New York Metro Reptile Expo

The New York Metro Reptile Expo will be held Sunday, July 11, at the Westchester County Center. Vendors from all over will be selling exotic pets and supplies.

How to Care for Newt Larvae

One summer I had 3 eastern newts in a ten gallon tank. I came in one morning to make my usual observation. To my surprise I see the leaves of a plant curled up and in them little newt eggs. Caring for the eggs and larvae that summer was a fun and interesting experience. Here is some info on how to care for newt larvae.

Housing: use clean, dechlorinated water. With larvae keep the tank as bare as possible. A few plants wont hurt. No heat or filters are necessary. As with anything, don't crowd them.

Feeding: They wont eat as soon as they hatch. They will feed off their yolk sacks for a little while. Feed them daphnia and/or brine shrimp after this for a few weeks. Then when they are larger move on to blood worms and black worms.

Metamorphosis: When they are larger and their gills begin to shrink lower the water level and add rocks or sticks for them to crawl out on

Beginner Reptiles and Amphibians

I will often go into a pet shop and see a wide range of herps- mixed together, in poor shape, and advertised as easy to take care for, or good for beginners- This is often far from the truth. There are many great beginner herps, but don't use size and price as a guide. Pet shops often sell babies of animals that will get much larger and are not good for beginners. They will also have some animals very cheap simply because they are easy and cheap to acquire, but not necessarily easy and cheap to take care of. Always do your research before getting an exotic pet, and if you are a beginner (i.e.-first ever herp) please pick from the list of beginner species bellow.

Amphibians:
-green tree frog
-barking tree frog
-fire salamander
-tiger salamander
-Marble salamander
-fire belly toad
-American toad
-eastern newt
-Fire belly newt
-African clawed frog
-African dwarf frog

Reptiles:
-leopard gecko
-corn snake
-ball python (captive breed)
-bearded dragon (not cheap, but if you get all you need easy to take care of)
-Tokay gecko (can be quite agressive)
-anole
-kingsnake
-milk snake
-rat snake
-horsfields tortoise

Beginners please avoid anything which name ends in monitor, poison dart frogs and mantellas, large tortoises (unless you absolutely have the space), iguanas, chameleons (green anoles are sometimes called chameleons-don't be confused- they aren't), Common boas, and reticulated pythons.

If you are looking for a great book on reptiles, checkout the book in the link below.

Hiking and Turtles

I went for a short hike this past Sunday at my local nature center. It was pretty dry, and cloudy so I didn't see much. I did see a couple of turtles sitting on some logs in the pond. I also went inside the manor house to see how the animals I used to take care of were doing. Glad to say they are doing great. Most are twice the size I remember them being. Above are some pictures of the turtles I saw.

Vivarium Construction

1) Attach cork background to tank wall with aquarium sealant.
2) Add drainage medium. I used featherlite (a glass composite). you may also use clay pellets or gravel.
3) Cover the drainage medium with a barrier that will keep the substrate out of it. I use sphagnum moss (lightly moistened and pressed down).
4) Add the substrate of your choice. (you may add a little activated charcoal beneath it to absorb smells)
5) Add wood and/or rocks and other stable things
6) Add plants
7) Add accents like moss, leaves, water dishes, etc.

You can buy live plants for your own vivarium by using the link below.

Beginner Naturalistic Vivarium Supplies and Cost

This is a list of supplies one would need for a basic 10 gallon tropical vivarium. This is by no means the definitive list. Some things can be removed like the the cork background, and other things added like a thermometer, humidity gauge, or water fall. Also the price I listed is a rough estimate that will be different depending on where you buy the supplies or how much of each you buy. This is still a good guide for the beginning hobbyist.

Ten gallon tank
screen top
Tank hood with light
wood for wet habitats (cypress, cork, ghostwood)
Cork background
water dish
Substrate (like the mix I give in an earlier post)
sphagnum moss
A drainage medium (featherlite or clay pellets)
plants
live moss
under tank heater
silicone sealant
activated charcoal (some don't use it, but it removes off smell:it doesn't last long though)

Cost: $184

Reptile No Nos: Plants to Avoid Feeding Reptiles

The following list of plants will not kill you reptiles if you give it to them once in a while, but they will significantly harm their health if they make up a large part of the diet.

The Oxalates (cause calcium deficiency)
-chard
-spinach
-rhubarb
-dock
-sorrel
-beets
-beet green

The Goitrogens (Cause iodine deficiency=thyroid problems)
-cabbage
-broccoli
-kale
-cauliflower
-brussel sprouts
-bok choy