Impaction in reptiles

Impaction - what is it and how do I treat it?

Impaction is a condition that affects reptiles. It is a common problem in geckos and Bearded dragons, although can occur in most reptiles. It is when a foreign object that it cannot digest becomes blocked in the digestive tract. It can, if not treated, be fatal.

Causes of impaction

Impaction is caused by swallowing objects that the animal cannot digest, such as substrate plastic plants and unsuitable food items. Most commonly they are swallowed by accident, when the reptile attacks prey. Mostly sand, small rocks and parts of décor are to blame as they aren’t something you’d think your lizard would eat, even accidentally! Giving the wrong type of food at the wrong stages is also a threat.

Preventing impaction

The first line of defence against impaction is prevention. Don’t use fine sands with young geckos or beardies; instead use chunky wood based substrate, ceramic, newspaper or slate that is labelled suitable. Avoid calcium sand with young geckos too; as they will ingest it to get the nutrients from it, unfortunately they can’t fully digest it leading to a risk of impaction. You can supply a small bowl of calcium supplement for the young gecko to dip into from time to time.

Be careful with your décor, especially with young lizards. Quite often the young reptile will mistake the authentic looking leaves for real vegetation! Although most reptile décor is durable enough to withstand this attack, aquarium décor or old décor may not. Checking that there are no bits coming off of plastic plants is a good routine to get into, better still avoid plastic plants all together until your reptile is bigger.

Food items can also pose a problem. Harder foods are often a problem for younger lizards, especially geckos. Avoid black crickets (sometimes called field crickets) and mealworms until the animal is older. Instead feed brown crickets and wax worms, which do not have the hard casing black crickets and mealworms have, which can cause impaction.

How do I know if my pet is impacted?

Usually refusal to eat is the first sign. However this shouldn’t be taken as a symptom alone, many reptiles go off food for periods of time and sometimes it may be down to the wrong environment. So the next symptom is to see if your pet has been passing regularly. If not at all or infrequently you should check the abdomen, which may be swollen, distended, black or blue coloured or puffy. Your pet may also seem sluggish, hiding up and refusing to drink.

I think my pet may be impacted, what do I do now?

Firstly, don’t keep feeding, as the reptile is unlikely to take food. If he or she feels better they might but that doesn’t mean the impaction is cleared and therefore may add to the problem. Secondly you will need to bathe your pet. Take a shallow dish, separate container (or if your reptile is large, even a bath!) and fill it just enough to rest the reptile comfortably in. The water needs to room temperature. Allow it to soak for 10 to 15 minutes; this should encourage the reptile to pass waste and the impaction along with it. You can do this twice a day, but if in a couple of days nothing has happened it may be best to seek a vets advice.

Be a Beardie whisperer

Be a Beardie whisperer

Have you ever wanted to talk to your pet lizard? Maybe you already do. How about understanding what he is saying back to you? Beardies, like many animals, have a very distinctive way of communicating, which you can learn to understand. This gives you a better way of understanding how happy your Beardie is and how it feels about you!

Head bobbing

Both males and females bob their heads from time to time. They nod their head rather quickly up and down, almost as if they are dancing. This signifies dominance, especially when accompanied by a puffed out or darkened beard. It is common for beardies that are housed together to do this as well as when they see their reflection. Some bearded dragons may do it to things outside their tank, including you! Occasionally Beardies will bob their head to show displeasure, if they are stressed or they have been put back in their enclosure they will bob their heads to show they are unhappy about it!

Nodding

Nodding, unlike bobbing, is just a quick flick of the head. It can be hard to spot and is mostly done by adults, males mostly. Bearded dragons nod their head toward other bearded dragons to show they realise they are less dominant and that they are being passive. If you Beardie nods to you, he is showing he is passive toward you.

Bowing down

Some beardies, mainly young adults, will bow down low. Usually with their head, slowly and remaining in the position for a while. It is most commonly seen when beardies are kept together and after a dominant one has done a head bob or two. It is showing a similar thing to nodding but in a much more obvious way. Females are often seen doing this in order to submit to a male although younger males will also do it to more dominant adults.

Waving

Occasionally your Beardie might hop from one front foot to the other, whilst slowly waving the held foot around. It is seen mostly in young bearded dragons and very, very rarely in adult females. It is a form of submission, but rather than submitting it is more of an acknowledgement of dominance and means, ‘let’s not fight - let’s be friends!’

Beard puffing

This is sometimes just something they do, particularly in the morning to warm up. Sometimes it will accompany head bobbing, which is a display of dominance. Other times, if it suddenly puffs out, accompanied with gaping, it can be fright or nervousness and shows that it feels threatened.

Open wide

Gaping the mouth open wide can mean a few things in beardies. In younger specimens it is simply the way they regulate temperature. When accompanied by puffing of the beard or darkening of the colour it means that they are scared or intimidated. In extreme cases they may slowly tip their head back and darken in colour, puff out the beard, twist and broaden and emit a hiss, this shows an extreme fear reaction.

Colour Darkening

The beard on a bearded dragon is capable of turning jet black, or at least a very darker colour. This is often very rapid and can mean different things depending on the behaviour accompanying it. For example, darkening in dominance displays shows dislike and that the Beardie is trying to intimidate his opponent. When accompanied by gaping or broadening it shows dislike or even fear. If your Beardie is always darkened or has a dull or dark appearance then it may be stressed and usually this down to the temperature gradients not being correct.

Body flattening

Beardies generally flatten their bodies to show displeasure. Sometimes they will do it in unfamiliar situations and other times they will do it to try and intimidate another Beardie. It is often accompanied by Beard puffing and tail gestures to warn off the threat or other Beardie. Occasionally males will do this while circling each other, this is an extreme display of dominance, usually where neither will back down. You should separate beardies that do this, as they will fight.

Curling tail

Curling the tail is usually a concentration thing and will be seen by all ages, usually around feeding times. They tend to do it before the strike, meaning it is more of a balance orientated thing rather than a gesture.

Raised tail

Occasionally seen in males as a defensive stance, showing they feel threatened or are ready to fight. It is more often seen in females who are being submissive to males, usually when they are ready to breed.

Waving tail

When the tip waves slowly this is usually indication of an annoyance. Sometimes done in females who are submitting but are not happy with it. With males it can be used as ‘defeat’ signal but that the Beardie is ready to challenge the dominant one again. All beardies may be seen doing this at feeding time where it denotes a concentration.

Pet Lizard Basics

There are approximately 5,000 "known" species of lizards around the world and a lot of them have become popular in terms of becoming household pets. The range in size, shape, color and look is so wide that breeders and ordinary pet lovers find them very interesting and for some, they consider their pet lizards as their collection.

But there are a few things one must remember when owning or planning to own a pet lizard. Unlike cats or dogs, these animals are usually unfriendly. Most lizards don't like being handled and are aloof, if not apprehensive, towards humans. So proper care and precaution must be observed when owning and handling one.

Lizards are complex animals. Just because you've had experience in owning or caring for other kinds or types of pets does not mean that owning a lizard would be relatively easy for you. These creatures have strict diets to follow. They have dietary and needs that you can't just simply guess and there are specific requirements for their tanks or housings.

If you are just a beginner in the field of owning a lizard, make sure to research all the important information first on how to care for pet lizards before you set off to buy one. There are various species of lizards that you could own, some look better than others while some look meaner or scarier than others.. Don't make the mistake of getting one simply because it looks cool or because it looks scary and you can use it to play pranks on your little sister.

Your very first consideration should be your ability to own and raise a complicated animal for a pet. If you think you can't handle owning one, then it would be best not to, but if you are insistent, then get those that are more manageable and will not give you too much trouble.

When you get your first lizard, make sure that you house it in a tank with enough space for your pet to move around and grow. Some breeders will opt getting two tanks for their pets. A small tank while the lizard is still a hatchling and another one when the pet lizard has become an adult. There is nothing wrong with this but it's a waste of money. Instead of getting two housings, just get one that will be enough to house an adult lizard. This way, you don;t have to transfer your pet from one housing to another.

In terms of diet and nutrition, the needs depend on every species. There are lizards that feed exclusively on insects, there are lizards that are vegetarians, there are lizards that eat small mammals, birds, fish and insects, while there are lizards that eat everything that will fit in its mouth. Before you get your pet lizard, make sure that you know what their diet is so that you could prepare your daily budget for their dietary needs.

These reptiles, just like every other animal in the planet, do get sick as well. Unlike other animals though, lizards won't show you their sick until it's too late. They either don't feel that they are sick or they are so good at pretending to be healthy. So be cautious of your pet lizards health and lifestyle in order to avoid severe illnesses that could cause its death.

These are just a few reminders and information that you might want to know about lizards. If you want to know more about Pet Lizards, the type that are popular and manageable to own for beginners, and how to properly care for and feed pet lizards, visit: Pet Lizards for more readings.

http://www.petlizards.com.au/

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Crested Gecko's

Crested or Gargoyle Geckos

The Rhacodactylus ariculatus species is often referred to as the gargoyle gecko. Unlike other gecko species the gargoyle gecko tends to eat a large amount of fruit such as Bananas, Plums, Apricots, etc. (Apricots are higher in calcium). Provide a shallow water dish . Feed fresh fruit if possible although baby food can also be used as a substitute when fresh food is unavailable. Gargoyle geckos will also take insects such as crickets, or mealworms. Mealworms should not be fed to animals under six months of age. All foods should be dusted with a calcium and vitamin supplement such as Repton.

Gargoyle geckos have raised bumps on the top of their heads, large teeth and resemble the stone gargoyles found on churches and old buildings, hence the nickname gargoyle gecko. The gargoyle gecko originates from New Caledonia and is the smallest of the Rhacodactylus species growing to a length of around five inches.

Screen type cages are best as they provide more ventilation and a more natural environment than normal vivariums which tend to keep the environment too moist, this can lead to problems with bacteria breeding in the cage and cause ill health. Ventilation is very important when housing these geckos as they require misting regularly. Only one male should be placed in each enclosure although you may keep up to four females with a single male.

Daytime temperatures should reach 74 degrees F.in the centre of the enclosure. Use a basking lamp on top of the screened enclosure to give a temperature up to 82 degrees F. in this spot for the animal to warm itself. Gargoyle geckos are arboreal and need branches or plants for climbing. It is also beneficial to provide hide places with a moist area for the gecko.

The substrate should be a mixture of potting soil and sphagnum moss or Orchid bark chippings may be used. Gargoyle geckos do not need the high humidity that other Rhacodactylus species require. A daily misting of the substrate is all that is required to keep the humidity levels ok.
Female gargoyle geckos are attracted to moist areas to lay their eggs, although they rarely breed in captivity.

Breeding season is from September to January. These geckos are also relatively long lived with captive specimins living 15 up to years. Incubation temperature for their eggs should be around 78 deg F. At this temperature you would produce both male and female offspring. Incubation medium may consist of slightly dampened vermiculite or slightly dampened peat moss. Incubation time for the eggs is around fifty to sixty days.

Accurate sexing of gargoyle geckos may be done at the age of seven to eight months of age. The males have an obvious swollen tail-base.Coloration is achieved by multiple generations of selective breeding.

Does Your Pet Turtle Recognize Your Voice?

A turtle drawing, with a simple question scrawled at the bottom, "Where are the turtle ears?" made its way to my desk the other day. The drawing, sketched by a young child, showed the turtle with no ears. The child asked me "How does he hear?"

In fact, turtles do have ears, which are actually small holes in the sides of their heads, allowing sound waves to enter.

In the past, people thought that turtles were deaf. This presumption may most likely have arisen from the fact that turtles do not have visible or physical ears that stick out from the sides of their heads, as is the case with most animals.

Even though turtles do not have these visible pair of external ears, they can, nevertheless, discern sounds, and "hear." They do not hear as acutely as we humans, but they do have the necessary auditory nerve and corresponding brain center required for them to feel and decipher surrounding vibrations. Sound waves are gathered via the small external holes found on the side of the turtle's head, and transmitted via the middle ear, which is well designed to increase the volume of the sound waves. Thus, although scientists feel that turtles rely more heavily on their senses of vision and smell, which are much more highly developed, they are definitely capable of hearing.

As the anatomical make-up of each animal has a corresponding physiological function, the reason that the ears of turtles are located inside their heads is so they are more aero-dynamic whenever they are in water. This would allow them to detect sounds and vibrations in their surroundings.

Although turtles do not have tympanum or ear drums that gather sound waves for a more defined hearing, turtles are capable of detecting low-frequency sounds and sensing vibrations, whether they are in the water or on land.

Because of this, they rely mostly on their vision and sense of smell to help them move around. There are even theories suggesting that the refined sense of smell in turtles allows them to return to the exact beach on which they originally hatched in order to mate and lay their eggs.

It is known that turtles find or identify food, mates, and territory by their sense of smell. The vision of turtles is also excellent. They can differentiate between colors and shapes, things that are crucial to animals that live or spend time in water. What turtles lack in a refined sense of hearing, they make up for in their sense of smell and their excellent vision.

Some people consider their pets just as important as their children. Whether true or not, some turtle owners imagine their beloved pets are able to recognize and respond to their voices!

We have no objective data to prove or disprove this theory. The way a turtle responds may, as some experts claim, come from the way they sense vibrations around them. Probably it is not as much the sound or distinctive quality of the voice via the turtle's ears, but the vibrations coming from closing doors and other vibration-inducing motions or stimulations around them. Let's hope that future research will help us determine the truth about turtle ears!

Karma Williams is a pet turtle care enthusiast who has raised turtles for over 23 years, and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby. You can discover more about turtles by visiting the turtle anatomy drawing page of her website. Get your free 10 part Pet Turtle Care mini couse, valued at $49, by visiting her PetTurtleCenter website and requesting it. Her newest eBook entitled "The Ultimate Guide to Pet Turtle Care" teaches turtle lovers everything they need to know about acquiring, caring for, and feeding pet turtles so that they stay healthy, contented, and will thrive for years and years to come!

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