Month: March 2016

How Do Geckos Stick to Smooth Surfaces?

~ BackwaterReptiles

If you’re wondering how geckos stick to walls, you’ve come to the right place. Odds are that you’ve seen some species of gecko adhere to the glass of its enclosure, or the wall of a building or house.

In reality, geckos are able to stick to any smooth surface (walls, glass, ceilings, etc.) and even cling on to things upside down without actually being sticky. Read on to find out more about how and why these amazing lizards are able to do this.

williams blue cave gecko
Pictured is the underside of a male Williams Blue Cave gecko. He was photographed while sticking to a piece of glass.

How do geckos stick to walls?

First off, we should state that not all geckos are able to be accomplished acrobats. Some species of geckos are not capable of climbing walls. Examples include: leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius), fat-tailed geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus), and frog eye geckos (Teratoscincus sp.). In general, geckos that stick to surfaces will be arboreal creatures, while the ones that cannot stick to smooth surfaces live terrestrial existences.

What if you’re not sure if the gecko species in question is arboreal or terrestrial? Just take a look at the lizard’s feet and toes. Arboreal geckos that climb a lot and require the skills to stick to precarious surfaces will have large, flat toe pads that resemble suction cups. This is because the more surface area the toes and feet occupy, the more clinging power the lizard can exert. A terrestrial gecko’s feet, on the other hand, will tend to look more like traditional digits.

So now on to the nitty gritty…what actually enables geckos to be sticky?

hatchling super giant leopard gecko
This is a two day-old leopard gecko. This is an example of a gecko species that cannot stick to glass or other flat surfaces. Notice how its toes do not have flat toe pads that look like suction cups.

Just in case you’ve never held a gecko or come into close contact with one, a gecko’s toes are not actually sticky. They don’t exude a slimy or gluey substance that helps them adhere to surfaces. So, if it’s not a substance a gecko makes or excretes that makes the animal sticky, then the stickiness has got to be something special within the animal’s feet.

It turns out that the biological trait of the gecko’s stickiness has been well-studied. Scientists have used what they’ve learned from gecko’s feet to create technologies that humans have used to develop special adhesives, learn to scale walls, and even ways to seal wounds without having to use stitches.

Geckos have hundreds of tiny, microscopic hairs on their toe pads called setae. Each setae is further divided into even smaller hairs or bristles called spatulae. These hairs are so numerous, small, and cover so much surface area that what is called the van der Waals force kicks in.

We won’t go into detail as to what the van der Waals force does because we aren’t physicists or chemists, but just know that the hairs on the gecko’s feet are able to interact on a molecular level with whatever surface the animal is sitting upon to create an electromagnetic attraction.

female williams blue cave gecko
This is a female Williams Blue Cave gecko. She is also able to climb walls.

Geckos are actually able to manipulate and control the setae and spatulae on their toes so well that they can be as sticky or not-sticky as they choose.

Geckos are extremely speedy lizards and it does not matter to them whether they are upside down scurrying along your ceiling or running along a tree trunk. The point is that geckos can control the angle, flexibility, and synergy of their toe hairs in order to be as sticky or un-sticky as they desire.

The only impediment to a gecko’s ability to stick to a surface is moisture. If a surface is too wet, the gecko’s setae will have trouble redirecting themselves and the electromagnetic energy in order to create the van der Waal’s bond. The end result is a gecko that slips and slides rather than sticks to the intended surface.

We now know the how behind a gecko’s ability to be sticky, but we haven’t really touched on the why.

Truthfully, it’s not that complicated. Because they are small, prey animals, geckos have to be able to run away fast when necessary. Being able to go places (i.e. ceilings or incredibly tall trees in the wild) where predators have a tough time reaching them is one way to avoid being eaten.

Conclusion – How geckos stick to smooth surfaces

Ultimately, a gecko’s ability to climb walls and stick to glass is an incredible adaptation. We think it would be quite a cool super power to have. Would you agree?

If you are interested in a wall-climbing gecko friend of your own, Backwater Reptiles sells many species of gecko.

The Most Colorful Pet Lizards

~ BackwaterReptiles

It’s no secret that many reptile enthusiasts gravitate to a specific animal because of the its unique physical traits and appearance. Often times, one of the first things we notice is a reptile or amphibian’s coloration because our scaley friends tend to be either dull and flat tones such as brown, tan, or black or brilliant, iridescent shades of green, blue, and even red.

In this article, we’ll describe our top four picks for the most colorful pet lizards and what makes them outstanding pets aside from their beauty.

Jeweled Lacerta (Lacerta lepida)

Also known as the ocellated lizard, the jeweled lacerta is a bright green lizard with bold, blue “eyes” or dots lining its back in a rosette pattern. These spots are not only pretty – they serve to reflect UV spectrum light. Both genders will be brightly colored, but males will be more vibrant and have much larger heads than the females.

Colorful pet lizard
This particular jeweled lacerta is teal in color with sapphire-blue markings, making it one of the most colorful pet lizards in the world.

For their size, lacertas are actually fairly light-weight lizards with somewhat slender builds. Despite their long tails, toes, and limbs, lacertas don’t tend to grow larger than two feet long. Females are smaller than males and will generally max out at around 20 inches long.

Jeweled lacertas are active, diurnal lizards. This means that you will not only require a fairly large enclosure for your lacerta, but plenty of UV and heat lighting for them to bask. A good rule of thumb is to provide a tank that is at least twice the length of your lizard, so if your lacerta is two feet long at maturity, it will do best in an enclosure that is at least four feet long.

We’ve found that jeweled lacertas are highly food-motivated animals. Although they’re not necessarily known for their docility, if you teach them to associate you with feeding time and positive interactions, your lacerta will become quite happy to interact with you.

Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)

Chameleons in general are known for their somewhat tricky care requirements, but luckily, panther chameleons are pretty adaptive when it comes to being pets. They breed well in captivity, so the animals that are available today are usually not from the wild, which makes them healthy and free of parasites with the added benefit of being used to people.

male panther chameleon
Pictured is a male Panther chameleon with red and teal coloration.

Because they can change color, panthers will express an array of complexions over their lifetime. Your pet panther chameleon can alternate from bright red to stunning blue and will pretty much always have some type of different color striping coupled with contrasting white markings. The teal, coral, and green colors produced by panther chameleons are extremely impressive.

Williams Blue Cave Gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi)

Williams blue cave geckos might be tiny in size, but they definitely pack a punch when it comes to the color department. Male Williams geckos are a dazzling, neon blue color with contrasting dark accent stripes. Females are an equally neon green with striped markings as well, but their stripes tend to be lighter in color.

male williams blue cave gecko
This is a male Williams cave gecko. You can tell by its blue coloration.

These geckos are actually dwarf geckos. Even the larger males usually don’t surpass two and a half inches long at maturity. They don’t require a lot of space, but because they are arboreal by nature, you’ll need to make sure that their home is tall with plenty of climbing equipment and hiding spaces.

The small size of the Williams blue cave gecko also means they eat small food. At Backwater Reptiles, we feed ours a staple diet of pinhead crickets and fruit flies.

Emerald Swift (Sceloporus malachiticus)

We love it when an animal’s name reflects one of its traits. This is definitely true of the emerald swift. This lizard is both speedy and green! Actually, swifts are a combination of blue and green. Usually, their throats, underbellies, and tails are blue, while their backs and limbs are green or teal.

Emerald swifts are not aggressive lizards, but as their name suggests, they are quick and nimble, which means that they’re not the best pets for someone who wants to be hands on with their lizard. Your swift most likely won’t bite, but it probably will squirm a lot and try to get away, which could stress the animal more than necessary.

emerald swift
This emerald swift is particularly friendly, but this is not true of all swifts.

Insects such as crickets, roaches, mealworms, and reptiworms are the go-to food for this carnivorous lizard. They will consume pretty much any insect, but they have been known to suffer from calcium deficiencies in captivity, so be sure that whatever invertebrate you select as dinner gets dusted with calcium powder at least every other feeding session.

Conclusion – The Most Colorful Pet Lizards

While some of the colorful pet lizards on our list are better at being seen than being handled, we still feel they all make equally fulfilling captive reptiles.

What’s your favorite colorful pet lizard? Let us know in the comments!

Best Small Pet Frogs

~ BackwaterReptiles

Have you always wanted a pet frog but feel you don’t have the room to keep a semi-aquatic animal? Well, we’ve got good news for you because not all the best pet frogs need a ton of space or large tanks full of water to thrive.

In fact, we’ve got some recommendations for frog species that don’t require enclosures larger than a shoe box. Read on to find out our top picks for the best small pet frogs and how you can get your hands on one.

The Best Small Pet Frogs: A Review

Painted Mantella (Mantella madagascariensis)

Painted mantellas are certainly attractive pet frogs. They hail from Madagascar and are available in a variety of gorgeous color combinations. They have rich, black bodies and eyes with yellow, orange, green, and red accents. These tiny frogs are so colorful in fact, that people often confuse them for poison dart frogs.

Best pet frogs list
This painted mantella has contrasting green and orange coloration. What a beauty, and a great pet frog as well!

These little frogs can get up to one and a half inches long, but most will stay around an inch long on average. Their small size means they only need a home that is around five gallons, at least if you’re only keeping a single frog. Pairs should be kept in a ten gallon tank.

Most mantellas can be shy, so we recommend providing a substrate that retains moisture well but also allows the frog to hide. Another option is to provide several hide spaces.

Backwater Reptiles has colorful painted mantella frogs  for sale.

Strawberry Dart Frog (Dendrobates pumilio)

It’s a common misconception that poison dart frogs are dangerous and can harm you if you touch them. In the wild, this might be true, but in captivity, the frogs actually lose their potency. It is believed that the poison secreted through their skin is manufactured through insects the frogs eat in their wild habitats, so when we humans feed them captive bred insects, the frogs don’t create the poison any more. So, the bottom line is that you can actually hold and handle your dart frog, but due to their somewhat delicate nature, we don’t recommend handling them a lot.

strawberry dart frog
Dart frogs come in many color variations. Strawberry dart frogs are bright red with dark blue or black legs.

Strawberry dart frogs usually don’t get bigger than a large grape. This is usually around an inch to an inch and half long. A typical life span for a strawberry dart frog is anywhere from four to eight years in captivity.

Because these frogs are so small, we feed ours pinhead crickets and fruit flies. Sometimes they will even eat small mealworms.

If you are in the market for a healthy strawberry dart frog, we do sell them on our website.

Glass Tree Frog (Mantidactylus sp. / Hyalinobatrachium sp. / Boophis sp.)

There are many species of glass tree frogs available through breeders, but they all have one thing in common – their translucent skin and visible organs. The degree of transparency of the frog varies from species to species. Some are nearly clear on top and bottom, while other species are only faintly see-through on their tummies.

As far as size is concerned, most glass frogs will range in size from 20 to 30 millimeters.

These fascinating and unique-looking frogs are not the easiest species to come by in captivity. In the wild, they are arboreal, riparian (living in streams), and nocturnal, which means that wild-caught frogs are tough to obtain and captive breeding efforts are not that successful.

glass tree frog underside
This is the under belly of a glass tree frog. As you can see, the frog’s innards are clearly visible.

If you do decide to keep a glass frog, keep in mind that they are delicate and shy. You will need to have an arboreal set up with more vertical space than horizontal space, although for a single frog, that tank still need not be bigger than a five gallon enclosure.

Although glass tree frogs are one of the rarer frog species sold on this list, Backwater Reptiles does have them for sale.

Clown Tree Frog (Hyla leucophyllata)

Of all the frogs on this list, we’d say that the clown tree frog is probably the largest on average. Because it’s a tree frog, this species will also tend to appear longer in general because its limbs and toes are very pronounced in order to support its arboreal life style. But, even being the largest on this list, the clown tree frog still only maxes out at around four centimeters on average.

Clown tree frogs are not only small, but they are very attractive little frogs too. Most are dark brown or red in base color with lighter white, yellow, or beige markings or splotches. They really are quite striking little amphibians.

clown tree frog
Clown tree frogs are known for their night time calls which sound like laughter.

Due to its arboreal nature, your pet clown tree frog will require a home that is taller, rather than flatter. It still doesn’t require a large enclosure, but just make sure that the frog has a bit of room to climb. We recommend a ten gallon tank with a screen top lid and plenty of foliage, either real or fake.

Luckily, clown tree frogs are readily available. Not only are they fairly common frogs in the pet trade, but they are also relatively inexpensive.

Here’s a great enclosure for your frog, with everything it’ll need to thrive in your care:

(Click the picture to see the lowest prices)

Conclusion – The Best Small Pet Frogs

All of the small pet frogs on our list are somewhat delicate due to their small size. This means that they are not ideal pets for someone who wants to take their frog out of its enclosure and handle it a lot. The small frogs on this list are best for pet owners with limited space to house their amphibian who enjoy looking at and admiring their frog rather than playing with it.

Pet Green Iguana Care

~ BackwaterReptiles

Green iguanas are probably the most well-known species of pet lizard. These green giants certainly make rewarding and worthwhile pets, but because they require special care, we urge you to take a look at our care sheet before purchasing one.

Listed below are some frequently asked questions that will teach you how to care for a hatchling pet green iguana as well as a full-grown one.

What do green iguanas look like?

If you haven’t figured it out yet, green iguanas are, well, green. They also can be shades of greyish green, pastel green, and even have hints of brown and orange to their scales. They have strong, angular heads with pronounced dewlaps and sharp, dorsal spines running from their neck down their back and tail. Overall, green iguanas are very prehistoric in appearance and many people think they look like miniature dinosaurs.

pet green iguana care
This is a hatchling pet green iguana. The dorsal spikes and dewlap are not as pronounced as they will become in this iguana’s later years.

How big will my green iguana get?

Hatchling green iguanas average around nine inches long, tail included. By the time it is about a year old, a healthy, properly cared for iguana can triple in size.

By maturity, green iguanas can reach up to six feet long. In general, males will be larger than females, both in terms of weight, length, and body thickness and girth. It’s not unheard of for a male to weigh twenty pounds! These are large lizards for sure.

How long will my green iguana live?

With proper care and husbandry, green iguanas are incredibly long-lived animals. If you raise your iguana from hatchling-hood, you can expect it to live to be at around fifteen years old on average, although twenty years is not uncommon.

What do green iguanas eat?

Although you certainly can feed your iguana meat and protein, we highly recommend that this be limited. Green iguanas are opportunists and will basically eat anything you give to them, but diets high in protein can and will cause renal failure in iguanas, so it’s best to feed your iguana fresh veggies and fruits from the market most of the time with only small amounts of meat/protein. A good rule of thumb is to give your iguana 80% vegetable matter, 10% fruit, and 10% protein.

The veggies that are healthiest for green iguanas are leafy and green. The Backwater Reptiles green iguanas love kale, swiss chard, spinach, and collard greens. Carrots, endive, bok choy, and grated zucchini are also good veggies.

We should mention that no matter what veggies you give your iguana, they must be chopped and prepared properly. Iguanas can’t chew, so it would make sense that hatchlings require small pieces. Adults can swallow bigger pieces, obviously, but you still want to make sure your iguana doesn’t choke. We recommend grating hard veggies and chopping leafy items.

green iguana
Hatchling green iguanas will need their veggies to be cut up into pieces small enough for them to swallow.

The amount of fruit you give your green iguana should also be limited, just like the amount of protein. If you give your iguana too much fruit, it will get diarrhea, which is just no fun for either you or the iguana. Acceptable fruits to give your iguana are strawberries, figs, apple bits, and blueberries to name a few.

If preparing lizard chow from scratch is too much of a chore for you, there are also many commercially produced, pre-made lizard foods that are acceptable to feed to your iguana on a regular basis. However, we do recommend supplementing with fresh vegetables on a semi-regular basis.

What type of enclosure do I need for my green iguana?

Probably the most important thing to keep in mind when adopting a green iguana is that having a big lizard means having a big enclosure for it to live in. Because green iguanas can be six feet long when fully grown, you will need to have a space that is at least twelve feet long by six feet wide and at least six feet tall for an adult.

Babies should be kept in smaller homes. Young iguanas up to eighteen inches long will do great in a twenty gallon tank. This is a good size for them to learn that you are not a predator or threat to them and it is also the proper size to allow them room to roam and find their food and water dish locations.

We recommend having a special enclosure built for mature iguanas. If the climate is good, green iguanas can even live outdoors in caged pens. Just be sure that if you keep your iguana outdoors that the temperature does not get too hot or cold.

Because iguanas are arboreal, it’s imperative that your enclosure for both juveniles and adults contain plenty of climbing equipment. You can use fake plants/trees or construct ledges/shelves. But climbing will make your iguana feel at home, so don’t neglect to provide him/her objects to support this behavior.

Can I tame my green iguana?

The short and sweet answer to this question is YES! Green iguanas can definitely be tamed with patience and dedication. We’ve seen people who take their pet iguana on walks on a leash, people who let their iguana roam freely around the house, and even people who sit on the couch with their full-grown iguana and watch TV.

Taming your iguana really depends on how much time and effort you put forth into the relationship with your lizard. The more effort you put into training and familiarizing your iguana with you, the tamer it will become.

We recommend starting out with a hatchling that you can teach to recognize you. Then start giving the iguana a positive food/owner relationship and follow that up with lots of handling and taking the iguana out of its cage.

hatchling iguana iguana
If you handle your hatchling iguana on a regular basis, it will grow accustomed to being held.

Pet Green Iguana care – Conclusion

While pet baby green iguanas are adorable and tempting to buy, keep in mind that they grow quickly. Your cute baby iguana will rapidly turn into a six-foot-long Godzilla lizard with space requirements. Please keep that in mind when adopting.

If you are prepared to take on a lizard with such large space requirements, a green iguana just might be for you. These are gorgeous lizards with trainable dispositions and we think that if you can handle their size, iguanas make very gratifying pets.

Best Pet Aquatic Turtles

~ BackwaterReptiles

Personally, we think that all species of turtles make wonderful pets, whether they live mainly aquatic existences or prefer to live on land. However, for the purposes of this blog article, we will focus on detailing our top four aquatic turtle species that spend a great deal, if not most of their lives, in water.

Red Eared Slider (Trachemys s. elegans)

Probably the most common turtle sold in the U.S. at pet stores and from breeders is the red eared slider. These turtles make great classroom pets and are also great for outdoor pond enclosures.

Fun fact: red eared sliders get their names from the red ear patches located on both sides of their heads. While basking, they are also known for quickly sliding or scooting into the water if any perceived threat appears.

red eared sliders
Here is a collection of baby red eared sliders. They can be kept communally as hatchlings but will need to be separated as they grow.

Keep in mind that red eared sliders start out very small as hatchlings, but will grow into a rather large-sized adult turtle. Hatchlings are anywhere from the size of a quarter to a silver dollar, whereas an adult turtle will average around twelve inches long.

Red eared sliders are very strong swimmers and will spend most of their time in the water, which means they will need a fairly large tank that holds water, just like all of the turtle species on this list. Make sure that there are plenty of spaces for the slider to exit the water and bask though, since they do enjoy soaking up the heat and UV rays.

Red eared slider turtles are very commonly available at pet stores, but you can also purchase one from Backwater Reptiles.

Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera)

Softshell turtles in general are flat, with snooty noses, and leathery, pancake-like shells. They get their common name from the pliable, soft nature of their shells.

The Eastern Spiny Softshell turtle is a brown, tan, or olive-colored turtle with dark speckles on its carapace. It’s shell is also trimmed around the circumference with small, spines, hence its common name.

hatchling spiny softshell turtle
Hatchling Eastern spiny softshell turtles can fit in the palm of your hand, but they will get quite large.

Like the red eared slider, the spiny softshell turtle will grow quite large and will require a large, aquatic enclosure at maturity. It should be noted that a big difference between the enclosures of a standard/non-softshell turtle and a softshell turtle is that a softshell’s tank shouldn’t have any hard, rough, or jagged surfaces that the turtle can brush against. Due to the soft nature of their carapaces, softshells can easily scratch themselves and even get infections, so you’ll want to make sure that all tank decor is smooth and unimposing.

You can have a spiny softshell turtle of your very own. Purchase today from Backwater Reptiles.

Reeves Turtle (Mauremys reevesii)

We recommend Reeves turtles to hobbyists who would like an aquatic turtle with similar habits and care requirements as a slider, but who would like their turtle to stay small and manageable. Smaller turtle = smaller tank.

Reeves turtles are considered mid-size turtles. Very large adults have been reported to reach nine inches in length, but most won’t surpass six inches. Their life span is anywhere from ten to twenty years.

hatchling Reeves turtle
This is a hatchling Reeves turtle.

The diet of a Reeves turtle is simple. They are omnivores who are perfectly content to eat pre-packaged turtle pellets or frozen aquatic worm pellets like blood worms. They will also enjoy live insects such as night crawlers, crickets, or roaches.

Ready to bring home a mid-size turtle of your own? Backwater Reptiles sells Reeves turtles.

Razorback Musk Turtle (Sternotherus carinatus)

Of all the aquatic turtles on our list, we’d say that the razorback musk turtle is the shyest by nature. They prefer to hide out, whether that be in aquatic plants or in a hide designed specifically for them.

Razorbacks also have very interesting physical traits. They get their common name from a very distinctive sharp keel or ridge running down the center back of their carapace. Their skin color is beige or olive with dark polka dot-like accent spots.

hatchling razorback musk turtle
If you take them out of the water, Razorback Musk turtles are very shy. We had a hard time coaxing this hatchling out of his shell for the camera.

Because musk turtles in general are not known to bask a lot, you can expect that your razorback will not come out to soak up UV rays all too frequently. However, as with all aquatic turtle species, it is an absolute necessity to provide areas where the turtle can completely emerge from the water if it so desires.

If you would enjoy a quiet, shy aquatic turtle, Backwater Reptiles sells hatchling Razorback Musk Turtles.

Conclusion

If you enjoy aquatic set ups and you want to add a pet turtle to your home, we feel that any of the turtles on this list would be great to start out with.

Each of these aquatic turtles has its own unique physical traits and habits, but we think that each is just as rewarding a pet as the last.