Popping is an easy technique to sex young snakes without probing. HOWEVER, it is best to learn from an experienced keeper FIRST HAND, as you can injure and damage your animal with over zealous ignorance.

Without getting into HOW to pop a snake correctly, this FAQ more so addresses how it should LOOK-

My left thumb is pretty stationary right above the vent, it kind of holds the vent in place. It also helps to keep any liquid or solids from gushing out the vent, which will happen unless you prevent it. My left first finger wraps under the snake and vent to further secure it. The tail is bent over this finger.

The rest of my fingers help to hold/cradle/stabilize the body. If i have another person, then they hold and stabilize the rest of the squirmy body.

My right thumb "rolls" up the tail toward the vent, popping out the hemipenes or hemiclitoris (it rolls up the tail, like a wheel, it doesn't slide). i prefer to roll it up SIDEWAYS, as your thumbnail can come up and pinch the tail and vent significantly, getting in the way, or hindering your result.

This is a ball python baby male. both hemipenes out, red and engorged with blood.

This is a boa baby male. Both hemipenes out, notice they are significantly longer than a ball python. At the same time, they are not engorged with blood, but you can still see a red vein running along each hemipene (you can see it live, but not so much in this pic).

This is a ball python female, fully "popped". There are no hemipenes to pop out, but you still see the female's glands. They are the tiny little buds that point out to each side at a 45 degree angle in the pic. Detail may be hard to make out in a picture, it is easier to see live.

An unpopped male may look similar, but usually the "buds" have the vein, or are bright red with blood, and i will "roll it" again, perhaps from a slightly different angle, to get a full pop of the male hemipenes.

The female gland is typically white, and barely budding. Once you understand, and get the feel of popping, it literally takes half a second to pop male or female. i can go through a rack of 20 baby balls in just two minutes, popping all with 100% confidence. You get a strong feel and eye for the male hemipenes, you know if they are there or not, and they typically pop right out.

With a new species of snake, i will not mark females UNTIL i have popped a male. Each species has its own hemipene design, small, large, short, long, and i want to VISUALLY confirm a popped male before i can go ahead and mark cages for sex. It may take a different angle of "roll" or a slightly different pressure, or the male hemipene may be very small, and very clear, except for the thin red vein. That can cause some mental confusion until you pop BOTH a male and female and assess the difference. Blood pythons can be VERY confusing to sex by popping, as you get a lot of similar looks from both males and females.

This is a female boa, white female glands are quite visible.

Babies are easy to pop. you can pop them at one hour old (but why bother them that early? they will be the same sex a week later). Smaller juvies are typically easy as well.

Adults are much more difficult to pop, and the confusion can return with a poorly or partially popped snake. Probing adults is a better choice when you are trying to ascertain sex 100%.

Sure, i can simplify it. I can make it as simple as possible, which can still be mighty confusing : )

But we won't get overly in depth. Genetics can be tough, super confusing, and daunting. If you want a more in depth look at reptile genetics, get NERD's Complete Ball Python book, available here at ProExotics.com. If you are even a casual herper, you need this book in your library regardless, and this is just one more reason to get it.

You can also find more in depth genetics info, including Punnett Squares, at Ralph Davis' Ball Python site.

I am only going to answer the simplest, most basic questions.

There are two types of genetic descriptions most commonly seen in the reptile world, especially in Ball Pythons. Morphs (genetic color and/or pattern mutations) have either "simple recessive genes" or "dominant genes".

Simple recessive genetics are morphs like Albinos, Stripes, Ghosts/Hypos or Pieds. Dominant genetics (and related derivatives like Co-Dom) include morphs like Pinstripes, Mojaves, Pastels, and Lesser Plattys.

With a Simple Recessive morph, BOTH parents need to have the desired gene to produce a visible Albino (or Pied, etc) baby.

With a Dom or Co-Dom morph, only ONE of the parents needs to have the desired gene to produce a visible Pastel (or Mojave, etc) baby. With a Co-Dom morph like Pastel, breeding animals that BOTH have the gene produces a "Super" version, hence the Super Pastel, an animal that is visually a more extreme visual expression of the Pastel gene.

Back to simple recessives like Albinos.

Albino Ball male bred to Albino Ball female= all Albino babies.

If you breed an Albino male to a NORMAL female, all of the babies will CARRY the Albino gene, but since both parents did not, the babies WILL APPEAR NORMAL. They carry the gene inside, but it is not visually expressed. These babies are labeled as being Heterozygous for Albino (commonly abbreviated as Het for Albino).

These Het babies can still be bred to make visual Albinos. You can breed Hets to the visual morph and get some morph babies (Het Albino male to Albino female) or Hets to Hets (Het Albino male to Het Albino female- both appear normal, but contain the Albino gene).

Predicting the offspring of Het breedings is where it starts to get complicated, and we are not going that deep. Breeding with Hets MAY produce a visual morph in the offspring (statistical chance is NOT a guarantee, especially with small clutches like Ball Pythons), in most cases there is a mix of visual morphs and normal appearing babies in the resulting clutch. When a Het animal is included in the breeding pair, any normal looking babies in the clutch MAY contain the desired gene, or THEY MAY NOT.

There is no way to know what those normal appearing babies contain genetically without breeding them to confirm.

To break down the terminology of these normal appearing babies in Het clutches:

Normals- Regular normal Ball pythons, with no special genetics (other than "pretty", or, "pretty ugly").

Hets ("Het for Albino" "Het for Pied")- These babies are 100% guaranteed to carry the desired gene, BUT THEY LOOK NORMAL. They must be bred back to another Het, or visual morph, to produce the desired visual offspring.

Possible Hets ("Poss Het for Albino" "Poss Het for Pied")- These babies MAY contain the gene, or they MAY NOT! These are babies produced when breeding Het to Het, Het to Normal, etc. These must be bred again (and possibly again, and then again) to determine what lies inside. These babies may be NORMAL, or they may be Het, and that determination is not an easy one to make, it takes time, and patience.

As you move further away from the actual visual expression of the desired trait, like an actual Pied, the value of the animals go down. For example:

Most expensive- This Pied Ball, the visual expression of the Pied trait, would be the most expensive way to get into the Pied line of Ball pythons. This animal would be many thousands of dollars.

Less expensive- This Het for Pied animal is NORMAL LOOKING, but contains the Pied gene, guaranteed. This animal is typically from Pied to Het Pied, or Pied to Normal breeding. This animal would be many hundreds of dollars.

Least expensive- This Possible Het Pied (i.e. Poss Het Pied, PH Pied) animal is NORMAL LOOKING, and MAY or MAY NOT contain the Pied gene. No way to know without successful breeding. This animal may be worth all of $50 if it is a male (males are often worth less than females in the breeding world).

Another note on Poss Hets- When you see 66% Poss Hets, or 50% Poss Hets, that refers to the chance that they are actually Hets (and relates to the Punnett Squares and deeper genetic terminology, see The Complete Ball Python book by NERD). It DOES NOT MEAN that 66% of your clutch will be Pied, Albino, etc. It just means that particular animal itself has a 66% chance of being HET, and 34% chance of being NORMAL.

Needless to say, when you are purchasing Hets, or Possible Hets, it is in your best interest to deal with a REPUTABLE BREEDER. Anyone can take normal babies and label them "Hets" or "Poss Hets" and con you out of your hard earned money. There is little recourse in this instance, as it could take 3 years, 5 years, even 10 years to breed the animals enough to determine their genetics, or lack thereof.

When you buy Hets, you are taking a chance on the reputation of the seller/breeder. Do your homework, and spend your money wisely.

A last note on Doms, and Co-Doms. They are either the visual morph, or they are NOT. They are either Pastel, or they are NOT. There is no "Het for Pastel" or "Het for Mojave". Buying a normal appearing sibling from a clutch including Mojaves gets you a NORMAL.

Geez, that is a lot of words for a "simple" explanation. But that is really as simple as i can make it...

We don't know exactly...

We have been goofing around with some Wild Stripe Balls for a few generations now. They don't look like Genetic Stripes, but rather normal balls, that are striped.

Genetically i am not positive what is going on, perhaps with such small clutches Balls just don't explain themselves as quickly as something like a Burm with 65 babies at a time. Perhaps there is such a thing as a "weak recessive" trait. Others dabbling in this type of Stripe think it may be dominant, although that is not our experience.

We have bred our Wild Stripes a number of times, sometimes you get nothing, sometimes you get one Stripe baby, sometimes you get partial Stripes...

A few years ago we crossed the Wild Stripe and Ghost, making normal looking "double hets". i wasn't sure about the double het status, having the wild stripe carry through a "het" generation, but this year we hatched this Ghost Wild Stripe from breeding those double hets back together. It certainly makes for a great looking animal.

We have also crossed the stripe into Lessers, Pins, and others, it makes for a nice bonus gene, and we will continue to tinker with it to develop the line more completely.

This first animal below is a sibling to the Ghost Wild Stripe above, a Wild Stripe PH Ghost. The second animal is also a sibling, but a normal top appearance, with what i believe to be a Wild Stripe MARKER on the belly.

The Wild Stripe Marker is not present on all babies, but this baby is from a Double Het Ghost Wild Stripe breeding. It is neither Ghost nor Wild Stripe, but check out the Marker on the belly.

This last animal is from a separate clutch, Lesser Platty male bred to Wild Stripe female. Some nice Lessers in that clutch, and with their already weird bellies, you can't see any Marker indications, but this Wild Stripe baby did make an appearance in the Lesser x Wild Stripe clutch. Give us a few breeding seasons, we will get this figured out!

Why yes there is. Actually, there are three!

The first one i would recommend is Kevin McCurley's Complete Ball Python book at $60. This is a complete, up to date book covering captive snake husbandry. The husbandry, care and breeding info in this book can be applied in theory to many different species, you will be a better snake keeper by owning this book.

If $60 is really too much to swing, then you MUST get Ball Pythons in Captivity, a trimmed down version of Kevin's big book, and an absolute silly value at $11. Still packed with husbandry info and tons of photos.

My other favorite snake book is The More Complete Chondro by Greg Maxwell at $55. Simply one of the best reptile books ever written. Certainly great for tree snake enthusiasts, but also a tremendous resource for any hobbyist, from beginner keeper to advanced breeder, this book covers so much territory, REPTILE TERRITORY, you WILL BE a better, more insightful keeper after reading this book.

I can't imagine a beginner or intermediate Ball python keeper NOT owning one of Kevin's book, and any serious herper should have all three of these excellent titles in their reptile library. Arm yourself with the knowledge to be the best possible keeper you can be!

No. Nope. Nyet. Good grief, NO.

There are some pieces of "advice" that continually float around, and never go away. They are constantly recycled, often regurgitated without actual thought to new keepers struggling to separate good advice from bad.
There is no sensible or logical reason to feed your reptile in a separate container. The most common reasoning is that it "trains" the animal not to bite when you go in the cage.

There are two basic reasons your animal strikes when you go in the cage. Most likely it is a defensive strike, as you have startled the animal (perhaps woken it up), and it is defending itself. Learn how to approach your animal better, don't grab it by the head, or from in front of the nose. "Wake it up" before snatching it out.

The other common strike is due to the fact that you SMELL LIKE FOOD. Don't wear "rat cologne" and don't feed by hand. Use a hemostat for goodness sakes! Again, this is not the fault of the animal, this is due to the ignorance of the keeper, and it is easily remedied.

Feeding in a separate container does not "train" the animal to be tamer when you go in the cage (you still "go in the cage" to inititiate feeding). And in itself it does not prevent impactions of particulate substrates like soil or mulch.

You know what DOES prevent impactions? Proper husbandry! We have kept thousands of reptiles, snakes and lizards, on MANY different substrates, and feeding doesn't cause impactions. Bad choices do.
Impactions are most often caused by low hydration levels. When an animal is dehydrated, nothing is going flow as smoothly as it should. When an animal is kept too cool, metabolism is not going to run well enough to pass substrates and other non-digestibles.

I suppose if you kept your gecko on a substrate of crushed glass, then any glass consumed while feeding would cause a problem. But that is because you chose CRUSHED GLASS (or walnut shells, or some other poor substrate). Pick an appropriate substrate. Don't chronically dehydrate your animals (a SUPER common problem and misunderstanding in reptile husbandry) and give your animals the necessary range of temperatures to accomplish life events (like pooping!).

And stop feeding in a separate container. That is just dopey.

Why yes, we sure have! i was fortunate enough to catch this amazing sight with the hatching of our Albino Red Bloods in 2003. Check out this video, and watch the thick blood vessel towards the right side, you can see it twitch with the animals heartbeat. i must have watched this for 20 minutes before i thought "i should catch this on video!" and even then i was limited to the 15 seconds that my digital camera would shoot, but here it is, and it is pretty amazing, please check it out!

Video of Albino Blood heartbeat in the egg

A "primer" gets your reptile in the mood, raring to go, and as responsive as can be.

You can prime your snake by feeding two meals in one sitting. Go with feeders that are 50-60% of the regular weekly size, one mouse, and one rat. Feed your mouse meal first (you are feeding thawed, right?!?), and then pay attention. A smaller prey item should be consumed pretty quickly (that's the "prime"), and that is when you pounce. Immediately after the snake has swallowed the first item (allow for that full "get in the stomach" stretch), offer the rat to your snake. Snakes are instinctive feeders, and it is hard for the animal to shut off the triggered feeding response. Your animal should snap up the second item (the rat) with gusto. Anyone that has handled their snake too soon after feeding (sometimes an hour or two!) will be familiar with this instinctive strike. Your hand doesn't smell like food, but dagnabbit, that snake is ready to go, and any old target will do! Make that target your thawed rat, and you are good to go.

Follow the two in one primer plan for three or four weeks. For the fifth week, offer a full sized, high quality thawed rat, and watch your previously mouse addicted animal snap it up without a second thought. The slightly different smell, or flavor, of the thawed rat will be old news to your animal by now, switch made, problem solved.

This technique also works well for making the rat-to-rabbit switch. Follow the same gameplan.

BEWARE!! Once you have worked so hard to make the switch, DON'T LOOK BACK!! Once your animal is eating rats (or rabbits) you can reset the whole system by offering a mouse again.

I can't tell you how FRUSTRATING it is to work for weeks, or months, to get a big burm feeding on thawed rabbits, only to have an employee wander through with "extra" thawed rat feeders one day, and think he is doing us all a favor by feeding them off to our rabbit eating burms! Now we have to start the whole process over again (rats must taste better than rabbits), and if I wasn't so tired from switching four burms back to rabbits again, I would be whipping some employee tail!

Better to skip a week of feeding if you run out of rats (or rabbits) than to revert back to a previous feeder and ruin your whole program. Reptiles can be quite stubborn, and feeding is as much a game of strategy as anything else. Let it be YOUR strategy, and not the reptile's (this stubbornness goes for all reptiles, especially Monitors. Don't get punked out by your own pets!).

Feeding live rodents is by most accounts an outdated husbandry practice, and in this day and age, should very rarely be necessary.

Live feeders are ticking timebombs waiting to explode on your animal. Mice and rats have extremely sharp teeth, and can do a lot of quick damage (not to mention rabbits, which are a whole ‘nother level of switchblade). Leaving a live feeder rodent in the cage with your snake, even for a half an hour, can lead to serious damage to the animal. A snake that doesn't eat because of shed, sickness, or for whatever reason, is a sitting duck for a scared, desperate, aggressive rodent.

At the same time, even a snake with a quick feeding response can pay the price to a live rodent. One small slip in the strike of your animal can leave the rodent's head and teeth (or rabbit's kicking claws) exposed and ready for damage. It takes only one quick bite to puncture an eye, or chew through a throat, or back.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen a ball python constrict around a mouse's rear end, leaving the head completely free to move about. While the ball is occupied, and completely defenseless (coiling with all it's might), the mouse is free to fight back, using the best weapons that it has, it's teeth. Not even the quickest keeper is going to be able to jump in and prevent an accident everytime. If you insist on feeding live prey, over time the odds WILL catch up to you, and your snake is going to pay the price for your ignorance. There is a very dramatic picture that perfectly illustrates the live feeding problem, an instance of a mouse left overnight in the cage of a "feeding" Ball python. I hate the picture. It breaks my heart (this picture is NOT a PE animal, it has been floating around the internet for years). But it is certainly an effective deterrent, and one I think should be included here. If this FAQ is enough to convince you otherwise, don't look at the pic, and even then, don't look at the pic (this Ball python is still very much alive, but must be put down as soon as possible), but if you must see it to believe it, it is here.

I told you so.

There are instances when live feeders must be used. But 95% of the time, it is just not necessary. If I get 100 emails about stubborn animals that "won't eat", and the keeper wants to feed live, in 99 of those cases, there is a better choice, and live is not necessary. The anorexia of the reptile is almost always due to the inexperience of the keeper, and not the appetite of the reptile.

If you must use a live feeder to spark an appetite, you are courting disaster. But it is your responsibility to get your animal switched to either prekilled or thawed prey as soon as possible. Feeding live prey over the life of your reptile is simply ignorant and barbaric, we have come too far as a hobby to encourage such a practice.

So how do you switch? It really is not that difficult. Once again, failure is typically the fault of the keeper, and not related to the appetite of the reptile.

Most healthy snakes will take a thawed rodent without hesitation. Offered on a pair of hemostats, or feeder tongs, a fully thawed rodent of high quality, held in front of the snakes mouth will get a full blown strike and constriction (NEVER feed a snake from your hand! Now THAT is a novice technique!). Hold the mouse or rat by the back, below the neck, high on the spine. "Dangling" by the tail is less effective, and gives poor "aim". If the snake is puzzled by the stillness of the prey item, give it a little wiggle, a little movement, and it will become quite enticing.

Some snakes like a lot of movement. Some don't. Common boas will often strike a thawed mouse that "pops" them on the head a time or two. Ball pythons, on the other hand, are extremely head shy, and it is best not to touch the snake, but instead hold the mouse completely still in front of it's nose. A Ball python may take it's time, but it will strike (and often miss, they seem to have the WORST aim in the reptile kingdom). Using a high quality thawed feeder, hemostats, and a little patience, will usually give you success in making the transition.

But sometimes, the snakes will be more stubborn. A "primer" might be of use.

You can "prime" your snake by feeding two meals in one sitting. Go with feeders that are 50-60% of the regular weekly size, one live (ugh!) or fresh killed, and one thawed. Feed your regular meal first, and then pay attention. A smaller prey item should be consumed pretty quickly (that's the "prime"), and that is when you pounce. Immediately after the snake has swallowed the first item (allow for that full "get in the stomach" stretch), offer the thawed rodent to your snake. Snakes are instinctive feeders, and it is hard for the animal to shut off the triggered feeding response. Your animal should snap up the second item with gusto. Anyone that has handled their snake too soon after feeding (sometimes an hour or two!) will be familiar with this instinctive strike. Your hand doesn't smell like food, but dagnabbit, that snake is raring to go, and any old target will do! Make that target your thawed mouse, and you are good to go.

Follow the two in one primer plan for three or four weeks. For the fifth week, offer a full sized, high quality thawed feeder, and watch your previously stubborn animal snap it up without a second thought. The slightly different smell, or flavor, of the thawed feeder will be old news to your animal by now, switch made, problem solved.

I mention high quality frozen rodents for a reason. Years ago, frozen rodents were more difficult to find. I can remember receiving full size trash bags of frozen mice, various sizes, perhaps 1500 in the bag, and it certainly looked less than appetizing. Convincing our snakes to eat such ugly mice was not quite as simple, and the smell was terrible. "Feeder Suppliers" sold mice and rats that had been refrozen two or three times, or rodents that were wet when they were frozen, and the resulting thaw was one gooey, unusable mess.

Fortunately, those days are gone. Well, you can still get crappy feeders out there, but there are also a plethora of GREAT frozen rodent suppliers that sell Grade A, Prime Choice, fat, dry, healthy, meaty, vacuum sealed, wonderfully packed rodents, and those folks definitely deserve your business. Companies like SAS Feeders, Gourmet Rodent, or RodentPro.com (see our links section), offer great selection, service, and of course, the best part of feeding frozen, VALUE. Ordering mice in a 50 or 100 lot (or 5000 lot) can be 75% cheaper than buying live feeders at your local pet store, and it is a lot more convenient!

One last thing, a note on THAWING your feeders. Don't be a doofus. Thawing frozen mice in a cup of hot water only takes you back to the old days of rotten, slimy mice. Thaw your rodents on a plastic lid, or some newspaper, at room temperature, it doesn't take long at all. If you must use hot water for that "quick thaw" at least put the feeder in a Ziploc bag! Seal it up, thaw it out, and when you feed it, it is still dry! And appetizing! Ok, that's a relative term, but this whole paper is about your animal, not you, so do what is best for them! Feed smart, feed healthy, feed thawed prey!

The Snake Pro Pack is a list of essentials. We have kept many different species of Boas, Pythons, and Colubrids over the years, and we have worked very hard to develop and refine our husbandry, theories, and strategies. I couldn't imagine trying to keep a constrictor properly without access to the items on this list. Can it be done? Of course. Will you be better off with the complete Pro Pack? I am willing to bet so. Check out the list:

Pro Exotics Temp Gun- The ability to temp out your cages and environments with immediate feedback is absolutely invaluable. The PE Temp Gun is easily the number one tool, an absolute must have. Once you get hip to using a PE Temp Gun, not only will you find a thousand non-reptile reasons to use it, but you will not be able to imagine life without it. Hyperbole, yes, but honestly, I cannot stress enough how important Temp Guns are, and the positive impact they can have with your animals (certainly not just snakes).

They work quickly and easily, and can help you make simple yet subtle changes to your setup that can mean the difference between an ill animal, and a healthy, thriving animal. Creating a temperature gradient from 80-92 degrees F in your snake's cage is made simpler and more direct with the great features of a Temp Gun. Comprehending the temperature requirements of a gravid female boa is made much simpler with the immediate feedback of a Temp Gun. She may change cage positioning half a dozen times throughout the day, a Temp Gun gives you quick and accurate readings (and hopefully comprehension and understanding). We offer a great Temp Gun with Min/Max readings for an incredibly affordable $25. This one is really an easy choice.

Digital Min/Max Thermometer with probe- Another great temperature reading tool, but this IS NOT a substitute for the Temp Gun! They are not interchangeable, but rather, complimentary. While the Temp Gun is an in hand tool to go from cage to cage, the Min/Max is more of a permanent fixture in your cage. You set up the base of the unit on the cooler side of the cage to measure your ambient temps. I like to mount it halfway up the wall of the cage, away from any direct heat source (or on the outside of the cage, if the entire snake room is running a good reptile ambient temperature). The probe is very handy to measure your basking spot (or hot spot) but it is highly mobile, and can be used to check temps all through the cage. Check the high temps, find the low temps, temp the far dark corner of the cage, check the hidespots, check the favorite hidespot, move the probe through all the sectors of the cage to really get a handle on your temperature parameters (do yourself a favor and record this information in a notebook or on a record card).

The Min/Max feature is great because you can easily check daytime highs, and most importantly, nighttime lows. Any goofball can temp a cage at 3 in the afternoon, but when temps are most critical, say at 3 in the morning, in the cool of the night, that is where the magic of the Min/Max reading lies. So often, when someone is having trouble with their reptile, like a common respiratory problem, it is because they have not controlled the degree of the nighttime temperature drop, and at best, they are making a guess as to what the temp "might be". With the Min/Max probe, you can record EXACTLY how cool the cage environment gets to overnight, and make the necessary adjustments.

Having a Min/Max Thermo in each cage is not a bad idea. Having a unit setup in a cage that represents each specific group of setups is the recommended minimum. If you have a wall of 4 ft. Vision cages, and they all have the same setup (same substrate, same basking areas, same water bowls, same layout, etc.) then getting the readings from one cage should extrapolate to the others (if you have 4 levels of cages, which is a popular setup with Vision style caging, use a Min/Max on each level, as you will often find a significant temperature swing going from the top level cage down to the floor level cage, an important, and perhaps critical, difference). If some cages have newspaper, some have cypress, some keep Redtails, and some keep Rainbows, then the readings of one cage will not necessarily reflect the readings of the others, and each setup should have its own probe. Having a Min/Max unit mounted in a cage setup allows you to glance at the cage and get some immediate feedback each time you pass the area, an extra reassurance that everything is running well and properly.

Of course, there are a thousand other uses for the Min/Max. When you are incubating those Albino Ball python eggs you have worked so hard to get, certainly you will have a high quality thermostat to control the heating and egg temperatures. But there is nothing like that reassuring feeling you get when you have a few backup temperature readings to give you peace of mind. If we are cooking ten boxes of reptile eggs, you better believe I have at least 3 or 4 Min/Max units in place, giving me specific feedback not from just the incubator, but from the egg boxes themselves. Use a single Min/Max unit to monitor not only your cage temps, but your SNAKE ROOM temps as well, hell, put the base unit in the adjoining living room, and run the probe through the wall (or window, or doorway) and be able to check your reptile room temps while you watch tv. The Min/Max units have a ton of uses, and at an affordable $15 ea., you can go with half a dozen units (or more) to further your understanding of the thermal experience. Our Min/Max Thermometers have a probe, a backlit display, and read not only current temps, but easily resettable minimums and maximums, as well as the current time (a clock too? Whoa!). Another easy choice.

Proper hidespots- Check out our Hidespot FAQ for a more detailed breakdown of hidespot theory, but I will cover the basics here. Your snakes want a hidespot that provides security. A hide that is dark, small, and low to the ground. Big open caves or logs provide shelter, perhaps, but no security at all. 99% of the hidespots you find at your local retail reptile store have been designed with YOU (a human being) in mind. Something pretty, something flashy, those absolutely dumb half logs, it is all about appealing to your eye, and very little thought has been put into the actual needs of the reptile. They want to be protected from the predators in the wild, the birds that will scoop them off the ground, those damn monitor lizards that will hunt them through the bushes. If a hidespot is tight and secure enough, you will have a heck of a time pulling them out of it. Of course, when you just lift it right off the top of them, I think it might very well ruin their day, but that is another matter. The point is that until you exhibit your truly massive human intellect, they will feel secure, safe, and at some kind of peace. That is a lot of anthropomorphizing, and I hate that, but I guess we can feel all warm and fuzzy for a moment or two…

Nature provides great hidespots. When you provide captive hidespots, you can be quite creative, but try and keep in mind the basic theory. Flat cork bark laid flat on the ground makes a good hidespot for smaller snakes, especially babies. They will shimmy right underneath it and feel completely crevice-safe. Borrowing from our monitor lizard husbandry, for arboreal monitors like the Green Trees, we have constructed "cork sandwiches", in which we zip tie two flat pieces of cork together, and their natural gentle curve creates a slightly larger crevice type space of which the animals make good use. We secure these sandwiches up in the higher branches of the cage, although they would certainly be of good use terrestrially as well, and the tight wedge security is well appreciated by snakes.

We have adapted many non-reptile products to our hidespot needs, and had some very good success. From the thousands (it seems) of Rubbermaid trash cans in our facility, we have found that the trash can lids make an excellent large footprint, low profile, hidespot. We have found a number of gardening products that work well, including a thin, black plastic seedling plant tray that meets all of our hidespot criteria, at a price well under a dollar per unit.

The more traditional clay pot plant bases are also a good choice. They have a large footprint, but they are low to the ground, and you need only crack a small opening for the animal to get inside. We use a lot of the Vision bowls in our facility, and those have a hollow base underneath, which is a favorite hidespot of both monitors and snakes. If you take a moment to peruse a few hundred photos, you can see all of the hidespots described here (and more) in the various galleries, including the Facility photos. (or do not pass go, and find yourself immediately in Hidespot FAQ jail here)

We don't really sell hidespots on our site, nonetheless, they are an ESSENTIAL part of the Snake Pro Pack. I could not imagine keeping snakes successfully without good hidespots. You can use Vision bowls, perhaps those are one option. But for the other hides, you will have to use your own resources, and creativity. It isn't hard, just think like a snake. A scared one.

Virosan cage cleaner- Keeping reptiles means cleaning reptiles, and even in a good week, it can get messy. I have seen hobbyists use Bleach, Windex, soap, plain water, and any number of home concoctions to clean cages (and animals) with. We started using Virosan at the recommendation of our vet many many years ago. Virosan is a virucide and bactericide that is not only safe to use on your caging, but on the animal as well. You can clean the actual cage surfaces, the water bowls, the glass, the wood, your hands, even the animal itself. We don't bathe the reptiles in Virosan, geez, if it is that bad, use regular old water first, but often the animal will get spots of blood, or food, or urine, and those dirty body parts can be safely sprayed and wiped with Virosan. Vets use Virosan as a surgical mouthwash, to rinse away the blood and guts. It is completely safe for your animal, and we use it for infected teeth and gums, and other minor abrasions (for a serious wound, always see a vet).

Reptile caging can be a breeding ground for more than just snakes. Bacteria and other undesirables can grow in poorly kept caging, water bowls, even dirty "storage areas". Use a good, safe, Vet recommended cleaner, bactericide, and virucide, use Virosan. We have spray bottles of Virosan available for $8 ea. If you have your own bottle, or just need a refill, it is also available as a lone concentrate for $5. If you would like a more long-term supply, try a gallon for $46 (including hand pump).

Sexing Probes- If you plan on doing any breeding at all, you are going to need a set of good sexing probes. Don't be the keeper that relies on an unskilled seller to provide you with that missing piece of your snake breeding puzzle, that perfect female Redtail that you have looked high and low for, only to have "her" turn into a "him" two years into the project, right when you were ready to get with the breeding. Know how to properly sex that animal yourself from the start. Having a set of sexing probes, and knowing how to properly use them, will give you further mastery of your own collection, and trust me, it will solve many a quandary as you venture further into the clouded world of snake breeding. Get a nice, affordable set of probes at LLL Reptile.

Mouth Speculum- This is a great tool, one that many keepers just don't have. A speculum is a simple metal tool that helps keep the mouth of your snake open. It is useful anytime you need to access the "toothal area" (I made that up). It makes oral medications and treatments/inspections much simpler and safer for both you and your animal. While we find this an amazingly helpful tool, I can't believe that many folks are going to want to order one, so for the time being, PE will not sell them. Check with your local vet for availability, they should be able to get you a speculum, in the appropriate size, for a fairly modest sum.

Leather Gloves- There is nothing fancy about the leather gloves we use, they are regular, inexpensive work gloves that we buy from Home Depot when they are on sale. But a good glove is a good friend.

I could go over the "glove theory" here, but it has already been done, in our FAQ, here. Please check it out. Your confidence, and lack of fear of a defensive, biting animal, is key to your success in interacting and acclimating a new snake. Gloves can give you that confidence.

Do we sell leather gloves? Sure, I will sell you a new pair for 3 bucks, same as we paid for them, and I will toss them in the box with your new snake. But really, you can find them just about everywhere.

Hemostats- Hemostats (the long tweezer/tongs with the scissor grip) are an important tool in the feeding of your snakes. You absolutely SHOULD NOT feed your snakes by hand, that is just asking for trouble. Using a pair of Hemostats to feed keeps your precious little fingers at a safe distance from over eager choppers. The Hemostats allow you to present the food in an appetizing fashion, presenting either the head, or the rump (as some snakes prefer) to the nose of the animal (a much better technique than simply dangling it by the tail).

If you feed thawed rodents on a plate, dish, or right on the substrate, holding the items out for the snakes is not an issue, but when it comes time to retrieve any uneaten foods, the Hemostats provide a safe and simple way to snatch the food back out of the cage, from a more comfortable distance. Hemostats are like the Temp Guns, once you have them, you will find yourself using them all the time, every day. Plus you can probably get your pen when you drop it down behind the cage.

We sell Hemostats in a few different sizes, I use all of them in different applications. The 12 inch Hemos are $18, the 16 inch Hemos are $22, and 18 inch Hemos are $28. They do make longer models, but at that point, they become fairly unwieldy. Stick with 18 inch and below. We also carry the tongs, which are similar to the Hemos, but no scissors grip (just a giant set of tweezers). The 12 inch Tongs are $16, the 15 inch Tongs are $20, and the 18 inch Tongs are $15.

Snake Books & DVD's - Oh woe, the state of reptile literature. It is getting better, but by and large, it still stinks. For every good reptile book you will find, there are a dozen more terrible tomes waiting to confuse and confound you with bad information, ancient ideas, and just plain illogical claims and "strategies" (some admirable alliteration there). As a hobby we are really just beginning to understand the reptiles and their captive needs and requirements. Strides have been made with "state of the art" tools like the Ultrasound machine, and the best breeders are achieving more and more predictability and positive results from their efforts. But even the best literature can be instantly dated from communicating these current captive care standards, husbandry and theory. I would say that the best captive keepers/breeders of reptiles are too busy working with animals to spend time writing a lot of books, so the vanguard of reptile information is obtainable just as often through community and discussion as it is through reading the page. 

An aspect of snake husbandry to really take advantage of is the consistency. There are changes here and there for diet, humidity, breeding cycles and such, but the basic theory is applicable across a very wide range. That is to say, ANY GOOD SNAKE INFORMATION is GOOD SNAKE INFORMATION FOR YOU! Understanding the snake in its various incarnations, whether it be colubrid, boa, or python, can help you more fully understand the natural basis of the animal, how it makes use of food, heat, and other resources, and this in turn can help to make you a better keeper.

We are not a big reptile book seller, spots like LLL Reptile handle that pretty well, but we do have a number of solid titles that would be a valuable addition to your herp library. With a much more focused subject like Monitor lizards, the book list is indeed very short. For snakes, you can certainly start with the books on our list, but definitely seek out other titles, through intelligent browsing, and through discussion with other committed hobbyists.

A couple of these books (Seward's Gila Monster book, and Klingenburg's Parasite book) are not directly about snakes at all, but they are indeed relative to the discussion, and offer valuable ideas and insights that can improve your own strategy, and increase your chance of success. Our recommended Pro Pack books:

Ball Python Breeding- THE DVD- $69.95 by Dr. Mark Seward and the Sutherlands  -Ok, so right off the bat I don't even list a book, but rather a DVD, but this is an excellent package and can really help you more fully understand the subtleties of snake breeding. NOT JUST BALL PYTHONS, but other snakes as well (apply the theory and ideas!).  Don't be a pirate and copy your buddy's video, reward some hard working breeders (Doc Seward and the Sutherlands) for their dedication and willingness to share this hard earned information. Get this package.

All About Ball Pythons DVD- $25 by Dave and Tracy Barker at VPI- an excellent video on the care, breeding, and wide variation of the popular Ball python. Covers husbandry info in detail, and features a visual overview of many of today's most popular color and pattern morphs. Also includes topics like raising hatchling Ball pythons, Equipment and caging, Sexing, and Egg Incubation. A ridiculous value at $25. These DVD's are MUST HAVE additions to your library, and can be used as genuine HUSBANDRY TOOLS by the beginner hobbyist as well as the successful seasoned breeder.

All About Boa Constrictors DVD- $25 Another terrific title from VPI and Boa Superstar Rich Ihle (oh, he'll love that!). This video again covers care, breeding, and morph variation of the Boa Constrictor. Also includes a section on caging and equipment for a successful breeding program. For 25 bucks, you get DECADES of experience! These DVD's are MUST HAVE additions to your library, and can be used as genuine HUSBANDRY TOOLS by the beginner hobbyist as well as the successful seasoned breeder. 

The Complete Ball Python- $60 A Comprehensive Guide to Care, Breeding, and Genetic Mutations by Kevin McCurley.  This is a complete, up to date book covering captive snake husbandry. Yet another important title that we offer that is a MUST for ALL Herper libraries! The husbandry, care and breeding info in this book can be applied in theory to many different species, and it is certainly state of the art for the world of Ball Pythons!  

Ball Pythons in Captivity- Professional Breeders Series $11-  This is a trimmed down version of Kevin McCurley's Complete Ball Python book. It covers basics and husbandry essentials like feeding and troubleshooting, as well as breeding and morphs. 101 pages, 144 color pictures, a silly, ridiculous value at $11.

Pythons of the World, Volume II - Ball Pythons: History, Natural History, Care, and Breeding $75 by VPI

The More Complete Chondro- $55  A comprehensive guide to the care and breeding of the Green Tree Python by Greg Maxwell.  Simply one of the best reptile books ever written. Certainly great for tree snake enthusiasts, but also a tremendous resource for any hobbyist, from beginner keeper to advanced breeder, this book covers so much territory, REPTILE TERRITORY, you WILL BE a better, more insightful keeper after reading this book. There is a new standard in reptile literature, this book is it! This book is ABSOLUTELY A MUST HAVE!

Gila Monster Propagation by Dr. Mark Seward- $35 ea. Some very good ideas on incubation techniques here, completely applicable to pythons!

Understanding Reptile Parasites by Dr. Roger Klingenburg- $12 ea.  As a reptile hobbyists, you may be addressing parasites at some point, have the knowledge and ammo preloaded. Over the years, I have referred to this book more than ANY OTHER, it's a must have.

What's wrong with my snake? by Dr. John Rossi- An excellent all around resource for some of the most common snake problems (feeding, shedding, handling, and much more) this is a great general reference, and covers a lot of territory that the more species specific books miss. Get this book through LLL Reptile.

The Boa Constrictor Manual by Philippe, Doc Klingenburg, and Jeff Ronne- Another great general title, you really should read this book before emailing folks (me) with completely open ended and generic questions like "How do I breed my boas?" The basics are covered in this book. Get this book through LLL Reptile.

The Corn Snake Manual by Bill and Kathy Love- Have you got colubrids? Do the common sense thing and get this book, along with the Kingsnake Manual, both can serve as the foundation of your colubrid program, once again providing the basics that with time you will develop into a real understanding. Get this book through LLL Reptile.

Snake Hooks- Some folks love snake hooks, I don't. I really prefer a good glove to a hook, and I very rarely use a hook. Chad Brown LOVES to hook snakes. Even when it is completely unnecessary, that fool is running around the shop with his dumb little hook. What a goofball. I think you have more control, more physical communication, and overall better interaction feedback when handling snakes directly, through a glove. Even for "mean" or "aggressive" snakes, I feel confident in my handling abilities, and I get consistently better results using my hands, and not a hook. Chad would too, if he would only listen!
(venomous snakes are a whole different story : )

Monthly Tracking Cards- We have used a few different tracking and recording techniques over the years, everything from Post-It Notes on the cages to handwritten records in a notebook, and I would certainly recommend that you find SOME way to keep track of the significant events in your daily schedule of snake keeping. If you truly want to be successful with your animals, this one is a MUST HAVE. In 2003, I finally got off my duff and designed a PE Monthly Tracking Card, and it has already become one of those things that I CANNOT imagine life without. We have specialized cards for different groups of animals- Snakes, Monitors, Gilas, etc., and they are customized to address the recording needs of each group of reptiles. You can capture all of the relevant info on the card (over 30 different categories), ranging from feeding habits (or lack thereof) to basking habits, to follicular development and copulating data, it is all easy to note, and easy to follow. The ability to look into the past, whether it be 3 months or 3 years, will once again fine tune your abilities and successes as a keeper and breeder. We are offering the PE Monthly Tracking Cards as a free download. You can print a copy of both available cards, and then you are off to Kinko's to print out as many as your collection requires. Download Tracking Cards here.

So that's the Pro Exotics' Snake Pro Pack, the snake essentials that I couldn't live without. These are all common items, you can find them on your own with a little footwork, so why buy from us?

Support us because we support you. We bust our butts to bring you great products, great information, great access, great service, and definitely great animals. We truly appreciate your support and patronage, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to show you our passion, love, and dedication to both the reptiles and the hobby.

Pro Exotics Reptiles. GREAT REPTILES (and information) for a GREAT EXPERIENCE!

FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!! We are no longer working with common colubrids like kings and corns. The only colubrids we still breed and keep in the collection are the Porphyraceus species, Mandarin Ratsnakes, and the Rhino Rats. All are fine snakes, and we reproduce them each year, check out our caresheets for more info. As far as the less expensive colubrids go, there are literally thousands of other breeders out there, and it didn't make a lot of sense for us to work with common kings and lose focus on some of our more cutting edge species. We can only breed so many species successfully, as we narrow our focus with some groups, others have to go!

Galvanized metal "horse troughs" are galvanized metal tubs used most commonly in farming for feeding and watering livestock. You can find them at farm supply stores, livestock supply stores, feed lots, Horse and Tack, online Stockyard Supply and Hutchison, even Home Depot often carries the smaller sizes.

Metal tanks are preferred over the Poly (plastic) tanks for monitors. The Poly tanks have a sloping, textured side. Baby monitors and feeder insects can climb the sides of a Poly tank, making for easier escape. They cannot climb the vertical sides of the metal troughs.

No caging manufacturer makes a usable adult monitor enclosure. Most are front loading, with no depth for any substrate, and even those with a substrate "lip" of 3-4 inches are a nightmare when the substrate inevitably gets tossed up in the tracks of the door or glass. There are no allowances for overhead lighting that would create a decent basking spot. I love Vision caging for snakes, but it works horribly for monitors, and believe me, i have tried. And tried. And tried.

After using a glass tank for a baby monitor setup, you will have to find a larger cage for monitor adulthood.
Your best bet is to build around the metal troughs. They are nearly indestructible. Leakproof, rustproof, swell proof, crack proof, rot proof, they hold substrate up to 2 ft deep, and compared to custom caging, they are SUPER economical.

Use the trough as your base, build from there. You can make it as plain or fancy as you like. You can use a flat acrylic lid (very common for Ackie setups, and we use an acrylic lid for our Gila setups, as shown in the pic) or you can build upward and create more vertical height, with a top loading or side loading cage. When building up from the trough, you can create whatever windows/visuals/access that you desire.

If the trough does not meet your visual needs, be creative. I have seen a really cool painted metal trough (see pic). You can also do the "hot tub treatment" and use wooden slats as a "skirt" around the trough, if the metal is not visually appealing to you. Or go with a literal skirt and use cloth to drape around the trough to hide the metal side. Be as creative as you like, but use the trough as the economical, indestructible base to start from.

The pics below include PE Gila setups with a simple acrylic top and large hinges (we tried long piano hinges with 6 million screws, what a dopey idea THAT was). Also shown is a pic of our large 10 ft circular troughs. We have done many species in those setups, from Ornate Uros to Gilas to large Blackthroats (more pics of all troughs in the PE facility photo gallery). There is a pic of a Green Tree Monitor setup, including sheets of FRP for the walls. The trough in that case holds just the soil substrate of the cage.

The longer series of photos show the building process and detail for a 10ft x 3ft trough. Simple plywood walls, some top loading doors, a side door for additional access, light placement, etc. Certainly you can see how this type of approach could be used to create a fancy front loading and visually beautiful cage that was still able to allow for 2 ft of soil substrate.

I am no Handy Hammer Hank, we have to hire a "fella" to come in and build what i see in my head, but perhaps you have the hammer skills, or know someone who does, to build a cage to suit your needs. Even with the paid help, you are likely to come out WELL ahead when compared to the cost of a full size custom snake cage, which won't work for your monitor anyway : )

UPDATE- i have added some new pics from Mike's Monitors showing another creative approach to building up from the troughs. Nice look, good brain.

New Pics 10/30/07

Why yes there is. The Savannah Monitor Lizard book by Ravi and Bennett contains the most current, up to date monitor husbandry and breeding theory available, for all of 13 bucks. This is absolutely a must have for ALL monitor keepers. And most lizard keepers, for that matter.

The great thing about monitors is the consistency. For the most part, monitor lizards are very similar in their needs. There are subtle changes here and there for diet, humidity, breeding cycles and such, but the basic setup remains the BASIC SETUP. That is to say, ANY GOOD MONITOR INFORMATION is GOOD MONITOR INFORMATION FOR YOU!

The Savannah Monitor book is a perfect example. Maybe you don't have what is the most common pet monitor in the hobby, the Savannah monitor, but YOU CAN LEARN MANY THINGS about monitors from this book. It will make you a better keeper. It covers details and concepts very well, in an easily read and understood format. A great Water monitor caresheet will help you keep your Peachthroat monitor more effectively. A good discussion about the breeding habits of the Acanthurus monitor (Ackies) will take you 10 steps further down the road in your quest to breed your Savannahs. This book will make you a better monitor keeper, period.

NOT EVERY SAVANNAH BOOK WILL DO. This is a very specific recommendation. Other Savannah books and articles i have seen have been absolutely horrible, ass backwards in info and husbandry. Get this book and start to grasp the details of modern day monitor husbandry!

If you won't spend 13 bucks on this book, i would really have to question your "dedication" and "passion" for keeping monitors. No disposable animals!

If you want to know the other "must haves"- Nile Monitors by Rob Faust ($8) has more excellent and widely applicable monitor husbandry info, and Australian Goannas by Matt Vincent ($35) is a very strong account of Aussie monitor species. Do yourself and your monitors a favor and add all three of these excellent titles to your reptile library!

(newbie keepers actually ask about these goofy food items)

A healthy monitor would eat just about anything. Hearts, gizzards, eggs, bacon, peanut butter, ice cream, Walrus poop, doorknobs...

BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT A GOOD IDEA!

Your monitor is not a child, it doesn't need "treats". It needs terrific husbandry, great temps, and a proven, nutritious diet. Rodents, feeder insects, DONE.

Feeding these treats, or esoteric foods, is ALL ABOUT YOU. But it isn't about you, it is about the monitor. Quit projecting your appetite on your animal!

Rodents are whole foods. Nutritionally complete in a handy little package. Feeder insects are safe, nutritious and provide good roughage.

Offering food items like eggs is only asking for trouble. They are not nutritionally balanced, and you risk getting your stubborn monitor hooked on an inappropriate diet. Offering cooked meat is ignorant. Your monitor is not evolved to properly digest cooked foods. They eat their meat RAW, that is what they are built for.

Your monitor will be plenty "happy" eating rodents and feeder insects. If it does not want to eat these items, it is YOUR fault, not the fault of the monitor. You are delinquent in some aspect of husbandry. Temperature, substrate choice, lack of hide spots, cage overcrowding, there is a problem in there somewhere. Find it and fix it.

A properly setup monitor of any size does not need to be enticed to eat by offering eggs, beef heart, or lollipops. Take a harder look at YOUR husbandry, and technique, you will find the problem there, not in the appetite of the monitor.

If you are committed to being a responsible monitor owner, feed a proven, nutritious diet. Rodents and feeder insects. DONE.

We have in the past, but not for many years.

No question Croc Monitors are one of the most intriguing and beautiful monitors, but they are also the most inappropriate for captive situations.

Croc Monitors have Raptor like claws, and loooong sharp teeth. They seem to be more thoughtful and intelligent than other monitors, and they can give you the creeps when they stare at you from the cage, almost like they are thinking something devious. That is anthropomorphic, and wrong, but that is the FEELING they often give you : )

Crocs are perhaps the LONGEST monitors in the world, with the super long tail. They are not the biggest monitors, body wise they are on the small end of the large monitors, but absolutely a handful.

So why do they make for poor captives? POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE. The potential for significant damage with Croc Monitors is on an entirely different level than it is for any of the other large captive monitors.

I have seen bites from full size Waters or Blackthroats. No fun for sure. There can be bruising, blood, and even a broken bone if you get a finger or hand in there. But it heals ok.

The Croc Monitor bites i have seen are bloody, but also include muscle, nerve and tendon damage. This has happened to multiple keepers. Good, experienced keepers, just caught off guard one day.

One keeper had a juvie Croc Monitor in a stock tank. Very cool animal, not flighty or high strung. "Tame". Care was easy enough. Then one day just reaching in for the water bowl, like he does every day, he got a quick strike and release. Tore up his forearm. In fact, because of the damage and worry of infection, the doctor cleaned the wound, but left it splayed open, only covered with a bandage. For a week. He was left with muscle, nerve, and tendon damage. And all from changing the water bowl of a very "tame" animal. The potential is scary. 

Other keepers get dozens of stitches in their head, or have a thumb that doesn't work well anymore...

There are breeders that have had captive success with the Croc Monitors, but then they are faced with the question- "Who can i responsibly sell these babies too?". For the most part, the answer is no one. Like PE, they just don't want that potential catastrophe hanging over their heads. And so you see virtually no domestic breeders producing captive Croc Monitors. There are plenty of wild caught and imported Croc Monitors available, but that only makes the situation worse.

Croc Monitors are an unbelievable display animal. Go to a great zoo and check them out, but don't dabble in the danger yourself. We don't.

"tame" Croc Monitor head damage

"tame" Croc Monitor hand damage

another pic submission of Croc Monitor damage. these pic visuals are something else!

....an excerpt from a Monitor forum post at kingsnake.com by Rob Carmichael of The Wildlife Discovery Center-

The Croc monitor poses, in my opinion, more cause for concern (when compared to other easily obtained monitors) due to their behavior. We experienced this first hand at my facility. Two years ago, one of my animal keepers was giving our croc monitor (a YOUNG male at only 7') it's daily warm shower. He took his eyes off the lizard for a split moment and the croc must have seen some fingers moving around on the spray nozzle. He came over and just nipped and let go in a millisecond. I heard a blood curdling scream and ran over only to see blood splattered on the glass, the floor, everywhere. This little nip just about severed off one of the fingers of my staff. He went through 4 hours of intensive surgery and has a very nice scar to this day and has never regained fully feeling and mobility in that finger. Just something to think about before making a mistake.

....an excerpt from a Monitor forum post at kingsnake.com by Tom Crutchfield-

Many years ago Ardell Mitchell at the Dallas Zoo got his nose literaly torn off by a Croc Monitor. They reattached it but it never looked right. All he did was open the door to service the enclosure, he sure as hell didn't try to kiss it. I've had most species of Varanids available and have personally caught and handled Komodo Dragons in situ but I believe Croc Monitors are the most DANGEROUS living Varanid to keep in captivity....TC

We now sell Lobster Roaches in our Online Store!

Monitors, lizards and other Insectivores go absolutely nutty for roaches. They are an affordable and nutritious choice for your lizards, and they are a great feeder to use to get your animal over the "it won't eat crickets" hump. There are a number of different roach species to use, some climb walls (including glass) and some don't, but all are greedily accepted by monitors. The real bonus is that roaches breed like crazy, and it is easy to keep a self sustaining breeding colony going for your monitor or lizard collection.

If you are looking to start a sustainable Lobster Roach feeder colony, consider the 500 quantity or more. Expect to take 2-3 months to really get your colony rolling along and productive. We have pictured here a simple Rubbermaid trash can setup that can hold a few thousand Lobsters. It is a simple setup, with a wide Bug Stop ring near the top to prevent escapes, it is easy access and easy maintenance, all in small footprint container.

Check out our store listings for Lobster Roaches , Bug Stop and the Allpet Roaches book , we have what you need to get started!

Bug Stop is a MUST HAVE for your roach colonies because it prevents the roaches from climbing the sides of your containers. It is a Teflon based "paint", it is easy to apply and makes keeping and feeding the roaches a breeze. We use feeder bowls in our monitor cages for the roaches, usually 10 inch plastic crocks, and we paint the inside edge of the bowl with the Bug Stop to prevent the roaches from getting out into the cage, and from there into your rooms. We sell three different sized jars of Bug Stop in our Online Store.

FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!! We sold all of our gecko breeders (all species) in the summer of 2002. We are no longer selling geckos, sorry. Try some of the fine gecko breeders on our links page, and the gecko forums at kingsnake.com!

Well ACTUALLY, Mr. Know-it-All-Internet Keyboard Warrior-Genius, what YOU are probably seeing is either the hemipene of a male monitor (indeed!) or the HEMICLITORIS of a female monitor (whoops). The problem is that YOU don't know the difference : )

I get a lot of emails from complete neophytes that seem to think that they have mastered all aspects of monitor (or snake) husbandry simply because they have kept a single Savannah monitor alive and breathing for 3 straight months.

For other, more humble folks, the question is usually stated in a more quizzical fashion, in that they are starting to see "something" protruding from the vent of their animal, they are just not sure what it is.

Both males and females can "pop" a sexual organ, and while a fully everted male hemipene is very distinct, a partially everted male hemipene looks very similar to a female hemiclitoris. (You can't probe a monitor, and you should back away slowly and warily from anyone who suggests or offers to do so. It is not useful in sexing, and can cause significant problems.)

The male organ is longer than the female, and "flowers" at the end. The female organ can be of a significant length (compared to nothing at all), but will be featureless, typically just a smooth tube.

So in order to complicate the already twisted world of monitor sexing, when you see a short eversion, it could be either male or female. When you see a full eversion, it is certainly a male, but you need the time, experience, and exposure to recognize what a full eversion is.

Unless of course, you are "Joe Know it All" and your local petstore expert has already helped you sex your monitor by phone, and on top of that, "guaranteed" it : )

With an adult Water, Blackthroat, Nile, Bluetail, any of the larger monitors, the male hemipenal bulge is pretty pronounced. It will look like the male is packing a couple of C batteries (or D's) in the base of the tail. Very obvious once you know what you are looking at. 

Adult males will also drag an everted hemipene around the cage, scenting substrate and living area. If you have a 4 or 5 year old monitor, and have NEVER seen this activity, it is most likely a female, although that is a secondary clue, you should still be looking for hemipenal bulges. 

NOTE: on visual body sexing- male monitors will typically have a wider head and thicker neck than females. This is a visual cue that is easy to spot IF YOU HAVE A GROUP OF MONITORS that are both male and female. Visual cues are hard to decipher with only one animal, or two of the same sex. It is a compare and contrast method, nothing singularly definitive.

NOTE: on probing - probing does not work and is DANGEROUS for monitors (and many lizards). If your vet, buddy, or "expert" pet store genius offers to probe your monitor, take your things and walk away quickly. Probing for sex shows a serious lack of monitor knowledge and is not only ineffective, but dangerous.

Hey! Hows it going?

Thanks for reading our FAQ! Since i have caught your eye, check out this addition to the Turkey Diet FAQ, added to emphasize an overlooked but IMPORTANT POINT:

I want folks to understand, the monitor Turkey diet is NOT IDEAL! You wanna know what is? Rodents and feeder Insects! Those are whole foods!

The Turkey Diet is an economical choice that we make to feed HUNDREDS of monitors. But when using it, you are starting IN A NUTRITIONAL HOLE with plain turkey, and you are adding things to it, trying to REPLICATE the nutritional balance of a nearly perfectly balanced whole food, RODENTS! I tell keepers again and again, if you have a small collection, then skip the turkey (and gizzards, hearts, fish fillets, chicken legs, bacon, peanut butter, Walrus poop etc.) and JUST FEED RODENTS and INSECTS! That is your perfectly balanced, healthy, proven diet! Need help in a jam? The turkey diet can bail you out, but stick with rodents and insects and watch your monitor thrive!

So on to the original Turkey Diet FAQ:

The San Diego Zoo developed and tested a turkey based diet a number of years ago for use with their Komodo Dragon breeding program. The "recipe" is 2.5 pounds of ground turkey (we buy it in frozen one pound blocks at 89 cents at the grocery store), 22.5 grams of bone meal, and one half Centrum vitamin tablet (crushed). Mix well, feed to voracious lizards.

The "turkey diet" has proven useful at Pro Exotics, and we have been using it for a few years now with positive results. We only feed it at most once a week to our animals, as one part of a larger monitor diet (balanced with rodents and insect feeders). For us, it is very economical, and easy to use.

It is a fairly lean meat, and with the right mix, it has added vitamins and calcium as well, making for a fairly balanced serving. You can make up a few pounds of the diet, and then spread it into ice cube trays, where once frozen, you have handy individual servings that pop right out and thaw quickly. All of our monitors accept the turkey very readily, and for larger collections, it certainly seems like a good diet alternative.

HOWEVER, I would still consider the turkey diet a supplemental choice, and not necessarily ideal. If you have a small collection, and not hundreds of hungry lizards, I would recommend that you stick with whole foods. Thawed mice or rats are nearly an ideal food item, and are a perfect choice for your growing monitor. The turkey diet is more economical, sure, but with a small collection, costs are not always so significant, and in the very best interest of your lizards, a rodent based diet, rounded out by quality feeder insects, would be my first choice.

New Ackie keeper #1

"I got three of these fat little guys from Jefe a couple weeks ago and I have to say they are a blast. I am one of those guys that put off getting the smaller species in favor of species in the 4' range. I intentionally stayed away from ackies because everyone had them.....man did I miss out. These little guys are full of energy and personality. They have inspired me to get more of the smaller species. Just thought I would share my experiences, ackies are really cool and would definately be my choice for "best first monitor"."

New Ackie keeper #2

"'My' ackies were originally for my wife. They just seemed too ordinary and small. But my wife liked them, so we got a trio. Well they are mine now. I think that anyone that doesn't like them doesn't have any. They truly are great little monitors. And this is from an ex-ackie disbeliever."

And from PE:

The Acanthurus monitors are a great choice for a pet monitor, no doubt. But not everyone "buys in" or understands what makes these monitors such a blast to own, there is a lot of skepticism out there.

Obviously, there are a lot of aspects to keeping monitors that don't exactly translate well to the page. Sometimes, to understand a particular reptile, you simply have to keep it, live with it day to day, learn about it, and learn to understand it.

Some of the greatest rewards in keeping monitors in general are the personalities, the interaction, and the activity level of the animals. That is the "fun" that makes monitor husbandry so fantastic. Well, the Ackies deliver these rewards in spades.

A lot of newbie keepers think of starting with Savannahs, or Niles, or Waters, some of the heavily pushed "pet store" monitors that are not necessarily a good choice for a beginning keeper. They are drawn to the sheer size of a big monitor. Being huge makes it "cool". But size is such a small part of monitor enjoyment. That "huge" thing wears off really quickly, and you are left with a big giant monitor that is not only more difficult to interact with, but an animal that is difficult, and expensive, to cage properly.

The Ackies aren't a big massive lizard. They stay in the 16-30 inch range, and you can do a small group of them in a 4 ft cage (as adults). A 4 ft cage is a LOT cheaper than a 15 ft cage, that's for sure! Feeding bills aren't nearly as frightening either. You can feed a single Ackie for a year with what you are likely to offer a large Water over a couple of weeks!

So economically, they are within the reach of most hobbyists. Sure the initial cost of the monitor itself might be more, but you are talking about a captive bred and born lizard here, not a farm hatched or wild caught baby, one that may be in need of a veterinarian check up ($$) and a 15 ft cage (or a whole room). It kills me when I hear neophytes talk about how $200 is too much for an Ackie, but they go and buy a Nile or Water, a (soon to be) giant lizard that will blow through $200 in a matter of weeks! If you "can't afford" an Ackie, how in the world are you going to afford to keep the biggest lizard in captivity?!? That doesn't make any sense! Trust me, let the size thing go, and get yourself a lizard you will really ENJOY!

The Ackies are a great social animal. Sure they will thrive and do quite well if set up as a single animal, but they are also very easy to socialize as a group, assuming you start with a group of same age babies (see Monitor Breeding Strategies for compatibility problems). Watching your baby Ackies socially stratify and settle within a group is an extremely rewarding experience.

The Ackies simply have TONS of personality. Sure there are other dwarf monitors that meet the size requirements, caging and feeding ease, and all that, but none can compare to the Ackies for simply being a FUN monitor. Once again, it is hard to really communicate this experience effectively, but watching a group of Ackies is unlike any other reptile I know.

One of my favorite Ackie sales was to a very large Bearded Dragon breeder. This guy has been doing reptiles for years, and hatches out over 10,000 Beardeds a year. Quite the operation, and quite the fan of Beardies. He wanted to see for himself "what the big deal was" and so we sent him off a trio of the Ackies. He had heard all this gloss about "Ackies are this, Ackies are that, great, great, great!" and frankly, he didn't believe it. But it was no big deal for him to set up a trio in his lizard room, so he rolled the dice.

It wasn't two weeks later that I got the call. "These are the coolest lizards I have ever seen!" "Geez, I just love watching these nutty little guys!" "Can you send me three more trios? I want to get started with breeding these guys!" LOL, that IS NOT the first time I have gotten that kind of response from a new Ackie owner. I had TRIED to tell him, and he always blew it off, thinking it was some kind of sales pitch. But that is not what PE is about. We are here to promote GREAT REPTILES and a GREAT EXPERIENCE, and I can't think of a better animal than the Acanthurus.

To go with the personality, the long term economic savings, and the fun of keeping these guys, you can also consider their extreme hardiness. Set up correctly, which is easy enough, these monitors will simply take off. They are tough little buggers, making them an IDEAL choice for the first time keeper. Sure, they can be started on a breeding program pretty readily, they are rewarding for the experienced monitor keeper, there is a growing community of enthusiastic Ackie keepers out there, but hands down, if you want one of the simplest, most basic, most tolerant of the learning curve monitors to get your foot in the monitor door, well, the Ackies are the number one choice for that too!

An all around fantastic animal. We don't hype the Ackies because we sell them, we sell them because we LOVE THEM!

Check out our Acanthurus Monitor Caresheet for some basic husbandry info on these terrific little lizards. Save that extra bedroom not for a Water Monitor, but for your new home theater or playroom, get yourself an Ackie monitor today, and learn for yourself what makes these beautiful monitors such a fantastic choice!

Monitors are great animals to work with, and I would say the vast majority of folks get into various monitor projects with plans of breeding them at some later date.

With the right strategy, the right animals, and the right amount of patience, this is an achievable goal. However, it helps tremendously to have the right attitude going in, and realistic expectations.

One of the most common mistakes new keepers make is trying to take a shortcut into the breeding groups. Instead of buying a group of hatchling animals to raise up, from a reputable breeder, many first time keepers try and put together an older group of one male and multiple female adult animals, some from here, some from there, this guy has a male, this guy has a female. And ideally, these are all "proven breeders". There are a couple of problems with this strategy.

First of all is the "proven breeder" adults. This is a fantasy. Think about it………

With a single adult female Red Ackie, raised from a hatchling from our own stock at Pro Exotics, we can expect quite a healthy amount of production in a single year. Nearly all of our adults have exceptional egg production, but for the sake of this discussion, let's imagine that we are talking about a very average, but solid, adult female.

In a single season (year), we can expect at least 6 clutches from the female. Egg counts would average around 10 eggs per clutch. That is 60 eggs per year, for this one single female. Now, consider that the price on Red Ackies has "dropped" this year to $350 each. Taking into further consideration that Ackie hatchlings have been sold out in advance for 2 years now, you now have $21,000 worth of production from this single, very average female.

Now you tell me, why on earth would I sell you this animal for $500, or even $1000? Those prices are certainly in the range that I have seen advertised for these so called "proven breeders". It just doesn't add up.

At Pro Exotics, we have too much integrity to sell bad animals. We have a reputation for excellence that we have worked very hard for over many years. We are not about to throw that away or jeopardize it for a quick sale or a quick buck. Unfortunately, there are plenty of others in the industry that don't have the same standards.

You don't have to look hard to locate adult monitors that are available for sale on the reptile market. But after considering the above economical unlikelyhood of the animals being healthy and genuine, think about the other reasons that are much more likely to apply:

-burnt out females- these are adult female monitors (or snakes, or geckos, etc.) that have been bred for a number of seasons, and their egg production is now ceased or significantly decreased. What you often find in this class are females that throw infertile or dead eggs (or no eggs at all). This continued attempt at productive breeding only leaches calcium and other valuable resources from the female, and contributes to their overall poor health. Once an animal is too old to breed, or has thrown their natural maximum of eggs, there is no amount of TLC that you can give to turn that female around.

-aggressive males- whoa, watch out for these guys : ) we have had a number of male monitors in the past that are simply too aggressive to put with our females. They bite too hard, and too deeply, and inflict multiple deep lacerations on any other animal in the cage. They might breed great, but they will kill your females in the process. These do much better in a single and lone environment, in a pet type situation. Unknowingly putting this type of male in with an established group of females, even overnight, can result in the death of your other animals.

-non compatible or anti social animals- these are animals, males and females, that for whatever reason, are simply not compatible with other animals. They may in fact do fine with one particular group, but then be incompatible with another group. This most frequently happens with adult monitors. You may buck the odds and gather a group of 2.3 perfectly healthy young adults, but then you are faced with the fact that none of these animals get along in a group situation. You may be facing fighting animals, stressed out animals, non eating animals, and most significantly, non breeding animals. This only works against your breeding efforts. Conversely, when starting with a hatchling group of monitors, typically you will find that the group will socially stratify itself, and will thrive in the group setting.

-genetically weak animals- you may find young females that are not burned out, or perhaps young males that seem quite robust, but either one may have a hidden genetic secret. Simply put, not all captive hatched monitors are ideally suited for breeding, some females are simply not capable of breeding, or not capable of breeding repeatedly and reliably. Males, on the other hand, can sometimes be firing blanks. This type of reptile is more familiar in the snake world, where you have male boids that simply aren't capable of impregnating the females, but yes, it exists in the monitor world as well. These monitors are a terrific choice, for a pet.

-animals that are improperly sexed- this is a very common problem. Monitors, by nature, are very difficult to sex, especially visually. A single animal can be nearly impossible to sex without a number of other animals, same species and similar size, to closely compare to. Too many times I have seen folks buy a group of 1.3, or a "guaranteed pair", only to eventually find all males, or at best 3.1. That nice looking breeder "probable" female at the great price may very well turn out to be a little too masculine for your breeding expectations. Once again, why sell a truly proven "breeder female" adult for a ridiculous price? It's either because your source is too dim to recognize a mis-sexed animal, or sadly, and too frequently, you are dealing with a crook that could care less about your troubles after the sale is made and the animal shipped.

-animals for sale in poor health- At Pro Exotics, when we say that an animal is in perfect shape, or "polished", we mean that the animal will blow your socks off, and we stand behind and guarantee that. I have seen plenty of other animals that have been labeled by others as "really nice" or "great" or "super", and a majority of the time, they have been less than impressive. Now, there are a number of breeders and dealers that truly work with great animals, and I can recommend them to you, but for every one of those, there are dozens of sellers whose definitions of "perfect shape" fall woefully short of the standard. Animals labeled "robust" come in downright scrawny. Animals that are "eating great" come in with hip bones showing. Animals described as "functionally perfect" arrive not with missing toes or tails, but missing eyes or half limbs. Don't rely on customer service or returns from such hustlers, for much of the time, that AOL email account has since been closed, phone calls aren't returned, and you are simply up the creek, out a good deal of money, and instead of further in the game, you are looking in from the outside, at step negative one.

-surplus males- You actually stand a fair chance of finding these animals. In the process of putting together a group of animals, smart keepers will start with a decent sized group, raise them up, and see what sex ratios are available. Seeing that you can breed a good size group of females with just one or two males, the keeper will then look to move on the extra, and truly healthy, males, at a decent price. Moving out these males does not affect the productivity of the group. If you are looking for a pet monitor, and just can't wait to have an adult, then these males might be for you. But if you are looking to start your own breeding colony, having a single male is not going to get you much closer to your goal. You still need those females, and for the very reasons that we are covering here, healthy, viable, and affordable adult females are going to be extremely hard to come by. A better strategy is to find your females first, and if that comes together, finish your group with easier to locate males. An even better strategy......is to start with your own group of babies, and go through the whole process.

-the last important consideration for your monitor breeding future is time, and how much you think you have. To start with a group of unfamiliar, but otherwise healthy adults, you are typically looking at at least two years before seeing some success. It takes time to acclimate the animals, it takes time to socialize the animals, it takes time to cycle the animals, and most importantly, since starting with helter skelter adults is more commonly a strategy of novice keepers, it takes time to know your animals. The subtle aspects of breeding monitors are not something that can be communicated through this paper, or even a detailed care sheet. You learn how to breed monitors, by keeping monitors.

When you start with a group of hatchling animals, you learn about each animal from the jump. You learn their individual personalities, you learn the hierarchy of your group. You learn who eats what foods more enthusiastically, and you learn which animals need particular attention. You learn to recognize weight cycles, and you know what each animal normally looks like, which comes in very handy when trying to determine which of your females are carrying eggs, and how far along they are.

Best of all, when you know your animals inside and out, and have an intimate familiarity with them, your success rates are bound to go through the roof. It is not uncommon for us at Pro Exotics to breed our Ackie monitors before the first calendar year of age. Of course, if you are on your first group of monitors, or a new species of monitor, you may not have the same immediate success. But you certainly stand a terrific chance, a very likely chance, of breeding your healthy group of hatchling monitors before the guy down the street gets any kind of positive progress out of his thrown together group of adults, even though they were "proven breeders".

It takes time to successfully start a breeding project with monitors, and the great "secret" is that all things being equal, you will achieve your success fastest starting from scratch than you will starting with animals that someone has already failed with.
There are no shortcuts to monitor breeding, but it is not as difficult as you may think. The real key is time, patience, and the right group of animals. If you start with those three things, you will be well on your way to success. Good luck!

Savannah Monitor FAQ coming soon

A cheap, giant, mean lizard bought by a neophyte keeper with absolutely no clue on how to keep monitors period, much less one of the biggest, meanest lizards you can buy. And people wonder why we get so frustrated with "popular" lizards that are such poor choices (Niles, Iguanas)

We don't sell Nile monitors because there are much better choices for a large pet lizard, most notably the Ionides and the Water monitor, with the Ionides being the best choice overall.

As stated in our other FAQ's, whether or not PE sells a half dozen Niles a year is going to have little impact on the hundreds of thousands that are sold, but if we can convince a handful of new keepers to make an informed and intelligent choice in a new monitor, then the effort and frustration are well worth it.

I will leave the real "Nile comments" to a couple of experts, the first being Daniel Bennett, taken from a post on kingsnake.com's Monitor Forum, capturing in just a few words the real meat of the issue:

"There are few animals less suited to life in captivity than the Nile monitor.... Animal dealers who sell Nile monitors under the pretence that they can be kept as pets are a despicable breed. Generally I don't think they should be kept in captivity, captive bred or not. It's one of the biggest lizards in the world, any idiot with $40 can buy one, but there are very few people prepared the give them the facilities they deserve. Hundreds of thousands of them die in horrible conditions."

Wow, thanks Daniel.

Another great Nile post from the Monitor Forum is by "Nessie's Mom", a regular forum member that not only keeps Niles, but breeds them as well, and she also captured the complexities of realistically keeping Niles with her words (and challenging questions):

"Why do you want to purchase a Nile? Because of the size they get to? Have you done any reading and research on Niles? For your information, for you to grow a large Nile monitor, it takes daily food feedings of 1 - 3 mice (rats later) along with crickets, meal worms, snails, etc.; can you afford to keep up this daily regiment of food?

Also, you'll need to have adequate heating such as basking spots with temperatures ranging from 85º to 130ºF for maintaining proper growth and digestion. Do you have the proper heat lamps for this to be accomplished?

Next is the temperament, not temperature, I am talking the attitude Niles are famously known for: being mean-tempered. They will bite (it hurts like a vice grip), whip their tail (feels like a wet towel snap), scratch (have long, sharp claws), and poop (meat is their main diet, so you can just imagine the smell and looks of that). Are you ready to take on that type of treatment, DAILY?

If you can seriously take on these three criterions (daily feeding expenses, proper heating, and daily temperament treatment), not to mention the large enclosure you'll need to build to accommodate the size of your growing Nile, then you are almost ready to take on Nile raising.

The part that will make you completely ready is the emotional commitment. Most of us on the forum are reptile lovers from way back and we are dedicated to the survival and safekeeping of these wild reptiles, therefore, we tend to be highly critical of newbies that "want to buy a monitor because they think they are so cool," not realizing that taking on a monitor is a lifelong commitment (we're talking 25 - 50 years). When you get tired of being bitten by your new Nile, are you going to want to get rid of him? When you get frustrated, and you will, with the constant whipping of the tail, if not hiding from you, are you then going to throw in the towel and say the heck with "this monster?" If you find you cannot hold or pet your Nile, like a dog, are you going to discard him and ignore him? Look deep inside your soul and answer these questions truthfully and if you find yourself saying "yes" to any of these commitment questions, then you are NOT ready to take on a monitor, let alone a Nile monitor.

Please, if anything, do some research first. Read some books on Niles, like Nile Monitors by Robert Faust. It is a complete Pet Owner's Manual in a paperback book that we sell on our site. I also recommend, Monitors, Tegus, and Related Lizards by R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett, which sells for the same and comes in paperback as well.

Please, seriously, evaluate your situation here. Are you ready to take on ALL the above? If not, then don't put an innocent wild reptile in your charge, because the outcome would only be more upsetting."

Once again, very eloquently captured, by a committed Nile keeper.

Niles are simply not for everyone, in fact, they are appropriate for very few keepers, and experienced keepers at that.

If you want a large lizard, seriously consider the Ionides, a large monitor that can also be tamed, and has a great personality. If you are after great personality, consider the Ackies. They are small, but terrific to work with, and believe me, the "BIG MONITOR" thing gets old, quickly.

Best of luck in selecting a great monitor!

For the same reason that we don't sell Niles, Burms, Retics, and other largely inappropriate reptiles. They are a poor choice for a pet reptile.

There are HUGE Iguana farms in Central America that ship out hundreds of thousands of baby iguanas to the u.s. each year. They are easily the most "well known" lizard on the market. And probably the worst choice for a beginning keeper.

I will keep this short and sweet. I am not interested in arguing this point with Iguana keepers or enthusiasts.

Iguanas get big. Iguanas need a large (and not inexpensive) cage. Iguanas typically get quite aggressive.

Great, a big, mean lizard that needs large and elaborate caging, what better choice for someone that has never kept a reptile before (Iguanas are a frequent "first reptile purchase").

Baby Iguanas are cute enough, sure (can you say "impulse purchase"?). But Iguanas also go through perhaps the worst puberty and maturation stage of any reptile. They become extremely territorial and anti social, and male Iguanas in particular may attack any "intruder" in their territory (most often a female, of any species). Iguana bites are nasty and serious, and very common occurance.

I will never forget the one time in our retail store, explaining this very FAQ to a new customer, when "Enthusiast Jill" the Iguana keeper chimed in to say "That's not true! My Iguana is GREAT, I love him, and he CERTAINLY isn't mean!"

I told "Jill" that I was happy to hear of her success, but that we get A LOT more feedback from keepers with negative Iguana experiences than positive ones, and they most often involve aggression, so yes, it does happen.

And then "Jill" says...

"Well, he did bite me on the nose once and I had to get stitches, but I am careful now when I handle him!"

As if that makes ALL the difference!

We get perhaps a dozen calls a week from folks looking to "get rid" of their Iguanas, for many, many, negative reasons. In the meantime, just about every other pet shop in the country sells these heavily marketed, cheap animals. You can buy an Iguana from those stores, not Pro Exotics. We would rather educate you about lizards that would make a better "pet" choice. Great Reptiles for a Great Experience, and no neglected Iguanas.

For more on our selection of animals, try here.

We use a couple of different substrates for our monitors, including paper towels (for very new hatchlings), cypress mulch, and a soil mix.

The cypress is a great substrate, and works well for us. It holds humidity well, is easy to clean, and the animals can burrow into it easily. It is not available across the country however, so many regions of the country simply do not have access to it (it is plentiful only in the East and Southeast), and it can be frustrating. I have been able to locate cypress mulch at just one location in Colorado, and I am happy to have that source. For other folks, they cannot locate it at ALL.

The other substrate we use regularly, and a substrate that is a good substitute for the cypress, if not simply better overall, is soil. Plain old dirt (well, kind of).

We use a soil mix for our breeder monitors, and it can be used for lizards of all sizes and stages. Soil holds moisture, and burrows very easily as well. But where to get a good soil...

Some keepers are lucky enough to have natural dirt that can be dug up locally, screened (to remove large rocks, sticks, etc.), and put right into the cage, ready for burrowing, egg laying, and everyday use by their monitor. I remember visiting one keeper in the Northwest that used a silty dirt that he dug up at his local river bed. It was the thickest, finest, cleanest, heaviest dirt I have ever seen. With the right amount of water, it held the perfect burrow, compacted easily and firmly, and yet was simple and light for the lizards to dig in. I sure wish we had access to that dirt!!

But we don't, so we make due. For our soil mix, I start with a screened topsoil that I buy at a local landscaping wholesaler. I try and choose the "cleanest" dirt possible, that is, with the fewest organic additives. No manure, no fertilizer, just straight dirt. We then mix in playsand, and vermiculite. Our soil/sand/vermiculite mix is 50/25/25. Once you adjust your moisture (water) content correctly, this mix does everything you need it to do, and it does it well. The animals seem to enjoy it, and it is easy to dig, but also holds a good burrow for egg laying.

The water content is up to you. If you play with it a bit, you will find the right balance, including how often to add more water. We never "mist" the soil, that is a waste of time. We just use a gallon jug of water and dump it in accordingly. After a while, you will have a good feel for how much to add, and it is not exactly scientific, you will find a generous range that works.

If Home Depot is your only source of soil, don't despair. We have used retail topsoil many times over the years, and it has worked fine. Once again, try to get the cleanest soil possible, with the least amount of additives, and you should be able to create your own usable mix.

Best of luck to you and your animals!

Has the search for terrific soil reached its conclusion!?!?! Oh, the suspense!!

We have indeed stopped using the topsoil/sand/vermiculite mix described in the soil mix FAQ. It is still a very workable mix if you don't have other choices, and it beats straight potting soil, dirt and cypress mixes, and straight cypress mulch itself. But at PE, we have moved on to a new soil, a decomposed granite that we were lucky enough to find locally.

We found our new soil at a local landscaping supply wholesaler (no walk in retail sales). This supplier was situated outside of town, on a number of acres, and there were dozens and dozens of 30 foot piles of different materials. Topsoils, potting soils, manures, rocks, gravels, mulches, and aha! Decomposed Granites. There were many different types of decomposed granites, different grades, different colors. Some were rockier, some were finer, some thicker, etc. We simply went through the same steps that YOU should be going through in finding a workable soil.

We sampled a number of different granites, a few hundred pounds of each, and found that the "Pink Breeze" (which is actually more orange) was the one for us. It digs great, it holds burrows really really well, it holds moisture well, it has a nice consistency, and the animals have absolutely loved it.

It is significantly more expensive than the topsoil mix, but the benefit to the animals is immeasurable. They really dig this dirt, so to speak : )

We have had nearly 50 tons delivered to our facility, and we have all of the monitors on this soil, as well as a number of other reptiles that are in "experimental" and, dare we say, "revolutionary" setups using this same soil.

"Pink Breeze" Decomposed Granite is apparently from a mine in Utah. Is it available in your area? I have absolutely no idea. Get off your duff and go find out. Do some footwork, some homework, some phonework, and see what your options are.

And don't forget your local soils. If you are very lucky, perhaps you can go outside town, down into the forest, or into your local streambed and find a terrific reptile dirt. I know that a certain monitor breeder in Arizona digs up his own local soil, and it works great. It is also very similar to our decomposed granite, but it is even less rocky (he screens it). Of course, you probably can't haul out 50 tons, but you probably won't need to (did you know that a full 4 ft. metal trough holds (literally) a TON of dirt? It is A LOT of digging and hauling, you better pack your lunch).

The whole soil question/problem/puzzle is yet one more piece of the monitor pie. Like so many other aspects of successful monitor husbandry, it is largely up to you to figure it out for yourself. A lot of trial and error. Hopefully we can at least give you some ideas. Best of luck to you and your animals!

We soak our reptiles for a number of different reasons, although most all are hydration related, naturally. Here is an excerpt from one of our monitor care sheets:

"Soaking your monitors once a week is not only recommended, but nearly a necessity. Soaking in room temp water for one to two hours allows the animals to completely hydrate, as well as helps with any stuck sheds on the delicate toes and tails. You should use water that comes up to the shoulder (or body thickness) of your monitor, so they can easily keep their heads above water. We have used this technique for a few years now, and we have had tremendous success. Keep in mind that when soaking baby monitors (or snakes), they often float on the water, not having enough mass to sink to the bottom and walk around in water up to their tiny shoulders. If they have to literally swim in the water for the entire 2 hours, they may die of exhaustion.

This is remedied by "soaking" your tiny animals on extremely damp paper towels. Line your container with three of four layers of paper towels, then wet these down liberally. Add the animals to the container, and use a secure lid. They will walk on the paper towels, drink from the small pools of water, and get all the positive benefits of a good soak, without the added worry of drowning.

A couple things are crucially important when soaking animals. First is water temperature. It should be tepid water, which means neither hot nor cold. Even the dimmest keeper would know not to use cold water with reptiles, but not everyone realizes that HOT water is just as bad, and can also kill your animal. Use water that is simply room temperature, when you stick your hand in the water, it should feel, well, like nothing, neither hot nor cold. (You can also use a Temp Gun to nail it to room temp exactly.)

Another important factor is drowning prevention with small animals. If left to float, and swim, many babies will become exhausted and drown. They simply cannot be left to swim for 2 hours straight. Either use the paper towel method, use appropriately shallow water (body depth), or put some props in the soaking tub that the animal can perch on, avoiding total submersion.

We use our soaking program with all of our monitors and lizards. We also use it for many snakes. It helps significantly in keeping our Blood pythons, Emerald Tree boas, and other higher humidity animals well hydrated, in great health, and free of shed problems. We don't have any more stuck sheds, no shed scarring, no dehydrated and listless animals, nothing....it simply works great.

Many other keepers love to debate me about the soaking, saying how "it isn't necessary", "a well set up monitor shouldn't need it", blah blah blah. I can only tell you that it works for us. Customers that have incorporated it into the husbandry have also loved it. If you don't agree, that's fine, but it is hard to argue with the most polished and healthy reptiles in the land, and the husbandry techniques that were used to get them there.