Pet Business

Herptiles

by Owen Maercks on Jun 30, 2010

“The herpetological world has been abuzz as of late with the discovery of a new monitor species (Varanus bitatawa) on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Like the other endemic Philippine monitor species, this impressive six-foot beauty is primarily a fructivore. This trait is unique to the monitors of these islands and in direct contrast to the habits of the rest of their genus, all of which are notorious carnivores. Monitors are a large…”

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Keeping Chameleons

by Jonathan Rheins on May 31, 2010

“Chameleons are unique and instantly recognizable. They are an old world species belonging to the family Chameonidae, and their natural range is restricted to Africa and the insular country of Madagascar. Chameleons are specially adapted creatures, having many physical and physiological characteristics found in no other animal, including their ability…”

Profiting From Backyard Safaris

by Owen Maercks on May 1, 2010

“Barely a day goes by that my shop doesn’t receive a phone call from someone who has caught a lizard in the wild. Generally, this person wants to know what they should do next. Since they rarely know what kind of lizard they have found, we always ask them to…”

Supplementing Herp Diets

by Jonathan Rheins on Apr 1, 2010

“In the wild, many herps are opportunistic feeders, eating what they can find or subdue, as long as it’s within their normal dietary range. Snakes may snag a rodent here, a lizard there, and feast on a nest of fledgling birds should the situation present itself. And naturally occurring dietary…”

Indoctrinating New Herpers

by Owen Maercks on Mar 1, 2010

“A family walks into the store. Little Justin is convinced he wants a corn snake, but sister Ashley wants a bearded dragon. Mom is leery of both options, asking questions about ultimate size, danger and the necessity of live food. Dad is comparing prices on setups to see if this…”