Are Hornworms Good Feeder Insects?

January 29, 2016January 28, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Tobacco Hornworms (Manduca sexta), or Goliath worms, are caterpillars that transform into the Carolina sphinx moth. They are green with seven diagonal markings along their sides and a red, spiked “tail” adorning their rear ends, which is where they get their common name.

These caterpillars, which are more commonly known as just plain ol’ hornworms, feed on both tobacco and tomato plants, which means they are widely considered to be pests by farmers and gardeners.

Hornworms make excellent and nutritious meals for many animals sold through Backwater Reptiles, but many people don’t know much about these juicy little feeder insects.

In this article, we will answer the questions:

-What types of animals eat hornworms?
-How do I care for my feeder hornworms?
-What is the nutritional value of hornworms?
-What is the difference between the two species of hornworms?

Hornworms as feeder insects — This is a tobacco hornworm. You can tell by the red horn on its rear end.

What types of animals eat hornworms?

Hornworms are great feeder insects for virtually all types of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates including, but not limited to, turtles, frogs, scorpions, spiders, and lizards.

When you receive them, your hornworms will not be full-grown. At this smaller size, they can be fed to smaller animals or juvenile animals.

Once they have grown a bit and plumped up, your hornworms will be especially great feeders for animals that live in dry, arid environments where getting water from food is a requirement. Examples of these types of desert species that love to eat hornworms are: uromastyx lizards, collared lizards, agamas, tarantulas, and even scorpions.

Chameleons are also big fans of hornworms. We can’t stress enough that hornworms contain lots of water, so they are great to help your chameleon stay hydrated.

How do I care for my feeder hornworms?

When you place an order for feeder hornworms, you will receive a container that holds caterpillars that are either one inch or two to three inches long, depending on what option you select when you checkout.

Your hornworm pod will contain food for the hornworms on the top. It will also contain a screen for the hornworms to climb on to reach the food. The food will sustain the worms until they reach about four inches in size. This will usually take two to three weeks.

Feeder Hornworm Pod — This is what your hornworm pod will look like. The bottom is removable.

The hornworms you receive are basically in their own little ecosystem. Your hornworms are self-contained and have everything they need to thrive for a few weeks. All you need to do is remove the bottom of the container and empty out the hornworm droppings every few days.

What is the nutritional value of hornworms?

Hornworms are very high in calcium so they make excellent nutritional supplements for animals that need regular vitamin dusting such as leopard geckos.

As previously mentioned, hornworms are very succulent and high in water content. This makes them excellent food items for desert critters.

They are also great food for animals that are finicky eaters. They are even good for enticing animals on “hunger strike” to eat once more. If you have a picky eater on your hands, we suggest giving hornworms a try.

What is the difference between the two species of hornworm?

There are actually two types of hornworm that appear very similar – the tomato hornworm and the tobacco hornworm. People commonly confuse and mistake the two.

The tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) is the type of hornworm sold by Backwater Reptiles. They differ from the tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) slightly in physical appearance. Rather than diagonal lines on their sides like the tobacco hornworm, the tomato hornworm has “V” shaped markings. In addition, the tobacco hornworm’s tail spike is red, while the tomato hornworm’s tail spike is black.

Large hornworm — This is an average-sized feeder hornworm.

Both species feed on the same plants in the wild and we do not recommend capturing wild hornworms of either species to feed to your reptiles. This is because tobacco hornworms are actually capable of collecting and storing the toxin found in the tobacco plant, which means they could be fatal if ingested by your pet. So if you don’t know the difference between the two caterpillars, we suggest avoiding wild-caught hornworms altogether.

Conclusion

Pretty much any reptile, amphibian, or invertebrate that is large enough to eat a hornworm will find it a tasty treat.

If you have a desert-dwelling critter, picky eater, or spoiled rotten pet reptile, Backwater Reptiles has feeder hornworms for sale. Order some today – your herp will thank you!

Top Four Biggest Pet Frogs

January 25, 2016January 25, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

The absolute biggest frog in the entire world is the Goliath Frog (Conraua goliath). It can reach up to 12 and a half inches long (snout to vent) and weigh upwards of seven pounds! However, we’re not including this behemoth frog on our top four biggest pet frogs list because they are currently endangered and due to the strict exportation regulation of this species, we don’t recommend keeping them as pets.

So now that we’ve gotten the Goliath frog out of the way, read on to find out more about our top four biggest pet frog species.

Gladiator Tree Frog (Hypsiboas boans)

This is a frog known by many names – the giant tree frog, the rusty tree frog, the giant gladiator tree frog – to name a few.

The Gladiator grows to around 4 inches long snout to vent. It gets its name because the males possess a bony spike on their hands that they use in combat with other males when it comes to defending territory or fighting for a mate.

Gladiators can be grey or brown in color. They possess stripes, bars or blotches on their backs. Their feet have a lot of webbing and oversized toe pads.

Like all tree frogs, the Gladiator is arboreal and as such its enclosure should support its climbing habits. These frogs are also fond of adhering to the glass walls of their tanks, giving their owners a view of their underbellies.

Cuban Tree Frog (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

The Cuban tree frog makes our list at number three because it is commonly known to be the largest tree frog in North America.

Although these frogs might not be the largest in terms of weight or girth, they are definitely the longest tree frog in North America, reaching over five inches long from snout to vent when fully grown.

Most frogs that grow to be this long will also grow in diameter (i.e. their bellies will bulge and they will be quite wide animals), but the Cuban tree frog is actually very slender for a frog of its size. This is probably because they spend a lot of time in trees and weighing too much would make it tough for them to cling to a perch or leaf while being so high off the ground.

Cuban tree frogs are originally from Cuba, as their name suggests, but have become an invasive species in the U.S. They are sometimes considered a nuisance in their natural habitat because the males actually bark very loudly in the mating season.

A single Cuban tree frog can be housed comfortably in a 15 to 20 gallon tank. Due to their arboreal lifestyle, the tank should be able to accommodate vertical space (i.e. be taller than it is wide) because your Cuban tree frog won’t spend a lot of time on the ground.

Pacman Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Pacman frogs are commonly sold as babies that are no larger than a quarter, but boy, do they grow fast! Pacmans have almost insatiable appetites and will not only expand in terms of length, but girth as well. In fact, many Pacman frog owners have to watch their frog’s weight and feed them a low-fat diet because these frogs can and will overeat if they’re not watched.

When fully grown, female Pacman frogs can be around four to seven inches long. Male frogs are slightly smaller, maxing out at around four inches.

Baby Pacman Frog — This baby Pacman frog is pictured next to a nickel. They start out tiny but grow into very massive frogs.

Pacman frogs are very popular pets not only because they are very appreciative eaters and put on a show at meal time, but because they are bred to be a variety of different colors. Captive breeding has produced some truly colorful Pacman frog morphs.

Because Pacmans are not picky eaters, we feed ours crickets as their staple food, and supplement with meal worms, night crawlers, and roaches. Occasional wax worms or horn worms are nice juicy treats, but just be sure to feed these to your Pacman in moderation.

Pixie Frog (Pyxicephalus adspersus)

Pixie frogs (AKA Giant African Bullfrogs) are true behemoths. These frogs not only grow long, but they grow hefty. It’s not unheard of for them to be large enough to eat adult mice!

large Pixie frog (Pyxicephalus adsperus) — Here’s a juvenile Pixie frog, perhaps four months old.

Male Pixies can reach lengths up to ten inches, while females will get to around five inches long, which is still impressive! Males have been recorded to weigh as much as two pounds, which might not seem like much, but in terms of frogs, this is really heavy!

Baby Pixie Frog — You can fit several baby Pixies in your hand at once!

Pixies are burrowers, so we recommend substrate that holds moisture and allows for this behavior. Coconut fiber is ideal. They will probably hide most of the time, but you better believe that when its lunch or dinner time, the Pixie comes running…or rather, hopping. We feed ours low-fat diets that include crickets, mealworms, and roaches since it’s so easy for these frogs to become obese.

Pyxicephalus adspersus — This is a Pixie frog at a healthy weight. This frog is clearly well-fed, but not obese and that is key to keeping these behemoths healthy.

Conclusion

All large frogs have complimentary large appetites which makes feeding time a fun and entertaining experience.

We would highly recommend any of these frogs for a pet. If you think you’re prepared to adopt any of these great frog species, Backwater Reptiles has many large frog species for sale.

What To Do If Your Crested Gecko Loses Its Tail

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Crested geckos (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) are fun and interesting pet lizards that have gained in popularity within the reptile hobby in the last few years. These cute little geckos are also known as “Eyelash Geckos” due to the miniature spiked hair-like ridges that run from their eyes down to their tails.

They can be a variety of colors ranging from dark brown, orange, red, grey, and beige. They can have no markings at all or have speckles, stripes, or bar patterns adorning their skin.

Crested Gecko tail loss
Did you know that when a crested gecko loses its tail, it then becomes known as a “frogbutt” crested gecko within the reptile world? This is because once the gecko’s tail is gone, the truncated rear end of the lizard sort of resembles a frog’s posterior.

Tail loss among crested geckos is actually not uncommon and will not harm the animal. In fact, in the wild in New Caledonia, most adult crested geckos will actually drop their tails naturally. It’s more common to see wild Cresties without tails than with tails. And other than changing the gecko’s physical appearance, losing a tail does not change the gecko’s lifestyle or impair it in any way.

Will my crested gecko’s tail grow back?

Unlike many other lizards, including the Crested Gecko’s close cousin, the Gargoyle Gecko, a crested gecko’s tail will not grow back once it has been lost. In other words, a Frogbutt Crested Gecko will always be a frogbutt.

The cells surrounding the base of the Crestie’s tail are brittle, which means that when the Crestie is threatened by a predator or stressed, the tail can easily break off. The capillaries and blood vessels in the tail will close almost instantly once the tail has been lost, so there shouldn’t be much blood loss.

It is thought that the energy needed to re-grow the tail is better used by the crested gecko elsewhere. Regenerating a tail is very costly in terms of energy and resources needed, so it is assumed that crested geckos have simply learned to live without their tails.

frogbutt crested gecko — Frogbutt crested geckos are only affected cosmetically by the loss of their tail.

What causes a crested gecko to lose its tail?

The reason a crested gecko loses its tail can be complicated or simple.

Sometimes a crested gecko is a bit skittish by nature and can be predisposed to drop its tail due to its high-strung nature. With these types of geckos, a loud noise or sudden movement can be enough of a trigger to cause the gecko to drop its tail.

Cresties with more calm demeanors will usually only drop their tails in captivity if they feel threatened or scared. Because it’s a defense mechanism, try not to make your Crestie feel like you’re a potential predator. Move slowly and within your gecko’s line of vision to try to avoid any surprises.

What to do if your crested gecko drops its tail

First of all, don’t be alarmed if the tail wiggles autonomously. The dropped tail is meant to deter and distract predators, so it is natural for it to continue to move and twitch on its own.

If your gecko’s enclosure has gravel, sand, or other small particulate substrate, we recommend moving your gecko temporarily to a small, clean container with no substrate or paper towels liners. This will help ensure that no loose pieces of substrate accidentally cling to the wound and cause it not to heal or to become infected.

Although you might feel inclined to do so, it’s not necessary to put any kind of salve or ointment on the gecko’s stub. The only time this might become necessary is if you notice the stub looks infected. In that case, it is acceptable to put a little bit of antiseptic such as Neosporin on the wound.

If the stump ever begins to ooze, your gecko needs to see a vet. This is a rare occurrence, but once the tail has gotten that infected, veterinary care will be required for the gecko to survive.

frogbutt eyelash gecko — Crested geckos are also known as Eyelash Geckos due to the ridges of hair-like spikes down their backs and heads.

Conclusion

Frogbutt geckos are not uncommon in the wild or in the reptile hobby world. This “new look” only affects the gecko cosmetically and personally, we think frogbutts are just as cute as Cresties with a full tail.

If you think you’re ready to welcome a Crested Gecko of your own into your home, Backwater Reptiles does have frogbutt crested geckos available as well as crested geckos with intact tails.

Is My Pet Snake Going to Shed Its Skin?

January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Maybe you’ve never owned a pet snake before but you’re considering it. Well, we’re all about education and potential owners making informed decisions about the animals we sell, so this blog article is dedicated to explaining the process of how snakes shed their skin.

In this article, we’ll answer four important questions regarding snake shedding:

-Why do snakes shed their skin?
-How can I tell if my snake is going to shed?
-What do I do when my snake sheds?
-How often will my snake shed?

Bullsnake Prior to Shed — This is a bullsnake (P. sayi) prior to shedding its skin.

Why do snakes shed their skin?

Snakes are reptiles and as such possess scales instead of elastic, stretchy skin like mammals. A mammal’s skin grows and expands as the mammal grows, but a snake’s skin doesn’t actually grow along with it, so the snake must shed the skin in order to comfortably grow. This process of shedding skin is also called ecdysis.

In truth, the snake doesn’t actually shed its entire skin. Once the top layer of cells has accommodated as much growth as it can, the snake will slough it off in one single, hollow, sheath leaving behind a shiny, iridescent, and much more vibrant outer layer.

In addition to allowing for growth, getting rid of the top layer of old skin allows the snake to shed any unwanted skin parasites that may have attached themselves. This is not a common reason for captive pet snakes to shed due to human interference and prevention of parasites, but in the wild, this is a huge advantage to the animal.

How can I tell if my snake is going to shed?

When your snake is preparing to shed its skin, both it behavior and its physical appearance will change.

Your snake’s scales will acquire a grey sort of tone to them and lose iridescence. The snake will also appear to get cloudy, milky, or grey eyes. You might think your pet snake has developed cataracts, but in truth, eye clouding is 100% normal and you only need to be concerned if your snake has shed its entire skin and its eyes still appear cloudy afterwards.

Bullsnake Pre-Shed — This bullsnake will shed its skin in a day or two. A great indicator of this is that its eyes are clouded over.

Don’t be surprised if your pet snake also becomes lethargic, more secretive, or even more aggressive. Snakes, like people, have different dispositions and some will go through the shedding process smoother than others.

Some pet snakes might strike out more if you attempt to remove them from their enclosure and others might hide and not come out until they are ready to actually slough off their skin.

It is also very common for snakes to refuse food a week or so prior to shedding. Do not be alarmed if your snake is just not hungry. This is normal.

What do I do when my snake sheds?

More often than not, snakes will shed their skin in secret. The entire process could occur in under an hour and you might not even realize it has happened until you discover the skin in the enclosure.

If you happen to come upon your snake in the physical process of shedding, do not disturb it. You could injure the snake and the snake could become stressed and injure you unintentionally too.

Once you can see that the entire skin has been detached from the snake in one piece, remove it from the cage and dispose of it.

Pay close attention to your snake’s eyes in this time as you want to be sure that the shedding process occurred without any issues. Sometimes, particularly in instances where the humidity level in the cage is not high enough, snakes can have trouble ridding themselves of the skin cap that protects their eyes.

How often will my snake shed?

Snakes will shed their skin as long as they are growing, even if they grow at a much slower rate as they advance in years.

Young snakes who are growing rapidly will shed as often as every two weeks. Adult snakes who are considered mature will shed far less frequently – usually around two to three times per year.

Cornsnake Prior to Shedding — This baby blood red corn snake (Elaphe guttata) hs dull skin and clouded eyes. It will shed its skin soon.

Conclusion

Snakes make great pets for people who are educated and aware of the care requirements for these slithering reptiles.

If you are prepared to deal with an animal that wears a new skin every few months, then feel free to check out Backwater Reptiles’ many species of snakes for sale.

Do Bullfrogs Make Good Pets?

January 15, 2016January 14, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Bullfrogs as pets

Even though bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are one of the most common and widespread frogs in North America, the Backwater Reptiles crew thinks they make awesome pets. We think they’re great natural accents if you have a decorative pond in your backyard, and they also make amusing indoor family pets.

Bullfrogs are an olive green base color with grayish brown mottling, although they can also have plain green skin. Their bellies are off-white or yellowish. Males are larger than females, but both genders have large, brown eyes with horizontal, almond-shaped pupils.

Both genders possess eardrums or tympanums behind their eyes, but the male’s tympanum is markedly larger than his eyes, while the female’s is about the same size as her eyes.

Why a pet bullfrog?

Bullfrogs are “classic” frogs. What we mean by this is that they possess traditional green skin, are strong jumpers, and live semi-aquatic life styles. In other words, bullfrogs epitomize what most people visualize when they think of a pet frog. We think this works in their favor and makes them sort of the “All-American Frog.”

As we previously mentioned, bullfrogs are wonderful animals to have living in your backyard if you have a man-made pond. This is actually an ideal living situation for them. Because they will have access to natural day and night cycles, natural seasonal weather shifts, and natural food sources, you really won’t have much work to do as far as maintaining their health is concerned.

Outdoor pond life will allow your bullfrogs to reproduce, hibernate, and enjoy a natural life cycle. They will happily croak out the classic frog mating call during the appropriate season, engage in mating rituals, and eventually fill your outdoor pond with tadpoles and froglets.

We did mention that when kept outdoors, bullfrogs will essentially care for themselves as far as food is concerned, but we didn’t explain how this is beneficial to you as a homeowner. Most of us don’t particularly enjoy having bugs and other small pests in our yards, right?

Well, a backyard full of bullfrogs will certainly help keep that pest population under control. Bullfrogs will happily eat crickets, dragonflies, flies, spiders, and any other bug that you might consider troublesome to have in your yard.

In addition to being nice additions to your yard, bullfrogs are also great classroom pets for kids and will do just fine living an indoor life in an aquarium.

How do I care for my bullfrog in captivity?

If you are going the route of keeping your bullfrog indoors in a tank or aquarium, we recommend that you have a 55-gallon tank at minimum to house your mature frog or frog pair. Bullfrogs are very active frogs – they enjoy having room to swim, completely submerge themselves, and some area on land where they can bask. Bullfrogs are also very sizeable animals. Males can reach up to eight inches in length and need room to stretch their legs, so the larger the tank, the better.

Your tank set up should include both aquatic and land plants. Bullfrogs do like to hide and the plants, whether living or fake, will help replicate their natural environment. Your tank will also need a full-spectrum UV light and heat light set up as well as a secure lid. Bullfrogs have very strong legs and are incredible jumpers, so the cage top will ensure they don’t escape.

Rana catesbeiana — Bullfrogs are not picky eaters. Feeding time is never dull with a bullfrog.

In the wild, bullfrogs are opportunistic predators. They will sit and wait for prey to cross their path and then ambush. In the wild, bullfrogs will mostly eat invertebrates, and the same holds true in captivity. We recommend feeding your bullfrog a varied diet of insects such as crickets, mealworms, reptiworms, night crawlers, and silk worm larvae. They’re not really picky eaters and getting your bullfrog to eat should not be an issue.

If you should choose to keep your pet bullfrogs outdoors in your backyard, we highly recommend an enclosure or fence around your yard or pond. Bullfrogs are great escape artists and they can and will invade surrounding habitats and drive out the native species.

Conclusion

Bullfrogs can make rewarding and fascinating pets. They will positively thrive in an outdoor environment that replicates their natural home, but will also happily live in an indoor aquarium.

Backwater Reptiles has very affordable bullfrogs for sale if you are interested in owning a few or starting a colony in your backyard.

Backwater Reptiles Blog

Over 250 Articles for Herp Enthusiasts

Month: January 2016

Are Hornworms Good Feeder Insects?

Top Four Biggest Pet Frogs

What To Do If Your Crested Gecko Loses Its Tail

Is My Pet Snake Going to Shed Its Skin?

Do Bullfrogs Make Good Pets?

Bullfrogs as pets