Recommendations To Help You Set Up A Healthy Environment For Your New Pet Reptile
Reptiles are a fun pet to keep in your home, and many types are relatively easy to take care of. Whether you choose a lizard or a snake, there are many different species of each, so make sure you research their specific needs and check with your local pet store specialist. Here are some of the more important details surrounding your reptile's new terrarium setup and tips to help you set up their habitat home.
Lots of Space
A reptile will need a large space within their terrarium where they can relax, play, and eat. The larger the space is, the more space they will have to move around and feel more at home. This will allow you to set up different areas inside their home to provide for their specific needs of sunlight, heat, water, foliage or a rock cave to hide within, or a place to sleep.
The more you can make the interior of the terrarium more like their natural habitat, the happier and healthier they will be. Be sure there is space to place items, such as driftwood, natural rocks, and live plants safe for your reptile. Always be sure to buy items from a pet store and verify they are appropriate to place inside your specific reptile's living space.
Light and Heat
An essential part of your reptile's terrarium should be light and heat. Reptiles are cold-blooded, so they cannot create their own body heat to survive; they are going to rely on their terrarium habitat to keep them alive. Be sure you consider a heat source in their space, such as a heat lamp, heating pad, or an under-tank heater. You should also look for a light bulb that provides ultraviolet light to give your lizard the vitamin D they will need to stay healthy.
As you set up their terrarium lighting, keep the entire tank controlled with heat, and specifically put a heating lamp in one area of the tank that will provide them a warmer environment when they need to warm their body temperature up. They will bask under this heat lamp when they have become too cold. Then, when they need to cool down or sleep, there should be an area of the terrarium that they can retreat to that is cooler.
Keep a thermometer in the tank to check and manage the temperature, which should never fall below 70 degrees F. Also watch the humidity levels inside their habitat and supplement it with a spray bottle, a water feature, or a humidifier, which you can find at your local pet store that has reptiles for sale.
