Special guest writer: Nikki Badman

Herp Myths

Nikki Badman is a graduate student at BGSU in Neuroscience. She is a member of the Toledo Herpetological Society and President of our own BGSU HerpClub as well as a volunteer in the Herp lab. Nikki is an avid advocate of public education about Herpetology and participates in many Herp demonstrations through THS and the Herp lab. She has collected the following information in an attempt to share her knowledge in order to dispel myths the public holds as truth about reptiles and amphibians.

Myth: Iguanas are easy to care for, and make great pets.
Fact: Iguanas have a lot of very specific requirements. The need very carefully planned diets, and highly specific heating and lighting sources. Iguanas also grow to be quite large, with the males out sizing the females, so they need large enclosures to grow properly. They also require a high amount of humidity. Iguanas are one of the most abused and neglected creatures of the herp world. They do not make good pets for children.

Myth: Snakes are slimy
Fact: Snakes are cool and dry. Some are smooth and some are rough.

Myth: Lizards only eat fruits and vegetables.
Fact: Some lizards only eat vegetation, but some lizards are carnivores or omnivores. Some herps eat crickets, meal worms, other insects, pinkie mice, and even some birds and fish.

Myth: Snakes bite because they are mean.
Fact: In general, most pet-type snakes will only bite if they feel threatened, hurt, or think they are being fed. Still, some species and even some individuals are simply more aggressive than others.

Myth: Herps don’t live very long.
Fact: Some herps, like the pictus and some other geckos and small herps, have very short life spans, lasting only a couple of years or less. Some herps, like most of the larger snakes and tortoises can live for many years (25 and up), much longer than dogs and cats.

Myth: Snakes grow to the size of their enclosure.
Fact: Snakes will go to be the size their genes tell them to be, provided they have accurate dietary and temperature/humidity requirements. A boa constrictor will not stay small if you keep it in a 10-gallon enclosure.

Myth: Geckos are easy to handle
Fact: Many geckos are very easy to handle, such as the pictus, leopard, or the fat-tailed gecko. Some geckos are harder to keep hold of. Some, like the crested gecko, have sticky pads on their feet and can climb up walls and jump. Some geckos, like the today, have a very mean and painful bite. Tokay gecko bites are often compared to the bite of a bulldog.

Myth: Snakes should be fed live food because it is more natural for them.
Fact: Snakes should be fed food items that are pre-killed. Rodents and other food items can be purchased frozen, and thawed at feeding time. Live food has working teeth and claws that can harm the snake, who has nowhere to run inside of its enclosure. It is also much easier to keep frozen food for snakes.

Myth: Chameleons make good starter herps for kids.
Fact: Chameleons are another of the type of herp that has very specific requirements. If these requirements are not met, chameleons can be quite hard to keep alive. I would recommend an easy to handle gecko (pictus) or a small, easy to handle constrictor snake (corn snake). Even bearded dragons can make a good starter pet with the appropriate adult supervision.

Myth: Snakes can be head-trained (if the snake does something wrong, you "bop" it on the head).
Fact: Not only is this one untrue, but is considered abuse. Hitting a snake on the head will only make the snake more defensive and, therefore, more aggressive.

Myth: Reptiles should be allowed to free-range for exercise.
Fact: Reptiles should never be allowed to roam the house unattended. There are too many things in a human’s home that re foreign to the reptile world and our pet cold get hurt or even killed. It also increases the risk of bacterial illness to humans, i.e., salmonella.

 

 

 

Questions? Comments? Contributions? Email Tiffany