That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

I’m frequently contacted by amphibian keepers who find that their pets are floating about at the water’s surface and seem unable to submerge.  While gas produced by bacteria within the animal can cause this, the most frequent culprit is Gas Bubble Disease.  This term is sometimes used to refer to any of several related but different maladies, and commonly afflicts African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis), Dwarf Clawed Frogs (Hymenochirus spp.) and Mexican Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum). Read More »

Some of the most popular semi-aquatic (or “basking”) pet turtles, such as Red-Eared and Yellow-Bellied Sliders, Map Turtles, Cooters and Chicken Turtles, eagerly accept fish and other animal-based foods – so eagerly, in fact, that it is easy to forget that most are omnivorous, and not carnivorous, by nature.

Natural Dietary Shifts

In the wild, the world’s most popular pet turtle, the Red-Eared Slider, starts life as a meat-eater but consumes ever more aquatic plants as it matures.  By adulthood, vegetation forms the bulk of the diet, although this varies a bit among populations (Red-Eared Sliders are, after all, the most adaptable of all turtles, with introduced populations thriving on every continent save Antarctica!).  The same applies to the various Painted Turtles (Eastern, Midland, Southern, Western), the Chicken Turtle and the Cooters – as they mature, over 90% of the diet may be comprised of plants.

Map Turtles vary by species and population as regards their diet – most consume more plants as they mature, but tend to remain largely carnivorous.  Some Map Turtles exhibit unique strategies.  For example, female Barbour’s Map Turtles (Graptemys barbouri) are specialized predators of crayfishes, clams and snails, while the much smaller males take insects, carrion and plants.

Captive Diets

Many commercial Aquatic Turtle Diets provide excellent nutrition and can serve as a dietary mainstay, and there is some evidence that diet of Reptomin and Freeze Dried Krill meets all the nutritional needs of several species.

However, I’ve always found it preferable to include a good amount of whole, natural foods in turtle diets, especially where less well-studied species are concerned.  The shift from animal-based to plant-based foods is a very definite phenomenon in nature, and may very well hold the key to captive longevity and reproduction for some types of turtles.

Further Reading

An interesting study of the diets of wild Red-Eared Sliders and River Cooters is posted here.

Even baby Sliders will take greens, as this YouTube video shows.

Southern Painted Turtle image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Aka

I usually recommend that aspiring snake breeders start off with live-bearing species, so as to avoid the necessity of incubating eggs.  In the Family Boidae we find a wide range of possibilities, one of the most popular of which is the beautiful Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria). Although not as widely kept as its much larger cousin, the Boa constrictor, the Rainbow Boa is far easier to manage in captivity, yet grows large enough (to nearly 7 feet in some cases) to satisfy those who prefer sizable snakes.

Range and Diversity

Eight subspecies of Rainbow Boa range throughout much of Central and South America (Panama to Northern Argentina).

Black rings on a rich red-orange background mark the most highly desirable of these, the Brazilian Rainbow Boa (E. c. cenchria).  The somewhat duller but still attractive Columbian Rainbow Boa (E. c. maurus) is more commonly available.  Both of these snakes, and the remaining subspecies, may be bred in a similar manner.

Selection of Breeding Stock

Although occupying a wide range of habitats, Rainbow Boas from all locales usually respond well to similar breeding techniques.  Captive-bred animals are easier to work with than wild-caught individuals, as the “internal clocks” of wild snakes may conflict with local conditions – wild-caught animals will usually reproduce only during their normal breeding season, and after being exposed to a very close simulation of natural conditions (rainfall, temperature, etc.).

Potential breeders should be robust, at least 3 years of age and approximately 5 feet long, so that sexual maturity is assured.  Small and/or young females often give birth to a high percentage of stillborns.

Stimulating Reproduction

Despite their tropical origins, Rainbow Boas selected for breeding should be subjected to a 6 week cooling-off period, at temperatures of 68-70 F.  Over much of their natural habitat, such temperature dips are associated with rainy periods.  Increased misting may, therefore, help spur reluctant breeders, but care must be taken that the snakes dry off completely, lest fungal skin infections take hold.

Snakes slated for cooling should be fasted for 2-3 weeks beforehand (undigested food in the gut of a cool snake will spoil and likely kill the animal).  A water bowl should be available during their artificial “winter”.

At the end of the cool period, temperatures should gradually (over a 10 day period) be raised to 78-85 F, with a basking site of 92 F.  Females give birth 6-8 months after copulation, and produce an average of 10 young per litter (the range is 1 to 25).   Newborn Rainbow Boas are large enough – 14 to 24 inches – to take fuzzies or small mice as a first meal.

A Note Concerning Diet

I’ve found that Rainbow Boas often refuse favored foods after a time.  Usually, a switch from mice to rats, or vice-versa, gets them started again.

Rainbow Boas usually relish chicks, and may take gerbils, hamsters and other rodents, but these should not be used unless a steady supply is available.  Snakes that “fixate” on a difficult-to-obtain food can be trouble.  I once worked with an anaconda that refused all food but muskrats, another which took only wild-caught Norway rats, and several that “demanded” ducks.

Further Reading

Information on the natural history of the Brazilian Rainbow Boa and other creatures that live in its habitat may be found in the newsletter of The Amazon Conservation Association.

A video of a nicely colored young Brazilian Rainbow Boa is posted here.

Peruvian Rainbow Boa image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Damien Farrell

The diets of captive Poison Frogs (Dendrobates, Phyllobates, Oophaga), Mantellas, small salamanders (i.e. Red-Backed Salamanders) and tiny, newly-transformed amphibians are usually limited to the two readily available foods of appropriate size – pinhead crickets and fruit flies.  The minute, wingless insects known as Springtails (Order Collembola) are easy to procure and rear, and offer a convenient means of increasing dietary variety for small amphibians.

Natural Diets of Smaller Amphibians

Most small terrestrial frogs and salamanders forage among leaf litter, which is invariably inhabited by thousands of species of tiny invertebrates (surprisingly, the weight of invertebrates in most habitats exceeds that of all vertebrates combined!).  It seems certain that these amphibians consume an extremely varied diet in the wild, and that typical captive diets do not meet their nutritional needs.

Aphids (1/8-inch-long green or red insects found in colonies on plant stems) are an option, but these are becoming scarce in many areas and, with their complicated life history (involving sex-switching and other unique twists), are difficult to maintain long-term.  One can also collect ants, tiny beetles and other leaf litter invertebrates (please see article below), but of these only Springtails can be easily bred in large numbers.

Problematical Captives

Some amphibians are so small that even pinhead crickets prove too large a meal.  I’ve run into this situation with Kihansi Spray Toads (Nectophrynoides asperginis), which are a mere ¾ inch long when full grown.  These toads, now likely extinct in the wild, give birth to fully formed toadlets that are so small as to be barely visible.  A steady supply of Springtails was essential to the successful rearing of these Tanzanian natives, the last of their kind on earth.  Folks breeding other tiny amphibians, such as Strawberry Poison Frogs (Oophaga pumilio), will also find Springtail colonies an invaluable resource.

Procuring Springtails

With over 6,000 species identified thus far, Springtails are common in most temperate and tropical habitats.  They usually appear as tiny white “dots” jumping about below fallen leaves.  You can start a colony by scooping them up in the leaf litter or by purchasing any of the several species available through commercial suppliers.  Most breed well in captivity and can build up enormous populations under favorable conditions – please see Part II of this article for details.

Further Reading

Whenever possible, the diets of smaller amphibians should be supplemented with wild-caught invertebrates.  Please see Collecting Leaf Litter Invertebrates for some useful techniques.

Strawberry Poison Frog image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Encarna Sáez Goñalons & Víctor Martínez Moll

Springtail image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Mvuijlst

Maintaining clean water is one of the biggest challenges facing aquatic turtle keepers.  Here at ThatPetPlace we stock a number of filters designed especially for use with turtles.  Most are submersible and will function even in very low water…one, the Turtle Cliff Filter, also doubles as a basking site and waterfall base.  Today I’d like to highlight the unit I’ve found most effective in situations where very strong, effective filtration is required – the Zoo Med Turtle Clean Filter.

An Adaptable, Effective Filter

The Turtle Clean Filter is designed along the lines of aquarium fish canister filters, with separate chambers for activated carbon, filter pads and aerobic bacteria colonies, and is backed by a powerful motor (aquariums up top 60 gallons in size, and possibly larger, can be handled by Model No. 511).  Unlike other canisters, it is set up next to, and not below, the aquarium.

The Turtle Clean has the largest areas for filter media of any turtle filter, and its absorbant pads are very thick and quite effective.   It is very simple to clean, requires no priming, operates in as little as 1-2 inches of water and is equipped with a perforated return bar so that outflow can be adjusted.  Waterfalls and turtles requiring low water levels or moderate currents are thus easy to accommodate.

I’ve used the Turtle Clean Filter on heavily stocked turtle aquariums for some time now, and am very pleased with the results.  Feedback from colleagues indicates that it definitely simplifies the keeping of Red-Eared Sliders, Painted Turtles, Cooters, Snake-Necks, Mata Matas, Sidenecks and other messy feeders.

Easing the Filter’s Job

Frequent partial water changes and, if possible, feeding your turtles outside of the aquarium, will render any turtle filter more effective by lessening the volume of uneaten food and feces that must be removed.

A bare-bottomed aquarium, which enables the filter to more easily pick up solid waste, is preferable for most turtles (Soft-shelled Turtles, however, are best kept with a fine sand substrate under which they can hide).

Further Reading

For more tips on keeping your turtle tank water in top shape, please see Feeding Aquatic Turtles: Water Clarity.