Many people mistakenly argue that UVB is not necessary for reptiles in captivity, and that it is optional or should not be used at all for certain species. These outdated, folklore-based beliefs harm hundreds and thousands of pet reptiles every year. In this guest post, Liam Sinclair of Reptiles and Research provides a brief essay on how UVB works and why it should be a requirement for all pet reptiles, not just some. Continue Reading
When you think of a 40 gallon reptile terrarium, the first thing you probably think of is the glass terrarium that has been a beloved staple of the reptile hobby for many years. The problem with glass, however, is that it’s 1) heavy, 2) expensive, and 3) very breakable. Today we review an innovative PVC newcomer that threatens to bump the all-glass 40gal off of its pedestal. Continue Reading
One of the more common issues that new bioactive reptile keepers face is the disappearance of their clean up crew after being placed in the terrarium. Just because they can’t see them anymore, people will worry that the clean up crew is now dead, ripping apart their setup to figure out what happened to them, only to find them alive and well deep in the soil or nestled somewhere in the biodegradables. In this guest post, The Bio Dude provides some quick tips for establishing your clean up crew. Continue Reading
“You are what you eat” works as well for reptiles as it does for humans. It’s not good enough to be careful about what you feed to your reptile; it’s also important to be careful about what you give to your reptile’s feeder insects. This process is called gut loading, and if you haven’t heard of it by now, grab a chair. Today we’re taking a closer look at Lugarti’s Premium Dubia Diet, and learning about what it takes to create nutritious dubia roach food. Continue Reading
One of the appeals of bioactive vivariums is that they’re advertised as extremely low-maintenance. But low-maintenance doesn’t mean no-maintenance. In fact, without proper maintenance, even the best set-up bioactive vivariums can fail. Get the pro tips on bioactive vivarium maintenance in this guest post from The Bio Dude. Continue Reading
The final video that I filmed with Josh was on the topic of UVB. The primary objective here was to do a broad comparison of the many UVB bulbs that are commonly available on the US market. Between using a Solarmeter 6.5R to measure the bulbs’ output, we tackled a lot of common questions and misconceptions associated with using UVB for reptiles. Continue Reading
Rosy boas are small snakes native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They like areas with hot, dry weather and lots of rock crevices and opportunities for burrowing. They make great pets due to their manageable size, docile temperament, ready feeding response, and relatively high handling tolerance. In this video, I collaborate with The Bio Dude on a bioactive rosy boa enclosure with a Exo Terra 24″x18″x18″ terrarium. Here’s how we did it. Continue Reading
We touched a bit on the subject of bioactive enclosures back when Josh Halter of The Bio Dude contributed his article, How to Build a Bioactive Terrarium for Your Reptile: An Introduction. The article introduced us to bioactive enclosures, but in this YouTube video, Josh and I expand on this post. We discuss the benefits of bioactive and naturalistic setups, plus one common dilemma that faces people who are considering making the switch. Continue Reading