What you need to know (when researching a new pet)

Getting a new pet is a big responsibility and its important to know as much as possible before you add a new member to your family. The following list of questions is a guide for things you should learn while researching your new animal so you’re well prepared! It is made with reptiles and amphibians in mind, some things may not apply to other animals.

Husbandry- The general care and maintenance of the animal’s habitat

Humidity- level of moisture in the air

• What humidity does the enclosure need to be overall?

• If the humidity needs to be low, does the animal benefit from having access to a humid microclimate in the enclosure? (A hiding spot that maintains moisture with moss or paper towel)

• What humidity fluctuation range is safe? How sensitive is the animal to changes in humidity? Can they die if there are fluctuations? If so, how do you maintain humidity consistently?

• What is mold? How do you handle mold growth in very humid enclosures?

• How do you measure humidity?

• How does your heat source affect humidity levels?

• How can you increase or decrease humidity?

Temperature- degree/intensity of heat

• What is the ideal temperature range for the animal?

  • Safe hot-spot range during the day

  • Safe ambient temperature during the day

  • Safe nighttime temperature

• What temperatures are considered dangerous to the animal? How do you avoid these temperatures? How do you maintain safe temperatures?

• How do you use a thermostat?

• What wattage of heat bulb do you need to maintain their ideal temperature? Do you need a heat bulb?

• If temperatures are uncontrolled in an emergency situation (eg. power-outage in winter) how do you ensure safety of the animal?

• If your home’s ambient nighttime temperatures are too cold for the animal, how can you maintain a higher temperature at night?

Dimensions- Size of enclosure

• How big of an enclosure is appropriate for the animal?

• What is the full size of the animal? How big of an enclosure will it need when it is older?

• Can you fit an appropriately sized enclosure in your home realistically?

• How active is the animal? (Small but active animals need more space to accommodate their activity)

• Can the size fit proper décor and hiding spots for the animal?

Clutter- “collection of things laying untidily” ; amount of décor in the enclosure

• Is the animal naturally anxious? Does it thrive with a more cluttered environment?

• What makes a good hiding spot? (fully enclosed and tight like a cave or mostly open and large like a half-log hide)

• How many standard hiding spots should you have? (Minimum is 2: one on the hotspot side and one on the cooler side, think of it as “how many can you fit” it is good to have variety) How many hiding spots can you create with other décor?

• Can your decorations hold the weight of your animal realistically? Will they crush or break any of the items in the enclosure?

• Are any of the decorations you want to use potentially harmful? (Some types of wood and plastics are dangerous to have in enclosures, also ensure there is nothing with sharp edges)

• Are some decorations unsafe for the animal because it might try to eat them? (eg. bearded dragon eating plastic leaves)

• What does it mean to have an enriched environment? How can this be achieved?

Safety and security

• How do you secure an enclosure to prevent escapes from happening? Do security options vary by enclosure type?

• Is the animal known to be good at escaping? How do others counter this?

• What happens when an animal escapes? What are the best places to look for them? What can you do to find them? Are there safe ways to trap them? Can you do anything to ensure their safety during the time they are out of the enclosure?

• How long can the animal survive without food? Without water? Do you have any free-roaming animals that might hunt the escaped animal?

• What do you do after the animal is found? How do you check for injuries? When is it safe to feed them again?

Other enclosure details

• What different styles of enclosure are there? What are the benefits to the different styles? What are the drawbacks?

• Does the animal need UVB lights? If so what kind/intensity?

• How much of a water area does it need? Does it have any drowning risk? (Some animals need very large water features to thrive such as water dragons or caiman lizards, other animals might not know how to act in water and need just a small water access area)

• What substrate options are there? What substrate options are best? What substrate types and mixes are safe to use for loose substrate?

• How much dirt/substrate does it need? Does it benefit from digging? Is it known to dig tunnels in the wild?

• Is it safe to have live plants for the animal? (eg. plant-eating animals munching on leaves that are toxic or walking over toxic sap)

• What is enrichment? What are some different types of enrichment? What enrichment options are best for the animal?

• What is completely unsafe to have inside the enclosure?

  • Tape

  • Humidifier (not to be confused with misting systems or foggers, misting systems are safe and sometimes necessary but a humidifier is not built to sit inside an enclosure)

  • Sharp edges, metal or otherwise

  • Unregulated or unguarded heat sources

  • Exposed wires or electronics

  • Chemicals and fertilizers

  • Perfumes (in or around the enclosure)

  • Some wood types

  • Heat rocks

  • Holes and spaces big enough to fit into but small enough to get stuck in

  • Glass

  • Other animals (eg. putting your cat into an enclosure to “say hello”)

  • Red or blue “nighttime light bulbs” (these are advertised as being invisible to the eyes of animals, but color blindness does not mean light blindness, these bulbs keep animals from maintaining a proper day/night cycle)

Feeding

Safe foods

• Can the animal receive a varied diet? (Different kinds of food items) What kind of items are safe for them to eat? Should some be offered more than others? What counts as a treat vs a proper meal?

• What is the nutritional content of the different food items?

• What are its dietary restrictions? (Obligate carnivore, obligate herbivore, omnivore)

• What foods are toxic to them?

• What size/quantity of food is safe for them to have at once?

Acquiring food

• Where can you buy the different food items safely? Is it only pet store provided or can you get safe human-grade foods? (eg. frog legs or sardines from a butcher or grocery store)

• Are you relying on a single source for food? What is your backup if that source isn’t available? (eg. You rely on crickets from Petco, but the store has an international cricket shortage, what do you do?) What are the store options that exist for your different food items?

Feeding schedule

• How often does the animal need to eat? Does the schedule need to change as the animal ages? Do food items change completely with age? (“Ontogenetic dietary shift”) Does feeding frequency change over time? (eg. pythons that eat every week as babies but every few months as adults)

• Do they change their dietary habits based on the season? (Some snakes will refuse to eat during breeding seasons)

• Do they prefer eating during the day, night, or somewhere in-between? What time of day are they active/hunting?

• Can mistakes in feeding schedule affect the animal’s health? How can this be prevented? If you are not home to miss a feeding will it be ok or do you need a pet-sitter?

Supplements- additional vitamins and minerals

• What kind of dietary supplements exist for the animal? Which ones will you need to get for them?

• How frequently do you need to use supplements during feeding?

• Are supplements a requirement for their health? (Some animals can develop deformities and other conditions if they lack certain vitamins and minerals)

Health

Impairments and deformities

• Are there any known problems that can arise in the particular animal species? Are there any “morphs” that produce known issues? (Some color variations or “morphs” in animals come with genetic defects such as neurological issues in “spider” ball pythons or “enigma” leopard geckos)

• Can deformities arise from errors in care and upbringing? (eg. metabolic bone disease) How can they be avoided?

• How does a standard member of the species look throughout different stages of life? (Familiarizing yourself with the standard healthy appearance of an animal can help you spot when something diverges from the standard)

• What is considered a healthy body condition for your animal? What is the expected body size/shape throughout it’s life? How do you spot signs of malnutrition or obesity?

Diseases, viruses, parasites, etc

• Are there known ailments for the animal that are easily spread? (eg. mites, inclusion body disease, “Crypto”) What are the signs to spot them? Can they be treated?

• What is a respiratory infection? How do you spot signs of a respiratory infection in the animal?

• Are there any infections that can be caused by errors in care? (eg. scale rot)

• What are some common injuries? What causes them? How can you prevent them? (eg. thermal burns from unregulated heat source)

• (Snake specific) What is regurgitation? How/why does it happen? When is it safe to offer food again? What are some diseases that cause repeated regurgitation?

• What is a prolapse?

Treatments

• What constitutes the need for an immediate vet visit? (eg. broken leg, open wound) Do you have an emergency vet in the area? Do they close on weekends?

• What are some known commonly occurring problems for the species?

• Do you have access to a vet in your area? Do you have pet savings in case of an emergency vet visit? (“Don’t get something if you can’t afford it twice” in case of veterinary expenses because costs can sometimes be double the amount you paid for the animal itself)

• Do the known ailments and impairments have viable treatments? Are you able to make the call to euthanize an animal if there is no known treatment?

Shedding problems *includes questions and some answers because this is a common point of misconception*

• How does the animal normally shed? (eg. Snakes- one big piece, most lizards- patches of the body individually)

  • Shedding issues come from humidity problems, if the shed skin is stuck on the animal or is patchy when it shouldn’t be then the humidity was too low for it. This can be remedied by increasing humidity for the animal or by offering it a humid hiding spot that it can use whenever it wants

• What happens when shed gets stuck?

  • Stuck shed on its own is relatively harmless so it should not be a point of panic, but it does indicate a husbandry issue as mentioned prior. Be sure to check your parameters and change them so this problem doesn’t happen again. One layer of stuck shed usually doesn’t cause problems and can some off along with the next shed cycle. However, if several sheds get stuck over time then it can cut off circulation to different body parts. In lizards this can mean lost toes and tail tips and in snakes it can be lost tail tips or injured eyes.

• Can stuck shed be removed?

  • Yes, there are a few methods of doing this but the one safest is to create a humid chamber and allow the animal to rub the shed off on its own. This can be done by wetting a pillowcase or other piece of fabric and placing it and the animal into an enclosed container (with breathing holes). The moisture will seep into the stuck skin and loosen it, and the friction from the animal moving around in the fabric will slowly rub the skin off.

Natural actions and behavior

Activity/biology

• How active is the animal usually? Does it wander a lot or does it prefer to sit-and-wait? Does this change with age?

• What time of the day is natural for the animal to be active? Is it sometimes active during other times or is this an indication of an underlying issue? (eg. a nighttime animal becoming very active during the day because it is too hot)

• Does it become more active when it is ready to eat? Does it become more active if it feels anxious? Does it become more active during breeding season?

• How long can the animal live for? Are you prepared to have them as a commitment for possibly the rest of your life? (eg. Many tortoises can live 50+ years)

• Are there any differences between males and females of the species? What is egg binding? What is a hemipene prolapse?

Behavior

• What are things that the animal is known to do in the wild? Does it like to climb or does it prefer to stay on the ground? If neither of those, what does it prefer?

• What are some signs of stress behaviors that are commonly observed in the species?

• Does it interact with water often?

• Are they a solitary species? If not, do they actively benefit from being in groups or is it unnecessary to house them together?

  • In most cases animals should be housed alone for safety. To house two individuals together you must do much more in-depth and specialized research to find out if it is appropriate for the animal to be cohabitated with another