Anyone who purchases a new terrarium animal, regardless of whether it is amphibians, lizards, turtles or snakes, should follow a few rules to get used to it.
In advance, it is essential to find out in detail about the needs of the future roommates and set up the terrarium accordingly.
You should buy an animal from a reputable offspring and avoid wild-caught animals.
Because these are not only problematic in terms of species protection.
When caught and then transported, the animals are exposed to enormous stress and often become ill afterwards.
If you already have terrarium animals, you should definitely not just put the newcomers in a quarantine terrarium for a few weeks.
This saves the new animals additional stress. Also, a quarantine terrarium minimizes the risk that the new roommates bring diseases.
To be on the safe side, the animals should also be examined by a veterinarian.
Regardless of whether it is a quarantine tank or a permanent home – the terrarium should be set up in such a way that it meets the requirements of its residents.
In addition to the right lighting and warmth, it is also important to have sufficient hiding places.
Ideally, can lizards, turtles and so on watch their surroundings while they sit in safe hiding?
So you can get used to it in peace.
Stress makes you sick and should be avoided at all costs.
Animals that are very prone to stress, such as chameleons, need a lot of rest, especially at first.
The terrarium should not be in a place where many people pass by.
Small children, dogs and cats should be kept away from the terrarium if possible.
Unnecessary handling in the terrarium should also be avoided.
In tree-dwelling species, the terrarium must be placed high enough, i.e. not close to the ground, as this location does not correspond to the animals’ natural habits and leads to stress.
Escape animals such as water dragons often do not recognize the terrarium’s glass panes as an obstacle and can thus injure themselves.
Here it can help to remove the panes first.
Then you can enlarge the view of the room bit by bit.
Even if terrarium animals are not all cuddly toys, many species can at least become tame.
For this, you must give the animals time and know whether and how the respective species wants to be touched and picked up.
