Give Pets A Chance To Thrive Through Research And Preparation | #ReptileCare

This post is sponsored by petMD Reptile Center and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Reptile Ownership, but Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. petMD and PetSmart are not responsible for the content of this article.

Typist: Bethany
The majority of Americans have freshwater fish, dogs and cats as pets and most of those pet owners are knowledgeable about what supplies are needed before bringing one of these new pets. No one would bring home a new dog without a dish, a cat without a litter box or a fish without a bowl or tank. Since reptile ownership is not as widely popular, it is more difficult to know what supplies are necessary for proper reptile care when bringing home a new snake, turtle, bearded dragon, tortoise or lizard. When I stupidly bought my chameleon on impulse, I naively believed that the pet store had sold me a complete habitat as advertised and that the feeding instructions they had given me were all I needed to know about the pet's health. But reptile pets are not that simple. No proper care of a living thing is. I did my best to learn more about caring for the special little reptile I had fallen in love with but I was always a step behind. By the time I learned more about how I needed to do to properly care for my pet, it was too late. Very important things to consider when choosing the right reptile pet and preparing to bring the pet home are appropriate

• housing size needs now and as it grows
• enclosure type (some reptiles need mesh and air, others glass, others are jumpers and need proper security)
• tactile environment (substrate, bedding, rocks, branches, etc)
  
• heat and an accurate way to measure enclosure temperature
• lighting and an accurate way to control the lights
• humidity and an accurate way to measure enclosure humidity
• water (drinking water, bathing water or both, necessary filters and pumps)
• diet and supplements
• veterinary care (locate and contact the nearby exotic veterinarians as well as learn what nearby emergency veterinary clinics will see reptiles)
  

Not only is it vital to make sure that all of these essentials are covered but having the ability to cover the cost of each and every item before bringing the new pet home and for the entire life of the pet matters. When I learned that the cage my chameleon had been sold in was not the ideal healthy living situation for my pet, I began a search for the best enclosure. This was many years ago, before simple internet shopping, and ordering a chameleon enclosure from a specialty store over an hour from my home was my only choice. That order cost hundreds of dollars and took three months to fulfill. Three months that I struggled to keep my chameleon healthy in inferior conditions.

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Current reptile owners and people new to reptile care now have the educational resources of the petMD® Reptile Center and the PetSmart® Reptile Purchase Center available at the click of a button. Both sites are set up to easily help a new reptile hobbyist thoroughly research the best reptile appropriate for their reptile pet ownership level and check each and every essential item of their list. The article on terrarium setup is one that could have saved my chameleons life. Every kind of pet deserves an educated owner and a chance to thrive. Researching just what is needed to bring home a reptile pet is now as easy as knowing a new fish needs treated water, a new dog needs a collar and a new cat needs a scratching toy.

Reptile Purchase Center

Reptile Care Center

How do you prepare to to bring home a new pet?
What kind of research do you do before choosing a pet or to help the pets you have now thrive?

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