What You Should Know Before Having A Reptile As A Pet
Before deciding on a reptile as a pet, it is important to fully understand the specific needs of these animals, especially since these creatures are very different from mammals and ‘common sense’ can do little or nothing to care for them.
Thus, it is important to emphasize that, being the behavior and needs of reptiles so foreign to ours, keeping them safe can be difficult for beginners.
You need to do some research to make sure you are prepared to take proper care of it. It is also important that you buy it from a reputable seller. Here are some tasks to complete before bringing a reptile home:
Finding veterinary care for your reptile
It is important to know that all reptiles are classified as exotic pets. For this reason, it is not the type of animal that a local veterinary clinic will see regularly.
The reality is that most general clinics will only be able to perform very basic tests and problems for exotic pets. In this context, it will be imperative that, before taking this step, you have a clinic or a reptile veterinarian for advice.
Prepare a good home
A habitat is different from a cage. While you may want to have a cage to move your pet, a habitat is its home. The cage prevents the reptile from running around the house. A habitat contains everything the reptile needs to survive. It must have food, water, shelter, a source of heat, and some kind of ‘landscaping’.
Heat and humidity requirements
Reptiles are cold blooded. Thus, most of them will need some type of heat source in their habitat. This can be a heat lamp.
It is important that you make sure you have the heat source set to the correct temperature for the type of species you have. Also, keep in mind that the temperature may need to change throughout the year. Additionally, you will need to know what humidity they require and make sure you have these complementary equipment before bringing your reptile.
Prevent the risk of disease transmission
In Spain it is not possible to legally keep any poisonous reptile as pets. However, beyond legality, it is important to know that reptiles can transmit diseases to other reptiles and also to people.
The transmission of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella is quite common . For this reason, it is key to have hygiene habits to maintain your pet and protect the caregivers.
Manage basic information about reptile biology
In nature, many reptiles and amphibians undergo a process called brumation, which is a type of hibernation induced by colder weather. This process is closely linked to survival in adverse conditions.
In case you intend to use your reptile for breeding, inducing hibernation is often recommended. Considering that managing hibernation at home can be challenging and complex, studying the biology of these pets is recommended.
Know the feeding habits of the reptile
This point is crucial for newbies, as reptiles have very specific feeding requirements, not always to people’s liking.
Thus, it will be necessary to keep small prey animals alive, before offering them to your pet; you should make them nutritious by administering protein powder. Finally, you will have to clean the corpses; This is an unavoidable part of the ownership of this type of pets.
It is important to be able to obtain a reliable supply of good quality of the prey that you will be feeding your reptile. Likewise, you will have to be informed of what and how much the particular species will eat, since all species are different.
Interestingly, in captivity most snakes will do well with mice and rats. Other species like lizards eat insects, but bearded dragons that eat insects also eat fruits and vegetables. There are species such as green iguanas that are strictly herbivorous.
