Creating an Outdoor Sulcata Tortoise Pen

May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

If you’re looking at creating an outdoor Sulcata tortoise pen, you’ve come the the right place! We have years of experience with these magnificent creatures and have experienced tremendous success keeping them in captivity.

Sulcata tortoises (Geochelone sulcata), aka African Spurred Tortoises, are excellent pets for many reasons. They live incredibly long lives, are very easy to care for, eat a plant-based diet, and enjoy human interaction.

Many people start out with a hatchling sulcata tortoise, but eventually that baby tortoise will mature into a large animal that can weigh anywhere from fifty to 200 pounds! When caring for a reptile that large, it’s important to make sure that it has a space big enough to call home, and for most people, this means keeping the tortoise outdoors in their backyard.

Luckily, sulcatas thrive in outdoor environments, provided that the temperatures don’t fluctuate too high or too low. In fact, if you visit almost any zoo, you’ll see that the sulcata tortoise exhibit houses the animals outdoors in the open because that’s just the best habitat for these docile reptiles.

building a sulcata tortoise pen — Adult sulcata tortoises thrive in outdoor environments.

How to know if your sulcata is ready to live outside

We feel we should specify that not all sulcatas can or should be kept outdoors. Babies need to be kept inside in an area safe from predators like birds, dogs, and cats. It’s also wise to keep young tortoises indoors because they are more sensitive to temperature fluctuations and illnesses. Plus an indoor tortoise’s diet can be very closely monitored so you can be sure that your growing hatchling is receiving the proper nutrients and consuming the proper amount of food.

If your tortoise meets these requirements, then it is more than likely safe to move it outdoors:
-Its shell should be at least a foot long, six to eight inches wide, and four to six inches tall.
-Your tortoise is too large for a 100 gallon tank.
-Your tortoise eats and defecates regularly and burrows normally.
-Your tortoise seems healthy and has no abnormal behaviors that would indicate issues with its well-being.

Building your sulcata’s enclosure

So, you have determined that your sulcata is suited for outdoor living. But keeping a tortoise outdoors is not as simple as releasing it in your backyard. What should you do next?

adult sulcata tortoise — Sulcatas are grazers and will gladly eat the natural vegetation in your yard, so make sure all the plants are edible.

First of all, you’ll need to set up a designated area and make sure that your enclosure is safe. Depending on the size of your backyard and the size of your tortoise, you might need to put up fencing to make sure the tortoise can’t wander too far away.

We highly recommend setting up a pen within your backyard, even if your yard happens to already be fenced in. This is helpful because as your tortoise grows, you can expand its pen to accommodate its need for more space. Once your tortoise is very large, you can allow it to freely roam your backyard.

Just like any reptile habitat, an outdoor pen will need to include the things your tortoise needs to stay healthy. This includes a water dish or soaking facility, plenty of vegetation to graze on (both naturally occurring in your backyard and prepared meals), and any hide spaces and/or decorations you wish to include. Just keep in mind when adding objects to a sulcata enclosure that these tortoises can actually climb. Therefore, you want to avoid incorporating items that are tall enough to allow the tortoise to escape its pen by climbing on them. Tortoises can also fall off these tall items and land on their backs, which is very dangerous if you are not around to put the animal right side up.

If you plan on keeping your sulcata outdoors year round (which we only recommend if you happen to live in a climate with temperatures that don’t drop below the high 60s), it will be necessary to provide a safe place for the tortoise to retire to if the weather gets too cold, rainy, or hot. Many sulcata owners build custom huts or houses with heat lights on timers so that the tortoise can always find a warm space to hide out if need be.

Geochelone sulcata — Sulcatas are burrowers, so be sure to have a brick, cement, or wood foundation below your fence to prevent them from digging out of their enclosure.

It’s also very important to be aware that sulcatas are burrowers. This means your fence must be tall and extend under the ground as well. Many sulcata owners will lay a foundation of cement bricks or wooden barriers under their fence to prevent the tortoise from burrowing out of the intended border of the enclosure.

Because sulcata tortoises are grazers by nature, be aware that an outdoor tortoise can and probably will eat any plants it can find in its area. We highly recommend checking that the plants in your yard are acceptable fare for a tortoise as you don’t want your tortoise to accidentally ingest anything toxic.

Conclusion – Sulcata tortoise pens

Outdoor sulcata tortoises can be great pets. They’re extremely docile animals that enjoy human interaction, so backyard life is perfect for them.

If you are ready to raise your own sulcata tortoise, Backwater Reptiles has them for sale, and we’re always here to offer advice if you’re building an outdoor pen for your’s.

Most Popular Pet Turtles

May 21, 2016May 21, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Turtles are very popular house pets. Not only are they cute, but they’re easy to care for, very robust, gentle around children, and can also be very interactive lifelong companions. We highly recommend turtles for people who are new to keeping reptiles.

So, if you’re in the market for a simple pet, read on to find out our top picks for the best pet turtles.

Red Eared Slider (Trachemys s. elegans)

If you want a pet turtle with an aquatic habitat, our first recommendation would be a red eared slider. These turtles are very common pets and tend to thrive in captivity. They’re also almost always captive bred nationwide, which limits the risk of parasites.

Red Eared sliders (Trachemys elegans) are some of the most popular pet turtles worldwide, and for good reason.

Red eared sliders get their common name from the red marking on the sides of their head. Aside from having red “ears,” sliders also tend to scoot themselves right into the water when they sense any kind of danger in the wild, hence the “slider” portion of their name.

We feed our hatchlings commercially prepared turtle pellets, although we do supplement with live insects from time to time. Red eared sliders are omnivores and eat decaying animal and plant matter in the wild, so they are very accepting of many types of food in captivity.

Adult red eared sliders will grow to be approximately twelve inches long and can live for around twenty years if cared for properly. Due to their size, we do recommend at least a ten gallon tank for hatchlings.

As they grow, the turtles will require about ten gallons of water for every inch of shell. So, for instance, a turtle that is five inches long should be housed in a tank that is at least fifty gallons in size.

If you’re ready to get a red eared slider of your own, Backwater Reptiles sells captive bred Red ears, as well as their awesome cousins, the Yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta).

Painted Turtles (Chrysemys sp.)

Painted turtles are another fantastic species of aquatic turtle, however they only reach approximately six to eight inches long at maturity, which makes them very manageable in size.

Painted turtles are a bit harder to come by in captivity, although they are by no means rare. You just won’t tend to find them available in most large-scale, chain pet stores. Many people like the colorful red or yellow borders around the seams of the turtle’s inner carapace.

eastern painted turtle — This shy Eastern Painted Turtle might be able to hide his face from the camera, but he can’t hide the beautiful red coloration on his shell.

There are three main species of Painted turtle, including Eastern, Western, and Southern. All three look quite similar, with minor physical differences.

Painted turtles have very similar care requirements to the red eared slider, however they are slightly more carnivorous. Commercial turtle pellets can serve as a staple food, but painted turtles will thoroughly enjoy feeder fish, aquatic worms, aquatic shrimp, and traditional crickets when on land.

The key to keeping a painted turtle happy and healthy is offering a variety of foods in the form of both animal protein and vegetation.

Unlike the red eared slider, Painted turtles are less skittish and not as inclined to bolt into the water around people. This means they are more interactive pet turtles, although we still can’t guarantee that your turtle will enjoy being picked up, handled, and/or coddled.

Want a Painted Turtle of your own? Backwater Reptiles has got you covered!

Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis)

Like the Painted Turtle and Red Eared Slider, the Peninsula Cooter is an aquatic turtle that will require an aquatic enclosure. They thrive in both indoor or outdoor setups and many people even enjoy having them in turtle ponds in their backyard. However, we do recommend that smaller cooters be kept indoors until they reach a reasonable size.

There are many species of cooter turtles and identifying and classifying them into subspecies and categories can be confusing. However, the Peninsula Cooter is a subspecies of pond slider and they tend to live in areas with slower moving currents of water.

pet peninsula cooter — Peninsula cooters aren’t as shy or flighty as red eared sliders but do have very similar care requirements.

Peninsula cooters can grow quite large for an aquatic turtle. Females will be considerably larger than full-grown males and can be up to thirteen inches long at maturity.

Feeding your cooter shouldn’t be hard. They are not known for being picky eaters and their omnivorous diet means they’ll pretty much enjoy anything you give them. At Backwater Reptiles, we give turtle pellets for simplicity and supplement with protein every few days such as crickets, night crawlers, or roaches. We also make sure that a small amount of leafy greens are available, even if the turtles don’t always eat it.

Backwater Reptiles has healthy Peninsula Cooter Turtles for sale.

Hybrid Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene sp.)

We highly recommend Eastern box turtles for reptile enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience. These are very low maintenance turtles with long life spans and very docile dispositions.

Box turtles don’t require an aquatic habitat like all the other turtles on this list. They can even be kept outdoors in small contained areas provided that the temperatures in your area are not too extreme.

Here at Backwater Reptiles, we keep our Box turtles in a lush outdoor pen where they eat, sleep, and breed!

hybrid eastern box turtle — Box turtles are great outdoor pets.

Juvenile Eastern box turtles tend to be more carnivorous than adults, but no matter what the age of the turtle, a varied diet of both plant and protein should be offered. For adults, we tend to give leafy green veggies and some insect such as night crawlers and crickets.

Eastern Box turtles are easily hybridized in captivity which results in some really interesting shell colorations and markings.

Backwater Reptiles has hybrid Eastern box turtles for sale.

Conclusion – Best pet turtles

Whether you desire an aquatic turtle or a land-based turtle, we think that any of the turtles on this list would make a great addition to your family.

They are all relatively low maintenance reptiles and the only real care concern with these popular pet turtle species is making sure you have enough room for the larger adult species.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our article on the best pet turtles and if you have any follow-up questions, please send us an e-mail.

Red Tail Green Rat Snake Care (Gonysoma oxycephala)

April 15, 2016April 14, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

Are you in the market for a colorful, mid-size snake with a reasonable temperament? Then we think a red tail green rat snake might be for you.

red tail green rat snake care — Red tail green rat snakes are sleek and limber snakes.

As its name suggests, the red tail green rat snake sometimes has a red tail. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes the tail only has a slight hint of a red tint to it and sometimes it’s not even red at all. The body of the snake itself is usually a brilliant green color, but variation exists and some snakes are grey, silver, or brown.

Green rat snakes will grow to be anywhere from sixty to seventy inches long and are considered mid-size snakes by reptile hobbyists, even though they are actually the largest species of rat snake. Because they are arboreal, their bodies are very limber and strong to enable them to navigate tree branches.

Red Tail Green Rat Snake Housing

An enclosure that is at least 36 inches long and 30 inches tall is recommended for a single green tree rat snake. Because they are semi-arboreal, a green tree rat snake’s home will require things to climb on such as wooden branches and either real or fake foliage.

As far as flooring is concerned, we recommend a traditional snake substrate such as aspen shavings or coconut fiber. A good substrate for a green rat snake is something that holds moisture but doesn’t remain too wet. Just like any other snake species, you’ll want to be sure that there is adequate moisture inside the snake’s home, but also avoid keeping things too wet as this could foster respiratory infections. Choosing a good substrate is the first step to respiratory health.

Cage décor for red tail green rat snakes need not be elaborate, although there are two things that you want to be sure not to exclude. The first item is a large water dish. Humidity is important when keeping reptiles of all species and water dishes help to maintain proper moisture levels. We also want to recommend that some type of ground-level hide be placed in the cage, even if your snake does spend a lot of time climbing. Replaceable toilet paper rolls, bark hide spaces from pet stores, and even homemade hideouts are all acceptable options.

The temperature in your green tail rat snake’s enclosure should stay in the range of 77 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit. You can use reptile heat tape, heating pads, or lamps to maintain this temperature. It’s also wise to invest in a thermometer so you can monitor this closely and make sure it doesn’t fluctuate too much.

Red Tail Green Rat Snake Feeding

Although red tail green rat snakes eat lots of small animals in the wild, they will take to eating frozen/thawed mice pretty quickly, even if your pet snake happens to not be a captive bred animal. It might take some training, but green rat snakes will readily accept pre-killed food. We recommend feeding around every seven to ten days for adults and bi-weekly for hatchlings.

Red Tail Green Rat Snake Temperament

While red tail green rat snakes are not known for being particularly docile, they are also not known for being on the defensive or aggressive side. We’ve found that if you handle your green rat snake regularly and teach it to associate time outside the cage being handled with good things, it will take to human interaction quite well.

handling your green rat snake — Be calm and confident when handling your red tail green rat snake and it will respond to you well.

As far as handling is concerned, the only word of advice we have when it comes to picking up your green rat snake is to be wary when you first remove it from its cage. Like many snake species, it’s not uncommon for a green rat snake to be a bit nervous and fidgety, which can translate to a bad experience for both owner and animal if caution is not exercised. Just be calm and confident with your snake and it will cooperate with you.

Conclusion

Red tail green rat snakes make exceptional and rewarding pets. We recommend them for hobbyists with moderate levels of experience due to their habitat requirements and somewhat flighty nature.

Think you’re ready to purchase a red tail green rat snake of your own? Backwater Reptiles has got you covered!

Calote Lizard Care

April 1, 2016April 8, 2016 ~ BackwaterReptiles

If you’ve never heard of a calote lizard, you’re not alone. These lizards are known by a few other different monikers. The most common secondary name for the calote is Oriental Garden Lizard, but the lizards in the calote family are also known as tree dragons and even “bloodsuckers.” We’re kind of puzzled by that last one since calote lizards certainly aren’t vampiric at all.

calote lizard care — This Oriental garden lizard (*Calotes versicolor*) has very red tones to its scales. We’ll detail their care in this article.

Caring for Calote Lizards

As its common name suggests, the Oriental garden lizard has a wide range across Asia. It can be found in Southwest Asia to Sri Lanka as well as from South China into Sumatra. It is a hardy little lizard that acclimates to its habitat rapidly, meaning that it is definitely not an endangered or threatened species and can be found commonly in its home range.

Calotes are mid-size lizards with decent life spans in captivity. They range in size from sixteen to twenty inches long and can live for up to ten years. Males are larger than females and often have pronounced crests running along their backs. People are often attracted to calotes, particularly Calotes versicolor because of the bright colors these lizards display. The versicolor in particular can be red, purple, green, brown, blue and any combination of those colors mixed together.

Calotes are arboreal lizards and spend a lot of time in trees. This means that in captivity, your calote will need a cage or enclosure with plenty of room to explore and stretch its legs. We highly recommend a home with lots of foliage (either natural or artificial is fine) or other cage furniture to facilitate climbing.

calote lizard — *Calotes versicolor* can be shades of red, brown, blue, and green.

Multiple calotes can be kept in the same enclosure provided you give them enough room. Just be sure that all the lizards are of similar size so that no cannibalism occurs unintentionally. Males will become territorial as they mature, so it’s also unwise to keep two males in the same enclosure, but multiple females shouldn’t be an issue.

Because they are diurnal lizards, calotes of all species will require UV lighting and a heat source. Make sure you are using a full spectrum bulb as UVA and UVB rays are required for calotes to synthesize vitamin D3. Ambient cage temperature on the hot side of the cage should be around eighty degrees or hotter because calotes are tropical lizards. Temperatures that are too cold will slow down their metabolisms and could even cause digestive issues.

Depending on the species of calote lizard, you should feed it a diet of invertebrates and vegetable matter. Calotes will eat mostly crickets as far as insects are concerned, but they are also known for accepting wax worms and meal worms from tongs or fingers. If your calote enjoys vegetables, feel free to give it leafy greens and fruit. However, be sure to remove any uneaten food at the end of each day to avoid spoilage and the potential for bacteria to aggregate in the food dish.

Calotes might not drink water from a dish, but it is important that a dish with clean water always be available. We recommend one that is large enough for the lizard to sit in and have a soak if it desires. As we previously mentioned, calotes are tropical lizards and require humidity to stay healthy, so a water dish is a great way to make sure this occurs.

In order to ensure your calote receives proper nutrition, we recommend dusting your feeder insects with calcium at each feeding. A multivitamin dusting can be done less frequently. We advise once per week.

male calote lizard — This is a very colorful male Oriental garden lizard. Notice its spiked crest.

As far as personality goes, calotes are not aggressive, but they can be flighty. Initially, when you take them out of their cage, they will be skittish, but as you handle them more and more, they will grow accustomed to you. It also doesn’t hurt to offer food when you take them out so that handling time becomes a pleasant experience for them.

If you think you’re ready for a tropical pet calote, Backwater Reptiles sells these colorful lizards. They’re fairly easy to care for and we do recommend them for people who are fairly new to keeping lizards.

The Most Colorful Pet Lizards

March 25, 2016April 8, 2016 ~ 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.

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!

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