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

Please see Part 1 of this article for more on the natural history and care of Rough and Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys aestivus and O. vernalis).

Heat

An ambient temperature of 70-76 F is ideal.  A basking site of 80-85F should be available as well.

Light

There is some evidence that, in contrast to most snakes, Green Snakes benefit from exposure to UVB light.  A moderate-output bulb, such as the Zoo Med 2.0 should be provided.

As with most diurnal animals, Green Snakes will also benefit from the provision of a UVA-emitting bulb (incandescent UVA bulbs will also provide heat for the basking site). Read More »

Please see Parts 1 and 2 of this article to read about the natural history of the Green Frog (Lithobates/Rana clamitans) and some personal observations on its behavior.

An Agreeable Personality

Green Frogs make wonderful pets…even wild-caught adults settle down and hand-feed in short order (please see video below). This is in sharp contrast to many US natives, such as American Bullfrogs, Leopard Frogs and Pickerel Frogs, which often remain high-strung and difficult to observe, even after years in captivity. In “personality”, the amiable Green Frog is closer to the unflappable American Toad than to its nearer relatives. Read More »

Larger rodent-eating snakes, especially those that take well to handling, have long dominated reptile collections.  However, there is another side to snake-keeping – small, insectivorous species that, unlike their larger relatives, thrive in naturalistic terrariums.  Of these, my all-time favorites are the Rough and Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys aestivus and O. vernalis).

The captive care information below refers mainly to the Rough Green Snake, which is more commonly kept, but applies to the Smooth Green as well. Read More »

Most of the comments/questions I receive concerning Dwarf African Clawed Frog (Hymenochirus boettgeri or H. Curtipes) care go something like this: “My Frog Won’t Eat”! or “My Fishes Steal the Frog’s Food”!  This has been the case for, quite literally, decades.  Despite the fact that these charming little frogs are very popular in the pet trade, there remains a great deal of mystery surrounding their care – and this very often it leads to their early demise.

The Problem

Dwarf Clawed Frogs are often confused with young African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis), but their dietary needs differ radically from those of their larger cousin (the two species are easy to tell apart, please see article below).  Read More »

In Part I of this article we reviewed some general points to consider when choosing a substrate – moisture retention, suitability for burrowing and so forth.  Today I’ll examine specific types of substrates more closely.

A Note on Substrate Ingestion

We do not fully understand why captive animals sometimes suffer intestinal blockages after swallowing substrates that they likely consume in the wild without incident.  It may be related to the consistency of the foods they eat, hydration levels, health or even micro-nutrient intake (for example, Calcium is essential for proper muscle contraction…a deficiency may affect the passage of food through the digestive tract).  Read More »