This is a compilation of care sheets and trouble shooting advice for those interested in reptile husbandry. I have been keeping and breeding exotics for over 20 years and I am happy to share that experience with you! Feel free to browse through and learn how I care for the Valhalla Exotics collection.

Basic Husbandry Care Sheet

Fast Facts

• Identification: What names are there for your potential pet?
• Location: where is it located in the wild?
• Size:
  • How big is it as a juvenile?
  • How big does it get and how fast does it grow?
• Diet: What does it eat in the wild vs. in captivity?
• Environmental requirements:
  • what should the ambient temperature be in it’s enclosure?
  • how hot should the basking temperature be?
• Captive housing requirements:
  • Snakes
    • Cages should be, as long as the animal is, and between 1/3 to ½ as wide. reptiles can be safely housed in glass terrariums, PVC enclosures, or snake breeding rack systems. We however recommend our Cage Conversion system for retention of humidity and temperature control.
  • Lizards
    • Cages will need ample room for the animal to move around and create a temperature gradient sufficient for them to regulate their body temp.
• Lifespan: how long will the animal live?

Basic Care

It is especially important to have the enclosure for your new friend established PRIOR to purchasing. This allows you to adjust for temperature and humidity before putting them into an environment that is not correct for them. Setting up this enclosure for your reptile is by far the most important part of caring for them. Establishing a miniature environment that mimics their natural ecosystem can seem daunting but if done properly this can reduce the number of complications that you may encounter in the future.

            Temperature control & Monitoring systems

Maintaining proper temperatures within your animal’s enclosure is essential for proper husbandry and reduces the risk of complications with the animal’s health. This can be accomplished in several ways, the most effective method that I have found is utilizing the Govee environmental humidity and ambient temperature monitors. These connect to your home Wi-Fi and can accurately give ambient temperatures and humidity readings that can be checked through your mobile device. In addition to these, I use a laser measurement device to inspect hot spots regularly. You can also utilize wired temperature probes and hydrometers that are sold at your local pet store but try to avoid the ones that stick to the glass of an enclosure if you are using a modified aquarium or terrarium. These are less accurate and more so display the temperature of the glass rather than the true ambient air temperature of your enclosure.

Reptiles typically require an ambient temperature of 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit. With a hot spot on one end of the enclosure that should reach between their desired basking spot temperature. This will create a temperature gradient that allows your reptile to regulate its body temperature for optimal digestion. Because reptiles are cold-blooded and thus unable to create their own body heat, they rely very much on their environment to regulate their body functions.

               Cage Type Pros and Cons

Here at Valhalla Exotics, we recommend and prefer to utilize our own Vanaheim line of conversion products for housing our reptiles. There are several downsides that we will discuss in this section to the traditional methods of keeping reptiles. To combat these, we have designed our products to allow one to modify standard storage containers/totes into working enclosures that have all the benefits of PVC enclosures while maintaining budget costs. Check out our line of products at valhallaexxotics.com for more information.

Traditionally reptiles have been kept in modified aquariums, these functioned well enough when they were the only option but were quickly bested by thinner glass terrariums due to them being lighter and typically having sliding top lids that locked. While more functional for reptile care they still do not function efficiently because they do not retain humidity or temperature very well. Glass enclosures do provide the benefit of allowing unrestricted viewing of your beloved pet but humidity loss from the screen tops means that species that require elevated humidity have difficulty shedding. Glass is also very conductive and heat loss can make it more difficult to maintain accurate temperatures within the enclosure. Therefore, we do not recommend keeping reptiles in glass enclosures at Valhalla exotics.

PVC and plastic-based enclosures are other options that more efficiently retain humidity and enhance temperature regulation. Most come with sliding glass doors and cut-out venting on the sides of the enclosure. The only real downside to these is that PVC is typically quite expensive, and this translates into increased pricing on the prebuilt/pre-cut enclosures.

               Substrate

Your local pet store should carry a variety of substrate types and brands, each having different benefits. Aspen, cedar, and coconut are the most common types of substrates available and for most common species these will be acceptable. Here at Valhalla Exotics, we prefer utilizing coco chip bedding because it is absorbent and has some antimicrobial properties. Species that require higher humidity will benefit from being able to increase the humidity within the enclosure by spraying down the bedding without the risk of mold forming, as typically happens with aspen-based bedding.

One other type of bedding to avoid is anything in a fine powder or granule, this includes coconut-based bedding such as eco earth. In my experience I have found that sand and other fine bedding is easier and more likely to be swallowed if the animal is fed inside the enclosure, this can lead to an impaction that may require a trip to the vet or in severe cases the demise of your animal.

Nutrition

                    Feeding

Reptiles in the wild will feed on a variety of foliage, insects, or species of rodents. In some cases, these can be difficult to source locally but captive-bred reptiles will often readily take alternative options. Make sure that you can obtain appropriate food items on a regular basis before obtaining an animal. 

                    Water

Fresh water should be provided to your animal on a regular basis. Ideally, fresh water every day or every other day would be beneficial to the health of your animal. Occasionally your reptle may get bedding into the dish or defecate inside of it and checking regularly to ensure that clean water is available will reduce the risk of infection and dehydration.