- the terrarium must be of the proper size and oriented according to the way of life of the inhabitants (for wood reptiles, for example, high terrarium is good);
- air temperature and humidity;
- suitable substrate of desired thickness;
- water quality;
- lighting, including its cyclical nature and the presence of ultraviolet;
- terrarium decoration (stones, driftwood, shelters);
- food;
- check for equipment that supports the optimal living conditions for reptiles;
- disinfection and cleaning of the terrarium, including the substrate.
In addition, regular monitoring of look and behavior of reptiles will help in time to detect health problems. Its treatment can be trusted only to experienced vet.
It becomes clear from the above, that it is necessary to know all the conditions required for the variety of reptiles of successful existence in captivity. Otherwise, it is easy to miss the precursors of stress or illness. Even seemingly, insignificant deviations from the norm can lead to serious problems for the cold-blooded. Reptile can instantly respond with stress on the cage shaking, moving, the emergence of a new neighbor, etc. Slower to the same result could lead water shortage, which is in a remote place, too large pieces of food, impaired or lack of day and night, temperature beyond the norm, lack of shelter in a terrarium. If the color of your pet or behavior change suddenly, this is the alarm. Many alarming symptoms are described in the literature, so we will not dwell on all of them here. But the owner is obliged to know about them if he wants his reptile to be healthy and live for many years in the house.
If you notice any abnormalities, check the living conditions of the reptile and bring them back to normal. If there were no problems, then you need to pay attention to the social environment. If the terrarium is a hostel to a few individuals, it is not always possible to notice the dominant behavior or aggression of one of the inhabitants. The dominant individual simply cannot let the sensitive one to bowl of food or heat place, which is slowly dying from hunger and hypothermia.
If social environment is all right, it is possible the influence of the environment: bad position of the terrarium after the reshuffle, children or other pets may annoy them, moving to another house, a temporary transfer of duties of feeding and care on others. Especially iguanas and other lizards are sensitive for such factors.
There are unnoticed reasons, which leave no other consequences, but negative effects on the reptile. To understand all, in such situations you need to become a real inquirer.
A sign of illness could be refusal to eat, and force-feeding will provide energy for life, but not cure the disease of the reptile.
The annual variations of temperature and humidity in the atmosphere reflect our homes too. Therefore, it is necessary to control the conditions in the terrarium with the help of thermometers placed in different locations.
Many of us have child's habit - to require joint leisure, no matter day or nocturnal life is inherent to the species of habitat. We do not have to adjust animals under our rhythm of life. After all, stresses and strains weaken the immune system of reptiles, making it impossible to fight against infections and parasites.
Often reptiles gradually fade away but do not die suddenly. They become more sluggish, trying to conserve energy, and hide, avoiding attacks of predators. Noticeable changes in behavior clearly hint at health problems. For example, iguanas with some internal diseases and pathologies can become aggressive.
The task of the owner is to track problems in time and find a way for their immediate removal. Then your reptile will live for many years.
