Pigmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus Miliarius)

Pigmy Rattlesnakes have three different subspecies which are:

Carolina Pigmy Rattlesnake

Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake

Western Pigmy Rattlesnake

They are also known as ground or sand rattlers and are found in the southeast and southern midwest USA basking on sunny days in the morning and early evening. Just like their larger relatives, pigmy rattlesnakes have the distinctive rattle although because it is small it can be more difficult to hear, resembling more of an insect buzz than a rattle. They vary in colour from pale greys to black, brown, red, pink, orange, blue and lavender although there are always a series of black or brown blotches down their backs.

Length

Pigmy rattlesnakes average around two feet in length although some Dusky Pigmies have been recorded over 30 inches.

Longevity

Pigmies can live more than 20 years with proper care and become sexually mature at around 3 years.

Housing

A fully grown adult pigmy rattlesnake can live in a 20 gallon long aquarium (or 2-3 ft vivarium) and pairs or trios can be housed together in a 30 or 40 gallon 'breeder' tank. If they are housed together, separate them at feeding time to avoid accidents. Remember, these are venomous snakes so a completely secure, lockable, escape-proof enclosure is a necessity.

Heating

As previously stated, pigmies enjoy basking and therefore should be provided an area in the upper 80 - low 90 in Fahrenheit. Ambient temperatures should be in the low 80s with an optional drop at night of 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't forget to ensure the enclosure is large enough for the snake to thermoregulate.

Substrate

Due to their size, pigmies look great in naturalistic displays although substrate can range from newspaper to cypress mulch.

Feeding

Neonates can eat a variety of food such as mouse pinkies, small lizards, small fish, insects and smaller snakes. Juveniles to adults should eat appropriately-sized rodents. As with other reptiles, clean fresh water should be provided at all times. Pigmies may quickly hide from being misted but will explore after the misting is done.

Safety and Venom

Safety is a MUST for these snakes. They are NOT for beginners. The enclosure needs to be secured and locked. Due to their smaller size, pigmies are more difficult to hook and do not try to 'tail' them as they are fast. Their hemotoxic venom is delivered in small amounts and no documented fatalities have been recorded in human adults but there are records of prolonged hospitalization and necrosis in children who have been bitten. If an adult is bitten, they will experience several unpleasant days. Careful consideration and extensive research must be conducted before deciding to purchase one of these animals. In the UK, a DWA (Dangerous Wild Animal) license is required to keep these snakes however there may be protocols/licenses/requirements in other countries that the owner must adhere to. Please check with your authorities before owning one of these animals.

Alternative LED Lighting

LED lighting is a great way to add colour to any reptile room. There are various types of LEDs available for reptiles which come in different colours, shapes and sizes.

As long as the LED does not emit heat you can use them for most reptiles. When it comes to albinos, always ensure that the lights are not overly bright as this can lead to eye damage.

Here are some examples of different LED lighting that vary in price. 

Price Approx £45.00

Price Approx £8.00

Price Approx £14.00

I decided to invent a cheaper method to create my own LED coloured lighting system in my reptile room. I purchased LED push lights from a local bargain store. I then coloured  the LEDs by using coloured transculent sweet/candy wrappers to give a rainbow effect. This effect could also be achieved by colouring the LED with a coloured Sharpie pens. The price of the LED lights were £1.00 for two and the sweet/candy wrappers are byproducts which would have been thrown away in the trash.

LED covered with sweet/candy wrapper

The end result

Latest Addition

I recently got a new addition to my ever-expanding collection of reptiles- a desert royal python whom I have fittingly named as Drogo (after Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones). I have now got 14 reptiles in my collection.

An interesting fact about the desert gene is that desert females are infertile unless there are other genes in the snake. Therefore any single gene desert female has to be sold as "pet only".

Currently this little guy is assist feeding on a mixture of pinky mice and fuzzy mice. Royals are known for being fussy and sometimes can be difficult to feed. Hopefully Drogo will start striking soon. 

In the next few weeks I shall try and take a video of an assist feeding and share it on my YouTube Channel.

If you have Instagram and would like to follow me: leannreptile1234. I am on Instagram more often than my blog. 

New Photos

A few photos of my first royal python Blaze and my first boa Kaarme. Due to being preoccupied I have been neglecting my blog lately. I promise a new post soon!

My boy Blaze

Bumblebee ball python

Bumblebee royal python

Blaze the bumblebee

Kaarme

Hog island boa

Super hypo hog island boa

My girl Kaarme

Crested Gecko Morphs

Following my latest blog post on crested geckos, I thought I would write another post all about crested gecko morphs. Like most reptiles, cresties come in a variety of patterns and colours, these are often refered to as 'paint jobs' or morphs.

Red Patternless

Red Bi-Colour with Spots

Tiger

Extreme Harlequin

Halloween

Pinstripe

Super Dalmation

Red Spot Dalmation

This is just a small selection of morphs available for crested geckos! To view more please click here

Crested Geckos

Lately I have been falling in love with crested geckos. They are a beautiful and extremely cute lizard species and everytime I see a photograph of one I fall more in love with them. Hopefully someday I will have one in my collection!

Crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) are native to Southern Grand Terre, New Caledonia. They are semi aboreal and spend a lot of time in trees and shrubs. They are nocturnal and find hides to sleep in during the day usually on the ground.

Crested Gecko

Diet

Crested geckos are omnivorous meaning they eat live food and vegetation. Their diet consists of small soft fruit (non citrus) and insects within striking distance. In captivity they are commonly fed: fresh soft fruits, baby food particularly banana, peach and apricot. As for live food crested geckos will eat crickets, small locusts and roaches. There is debate over whether it is safe to feed them mealworms as they can cause impaction. All live food should be dusted with calcium powder such as D3 and gut loaded, (this means feeding your insects healthy food so the gecko gets the best nutrition possible). Also ensure that insect feeders are the correct size and should be no bigger than the distance between the geckos nose and eye. I recommend buying Bug Grub to feed to insects and the odd fresh vegetation such as lettuce. There is also a special food available to feed crested geckos. All you need to do is mix the special food with water and place in a feeding dish.

A water dish should also be available at all times filled with fresh water. Crested geckos are also known to drink from dew in the wild, so spraying once daily will help to ensure that they are kept hydrated.

Housing

A glass enclosure is recommended for crested geckos as they live in cooler climates. They are also aboreal so a taller form of housing is better than a wider one. 18in x 18in x 24in is the minimum size of housing for a crested gecko.

Coco Husk is the ideal bedding for a crestie as it retains humidity without getting mouldy. As crested geckos are nocturnal they need to be provided with hides for during the day. Greenery is also a great addition for making more hiding spots and this helps the gecko to feel more secure.

Exo-Terra Enclosure

 
 
Heating

Cresties enjoy lower temperatures compared to most other reptiles. Keeping them above 30 degrees Celsius will stress them and impact their health. The ideal temperature for a crested gecko is 24 degrees Celsius during the day with a night time drop to 13 degrees Celsius. This means that in some cases they will not require a heat source depending on your ambient temperature. However, a heat mat can be attached to the back or side of a terrarium. Always ensure that when you're using a heat mat that it is attached to a thermostat as this stops the mat from overheating. Also check temperatures regularly with a reliable thermometer.

Lighting

Similar to leopard geckos, crested geckos need to have a day and night time cycle. It is recommended that a 5% UVB light is used for 10-12 hours per day. This can be achieved by attaching a timer to the UVB light.

Reptisun UVB Bulb

 Handling

Generally cresties are a good gecko to handle although they do like to jump. Don't panic if one minute one is in your hand and a second later jumps to your shoulder. Always handle gently and NEVER lift one by the tail. Crested geckos can drop their tail when they feel threatened and unlike leopard geckos, their tails will never grow back, resulting in 'frog butts'.

Humidity

Crested geckos require a moderate humidity. To check your humidity you can purchase a hygometer. Humidity should be 50%. Cresties should be provided with higher humidity (80-100%) for a few hours each day. This helps aid with the shedding process. This can be achieved by heavy misting with water. Although it is vital that humidity levels go back down to normal levels for the majority of the day. Prolonged high humidity can cause infections.

Water/Spray Bottle

Co-habiting

Crested geckos can be co-habited although never two males as they will fight and could end up injuring one another. A male can be kept with a colony of females as long as the enclosure is large enough. A group of females can be housed together. Personally I would not recommend co-habiting as I don't want to risk cross-contamination.

Cleaning

As with all reptiles, keeping your housing clean and spot checking daily is important for your animals' health and well-being. Dead food should be removed on sight as should excrement. A deep clean once a month is also recommend. Remove all substrate and clean the enclosure with a reptile safe disinfectant. Also clean decor and hides at this time and water bowls when needed as sometimes reptiles will poo in their water bowls.

 

Disinfectant

Respiratory Infection

It's dishearting to find that one of your beloved pets has taken an illness. Sadly my latest addition has a respiratory infection.

Around Christmas I noticed that he was wheezing slightly and was yawning a lot. I talked to the owner of my local reptile shop and he said that sometimes royal pythons tend to wheeze if they have just had a drink, so I thought nothing of it. Over the next week or so Fyffe gradually started showing more symptoms such as bubbling around the mouth and sneezing. As soon as his symptoms progressed I contacted my local reptile vet.

When I suspected that he had RI, I moved him into quarantine as I did not want my other reptiles to contract the illness. I placed him in a Really Useful Rox with kitchen roll for bedding away from my reptile room. I ensured that no equipment I would be using could come into contact with my other reptiles. Water bowls, tweezers, feeding forceps etc. I also bought disinfectant hand sanitiser to use before and after handling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As there is only one reptile vet in the whole of Northern Ireland, I had to wait a few days for an appointment. I then researched how I could help ease his symptoms until the vet could diagnose and medicate him. I found a trick recommended on many forums which describes the following instructions:

• Place snake in a box within a larger box. Ensure the larger box has no air holes.

• Mix half a spoon of Vix VapoRub with a few drops of eucalyptus oil and hot water in a cup.

• Place the cup in the larger box, beside the small box that the snake is in.

• Allow the snake to breathe in the vapors for five minutes.

• Repeat every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Fyffe's vet appointment the vet informed me that Fyffe did have a respiratory infection and that I caught the infection early. He checked the snake thoroughly; looked inside his mouth, turned him upside down to see if he could right himself and prescribed antibiotic injections every three days and a total of 10 injections.

He is now looking a lot better and not bubbling, wheezing or opening his mouth. He still has a few injections to go and will stay in quarantine for a month after his injections finish and he stops showing signs of infection. If he is still showing symptoms two weeks after his current antibiotic course ends I shall be taking him back to the vet for more medication.

 

What is Respirtory Infection/RI?

In reptiles respirtory infecton is a bacterial infection of the lungs. It is generally caused by poor husbandry. Not providing your reptile with adequate temperatures, humidity, clean enclosure, inadequate feeding and prolonged stress.  

 What can cause Respiratory Infections?

• Bad husbandary can be one cause of contracting RI. It's vital to ensure you have the correct humidity and temperatures. In the winter respiratory infections can be easier to catch due to the fall in ambient temperature gradient 

• Not keeping your enclosure clean. RI can be caused by bacterial build-up so keeping your pets housing clean can stop bacteria spreading.

• Stress; if your animal is stressed this can weaken their immune system and make infections easier to contract.

• Coming into contact with other reptiles that have the infection. (like humans catching a cold.)

RI Symptoms to look out for 

• Clicking

• Wheezing

• Sneezing

• Open mouth/Yawning excessively

• Laying with their head up

• Bubbles and mucus

• Bloated body / swelling

• Loss of appetite

• Lethargic

  If you suspect that your snake is showing signs of RI, then please seek help from a vet as soon as possible. Quicker treatment helps relieve stress levels and in some cases respiratory infections can be extremely dangerous especially with snakes such as colubrids as they only have one lung.

   

My brave boy Fyffe