First, you will need to hibernate your snakes. This needs to be done at specific times of the year. Timing is the key. Try to put some extra weight on the snakes before hibernation, but make sure there is no food left in their stomachs before putting them in hibernation. The last meal should be given during the first week of October. They can be put into hibernation on the last week of October. Timing and temperatures are very important. For the first week, the temperature should be 70 degrees. For the next 3 weeks the temperature should be about 60 degrees. Then the rest of the hibernation period should be at 50 degress. Hibernation should be over about mid-January. Once hibernation is done, raise the temperature to about 70 degrees for a week. Then put the snakes back in their normal enviroment, but keep them separated. After a few days, give each snake a small meal. Do not overfeed them or the food will be reguritated, and you don't want that. After 5 days, resume the normal feeding schedule. Once you've fed the snakes 4 times the snakes can be put together. They will either begin mating right away, or they may wait until the female has her first shed. Once you see the female swell up with eggs, it's best to separate the snakes once more. The female should be fed heavily to ensure proper nutrition for strong, healthy eggs. The female will go into a shed about a week or two before she lays her eggs. After the shed, she won't eat again until her eggs are laid. She will need a nest box, which can be made with a smaller Rubbermaid container(about 12x10) with a 2 inch layer of damp vermiculite. Keep this bedding damp, as it will ensure the eggs don't dry out. The female should be bothered as little as possible as egg laying is stressful and exhausting for her. Once the eggs are laid, she will need to rest for a few hours. After that, offer her a small meal. Now you can take the eggs and put them in an incubator. There are several ways to incubate eggs, but this is the easiest, most productive way. Much like the hibernation boxes, for an incubator box, you will need a Rubbermade container with a lid. Make sure you put holes in the lid; the eggs need to breath. Cover the bottom of the box with 2" of damp Perlite. It's important to keep this damp, but not wet. The eggs must stay dry. Put the eggs in the box, and keep the humidity at about 80 to 100 percent. The temperature should be the same as your snakes normal temperature; about 82 degrees. After about 45 days, cover the eggs with a damp paper towel or newspaper. This helps keep the egg shells soft so the babies will have an easier time cutting through. The eggs should hatch after about 2 months of 82 degree incubation. The babies will not always jump out of their eggs, so sometimes they may need help. Be very gentle, and never remove the snake from the egg. The only help you can offer it to tear further where they have started. They will come out when they are ready. Once they're out, separate, and try to feed them. Also, offer them water. I find the best way to care for all these babies is to use clear deli containers. This lets light in and you can see what the little guys are up to. Get the smallest, pinky mice you can find and offer the babies their first meal. Do not use live pinkies. Obviously, you can't put a water bowl in a deli container, so it's easiest to offer them water, one at a time, in another enclosure. I will fill a larger container with water about 1 in deep, and put the baby in there for a few minutes. You can tell when they are drinking. They will not drown either, so don't worry about that. Be careful and keep an eye on them. They can get out of the containers. They are quick. Continue to care for them this way until they are a bit bigger. If you plan to sell them, they are ready to be sold as soon as they keep down their first meal.
How to Breed Snakes
Breeding snakes is a long process, but it's easy if you know what you're doing. It's also very rewarding when you see those babies popping their heads out of their eggs. You will need a male and female snakes (obviously), 2 Rubbermade containers with newspaper and a water bowl, an incubator (I will tell you how to make one if you don't want to purchase one), and some patience.
How to breed (most) constrictors
Iguanas
Iguanas are purchased more than any other reptile. This is because they are the least expensive reptile that you can buy. This is also the same reason that they are the most neglected. It's important to understand that when you purchase an animal, that there is more to their cost than the listed price. You can get a kitten for free, but it is not free to make sure it's happy and healthy. The same thing applies with a reptile. Iguanas also get very big over time, and if you are not prepared to take care of such a large animal, or do not have room to house it, then buying one is a big mistake.
The temperment of an iguana is molded by it's treatment. They are generally very social, timid animals. It's rare to be bit by an iguana, but if the reptile is not comfortable in your presence, you are likely to be whipped by its' tail. These can be great pets, if you are prepared to be a great keeper.
Iguanas are omnivores. They eat meats and vegetables, but mainly vegetables. It is said that giving them meat, which they can live without, can turn them mean. In my experience, they can live a happy, healthy life with a diet of romaine lettuce, and other fruits and vegetables. It's good to offer them a variety, but you will learn what your pet likes and dislikes. Just be sure not to give them fruits with acids, or peppers. This can cause problems for their digestive system.
Housing an iguana is not an easy task. When they are babies or juveniles, they are fairly small, but they can reach to the size of 4ft long, head to tail. At their adult size, they should have at least a 5ft x 5ft enclosure. Iguanas love to climb and bask, so they should have a tree branch or something similar to perch on. Heat and lighting for these reptiles is important. Sadly, this is the first thing people choose to do without. An iguana will not live without being in the proper temperature, and recieving the appropriate vitamins. UV lights provide essential nutrients that these reptiles would get from natural sun light in the wild. DO NOT BUY AN IGUANA IF YOU CANNOT PROVIDE THEM WITH THIS. They also need to be under heat lamps 24/7. Day heat bulbs and night heat bulbs should be alternated along with your day and night cycle, so that the iguana also has the same cycle. Substrate for these animals can be hay, newspaper, grass or artificial grass.
If you are considering buying an iguana, make sure you will have the space for it once it grows. Also, keep in mind that it will treat you the same way that you treat it.
Bearded Dragons
Not only are these one of the most adorable breeds of reptile, but they are also one of the best if you are looking for an interactive pet. They are very social and very observant.
While the temperment of these animals is truly wonderful, they are a product of how they are treated. Bearded dragons often become attached to their owners, and will show their unhappiness if passed along to someone else. They are very different from most reptiles, in that sense. It's is a rare occaision for a bearded dragon to bite a human, at most they may scratch you with their claws, which is rarely on purpose. They enjoy perching on a human shoulder and observing all that you have to offer. There are wonderful pets for anyone that wants a reptile that's a bit more needy and attentive.
Bearded dragons are omnivores, meaning that their diet consists of both meat and veggies. Vegetables, such as romaine lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and squash, should be available to them everyday. Crickets, small mice, mealworms, or wax worms should be fed to them every other day.
As far as enclosures go, they need a decent amount of space. These are active reptiles, and they should have room to move about. A 3ft long tank should be large enough for 1 dragons' whole life, as they can grow to be a full 2ft from head to tail. They need several different types of overhead lights; a night heat bulb, a day heat bulb, and a florescent UV light. The UV and day heat bulb should be left on all day, and just the night heat bulb at night. The temperature should be about 85 degress during the day. Bearded dragons love to bask in the heat, so make sure that your pet has something to perch on under the heat bulb. That is where they will spend the majority of their time. There should always be a hiding place and a water bowl that is large enough for them to bathe in, just like any other reptile. Substrate for the tank should be newspaper, which is easiest for cleaning, or Calci-sand.
Overall, these reptiles are a great pet for beginners or children. Just be sure that you are not going to get tired of the animal and give it away. Bearded dragons are not just reptiles, in captivity, they are great companions.
Leopard Gecko
Ball Pythons
Ball Pythons are a great reptile to have as your first snake. They are usually very docile, and usually scared of you. This is the reason they have their name, because they tense up into a ball position when they feel threatened. It's adorable really.
Ball's are not known to be biters, but it can happen. It depends on how much you handle your pet. It also depends on the reptile itself. Some will warm up right away, and some will shy away from you.
Baby Ball Python's are usually under a foot long when bought, and will grow up to 5ft as adults. They are a smaller breed of snakes, and can be housed in a 30gal tank for a single snake, comfortably, as an adult.
Like all snakes, they need a constant heat source. Place a heating pad under one half of the tank, set to medium. This gives them the option to control the temperature. Also, if you keep your home at low temperatures, you may want to get a heat lamp of low wattage to keep the air in the tank warm as well. Always give a snake a hiding place. If you don't, you will have an ornery, nervous animal. They like to hide, and will most likely do it often.
Baby Ball Pythons will start out eating small mice, 1 weekly. As your snake grows, you will have to try to see if he will take more food. The more food they eat, the less often they need to eat. As an adult, they can go up to a month without a feeding, but they will eat 2 medium sized rats at a time. Since Ball Python's are usually non-aggressive, it's a good idea to raise them on already-dead rodents. Believe or not, mice and rats can do quite a bit of damage to your reptile.
Price-wise, ball pythons are inexpensive. They usually range from $80 to $100 in price.
Pythons
Choosing the Right pet for You
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PET FOR YOU
There are alot of things to consider before buying a reptile. There are alot of choices out there, and you can't just pick one based on the cost or appearance. Every snake does not have the same temperment, and every lizard does not eat the same thing. Some reptiles are interactive and some just are not. I'm going to cover the basic things you should cover before making a reptile purchase.
TEMPERMENT- If you are a beginner and do not have experience with these animals, you do not want to go out and buy a Burmese Python or a Nile Monitor. You might have your eye on something and think you can handle it, but it doesn't always work out for the best. The animal will end up being neglected or hurt, and there is the threat of injury to yourself. Research what you are looking to buy and understand that you have no control over the personality of your new pet. You can't fight nature. You can, however, tame certain breeds of reptiles and make wonderful pets out of them. Again, you just need to stick with your skill level. I will cover which animals are best for whom in the coming posts. If you can't wait and need to know asap, feel free to contact me and I will help you the best I can.
HOUSING- How big will this animal get? Do I have room for this? Can I afford to feed this large animal? Can I afford that huge of a tank? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before buying any animal. There are several breeds of reptiles that start of small and end up very large, and sometimes unmanageable. RESEARCH.
THEIR DIET- If you aren't into seeing rodents massacred, don't get an animal that eats rodents. If you are ok with feeding your pet mice, make sure you keep in mind that it may need to eat rats once it gets larger, and even in some cases rabbits or chickens. If you can upgrade with the animal, get something else. If you don't have time to run to the pet shop to buy crickets every other day, don't get a reptile that eats crickets. If you don't want to buy produce for your pet, don't get one that needs produce. Think it through. Just because you are excited about this pet to start with, doesn't mean some of these issues won't get old. Just because reptiles live in a cage, it doesn't mean that they are hassle free.
PERSONALITY- Yes, they have one and it is different from temperment. Some reptiles could care less what you're doing. Some reptiles will be attentive and study your every move. Some will run like hell when you let them go, some will stay right with you, and some could really care less. You need to choose what exactly you're looking for in a pet. RESEARCH.
Why I love Reptiles..
Why I love Reptiles...
1. They don't stink up your house, unless you don't clean their cage. Which makes it you stinking up your own house.
2. They don't demand attention, just food.
3. They shed in one piece, well most of them.
4. Apartments don't make you pay extra for having them.... probably doesn't apply if you decide to get an alligator. But you get the idea.
5. They don't scratch the furniture, poop on your carpet, or climb on the counters.
