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Learn how to take care of Tarantulas, recommended diet and housing setup. Find the right food, supplies and equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Learn how to care for cool climate Chameleons, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Learn how to care for warm climate Chameleons, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Learn how to care for Jackson's Chameleons, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Regular cleaning and disinfecting of your pet's cage and accessories is one of the keys to keeping your reptile healthy. Learn how often you should clean your cage.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Thanks for your question about Smaug, and thanks for the photo as well! I think that you have a good start to your set up, and that we can tweak a few items. First, your lighting situation appears adequate - I see a UVB light (please change this bulb every 4-6 months), a basking light, and a ceramic heat bulb. I would ensure that your temperatures are appropriate for this species, and that you are monitoring them using digital thermometers (I think that you see both a digital and analog thermometers currently) at the level of Smaug. Analog thermometers are inaccurate, so I don't recommend using them (also, they are high up on the sides of the enclosure, so they wouldn't be giving an accurate temperature read for Smaug). For the cage furniture that you have, I like that you have places for Smaug to climb and hide. However, I would recommend having a hide on both the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side so that Smaug has choices. Same for the climbing structures. I may have misse
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Soak Razor in warm water for 15-20 minutes. Gently rub off any loose shed but do not pull or tear at it. If he is wiggly, you can place him in a small container with paper towels moistened with warm water for 15-20 minutes. The moist heat and humidity should help with the shed. Make sure he can breathe in the container. You can put this moist hide in his enclosure so he has a place to go when he is shedding. Monitor his stool and submit a sample to your vet to diagnose intestinal parasites if you see more "green liquid".
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Thanks for your question about Tarzan. The lack of activity that you are describing may be normal for Tarzan, but when you then combine it with her not shedding and not going to the bathroom very often I begin to suspect that there is something else going on. I would recommend feeding Tarzan a small salad of dark leafy greens on a daily basis, with calcium supplementation 2-3 times per week based on her age. I would also recommend protein 2 times per week based on her age as well. You eluded to having recommended temperatures in the cage, but I didn't see how you were monitoring the temperatures or if there was UVB light provided. I would recommend monitoring using a digital thermometer and changing the UVB light every 4-6 months. I am glad that she seemed to be doing okay at her vet visit in the fall. I didn't see if blood work was performed, but that is something that I recommend for every reptile at regular intervals for wellness examinations, as reptiles are very good at hiding th
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Stress or illness are likely responsible. Placing dark colored paper around the lower 10-12 inches of the glass might decrease stress. If this doesn't seem to help, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Choose the largest cage your space and budget will allow. At minimum, a 55 gallon enclosure should be considered. Acceptable substrates include slate, reptile carpet, decomposed granite or large gravel. Yes, setting up a bio-active environment for beardies is possible. It will take a bit of research and effort to get it right.
Updated on August 12th, 2025