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		Lizards Leopard gecko Bearded dragon LEOPARD GECKOS: Past and Present (Eublepharis macularius) Stop! If you have just caught the reptile "bug" or are an advanced hobbyist don't overlook these saurian gems. The leopard gecko, (Eublepharis macularius), is an ideal pet that takes up little space, has simple food requirements, comes in designer colors and patterns and can withstand the life dealt out by even the most absent-minded of keepers. They are excitable as babies, but harmless, and as adults they become very tame; taking food from your fingers. With a maximum adult size of 7-10" this lizard is easily handled by supervised children. But remember, their tails can breakoff (and be regrown), so make sure you never pick them up or grab them by that fleshy tail. For decades this lizard was the only species being bred in captivity generation-after- generation. It has a fantastic tract record and is probably the most widely kept pet lizard next to the sometimes troublesome green iguana, (Iguana iguana). Since 1992 serious breeders have developed striped, high yellow, "jungle", "ghost", and "leucistic" forms from the original wild-caught imports, which originate in Pakistan and India. Being a terrestrial type of gecko makes keeping them at home a snap. They are easily kept in a glass or plastic cage that offers 10" x 10" of floor space for each gecko housed and that is at least 12" high. Now that you have a cage in mind, here's your gecko recipe for success: Use paper toweling or newspaper for the cage bottom. You can see when it is soiled and the cost is low. Never use fine sand as a substrate since geckos up to 5" in length may eat the sand and become impacted. Always provide water in a shallow lid or bowl that won't spill. Use a gallon jar lid or shallow plant dish to serve as a food bowl. It's nice if the insects you are using as feed don't escape from this bowl.. Use a 6" wide plastic container for a hide box. Fill the container with moist potting soil and cut a 1 1/2" diameter hole in the lid or side to serve as an entrance for your pet. Mist the hide box soil daily. This aids in skin shedding, which they eat. Provide a screen top for your cage; especially if you have young children or cats. Keep the gecko cage off the floor and create a temperature of 82-88 F for the daytime. The night temperature can go as low as 64 F with no ill effects. Heat can be gained from commercially available reptile heat tapes, hot rocks or a 40-watt light bulb placed over to screen cage top to reach the needed daytime high temperature. Twelve hours of light is fine. Feed four live food items daily per gecko. Never let direct sunlight strike your cage, since it will overheat quickly, like a closed automobile standing in open sun, and kill your pet. Never have more than one male gecko per cage. Adult males of all types of lizards will fight each other, and sometimes to the death, if they come into contact. A male will vibrate its tail rapidly when it sees another gecko. If the other gecko in turn vibrates its tail in the same fashion then each of them knows that contact has been made with another male and a fight will occur. If, however, a male signals his presence via the tail shaking and the other gecko does not respond in like fashion, then the male knows that the gecko near him is in fact a female. This behavior is one means of determining their sex. Sexing your gecko is not very difficult. Male geckos are larger, heavier in the neck region, have a line of small pores on their belly between their hindlegs which are just in front of the anal opening or vent and they exhibit two swellings at their tail base and just past the vent. Females lack the large size, in general, and the pre-anal pores and post-anal swellings are missing. Sex can't be easily seen until your gecko reaches 5-6" in total length. Most of the geckos sold in pet shops are females. You can keep a male with 1 to 10 females all their life. Cage size is the only limiting factor. Keep a jar lid full of vitamin-mineral powder available in the cage at all times. These are the main points for daily care and keeping, but should you wish to deal with the breeding of leopard geckos, there are detailed sources of information at your local pet shop or from the ever-growing Internet. Always keep in mind that your gecko is subject to the temperatures and food you provide. If the temperature is not warm enough the lizard will not feed well and if the feed is not nutritionally balanced their bones will not form properly. This is true for all reptile pets. In captivity, leopard geckos are best fed mealworms, (Tenebrio molitor), or crickets, which you can order through the mail or purchase at any bait or pet shop. It is important to "power feed" such food items for 24-48 hours prior to giving them to your pet. This is done simply by using a cutdown one-gallon plastic milk jug that is filled with chicken or hog feed. Place a piece of potato or carrot in the jug to provide a source of water for the insects. The idea is to fill the insect with nutritious food itself so that your pet can then fill itself with a balanced diet. Many shop owners do not feed their insects such diets and if you merely feed-out recently purchased insects then your lizard will suffer from poor health within 3-6 weeks. The first signs of such nutritional problems are a soft or shortened lower jaw or bent limbs. Leopard geckos are sexually mature at 10 months of age and usually lay their first pairs of eggs of the season from January to August. First-time females will sometimes only lay a single egg, but a sure sign that you have done a good job raising your female gecko is seen when two fertile eggs are laid in the box of mosit soil you have been providing. From then on, a clutch will always consist of two eggs unless your female is old or sick. Older females may lay 10-16 eggs per season. A fertile egg feels like a stale marshmellow while an infertile egg looks and feels like a half-filled hotwater bottle. Eggs are easy to hatch. In fact, you get to have a powerful job, if you wish, since gecko eggs are temperature sex dependent. This means that the sex of the gecko is not determined at fertilization, but is set during the first two weeks in captivity by the high daytime temperature you expose the eggs to. A daytime high that does not exceed 82 F will give you all female offspring, but if you want to make that egg a "male" then you simply place the egg where it will experience 90-92 F as a daytime high during the first two weeks of incubation. Do not keep "male" eggs at a constant 90-92 F or you will have some embryos die from heat stress or they may become what we call "hot" or high temperature females, which never reproduce and often bully their cage mates. Now that you have learned a bit of science you can place your new eggs in a plastic container of moist potting soil, Vermiculite or Perlite. Bury the eggs only 1/2" and place two or three push-pin size airholes in a tight fitting lid. You can get fancy and buy a commercial incubator if you are after a particular sex or you can just place the container of eggs on a high shelf in your reptile room or home where the temperature varies from 74-94 F. (Don't worry if you only have a single female as a pet. She may lay eggs and of course they will be infertile.) Young will emerge on their own in 60-70 days using this method of incubation. Care of the young is the same as for the adults. They begin taking 1/4" crickets or one-inch mealworms at day 3 of their lives. Plastic shoeboxes are ideal homes for babies. At our reptile ranch we use #2 styrofoam meat trays (available in your grocery store) upside-down for a hide box, a pickle jar lid serves as a place for vitamin-mineral powder and the mealworms and a peanut butter jar lid works perfectly for a water bowl. The young need to be fed live insects daily or they may bite off the tails of their cagemates. Always sort the young to size every two weeks as there will be one or two babies that outgrow everyone else and once this competition begins it is only a matter of time before a small gecko will be eaten by its big brother or sister. If you wish to feed baby mice to an adolescent gecko you can achieve larger size and for a female you will get more eggs laid per season. Just how long will your pet gecko live? Well, we have had female leopard geckos live 19 years and a friend in Florida had a male, that died recently, that lived a verifiable 27 years! Females are usually able to lay up to the age of 8 years without problem. Again, the key is a proper nutritional foundation; especially during that first year of life. If you have made a choice to select a leopard gecko as a pet, all you have to do now is find a healthy specimen. A gecko in top condition will have a fat tail - usually 3/4 of the thickness of their neck; they will be alert when awake and the colors should be bright. Kindly, ask your pet shop manager to throw in a live cricket with any gecko you are considering. If the gecko immediately goes after the food item then that is a gecko for you. Avoid lizards that do not readily open their eyes when touched or that have old skin stuck to their toes or are thin. The normal phase leopard geckos are seasonally available in pet shops while the "designers" must be had directly from the breeder or at some of the larger reptile expositions. Generally, geckos can be bought during the hatching season, from April to October, without any problem. The most difficult months to make a purchase are usually January and February. Shipping through the mail is quite simple and safe. With all the new color and pattern variations occurring in this species, its future will likely take on the huge assortment of mutations seen in the common goldfish. So far, the first albino has not appeared on the scene, but that is only a matter of time. (this article was written in 1996, but now in 1999 the first albinos are on the market.) Designer leopard geckos, which are all black or snow white and even all orange are now being developed. The leopard gecko has become a top reptile choice for anyone at any level of experience. They will never let you down as long as you follow the basic care. The rewards are worth it. Bearded dragon General: The inland or central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) is rapidly becoming one of the most popular lizards in the pet trade. A moderate-sized lizard, attaining a maximum length of about 22 inches (half of which is tail), it has a melow dispostion and seems to enjoy interacting with humans. A native to south, central Australia (see range map at right) Pogona viticeps can be found in arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and arid open woodlands. They are diurnal (active during the day) and seem to fall asleep within minutes of the light going off in the evening. With proper care bearded dragons have lived for 10 years in captivity. Because of very restrictive wildlife export laws in Australia, all individuals available in the United States are captive bred from founder animals imported from Europe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Housing: Initially a relatively bare enclosure is preferred, either glass aquarium or large plastic enclosure. A screen cover is recommended, primarily to protect the lizard from children and / or other pets. Within the first year the dragon will grow to almost its full length, so while a 10 gallon aquarium may be suitable for a new hatchling, within 6 months or less the animal will require an enclosure 24 inches long (e.g., a 20 gallon long aquarium). As adults, a 50 gal tank (or larger) is preferable, especially if two or more animals are to be housed together. As adults bearded dragons love to climb branches and bask, be sure if several animals are housed in one large enclosure to provide multiple basking sites. They also benefit from having hiding spots. Females especially appreciate having a safe place to escape from the male's attentions during breeding season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Substrate: Substrate may be either a bare enclosure, paper toweling / newsprint, or sand (Play Sand, granitic or limestone sands). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Temperature: As with most lizards a thermal gradient is required. At the "hot" end, basking temperatures of 95° - 105°F (34° - 41°C) are appropriate for hatchlings, with adults preferring 88° - 95°F (31° - 37°C). The cool end of the enclosure should be room temperature and at night can fall as low as 60°F (16°C). Temperatures can be achieved with a combination of either hot rock or under tank heat source under one half of tank and incandescent light over the basking site. Be careful to monitor temperatures carefully before placing the dragon in the enclosure. A 100 W light bulb will quickly "cook" a baby dragon in a 10-gallon tank. Be sure there is a "cool" end that the dragon can escape to if needed. If a hot rock is used, check its surface for hot spots and be sure to have a secure screen lid; babies can climb up the cord and escape. Red incandescent light or ceramic heaters are not recommended as daytime heat sources, only standard white incandescent bulbs. The lights should be on 12-14 hours, with the undertank heat source or hot rock left on 24 hours to provide a source of nighttime heat. Nighttime temperatures can fall to 60° -70°F (16° - 21°C). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lighting: In addition to the incandescent bulb used to provide heat and stimulate daytime activities, full spectrum (UVB) fluorescent bulbs should be placed on top of the tank, preferably within 12 inches of the dragons, with no glass or acrylic to impede UVB exposure. Although experiments are still in progress to determine the exact effect this has on growing lizards, it is believed that these bulbs play a part in synthesis of vitamin D3 and calcium absorption. Exposure to natural sunlight for several hours a day, with access to shade as needed, is a good alternative. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Water: Water should always be provided in a shallow dish or bowl (jar lids work well for juveniles) that the lizard can see into and drink out of easily. Water should be changed daily and the bowl disinfected regularly. A daily misting seems to be beneficial, especially for hatchlings. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Food: While dragons are primarily insect eaters, they benefit from a varied diet including dark, leafy greens (e.g., collard greens, kale, red-tipped leaf lettuce, mustard greens, hibiscus flowers) and finely chopped or grated vegetables. Appropriately-sized crickets (approximately 1/3 the size of the lizard's head, by width (width of prey = 1/3 width of lizards head) or by volume) make up the basis of their diet, with mealworms, wax worms and king mealworms (Zoophobas) providing variety for lizards older than one month. Be sure your feeder insects are themselves well fed. Subadult to adult dragons may even appreciate an occasional pinky mouse. Because of their rapid growth, food items should be supplemented with a calcium/vitamin mixture (e.g., four parts calcium carbonate (e.g., Rep-Cal) to one part reptile vitamin (Reptivite, Herptivite or Herpcare cricket dust). Supplementation usually takes the form of "dusting" food items with the powder immediately prior to feeding. If dragons are kept on sand, food items should either be introduced in a smooth-sided bowl, deep enough to keep the food items in, but shallow enough for the dragons to climb in and out, or the dragons can be placed in a separate container (e.g., plastic sweater box) for feeding. The following is a suggested feeding schedule based on age: Under one month: Feed 2-3x/day; crickets (1 week old dusted 1x/day). One to four months: Feed 2x/day; ( 2 week old, dusted 1x/day), occasional mealworm or waxworms, salad every other day. Four months to mature: Feed 1-2x/day; crickets, mealworms, wax worms, pinky mice, Zophobas, salad every other day. Adult: Feed every 1-2 days; crickets (dust 2 feedings/week), Zophobas, pinky to fuzzy mice (once/week), veggies every other day. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Handling: One of the attributes which makes bearded dragons such an appealing pet lizard, is that with minimal training, they will sit calmly for moderate periods in your hand or on your shoulder. Most adults will tolerate and even seem to enjoy being gently petted on the back or under the chin. Care must be taken with hatchlings though. They are fragile and frequently skittish. Care must be taken to avoid dropping them, as they back-up while you hold them. Excessive petting may be harmful to their skin. Handling should be minimal for the first two months, with gradual increases in holding (just supporting them in your hand) for the next two months. By six months they are hardy, and by one year are mature adults. If purchasing a bearded dragon for a child, an adult should always supervise handling of juvenile dragons (under 6 months). If the child is young or tends to be very rough, an adult may always need to be around when the dragon is handled, primarily for the safety of the dragon. Dragons are very mellow lizards, but if provoked they will exhibit an open-mouth threat display. If their display is ignored, a bite may ensue.
		Snakes Corn snake Red-tail boa Kingsnake/milksnake Corn snake care Introduction Corn snakes (Elaphe guttata guttata) are one of the most available snakes in the pet trade today. Vast numbers of corn snakes are captive bred annually, and are justifiably one of the most popular snakes of all time. Corn snakes are relatively small, rarely exceeding five feet in length, active feeders, tolerate a wide variety of environmental conditions, come in a dazzling arry of color morphs, and are very easy to breed. All of these factors combined make the corn snake an excellent choice for both the beginning and advanced reptile hobbyist. Enclosure Size Corn snakes are relatively small, and as such, they do not require large enclosures. A baby corn snake can happily live in a ten gallon aquarium or enclosure of similar size. Some people choose to keep baby corn snakes in plastic shoeboxes with holes punched in the side. This type of enclosure is acceptable as long as appropriate heating is provided. Upon reaching full adult size (about three to four years), a corn snake will require an enclosure with the minimum dimensions of a standard twenty gallon long aquarium. Larger aquariums such as a thirty gallon breeder or fifty-five gallon tank are also appropriate. No matter whether your corn snake lives in a humble home or a palace, there are several important details to keep in mind when setting up your new pet. Substrate The substrate of a cage is the material that is on the bottom. There are appropriate and not so appropriate choices of substrate in corn snake housing. Cedar shavings are unacceptable as they cause respiratory problems in snakes. I personally do not recommend pine for the same reason, but others have used this substrate without any problems. Corn cob bedding (manufactured for use with birds) should not be used as a substrate because it causes excessive drying of dermal tissues and can cause serious intestinal blockage if swallowed. Acceptable substrates include reptile bark, butcher paper, paper towels and Astroturf. Reptile bark can be purchased in pet stores, and is attractive and natural-looking. Butcher paper can be acquired in many places such as home depot or art supply stores. This substrate, while not particularly attractive, allows one to keep the cage very clean by continuously replacing the soiled paper. Paper towels have the same advantages and disadvantages of butcher paper. Astroturf can be used, but it does tend to rot easily if wetted, so it is best to have several pieces cut to fit the cage so you can rotate dirty and clean pieces. Appropriate Heating There are several choices for appropriate corn snake heating. Whatever choice of heating is used, it is very important to provide one area of the cage where the ambient (air) temperature is 80-85 degrees F. Corn snakes, like all reptiles, do not make their own body heat and rely on a behavioral mechanism called thermoregualtion to regulate their body temperature. Thermoregulation means that when a reptile is too cool, it moves to an area to warm itself, and when it is too hot, it moves to a cooler area. Access to warm areas are critically important to the health of your snake. Appropriate heating is required for proper digestion and the effective functioning of the immune system. If the tank has a screen top, a shop light or metal reflector may be placed on top of the cage, to one side, with a heating bulb inside to create a basking area of 80-85 degrees F. Another method of heating is the use of quality undertank heating pads. Undertank heaters are plastic with one adhesive side. The adhesive side of the heater is used to attach it to the bottom of the outside of the tank, on one side of the cage. These heaters can only be used with certain types of cages, so check the directions before purchase. Hot rocks are not recommended for corn snake heating for several reasons. Hot rocks provide a localized heat source that is often too hot. As a result, the snake will curl itself about the rock in an attempt to raise its body temperature, this can result in serious thermal burns. Think about this from the snake's point of view. One tiny area of the cage is 100 degrees F, and the rest of the cage is freezing. Without some type of heat, reptiles will get sick, so the animal will use whatever source of heat is provided, even if it is too hot. Some of the new hot rocks that have thermostats are a much better choice if a hot rock must be used. If not, at least burying the hot rock in some substrate will help to diffuse the heat. It is much better to provide indirect heating, or heating that the animal has no direct access to. This will prevent thermal burns from occurring. Feeding Corn snakes are rarely picky eaters if they have the proper heat and enclosure. One important aspect of feeding that is often overlooked is the addition of hiding areas to the cage. Corn snakes, like most snakes, like to feel secure in their environment. One way of providing for this need to is put hiding spots in the enclosure. Hiding spots can be made of anything, as long as the snake can completely fit inside the area and hide itself from view. Old cardboard boxes are good for this, but so are many of the commercially manufactured hiding spots available in pet stores. A hiding spot should be placed both on the warm end and the cool end of the cage, so that the animal can feel secure in any spot. Corn snakes kept without appropriate hiding areas become stressed and may refuse to eat. Hatchling corn snakes begin eating pinky mice, and progress up to adult mice once they are mature. A good rule of thumb is to feed the snake a food item that is the same, or close to, the snake's diameter. Feed an item that is too large, and the snake will often regurgitate it. Snakes will also regurgitate if they do not have a warm area or if they are handled too soon after they eat. Corn snakes can be fed two times a week, but once is usually enough. Clean water should be available at all times, corn snakes drink often. Conclusion Corn snake Red-tail boa Kingsnake/milksnake Red tail boa care SELECTION If possible, captive bred animals should always by selected. They tend to be much healthier and make better pets overall. This also helps to help encourage breeding rather than collection. Always deal with reputable dealers and high quality pet stores. If the snake must be an import, be very careful when it comes to selection. A docile specimen should move forward and flick it's tongue in a regular fashion. A fast moving short flick is generally associated with curiosity, where a long, slow flick with very little up/down movement is usually a sign of possible "defensive" feelings. A truly defensive Boa will make it's intentions very well known. Normal actions are pulling into a strike position and hissing. A specimen will most likely calm down with interaction, but a calm specimen is a much more enjoyable pet. Check for mucous in mouth (representative of infection), eye shape and color, and lumps in body (due to broken ribs or malnutrition). Hunger folds are another sign of malnutrition. Although it is generally not a problem with Red Tails, check to see if the specimen is a known feeder. Ask to be allowed to watch the next time it is fed, maybe even offering to purchase the food. However, I would wait at least 1-2 days before moving a just fed Boa. Also look for mites (AAAAAAHHHHhhhhhhh). Mites are no reason to reject a snake, but are definitely something to look out for. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SIZE I have seen neonates ranging from 12 to 24 inches. Growth in newborns is very rapid, between 3-5 feet in one year. The second year can yield lengths of 4 to 7 feet. Adults range anywhere from 5 to 10 feet, with an occasional 12 and 15 footer thrown in just to keep us all on our toes. Growth is directly related to diet and housing conditions. However, unlike fish, a reptile WILL outgrow it's surroundings. Keeping a Boa in a 20 gallon tank WILL NOT keep it from growing. Diet can be used to control growth, but I do not recommend it. If you can't take the size, get a smaller animal! Feed that puppy and let it grow! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FEEDING Newborns should be fed every 5 days. Start on pinkies, and work up from there. As the snake increases in size, feeding can be cut back to every seven to ten days. Feeding can be done every 2 weeks, or even less in emergency situations, but this is not recommended. Your pet will be much healthier if fed a reasonable meal weekly than if gorged every two weeks. Prey items should be approximately the same diameter as the snake (both at the widest part of the body). ALL prey should be killed or at least stunned. This can be accomplished by several methods. If feeding live, I simply swing the rat be the tail and allow its head to "bump" into a step in my garage. Frozen prey is attractive due to the fact that it is on hand when needed, already dead, and usually cheaper than live. Always kill or stun prey, the worst I have ever felt was when I got in a hurry and fed a live rat. He managed to get his teeth on (but thank goodness not in) Sinbad's back. No damage, just a very worried father. Rats can be hit in the head with a solid object (just stay behind the eyes, very messy if you don't, blood everywhere!) or place a stick behind the head. and pull on the tail to break the neck. Regular use of a vitamin supplement is a must. Your breeder/ supplier/ vet should be able to recommend something suitable. For those of you with larger collections, bulk supplements from a farm supply store work well. It may cost more than a small bottle at the pet store, but tends to last much longer. Check with a vet as to dosage. Some specimens may regurgitate if handled within a day or two after feeding. I usually avoid handling until the "lump" goes away. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOUSING Space, Space, Space. A small tank for starters is OK. I recommend a 20 Long tank minimum. This will be outgrown very quickly (will last about a year)! A cage amounting to � square foot per foot of snake is what I consider perfect. Shelves can and should be used to increase floor space and allow somewhere to "go" when active. A shelf also allows a warmer basking site, while forming a cooler area underneath. Temp, Temp, Temp. Temperature for a Boa should be kept around 85�F daytime and 80�F at night. A basking site in the range of 90-95�F is also needed. If temperatures are allowed to stay too cool, refusal of food, regurgitation of food, digestive problems and respiratory infections will be right behind! Heat should be from heating pads, pig blankets, light bulbs, and NEVER EVER EVER from hot rocks. I have even had success using small ceramic space heaters. The heater should have small enough openings that tails can't enter, an adjustable and covered thermostat, and should shut off if tipped over. These radiate plenty of heat, but do not develop the dangerous surface temps regular space heaters tend to have. Remember to monitor temp very closely. It must also be remembered that the temp at the bottom can be 10-15�F lower than that at the top. Be sure the basking area is placed so that a gradient is achieved, with the cool down area being no lower than 80-85�F. The cage should contain a hiding place, a sturdy water bowl big enough for soaking, and something to rub on while shedding (Rocks and tree limbs/sticks work well). Substrate. Keep it simple, and do not use Cedar or sand. Newspaper is the easiest. However, an active pet will quickly look as though he has been rolling in charcoal! I use blank paper obtained from local newspapers. Many will give this away, but most sell it for a few dollars. Just ask for an end roll. I have also used indoor/outdoor type carpeting. This is attractive, and relatively inexpensive. Keep a few pieces handy, so that one can be replaced and the other cleaned later. However, carpeting will cut down on the amount of heat obtained from under the tank heating systems. Animal bedding is also attractive and easy to clean, just be sure it does not contain cedar. Aspen is best. Simply remove soiled areas daily, and replace all when cleaning tank. Cleaning. Develop and follow a cleaning schedule. Soiled substrate should be removed immediately. Fresh water should be given every few days. Sterilize the water container at each water change. The entire enclosure should be cleaned and sterilized at least bi-weekly. Use a dilute solution of bleach (3-5%) with (optional) 2 teaspoons dish washing liquid per gallon. Never use Lysol or Pine sol. These contain chemicals that (by design) leave residues that can kill a pet. Always rinse and dry well before reassembly. Lighting. For heat OK. Full Spectrum If you really think you must. Not really necessary for a well kept Red Tailed Boa. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHEDDING A well fed Boa will shed about once a month. Some shed less often, maybe every 2 to 3 months. Remember, shedding is a result of growth, and if your snake does not shed frequently, he is not eating enough. My Boa goes through pre shed in about 4 days. This is marked by the clouding over of the eyes. In the end, they will be completely clouded over. At this point, feeding is best postponed till after shed is complete. The eyes will clear, and a few days later the skin will be removed. The shed is accomplished by rubbing on something until the skin on the nose comes loose. The skin is then hung on something and pulled off. Check the "head" of the skin and make sure both eye caps came off. The tail is another area that sometimes will not remove completely. If the skin comes off in lots of small pieces, the humidity is too low. I begin misting mine once a day while in pre shed, and 2 to 3 times a day after the eyes clear. He may look at you like you are crazy, but shedding will be much easier. Unshed skin can be removed by soaking in water and then gently pulling it off. Remaining eye caps are much more difficult to remove. Fortunately, I have never encountered this. I have been told that a long soak, with plenty of underwater time (submerging head at least once every 5 minutes), will loosen them enough to allow removal. Removal can be accomplished by rubbing the eye gently with ball of your thumb. If this does not work, soak again. After soaking and drying, touch a piece of scotch tape to the eye cap and gently pull it away. I would recommend "weakening" the tape by sticking it to the back of your hand at least once before use. My advice, get help, and don't try this at home. Handling should be kept at a minimum during the shed period, as the new skin can be sensitive (or even damaged). Feeding should also be postponed for the same reasons, in fact, most will refuse food while shedding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PARASITES AND DISEASE Snakes can suffer from many ailments: mites and ticks on the skin, worms in the gut, and protozoa, bacteria, or viruses attacking the mouth, skin, and internal organs. New specimens should be quarantined so that they can be checked for parasites and disease. If the snake refuses food for a long period, or if stools are "different", then a stool sample should be taken to a vet for analysis. "Normal" stools will be fairly firm and will normally consist of 2 - 3 small "chalky" stools to each larger dark stool. These can vary in consistency and color to some extent. You may also notice small amounts of hair in the stool, this is normal. Watch for extreme looseness, color changes, and mostly -- signs of parasites (worms, eggs, etc.). Digestive problems are readily treatable, but must be caught early. If constipation is a problem, check temp. If a stool is not passed, and the body begins to swell towards the tail, then a good warm water soak should "clear up" the problem. Respiratory infections: Look for mucous in the mouth, open mouthed breathing, bubbling nostrils) are often cured by simply raising the temp. If not gone in a few days, find a vet, antibiotics are necessary. Ticks and fleas: should not be a problem for snakes. However, if found, they must be removed immediately. Be very careful when removing ticks, an imbedded head can cause a nasty infection. A good cleaning should rid a flea problem. Mites are another story. They are blood sucking arthropods closely related to ticks. The common snake mite almost always arrives on a snake from a pet store or other infested location. They are VERY small and are hard to see. Putting a two inch square piece of a Shell No Pest Strip or equivalent (active ingredient = Z,2 dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate) in the snake cage overnight kills the mites. Put the Strip in a cardboard or plastic container with holes in it. The insecticide can come out, but the snake can't touch the strip. The strip may also be placed on top of a screen top. Don't give water at this time. Afterwards, clean the cage very well. This treatment should be enough if the mite carrying snake has just arrived. Another very effective treatment is Mite-RX. Use it as directed. If they still persist, I have allowed my snakes to soak in a very weak solution of the Mite-RX. If the mites aren't detected immediately, they spread. The treatment may have to be repeated several times to kill them all. However, I would not soak them in the solution more than twice. Mites, ticks, and fleas CAN kill a snake! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEXING AND BREEDING A snake's sex can be determined by several methods: Neonates: Very often a male neonate can be manually everted by placing one thumb on the back of the tail and rolling the other towards the cloaca. The hemipenes will evert easily, but this should only be done by experienced individuals, as damage from excess pressure is possible. Probing: This is the most reliable way, but it should only be done by an experienced person. In this method, a metal probe is slipped through the vent to check for the presence of a hemipenes, the male copulatory organ. Every male has two hemipenes in the base of the tail. Females will probe from 2 to 4 subcaudals. Males will probe to 7 to 8 while immature, the adults will probe to 10 to 12 scales. A simple visual examination of the tail's length and thickness: The hemipenes make the tails of males longer and thicker than the tails of females of the same size. When looked at from the side, male tails are generally half as thick at the middle as at the base. Female tails are usually half as thick a quarter of the tail's length from the base. While learning, look at adult snakes of known sex before trying it on juveniles and adults of unknown sex. Spurs: Male boa constrictors have spurs on either side of the vent that are significantly larger than those of the females. Breeding Boas requires closely copying their natural conditions. This includes a seasonal day night light cycle, winter cooling, misting, and many other factors. Timing is crucial. Although captive breeding is encouraged, it requires more dedication than simply keeping a few snakes. Corn snake Red-tail boa Kingsnake/milksnake Kingsnake/milksnake care Natural History Kingsnakes and milksnakes are some of the most beautiful snakes in the world and are very popular and easily kept in captivity. Moderately sized and usually quite docile, these snakes appeal to the beginner as well as to the experienced herpetoculturist. The scientific name for the genus of kingsnakes and milksnakes is Lampropeltis. Lampro is derived from the Greek word for "shiny" and peltis, Greek for "shields." The name is a very accurate descriptor of these snakes with their glossy, smooth, well-defined scales. Lampropeltis getula (kingsnakes), L. triangulum (milksnakes) and the other six species (comprising forty-five subspecies) can be found throughout most of the United States, the southern parts of Ontario and Quebec, down through Central America and parts of South America. kings can be found in arid deserts, swamplands, farmlands, grasslands, pine and deciduous forests, up to 8500 feet in the Rockies and to 10,000 in the Andes, and in riparian habitats. These constrictors, in the wild they consume a variety of prey, including other snakes, amphibians, lizards, rodents, birds, even rattlesnakes. One of the most interesting thing about some of the kings and milks, and something which unfortunately works only too well, is their mimicry of the venomous coral snakes. As most people cannot tell the difference and many believe that all snakes are uniformly dangerous, wild kings and milks are often met with the business end of a shovel rather than the respect they deserve for their efforts in keeping the rodent populations in check. To set the record straight, Lampropeltis and coral snakes can easily be told apart by the order of the color of their bands. Both snakes have yellow, red and black bands. Kings and milks have black bands touching the red bands; in corals, the yellow touches the red bands. A simple rhyme makes it easy to remember the order: Red on yellow, kill a fellow. An alternative rhyme, yellow on red, you're dead" is a bit of an overstatement, as the vast majority of people who do get bitten by a coral snake just become very ill, recovering with no residual effects. As Lampropeltis are easily bred in captivity, there is never a reason to purchase a wild one. In California and now, in Arizona, there are stringent laws concerning the wild collection and the sale of captive bred kingsnakes about which many pet stores are unfamiliar. Captive breeding has produced numerous color and pattern morphs, ranging from different types of albinos to striped and mottled markings. Some of the most striking, however, are the most natural - vivid bands of colors, or the simple black and brilliant yellows of the Florida and Sonoran kings. Kings are oviparous, laying fifteen or so eggs. Hatchlings emerge from the eggs anywhere from six to ten weeks after being laid, and range in size from eight to thirteen inches long. Adults range in size from three feet up to seven feet, depending upon the species. With proper care, kings will live 20 or more years. Selecting Your Kingsnake or Milksnake What subspecies you select is a personal decision, but the criteria by which you evaluate the potential purchase remains the same. The snake should have a firm rounded body. Check the sides for any caving, sign of possible broken ribs (which happens primarily to wild-caught snakes). The eyes should be clear with no sign of secretions, cloudiness (other than routine opaquing before shedding) nor any signs of mites; mites may also be detected by their feces, a grayish-white "dust" speckling the snake's body. There should be no gaping--open mouth breathing or catching of breath--which is indicative of a respiratory or parasitical infection. The skin should be shiny with no sign of sores, scabs or discolored patches. The ventral surface (the belly side) should look as good as the top surface. The vent (cloaca) should be clean, free or any feces or urates. There should be no swelling either above the vent or towards the tail. The inside of the mouth should be uniformly pink. Any red spots may be a sign of beginning mouthrot; any yellow, cheesy substance is a sign of advanced mouthrot. There should be no excess mucous, and the tongue sheath should be clean and whole. Unless a snake has been handled a lot by a number of different people, it will not be particularly tame when you first pick it up or when it is first handed to you. The snake should move purposefully and persistently; let it move from hand to hand. A wild or highly stressed snake is going to wave the upper half of its body in the air trying to escape as soon as it is free of your hands. When the snake is comfortable with you, it will spend some time wrapped around your hand or arm, actively interested in its surroundings as evidenced by tongue flicking and alert to movement. When you first hold the snake, feel along its entire length to see if you can feel any bumps, lumps or unusually hard or soft areas. When you put the snake down, check your hands to see if there are any mites. Look at the snake move to see that it is moving smoothly, with no abrupt hitches in gait or tremors. Housing your snake Kings and milks are escape artists. If there is any small (very small) gap or hole, or any "give" to the fitting of the top attached to their tank or between the doors and casement, your snake will escape. Kings, more than any other snake, is known for its tenacity it testing it's environment, looking for a way out. Once out, they are very difficult to find. For this reason, the selection and purchase of a commercial enclosure (or design of a custom enclosure) is just as important as your personal selection of a snake. A tight enclosure is more expensive, whether you buy one or make it yourself, but this is an expense that you cannot skimp on. What is the point of saving some money on an inferior enclosure if, in the end, you lose your snake? Doing it right the first time will save you from some grief down the line. Enclosure The enclosure you select must have a tightly fitting, locking, top. Available commercially are a variety of glass enclosures with tops consisting of screen mesh and a hinged glass door which locks into place with a small swing latch. Available now are also locking screen tops which can be put on previously purchased tanks. With either of these enclosures, check the give of the tops before you place your snake inside and walk away. Snakes are, for the lack of a better word, squishy, and can squeeze themselves through impossibly tight spaces. Any gaps due to "give" in the doors or tops can be reduced significantly by fitting aquarium airline tubing all around the opening. Hatchlings may be housed in a ten gallon enclosures. Medium sized adults may be housed in twenty gallon enclosures. The longer and larger snakes should be housed in a 60 gallon enclosure. Try to get high-sided enclosures so that you may put in some vertical climbing and above-the-floor basking areas. Milk and king snakes, like all the other snakes in the family Colubridae (typically, non-venomous snakes considered to be more highly evolved than the boas and pythons), have only one functioning lung. Due to the lack of space inside the confines of their rib cage, all organs are elongated and so there is now room for only one working lung. Their left lung is still there, withered to a vestigial stub. Because of this somewhat reduced lung capacity, and the fact that when such snakes cannot stretch fully out on a regular basis, they are prone to respiratory infections. For this reason, it is important to give the snake as much stretching room as possible. Heat The Lampropeltis that live in climates that experience extremes in heat and cold alter their daily habits to accommodate such extremes. Hibernating through the cold winters, northern and mountain snakes spend the season dormant. Desert species will hide in cool crevices during the hottest part of the day, becoming crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk). In captivity, the extremes do not need to be provided unless you are trying to breed your snakes. In general, provide a temperature gradient ranging from 76-86 F, with nighttime drops into the low 70's. If you are providing an enclosure with high enough sides to establish basking and hiding areas at different levels within the enclosure, you will need to make sure that gradient is both horizontal as well as vertical. Do not try to guess the temperature. You must use thermometers. Ideally, one should be placed in the cool end, the warm end, and at any other area where the snake spends much of its time. The hottest areas should not exceed the maximum stated range by more than a couple of degrees, especially for snakes from temperate areas. Heating pads (either people heating pads or ones developed for reptiles) can be placed under half the tank, or inside the tank, under half the substrate. Under no circumstances is a hot rock to be used as is. If you want to use one, it must be connected to a thermostat so that you can control the temperature; these "rocks" heat up to 105 F on the surface, too hot for the majority of reptiles, and capable of causing severe burns. Incandescent and other heat lights are impractical for two reasons: they must be turned off a night, thus allowing to great a drop in temperature, and they bother the snakes, especially the nocturnal ones. Radiant heat from below can be supplemented with a non-light emitting heat source such as the new ceramic heating elements. If the ambient room air temperature is always warm (in the low to mid part of the gradient required), then you may be able to make do with only one heat source. Humidity and Water Provide a bowl of water for your snake. This is generally all the humidity they will need. They will often soak in the water, especially prior to a shed. As they often defecate in the water, you much check it daily, cleaning and disinfecting it before placing it back in the tank. One of the problems experienced years ago by herpetoculturists and hobbyists keeping Lampropeltis is that the substrate was kept too damp, causing bacterial, fungal and respiratory infections. Make sure that the substrate remains dry at all times. Furnishings Kings and milks are rather secretive snakes, preferring to curl up in a rocky crevice or under a log. Shelters of some sort should be provided in both the cool and in the warm ends of the enclosure. They can range from commercially available "rocky" caves, half-circles of tree bark, and upside-down flower pots. Less aesthetically pleasing is the "green" approach--recycle facial tissue and other suitably sized boxes into caves. They are easily disposed of and replaced when they get soiled. Enclosures may range from the strictly utilitarian (substrate, caves, water bowl) to being a vivarium, outfitted with substrate similar to that found in the snake's native habitat, rocks, branches, backdrops, etc. It is easier to start of utilitarian, and then design and plan the interior design once you see your snake in place and it has acclimated to captivity. Substrate Until you are certain that your new acquisition has no worms, protozoan infections or mites, start it off on paper towels or butcher paper. Easily changed when soiled, these materials will also enable you to monitor the condition of the feces and to detect the presence of mites. Once you are sure your snake is parasite-free and healthy, you can continue using these papers, or use one of the following substrates: untinted aspen shavings (cedar and redwood are toxic, and there is some feeling that their relative, the pine, may be toxic as well); Astroturf or outdoor carpeting; number three aquarium gravel (not silica sand), washed and dried before use; mixture of sterile potting soil and sand. This latter substrate is what caused early king-keepers such problems--the surface of this type of substrate was too often damp. When using this soil mix, the top several inches should be very dry. Desert vivaria can be outfitted with a fine grade aquarium silica sand. The real key to substrates is how difficult they are to clean and change, and how likely you are to do what is necessary as often as it is necessary. The more difficult or complicated you make the inside of the enclosure to clean, the less likely a busy person is going to do it. Find that delicate balance between providing as much interest and variety for your snake and what you can reasonably expect to be able to do on an at least weekly basis. Feeding Captive born hatchlings are started off on pink mice, and so feeding them is rarely a problem. Wild caught snakes, on the other hand, may have been feeding primarily on lizards or frogs, making it quite a bit more difficult and time consuming to get them switched over to mice. If you are having problems switching a snake, read David Perlowin's book on kingsnakes. Hatchlings can be started on one-two day old pinkie mice. If frozen mice are used, make sure to defrost thoroughly (leave on counter, under a light, or soaking in warm water). Feed one to two mice every two to seven days, depending upon growth rate desired. Generally speaking, a snake will grow faster being fed several small prey a couple of times a week rather than one big prey once a week. The smaller prey are more digestible than the larger prey, so the snake is getting more nutrition from them. Subadults can be offered bigger mice one or more times a week. A good rule of thumb is to feed prey that is as big girth-wise as is the widest part of the snake's body. You will find that they are hungrier in the spring and summer, winding down during the fall; many stop feeding altogether during the winter months even though the may still be somewhat active. Adult size is generally reached within three years at which time the amount and rate of feeding can be reduced. Feed adult mice or just weaned pink rats. At this point, judgment must come into play. You want your snake to be well rounded, with no visible line of backbone or ribs. The amount of food it takes to maintain that weight and appearance varies between species. Start with once a week; if the snake looks too lean, increase to one mouse twice a week. Another rule of thumb: snakes over four feet long need at least two adult mice each week. Veterinary Care This is an essential, and often overlooked, part of bringing a new animal into your home, and when an animal gets sick and changes to its environment fails to achieve a cure. When your snake first defecates, collect the feces in a clean plastic bag, seal it, label it with the date, your name and phone number and the snake's name, and take it and your snake to a vet who is experienced with reptiles and have the sample tested for worms. Handling Your Snake After giving your snake a couple of days to settle in, begin picking it up and handling it gently. It may move from you and it may anoint you with a smelly musky substance from it's vent. Be gentle but persistent. Daily contact will begin to establish a level of trust and confidence between you and your snake. When it is comfortable with you, you can begin taking it around the house. Don't get over-confident! Given a chance and close proximity to seat cushions, your snake will make a run (well, a slither) for it, easing down between the cushions and from there, to points possibly unknown. Always be gentle, and try to avoid sudden movements. If the snake wraps around your arm or neck, you can unwind it by gently grasping it by the tail and unwrapping it from around you. If you start at the head, you will find that your snake is stronger than you are, or at least, more tenacious. Necessities Some things you should have on hand for general maintenance and first aid include: Nolvasan (Chlorhexidine diacetate) for cleaning enclosures and disinfecting food and water bowls, litter boxes, tubs and sinks etc. Betadine (povodine/iodine) for cleansing scratches and wounds. Set aside a food storage bowl, feeding and water bowls, soaking bowl or tub, even sponges, to be used only for your snake. Corn snakes are justifiably one of the most popular pet snakes of all time. Corn snakes come in many beautiful colors, and are hardy and docile. This care sheet is not all of the information required to care for a corn snake properly, but it is a start. If you own a corn snake or plan on purchasing one, it is YOUR responsibility to thoroughly research the needs of your pet, doing so will make both your lives easier.