Season’s Greetings! Do you have a pet reptile? Reptiles may not be as frisky or mischievous as dogs and cats, so you probably won’t have to worry too much about your pet eating unsafe foods or knocking your tree over. However, they do need some extra attention at this time of year. A Lexington, KY veterinarian offers some seasonal reptile care tips below.
Monitor Temperatures
Cold weather is always a big concern with reptiles. Make sure your pet’s heating equipment is functioning properly, and keeping their habitat at the proper temperatures. We also recommend getting a backup power source to use in case of an outage, such as a small, dedicated generator.
Make A Festive Cage
Who says reptiles don’t have holiday spirit? You can hang ornaments or lights outside and around your pet’s terrarium or habitat. Or, look for seasonal pieces that can work as hide boxes. You can even find stickers made just for terrariums.
Provide A Quiet Retreat
Pets can get quite upset by a lot of noise and commotion. Watch for signs of distress, such as trembling, freezing, anorexia, or withdrawing. Ask your vet for more information.
Supervise Children
Kids are often fascinated by reptiles. This is definitely a good thing: we love seeing children realizing how wonderful animals are, and how important it is to treat them kindly. However, you will need to monitor interactions carefully. Make sure that your little guests handle your pet properly. They’ll also need to thoroughly wash their hands before and after handling your tiny dinosaur: many of our scaled (and shelled) friends carry salmonella.
Boarding/Petsitting
Traveling for the holidays? Finding a good reptile petsitter can be tricky. Many people aren’t going to be thrilled about handling things like frozen mice or live bugs. Also, most people just don’t know much about caring for reptiles, and could miss signs of illness or injury. We usually recommend boarding reptiles.
Travel
If you are travelling with your reptile, you’ll need to keep them warm on the drive. Have the car warmed up before you bring your pet out. Things like hot water bottles, heating packs, or microwaved rice socks can help keep your pet’s travel container warm. Put these outside the tank, so they can’t roll over on or otherwise injure your pet.
Happy Holidays from Animal Care Clinic, your local Lexington, KY pet hospital. Contact us anytime!
