The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Reptile The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Reptile
Showing posts with label Reptile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reptile. Show all posts

Friday, February 25, 2022

CAN YOU HAVE A KOMODO DRAGON AS A PET?


Monitor lizards are popular pets for reptile lovers. They are fiercely territorial and spend their time eating, sleeping, and patrolling their turf. There are several species of monitor lizards, including the Komodo Dragon. Native to several of the Indonesian islands, Komodo dragons are the largest lizards still in existence. Their large size, fierce claws and prehistoric appearance make them quite an intriguing lizard. This leads many reptile lovers to wonder, can you have a Komodo dragon as a pet?

To read more on this story, click here: CAN YOU HAVE A KOMODO DRAGON AS A PET?


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Wednesday, September 1, 2021

WATCH: Smoke Pours From Alligator's Mouth After It Pulls Down Flying Drone


Anyone who has seen a drone flying near them knows two things: 1. It can easily be mistaken for a bird, insect or other animal, and 2. It can be really annoying. It seems certain animals feel the same way because a video came out this week showing an alligator in Florida snatching a drone flying above it because it either mistook it for prey or was just really bothered by it. Either way, the scene made for some dramatic video, but the real drama began after the gator grabbed the drone from midair - while the destroyed device was in the reptile's mouth, it started pillowing out white smoke.

To read more on this story, click here: WATCH: Smoke Pours From Alligator's Mouth After It Pulls Down Flying Drone


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Saturday, August 14, 2021

Before Buying An Exotic Pet, Please Do Your Homework First


Whether they are hamsters, parrots or iguanas, exotic pets have specific veterinary needs. Don’t get an exotic pet until you read this first.

What is an exotic pet? Good question.

In my experience, it’s anything but a dog or a cat. That leaves a lot of fantastic creatures that people keep in their homes in between the “dog” and “cat” label.

Veterinarians usually specialize in large or small animal medicine. Large means, well, large, like cows and horses. Throw in the other ruminants — and don’t forget the poultry. “Small animal medicine” means dogs and cats.

To read more on this story, click here: Before Buying An Exotic Pet, Please Do Your Homework First


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Thursday, August 12, 2021

A Scuba Diver Comes Face To Face With A Seven Meter Long Giant Anaconda


Bartolomeo Bove and his friend Juca Yagarape came face to face with a giant green anaconda, measuring 23 foot (7m) and weighting in around 198 lbs. (90 Kgs) The two friends were diving in the Formoso river in Brazil, in July when they came in to contact with this giant reptile.

In the video, the giant snake is seen lying in the river bed. When it sees the camera, the reptile eyes the camera up close, flicking its tongue, and then the snake swims away from the camera. Wanting to get more footage of the giant snake, Bove follows it.

And he did get some amazing footage of the giant reptile. He says that his video shows that anacondas are often misunderstood in terms of being aggressive; he says that anacondas are not as aggressive as they are thought to be.

To read more on this story, click here: A Scuba Diver Comes Face To Face With A Seven Meter Long Giant Anaconda



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Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Exotic Pets: How to Care for Some of the Most Unique Pets


Exotic animals seem like fun, interesting pets. Many people have considered becoming an exotic pet owner, but don’t know much about how to care for these unique creatures. GCVS wants potential pet owners to know what they are signing up for before bringing home an exotic pet!

RODENT AND SMALL MAMMAL CARE

Rodents and small mammals can make great pets if they are properly cared for. Common exotic rodents and small mammals include hedgehogs, sugar gliders, ferrets, and chinchillas. Specifically designed habitats are available for many of these animals that will keep them safe and secure in your home. Owners will need to make sure that these habitats stay secure and clean. Most rodents need nesting materials, which can be purchased at reputable stores.  Nesting material that separates easily into thin strands (cotton, wool, fluffy bedding products, etc.) should not be used. Rodents often enjoy having things to climb on and through for entertainment as well. Note that some of these animals are nocturnal, so diligent research on the right rodent or small mammal for your lifestyle is necessary!

It is important that owners of small mammals and rodents understand the proper diet for your specific pet. Many of these animals require a special diet that contains all of the nutrients needed to keep the animal healthy. Improper diet can lead to numerous health issues, so a consultation with an exotic animal specialist should be considered for anyone who owns an exotic pet.

To read more on this story, click here: Exotic Pets: How to Care for Some of the Most Unique Pets


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Friday, November 6, 2020

A Large Alligator Decided To Act As The Gatekeeper At Myakka River State Park


Sarasota, Florida - Michelle Riddle captured photos of the large alligator laying down in the middle of the road in Myakka River State Park on Friday morning.

The images showed the massive reptile relaxing in the middle of the street, keeping drivers and bicyclists from passing by.

Riddle said she arrived at the park around 8 a.m., only to find the gator not far from the main entrance.

Bystanders could be seen just feet away from the gator.

"I don't know if he was napping, but he didn't leave until the rangers showed up in a tractor," Riddle said. "I think the noise of the tractor annoyed him enough to head back into the greenery."

The park is known for being home to plenty of alligators.

Dozens of gators gather at the "Deep Hole" sinkhole, which is engulfed by Lower Myakka Lake during the rainy season. But when water levels are low, it acts like a fish trap -- which means the area is teeming with gators during the dry season.

"Hungry alligators will congregate here to feed, creating quite a magnificent wildlife spectacle," state environmental officials noted.

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the sinkhole is 295 feet wide and about 130 feet deep.

Access to the park's wilderness preserve is limited to 30 people per day. Those who wish to visit must register at the ranger station the day of their trip, with permits issued on a first-come, first-serve basis.





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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Armadillo Lizards Look Like Baby Dragons


Looking like a miniature version of the dragons in “Game of Thrones,” these armadillo lizards are quite the unique little design of nature. Similar to their name, they come with an outer layering that is armored like an armadillo. Just like the armadillo, whenever these lizards are under threat, they curl up into a ball to be protected by their built-in armor. These little armored lizards like to hang out in the crevices and nooks of rocks.

They are also natives of South Africa and have adapted many ways of shielding themselves from the area’s harsh climate and predators. As a result, they’ve become quite adept at hiding. These unique little animals are lovers of sunbathing like many other reptiles, but unlike most reptiles, armadillo lizards don’t lay eggs.

To read more on this story, click here: Armadillo Lizards Look Like Baby Dragons


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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

A Pet Snake In Australia Needed Some Emergency Care After It Swallowed An Entire Beach Towel


A pet snake in Australia needed some emergency care after it swallowed an entire beach towel earlier this month. 

A video posted on social media by Sydney’s Small Animal Specialist Hospital showed how vets saved the pet, named Monty. The 10-foot, 18-year-old female jungle carpet python was given anesthesia and scanned to find the towel, the organization wrote on Facebook.

To see video, click HERE!

Dr. Olivia Clarke of the hospital’s avian and exotics department then sent forceps in through an endoscope to grab the towel and pull it.

As the video above shows, she had to keep pulling.

Both snake and towel are now doing well. 

“Monty was discharged from hospital the same day and her owner reports she is back to her happy, hungry self,” the hospital wrote on Facebook.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Huge Snake Sends Tourists Running When It Bolts From SUV At Yellowstone National Park


 

A very big snake caused a ruckus at Yellowstone National Park on Thursday when it popped out of an SUV engine in front of a crowd of stunned tourists.

The incident happened outside one of the park’s welcome centers, and video of the scene includes gasps as the snake began unwinding itself across the entire width of a Toyota Highlander.

It appeared to be well over 6 feet in length, onlookers reported, and was brazen enough to take a striking pose before dashing from one side of the SUV to the other.

A Yellowstone park ranger armed with snake tongs quickly knocked it to the ground. However, the snake ignited screams when it then headed straight at onlookers who were unknowingly blocking its path to a thicket of growth.

To read more on this story, click here: Huge Snake Sends Tourists Running When It Bolts From SUV At Yellowstone National Park



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Sunday, February 16, 2020

Turtle Passes 100 Pieces of Plastic While Recovering From Surgery


Bottle caps, pieces of cutlery, garbage, Zip-lock bags and large plastic shards were found.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Editor's Note: The photo above is a file image. Scroll down for photos of the plastic.

A South Florida nature center made a sad discovery while a turtle in its care was recovering from surgery.

The turtle came into the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center for hook removal surgery and began passing large pieces of plastic debris. 

To read more on this story, click here: Turtle Passes 100 Pieces of Plastic While Recovering From Surgery

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Researchers Discover Biggest Turtle That Ever Lived Had 10 Foot Shell, Horns


The study claims the turtles themselves were estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds, which is almost 100 times the weight of its closing living relative.

About five to ten million years ago, giant turtles lived in freshwater swamps in South America. Researchers recently found shells of the extinct turtles called Stupendemys.

The massive shells reach nearly 10 feet in length. The study claims the turtles themselves were estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds, which is almost 100 times the weight of its closing living relative, the big-headed Amazon river turtle.

To read more on this story, click here: Researchers Discover Biggest Turtle That Ever Lived Had 10 Foot Shell, Horns

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Saturday, February 15, 2020

Mating Snakes Prompt Closure of Part of Florida Park


LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida city shut down a section of a lake Thursday after receiving reports of swarming snakes. Turns out, the slithery creatures were just celebrating Valentine's Day a little early.

The Lakeland Parks & Recreation department wrote on its Facebook page that a group of non-venomous water snakes congregated to mate near a traffic roundabout. It included one photo of the lake shoreline, and a closeup shot of a brown snake nestled in leaves.


To read more on this story, click here: Mating Snakes Prompt Closure of Part of Florida Park



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Thursday, August 15, 2019

North Carolina Issues Warning About 'Zombie Snake' That Tends To Play Dead


Parks and recreation officials in North Carolina issued a warning about a so-called "zombie snake" in the state that tends to "play dead."

The North Carolina State Parks and Recreation shared images of the eastern hognose snake on its Facebook page, warning residents to stay alert if they happen to come across the creature, which defends itself by lying on it's back and pretending to be dead.

"Instead of watching clouds to see if we can keep weekend weather on track, let's play a game! Who is this ‘famous’ NC snake? A cobra? A zombie snake? It’s a harmless one," the organization wrote in a lighthearted Facebook post.

To read more on this story, click here: North Carolina Issues Warning About 'Zombie Snake' That Tends To Play Dead

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Friday, May 3, 2019

Hungry And Horny Alligators Are Invading Streets, Homes And Pools In Florida


While seeing an alligator is never too much of a surprise in Florida, the number of close encounters has jumped in recent days and it’s likely due to a combination of hunger and lust. 

A family in Fort Myers was awakened by an eight-foot gator in their lanai in the middle of the night last week, police said on Facebook. In another part of town, a motorist captured footage of a massive gator casually strolling along a busy road.

With the mating season underway, the randy reptiles tend to be more active. But one expert told local media there was more to it than that. The weather is getting warmer and the higher temps speed up the reptiles’ metabolism and make them hungrier. 

“They have to find some food so that’s when we’ll find them on sidewalks and people’s pools,” Brian Norris of Florida Fish and Wildlife told Fox 4 in Fort Myers. “They’re really just out there browsing around.” 

Some might even be looking for chicken. A motorist in North Port had to call the cops after coming out of a chicken wing restaurant and finding a gator under the car.

To read more on this story, click here: Hungry And Horny Alligators Are Invading Streets, Homes And Pools In Florida

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Monday, March 18, 2019

Alligators 'Frozen' in North Carolina Swamp Exhibit Bizarre Survival Tactic


In a bizarre and instinctual survival tactic, alligators that normally lurk in a swamp in eastern North Carolina are now "frozen" beneath the murky water. Every inch of the reptiles’ bodies stay underwater — except for their snout.

Officials at The Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach took to Facebook this week with a video that shows the gators icebound in the swamp with only their snouts protruding and a toothy grin sealed in place.

“All our alligators in ice here,” George Howard, the manager at The Swamp Park, says in the video which had 12,000 views as of Thursday afternoon. “Eighteen American alligators are thinking ahead, as they poke their noses through the ice.”

The gators use the tactic to survive when the water around them reaches freezing temperatures in the frigid winter months.

To read more on this story, click here: Alligators 'Frozen' in North Carolina Swamp Exhibit Bizarre Survival Tactic

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Friday, November 16, 2018

The Two-Headed Baby Eastern Copperhead That Was Found in Woodbridge in Early September Has Died


A two-headed snake that wowed biologists and residents when it was found in a Northern Virginia yard in September has died, The Washington Post reports. 

The two-headed baby Eastern Copperhead was found in Woodbridge in early September, the Wildlife Center of Virginia said. According to The Post, JD Kleopfer, the state’s herpetologist, announced the reptile's death early this week.

The snake had two tracheas, with the left one more developed, and two esophagi, with the right one more developed. The snake also had a single heart and one set of lungs.

When the snake was discovered, Kleopfer said the find was extremely rare because "they just don't live that long."

You may be interested in reading: A Young Two-Headed Eastern Copperhead Was Found in Northern Virginia


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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

This is the Snake-Infested Island That's So Dangerous it is Forbidden for People to Visit


I have a recurring dream in which I am accosted by a venomous snake. I make no bones about it: snakes terrify me. Perhaps it's their weird, pin-prick black eyes, possibly it's their horribly slithering, eel-like bodies, or maybe it's the knowledge that many breeds of snake could cause me serious damage with just one bite, or several rib-crushing squeezes from their sickening serpentine frames.

Either way, if there are snakes involved, I'm out. Admittedly snakes have, thus far, been conspicuous in my life only by their absence, unless you count my oft-returning nightmare.

The nightmare started, by the way, when I was sleeping in the living room of a friend's house in New York. Every night, the central heating in the building would come on, issuing a loud 'hissing' noise as it did so. My poor, tortured, sleep-ravaged brain regrettably interpreted this sibilance as dozens of insipid, writhing snakes gliding irresistibly towards me, and thus my interminable nighttime affliction was borne out, never to cease, consistent in its horror.

If there is one place I hope never to visit, then, it is the snake-infested island off the coast of Brazil that is so dangerous, it's actually forbidden for humans to visit.

Ilha da Queimada Grande - otherwise known as Snake Island - might look idyllic from above if one did not know of the fork-tongued horrors that lurk in the rainforests beneath.

Located off the coast of the state of Sao Paolo in the Atlantic Ocean, Snake Island is home to an estimated 4,000 snakes, with some reports suggesting that you would encounter one snake every six yards - concentrated almost exclusively in the island's rainforests.

To read more on this story, click here: This is the Snake-Infested Island That's So Dangerous it is Forbidden for People to Visit

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Friday, November 9, 2018

Animal Control Removed a 7-Foot Alligator from a Kansas City Home During an Eviction: Owner Vows To Get Him Back


Animal control officers removed a 7-foot alligator from a Kansas City home Wednesday during an eviction, and the gator's owner says he`ll fight to get him back.







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Saturday, October 27, 2018

Which Gecko Species Is Right For You?


What is an ultimate gecko? A gecko that fascinates the keeper. This gecko is beautiful, a pleasure to keep and has a long life expectancy, one that frequently outlives the family cat or dog. We are in luck. This gecko is within our grasp! Today, we can obtain some really sensational geckos from breeders and pet shops. We can also get captive-bred specimens, so they are healthy to start out with and are used to being in captivity. Wild-caught lizards do not offer these advantages and should be avoided.

The ultimate geckos that are great choices for a gecko enthusiast are:

The eublepharine (eyelid) geckos: the leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) and the African fat-tailed gecko (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus)

The diplodactyline geckos from New Caledonia: the crested gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus), the gargoyle gecko (R. auriculatus), the mossy prehensile-tailed gecko (R. chahoua) and the giant New Caledonian gecko (R. leachianus)

From the wide-ranging Gekkonidae family: the Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko); the Madagascar ground gecko (Paroedura picta); and the day geckos from Madagascar, the giant day gecko (Phelsuma grandis) and the beautiful neon day gecko (P. klemmeri).

Leopard Gecko  
Let’s begin our adventure with one of the easiest geckos to keep. The leopard gecko (E. macularius) is the gecko gold standard in herpetoculture, with a long list of reasons why it is an ideal beginner gecko. Many of the basic principles of keeping leopard geckos apply to all of our ultimate geckos, so we will discuss them in detail here.

To read more on this story, click here: Which Gecko Species Is Right For You?

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Tuesday, October 9, 2018

An Enormous Alligator Tried to be The Doormat of a Home in Louisiana Saturday


St. Martin Parish, Louisiana  - An enormous alligator tried to be the doormat of a home in Louisiana Saturday.

St. Martin Parish Sheriff's Office posted photos of the at least 6-foot gator splayed across the front stoop of a home.

"So....you never know what may show up on your door step (sic)!" the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook. "Just another day in the life of a St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputy."

One of the photos posted by the sheriff's office appears to show the gator vacating its comfortable spot in the shade of the house, but its open mouth suggests it was not happy to be leaving.

The sheriff's office provided one last bit of advice in its post: "Always look before you step!"



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