The four amigo's!

Shall we make a dash for it?

Growing to 40cm -60cm (14”-24”) Bearded Dragons are a social species and display interesting behaviour such as courtship, recognition, threat and appeasement and these may all be observed within The Vivarium. Spikey elongated scales or ‘beard’ cover the huge throat pouch and can be extended when a Bearded Dragon feels threatened making an open mouth and inflated body an effective threat posture.

Native to Australia, these heavy-bodied lizards are partly arboreal and enjoy basking on tree stumps and garden fences. They prefer to live in dry woodland or desert style environment. They have appealing characters and are easy to keep in a Vivarium.

Based on my experience with Bearded Dragons, I estimate their longevity in captivity to be from four to ten years.

Bearded dragons love their food, which includes Crickets, King Mealworms, Grasshoppers and Locusts, Pink and/or Fuzzy Mice. In captivity, offer chopped greens (kale, mustard greens, carrots, green beans, chopped fruit, calcium and Vitamin D3.

To be able to keep these reptiles, it is essential that you create the right environment. A Vivarium measuring 76cm x 51cm x 76cm (30” x 20” x 30”) is suitable for an adult pair or trio of Bearded Dragons. Insert cork logs or rocks for climbing on burrowing under and cover the Vivarium floor with bark chips or calcium sand. Add leaves and pinecones or live succulents to enhance your set-up.

This is 'Boris', our Russian Ratsnake (Elaphe Schrencki)

A slender rat snake with a narrow head and slightly keeled scales on the back. It is black or dark brown with narrow rings of yellow, white or greyish around the body. The scales around the lips are usually the same colour as the rings. 

When it comes to size, they can get to about 2m. Boris is about 1.5m (5’)

They are native to Central Asia, from South Siberia and China to Korea.

Boris enjoying a day out in the back garden!

Maisie, as inquisitive as normal!

You want to hold her too don't you!

Maisie, a large boa, with quite variable markings usually grey or beige with dark brown markings along the back. It has a dark line on the top of the head and another dark line runs through each eye. It lacks heat pits.

 Boa's are known to grow to about 4m usually rather less. Maisie is about 6.5’.

Native to South and Central America including some West Indian Islands namely Dominica, Trinidad and St Lucia.

They prefer to live in Rain Forest clearings and riversides, agricultural land and thorn scrub and often close to villages.  

Our CARPET PYTHON, (Morelia Spilota Variegata) -  BALOO

Appearanc e is typically brown or grey with paler bands crossing the body, which often break up into irregular blotches and streaks. Some Queensland specimens are darker, almost black with yellow bands. Baloo is 7.5’ long and he is about three years old.

Generally, Carpet pythons can get to 4m but usually much less. They are native to East and South Western Australia and parts of New Guinea.  

 wrapped up & then stretching!

The door is open, lets go!

 Real name 'Elaphne Taeniura', known to us as STRANGLE AND SQUEEZE!

They are all so called Taiwan Beauty

When it comes to looks, the many races of Elaphne Taeniura vary tremendously in external appearance. Some are proportionately heavy-bodied, strongly blotched anteriorly and more strongly posteriorly

Commonly attaining a length of more than 6’ (1.8m). The published recorded size for the Taiwan Beauty is 7’9” (2.36m) but specimens of more than 5.5’ (1.67m) are fairly uncommon.

 Native home is Taiwan, Borneo to Malaysia, Thailand to Sunatra, Burma and Southeastern China.

They prefer to spend their time in forests, scrub, grassland, caves and rock out crops.

Strangle and Squeeze eat small rats, large mice and baby chicks. In the wild they eat, small quail and rats.

Adult iguanas are herbivorous and will eat a wide variety, and quantity, of foods. It is important not to over feed your pet on richer, 'preferred' foods since, in the wild, the bulk of their diet is made up of poor quality foods. Spike is fed daily in a large bowl filled with chopped fruits, leaves and vegetables. Depending on the season, you could include the following - chopped lettuce, corn, cucumber, flowers, dandelion, cooked potato, apple, pears, kiwi fruit, banana including skin, grapes, green beans, kale, broccoli, melon, plums and mango.

AMAZING FACT

In the Caribbean, Iguanas are called tree chickens and an adult, once cooked can feed a family of four!

Spike, taking it easy!

Becks, Recovering well from that foot Injury!

Posh Showing us those dance moves for the new video!

Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis Macularius), or known to us as 'Posh & Becks',

are members of the Gekkonidae family. Most members of this family are noted for their climbing abilities. 

Fine hairlike structures and specially modified scales help them to climb glass or walk across a ceiling. Leopard Geckos however, are a ground dwelling species which use their sharp claws for digging and for clambering about on rocks and logs.

Fully grown adults grow to 20cm – 22cm (8” to 9”).

 These Geckos can live for up to twenty years in captivity.

Their favourite lunch is crickets, hoppers and pinkies.  

A rounded snake with smooth, shiny scales and a narrow head. It is black and white or brown and green but with variable markings.

Can grow to about 2m. Khan is a little bit smaller.

Main Distribution is South Western USA, California and Arizona and in North Baja, Mexico.

Their preferred habitat is Dry hillside, scrubby and rocky places.

On the food stakes, they love to devour lizards, other snakes, birds, small rats and mice.

 King Snakes are noted for their unusual ability to kill and consume venomous snakes.

Yep, thats my body under my head!

How long do I have to posse for you?

G Major is the plated lizard best known to American hobbyists. It ranges widely in Savannah land over much of central eastern Africa. Its common name Rough Scaled Plated Lizard aptly describes the heavy keeled dorsal and dorso-lateral scales.

G Major is a robust lizard which attains the size of 18” (45.7cm) or more.

Corn Snake (Elaphe Guttata Guttata) and Plains Ratsnake (Elaphe Guttata Emoryi)

Copper is a creamsicle corn snake or Amelanistic snake

Penny is a girl snake, similar to a corn snake but saddles along its back may appear washed out

Copper will grow to around 1.8m and Penny to about 1.5m

Copper can be found in Eastern and South Eastern USA. Penny in Central USA and North East Mexico

Both Copper and Penny like wooded and rock places to reside in, often around human dwellings in roofs, etc. Both can climb well!

Rite, I'm Out of here!

I'm staying put!

Hurry up, I'm hungry!

As of March 1995 a roral of 13 Xonosaurs are known. Many are of rather similar appearance, differing in the number or placement of light dorsal or dosolateral stripes but others are of dramatically different colour and pattern.

They can grow to 14” long (35.6cm) or the largest member of the genus is the big 27” (69cm).

They live on the island nation of Madagascar.

They prefer to spend their time in grassland, scrub and lightly wooded areas.

They are known to be good climbers and active by day.

On the food front, they consume small mice, hoppers, crickets and some vegetables.

Ant is a Common Trinket Snake; he is the smallest snake I have got. The head of the trinket rate snake is usually patternless except for a dark suture between the two parietal scales and a dark and visibly discernable postocular strip.

Size – This is a small to medium sized snake with a proportionately slender body. The adult length averages 3’ to 4’ (0.9m to 1.2m). Sometimes reaching 5’. The males tend to be slightly smaller.

Range – India, eastward to Nepal and southward to Sri Lanka

Spot the branch, or is that me?