BEARDED DRAGONS

Bearded dragons are a great pet to have as they are social and love human contact.

They are the best reptile for a child as they are very gentle and are not an ongoing cost.

Your enclosure size should be at least 3Ft wide X 2Ft high X 2Ft deep any smaller will restrict

activity in a way that is not optimal for the animal’s welfare. Your enclosure should be equipped

with two ceramic light fittings, one for a heat source and the other for a UVB light.

What is UVB? A UVB light mimics the sun and gives your reptile vitamin D, which is very important

to help them grow. Also it creates a day period and helps with their daily routine.

Your enclosure should also have a thermostat which connects to your heat source and

regulates the air temperature so that it doesn’t get too high or too low. Without using a

thermostat the temperature of the   enclosure is not controlled and this can create health

problems and even cause death. The temperature should be set at 28°C at the cool end

(away from the light as shown in the diagram). This is so they have a cool area in their enclosure.

A Bearded dragon diet varies depending on the animal. They eat crickets, wood roaches

and most of your Asian greens. Without the correct environment and heat source, your

reptile will not eat or will eat and not be able to digest its food properly, which could create

health issues and even cause death.

CHILDRENS PYTHONS   

Children’s pythons are ideal for young people and for beginners for learning basic skills

of snake keeping. Usually they are very relaxed while being handled and are not inclined

to bite. Children’s pythons are among the most popular reptiles kept as pets so they are

readily available and easy to find.

Children’s pythons have an indistinct pattern of small blotches contrasting with the ground

colour. They have a slender body with a head that is only slightly wider.

Children’s pythons are terrestrial and nocturnal in captivity. A hollow log or hide box

is required as there is little activity during the day. The enclosure size for a children’s

python is recommended to be L 600mm W 450mm H 450mm. 

The appropriate heating and lighting should be provided in the enclosure. Ceramic heat

emitters or incandescent bulbs are the best to use and need to be covered by a protective

cage. This is to avoid any injury to the snake. The heat source must be placed at one end

of the enclosure to give the animal a thermal gradient, which is a hot and cool side. The

thermal gradient must be no hotter than 32ºc at the hot end and no cooler than 25ºc at

the cool end. If the tank is too hot or too cold the snake will not eat or be able to digest

its food and it can cause severe health issues.

The heat source in the enclosure must be connected to a thermostat. A thermostat regulates

the temperature within the enclosure and makes sure it is regulated to suit the needs of the

snake. This can be manually set to the temperature optimal for the animal and there are a

variety of thermostats for each heat source.

A Children’s python diet consists of mice or rats which are offered to the snake every

7-10 days. The size of the food given is dependant on the size of your snake. The snake

should not be handled for 2-3 days after feeding to ensure it has digested properly and doing

so can cause the animal to regurgitate its food.