(Part 2) Top products from r/reptiles

No worries. I figured you were just busy for the weekend. Like I said - you have your life to deal with. I'm not going to take it personally if you're MIA for a few days, haha. :)

I had a good weekend - I didn't do anything productive, whatsoever. Just took some time to relax and take care of myself.

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Getting to meet that milk snake is super exciting! I just did a bit of reading about them, and it sounds like young milks are usually somewhat hyperactive, but that they calm down with age.

From my reading, here's what you will need to purchase:

1. Vivarium - usually you want 1ft^2 of floor space per 1' the snake will be, full grown.
   
   From my reading, milk snakes can get between 2' and 6' full grown. If possible, find out the subspecies so we can narrow that range down. Most likely, it's a Pueblan or Honduran milk snake (two of the most common subspecies). Honduran milks can get up to 5', so a safe cage size would be 3' x 2' (length x width). Pueblans only get between 3' and 4', so we don't really need to worry about those.
   
   If you can't find out the subspecies, you could either just get a 3' x 2' viv, or get something smaller and increase the size as necessary.
   
   
2. Heating element and thermostat. A heat pad would be ideal, considering that milk snakes sometimes burrow. Here's an example of a thermostat and heat pad. You attach the heat pad to the bottom of the cage, making sure not to have the viv resting on top of the heat pad or wires (or else you run the risk of short circuits and fires).
   
   After you set up the heat pad, run the thermostat probe to the inside of your viv, usually placing it inside of the hide on the warm side. Alternatively, as milks sometimes burrow, you may want to put the thermostat temperature probe closer underneath your substrate, at the bottom of the viv. This will insure that you know what the hottest temperature that your milk can be exposed to by burrowing.
   
   My reading suggests that you want to keep the warm side ~85f - 90f. Not sure what that is in C.
   
   
3. Digital thermometer/hygrometer like this one. You want one that has probes, so you can check specific points around your viv.
   
   At first, you will want to keep your thermometer probe at the same location as your thermostat probe, just to make sure that's reading correctly. After you've verified that, you can move the thermometer probe to the cool side, so you can keep an eye on both sides.
   
   Alternatively, some people get laser temperature sensors so they can quickly and easily check the temperature of any part of the viv. You'd still need to get a hygrometer (humidity sensor) if you went that route.
   
   
4. Substrate. Looks like Aspen or Cypress are both excellent substrates for milks. You can also use paper towels or newspaper as temporary, sanitary solutions in case of any injury/illness.
   
   You'll probably want 6"+ of substrate over the entire floor of the viv, as milks do sometimes burrow. Giving them enough substrate to allow that is advised.
   
   
5. Hides, terrain, water dish, etc. Hides should be snug-ish, and terrain should look cool. Water dish you probably want to be big enough for the snake to soak in if he wants, but that's about all.
   
   Milks need like 40% - 60% humidity, so you probably don't need to worry about that in the slightest. Getting a little spray bottle might be a good choice, though.
   
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   Yeah, it's definitely something that I take for granted until someone (such as yourself) reminds me how different things are elsewhere.
   
   I've never taken Puppy to the vet. She's never had any injuries or health problems. Speaking of taking things for granted, if I ever needed a vet, I'd find one at that point. Might be a good idea to just get an idea of whether there are nearby vets for you, though.
   
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   I'd have been shocked if you'd thought about snake body language before - not many people have. Even most other reptile owners don't seem to have paid as much attention to it as I have.
   
   I can think of one particular time that I've seen Puppy "happy". It was this spring, the first time I took her outside this year. And in that case, it was more an example of "extremely relaxed" than it was "happy/excited" like you see in dogs.
   
   I'm glad you like Puppy. :)
   
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   Yeah, I understand where you're coming from. You've got to temper your desires with the realities of your situation, and a milk snake is an excellent compromise.
   
   Honestly, I have never interacted with a Woma, although I'd like to someday. From what the OP of that other thread was saying, it sounds like he was quite intent on eating their arm, and it took 5 minutes to get him off.

There are a number of resources for snake ID and this list is nowhere near comprehensive.

Globally, comprehensive species lists are available via Reptile Database Advanced Search. Reptile Database is mostly correct and up to date in terms of taxonomy. Another worldwide resource is Snakes of the World which, in addition to being comprehensive for extant snakes, also provides a wealth of information on fossil taxa.

Regional guides are useful. If you're in North America, the Eastern Peterson Guide and Western Peterson Guide are great tools, as is Snakes of the United States and Canada. While plagiarized and problematic, the book Snakes of Mexico is the best easily accessible information for the region. For Central America, the Kohler book as well as Savage's Costa Rica book are excellent resources. South America is tough but has a diagnostic catalog. Australia has Cogger as a herp bible. SE Asia has two guides one in German and one comprehensive. For Europe, you simply can't get better than the three volumes of Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Africa is also difficult - no comprehensive guide exists but there are a few good regional guides like Reptiles of East Africa and Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa. Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar is a good source for that distinct region. For the Indian subcontinent, use Snakes of India

Remember, species names are hypotheses that are tested and revised - old books become dated by the nature of science itself. One of your best resources is going to be following /r/whatsthissnake, or (for North America) with the SSAR Standard Names List for the most recent accepted taxonomic changes.

Here is an example of a small personal herpetology library.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here and report problems here.

One of my all-time favorite herp books is Dragon Songs, which gives a fascinating look into the world of crocodilian communication and social behavior. Crocodile: Evolution's Greatest Survivor is very interesting, too. It's more of a general overview of crocodilians.

I also found this one that looks pretty good: American Alligator: Ancient Predator in the Modern World.

Dragon Songs is probably the best on the list, simply because it takes such an interesting approach to understanding crocodilians.

This is the filter I managed to pick up for it for 125 bucks. It is WAY bigger than that picture makes it look, and is right about the size of those large 5 gallon paint buckets you get from home depot. I have actually only did a partial water change a single time, and other than that just refill every 3 or 4 weeks based on evaporation. Still have not had a need to clean or replace media in the filter as it is still operating completely smoothly and keeping everything absolutely crystal clear. I think a big part of that is that he is the tanks only inhabitant, and he is very good about eating all of his food within seconds straight from my hand, so he doesn't make much of a mess at all. I do need to skim surface on occasion as oils from meat contacting the water will slowly build up, but since they all float they stay out of the filter as well. Overall probably the easiest tank to keep clean I have ever dealt with, I have only had a single bloom of brown algae, but a little bit of iodine cleared it up within a couple of days. Another big part of the cleanliness is likely the hard rock bottom. If there was sand or gravel that Mr Bitey could reach I am 100% sure he would be making a disaster out of the tank on a daily basis, when I had him in smaller tanks that had a gravel substrate I was having to change water for the whole tank every couple of weeks, and having to outright scrub the gravel substrate clean by hosing it down for half an hour. Definitely avoid loose substrate and it helps SOOO much keeping things clean and awesome.

My best friend has had his iguana for about 7 years, he says that Iguana's for dummies is the most informative book that he has seen about them and their care.

http://www.amazon.com/Iguanas-For-Dummies-Melissa-Kaplan/dp/0764552600/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343286940&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=igunas+for+dummies

How big is your enclosure? 250 watts is serious power for an enclosure. I run total of 200 watts in my 5x4x5 enclosure in the winter and that is enough. Enclosure must be sealed for it to work, but CWD enclosure must be sealed anyways. For fixtures the most economical is to use porcelain Leviton fixture. They are very reliable and withstand all you can throw at them.

Halogen lights on dimmer work nice for a day heat, paired with some t5 UVB. Ceramic bulbs on pulse-proportional thermostat work good for night heat.

Essentially you are creating a live, cycling environment for your reptile that will break down waste in the substrate utilizing small insects, beneficial bacteria and fungi, just as it would in nature. You will need to ideally have it set up and running without the reptile in there for at least a month to give the plants and insects time to settle in and any mold blooms to die off/get eaten by springtails. There are various ways to do this, and you can make it as simple or as complex as you want it to be. See here for a good general idea. I also highly recommend this book as it goes into detail about different bioactive substrates and setups.

Bioactive setups are NOT completely self-sustaining, that is a myth. They work best for smaller animals since there is not as much waste to break down (so an anole would be a perfect candidate). You will still need to spot clean the decor, walls, etc. The substrate can go rotten (trust me, you will smell it) and in that case you'd need to replace it, but if you do things right you shouldn't need to replace it for a year or more. I also always put a pvc pipe in the corner of my enclosure to act as a drain, so if I overwater I can drain it (or I can directly water the drainage layer if needed).

Exo Terra makes some nice ones, I bought their cricket keeper & it holds up well. (lid stays on tight while holding the handle)

Their faunarium doesn't appear to have handles tho.

A very good iguana book is Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual

by James W., III Hatfield

Amazon Link: http://amzn.com/1883463483

I picked up one of these at Lowes and it works just fine. It's nice to be able to adjust the temperature for day/night.

Yeah it exist! https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-PowerSun-Mercury-Vapor/dp/B0002AQDJK

Agreed. I was a kid when I got an iguana in the 80s, and this book - which was the only husbandry book available at the time - gave just two examples of things to feed iguanas: ice cream and spinach soufflé. He was at the vet with MBD within a month and though he eventually recovered and lived 10 years, he did it with a deformed jaw.

My daughter caught a pet lizard when she was 6. I wrote a book about her and her lizard for her 7th birthday.

http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Lizard-Suzie-Melody-Templeton/dp/146641474X/

disclaimer - it's complete fiction - the lizard could not speak in real life ;)

Light Fixture

For example, would I be able to take out the bulb that comes with this fixture and replace it with the 18 inch ReptiSun 10.0 bulb? In other words, would they be compatible with each other?

https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Photo-Ark-Document/dp/1426217773

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0009586NE/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_post_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1


This should be the correct link. It's only available in this size on Amazon U.K, but with taxes and shipping it ended up costing about $30-32. After cutting up and adding some reptile carpet to the inside, she's going in there a lot already.