The infamous banana ball python is one of the most beautiful single combination morph.

Though there are some morphs of the banana morph that we would avoid.

The banana and the spider gene combined due to the head wobble from the spider ball python genetics.

How Much Are Banana Ball Pythons?

Every year snakes become less and less pricey, when the banana gene was new and rare. Snakes was selling for up to $20,000 or £15,000.

As each year goes by the population increases by up to 6 times from the offspring.

Breeders often see the newest snake morph as a great idea for investment and for future breeding. But because of the rapid decline in price each year, it usually takes 2 – 5 clutches of eggs to break even.

Currently you can find the banana ball python for as little as $250/ £200 which is crazy to think when just 8 years ago this was valued at $20,000.

It is unlikely for them to become much cheaper than this, so now is the perfect time to get yourself a pet banana ball python.

Whats The Difference

No, the only difference between a wild type royal python and a banana is the colour. The banana morph is not found in the wild, different genes are altered and strip creating the colour you see today.

Here are some images of the banana gene combined with other morphs!

Is Care Diffrent For a Banana Morph?

Care for all ball pythons are the same no matter which colour phase they are.

If you are looking getting a banana ball python as your first pet snake.

Check out our complete ball python care guide to see everything you will need and what this species of snake is like as a pet.

We do recommend the ball python to new-keepers due to how slow they move, and the care is super simply once setup correctly.

The banana morph is one of the most popular colours and is absolutely more striking in person.

If you are thinking of a banana ball python morph, you will not be disappointed.

Albino or Banana Ball Python?

Telling the difference between a banana and albino morph is easy.

Both have the yellow colour, but a banana has a secondary colour of silvery/grey and an albino ball python has a white secondary colour.

Both are great looking snakes but here at reptilekingdoms we give the winner for most beautiful to the banana every time.  

Snakes do drink water but not as often as you would think. A snake gets most of its hydration from meals such as rodents’ blood and the water within the fur.

Snakes drink water in a more unusual method. Their skin folds which as like drain into their mouth. They then use they muscles to press the water down their bodies. On each side of the mouth you can see a snake moving the muscles which move the skin to allow water flow.

Some other species of snake actually use suction to drink their water, as previously they seal the mouth and do a pumping motion with each of the snakes’ cheeks and this creates a vacuum for the water to go into their mouth.

This is extremely clever method and unique to only the snake as they do not have to ability to create a suction in their entire mouth as their breathe hole is located as a pipe at the bottom.

Do All Snakes Drink Water

Some desert snakes do not have to drink water. Due to the very limited supply they have adapted to absorbing enough from their food, though if they come across a water source they will bathe and re-hydrate.

It is possible for these snakes to go through their entire life without ever have a sip of drinking water, if the food is frequent enough.

A common misconception is snake using their tongue to drink water.

This is completely incorrect as a snake forked tongue is primarily for smelling. The tongue is not thick enough to scoop water up. Due to how think their tongue is, using it is a very inefficient method.

When a snake drinks they put their tongue in an area called a “sheath” which is out the way, so the tongue is not an obstruction while drinking water.

How to Check If A Snake Is De-Hydrated

The neck area is a dead give-away for a snake being severely de-hydrated, gently pinching the skin on the neck and letting go is the best method.

The skin should immediately goes back to its original position the skin is healthy. If the skin stays at the pinch point for a short period of time this is an indication of lack of water intake.

If the snake is still eating the best way to trick more water into your snake is to not completely dry the prey before feeding. Keep it as wet as possible and their body will naturally absorb the moisture.

The cost of the corn snake itself is never going to be the highest cost of ownership like a dog is (unless you get an expensive corn snake morph).

The initial setup for a corn snake adds up with the items you need (read our full corn snake guide for all you need) the first time you get the equipment it is better to get a good quality mat stat and heat mat as these will transfer to the vivarium they have as an adult.

You will need to buy at least 2 vivarium’s which costs on average $150+ for a big and smaller sized one.

Substrate needs changing less frequently only every 2 months for a full clean out, so around $10+ every 2 months.

Energy bills for heating the enclosure and the thermostat itself, this widely ranges but will not cost a whole lot of your corn snake is on a heat mat rather than a bulb, let’s say $5-10 a month max.

Cleaning and hygiene equipment such as a snake poop scooper and F10 cleaning solution are things you need because they are reptile safe. For one corn snake you are unlikely to use more than a F10 mix throughout their entire life so $25 for both.

Thermostat is a very important piece of equipment and for a heat mat, you only need a mat stat which is cheaper around $30+, we always recommend big brands for this as this keeps your snake safe.

Food, frozen mice are readily available and pretty cheap at between $0.80 – $2 depending on how many you order and the size of the mice that your corn snake needs. This will be 4 times a month so $6 a month here.

Decorations for the terrarium is required such as hides and branches, this varies so much since how far you take it depends on the cost, we would guess a ball part of $60 for everything including the water dish.

There are also other things to consider, such as injuries, illness and other unexpected costs, these can run quite the pretty penny in price! But corn snakes are hardy snakes in general.

Snakes love a good sleep!

It is yet unknown exactly how long snakes will sleep for as it varies from species to species, but all snakes do sleep and do so often. Snakes will begin to sleep more frequently after large meals as this conserves energy and allows a snake’s body to solely concentrate on digesting their meal.

As previously mentioned, snakes do not have eyelids, so you would think it is hard for a snake to initiate their sleep, but this is built into their brain to find a comfortable position and zone out before getting into a deep sleep.

If snakes don’t have eyelids how do, they get dirt and infections?

This is a completely valid question; snakes’ eyes are not actually open to the fresh air but have a layer of skin over the top known as “spectacles” this thin layer of skin is shed at the same time when the full body shedding process happens.

If you have a pet snake, next time they shed their skin, it is important that the eye shed has come off cleanly otherwise this can cause infections and sight problems for your snake.

Waking Up A Snake

This is one of the reasons for a snake mistakenly biting their owner.

It is so easy to miss that your snake is sleep and if you are going into their cage and touch them, rightly so they jump and often times react in an defensive way and protect themselves.

The best tip to avoid this is to let your pet snake that is sleeping know you are there before getting too close to the head. Simply give a gentle touch on the lower portion of the body or touch with a snake hook if you are little less confident.

Doing this will keep you and your snake happier and prevents being bit by a sleeping snake!

When do snakes sleep?

The sleeping routine of a snake is thought to be that similar of a human, but the times vary dependant on the snake species. A snake that is nocturnal will sleep during the day and hunt during the dark hours.

Others will be daytime hunter and sleep during the night-time.

A snake will sleep anywhere between 2 – 8 hours a day sometimes longer after large meals.

About Burmese Pythons 

Burmese pythons in the category of the top 3 largest snakes on the planet. These awesomely sized snakes are the most commonly kept for large snake enthusiasts.

Their nature is docile and experienced keepers can really tame down the majority of baby Burmese pythons. They are not a snake that is recommended for a first-time keeper for obvious reasons. But can make good pets if you have the space to house such a monstrous sized snake.

In the wild Burmese pythons are a pest species within the Florida everglades. Burmese pythons are an invasive species that are not native to the florida. The environment is perfect for them to thrive, but are these pythons are causing serious issues and endangerment to other animals that was originally there.

We do not want to see any reptile come to harm but these snakes do need to be removed from these areas as other native animals have declined significantly.

So, who would be crazy enough to have a Burmese python as a pet? Well, the Burmese pythons looks can be deceiving and make them look like a danger to anyone who comes into contact with them. This is far from the truth, while there are some aggressive snakes, Burmese pythons are among the puppy dog tame spot if you take the tame to get your snake used to handling from the offset.

Just like any snake, a Burmese python can show defensive traits. This is just to protect themselves from predators, snakes will not seek confrontation without reason.

Burmese Python Size

These huge snakes have the potential to grow up to 25 feet in length, they ranked as the 3 largest snake species on record to date. Third to the reticulated python (1^st) and the Anaconda (2^nd). A full-grown Burmese python is more than capable of eating an adult male deer whole, they have also been known to take down the odd medium sized crocodile when food is sparse.

When just a hatchling, they already measure around 2ft long and a decent weight, this seems to be where most new snake owners look and underestimate how quickly and big the snake will grow. A Burmese python can grow 1- 3ft each year within the first 4 years of its life. After 5 years old the growth rate tends to rapidly slow, but they body gets thicker with each year of maturity.

Weight is a largely varying thing across different Burmese pythons, but as a guideline female will likely become heavier than the equivalent male. This is purely down to the extra reproductive organs. The largest female Burmese python we found weighed in at a humongous 250lb’s.

What is their typical diet

As with all snake, Burmese are carnivores and eat meat, this mostly consists of live mammals. They will start on rats when young and progress to capibaras and deer. In captivity most owners will only need to feed a large rabbit every 2 – 4 weeks and this will be perfectly fine.

If you are considering a pet Burmese python, it is best to check this price of frozen extra-large rabbits as in some areas these can be quite expensive.

Burm’s are part of the constrictor family, they are a non-venomous snake as they do not need it. Once they strike at their prey, the teeth will sink into the skin and act like hooks stopping them getting away. Immediately after this they will throw coils of their body around the prey item and squeeze with incredible force.

It is still unclear as to whether the prey dies of suffocation or due to the shear pressure makes the heart stop beating altogether. The pressure they apply has been measured to having a medium-sized truck place on your chest, unbelievable!

One thing that has never come up before without serious illness, is a Burmese python that would not eat, these snakes love their food and caution should be taken when defrosting their meal and feeding with sufficiently size tongs.

Pet Burmese Python Checklist

• Vivarium
• Heating
• Thermostat
• Vivarium lock/s
• Substrate/ Bedding
• Food (Rats/Rabbits/Deer/Mice Etc.)

Vivarium

As with any huge snake, vivariums are going to need changing more frequently. This can prove costly, but we recommend to any keeper, try and get a cage size that is 1-2ft larger than you really need, this could save you lots of money in replacements.

So, as an example, start with an enclosure that’s 4ft long and 1-2ft deep, housing the snake for up to 2-3 years of age, then move from a 4ft up to a 7-9ft vivarium dependant on how fast they grown. A caging this size with a good depth can house them for the rest of their life and avoid you buying an enclosure every year.

As we recommend to anyone stepping up to the large species of snake, always prepare for the largest possibly, that way you avoid any surprises in the future.

Security of the cage is a huge deal; Burmese pythons have serious amounts of power with their nose. They are more than able to open an enclosure or press hard enough to break a slightly weaken area. When shopping for your vivarium, make sure you get 2 locks and check the enclosure is very sturdy, you snake will exploit any weakness in the cage.

Heating & Thermostat

You should be familiar with what is required such as the thermostat and a heat bulb/ mat depending what is more suitable for you. The ambient temps of the terrarium set to 85 to 88 F with a basking area at 90 to 95 F.

Slight fluctuations will not cause any harm but do not let the temps drop below 75F as this will cause health issues. During the night the basking area and ambient can reduce slightly but is not required.

Humidity 

Depending on which part of the world you are from humidity is not often a concern, a Burmese python requires humidity levels of between 50-60% and most countries achieve this without any input.

If you live in an extremely dry location, spray the caging down once a day lightly and this will be more than enough.

Bedding/ Substrate 

There are plenty of choices for bedding, almost any type works well for a Burmese, aspen is our favourite as it absorbs some of the belly pressure.

Most keepers opt to use newspaper, but we find this less attractive for pets. Aspen only needs to be completely changed every 2 months, but spot cleaned as soon as defecation is noticed.

Beech chip is another good option, when combined with orchard bark, the enclosure looks fantastic and makes for a great feature in your house.

Choosing The Right Burmese Python

This is often overlooked, and snake bought on impulse, a Burmese python is a snake that should be well thought threw with the willingness to walk away if something seems not quite right.

These snakes have a good chance of living for 2 decades or more, take your time when finding your pet Burmese python, don’t just buy the first one you see, after all there is not lots of large snake enthusiasts.

A good breeder will respect if you need time to go away and think for a while before committing to ownership.

Now when you view the snake, what you need to be looking for. First is check if the snake is alert when the enclosure is opened with their tongue flickering. If you want to avoid a nippy snake, observe how the breeder goes into the caging and if they look hesitant or nervous.

Once they pick up the snake, you are going to need to do a completely head to tail check, always starting with the head.

Around the mouth is there any discharge of gunk?

Is there any shed stuck to the eyeballs or any signs of mites on the eyeball?

Check under the chin of the snake for any damaged scales or again mites/ parasites.

The body of the snake should be firm and solid with little flabby skin, this will be very noticeable. A bit of flab is not a concern.

Finally check the tail for defects or the cloaca for any discharge from the area.

99% of the time, the snake is in perfect condition, but always do this check as it could save you plenty of money in vet bills. If you notice any signs of under standard conditions, please report this to your local authority.

Burmese Python Morphs

A morph is the colour and genetics of the snake, breeders across the world combine different morphs to create new colour patterns and phases. The most common for the Burmese python is the albino, green, labyrinth and the granite python.

These are all the same snake but have a different colour and pattern, they do not change the behaviour or temperament of the snake. The albino is the favoured snake of all the colours, and you can see why.

Crocodiles re not fussy about what they eat, they are capable of taking down large zebras to even killing sharks. The saltwater crocodile has the pound for pound strongest bite out of any animal on the planet, and yes this does include the great white shark.

A crocodile is an opportunistic feeder, this means they do have time to check if the prey close enough to snap at is in their “diet plan”. It is a case of “if I catch it, it’s mine”. So far this seems to be giving the crocodile a savage name but after a large meal such as a zebra, a crocodile can sustain itself for a very long time from just one large meal.

Crocodiles do eat humans from time to time, usually this is when people go swimming in well known croc infested waters, which is asking for issues. Though they have been known to wander into new territories and catch people off guard also.

Common Crocodile Foods

• Birds
• Deer
• Fish
• Occasionally sharks
• Buffaloes
• Wildebeests
• Young elephants
• Cows
• Gazelles
• Boars
• Capybaras
• Kangaroos
• Other Crocodiles
• Snakes

Baby crocodiles start or smaller foods that hang around their habitat, most targets are animals drinking from the water in which they are living. Due to their prey being dependant on what comes within close proximity of the croc, they must attempt to eat each in order to stay alive. The next meal could be weeks or months away from returning.

Once they strike at their prey, a crocodile will roll and twist to takedown the prey item, animals will try and fight back but this is where the crocodiles thick Armour type skin protects it from taking much or if any damage.

 For larger foods such as the buffalo, crocs will drag them to a deeper part of the water and submerge them, this in itself gives the buffalo a serve disadvantage as they are not great swimmers.

Crocodiles do not kill for sport, they are just looking to survive, many people demonise crocs but they are just like humans in their meat eating but are unable to do it humanly and are not that great with an oven.

How crocodiles eat?

 The most common method a crocodile uses is water as a stealth blanket, a 15ft crocodile can move around in the water without making a ripple as their eyes break the surface.

They use this technique in patrolling hotspots in lakes and rivers edges, this is where crocs find most mammals will drink and become less aware of their surroundings.

When they strike forwards, a crocodile’s bite is so powerful it is near impossible for the prey to escape its grip. To put this into prospective, a human’s bite is 162-PSI (pounds per square inch) whereas a crocodile’s bite is 37,00-PSI.

Once they have a firm grip, they begin to do the “death roll” turning and twisting their body to tear flesh from the prey, by this point the animal would likely of died.

Scientific name: Lampropeltis triangulum

Size: 3 – 5ft

Lifespan: 15 – 25 years

Wild Population: 25,000+

Primary Colour: Colour bands (most commonly Red, White & Black)

Endangerment: Common

Habitat: United States

Difficulty of Keeping: Easy

Optimum environment Temperature: 85°F hotspot with ambient temp of 78-80°F

What do they eat? Mice, other snakes, lizards, eggs and other small mammals.

Eggs or Live birth: Egg baring snake.

Venomous: None venomous/ None poisonous

Are they kept in captivity? Milk snakes are widely kept and loved within the reptile keeping community.

Ease of keeping as a pet: among the easiest snake species to keep in captivity.

Cost: Ranges between £50 – £400 dependant on morph (colour)

Overview

Whether you are an experience keeper or getting your first pet snake, a milk snake is among the best!

Most accept and tolerant handling well and are a very inquisitive species.

Milk snakes are closely related to the king snake and often it is hard to tell the difference between the two.

A milk snake tends to be slightly more docile than a king, this is just about where the differences end between the two.

Often confused with the coral snake, milks are not a venomous species and kill their prey by biting and constricting.

There are many different sub-species of the milk snake, with 6 types being the most popular, we have listed these below.

Common Milk Snake Species

There a six most commonly kept sub-species of milk snake in captivity, each are near identical skeleton to one another but have different colours, size or behaviours.

• Sinaloan milk snake
• Honduran milk snake
• Nelson ‘s milk snake
• Pueblan milk snake
• Mexican milk snake
• Jalisco milk snake

Are milk snakes venomous

No, this is a question often asked when people have seen a coral snake in a zoo or online and thought it was the same snake.

There is a subtle difference between the milk snake and the coral snake, which has a rhyme which makes identifying which snake it is simple, it goes as follows:

Red & black, Venom lack. Red & Yellow, will kill a fellow.

What to look for when choosing your milk snake

There is various checks and questions you should carry out when purchasing a pet milk snake.

Following these will give you the best chance of having a healthy snake from the offset.

I always start by asking the breeder to see the feeding records of the snake, this is always kept by reputable breeders.

If you are unsure to the legitimacy of the records, ask to come and collect the milk snake on the day of feeding so you can see the snake accepting a meal.

Secondly, a full health check of the snake is important to find any underlying health issues.

This is called a head to tail check and starts before you even pick up the snake.

When their enclosure is opened up, how did the snake react? Snakes are always aware of their surroundings and look alert when something moves or goes near them, more so when they are young.

If the snake just lays still and does not lift their head (more so when going to pick the snake up) this could be a sign of an unhealthy milk snake.

Now, check if there are any visual birth defects of the snake, this is simple and is easy to spot, some issue like a short tail which is fully healed is not an issue.

The skin should be smooth and firm to the touch.

Next, check around the eyes and under the chin of the milk snake for any mites or parasites that may be living on the snake, mites are a real pain to get rid of and if you have touched the snake washed hands and clothes thoroughly.

Check around the mouth, is there any discharge coming out of the mouth?
This may seem like a list of common problems, but finding any of these are not common, this health check is designed just to help avoid getting an unhealthy snake and a large vet bill straight away.

Disclaimer: If you believe an animal is being kept in an unacceptable environment or mistreated, report this to the RSPCA or local animal services.

What you need to keep a pet Milk snake

• Vivarium
• Thermostat
• Heat mat
• Décor
• Water dish
• Food (Frozen mice)
• Hides

Vivarium

Choosing the right vivarium for a milk snake is easy and cost effective using our method.

When you first get a baby, milk snake a plastic terrarium is suitable for the first year of their life and is often priced much cheaper than a wooden option.

The heat mat or cable can be taped to the bottom (on the outside) of the enclosure for their heat.

Cleaning is also much easier as it just requires moving the snake out, tip into the bin, clean and put in the fresh bedding.

As your milk snake ages, we recommend going straight to a 3ft vivarium as this will house most adult milk snakes for the rest of their life.

It cuts out having to keep buying lots of different cages which can become very costly.

This is when we recommend getting a wooden enclosure as it is more durable and will last a very long time.

Another tip is quality over price, a high-quality vivarium will last years and year, often not ever needing to be replaced.

Whereas cheap ones get mouldy and start to show signs of wear early on.

With each vivarium, security such as a lock or rubber chock to stop your pet milk snake from escaping.

Believe me this cheap item will save you hours or days trying to find your escape artist of a snake around the house, they are brilliant at hide and seek!

How to heat a milk snakes cage

Heat sources are best using one of the two options, a heat bulb or a heat mat/cable.
For milk snakes, a heat mat is more than adequate for the job and is cheaper on electric bills.

The mat is taped to the bottom of a plastic vivarium and placed on the inside for a wooden option.

Regardless of what heating source you choose for your milk snake, it must be combined with a thermostat.

Thermostats control the temperature inside their enclosure, using the dial to set the optimum temp and place the thermostat probe onto of the bedding above the heat mat.

With the use of a heat mat, a “Mat Stat” works just fine, these are the cheapest to buy only costing £20.00 or $25.00 dependant on where you live.

Dimming thermostats are used for heat bulbs and decent quality ones start around £50 or $60.

Decoration and water

Décor is where you can let the creative juices flow, milk snakes love to climb and investigate new places.

There are some items that are preferred, a hide on each side of the enclosure will allow your snake to thermoregulate themselves while feeling safe in their environment.

Milk snakes are not keen on big open spaces, adding logs, plants and other décor to fill in the gaps will allow them to feel more secure as they navigate around their housing space.

Water dishes are often overlooked, the size of the bowl should allow your milk snake to bathe their body in.

As they come to the shedding process, milk snakes enjoy bathing as it loosens the dead skin.

This does not need to be large enough your snake to swim but just enough to submerge their entire body is preferred.

When & What to feed a milk snake?

Throughout their lifetime milk snakes will thrive on a diet of mice.

Frozen thawed is the best option as mice can be stored for a longer period of time without going bad.

Additional benefits also include not feeding live which causes unnecessary pain for the prey, it is also not uncommon for mice to retaliate and bite the snake which can be fatal.

Deciding on the prey size causes confusion for new snake keepers, use the thickest part of your milk snakes’ body and aim to feed mice the exact same size weekly or every ten days.

Do milk snakes have teeth?

Yes, milk snakes have many reclined needle type teeth.

The reason for being reclined towards the back of the mouth is to stop prey getting away.

A milk snake will bite and sink its teeth and as the prey item pulls away, their teeth sink deeper like a hook.

Whilst in their grasp, they will throw their body around their prey and squeeze with incredible power for their size which causes the animal to suffocate.

This can last for as long as 15 minutes, a milk snake will them consume their food whole.

In most cases swallowing their food headfirst so that the claws do not scrape the snake’s internals as it is digested.

If you have enjoyed this guide please leave a rating, if you have any questions or additional information is needed contact us and we will get back to you within 24 hours.

In conclusion, milk snake is a fantastic choice for any new or experienced snake keeper, and you will not be disappointed with these awesome snakes!

Lizards like snakes lay eggs, though not all are egg baring. Around 10% of lizards have live births. The most common species that are kept in captivity lay eggs (See our full list of egg baring & live baring lizards).

Reptiles such as the blue tongue skink is a live baring lizard, this can be seen as a plus as when lizard eggs are laid, they a vulnerable to being eaten by predators.

Lizard eggs can take up to 90 days to hatch but this largely varies dependant on the species on lizard.

Lizard Egg Laying Process

When a lizard lays its eggs, they will aim to find a spot that is as hidden as possible, this is usually in a small pit where the ground is moist to stop the eggs from drying out.

When a lizard lays its eggs, they are slimy, but they aren’t without reason, as they lay their eggs, the slime will harden and stick the grouping of eggs together, this stops them from rolling. When fresh there is a small pocket of air within the egg which an embryo attaches so the baby lizard can breathe. Once this is in place if the egg rolls or moves to far this will go under the fluid in the egg and actually drown the baby lizard.

So, as the egg ages, the lizard will grow inside until it is ready to hatch. Once this is complete, within the egg a lizard will use its claw, or a very interesting thing called an “egg tooth”. This is a tooth that is designed to pierce the egg and begin the hatching process.

It is not uncommon for both snake and lizards to develop without an egg tooth in the wild and die due to not being able to penetrate their own eggshell.

How Are Lizard Eggs Made

Most people misunderstand how and when the eggs a formed in the female. Just like chickens, if a male does not mate with the female at the right time, she will give birth to infertile eggs.

So, during the mating season the female will go through a cycle in which the eggs are ready to be fertilised by the male, she will give off a scent that a male lizard can smell from large distances and males come.

Live Baring Lizards

• Horned Lizard
• Leiolopisma
• Mabuya
• Legless Lizard
• vivparous lizard

How are the eggs fertilised?

There is a misunderstanding as to how and when the eggs a formed in the female. Just like chickens, if a male does not mate with the female at the right time, she will give birth to infertile eggs.

So, during the mating season the female will go through a cycle in which the eggs are ready to be fertilized by the male, she will give off a scent that a male lizard can smell from large distances and males come.

When do they lay eggs?

Just like snakes, lizards have a season which the female starts to produce eggs inside her, this is widely different dependant on the species of lizard. During the breeding season the female’s body would automatically time it so that the eggs have the best conditions to thrive.

It is just the same with how many eggs a female is likely to lay, up to 20 eggs would be a large “clutch”, whereas other such as the crested gecko have just 1 or 2 eggs at a time.

As previously mention, the female will seek a hidden area that has a suitable humidity for the baby lizards. In the wild egg eating animals will continuously look them, at this point the luck of her off-spring depends entire on how well they were hidden.

A little bit about uromastyx

The Uromastyx lizard is part of the agamid family, this group of lizards also includes the most popular pet lizard bearded dragon and many others.

Uromastyx also known as the spiny-tailed lizard gets its name from the bands of up to 35 spiked scales that runs down their tail. Other popular nicknames for these lizards are mastiguries and dab lizards.

With over 20 different sub species of uromastyx, which range from different colours and sizes.

These lizards inhabit most of north America and parts of Asia.

Do uromastyx make good pets?

Though they are a small sized lizard, there are some things to consider before owning one. Some sub-species can grow larger than other, while most remain to a manageable adult size.

While not always recommended as a first-time pet lizard, we disagree. If you are 100% sure that these are right lizard for you after reading this, you will not be disappointed.

Always get a “CB”, this means captive bred and not wild caught, this will reduce the chances of bringing parasites and other nasties into your home. Uromastyx are gaining popularity as pets so finding a reputable breeder local to your area should be easy.

When looking for a pet lizard, it is best to get a hatchling or a sub-adult as this will allow you and your pet to get used to their environment and handling schedules.

Other great pet lizards are bearded dragons, chinese water dragons or leopard geckos

Uromastyx Size

Across all the different species, you can expect a size of between 13 – 20 inches as an adult. This is similar to a bearded dragon but is slightly heavier.

Baby uromastyx from the egg can measure as small as 3 inches!

Housing A Uromastyx

For a little lizard they require a large enclosure, uromastyx are active lizards and need room to exercise and thrive. In the wild spiny tailed lizards graze and can cover serious miles looking for the best grazing areas.

For an adult uromastyx that is 20 inches long, a 6ft long, 2 foot in depth and 2ft+ tall enclosure will suitable house them for the entire life. This is a serious sized terrarium and must be taken into consideration if thinking of having a pet uromastyx.

The taller the caging, the more it will cost to heat, but higher cages will ensure a happy lizard. It is always recommended to get a heat bulb that’s wattage is higher than you will need. The thermostat will control the power going to the bulb and is not likely to cost you more in energy with a quality thermostat.

Uromastyx love to burrow and can be quite shy lizards, to feel safe and reduce stress they will need one of more hides or burrow boxes within their vivarium.

Uromastyx heating & lighting requirements

These are diurnal lizards; this means they are active during the daytime hours. This allows them to bask in the sun to heat up and absorb the UV rays.

Throughout the day, uromastyx will move between shaded areas and basking rocks, this is important to note as you will need to replicate this within their enclosure. Their terrarium must have a heat source on one side of the cage, and a cooler side. This is called thermoregulation, being cold blooded a uromastyx needs to manually control how hot or cold there are by using their environment.

Often, they will bask for too long and need to cold down relatively quickly, uromastyx will burrow themselves underground in a shaded area where the temperature is lowest during the day and remain there for hours to get their temp down faster, this also has another purpose of rehydrating their skin, within a burrowed area humidity increases dramatically which loosens the skin and keeps it healthy.

Setup

When setting up your enclosure it is best to have a hot size combined with a basking platform. Place the thermostat probe on the elevated basking area and set it to 115 degrees F. Do not put the recording probe on the ground as this area needs to be around 100 degrees F.

If you are struggling to make a platform, using a large rock to allow your pet to get closer to the heat will work just as well, please note, do not allow the rock too close to heat source as rock will absorb heat and will cause burns.

Always use more than 1 thermometer to record the enclosures temperature on both the warm area and the cooler area, the more you have, the more accurate and optimised their environment will be.

Towards the cooler of the side, the temp will drop, look for this to be in the region of 80+ degrees.

Creating an enclosure design with numerous different levels will allow your pet uromastyx to find their favourite spots to bask or cool-down. Keep testing with different layouts and observe where they choose to spend most of their time and adjust accordingly.

During the night-time, all lighting bulbs needs to be turned off, but using a ceramic or infrared bulb to keep the cage above 70 degrees F.

Uromastyx bedding

For a uromastyx, the most popular by far is sand, although some keepers advocate to use any sand, while other prefer reptile specific sand.

We would recommend using sand that does not too coarse, we found the bottom end sand to have small sharp edges. Trial and error are best in finding the one that is best quality and cost effective. Reptile sand is often over-priced and is just the same as regular quality sand.

There are downsides to sand as a substrate, the have been reported to cause impactions with juvenile or baby lizards more often, though these are few and far between. You can also minimise the risk by getting a very large feeding rock that acts like a bowl and removing food that has dropped into the sand.

It is good practice to use paper or artificial grass for uromastyx under the age of 1 – 2 years to avoid any risk of impactions happening.

An additional benefit is the easy of spot cleaning, using a mesh scooper to remove defecation makes cleaning the vivarium a breeze.

Finally, include a moist box which allows your lizard to get into and acts as a burrow, this must be above 75% humidity to hydrate their skin and 2x the size of your reptile. There are plenty of reptile hide boxes online or a large meal prep box with a hole cut in the side will be just fine, just ensure there is no sharp edges where the hole has been made.

It is best not to use any beddings such as aspen, bark or beech chip as these can be ingested and cause serious injury to your pet, sticking with sand and reptile grass carpet is a safe bedding.

The Uromastyx Diet

Uromastyx live on a diet which consists of 80% of plant-based foods and 20% of bugs and other insects.

So, let’s start with the insects first, we feed 2 – 3 crickets or a small amount of meal worms two times per month, we find this to be the optimum amount and gives them the most nutritional value.

See the full list below to find out exactly what you can feed your pet uromastyx.

Now for the plant-based foods, this can be anything from spring mixes to collard greens. Some options are calcium-blocking, this is not ideal for them and we will include these in a list below for reference, you can feed these but should be kept to the bare minimum.

Within the caging area the food should not be put under the hot side, this will cause it dry out quickly and begin to mould sooner. The middle or on the cooler side is the ideal place, uromastyx have good eyesight so placing it somewhere they can easily see it will make sure they can locate it.

Seeds are another option which is often missed by keepers and they go crazy for them, they often get seeds that are in the plants they eat in the wild and have some nutritional value too.

Pellets are yet other food-source, tortoise grassland pellets are perfect and last a long time as backup if you run out of fresh foods.

Last but not least, calcium powder, this is very important and a must have. Calcium is important in keeping these lizards healthy and bones strong. This is the first thing you should have. It is a white powder and once every week dust it over the food that is being given at least once a week.

Uromastyx Foods List

Fruits

• Berries
• Cherries
• Fig
• Mango
• Melons
• Papaya
• Prickly pear
• Strawberries
• Cantelope
• dates
• figs
• guava
• kiwi
• mango
• oranges
• papaya
• pineapple

All fruits should be limited at no more than 10% of the uromastyx diet.

Snakes will pass air they may build up, assuming this is the case, snakes are capable of “farting”, but this is a little different from a snake than it would be from any other animal.

Due to flatulence is a build-up of gas that is released by bacteria feeding on the gut contents to create the “snake fart” build up. Though these bacteria are built up more in herbivores diet, this does not happen in a snake’s gut as they strictly eat only live meals.

Snakes do not eat plants not or vegetables, this applies to all species of snake. There will be little to no build-up of methane which is why us humans and other animals fart.

Though snakes never actively eat plant-based foods, this does not mean that it is not possible for a snake to ingest a plant.

When eating, the rodent or prey item will have some form of plant-based food within its stomach, seconding this, snake may eat prey items with grass or other leaves etc… stuck to the body of the prey.

My Snake Keeps Farting

If you snake seems to be pushing out wind often, this could be a cause of concern and therefore you must seek veterinary opinion to be sure that this is normal and there is not underlying issue surrounding this.

For the most part this could be one of two things, an RI which is the equivalent of a common cold for a human but if left untreated this can build and become fatal. If this could be the case, go straight to see your local vet. 

Another can be an impacted air after eating a meal, this is rare, and not often will you come across this but air and be pushed down due to eating prey items that are near airtight when swallowing.

We would always recommend if your snake is doing something like this out the blue or something has changed, it is always better to be safe than sorry, get a professional opinion on this and go see your vet.

So, Do Snakes Actually Fart?

Yes, it is completely possible for a snake to fart and this has been captured on video with an owner’s ball python farting.

It is likely to be a build-up of air, not causing a smell like a normal release of gas, but it still counts that snakes are in fact capable of farting.

The wind which builds in within a snake are not smelly, or minimal smell. The smell would come from snake poop or urine which will have a heavy smell.

Conclusion

Due to the lack of scientific research surrounding the area, if you have had any experience with a snake farting or releasing gas. Contact us or send your videos for analysis.

We would love to hear what you guys think and also if you disagree, please feel free to comment and we will be more than happy to discuss this further.