Guide to pet Iguana:

1. Iguana food: Iguanas mostly like to feed on collard greens, turnip greens, peas, mustard greens, pods, dandelion green salad, yellow or orange squash etc. you can also serve chard, kale or spinach to your iguana but in a small quantity mixed with green peas only. You should feed your iguana with proper nutritional diet. You can also provide calcium supplements to your pet iguana. Make sure that the supplement you provide to iguana doesn’t contain any D3 in it.

2. Proper space in iguana enclosure: Pet iguana should be provided with proper space in its enclosure as it will help to keep your pet healthy and active. 50 gallon tank is enough for an average iguana. These reptiles grow very quickly so it is important for you to provide large enclosure to pet iguana. Small size enclosure can restrict the growth of your pet iguana.

3. Thermometer in iguana enclosure: Iguana enclosure must contain at least two thermometers in it. One thermometer should be placed at the cool side of the enclosure and other should be placed near the hot spot. You should use thermostat device to check the proper amount of temperature in the enclosure.

4. Temperature in iguana enclosure: The temperature of iguana enclosure should be maintained around 80 to 95F. Basking temperature can be maintained around 90 to 100 F. You can use ordinary bulb for heating purpose in the day time. At night you should ceramic heater as they do not produce light, which iguana wants.

5. UV light in iguana enclosure: The iguana enclosure must include UV lights in it as it helps to maintain the natural behavior of iguana. UV light helps to generate Vitamin D3 in iguana body. You can also keep your iguana enclosure in sunlight to absorb UV light.

6. Furniture for iguana cage. The iguana cage must include tree limbs to climb on, hide box, basking limb, water and food dishes.

One thing you should always remember is that Iguanas are wild animals. Even though they are very popular as pets, they can severely harm their owners if not handled properly. Keeping iguana as pet require proper planning and precautions.

Requirements of iguana:

1. Iguana enclosure: you should provide proper and comfortable enclosure to pet iguana in order to make it feel secure. The size of iguana’s enclosure should be twice the size of the iguana. Iguanas require large enclosure to stay in as they grow very fast. The limited size of iguana enclosure can lead to slow growth of the iguana. So make sure that the enclosure you provide to your pet iguana is large enough in size as it helps in improving its performance and strengthens its body muscles as well. Iguanas love to climb trees so their enclosure must contain trees or shelves to climb son. Wide shelves, which are made of board, can be kept on branches in the enclosure so that iguana can climb on it. Climbing is essential for iguana as it helps to maintain its metabolic systems.

2. Light in iguana enclosure: It is important to provide UVA and UVB lights in iguana’s enclosure as it helps to maintain the natural behavior of iguana. Moreover light helps to generate Vitamin D3 in iguana body. Vitamin D3 is essential for iguana as it helps in the digestion of food.

3. Iguana food: Healthy and fresh food should be provided to pet iguana. You can serve green leafy vegetables such as turnip greens, collard greens, dandelions, mustard greens, escarole, pea pods, green beans, clover, alfalfa and string beans. You can also feed them with other vegetables and fruits such as brussel sprouts, celery, cauliflower, grapes, cucumber, bock choy and broccoli. You should not serve animal protein to iguana as it can lead some problems in their structure. You should add vitamin and calcium supplements in your pet iguana’s diet as it will help in proper growth of iguana.

The above mentioned information should be kept in mind before purchasing iguana as a pet. It is significant for you to provide fresh and clean water to iguana. Fresh and clean environment is essential for iguana as it will help in preventing iguana from bactrerial infections.

Thing to consider for an iguana enclosure:

1. Size of iguana enclosure: The size of enclosure should be considered before purchasing iguana as they require free roaming space in the tank. Novice should take large enclosure for their pet Iguana. The size of enclosure of iguana should be large as this pet grows very quickly. The growth of your pet iguana can suffer due to the small size of enclosure. A 55 gallon of tank is enough for a young iguana. The size of enclosure of iguana should be twice the length of iguana. Small enclosure can cause injuries like nose wounds and broken claws to pet iguana. Moreover, small size enclosure also restricts the movements and climbing of iguana which weakens the muscles of iguana.

2. Temperature of iguana enclosure: It is a tropic region animal and require warm temperature to stay in. Insufficient amount of warm temperature in enclosure prevents iguana from digesting the food properly. Growth of iguana remains steady in warm temperature. Basking spot is essential for this animal. The temperature of iguana enclosure can be kept at 80F during daytime. The enclosure must have proper placement of cooler and warmer areas. Temperature is essential to be maintained in an iguana enclosure. The cool temperature in the enclosure can make your iguana feel uncomfortable and inactive. the ideal humidity level of iguana enclosure is 60-75%.

3. Lighting in iguana enclosure: It is important for owner to provide UVA and UVB light in iguana enclosure as it helps it to maintain its natural behavior. UVB light is essential for iguana as it helps to manufacture vitamin D3 in iguana body and metabolize the calcium level. Insufficient amount of UVB light can make your iguana suffer from metabolic bone disease. The best way to provide UV light to iguana is by sun. Make a habit to bask iguana in sunlight so that they can absorb large amount of natural UV light.

The above mentioned information will help you in selecting perfect enclosure for your iguana. Iguana enclosure plays a very significant role in the life of iguana. It is significant for owner to maintain cleanliness in his pet iguana enclosure in order prevent it form diseases.

]]> http://petcaregt.com/blog/iguana-enclosure.html/feed http://petcaregt.com/blog/reptile-supplies.html http://petcaregt.com/blog/reptile-supplies.html#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:43:21 +0000 Grace http://petcaregt.com/blog/?p=4714 Nowadays many people love having reptiles as pets. If you’ve decided to have a pet reptile then you must be aware of the supplies that are essential for reptile owner to provide to his pet. There are several essential supplies that the reptile owner should provide to his reptile to keep them well built and active. Supplies such as enclosure, food, bedding, healthcare, substrates, accessories, vitamins and supplement etc. are important for reptile. It is significant for owner to provide basic supplies to the reptile to flourish. Some of the reptile supplies that are necessary to provide reptile when you own a reptile for your home are mentioned below.

Essential Reptile supplies:

1. Reptile enclosure: It is significant for owner to supply comfortable enclosure to the pet reptile. There are varieties of enclosures present in the market. You can choose any type of enclosure for your reptile but make sure that the enclosure you provide to your reptile is comfortable for it. The enclosure of reptile also serves as one of the elegant and striking way to decorate home.

2. Reptile bedding: The type of bedding that your reptile requires totally depends on the type of reptile you own. Different species require different bedding to rest on. Avoid the use of crushed walnut shells as bedding as it can cause impaction to your reptile. Bedding made from wheatgrass, natural bark, natural alfalfa, Douglas fir and coconut are good for reptiles.  Some people use carpet as reptile bedding.

3. Reptile food: It is significant for owner to supply fresh and healthy food to his reptile in order to make them flourish. Different species require different food to survive. Crickets can be included in the small reptile’s diet. You can supply mealworms, giant, wax worms, locust or silkworms to additional reptile. Large reptiles should be supplied with chicks, snakes, rats, mice and rabbits. Ensure that the reptiles are not overfed as overfeeding can make your reptile look ugly.  Vitamins are essential to be supplied to reptile for keeping it healthy. Vitamins and calcium powder are easily available in the market. You can apply the calcium or vitamin powder on the food of the reptile in order to supply additional nutrient to the reptile.

4. Reptile lighting: Reptiles should be supplied with UVA and UVB lights. You can supply ultraviolet to the reptile by using a Reptistar fluoro tube or ReptiSun 5.0or ReptiSun 2.0. It is important for reptile owner to supply light to his reptile as it helps to increase appetite, activity and reproductive behavior in captive reptiles. Moreover, it helps in preventing diseases and infections occurring. You should not supply strong Blacklight Blue (BLB) or poster globesto reptileas they can affect the reptile eyes.

By keeping these supplies in your mind then probably you’ll able to raise a reptile properly. It is important for you to keep a strict watch on your pet reptile.

There are many environmental factors that can spoil the health of your tortoise. Proper attention and care should be provided to pet tortoise in order to prevent it form diseases. Proper precautions should be taken to reduce the possibility of disease in tortoise. Some of the common tortoise ailments are mentioned below with their respective treatment.

Common tortoise ailments:

1. Swollen tortoise eyes: This is the swelling around the eyes which is mostly appeared due to the unhealthy environment. This ailment can be prevented by keeping your pet tortoise environment clean. It can also be appeared after hibernation or sudden drop in temperature. This can be treated with medicines such as fiver percent solution of Protargol or Argyrol. If your tortoise is suffering from this ailment then keep your tortoise out of the water for at least four hours after applying this medicine.

2. Tortoise Scratches sand Bites: This ailment should be treated as early as possible. This can be treated with antibiotic cream or powder. After applying the medicine keep your tortoise out of the water.

3. Tortoise soft shells: It is a dangerous disease and it should be treated at an early stage. This ailment can cause the death of small tortoise. It is caused due to the deficiency of calcium and lack of sunlight. It is essential for owner to supply proper amount of calcium to his pet tortoise ion order to prevent it from this disease. This ailment can be treated with by the addition of calcium lactate or simply a block of plaster – of Paris to the water. Hatchling suffering from this ailment should be provided with a natural diet. You can serve water snails, small fish and mosquito larvae to your hatchling in order to prevent it form this ailment. You can also add medicines such as aureomycin or terramycin in the tank in order to treat the tortoise from this ailment.

4. Tortoise respiratory infections: The respiratory infections are mostly caused due to low temperature of enclosure. It is important for you to detect this disease as early as possible because it is a very deadly ailment. The common signs of this ailment are drooping of the head, lack of the usual alertness of eye, discharge from the mouth and nose in the form of bubble or liquid and loss of appetite. You can prevent your tortoise form this ailment by raising the temperature of the enclosure. Medicines such as Sulphamezathine, aureoyamycin or sulpadiazine can be used for the treatment of this ailment. The medicine of this tortoise should be served in the liquid form approx. 30 mg per day. This process should be repeated for three to four days. If you didn’t’ notice any sign of improvement in your tortoise then you should take it to vet.

The basic reason of ailments in tortoise is unhealthy environment. It is important for owner to provide healthy environment to his pet tortoise in order to prevent it form disease.

The enclosure of tortoise must have direct access to sunlight. UVB rays of sunlight produce vitamin D in the skin of the tortoise therefore it is essential for owner to provide such enclosure to tortoise which has direct access to sunlight. Outdoor enclosure will provide high amount of sunlight to tortoise. There are many things that one should consider while purchasing or building enclosure for pet tortoise.

1. Size of tortoise enclosure: The enclosure of per average sized tortoise should be at least 10 square meters so that they can stay their comfortably. It should be large in size and must contain hiding places in it as they love to hide and play in the enclosure. It should be deep enough so that they can dig.

2. Safety in tortoise enclosure: Safety and security of tortoise are important things that every owner should consider while building and purchasing enclosure for their tortoise. Make sure that the enclosure you provide to your tortoise is escape proof. You can cover the enclosure of your tortoise with fences to prevent the escape of tortoise. The enclosure should be large enough so that the tortoise can enjoy their stay. If you are keeping your tortoise outdoor then make sure that it is safe from pesticides, predators and other unwanted elements. You can put a wire top over the enclosure to restrict the entry of predators in the enclosure. If you have pond in the tortoise enclosure area then cover it with fence in order to prevent the tortoise from falling in. The indoor enclosure should be covered properly in order to prevent the escape of tortoise.

3. Lighting in tortoise enclosure: It is important to provide artificial basking and lighting in the tortoise enclosure. You should use ceramic light holder instead of plastic holder because UVB lights usually become hot during the use.

4. Plants in tortoise enclosure: You can decorate your tortoise enclosure with plants and stones. Plants that you can keep in your tortoise enclosure are plantain, hawksbeard, clover, dead nettle, dandelion, mallow and honeysuckle. Ensure that your tortoise enclosure doesn’t contain any poisonous plant.

It is important for owner to maintain cleanliness in their pet’s enclosure in order opt prevent it form diseases. The base of tortoise enclosures should be covered with the proper material. Different species of tortoise require different base in their enclosure.

]]> http://petcaregt.com/blog/tortoise-enclosure.html/feed http://petcaregt.com/blog/reptile-requirements.html http://petcaregt.com/blog/reptile-requirements.html#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:51:35 +0000 Grace http://petcaregt.com/blog/?p=4702 It is important for owner to fulfill all the basic requirements of his pet reptile in order to make them fell comfortable. Owner must be aware about the essential products that the pet reptiles require. The basic requirements of reptile such as lighting, bedding, food, enclosure, accessories etc should be fulfilled. Some of the reptile requirements are mentioned below that will give you the basic idea of keeping your reptile healthy.

Reptile requirements:

1. Reptile bedding: Proper and comfortable bedding should be provided to pet reptile. The type of bedding that a reptile requires depends on the type of reptile you own. You should avoid the use of crushed walnut shells as it can cause impaction. Beddings made from natural bark, wheatgrass, natural alfalfa, moss, coconut, Douglas fir are good for reptiles. You can also use carpet as reptile bedding.

2. Reptile enclosure: It is significant for owner to provide proper and comfortable enclosure to his reptile in order to make them feel secure. The enclosure of reptile should be good in size so that your reptile can stay and rest there properly. It is important for you to maintain cleanliness in your pet reptile enclosure. Reptile enclosure also serves as one of the elegant and striking way to decorate your home.

3. Reptile food: Different reptiles require different food in their diet. It is significant for owner to determine what type of food his reptile requires. Small reptiles such as geckos can survive on crickets. An additional reptile likes to have mealworms, giant mealworms, wax worms, locust or silkworms in their diet. Large reptiles mostly survive on snakes, rats, rabbits, mice and chicks. Reptile should not be overfeed as overfeeding can turn your reptile ugly. You should not put more live food in the vivarium. The food should not be more than the reptile can eat in a day or two.

4. Reptile lighting: It is important for owner to provide UVA and UVB lights to reptile in their vivarium. You can provide ultraviolet light to reptile by using a Reptistar fluoro tube or ReptiSun 5.0or ReptiSun 2.0. Reptistar and ReptiSun are food for reptiles. It is important for owner to provide lighting to the reptile it helps to increase appetite, activity and reproductive behavior in captive reptiles. Moreover, it helps in preventing diseases and infections occurring in reptiles. You should avoid Strong Blacklight Blue (BLB) or poster globes as that can affect your reptile eyes. Therefore one should avoid the use of extremely strong Blacklight.

5. Reptile vitamins: Vitamins are significant for keeping your reptile healthy. You can get vitamin powder and calcium powder for your reptile from a nearby pet store. You can coat the food of your reptile with vitamin powder in order to provide additional nutrient to it.

6. Reptile incubator: It is used top hatch eggs of reptiles. Reptile incubator is available in different size and types. You can choose reptile incubator according to your reptile eggs requirements. Some of the common type of reptile incubator are home made incubator, reptile farm incubator and chicken egg incubator.

Snake care tips:

1. Snake enclosure: It is important for owner to provide comfortable and secure enclosure to his pet snake. The size of snake enclosure depends on the size of the snake. Half square foot of floor space enclosure is must snakes that are 6 feet long or less. The snake that is above 6 feet long requires three fourth of square foot of floor enclosure to stay in. make sure that the snake are comfortable and secure in the enclosure. The enclosure must have lots of hiding places in it as they spend good amount of time in hiding and basking in the enclosure. Snake enclosures must have adequate space and size, properly ventilated, and easy to clean.

Don’t use any toxic material to furnish snake enclosure. The bottom of snake enclosure should be properly leveled with aspen shavings and carpets. Use substrate in the enclosure as they helps in cleaning the floor easily. The enclosure of snake can include a cave, small plants and various rocks in it. A shallow dish should be provided to the snake in the enclosure to soak water. It is always recommended to keep same species of snakes in a one cage. Humidity levels in the enclosure should be around 40-75 percent.

2. Temperature for snake: It is important for owner to provide warm temperature to their pet snake as they are cold blooded. The body temperature of snakes directly depends upon the level of temperature in the environment. Snake do not have any system in the body for heating and cooling. They regulate their body temperature by moving around hold and cold environment. The ideal day temperature for snake enclosure is around 80 – 85° F and at night it is around 60 – 75° F. You should use thermometer to check the level of heat and cold in the enclosure. If your snake stops eating the food then it means the body temperature of snakes has fallen down.

3. Snake food: Snakes are carnivore animals that like to feed on live or dead mammals, insects, eggs etc. Diet of snakes varies form species to species. Smaller snake mostly like to feed on mice whereas larger snakes moistly like to feed on chickens and rabbits.

By keeping these points in your mind then probably you’ll able to raise a snake properly. It is important for you to keep a strict watch on your pet snake. If you notice any kind of change in its daily activities then immediately take it to vet.

Egyptian tortoise care tips:

1.  Egyptian tortoise food: the food of this tortoise should be high in fibers, low in proteins and rich in calcium. Healthy food should be served to Egyptian tortoise as that will ensure good growth with smooth functioning of the digestive tract. The Egyptian tortoise food should not contain any fruits as the sugar is harmful for them. Additional calcium supplements can be served along with D3 if they are being kept indoors.

2. Egyptian tortoise enclosure: these tortoises are well adapted to live in extreme conditions and they find it complex to live in the human world. The enclosure of Egyptian tortoise should be spacious enough so that they can feel comfortable in it. The size of the enclosure should be at least 3 feet by 2 feet for housing a single Egyptian tortoise. A larger enclosure will make your Egyptian tortoise pet happier and you can provide him with more hiding places. Proper housing that resembles the natural habitat should be provided to pet Egyptian tortoise. While purchasing enclosure for Egyptian tortoise, it is important for owner to keep the special needs of the tortoise in his mind as its life and health in captivity depends on the housing you provide. Avoid clear or opaque walls in the enclosure as it may give a hint of a world beyond the housing. Humidity level of 20-30 % should be kept in the enclosure as it works well and mimics its natural environment.

You should be very careful while dealing with Egyptian tortoise as they are endangered. You should not let them mix with other species as they tend to be very sensitive to diseases carried by other species.

]]> http://petcaregt.com/blog/egyptian-tortoise-care.html/feed http://petcaregt.com/blog/puffer-fish-care.html http://petcaregt.com/blog/puffer-fish-care.html#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:33:16 +0000 Grace http://petcaregt.com/blog/?p=4684 Puffer fish are a member of tetraodonitae family. There are around 120 species of puffer fish. This fish is also known as globefish, balloon, bubble fish and blowfish. It is mostly found in tropical warm climate. It is quite popular as pet because of its unique looks. Puffer fish comes in different colors and sizes. The eyes of this fish are big and belly is round balloon shaped. The puffer fish can grow up to a few inches in length. This fish are quite unique in looks and are easy to recognize. The personality of this fish is very pleasing.

They are named as puffer because of their habit to puff up when they get anxious. You should not try to take puffer fish out of the water as they get anxious early. You can judge the health of puffer fish by looking at its body. Make sure that the puffer fish doesn’t have graying or ragged edges as these are signs of rot tail. Ensure that the puffer you choose for your home is healthy as they are pleasure watching. Healthy puffer will be more active than other fish and that fish will be moving all around the aquarium. You should not purchase puffer fish that sits on the bottom of the aquarium. It is important for owner to fulfill basic requirements of his pet puffer fish in order to make them feel comfortable.

Puffer fish requirements:

1. Puffer fish aquarium: It is important for owner to provide safe and spacious aquarium to his pet puffer fish. Puffer can prove dangerous to other fishes but they hardly harm to other fish. So you can accompany them with other fish in the aquarium. If you are accompanying puffer with other fishes then make sure that those fish are hard enough to survive with puffer fish in the same aquarium. The temperature of puffy fish aquarium should be kept at 24to 26 C. You should provide proper condition to the fishes if you want them to survive for long. The ph level of the puffer fish aquarium should be maintained. Ensure that the tank is not turning toxic. The tank should contain plenty of toys and place to hide in as they love to do that.

2. Puffer fish food: you can serve them frozen blood worms and frozen dried shrimps or krill, plus frozen and live brine shrimp. This fish mostly like to feed on aquarium plant.

It is important for owner to provide clean and healthy environment to his puffer fish as they stressed out easily. While adding new fish to the aquarium ensure that the fish you are putting are less aggressive in order to avoid fight.

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