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CARE SHEETS
 

  • bearded dragon

  • Bearded Dragons are among the most popular pet reptiles in the hobby. Their interesting behaviors and docile nature make them an excellent pet for first time reptile hobbyists. All Bearded Dragons found in the USA are captive bred. Many different color morphs are becoming available making the Bearded Dragon a great choice for any level reptile keeper.

    • Common Name: Bearded Dragon

    • Scientific Name: Pogona vitticeps

    • Distribution: Australia

    • Size: 6-24″

    • Life Span: 5-15 years

      • Juvenile Bearded Dragons need a minimum 20 gallon terrarium. Juveniles can be housed together in a 30 gallon terrarium.

      • Adult Bearded Dragons need a minimum 40+ gallon terrarium.

      • Provide plenty of hiding and basking places. 

    • Thick branches, rocks or Mopani Wood is an excellent choice for climbing and basking.

    • Daytime Temperature: 75-90°F

    • Basking Spot: 95-105°F

    • Nighttime Temperature: 70-80°F

    • A nighttime drop in temperature is natural, but the terrarium’s temperature should not dip below 70°F. In most cases, you will need to provide a 24-hour heat source that emits little or no visible light.

    • Zoo Med’s Basking Spot Lamp, PowerSun®, and ReptiTuff Splashproof Halogen are good choices for basking and heating your enclosure during the day.

    • Use the Min-Max Thermometer to view the current temperature and monitor temperature fluctuations.

    • To help automate your enclosure and maintain precise temperatures, use the ReptiTemp® Digital Thermostat or the Environmental Control Center.

    • UVB lighting and heat are essential for Bearded Dragons to process calcium in captivity.

      • Without UVB lighting Bearded Dragons will develop serious health problems such as Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).

      • UVB Lighting should be left on for 10 -12 hours per day and turned off at night.

    • Zoo Med’s ReptiSun® linear and compact fluorescent lamps are a great choice for providing Bearded Dragons with UVB. The PowerSun® is an excellent way to provide both UVB and basking heat all in one lamp!

    • Bearded Dragons live in arid, sandy places in the wild and will do well on a variety of sand -type substrates in captivity.

    • Hatchling Bearded Dragons will do best on Cage Carpet such as Zoo Med’s Eco Carpet.

    • Excavator™ Clay Burrowing Substrate will allow you to create a naturalistic terrarium complete with burrows and tunnels for your animals.

    • ReptiSand® and ReptiFresh® are also excellent choices for housing Bearded Dragons.

    • Bearded Dragons are omnivorous reptiles that change their diet throughout their lives.

    • Juveniles will need to be fed pinhead to small size crickets daily along with other small insects such as mealworms. Zoo Med offers a variety of Can O’ insects and canned diets that will make offering a varied diet convenient.

    • Collard or Dandelion Greens, Romaine lettuce, and other veggies can be offered 1 -2 times per week.

    • Always remove uneaten food after each feeding.

  • reptile

  • Leopard Geckos are among the most popular pet reptiles and are an excellent choice for beginner hobbyists. Leopard Geckos stay small, are very docile, and are relatively easy to maintain in captivity. These geckos are beautifully marked and have fascinating personalities. Over the years breeders have developed many different color morphs that have become available to hobbyists at all levels.

    • Common Name: Leopard Gecko

    • Scientific Name: Eublepharis macularius

    • Distribution: Pakistan, India and surrounding regions

    • Size: 8-9″

    • Life Span: 10-18 years

      • Hatchling to juvenile Leopard Geckos can be housed in a 10 gallon terrarium. Young Leopard Geckos can be housed together.

      • Adult Leopard Geckos will need at least a 20 gallon terrarium. Do not keep males together because they are territorial.

      • Zoo Med’s ReptiHabitat 10 and 20 gallon terrariums are an excellent choice for Leopard Geckos.

      • A Repti Shelter, Habba Hut, or Cork Bark will provide a secure hiding place to help reduce stress.

      • Make sure that each gecko has a place to hide

      • Daytime Terrarium Temperature: 78-85° F

      • Basking Spot: 90° F

      • Nighttime Temperature: 70-72°F

      • It is important to create a thermal gradient in your terrarium. This can be accomplished by providing a Basking Spot Lamp and an Under Tank Heater on one side of the terrarium. By focusing the heating elements on one side of the cage, you will naturally provide the proper thermal gradient.

      • Although these nocturnal animals will not generally bask, providing a basking spot will maintain proper temperatures in your terrarium.

    • New studies have shown that Leopard Geckos will greatly benefit from exposure to UVB lighting.

    • Fluorescent Lamps can be used to illuminate your terrarium and create a photoperiod (light cycle) that will keep your animal on natural day/night cycles.

    • Leopard Geckos live in arid, sandy places in the wild and will do well on a variety of sand-type substrates in captivity.

    • Hatchling Leopard Geckos will do best on Cage Carpet such as Zoo Med’s Eco Carpet or Vita-Sand®.

    • Excavator® Burrowing Clay Substrate will allow you to create a naturalistic terrarium complete with burrows and tunnels for your animals.

    • ReptiSand® and ReptiFresh® are excellent choices for housing Leopard Geckos.

  • Leopard geckos are insectivores, which means that they eat bugs. No vegetables, fruit, or meat – they’re just crazy for bugs!

    It’s easy to remember how much to feed your gecko: Offer 2 appropriately-sized bugs per 1 inch of your leopard gecko’s length, or however much they can eat in 15 minutes. Juveniles should be fed daily, and young adults fed every other day/every 3 days. Adults whose tail is fatter than their neck can be fed every 5 days.

    Do not leave feeder insects in your gecko’s enclosure all day for your gecko to eat at their leisure — crickets and other feeders nibble on geckos in their sleep, sometimes causing serious injuries.

    Good Feeder Insects for Leopard Geckos

    • Crickets

    • Mealworms

    • Hornworms (captive only; wild hornworms are toxic!)

    • Dubia roaches

    • Discoid roaches

    • Silkworms

    • Black soldier fly larvae

  • hermit crab

  • Common Name: Hermit Crab
    Scientific Name: Coenobita spp.
    Distribution: Throughout Central and Northern South American, Caribbean and surrounding Islands
    Size: 2″- 6″
    Life Span: 10 yrs+

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    Hermit Crabs can make fascinating pets that are hardy when kept in the proper conditions. Most Hermit crabs kept as pets are the Atlantic Hermit Crab, also known as the Tree Crab. These crustaceans inhabit coastal areas of Central and South America. They are social creatures that can sometimes be found in very large numbers while scavenging for food at night. Hermit Crabs can grow up to 4 inches and do well as pets when a few basic needs are met.

  • 10 gallon terrarium is sufficient for up to 6 small (<2″) Hermit Crabs, while larger crabs (3 ½”+) will need a 20 gallon terrarium and can be housed with 3 or 4 crabs.

    • Hermit crabs are social animals; however they should not be crowded when being kept in captivity.

    • Zoo Med’s Naturalistic Terrarium or ReptiHabitat enclosures are a great choice for Hermit Crabs.

    • Daytime Terrarium Temperature 78-83 F.

    • Nighttime Terrarium Temperature 68-73 F.

    • Zoo Med’s Hermit Crab Heater is an excellent choice to provide supplemental heat to your Hermit Crabs.

    • Nightlight Red Heat Bulbs are a great choice to provide night time heat and provide just enough light for viewing their interesting nocturnal activities.

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    • Water is critical to the health and success of keeping Hermit Crabs in captivity.

    • Hermit Crabs have gills similar to those of fish; this adaptation requires high humidity levels in your terrarium (70-90% relative humidity).

    • Spray your Hermit Crab’s enclosure daily.

    • Hermit Crabs will need two different water bowls with constant access to both fresh and saltwater.

    • Zoo Med’s Drinking Water Conditioner should be used for removing chemicals such as Chlorine and Chloramines. Use Zoo Med’s Salt Water Conditioner to turn tap water into saltwater.

    • Hermit Crabs will need a deep layer of substrate to burrow in. We recommend having at least 3″ of substrate throughout half of the enclosure.

    • Mix 2 parts Zoo Med’s Hermit Crab Sand with 1 part Hermit Crab Soil (coconut bedding). This combination will create an ideal layer of substrate that will hold humidity and allow for natural burrowing behaviors.

    • Hermit Crabs are omnivorous scavengers that will eat a wide variety of foods.

    • Zoo Med provides three basic food items that will make up a balanced diet when fed regularly.

    • Zoo Med’s Hermit Crab Food and Fruit Salad are a good choice for daily feedings.

    • We recommend mixing Zoo Med’s Canned Hermit Crab Food with pelleted foods for a well balanced meal.

  • GREEN IGUANA

  • The Green Iguana is the most popular “large sized” lizard kept in captivity. Although these lizards have been popular as pets, they are very demanding and are not for beginners. Their adult size and potential for aggressiveness make them a challenge to properly care for. The majority of iguanas available today are farm-raised in Central and South America.

    •  Common Name: Green or Red Iguana

    • Scientific Name: Iguana iguana

    • Distribution: Throughout Central and South America

    •  Size: 4-5″ 

    •  Life Span: 15-20+ years

    • Green Iguanas grow up to 5’+ and will need to be housed in a large enclosure as adults.

      • Hatchling and juveniles will need a minimum 30-40 gallon size terrarium.

      • Zoo Med’s Iguanarium® is an excellent choice for medium to subadult Iguanas.

    • All branches and cage décor must be secured to the enclosure because Iguanas are strong animals that will quickly rearrange their cage if allowed

    • Daytime Terrarium Temperature: 80-85° F
    • Basking Spot: 95-100° F
    • Nighttime Temperature: 75-80°F
    • Zoo Med’s Basking Spot Lamp, PowerSun®, Repti Hlogen™ and Ceramic Heat Emitter are good choices for heating Iguana enclosures.​
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    • UVB Lighting is essential for Iguanas to process calcium in captivity.

    • Without UVB lighting Iguanas will develop serious health problems such as Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD).

    • UVB Lighting should be left on for 10-12 hours per day and turned off at night.

    • Zoo Med’s ReptiSun® linear and compact fluorescent lamps are a great choice for providing Iguanas with UVB. The PowerSun® is an excellent way to provide both UVB and heat all in one lamp!

    • Iguanas are herbivores that will prefer a varied green diet. Zoo Med’s pelleted Iguana Diet is formulated for the different growth stages of Iguanas and is a perfect maintenance food. All other food items can be mixed into a “mash” of moistened pellets.

    • Juvenile Iguanas can be offered occasional insects such as crickets and mealworms, yet insects should make up less than 5% of total diet.

    • Plant matter should represent greater than 50% of your Iguana’s diet. We recommend collard and mustard greens, romaine lettuce, escarole, zucchini, graded carrots, cooked sweet potatoes, and other quality vegetables.

    • Stay away from cabbage and iceberg lettuce. Spinach should be offered only on rare occasions.

    • Fruits can be offered as treats and should make up less than 10% of total diet. Good fruit choices include; bananas, melons, seedless apples, strawberries, tomatoes, grapes and peaches.

    • ReptiCalcium® and ReptiVite™ with Vitamin D3 should be added to food as directed.

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