Flowing water, clear, live plants and food. These guys are so happy <3
Caiman Lizards are not for beginners. They require an aquatic environment large enough for them to swim, especially as babies as they spend most of their time in the water at this age. With that said, a lot of people put them in strictly water conditions, we decided to give them an entire eco system.
While a terrarium like setup is the easiest to maintain humidity, live plants and soil make it difficult to achieve the correct temperatures within the tank. So the land is more enclosure/simulation like traditional lizard set ups, with a basking spot of 100⁰F ambient temperature of 88⁰ and a cool spot of 78⁰. They have been running around their entire enclosure not staying strictly in the water. This is very beneficial and keeps them enriched.
Their micro pond has everything a pond would have. Oxygen, proper PH, live plants, and most importantly live food. Snails and minnows are their primary diet. This is another reason why these lizards are not for a beginner, and honestly, in my opinion, it is crucial to have experience in aquariums. The ecosystem has to stay healthy inside the micro pond to sustain the life of the fish and snails and allow the snails to reproduce.
Water temperature is between 80 and 78⁰F. There is a ground filter, a bubble bar, and a circulation filter. Also all essential to keep proper water flow, oxygen levels, and to maintain the cleanliness of the micro pond.
Duckweed is a natural plant found in their environment, and also provides food for the snails.
Bonnie and Clyde <3
When gentle coaxing doesn't work, and if you find yourself wrapped up by any size snake, an easy way to remove them is with alcohol. We had sanitizer on hand and just a tiny bit made her pop right off.
The "Ooohh" at the end was the sanitizer hitting the bite. Probably another benefit to the technique, immediate wound care 😅
Come check us out today at the Birchrun expo!!!
Location: Knights of Columbus on Dixie highway
Late night cleaning with this big girl <3
Never a dull moment at T&A Retics.
Sheba was having a hard time laying so we decided to help her out by giving her an A&D enema. It worked!
She had two eggs awkwardly placed eggs causing her to stop laying. We successfully got them out, and they may still have a chance. Mama feels a lot better but she isn't out of the woods yet. She still has the rest of her clutch to lay. Fingers crossed the rest goes smoothly.
Never a dull moment at T&A Retics.
Sheba was having a hard time laying so we decided to help her out by giving her an A&D enema. It worked!
She had two eggs awkwardly placed eggs causing her to stop laying. We successfully got them out, and they may still have a chance. Mama feels a lot better but she isn't out of the woods yet. She still has the rest of her clutch to lay. Fingers crossed the rest goes smoothly.
Never a dull moment at T&A Retics.
Sheba was having a hard time laying so we decided to help her out by giving her an A&D enema. It worked!
She had two eggs awkwardly placed eggs causing her to stop laying. We successfully got them out, and they may still have a chance. Mama feels a lot better but she isn't out of the woods yet. She still has the rest of her clutch to lay. Fingers crossed the rest goes smoothly.