The order was placed on Wednesday evening, and we forgot to read the shipping information – they don’t ship on Thursday unless requested at purchase. I noticed this on Thursday AM, around 8AM EST, so I quickly emailed over asking if they could ship it out that day. To my surprise, Susan emailed back and was happy to ship everything out. The dragons greatly appreciate her right now.

Everything came in on Friday, and the feeders all look great. Mulberry Farms produces quality feeders. I am happy to recommend them, and will likely be using them again in the future.

We will report back on the silkworm eggs once they start hatching. They look great so far though.

If you’d like to place an order with Mulberry Farms, please check their website at: http://www.mulberryfarms.com/

While this sounds like a good thing, as releasing captive animals into the environment can cause problems, it isn’t. It will negatively effect all of the exotic community – reptiles, birds, fish, small animals, etc.

If this bill is passed, it will ban the import/purchase/sale/trade/breeding of numerous exotic animals.

There is no word on what species will be on this list, and they would not decide until after the bill is passed.

Help stop the bill from passing, contact a represenative today!

http://www.pijac.org/files/public/US_HR_669.pdf

http://www.usark.org/uploads/hr669sample.pdf

Cost – $135

Features

NiteDrop - This feature allows a change in night time temperature, just like an animal would experience in the wild. The unit allows for a change of up to 20 degrees Farhenhuit. In order to use this feature, you must set a start and end time, this way the unit knows when to cool down, then heat back up. After picking the times, you can pick your temperature. If your tank is kept at 90F, and you want it to go to 80F, you select a change of 10.0.

Proportional vs Non-Proportional - The Herpstat ND allows for a choice of proportional or non-proportional regulation, depending on what you are trying to control. Proprtional is generally used for heating of reptiles, as it keeps the heater on at all times, but at a constant temperature. Non-proportional thermostats will turn on when the temperature is cool, and off when it gets too hot. Non-proportional is a great way to add a cooling system to a unit, such as an emergency fan if it gets too hot.

Temperature Alarm – Worried about the temperatures going too high, or too low? This handy feature allows for an alarm to go off when the temperature changes. First you must set the threshold for the alarm, which can vary from .5 degrees to 10 degrees.

Pros

• Automatically adjusts day/night temperature
• Easy, straightforward setup
• Threshold alarms (ability to turn on/off)

Cons

• Backlight is always lit (fairly annoying for those of us that share a room with our reptiles)
• Menu only navigates one way, and you must wait for it to move to the next section (cannot just click through)
• Unit is a bit too large for our liking

The Herpstat ND is an excellent proportional thermostat for any range of reptile keepers. It works best in rack setups, where each piece of heat tape is the same length (or one long piece). This model only offers one probe, but for a reptile keeper like myself, it works great. The ability to raise and lower temperatures automatically for night/day gives the reptiles a better cycle of day/night time temperatures.

Overall, I highly recommend this product to those will only one item to control. If you are looking to control multiple items with one unit, the Herpstat Pro is the way to go.

Greg ships Priority Mail, which saves the buyer on shipping. Most other companies require overnight, which can cost an arm and a leg. We’ve been ordering since the shortage started, and we have never received a DOA. All the mealworms look extremely healthy, and are ready to be gutloaded and fed off to the critters.

When the package arrives, the mealworms are usually in a fabric bag with newspaper. Removing the mealworms is a lot easier than one would think, especially with a pair of large tweezers.

If you are looking for an excellent mealworm supplier, we highly recommend Greg at Kettle Moraine.

If you are interested in purchasing from Greg, you can check out his online store at http://kmwoodworking.com, and look under Mealworm Feeders, or on eBay at ttp://stores.ebay.com/Kettle-Moraine-Wild-Bird-And-Pet.

November 15-16, 2008
Saturday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday: 11:00AM – 4:00PM
Adults: $15.00
Children Under 13: $8.00
Under 5: Free!

Tickets are valid for both days.
NARBC Admission Coupon ($1 Discount) can be found here

This show is a must go for anyone within a few hour range. It features a large variety of breeders, from snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles, and all sorts of reptiles. There is a large selection, so you will likely find what you are looking for (unless of course you are looking for some ultra rare item, or a Komodo Dragon).

I attended this show in 2007 and was very impressed. Overall it’s an excellent show, put together very well. There are many seminars to go to during the event, none of which I personally attended, but from what I heard they were excellent.

Please let us know if you will be attending! We hope to see you there. You can spot us in our black or white t-shirts from “The Reptile File”:

If you see us, don’t hesistate to come say hi!

If you’d like to purchase your own “The Reptile File” T-shirt, please visit our store!

Are you wondering why these bulbs are bad? They have been known to produce a high output of UVB, causing what is known as photo-kerato-conjunctivitis. This is a serious matter, and one should not take it lightly.

How do you know your reptile has this? Well there are many symptoms, such as lethargy, unwilling to open eyes, no longer basking, swollen eyelids, and even more. If you are using one of these bulbs, stop now, and switch over to a standard florescent tube light, using one approriate for your animal.

What if I can’t get another light fixture? If you have 20-30 minutes of free time each day, take your reptile outside in the sun to bask. I generally use large plastic containers, and will sit my exotics outside with me. I stay with them the entire time, as other animals may eat them. I do not use any lids while doing this, and I monitor the temperatures inside their box as to prevent it from getting too hot. Make sure to offer a hide in the box as well, as to let the reptile escape from the sun if they’d like.

Please visit this link for more information:

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/phototherapyphosphor.htm

What to watch for:

• Twisted legs, sometimes broken bones
• Misshaped, arched spine
• Jaw softening, often swelling. This is referred to as “rubber jaw”
• Turtle’s will often have a softer shell
• Tremors or seizures
• Anorexia
• Lethargy
• Weakness, sometimes paralysis
• Rubbery Limbs
• Weight loss

How can you prevent MBD?

• Balance diet in calcium/phorsphorus
• Dust food with calcium supplements daily
• Offer Calcium with D3 at least twice a week
• Proper heat and lighting
• Provide UVB/UVA for those reptiles that are diurnal

Options for treatment?

The best option for treatment is going to the vet.  The vet will perform a physical exam, and if needed an ultrasound, or blood work. If MBD is determined, they will usually issue medications, one of which will be liquid calcium. Make sure to follow all directions given by the vet, as giving too much or too little can cause more harm.

Things you can do at home to help treatment

• Cage rest
• Separate from other geckos, make sure the cage is not too large
• Remove all surfaces for climbing
• Rarely handle the gecko, except for treatment
• Warm water soaks can often help if a limb has become broken during the process
• Follow all directions given by the vet

Hopefully your animal can bypass MBD if it has been diagnosed. If you have never had  problems with  MBD, make sure to follow the preventions in order to never have to deal with it. It is a nasty problem and should never be taken lightly.

This post has been made in honor of Awesome, a female leopard gecko who is currently suffering from MBD due to egg laying. Thankfully she was diagnosed early enough to be placed on medication and is in hopes for a full recovery.

There are a lot of bad breeders out there. What each person sees as a bad breeder is different, but in this case we will use ones that mistreat animals, sell cheap iguanas, and lie about their sales. I’ve seen and dealt with these dealers, and they give off a bad vibe. Iguanas grow extremely large, and a lot of people have no idea about this. That cute baby iguana that was purchased for $10 later becomes a 5 foot monster that no one knows what to do with. Breeders that sell these animals without prior warning are horrible. An iguana should have a higher price tag to ward off people who just want a cheap pet.

What do you look for in a good breeder? I recommend not only looking for reasonable prices, but healthy livestock and breeders who are willing to share their information.  When asking about an animal don’t be afraid to ask about the parents of the reptile, if it is WC (Wild Caught), CBB (Captive Bred and Born), CBR (Captive Born and Raised), Farmed/Ranched, or even LTC (Long term captive). A lot of breeders will not tell you about this, but instead will try to talk their way around it. You can ask about the lizard, the generations behind it that are CBB, and even the setup for the animals when not on a breeders table. Never be afraid to ask questions or demand answers. If a breeder won’t answer, they might not be worthy to deal with.

If you are looking to purchase a reptile from a breeder online then use forums to search for information and reviews. A lot of forums have review sections, which people will often post their experience in. Never purchase from someone on a forum without finding history on them. If there is none, then question why. There are a lot of good and bad breeders on forums, so finding information, even from other forums, should be done. There are some people who are banned from one forum for selling reasons that are selling on another. Don’t hesitate to ask a Mod/Admin if they were banned for something related to selling, and if so if they could explain to you what happened.  A lot of Mod’s/Admin’s won’t mind telling you about a problem seller as they prefer no one else has to deal with them either

There are several options for controllers, here are a few that we will speak about:
1. Herpstat
2. Helix
3. Rheostat
4. Ranco

Herpstat is manufactured by Spyder Robotics (http://spyderrobotics.com/). They offer 4 different products, Herpstat, Herpstat ND, Herpstat II, and Herpstat PRO. The common, and cheapest model, the original Herpstat, allows users to use a box with a small digital display to regulate the temperature. The ND model gives the option of Night Drop (temperature drop in the evening between x and x time). Herpstat II gives the option to have two outputs, while the Herpstat Pro has 4. Herpstats (original and HD) have a small extension cord with 3 plugs so you can plug in multiple devices to be controlled (usually heat tape).

Helix is manufactured by Helix Control Systems (http://helixcontrols.com/). They offer one model, the DBS-1000, which can be purchased with grounded power cord or without. The other selection for the model is if you want one with temperature control 40-100F, or 65-110F. The units all have 3 plug cords, so multiple devices can also be placed in.

Rheostats are manufactured by Zoo Med (http://www.zoomed.com). They have 3 different models, ReptiTemp 500R Therm/Rem Sensor UL List, ReptiTemp Deluxe 500, ReptiTemp Rheostat. The ReptiTemp 500R allows the user to control multiple devices from 70-110F, and gives a Night Drop feature as well. ReptiTemp Deluxe allows 2 devices to be plugged in (up to 500W), controlled with a slide bar from low to high. The ReptiTemp Rheostat also allows 2 devices (up to 150W), using a knob that turns from low to high. The problem with all three of these devices is that they are on/off thermostats.

Ranco controllers are also on/off thermostats. They are generally purchased without wiring, so that is a downside to people who are not tool savvy. A few companies sell the units wired, but they are a lot pricer. Personally I do not recommend using Ranco, so I’m not going to go into details on them. You might as well just buy a Herpstat for the money you will spend buying a wired Ranco.

Herpstat and Helix are both proportional thermostats, which means they adjust the power given to the unit, while Rheostats and the Ranco just turn the thermostat on and off. The on/off method does not always allow the unit to heat up enough. This is okay with incubators, but a pain when dealing with heat tape and heat mats.