Rat hats, Jericho and tortoise trunks. Not for faint hearted! AMA

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

I've been asked to start a thread after a few of my comments totally derailed a thread about a royal python escaping. I've been heavily involved with exotic animals all my life and it seems people want to know more about it all.

I will try and link the Python thread so you can catch up on exactly why you need to see a Chick to a rat, how dangerous a horse penis can be and how an echidna ejaculates.

I hope I don't regret this 😂

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

@flutterbean

Total depends on the tortoise.

A baby/ juvenile I would keep in smallish pen with a weather proof area with a heat lamp in for warming up on miserable days from March to October. They don't need overnight heat providing it's not going lower that 5-6c . Once they are 6-7 years old, if they have been out every day then I would just turn the heat lamp off From end of may to early September. If we hit a sudden terrible patch I'd offer a few days extra but that's it.

My lumpy rough looking ibera can live 24:7 outside on his own and is very active even on chilly or overcast days but that's because I think he's always been left to it after escaping etc. He's hibernated himself plenty of times too before he came to me. But I prefer doing it the way I am used to as I'd never forgive myself if he died.

[flutterbean]

I had a Boa Constrictor when i was younger, my first landlady was terrified of snakes and had it written into my contract that I wouldn't bring the snake to the house just in case it escaped 😁


@FraggleShingleBellRock those tortoise look gorgeous!

I have always wanted a Hermanns tortoise, have researched for the past few years. Their habitat has always been something everyone has a different opinion on. Should they be kept outside permanently with a heated hutch of sorts? Or can they be bought inside and put in a heated table?

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

And this is the males photos

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

@Nikhedonia she is an adult Indian star tortoises. In this species it's quite common for the shells to become slightly pointed on each scute. Sadly she came to me half grown and had been fed incorrectly so her shell is a touch more pointed than a slowly grown adult would be.

Within all Chelonia there is a real problem with people feeding food that is too high in protein and this rapid growth causes lumpy shells and much deeper underlying issues. This is commonly known as metabolic bone disorder and affects several types of reptiles. Bearded dragons often have a C lot of broken bones from being over fed and under supplemented. And even with calcium supplied, and the correct food stuffs, they still need access to uvb either from the sun or from a UVB lamp.

I also have two Mediterranean tortoises. One was beautifully show grown with access to everything she needed and her shell growth is perfect. The Male was likely homeless for a while or left in a garden 24/7 for years as his growth is pitted, uneven, discoloured etc. Much like a tree out down new rings and those rings tell us about the seasons , tortoises shell scutes lay down growth rings and can tell us about their history too. My male has gone through some very tough times. I will add a photo of each so you can see the difference. This is the female

[Nikhedonia]

Oh god [shudder] that tortoise shell has really creeped me out. Why is it so lumpy?

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

A snake lying next to you while you slept would more likely be for warmth. A snake knows full well how much it can eat but this myth still carries on.

@PlatinumBrunette

That must have been incredibly hard. I have always had a list of keepers that I trust written down with my important papers. That way my family know what to do and who to contact should they not want to keep the animals we have. Three tortoises in the living room all winter is not most people's idea of fun!

[Nikhedonia]

@drinkingwineoutofamug

My dad used to tell me that if you wake up with your pet snake lying next to you in bed, it was weighing up if it could eat you!

True or false

Or would it be using you a radiator??

I think that was an urban myth, wasn't it? That a family with a very large snake, kept waking up with the snake next to them in bed and later they found out that the snake was measuring itself up against them to see if it could eat them

[DadsTravels]

Thinking of scorpions - and I've had to nc for this as it's a well known family story - my Dad did a lot of travelling in the Middle East for work in the early 80s - mainly Iraq and Afghanistan. The nature of his work meant he was in some very very rural communities for days at a time.

It was commonplace to put the four bed legs into old paint tins filled with water so the water could act as a barrier and prevent scorpions climbing up onto the beds at night

[PlatinumBrunette]

Fabulous thread, thank you! Place marking to come back to later.

My dad was well into herpetology and I spent my childhood travelling with him to shows etc. No snakes, though as mum put her foot down on those. Getting rid of his collection when he died was hard.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

@Bananajam

This is a fascinating thread, all this information i never knew!!! My daughter and her boyfriend bought a bearded dragon as their first pet when they moved in together. I thought her boyfriend knew how to look after it so wasn't overly concerned but they were completely clueless and the pet shop took no responsibility for selling her to a couple with no idea what they were doing. There should be rules and regulations against the selling of these reptiles. I'd love a tortoise but even if I hadn't read your comments above i still wouldn't take on an animal I couldn't care for properly. I have an 8 year old dog, he's healthy. I'll stick with him

My local independent pet shop is the opposite. The woman in Reptiles basically ignored us until DD (10 and an obsessive) started talking to the man next to her about unusual morphs. She hadn't heard of one that DD had. Then she let DD handle and talk about buying. They won't even consider an ignoramus.

Good shop!

[drinkingwineoutofamug]

My dad used to tell me that if you wake up with your pet snake lying next to you in bed, it was weighing up if it could eat you!

True or false

Or would it be using you a radiator??

[iklboo]

They're fascinating to watch, especially when they're eating & shedding. Pike teases the cats by waving back & forth in his tank and they Pat at the glass with their paws. He's not scared of them & they're more interested in him than anything. It's like Snake TV.

He's very gentle, doesn't squeeze or bite. Very cool to the touch as he's a temperate climate snake and beautifully smooth.

[TaraR2020]

Fascinating thread.

I have no problem with reptiles, I'm not scared of them and I don't dislike them, but I fail to see their appeal as pets...Can you enlighten me?

Standard pets, generally those with fur, I understand - companionship, physical affection, personalities etc But where is the joy in living with snakes and lizards?

I'd love to hear about your reptiles' personalities and characters and how you've enjoyed each other's company (if you have)!

[iklboo]

He eats mice and occasionally chicks. All bought frozen from the local shop, thawed out & warmed up. Live kills are illegal in the UK as far as I know.

[Nikhedonia]

@iklboo I still don't think I could have one in my house, but that is possibly the most adorable snake I've ever seen. He looks very sweet.

What does he eat?

I'm fascinated by the concept of snakes that don't eat (which was part of the reason this thread came about!) where's their survival instinct?

[iklboo]

@Nikhedonia - he's adorable. Corn snakes are temperate climate snakes so feel very cool to the touch. He's very gentle and curious.

[Nikhedonia]

@iklboo

Here's Pike.

Pike actually looks adorable (I wouldn't have said this about a snake 3 days ago). These threads are changing my view of snakes entirely. I'm fascinated.

[iklboo]

Here's Pike.

[Bananajam]

This is a fascinating thread, all this information i never knew!!! My daughter and her boyfriend bought a bearded dragon as their first pet when they moved in together. I thought her boyfriend knew how to look after it so wasn't overly concerned but they were completely clueless and the pet shop took no responsibility for selling her to a couple with no idea what they were doing. There should be rules and regulations against the selling of these reptiles. I'd love a tortoise but even if I hadn't read your comments above i still wouldn't take on an animal I couldn't care for properly. I have an 8 year old dog, he's healthy. I'll stick with him

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

@iklboo

Corns are wonderful pets and they kind of triggered the whole morph phenomenon. I bet yours is a beauty.

@Verrucapepper

It's just a kind of niche area that I have always been fascinated in. Even when I haven't been directly involved in keeping I've always kept my hand in and followed scientific journals etc.

I have also bred African Pygmy hedgehogs, bearded dragons, hairless rodents, and kept our rehabbed all manners of exotics. My favourite have been raccoons and macaws. But while both totally completed me, the attachment was so strong that it almost killed my to move them in when they were ready.

[Verrucapepper]

You’re fascinating! Thank you!!

[iklboo]

We've got a lavender corn snake called Pike. They're probably one of the easiest snakes to look after. He's lovely.

[FraggleShingleBellRock]

@Nikhedonia

If you watch some you tube videos cobra's then you can see them literally working things out. They are very large at 4-5m and are as thick as a beefy for arm. They are incredibly quick and are volatile when disturbed. Even a newly hatched cobra has enough venom to kill a person.

You can keep venomous snakes in the uk but you need a DWA licence and they can be very difficult to obtain. It depends on the local authority. There is one pet shop that I know of in the uk that keeps venomous like cobra and rattlesnakes on display but they safety is very strict. They also do handling courses for people that want to get a DWA. It's called the house of Venom and is on fb.

To make a tortoise hibernate you let them naturally wind down as the days shorten. Then as the clocks change I bring mine in and put them in an empty paddling pool for easy clean up. They have a heat light that comes on every day for 4 weeks and every day is shortened by a few minutes. They don't get fed at all in this time and are bathed every few days to flush their system out. It takes twenty to twenty six days to clear the digestive tract. They can't hibernate with food in them as it will ferment and poison them. Then they go into a large plastic box with 3-4 inches of sand and soil mixed in and into an old fridge that is set at 3-4c. You put one Tory per box and put them in right away. open the door to refresh the air every two days and then I've ever two weeks give them a quick weigh in to make sure they are alive and not losing too much weight. That's it and much safer than any other method by miles.

[MaggieFS]

How do you make a tortoise hibernate? Or indeed stop it?

[Nikhedonia]

Why are king cobras so scary? I'm not familiar with the different types of snakes, are they particularly large? If yes, so people have these as pets in the UK? And would they allow them out to roam about their houses?

Also, I love tortoises (not scary like snakes) are they good pets to have?