ENCLOSURE SETUPS

Proper enclosures for all species!

Ethical keeping is extremely important to our rescue. Read the tips and info below so you can provide the best care possible for your pet!

Enclosure setup guides!: Reptile care guides!

BEARDED DRAGON CARE GUIDE

Bearded dragons are amazing pets! As per ethical standards, the current minimum enclosure size for an adult dragon is 4x2x2 (120 gallons) and the minimum size for a juvenile/subadult is 40 gallons. Bearded dragons should never be housed together, as it is extremely stressful for them.

24” strip uvb on top of the cage is required, arcadia brand is rated as one of the best. view their lighting guide! lighting along with heating should be placed on one side of the enclosure (either left or right) so they are able to thermoregulate.

Substrate should be a 50/50 mix of reptisoil and reptisand or playsand. I personally use non-toxic playsand because it’s only $7 for a 50 pound bag and is basically the same stuff. Put between 2-6 inches of this in the enclosure!

Corkbark, rocks, hides, driftwood, branches, are all great for enrichment + climbing and the variety of textures actually helps them with shedding. A piece of slate place underneath the heat light makes a great place for basking, just be sure to use a temp gun to make sure it isn’t burning hot!

Diet consists of a majority of vegetables (fruit should never be offered for many reasons!) along with insects. Variety is key, there is no one vegetable or insect that can be a staple. Switching it up and offering variety like they would get in the wild is great for their health!

Insects should be dusted with calcium + d3 (phosphorus free) powder for every feeding, and with both the calcium and multivitamin powder every other feeding. feeder insects should be fed with carrots and tomatoes to ensure reptile is getting maximum nutrition from its food.

LEOPARD GECKO CARE GUIDE

Leopard geckos are awesome pets! these active little guys are solitary and should never be housed together.

The ethical minimum enclosure size for a leopard gecko is 40 gallons (36x18x18)! However if you have the space for bigger then your gecko will definitely appreciate it.

As for lighting, you’ll want a UVB strip that covers 1/3rd of the enclosure. If you are using a 40 gallon, then the length of your UVB should be 12”. Arcadia is an amazing brand that we highly recommend!
For heating, we recommend either deep heat projection or an 8.5” dome fixture with a 50w, 100w, or 125w (depending on how the temps are in the cage) bulb. NEVER use colored bulbs (i.e red, blue, purple), heat mats, or heat rocks with your reptiles. It is important to keep your heating AND lighting on one side of the tank so your gecko can thermoregulate.

For substrate, the safest option is 70% reptisoil and 30% reptisand or playsand. I personally use non-toxic playsand as it’s basically the same stuff and is $7 for a 50 pound bag. 2-4 inches of substrate works best!

As for stuff inside the enclosure, you will need a water dish along with a calcium dish. the calcium dish will need to be filled with calcium powder WITHOUT d3 at all times. Both dishes will go on the cool side (the side that does not have the lighting and heating above it). you will need a fully enclosed humid hide in the center of the enclosure, we usually put them in the back center (we recommend the small size zilla rock lair!) on the hot side of the enclosure a hide will be needed, but not directly under the heat source. You will also want a hide on the cool side. A piece of slate place underneath the heat light makes a great place for basking, just be sure to use a temp gun to make sure it isn’t burning hot!

Once the 3 main hides are in, you can put in any additional hides. cork-bark, driftwood, rocks, leaf litter, branches, and fake plants are all great things that help make the enclosure feel safe to your gecko. These various textures also helps your gecko with shedding!

diet consists of various insects, there is no one insect you can feed by itself. We offer crickets, mealworms, and small dubia roaches. Make sure to feed your insects carrots and tomatoes so your gecko gets maximum nutritional value!

BALL PYTHON CARE GUIDE

Ball pythons are beautiful snakes! In order to provide proper care, you must know if your ball python is male or female. Males are much smaller than females, at 3ft long. Females reach 4-6ft! Ball pythons are solitary and should never be housed together.

For a male ball python, the ethical minimum enclosure size is 4x2x2 (120 gallons). For a female ball python, the minimum enclosure size depends on her full grown length. If she is 4ft when full grown, she will also require a 4x2x2. If she is 5ft when full grown, she will require a 5x2x2 (150 gallon) enclosure. If she is 6ft when full grown, she will require a 6x2x2 (180 gallon) enclosure.

As for lighting, you will need a UVB strip that is 1/2 of the length of the enclosure. A 24” bulb will work great for a 4x2x2 and a 5x2x2, but you will need a 36” bulb if your enclosure is 6x2x2.

For heating, we recommend deep heat projection or an 8.5” dome lamp with a 100w, a 125w, or a 150w depending on the temps inside the enclosure. The temps on the warm side should be between 80-85°F, the temps on the cool side should be between 70-78°F, and the temp of the basking platform (measured using a temp gun) should be between 88-93°F. Humidity should be at 60-80%, with the higher end being when they are shedding

As for substrate, the safest substrate for ball pythons is 60% reptisoil and 40% reptisand or playsand. I personally use playsand because it is nearly the same stuff but only $7 for a 50 pound bag! Mix in a bit of forest floor bark. 3-6 inches of substrate is best!

Corkbark rounds, corkbark pieces, driftwood, branches, leaf litter, fake plants, and rocks are all great for making your ball python feel safe in their enclosure! This variety of textures also helps them a ton with shedding.
As for diet, ball pythons should be fed frozen thawed rodents. Live feeding should only be done as a last resort, as rodents have claws and teeth that they can and will use to try and fight back from being eaten. it might be a feeder but it is still an animal with instincts to survive, frozen thawed feeding prevents this entirely.

CORNSNAKE CARE GUIDE

Cornsnakes are very popular pet snakes! Majority of cornsnakes in captivity don’t get the chance to thrive since so much improper information is out there. Here is all proper info needed for your cornsnake to thrive!

The ethical minimum enclosure size depends on the length of your cornsnake when it is full grown. If your cornsnake is 4ft and under, a 4x2x2 (120 gallon) enclosure is great and gives them enough room to stretch out and explore! If your cornsnake is 5ft long we recommend a 5x2x2 (150 gallon), and if your cornsnake is 6ft we recommend a 6x2x2 (180 gallon)
As for lighting, you will need a UVB strip that is 1/2 of the length of the enclosure. A 24” bulb will work great for a 4x2x2 and a 5x2x2, but you will need a 36” bulb if your enclosure is 6x2x2.

For heating, we recommend deep heat projection or an 8.5” dome lamp with a 100w, a 125w, or a 150w depending on the temps inside the enclosure. The temps on the warm side should be between 80-85°F, the temps on the cool side should be between 72-80°F, and the temp of the basking platform (measured using a temp gun) should be between 88-93°F. Humidity should be at 40-60%, with the higher end being when they are shedding. A shedding box or “humid hide” helps a lot with shedding aswell!

As for substrate, the safest substrate for cornsnakes is 60% reptisoil and 40% reptisand or playsand. I personally use playsand because it is nearly the same stuff but only $7 for a 50 pound bag! Mix in some excavator clay to make burrowing easier for them. 4-6 inches of substrate is best!

Corkbark rounds, corkbark pieces, driftwood, branches, leaf litter, fake plants, and rocks are all great for making your cornsnake feel safe in their enclosure! This variety of textures also helps them a ton with shedding.
As for diet, cornsnakes should be fed frozen thawed rodents. Live feeding should only be done as a last resort, as rodents have claws and teeth that they can and will use to try and fight back from being eaten. it might be a feeder but it is still an animal with instincts to survive, frozen thawed feeding prevents this entirely.

CALIFORNIA KINGSNAKE CARE GUIDE

California kingsnakes are very fun snakes to own! They are super active and are champions at eating. The chances of a healthy kingsnake with proper husbandry refusing food are nearly zero! The minimum enclosure size for an adult california kingsnake is 4x2x2 (120 gallons).

As for lighting, you will need a UVB strip that is 1/2 of the length of the enclosure. A 24” bulb will work great for a 4x2x2 enclosure. Arcadia is one of the best brands, we recommend them for all UVB!

For heating, we recommend deep heat projection or an 8.5” dome lamp with a 100w, a 125w, or a 150w depending on the temps inside the enclosure. The temps on the warm side should be between 80-85°F, the temps on the cool side should be between 70-75°F, and the temp of the basking platform (measured using a temp gun) should be between 86-92°F. Humidity should be at 40-60%, with the higher end being when they are shedding. A “humid hide” or “shedding box” helps a lot with shedding and is much more effective (and less stressful) than soaking them.

The best substrate for california kingsnakes is 60% reptisoil and 40% reptisand or playsand. I personally use playsand because it is nearly the same stuff but only $7 for a 50 pound bag! Mix in some excavator clay to make burrowing easier for them. 4-6 inches of substrate is best!

Corkbark rounds, corkbark pieces, driftwood, branches, leaf litter, fake plants, and rocks are all great for making your california kingsnake feel safe in their enclosure! This variety of textures also helps them a ton with shedding.

As for diet, california kingsnakes should be fed frozen thawed rodents. Live feeding should only be done as a last resort, as rodents have claws and teeth that they can and will use to try and fight back from being eaten. it might be a feeder but it is still an animal with instincts to survive, frozen thawed feeding prevents this entirely. The general rule for the size of rodent is 1.5x the width of the widest part of your snake.

CRESTED GECKO CARE GUIDE

Crested geckos are awesome pets! these active little guys are solitary and should never be housed together.

The ethical minimum enclosure size for a crested gecko is 40 gallons vertical (18x18x36)! However if you have the space for bigger then your gecko will definitely appreciate it. We rehome our crested geckos with a dubia.com 24x18x36”, which is 65 gallons and the perfect size!

As for lighting, you’ll want a UVB strip on top. the T5 12” 5.0 uvb strips have been working great for us :) Arcadia is an amazing brand that we highly recommend! keeping the light on for 14 hours during the summer and 12 during the winter is highly recommended to help with their cycles.

For heating, we recommend putting a 25w deep heat projector. It is important to keep your heating on one side of the tank so your gecko can thermoregulate! we recommend keeping the water dish on the opposite side as your heating to prevent rapid bacteria growth. The following items should NEVER be used for your gecko (or any reptile): colored bulbs (i.e red, blue, purple), heat mats or heat rocks, reptile carpet or shelf liner (substrate is critical for enrichment and natural behaviors), blankets/fabric, dead or pre killed insects

Humidity is very important for crested geckos! They are tropical and need to be misted, once in the morning and once at night works best. The humidity should stay between 60-80%, and it’s good to spike it up to 80% occasionally as they would experience this in the wild!

cork-bark, driftwood, rocks, leaf litter, branches, and fake plants are all great things that help make the enclosure feel safe to your gecko. These various textures also helps your gecko with shedding!

Diet consists of pangea, which should be offered in a bowl every-other day, and they should be fed with various insects once a week. There is no one insect you can feed by itself. We offer crickets, mealworms, and small dubia roaches. These insects should be dusted with calcium powder+d3 every feeding and dusted with multivitamins (still add the calcium powder) every OTHER feeding. Make sure to feed your feeder insects vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes so your gecko gets maximum nutritional value from them!