CategoriesLifestyle Lizards Care and Habitat Pet caring and Habitat Reptile Bedding Tips & Tricks Uncategorized
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Why Should Reptiles Kept Away From Children?

Reptiles are excellent pets, but a precautious measure has to be taken for the safety concerns of kids.

Good habits are best acquired at an early age, as is usually the case. Teach your children to treat animals with respect from the start. They will receive years of enjoyment from their reptile pals after they comprehend basic reptile etiquette.

Reptiles are delicate creatures that can easily become frightened if not handled appropriately. Kids, in particular, might inadvertently rough-handle and irritate a reptile pet, thus additional caution should be exercised anytime children handle these kind of animals.

Basically, you should keep deadly reptiles away from kids and keep them locked up. Teach correct handling techniques. Respect for reptiles must be taught to children. Even while part of this behaviour may be appropriate among cats and dogs, they cannot shake, tug, or crush the animal. In self-defense, reptiles may lash out. Choose the appropriate reptile. Humans, especially youngsters, are not fond of handling lizards. On the other hand, certain snake species are more tolerant to youngsters. Geckos are among the most kid-friendly creatures. Chameleons and frogs, in particular, are unsuitable for handling. Claws should be trimmed. Although reptiles are less susceptible to having their claws clipped than cats or dogs, it is possible to keep your youngster from being scratched if you do so. Claws of iguanas, in particular, should be cut on a regular basis.

Health Risks To Your Child

Salmonella and botulism are two diseases and illnesses that reptiles may transfer on to your child. These are the most serious dangers.
Salmonella is a bacterial infection. Diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches, fever and stomach cramps are all symptoms of the sickness. It can also cause dehydration and blood infections. Salmonella is a threat to reptiles of all kinds. Handwashing helps to lessen the danger.

Botulism is a dangerous and potentially fatal illness. Clostridium is the germ that causes it. It causes death and paralysis. Clostridium is a common bacteria found in reptiles. Botulism is especially dangerous to babies and infants under the age of one. Botulism is caused by bacteria that are widespread in aquatic reptiles. Reptiles that dwell in water, such as turtles, are examples of aquatic responses.

Keeping Clean Around Reptiles Can Help To Reduce Health Risk

You should presume that at least one dangerous germ has infected your reptile. After coming into touch with reptiles, wash your hands and your child’s hands. After handling your reptile or anything it has touched, avoid touching your mouth. Wait till you’ve thoroughly washed your hands. Teach your youngster to follow in your footsteps. Reptiles should not be allowed in any place where food is produced or consumed. Wash the surfaces wherein the reptile has come in contact, with hot water. Your reptile should only be washed in its own basin. Never ever waste water and faeces should be flushed down the toilet or poured down the drain. When cleaning tanks, cages, and equipment, always use disposable gloves and wash your hands afterward. Clean any clothing that has come into touch with your reptile in a hot wash.

Reasons why kids should have pets

Pets Teach Empathy To Kids 

Young children are frequently self-centered. The good news is that knowing how to properly care for a pet can aid in the development of empathy in youngsters. Children will discover how their pets react to changes in their habitat and room environment as they care for them. Indeed, you might be amazed at how fast youngsters learn up on their new pet’s likes and dislikes. Having a pet allows youngsters to view things through the eyes of a pet, which is a precursor to seeing things through the eyes of people.

Pets Teach Responsibility To Children 

Taking care of an animal creates responsible instincts in your children. Even if your child is extremely small, he or she will be able to fill a dish with food or water. As your child becomes increasingly capable of caring for their pet, you may gradually give them greater responsibility.

Pets Build Confidence Into Children 

Caring for a pet may be your child’s first “job.” Your youngster will realise how capable they are with responsibility if they complete their task effectively. This will boost their confidence and, hopefully, provide them with additional opportunities to demonstrate their responsibilities.

Conclusion

Introducing children to a variety of animals at a young age and educating them about them helps to teach compassion and respect for every living creatures, as well as refute and address unreasonable concerns. Only animals with an anxious or violent disposition are not allowed. That would apply to all species, not only reptiles and invertebrates.

CategoriesHorse Bedding Lifestyle Pet caring and Habitat Tips & Tricks
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Why Do Horses Make Great Companion?

A pet is a highly vital component of many people’s families, and having one in your life is extremely beneficial. Most people, on the other hand, automatically think of dogs or cats when they think of pets. Horses, on the other hand, are fantastic pets with which you may form great bonds. They are, among other things, incredibly nice, lively, and intelligent, and make excellent company.

The Benefits Of Keeping A Horse

Horses Are Beautiful Per Definition

Horses are the ideal pets because they are so breathtakingly gorgeous. Even though horses might be rather large, there is something lovely and delicate about their look. As a result, when you have a horse rushing around, you’ll probably be unable to comprehend exactly how powerful but beautiful they are; they truly are a sight to behold!

Horses Are Extremely Low-Maintenance Animals.

Horses are also extremely low-maintenance compared to other forms of pets. Of course, you’ll still have to look after your horse on a regular basis, but they’re quite self-sufficient creatures. So, in order to keep your horse happy, you won’t have to spend every minute of every day with them. As long as you provide your horse the love, respect, and care he or she deserves, they will revere the ground you walk on, which is why horses make such wonderful pets!

Horses Live For A Long Life

Thousands of individuals see horses as highly valuable friends in a society where the majority of people conceive of a companion pet as a cat or a dog. Companionship, therapy, leisure, and sport are just a few of the numerous advantages of owning a horse. Horse ownership may be extremely gratifying if the obligations of ownership are well considered.

Horses have a long lifetime, which is another advantage of having them as pets. Stabled horses typically live for more than 20 years, and even longer if well cared for.

Horses Are Quite Simple To Manage

Horses are quick to pick up new skills and rapidly understand how to be controlled. They will rapidly become sensitive to instruction with proper training and consistent care. A mare or pony, rather than a stallion, would be a better choice for a family pet because stallions are more strong-willed and better suited to breeding than as pets.

Horses Are Easy To Feed

Although most people believe that a huge animal such as a horse requires more care, they are actually quite easy to feed and keep healthy since they are not finicky. Grass is the greatest meal for any horse, although it can be supplemented with hay if grass is scarce.

Horses May Be A Lot Of Fun To Care For.

Brushing a horse’s coat on a regular basis will bring out its natural lustre. Rather than being a chore, this may frequently be converted into a pleasurable experience. Even the most difficult tasks, such as bathing or foot washing, may be made enjoyable. Whatever work has to be done, it’s all part of the fun of having and caring for a pet.

Horses Are A Lot Of Joy To Be Around

How many pets can carry you for miles on their backs, through routes and into places you’d never go? Horses are entertaining to be around, and owning one as a companion pet will provide hours of entertainment for children. Horses can be loving, making the “companion” aspect of your connection with your horse even more delightful.

While owning a horse comes with a lot of responsibility, it can also provide a lot of joy and happiness to individuals and families, while also bringing people closer to the joys of life via the ownership of a loyal companion pet.

Conclusion

Overall, there are several advantages to owning a horse as a pet. Even more, there are a thousand more reasons why horses are the ideal pets, and the ones listed above are simply the most important ones! The only thing you need to remember is that horses need to be treated with the highest respect, and if you remember that, they will be the best friends you could ever have!

CategoriesLifestyle Pet caring and Habitat Snake Bedding Snake Habitat Tips & Tricks
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Housing For Your Pet Snake

Learning how to care for your first snake is a rewarding experience, and one that is required if you want to ensure your snake’s health and well-being. Before bringing a snake into your house, think about how big it will get and what size cage it would need for its environment.

Everything else will be a lot easier if you have the correct cage for your snake. The improper cage, on the other hand, might become a problem, allowing your pet to escape or making it unduly tough to govern his environment.

Cage Environment

Most snakes may be divided into three groups based on their cage size. Garter and grass snakes may be housed in a 10 gallon or 20 gallon aquarium with ease. In 30-55 gallon tanks, king snakes, rat snakes, milk snakes, gopher snakes, and other colubrids will thrive. It’s a different storey with boa constrictors and pythons. Adult boas and pythons often range in length from 18 inches to 32 feet. Some of them are above 500 pounds. Custom cages are required for these huge creatures. Consider making your own cage out of plywood or melamine if you are skilled in the industrial arts. Custom cages and kits are widely available if you don’t want to build your snake’s habitat.

Types Of Vivarium

Wooden Vivariums

Wooden vivariums are among the most affordable and dependable cages for snakes. They usually come in a variety of “standard” sizes, either flat-packed or pre-built. Buying a flat-pack version is frequently advantageous for anybody with some basic DIY abilities, since they are straightforward to assemble yet are often easier to move flat, as well as being cheaper.

Advantages

  • Most specialist reptile stores have wooden vivariums on hand.
  • They’re sturdy, adaptable, and fairly priced, and they look great if you pick a style that matches the rest of your furniture.
  • Drilling holes for electrics like heaters and lighting is normally quite straightforward with wooden vivariums, and the wooden construction also means that they maintain their heat effectively.
  • If you reside in a colder climate, this is perfect since you will be able to keep your snake warmer with less heating.

Disadvantages

  • Wooden vivariums are often heavy, making transportation difficult.
  • Ventilation in wooden vivariums might be a problem. Snakes enjoy fresh air and can become ill if they are deprived of it. Choose a wooden snake viv that has air holes if you want to keep your snake alive.
  • If left too wet, wooden vivariums can distort and decay. This implies that any water spilled within the cage should be soaked up as quickly as possible so that it does not seep into the wood and cause difficulties. Because most snakes prefer a drier environment, this is unlikely to be an issue for lizard owners.

Plastic Vivariums

While wooden vivariums are still the most prevalent type of snake housing, there are a growing number of plastic vivariums on the market. It should be emphasised that if you want to investigate this option, you should attempt to find one that is especially intended for snakes rather than any other type of pet. The ventilation openings will be kept tiny to prevent escape, and the overall proportions will be long and low, allowing your snake to roam around freely.

Advantages

  • Plastic vivariums are lighter and stronger than wooden cages, making them much easier to move about. You won’t need a substantial stand, table, or cabinet to put them on either.
  • Because of their ease of cleaning, plastic vivariums are sanitary. The germs and parasites may be readily removed from the moulded plastic vivariums using a towel and reptile-safe cleaning spray. In contrast, parasites or germs can persist in the seams between the panels in hardwood vivariums.

Disadvantages

  • Fitting electrics to a polyethylene tank is difficult. This is because, depending on the style you choose, you may need to either drill holes for electrical lines to poke through or remove plugs from your heaters and lights so that the cables may be carefully fed through the pre-drilled holes.
  • Plastic vivariums can be much more costly than wooden vivariums of comparable size. Before deciding whether the advantages of a plastic vivarium are worth the extra cost, compare costs carefully.

Glass Vivariums

Specially built glass vivariums for reptiles have become increasingly popular in recent years. These tanks are usually made entirely of glass, with two hinged doors at the front for easy access. These doors can save time and effort by removing the need to raise lids or move glass panels for normal maintenance and feeding. This can also mean that you can stack glass vivariums on top of one another in some designs, allowing for an extremely space-efficient method to keep your snakes.

Advantages

  • The most elegant and professional-looking kind of housing is glass vivariums. They not only look good, but they also give outstanding visibility. An all-glass vivarium, unlike most wooden or plastic vivariums, has glass viewing windows on the front that offer vision from all sides.
  • This not only gives you a unique perspective of your pet, but it also allows you to keep an eye on it and do health checks without having to take it out.

Disadvantages

  • Glass vivariums are heavy and can break if dropped or bumped while being transported. If you reside in a cold region, their all-glass structure might make it difficult to keep them warm in the winter; after all, heat can readily move through the glass surface.
  • Electrics can be a problem to install in glass vivariums for snakes; after all, one can barely drill a hole in the side to put an electric wire through.

Converted Glass Tanks

A converted glass aquarium is one last form of snake vivarium that is still encountered in the pet trade from time to time. Essentially, an unwanted fish tank may be used, and a reptile-safe lid can be purchased to cover the top and keep it secure. Although many individuals abandon the notion over time owing to impracticalities, this is typically a very cost-effective approach to keep snakes in captivity.

Advantages

  • Converting a glass tank is a simple process. Even in locations where there are few reptile stores, the majority of individuals will be able to obtain an aquarium. Even better, purchasing a used cage may save you a lot of money and provide you with a perfect cage for a low cost.
  • A proper cover must be constructed. These may usually be ordered at a reasonable price on the internet.

Disadvantages

  • Since converting a glass tank is so difficult, you’ll want to think about where you’ll put your vivarium. However, this is a minor flaw that is usually obscured by the two greater difficulties at hand.
  • Electrics might be tricky to install in all-glass aquariums like this one for snakes.
  • If you want to utilise an old aquarium as a reptile cage, you’ll have to be creative.
  • These vivariums from above are inconvenient to use. Because you’ll need to be able to remove the lid for any normal maintenance, this limits where you can put the cage.

Conclusion

The best snake vivarium is impossible to find. Each snake keeper has their own preferences, and it’s simply a question of weighing the possibilities available in your location and, using the information provided in this article, determining which solution is most suited to your needs.

CategoriesLifestyle Lizards Care and Habitat Pet caring and Habitat Pets Bedding Reptile Bedding Tips & Tricks
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Housing For Pet Reptile

A suitable cage, as well as sources of light, heat, and water, are required for reptiles. Before bringing your pet home, make sure the habitat is entirely ready and safe. Lizards require housing that is both emotionally and physically comfortable. Emotional comfort refers to the animal’s sense of security. Physical comfort implies that the temperature and, to a lesser extent, humidity of your lizard’s cage remain in the same range as when it was born.

It’s much easier to provide such features if you know what kind of lizard you have. Lizards are divided into three groups: those that are large enough to be unaffected by little objects, and those that escape danger.

Lizards that are too huge to be maintained by a hobbyist, let alone legally protected, are too enormous to be kept by a hobbyist. Running lizards may make advantage of large-scale housing, which allows them to roam and establish territories. Most enthusiasts, however, are unable to provide room-sized enclosures for a trio of 10-inch-long lizards.

Different enclosures are appropriate for different sorts of settings, whether they are separate or used together:

Aquatic terrarium

Aquariums for aquatic reptiles are comparable to aquatic terrariums. A submersible heater, a filter for continuous, easy cleaning, a vented or wire screen on top with a lid or covering for easy ventilation and access; gravel spread on the bottom, a basking light that the reptile cannot reach. A basking area, such as a rock or floating surface; and a comfortable background are all important elements for an aquatic terrarium. Turtles, frogs, newts, water snakes, and salamanders thrive in this type of enclosure.

Semi-aquatic terrarium

Water and land regions are combined in semi-aquatic terrariums. You may use a piece of glass attached with sealed silicon to divide the two regions, or a detachable container for the water. For proper filtration, drainage, and utilisation, the land area should be built in layers. For these substrates, you can use tiny pebbles, moss, bark, or potting soil. A coating of charcoal at the bottom of the substrates can help keep them fresher. Driftwood, moss, pebbles, or plants can be used to provide interest and movement to the terrarium. Choose plants that are appropriate for your pet’s species and size. You may also need to establish a basking area and a thermal gradient in the terrarium, depending on the species. Salamanders, newts, frogs, certain lizards, and turtles thrive in semi-aquatic terrariums.

Woodland terrarium

Woodland terrariums are comparable to semi-aquatic terrariums, except they have a lot less water area. For the water element, just use a bowl. The same substrates can be used again and again. For arboreal creatures, include additional branches, while for terrestrial species, use more pebbles. A heating element and/or full spectrum lighting element may be required, depending on the species. Within this form of enclosure, a temperature gradient is usually required. Frogs, salamanders, snakes, and lizards such as geckos, anoles, and skinks live in forest habitats, as do a variety of other reptiles.

Desert terrarium

Desert terrariums are for reptiles that need to be in a dry, arid environment. Reptile bark, terrarium carpet, or sand can be used as substrates. Cactus or succulents, for example, require little water and are low-humidity plants. You’ll need to incorporate a temperature gradient within the enclosure, as well as a heating element and full spectrum illumination. Chuckwallas, desert iguanas, leopard geckos, and a variety of other lizards are housed in these cages.

Accessories

A variety of climbing/clambering surfaces not only provides areas for your lizard to explore and hide, but also enhances the appearance of the cage. Because these things must be anchored in the substrate, a cage with just a paper towel or newspaper substrate can only include a water dish and a couple of hide boxes for decoration. Cages with a gravel or mulch bottom provide you a lot more creative freedom when it comes to decorating.

You should limit the cage furnishings for desert lizards to cholla cactus skeletons and rocks. Living plants, especially xeric-adapted ones, have a tendency to add moisture to an already confined habitat. Cactus that are still in their pots can be added by die-hards.

Pothos and dwarf sansevieria, as well as climbing limbs and vertical cork bark slabs, can be added to woodland/jungle species like geckos and iguanas. Branches may be added, but they must be at least 1.5 times the lizard’s diameter to be securely held, and they must be wedged into position so they don’t slip.

Cleaning

If you detect excrement or the tank smells musty, it’s time to clean it.

If the substrate is paper, simply peel it off and spray it with cage cleaning. A cleanser made of one-third alcohol, two-thirds water, and a drop or two of dishwashing detergent works well. Replace the paper substrate and wipe the cage dry with paper towels.

You may simply pick up the dried faeces with a paper towel if you use a gravel or mulch base. Every month or so, replace the substrate, spraying and cleaning the empty cage with the cage cleaner.

Caring

Lizards who are protective of their territory are known as caring lizards. You probably won’t be able to offer adequate room for each lizard’s own area now that you’ve pulled your lizard out of the wild. However, you may compensate for the spatial constraints – and provide a hiding spot for a species that hides to avoid danger – by erecting visual barriers.This may be done using genuine or imitation vining plants, small parts of limbs, bits of bark, or conceal boxes. Even if your lizard can’t get away from a possible adversary, whether it’s you or another lizard, the “enemy” won’t be visible. Hide boxes that have been manufactured commercially are easily accessible. The majority of them are variants on a black plastic box with a hole at the front. Ideally, you should offer numerous hide boxes, at least one for each animal, and put them at the cage’s cold and warm ends.

Water

Your lizard need water on a regular basis. A small dish of water or a dish with a bubbler can be used passively to offer this. Bubbler bowls are for lizards who like to drink moving water rather than static water. You may also spray the enclosure’s plants and walls every day or every other day. For arboreal lizards that do not descend to ground level and desert lizards that sip dew drops, misting is utilised. One of the rock or corkbark pieces in the cage, as well as one or two of the tank’s walls, should be misted. Though the lizard rushes up to the misted area and lapping one location after another as if it’s thirsty, mist again after the droplets have vanished. You want your lizard to desire to drink, but not to get dehydrated.

A drip bottle, a water-filled container with a tiny hole in the bottom that rests on top of the cage, is used by some enthusiasts.

Water droplets seep out of the orifice and splash down. Most cages can fit into a clean yoghurt cup. A plant, a water dish, a wood, or a rock can all be placed in the container. Every day, wash and rinse the container well.

Substrate

To serve as the tank’s flooring, you’ll need to offer a substrate. Substrates come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Paper towels or newspaper, on the one hand, are a simple and inexpensive option. Paper towels are a better choice for little lizards. These lizards are too light to rumple the absorbent towels, which may be readily replaced when they become wet or filthy.

For tiny to bigger lizards, newspapers could work. Although newspaper is absorbent to some extent and tends to lie flat, your lizard will have no walking or running traction due to its slippery surface. Gravel works nicely and can be cleaned easily by putting it in a bucket and hose-washing it.

Mulch that isn’t fragrant is a suitable choice for a substrate. It’s relatively absorbent, has a burrowing surface for tiny lizards to feel secure, has decent traction, and offers the cage a natural appearance. Substrates created from crushed walnut/pecan shells or compressed coconut fibre are similar to mulch but more costly. We recommend EcoBed Reptile Bedding. This is an 100% eco-friendly exotic bedding type provided for your pet reptile’s comfort, made out of refined coconut husk chips.

Here, newspaper is used as a compacted/pelleted product that delivers all of the benefits of mulch and other loose substrates. However, one word of caution: lightweight pelted or granular substrates can be readily consumed with meals. If you’re going to utilise these substrates, place a large flat rock or a small tray on top of them to act as a feeding platform.

Cage carpets, for example, are one-piece substrates that look attractive, give grip, and are often easy to clean. Food that has spilled is readily cleaned up. On the negative side, the carpets are less absorbent than mulch or other loose substrates, and waste is visible.

Conclusion

It will take time, effort, and money to create the ideal home for your reptile, but it will be well worth it when you see your reptile thrive.

CategoriesCoco Coir Bedding Coir Products How To Recycle Coco Coir Tips & Tricks
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How To Recycle Coco Coir

Gardeners are increasingly using coco coir in its many forms as a soil amendment or as a growth medium on its own. It is an environmentally friendly substrate, which is one of its main selling features as an alternative to sphagnum peat.

It’s not simply that the fibres are resistant to deterioration and can persist for years. Coconuts are grown only once a year. Coco coir is self-sustaining, unlike peatlands, which take decades to create.

It’s not surprising, however, that an increasing number of gardeners want to learn more about how to utilise coco coir successfully.

Recycling The Coco Coir

One of the most beneficial aspects of utilizing coco coir is the ability to recycle old coir particles.

The first and most important step is to remove the coir medium from the growing area for drying. Spread the coir out to dry; it will most likely take weeks to totally dehydrate.

Any leftover plant materials from the previous crop should be removed. Larger roots and stems should be removed, leaving smaller roots behind that can be treated (with enzyme solution) to create a healthy supplement for future root systems.

Wash the coco with distilled water to remove any dead roots or leftover salts that may obstruct future nutrient absorption, as well as to maintain optimum EC and pH.

To remove the coco from the wash basin, use a perforated strainer or screen with an 18-inch mesh. It is preferable to wash outside, in the garden or backyard, to remove any impurities.

Setting the coco coir to be reusable entails re-buffering and enzyme treatment, as well as renewing the growth potential.

Cation exchange sites abound on the surface of Coco coir. Buffering is the process of exposing cation exchange sites to extremely concentrated calcium and magnesium solutions.

The coir material will be buffered before being used for the first time. Buffering should be done once more for re-use purposes.

Simply place the fabric pot of coco in a bucket and pour enough buffering solution to thoroughly immerse the cation exchange sites with Cal/Mag. Allow it to sit for 8 hours, covered.

Then, remove the cloth bag from the bucket and drain the buffering solution.

A specific enzyme mix is employed to break down leftover root material from the previous crop. Sensizym, for example, reconditions coco coir to provide a healthy foundation for fresh crops.

Enzymes convert the leftover roots into Carbohydrates that are sugar, which are then used by helpful bacteria in the rhizosphere for energy.

Then they make new enzymes to keep the cycle going and break down dead organic materials.

Coco that has been buffered and enzyme-treated is now ready to be reused.

The used coco coir comes in useful as a combination for grow media or as direct grow medium due to its deep aeration and improved water retention.

Coco is an excellent soil supplement for outdoor flower beds, gardens, and other areas where the soil is compacted.

Conclusion

Growing coco is not just a healthy option however recycling the coco is yet another method to make an environmentally conscientious decision for a better world.