Reptiles

Question 1

What are some safety measures when handling reptiles?

Answer 1

• Reptiles can be aggressive and dangerous – teeth, claws and tails
• Some lizards can move very fast and snakes can stroke fast
• Some snakes and lizards are venomous
• Zoonotic risk from salmonella species so hygiene is important. Salmonella rarely causes disease in the reptile itself.
• Snake tube to remove venomous snake from the vivarium. Snakes like heading into tight spaces and tubes so should go without much issue. Correct diameter is important.

Question 2

Outline how to safely handle snakes.

Answer 2

1. Approach slowly
2. Control head first
3. Can place towel over first
4. Support body but allow it to move
5. Do not handle during ecdysis
6. Do not allow to coil round neck
7. 2 or more handlers required for large constrictors (2m)
8. Often urinate/defecate release unpleasant smelling secretion from musk glands
9. Handling venomous species requires special equipment and training
10. Antivenom should be available
11. Snake tongue, hooks and plastic restraining tunes are useful

Question 3

Describe how to determine the sex of snakes.

Answer 3

• Stainless teel purpose made probes/catheter with blunt end
• Lubricate well and be gentle
• Probe will slide into inverted hemeipene if male 6-15 scales
• Shorter distance in female 2-6 scales
• May have to go in a cranial direction to enter the vent and then rotate the probe caudally to travel down

Question 4

Describe lizard handling.

Answer 4

• Can inflict serious injury with teeth, claws and tail
• Iguana especially males can be very aggressive
• Others are relatively fragile, such as geckos
• Beware of tail autonomy
• Vaso-vagal reflex – apply gentle pressure to both eyeballs using a damp towel
• Stimulates autonomic nervous system leading to reduced heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate
• Use one hand to restrain head and forelimbs and other to hold hindlimbs parallel to the tail base
• Tuck tail under arm

Question 5

Describe how to determine the sex of lizards.

Answer 5

• Some species are sexually dimorphic as adults
• Large crests and dewlaps in male iguanas, horns on male Jackson’s chameleon
• Swollen endolymphatic calcium stores in female geckos
• Prominent pre-femoral pores in males (not all lizards but some commonly kept ones): these are for pheromonal communication
• Hemipenal bulge at base of tail in males
• Mineralised hemibaculae in hemipenes of male monitor lizards
• Probing can be used, for example in Gila monster

Question 6

How are chelonia handled?

Answer 6

• Most tortoises are fairly placid but strong and may need chemical sedation to extract and examine larger species or those with hinged shells.
• Terrapins and turtles can give nasty bites.
• Hold shell firmly at femoral fossae

Question 7

Describe how to determine the sex of chelonia.

Answer 7

• Sexual dimorphism is common
• Longer tails with more distal vent in males
• Concave plastron in males
• Size difference – female Mediterranean tortoises and red-eared terrapins bigger
• Longer nails on forelimbs of male red-eared terrapins
• Eastern box turtle – males have red iris, females have brown/yellow iris

Question 8

Describe the heat sources needed when keeping reptiles.

Answer 8

• Should reflect how reptile thermoregulates in the wild
• Often need secondary background heat source as well as primary focal heat source to provide basking area and gradient within vivarium
• Heat mat on outside of vivarium, less than 50% of surface only, heat by conduction
• Radiant heat source, such as heat lamp/bulb for species that bask in sun, such as tortoises, bearded dragons
• Use thermostat to control temperature and maximum/minimum thermometer to monitor
• Provide sufficient basking areas for all individuals
• If light source used, alternative heat source may be needed at night
• Avoid direct contact, prevent burns

Question 9

Describe the UV requirements for keeping reptiles.

Answer 9

• Herbivorous lizards and tortoises have poor uptake of vitamin D from the GI tract
• Vitamin D produced through action of UVB on skin from GI tract. Snakes are good at this, so carnivorous reptiles
• UVB form natural sunlight or artificial light
• Vitamin D removed from skin and stored in the liver before being transported to the kidneys and metabolised to calcitriol = vitamin D3
• Calcitriol stimulates uptake of calcium from the GI tract

Question 10

What is the photoperiod of tropical reptiles?

Answer 10

13 hours summer and 11 hours in winter

Question 11

Why do reptiles need substrate?

Answer 11

• Crucial for terrestrial species
• Less critical for arboreal species
• Burrowing species should have substrate that allows normal behaviour
• Females need access to suitable substrate for oviposition

Question 12

What are the substrate requirements of reptiles?

Answer 12

• Must be non-toxic, non-irritant, easy to clean, safe if ingested
• Newspaper, soil, leaf litter, large bark chips (not cedar), sand, coconut fibre can be used
• Small wood chips or shaving have a risk of ingestion and GI tract impaction

Question 13

Describe vivarium design.

Answer 13

• Benches for arboreal species
• Suitable substrate for species that like to burrow
• Hide, for example, logs for security
• Abrasive surface for snakes to shed
• Water bowls/pool
• Hygiene important and should be easy to clean
• Chameleons lick water off foliage and do not drink water. Need plants in the vivarium that you can spray.

Question 14

Describe the diet of snakes.

Answer 14

• Eat whole prey – most species fed rats and mice that are humanly killed
• Illegal to feed live vertebrate prey. Rats and crickets can cause damage to snake and reptiles.
• Garter snakes fed fish. Thawed frozen fish need to be supplemented with thiamine
• Smaller snakes fed more frequently than larger ones

Question 15

Describe the lizard and chelonia diets.

Answer 15

• May be carnivorous, insectivorous, herbivorous or omnivorous
• May vary depending on life stage

Question 16

Describe insectivorous diet.

Answer 16

• Invertebrates, such as crickets, mealworms, have poor calcium-phosphorus ratio
• Will be nutritionally poor if not fed and just left in a box
• Should be gut-loaded and dusted with vitamin/mineral supplement so they are more nutritional

Question 17

Describe the diet of herbivorous lizards and chelonia.

Answer 17

• Most require variety of high fibre weeds, grasses and vegetables
• Calcium to phosphorus ratio is important
• Should at least be 2:1
• Vitamin/mineral supplement usually needed
• Fruit should be limited

Question 18

What are some examples of common husbandry related diseases in reptiles?

Answer 18

Dysecdysis
Abscesses/infection
Bladder stones, renal disease from chronic dehydration
Pre or post ovulatory egg stasis
Gastrointestinal impaction
Cloacal prolapses

Question 19

What are some examples of nutritional diseases and causes?

Answer 19

• Metabolic bone disease/nutritional osteodystrophy in lizards and chelonians
• Insufficient calcium in diet
• Poor calcium to phosphorus ratio
• Lack of UV light
• Vitamin A deficiency in tortoises, red eared terrapins, leopard geckos
• Obesity and hepatic lipidosis
• Periodontal disease in lizards with acrodont dentition

Question 20

List Mediterranean tortoise species.

Answer 20

Spyr thighed tortoises
Hermann’s tortoises
Marginated tortoise
Horsfield’s/Russian tortoises

Do not mix species.

Question 21

Describe tortoise outdoor enclosures.

Answer 21

• Pen on lawn not appropriate
• Large, dry and well drained enclosure
• Substrate to burrow into, shelter, for example a mini greenhouse
• Rocks, plants for shade, basking areas, safe, edible plants
• Secure, perimeter, predator roof

Question 22

Describe tortoise indoor enclosures.

Answer 22

• Well ventilated – ‘tortoise table’
• Suitable substrate, such as soil and sand
• POTZ 20-28˚C
• UVB light source, such as a UV heat lamp – self ballasted mercury vapour
• If many tortoises, not ideal to have many tortoises close together. Viruses can pass between them too

Question 23

What must be done before tortoises hibernate?

Answer 23

• Pre-hibernation health check advised
• Fast before hibernation to empty GI tract (2-4 weeks) as food will rot in the GI tract and cause issues
• Bathe daily to ensure adequate hydration in the last few weeks before hibernation
• Temperature is approximately 5˚C so monitor closely

Question 24

What must be done after tortoises hibernate?

Answer 24

• Warm baths daily to encourage drinking and urination to rehydrate
• Should eat within 1-2 days
• Post-hibernation anorexia common
• Stomatitis, rhinitis, renal failure

Question 25

What are the husbandry requirements of red eared terrapins?

Answer 25

- Robust filtration system essential to maintain water quality - Water temperature 22-28˚C - Dry basking spot at 28-32˚C - UVB light source - Soil/gravel substrate for oviposition - Feed 2-3 times a week - Aquatic turtle pellets, greens, gut-loaded and dusted insects, occasional whole raw fish and earthworms

Question 26

What are the husbandry requirements for bearded dragons?

Answer 26

- Diurnal terrestrial/semi-arboreal omnivorous lizards from Australia - Males kept together will fight - Basking spot 35-40˚C and 21-24˚C at night - Low humidity – 20-40% - UVB light source is essential to avoid metabolic bone disease - Newspaper/sand substrate. Avoid woodchips as impaction is common and prone to ingestion sand - Secluded nesting area with damp sand to encourage oviposition for females - Gut loaded and dusted insects and veg

Question 27

What are the husbandry requirements of leopard geckos?

Answer 27

- Nocturnal/crepuscular, insectivorous and terrestrial lizards from semi-arid/desert environment - POTZ 25-30˚C - Low humidity – 30-40% - Higher humidity chamber for successful ecdysis – check toes - UVB light source advisable, not essential - Prone to ingestion of substrate - Feed variety of suitably sized gut loaded and dusted insects

Question 28

What are the husbandry requirements of chameleons?

Answer 28

- Easily stressed so difficult to keep - Arboreal insectivorous - Basking spot 30-35˚C - Humidity 50-75% - UVB light source is essential - Plants and branches - Do not drink from standing water so need drip or misting system - Feed variety of suitably sized gut loaded and dusted insects

Question 29

What are the husbandry requirements of green iguana?

Answer 29

- Fast and often aggressive - POTZ 25-30˚C - High humidity 75-100% - UVB light source is essential - Require very large enclosure with branches and a pool - 100% vegetarian diet – weeds, leafy greens with calcium supplement

Question 30

What are the husbandry requirements of corn snakes?

Answer 30

- Crepuscular/nocturnal - POTZ 25-30˚C - Humidity 30-70% - Feed suitably sized rodents every 5-10 days - Do not feed/disturb when shedding - Water bowl big enough to submerge whole body - Cool to 10-15˚C for 3 months for breeding

Question 31

What are the husbandry requirements of royal ball pythons?

Answer 31

- Nocturnal - POTZ 25-30˚C - Humidity 50-80% - higher range when shedding - UVB is not necessary - Feed suitably sized rodents every 1-2 weeks - Do not feed or disturb when shedding - Can be difficult feeders especially if wild caught. Try gerbils and brown mice at night.