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Reptiles can prove to be fantastic pets and companions. They are very different from dogs and cats and possess dormant yet fascinating personalities. Ensure that you are ready to commit to the responsibilities that come with keeping a reptile pet and getting one only when you’re sure that you are prepared. It is advised to get your reptile pets from a reputable pet store. https://www.unusualpetvets.com.au/ provides excellent treatment for all sorts of pets, including reptiles, irrespective of their size. They have highly qualified professionals that will provide you with nothing but the best recommendations for your pet.
Here is a guide to keeping your reptile pet safe and healthy:
Heat and Environment
Unlike mammals, reptiles can’t produce body heat themselves and depend on their environment for that. In the wild, they have the right amount of everything and may move to sunny, shady, or humid areas depending upon their body’s need, but in captivity, they rely on their owners for providing them this environment.
You have to set up a heat source in their enclosure to provide them with warmth when they need it. The heat source should be placed not in the middle but on one side of the cage to decrease from one side of the cage to the other. This enables your pet to move from hotter to cooler region as per its needs. You may also need to place humidifiers if your reptile comes from a tropical climate. You should also keep a check of temperature and humidity using measuring instruments to know that your pet’s environmental conditions are fit.
Keep the enclosure clean as reptiles are prone to skin infections and their feces contain bacteria, which is harmful to humans.
Handling
When handling your reptile, make sure that you are confident and your hands are not shaky, as it might make the animal uncomfortable. Never grab your reptile by the tail when taking it out, as it may cause it to get stressed and lose balance. This may induce fear, and it may even attack you as a result. Another thing to keep in mind when handling reptiles is that your hands are clean of all sorts of scents of prey on your hands. Reptiles have brilliant olfactory senses and can smell the tiniest traces of prey, so if your hands have the smell of another animal, they might treat it as one and might attack you as a result.
Supervise children when they are handling pets as they can be quite rough and careless while handling pets. This can scare the reptile and cause it to lose trust. It may also attack the child if it goes into defense mode.
Food
Depending on the type of reptile you have (carnivore, herbivore, omnivore), feed them with food that has good nutritional value to ensure your pet’s best health. Some carnivore reptiles may need to be fed live insects as the movement triggers their feeding instinct. Ensure that you provide them the right amount of food as excess or deficiency of food can also cause health-related issues.
It’s always recommended to have a good reptile vet at your disposal when you observe anything unusual with your reptile pet. The vet can help you identify the cause of the issue and provide you with the right advice for your reptile buddy.