herping Keeping Hot Herps – Is It Right for You?
Should Hobbyists Keep Venomous Reptiles?
herping The question of whether venomous reptiles, particularly snakes, should be kept by private hobbyists often sparks debate. The general consensus leans toward no. However, does this mean private hobbyists have completely steered clear of keeping venomous reptiles? Absolutely not.
herping In reality, venomous snakes are a significant part of the reptile trade. Many reptile dealers cater to hobbyists, and specialized herpetological (herp) clubs exist specifically for enthusiasts who keep these species.
herping If you’re considering acquiring a venomous reptile, preparation is essential. First, master the proper handling of all reptiles, with an emphasis on venomous species. Seek out experienced keepers to learn handling techniques firsthand. Make sure you have suitable cages, tools like snake hooks, and a clear understanding of safety protocols.
herping Locate the nearest stock of antivenin for the species you plan to keep and identify a local physician skilled in snakebite treatment. Know which hospital they work at so you’re prepared in case of an emergency. No matter how cautious you are, snakebites remain a very real risk.
herping In short, prepare for the worst while striving to ensure the best outcomes in your care. Keeping venomous reptiles isn’t just a hobby; it’s a serious responsibility that requires education, experience, and vigilance.
What Are the Best Species to Start With?
herping Choosing a Venomous Reptile: What You Need to Know
herping Not all venomous reptiles are created equal. They vary in toxicity, temperament, and how easily they can be handled. If you’re new to keeping venomous species, it’s crucial to choose one that’s relatively calm, manageable, and has mild venom. However, finding a species that meets all these criteria is easier said than done.
herping Take copperheads, for example. These snakes are stunning, generally calm, and their venom is relatively mild. However, they often won’t stay balanced on a snake hook, making them challenging to move safely. Tree, sedge, and bamboo vipers are another option. They tend to have mild venom (though research on many species is limited), adapt well to being hooked, and remain calm if their cages provide enough cover. But here’s the catch: specific antivenins for these snakes can be hard to find.
herping Rattlesnakes are another consideration. While some species have highly dangerous venoms and can be nervous, most will sit quietly on a hook and are easier to maneuver. On the other hand, cobras are in a league of their own—fast, alert, and defensive, with many species packing highly toxic venom. To complicate matters, some cobras can “spit” venom, often aiming for the eyes of their perceived threats.
herping If you’re considering venomous lizards, the Mexican beaded lizard and the Gila monster are relatively easier to handle compared to snakes. Despite their strong jaws, they’re generally docile. However, these lizards can’t be moved with a hook, so extra caution is needed.
herping Whatever species you choose, approach with respect, preparation, and a clear understanding of the challenges involved. Remember, working with venomous reptiles is not just about passion—it’s about safety and responsibility.
What are Hot Herps?
herping Understanding “Hot Reptiles”: A Closer Look at Venomous Species
herping In the reptile community, venomous reptiles are often referred to as “hot reptiles.” This term encompasses a variety of species, including the two types of beaded lizards, front-fanged snakes, and, by definition, rear-fanged snakes. While some rear-fanged snakes are not particularly dangerous to humans, they still fall under this category.
herping Interestingly, even some snakes commonly considered harmless—such as hognose snakes, garter snakes, and keelbacks—produce mild toxins in their saliva. Though rare, there have been instances where bites from these species resulted in human fatalities, proving that even “safe” reptiles deserve respect.
herping Among the more popular venomous reptiles kept by enthusiasts are Gila monsters, rattlesnakes, copperheads, tree vipers, Old World vipers, and cobras. Each of these species comes with its own unique risks, and all share the potential for serious harm—or even death—if mishandled.
herping Even the least toxic venomous species can cause severe pain and complications if a bite occurs. One mistake is all it takes to find yourself in a dangerous and regrettable situation. Keeping “hot reptiles” demands vigilance, expertise, and a healthy respect for their capabilities.
Why Own a Venomous Reptile?
herping The Allure of Venomous Snakes: Beauty and Behavior
herping For many enthusiasts, the appeal of venomous snakes lies in their stunning beauty, fascinating behaviors, and the opportunity to observe and learn about these extraordinary creatures up close. Their vibrant colors and unique patterns are unmatched in the reptile world. Consider the brilliant yellow of eyelash vipers or Philippine pit vipers, or the intricate tapestry of milk chocolate, cream, and russet on a Gaboon viper—these are living works of art.
herping Beyond their appearance, venomous snakes exhibit behaviors that set them apart. No nonvenomous snake can match the rattle-tailed warning of a rattlesnake, the imposing hooded stance of a defensive cobra, or the mesmerizing sideways locomotion of a sidewinder or desert viper.
herping However, venomous reptiles should never be kept purely for their looks or as a status symbol. These are living beings that demand respect, care, and a deep appreciation for their role in nature. Responsible keeping is about more than admiration—it’s about understanding their needs and treating them with the dignity they deserve.
If You Decide to Keep Venomous Reptiles
herping Before You Keep Venomous Reptiles: What You Need to Know
herping Deciding to keep venomous reptiles is not a decision to be taken lightly. It requires extensive research and preparation to ensure safety, legality, and proper care. First and foremost, you must learn everything possible about the species you intend to keep. Understanding their behavior, habitat requirements, and handling techniques is crucial.
herping Equally important is researching the legalities of owning venomous reptiles. State laws and local regulations vary widely. For instance, in states like Florida, you need a license from the State Fish and Wildlife Commission, and even then, some municipalities may outright ban these animals. States such as Arizona and California allow only indigenous, non-protected venomous species. Always confirm what’s permitted in your area before moving forward.
Remember, venomous reptiles are potentially dangerous. They don’t just pose a risk to you; an escaped animal can endanger your friends, family, and neighbors. Natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes could compromise your enclosures, leading to unintentional escapes. Regardless of the circumstances, you bear full legal responsibility if your reptile gets loose.
Lastly, handling venomous reptiles is entirely different from handling non-venomous species. These animals should never be grasped by hand or “pinned.” Instead, proper tools like snake hooks must be used at all times to minimize risks.
Owning venomous reptiles comes with serious responsibilities. Take the time to educate yourself thoroughly and ensure you are fully prepared for the challenges ahead.
Venoms, Venomous, Venomoid
The Role of Venom in Reptiles: Myths and Realities
Reptile venom serves a vital role in the natural world, primarily aiding in the capture and digestion of prey. Composed of polypeptides, enzymes, and proteins, venom works quickly to immobilize prey, induce bleeding, and break down muscle tissue. However, the commonly used labels “hemotoxic” and “neurotoxic,” once thought to describe the venom properties of entire snake genera, can be overly simplistic and sometimes misleading.
A common belief is that venom not only subdues prey but also begins the process of digestion. While partially true, this isn’t essential for a venomous reptile’s survival. Venomous snakes digest pre-killed prey—where venom does not circulate—just as effectively. Similarly, venomoid snakes, which have undergone surgical modification to remove or disable their venom glands, continue to digest food and can live long, healthy lives.
The practice of creating venomoid snakes has sparked controversy. The procedure can involve removing the venom gland entirely or severing the duct that connects the gland to the fang (a “ductectomy”). While this makes the snake non-venomous, many hobbyists and researchers strongly oppose the practice. Ethical concerns, the risks of surgery, and the fundamental alteration of the animal’s natural state are at the heart of this debate.
In understanding venom and its functions, it’s clear that while it is crucial in the wild, it is not indispensable for the survival of captive venomous reptiles. However, the practice of rendering a snake venomoid remains a divisive topic, highlighting the ethical complexities of working with these remarkable creatures.
How to Cage a Venomous Reptile
Caging Venomous Reptiles: Prioritizing Security and Safety
When it comes to housing venomous reptiles, one principle reigns supreme: security. The enclosures must be escape-proof, and in some states, such as Florida, specific caging guidelines set by state commissions must be followed. These rules are in place for good reason—snakes, venomous or not, are notorious escape artists.
Among venomous species, viperine snakes tend to be less skilled or less inclined to push open enclosures compared to their elapine counterparts. Still, precautions must be thorough for all species. Glass panes used in the enclosure should be strong, uncracked, and able to withstand pressure. Movable parts, such as cage tops, must be tightly secured and locked to prevent any chance of escape.
The enclosure itself should be placed in a stable location where it cannot be bumped, toppled, or otherwise damaged.Additionally, the room housing these reptiles must be locked to prevent unauthorized access. While it’s important to ensure the comfort of the animal—providing appropriate temperature, humidity, and hiding spaces—the safety of humans must always take precedence.
Properly securing venomous reptiles isn’t just a precaution; it’s a responsibility. A secure cage protects both the keeper and the surrounding community, ensuring these fascinating creatures can be safely appreciated without risk.
Best Foods to Feed Your Iguana
Feeding Your Reptile: Tips for Picky Eaters
Properly feeding pet reptiles is a crucial part of responsible ownership. Just like children, some reptiles tend to favor certain foods, often ignoring what’s best for them. The green iguana, in particular, has a reputation for being a notoriously picky eater.
Green iguanas require a strictly vegetarian diet, with 95% of their intake consisting of fresh vegetables and 5% fruits. This mix should be prepared in a way that prevents your iguana from picking out only their favorite items. Small amounts of commercially prepared iguana food can also be offered as a supplement, but the focus should remain on fresh, natural ingredients.
Many iguana owners become frustrated when their pets stubbornly stick to one or two favorite food items, refusing to eat a balanced diet. If this sounds familiar, don’t worry—there are simple strategies to encourage your iguana to accept a more varied and nutritious menu. With patience and consistency, you can help your reptile develop healthier eating habits that support its long-term health and wellbeing.
Chopped Food
Smart Feeding Tips for Picky Iguanas
One common challenge with feeding iguanas is their tendency to pick out favorite foods, leaving behind essential nutrients. This happens especially when food items are coarsely chopped, making it easy for them to sort through their meals.
A simple solution is to finely chop or grate their food. Alternatively, you can briefly run the ingredients through a food processor. By preparing their diet in this way, you eliminate their ability to selectively eat, ensuring they consume a balanced mix of nutrients. This small adjustment can make a big difference in promoting your iguana’s overall health and wellbeing.
Feeding of the Young
Feeding and Care for Baby Iguanas: Essential Tips for Healthy Growth
Baby iguanas should be fed daily to support their rapid growth during their first year. To help stimulate their appetite, mist them in the morning, as this encourages feeding. During this critical growth phase, it’s vital they consume a varied and balanced diet to prevent skeletal deformities.
At around 2 years of age, iguanas can be fed every other day. While providing a proper diet is essential, it’s equally important for your iguana to get enough calcium. To absorb calcium properly, they need access to natural sunlight, unfiltered by glass or plastic. For iguanas kept indoors due to weather conditions, a full-spectrum vitamin-D light is the next best option to help ensure they receive the necessary nutrients for strong, healthy bones.
Say “No” to Unusual Snacks
Feeding Your Iguana: A Plant-Based Diet for Optimal Health
Iguanas are herbivores, meaning their natural diet consists entirely of plant material, and more specifically, they are folivores, which means they primarily eat foliage. While it might be tempting to feed your pet iguana unusual foods like hot dogs, cat food, or even jelly beans, it’s essential that they only consume vegetables and fruits. Even if your iguana seems to enjoy other foods, they should stick to a plant-based diet for their health.
A well-balanced diet for an iguana should be composed of approximately 95% vegetables, with an emphasis on dark, leafy greens rich in calcium. Some of the best greens for your iguana include collard, mustard, and turnip greens, bok choy, pak choi, and broccoli rabe (the leaves, not the flowerets). Other good choices include clover, dandelions, Swiss chard, beet greens, escarole, parsley, and watercress.
While lettuce isn’t as nutrient-dense as these other options, romaine lettuce is a better choice than other types. When feeding lettuce, try to offer the outer, darker leaves, as they contain more minerals than the inner, lighter ones. It’s important to avoid offering too much spinach, as it can contribute to calcium oxalate stones. Some iguana owners offer spinach in small amounts without issue, but it’s best to be cautious.
By providing a varied selection of these nutritious greens, you’ll help ensure your iguana stays healthy and strong.
Flowers
Nutrient-Rich Foods for Your Iguana: A Variety of Vegetables and Flowers
In addition to leafy greens, there are many other foods that are perfect for your iguana’s diet. Flowers like roses, nasturtiums, carnations, and hibiscus are excellent choices, but it’s important to avoid any that have been treated with artificial colors or chemicals, often found in floral arrangements.
Nutritious vegetables you can feed your iguana include radishes, clover, bean sprouts, peppers (red, yellow, and green), squash, carrots, fresh corn, green beans, pea pods, okra, cooked sweet potato, shredded parsnips, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cucumber. You can also offer mixed, thawed frozen vegetables for convenience. Another great addition to their diet is prickly pear cactus pads (make sure to remove any spines or stubble), as well as soaked alfalfa pellets.
Interestingly, iguanas often seem to prefer red and orange foods, though the reason for this is still unclear. By offering a variety of colorful, nutritious foods, you can ensure your iguana receives a well-rounded diet that supports their health and well-being.
Calcium-fortified Fruits
Fruits for Iguanas: A Sweet and Healthy Treat
In addition to vegetables, high-calcium fruits should make up about 5% of your iguana’s diet. The best fruits to offer include:
Grapes
Papayas
Mangos
Raspberries
Figs
These fruits are not only tasty but also packed with important nutrients. You can also occasionally offer a variety of other fruits for variety, including:
Apples
Plums
Peaches
Blueberries
Melons
Pears
Cranberries
Tomatoes
Kiwi
Guavas
Strawberries
Bananas
By offering a range of fruits, you can provide your iguana with a healthy balance of nutrients and add a little sweetness to their diet. Just remember to keep the fruit portion moderate to maintain their overall health.
Commercial Diets
Using Commercial Iguana Diets: A Convenient Option
You’ve likely seen commercial iguana diets available in most pet stores. These products can be a convenient addition to your iguana’s diet, and a portion of the vegetables in their meals can be substituted with these specially formulated diets. While fresh, natural foods should remain the foundation of their nutrition, these commercial options can provide a balanced alternative, especially when you’re looking for a quick and easy solution. Just be sure to check the ingredients to ensure they meet your iguana’s dietary needs.
Supplements
Consulting a Veterinarian for Your Iguana’s Diet
It’s a good idea to consult with a veterinarian who specializes in reptile care to determine if your iguana needs a vitamin and mineral supplement. A veterinarian can assess your iguana’s diet and provide personalized recommendations to ensure they’re getting the proper nutrition. To avoid potential nutritional issues, it’s important to offer a varied diet, incorporating at least 10 to 15 different food items. This variety will help ensure your iguana receives all the essential nutrients for optimal health.
Food Warning
Why Certain Foods Aren’t Safe for Iguanas
You might wonder why an iguana can’t eat monkey biscuits or dog and cat kibble. One reason is that many of these foods are high in vitamin D3, which can be extremely dangerous for iguanas. When consumed in excess, vitamin D3 can cause harmful calcium deposits in the iguana’s internal organs, a condition called mineralization, which can interfere with organ function and even lead to death.
Additionally, dog and cat foods contain animal proteins and fats, as well as high levels of nutrients that iguanas shouldn’t consume. Over time, these foods can cause damage to an iguana’s internal organs. Although your iguana might find them tasty, it’s best to avoid including these items in their diet to ensure their long-term health and well-being.
Water Intake
Keeping Your Iguana Hydrated: Tips for Proper Water Intake
Iguanas primarily get the majority of their water from the food they eat, so it’s important to provide fresh, juicy produce regularly as part of their diet. While iguanas may not typically drink from a bowl of water, it’s still essential to provide one in their enclosure.
To ensure proper hydration and exercise, iguanas should be placed in a large receptacle of warm water several times a week. This allows them to swim, drink, and get some physical activity. It’s normal for iguanas to defecate during these swimming sessions, so be prepared for that.
If possible, avoid letting your iguana swim in a bathtub used by humans. If you must use a bathtub, make sure to disinfect it thoroughly afterward to keep it clean and safe for your pet. Proper hydration and exercise are key to maintaining your iguana’s health and well-being.
Proper Temperature
Maintaining the Right Environment for Your Iguana’s Health
For proper digestion and overall well-being, it’s crucial to maintain the right temperature range for your iguana. During the day, the cage temperature should range between 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with a basking spot kept between 95 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. At night, the temperature should never drop below 70 degrees. To monitor these temperatures accurately, it’s a good idea to place several digital thermometers throughout the enclosure.
In addition to temperature, the tank should also be kept humid.Spraying the enclosure with a fine mist of water two or three times a day can help maintain the right humidity levels.
Caring for an iguana’s diet may take some patience and attention, as they can be picky eaters. However, with careful monitoring, you can ensure that they’re consuming a balanced diet. For young iguanas, proper nutrition is especially important as they grow rapidly and need the right nutrients to stay healthy.
Sexing Your Herp
How to Sex Reptiles: A Guide for Herpetoculturists
Identifying the sex of reptiles can be a challenging task, and in some cases, it’s nearly impossible just by looking at them. Some reptiles are sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females have distinct physical differences. These differences, however, typically become apparent only when the reptile reaches sexual maturity. Examples of sexual dimorphism include the thinner vertebral scales of male green iguanas, the cloacal spurs of male tegus, and the bright, enlarged heads of male broad-headed skinks. However, some species show only subtle differences, such as the slightly larger head and brighter eyes of male blue-tongued skinks.
In species like worm lizards and crocodilians, external sexual differences are nearly nonexistent, making it harder to distinguish between males and females. Thankfully, technology has come to the rescue. With tools like X-rays, the sex of even traditionally difficult species can be determined. There are also physical and behavioral techniques to help, including methods like probing and popping, which we’ll cover here.
Probing and Popping: Reptile Sexing Techniques
One common technique for sexing snakes and lizards is “probing.” Male snakes have paired copulatory organs, known as hemipenes, which reside in pockets at the base of the tail. To probe, a lubricated stainless steel probe is gently inserted into the vent of the snake and directed towards the tail. If the snake is male, the probe will slip several scale rows into the hemipenial pockets. In females, the probe stops much sooner. This technique requires precision and care, as improper handling can cause injury.
“Popping” is another method, typically used with newborn or hatchling snakes. By gently pressing on the area near the vent, the hemipenes are exposed. This method should only be attempted by those with experience to avoid injury to the animal.
For boid snakes (like pythons and boas), sexing is often easier with the external spurs located near the anal opening. Male boids have larger spurs than females, though this may not be as evident in smaller species. In these cases, probing remains the most reliable method for sexing.
Sexing Lizards and Other Reptiles
Sexing lizards can be more complicated, especially for species that autotomize (shed) their tails in response to stress. For species like geckos, temperature can play a surprising role in determining sex. Known as temperature-dependent sex determination (TDSD), this process means the sex of the reptile is determined by the temperature during incubation, rather than genetics.
For species such as iguanas and agamid lizards, males tend to have enlarged femoral pores and broader tail bases compared to females. Certain species also exhibit unique traits like preanal pores, cloacal spurs, or horns, which can help indicate the sex. In chameleons, males often have more pronounced features such as horns or calcars (heel spurs).
Other Species
In turtles and tortoises, sexing is often easier in adults. Males tend to have elongated tails, thicker foreclaws (used during courtship), and a concave plastron to facilitate mating. Some species, like American box turtles, even have red irises in males, which distinguish them from females. However, crocodilians and amphisbaenids (worm lizards) are more challenging to sex, with no clear external differences in younger individuals.
Conclusion
Sexing reptiles requires a combination of observation, experience, and sometimes specialized techniques like probing or X-rays. While some species have easily identifiable characteristics, others may require more careful attention. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional, understanding these methods will ensure you can accurately sex your reptiles, which is essential for breeding and proper care.
