kritter keeper and slowly upgrade to various size storage tubs (vented accordingly) until the gecko is ready for a large enclosure.

When setting up an enclosure for a leachie gecko, you'll want plenty of cork bark, PVC, and other sturdy materials. Remember these are a heavier gecko species,  so a thin vine won't do the trick.

Use paper towels for younger geckos, and if you opt to switch to a more natural substrate, coconut coir is a good option to use for adults. Otherwise, paper towels and tile make great substrates that are easy to clean.

Feeding and Diet: For younger leachianus geckos, you will want to try feeding crickets and appropriately sized insects, as this is good for protein which helps develop growing bones and muscles. Also, make sure that you offer CGD regularly, as this will supply the gecko with all of the essential nutrients.

As leachies get older many of them start to ignore crickets, so a sole diet of CGD will be fine, but again this is why it's important to offer crickets while the gecko will eat them.

 

Not One, But Two New Chahouas

In reference to the post that I published on November 16th.... I am getting not one but two more chahouas. They are both pine isle chahouas.

Apparently, I'm a glutton for punishment, and well here we go. Luckily, the breeder is letting me do a payment plan

Milo the Pine Isle x Super Nuu Ana Leachianus

I got these pictures a few days ago. They show Milo a little colored compared to the last pictures I posted of him.

I can't wait to see him, more fired as he ages. He has nice blotching coming in. (I'm biased though).

Here's a close up of his colors.

Leachianus Gecko Pictures

I love taking pictures of my geckos. My favorites to photograph are my chahoua and leachianus geckos.

Milo - Pine Isle x Super Nuu Ana

Milo and Quinby (GT Type B)

Leenah - pure Nuu Ana

Leenah and Motley (Nuu Ana x Isle E)

Motley when I first got him in September

Motley now in November.

I love his markings and patterns. I can't wait to see Motley in his adult colors.

Thinking About a New Chahoua

I can't believe that I'm actually thinking about getting another chahoua gecko. I just bought my fifth leachianus, and my reptile account is fairly broke and has been for some time. I am just so enamored by leachianus and chahoua geckos that I can't stop.

I am glad that I have refrained somewhat since I've gotten into the species. There have been a few cases when I've almost bought some other chahouas, so backing off of those is definitely an improvement from when I first got into crested geckos and leopard geckos.

Sometimes, it's all or nothing with me, so the fact that I've only purchased two chahouas and four leachianus this year is pretty good. I guess the price of these geckos is what has held me back, as when I got into crested geckos they were priced higher than presently, but still much cheaper than leachies and chewies.

I think that I bought a lot four crested geckos for $400-500, and one chahoua is that same price.

But, anyway I just thought that I would get some venting out and maybe talk myself out of the new gecko... I have the kritter keepers for a small gecko, the CGD, and the crickets. I'm just low on extra cash, being that I'm trying to save for a house and pay off my car early.

Such a dilemma. Ha

Pine Isle Female Leachianus

I am so excited!!! This girl is from Philippe with Giant Geckos. She is, as the title mentions, a pure Pine Isle leachianus. She is much larger than my others, and gorgeous!! As long as Milo is a male, she will be his mate, and of course, as long as she will take him. 

 

My First Leopard Geckos

When I was 16, I received my first leopard gecko. When all of my friends wanted cars and big items, I just wanted a reptile. She was about 6-9 months old when I got her.

Banon- Welsh meaning queen

This is a picture of her from November 2010. She is going into shed, so she looks a little dull.

This is Anubis, a Tremper albino. I am his third home. The original owner wanted to breed him, but was unsuccessful, and the second owner also wanted to breed. Anubis didn't want any of their females, and as soon as I got him home, he mated with Banon, who eventually laid fertile eggs that I incubated and hatched. Anubis was about 2 or 3 years old when I got him.

Picture taken November 2010

16 Ounce Reptile Glasses for Sale

These are the colors that I currently have: pinke, lime green, black, and blue.

These are the current designs that I have: gecko, turtle, and snake.

The 16 ounce glasses are $5.00 each. I will ship via UPS ground or USPS priority, whichever is cheaper for you.

Two Leachies in Two Weeks!

I can't believe it! I just paid for another leachianus gecko. I hope to get her in this week. She is from Philippe with giantgeckos.

Leenah, my Nuu Ana, was purchased from someone who bought her from Philippe, so it's a nice honor to have two of his geckos in my collection.

This gecko is a pure Pine Isle female leachianus gecko. She will be named Mirrah, and when old enough will breed to the gecko I got in last week, which is a Pine Isle x Super Nuu Ana mix. I am almost positive that the mix is a male, even though the breeder looped it as a female. I can easily see dark pores.

The two should lead to gorgeous high color babies.

I will post pictures when I get her in hopefully tomorrow or Wednesday. *EEK* I'm so excited!

I'm going to be leachied out soon with 5 leachianus geckos! I will still need to get Quinby a male, as I think Quin's a female (looped with no dark pores).

Feeding F/T Mice to Snakes

These are not the best pictures in the world, but they're feeding pictures, as you can see. My female Brazilian Rainbow Boa is enjoying her second weanling F/T mouse, and my male hognose is enjoying a pinkie.

I prefer to feed my snakes frozen/thawed feeders because of many reasons.

1. It's easier for me to go to the freezer for a frozen mouse than it is to raise live mice or to go to the store ever week for live feeders for my snakes.

2. It is cheaper. I can buy jumbo mice, pinkies, young mice, and whatever size mice or rats that I need to last me about 6 months and have them shipped for about $40 with dry ice to my doorstep. It usually costs about $60 or so for plenty of feeder mice for at least 6 months of meals.

3. It's safer for the snakes and less stressful for me. I don't have to worry about the large mice biting my snakes or causing injury to them. I've had rats bite and cause scars on my ball python, and I don't like the feeling. F/T feeder mice and rats are safer and cause less injuries to the snakes.

4. It smells less than live mice. If I were to have enough live mice in my home to feed my snakes for 6 months, there would be plenty of extra smells. I've had mice as pets, and they don't smell the best, so I can't imagine having enough for at least 6 months of feedings.

5. They are less time consuming than live mice. Since, I would have to go to the store for every feeding, since I won't breed and feed off what I've raised, I would have to spend time driving to pick up and wait in line to buy the mice. Plus, I don't have the time to care for any mice that aren't eaten. F/T mice can be thrown out if the snake refuses to eat a meal.

I've Updated the Blog with Products

If you haven't noticed, I have updated my blog again. This time I've added a few pages of products and books. Each page can be accessed via the tabs at the top of the blog.

I have included my favorite products. I have not included any products that I haven't tried, haven't used, or don't have on my current supply shelf.

I want you to feel comfortable with the products that I recommend, as I wouldn't want you to buy something that you will be unsatisfied with. I, also, do not want you to buy something that could be potentially harmful for your pet reptile, nor do I want you to waste your money on something unnecessary.

When choosing what products I wanted to included, it was a hard choice, as there are many great products that I like and would recommend.

A few tips that I have when buying new products for your reptiles include:

• Zoo Med under tank heater has always been the best under tank heater that I've tried. It gets warmer and lasts longer than any other brand.
• UV bulbs last longer than the UV tubes. Yes, they are a little more expensive, but they last longer and don't need to be replaced every 4-6 months in order to emit decent UV rays to your reptile.
• A digital thermometer will always out-read any stick-on thermometer. Again, these may be a little more expensive than the cheap thermometers that just stick to the glass, but they last much longer and they are more accurate. The stick-on thermometers really just measure the air temperatures, which isn't what a terrestrial reptile is feeling. A good digital thermometer will allow you to better monitor your reptile's environment.

Buying reptile books:

When it comes to doing your research, I always recommend that you read everything that you can, which includes online resources as well as tangible books. I have been working with reptiles since 2003, and I've been doing my research since about 2000. I always refer to the internet and to my books when a problem or concern arises.

So, along with the products, I've also included some of my favorite reptile books.

The books that I've included are just some of the reptile books that you can choose from, and you may find that where one book focuses on native wildlife and habitats, another may focus on health and diet in captivity, so sometimes it can be a good idea to have multiple books on the same species.

If you have any questions about what products to buy, just ask, and I'll see what I can do to offer more advice on the purchase of product A or product B.

Lateralis Feeder Roaches

I've used these guys before, and loved them just as much as my leopard geckos did. I tried creating a small breeding colony, but before I knew it, I had fed them all off.

Well, I waited several months, and basically got fed up with buying crickets. I mean, crickets smell awful...

I bought about 1,000 nymphs and about 2,000 of varying sizes, and I've done really well at keeping them as breeders only. Although, there have been a few times that I've had to use the adults in the colony as feeders when I was out of crickets and waiting for a reptile show to buy more.

These roaches make great feeder roaches, as they are smaller than dubia and discoid roaches. Plus, geckos seem to like them because their outer skeleton isn't has hard as dubia or discoid roaches.

The one bad thing is that they are super fast. I've found that most of my leopard geckos love the chase.

I like using lateralis roaches because they are easy to breed and they don't get too big. I don't have to worry about carefully selecting any particular size to feed off. When I bred dubia roaches for my geckos, I ended up feeding off smaller nymphs and juvenile roaches before they would get big enough to breed.

With lateralis, all you need is a storage tote and some egg cartons. I cut the center out of the storage tote and hot glued a screen into the opening so that there would be plenty of ventilation.

I use a high quality cricket feed and various fruits and vegetables. I have found that lateralis roaches love pears. I wait until the pears get overly ripe, slice it up, and put it in the bin. I have heard that they like plums, as well. I haven't had too much luck with carrots or potatoes, but they'll eat them if nothing is available, just not as readily as juicier fruits.

If you decide to breed lateralis roaches for your reptiles, it's easy. You can either pull out the egg casing or you can leave them in the tub with the roaches.

If you pull them out, you can either leave them at room temperature or place them in an incubator at about 75F.

If you leave the egg cases in the tubs, just mist the surface about once a day.

I've tried both methods, and they both work about the same. I did have a problem in the incubator when I left baby roaches in there too long (I didn't realized any had hatched), and they died.



Lateralis Egg Sack

Holdback Crested Geckos from 2010

I have had many crested gecko hatchlings this year, and I've been quite pleased with my results.

My projects from 2010 included:

* Red male: red dalmation female, red female, and yellow partial pinstripe female
* Dark cream pinstripe male: 2 creamy flame females, harlequin female
* Solid cream back pinstripe male: cream pinstripe female with a near solid back
* Bold cream pinstripe male: cream partial pinstripe female

I have made the decision to sell most of my crested gecko hatchlings, but I've got these three that I will be holding back for a little bit. I do have a fourth crested gecko baby that I'll be holding back as well, but I didn't get a chance to get its picture.

 

I hope that I can get a good picture of the fourth holdback crested gecko soon. That gecko is a nice harlequin from the second group listed above.

As for the holdbacks posted here. The first one is from the red group, and the second two are from the cream back male. 

The male that sired the last two geckos is actually for sale, as I just don't have enough room for as many males as I have right now, and I have a similar male that I'd like to keep instead. If you're interested in the male that sired the second two babies, just let me know, and I'm sure we can work something out.

My New Leachianus Gecko

Once I dug through the top layer of styrofoam peanuts, I found my new gecko.

So my new leachianus gecko is a Pine Isle x Super Nuu Ana mix. Both parents were of a high color patterns.

Leachianus geckos can bite. I haven't had mine for too long, but I am aware that these big geckos can cause a little damage when provoked. My new leachie gecko was stressed from shipping, and did not like that I was trying to visually sex her.  This bite from a leachianus gecko was nothing, but that doesn't mean that a bite from an adult leachianus should be taken lightly.

Be sure to look back for more updated pictures of this girl as she grows. I need to find a mate for her. I'd love to find a Pine Isle male, since I already have a pair of Nuu Ana's (Well a pure Nuu Ana and a mix).