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Reptile Round UpThe October 08 e-News article, "Warm & Fuzzy, or Cool, Calm and Collected?" prompted many of you to contact us with wonderful stories, helpful suggestions and some pretty "cool" photos. See what our members have to say about caring for reptiles and amphibians.
Susan Pevear, owner of Never Home Alone Susie's in Your Home Pet Sitting Service in Canadaigua, NY writes,
"I was a wildlife rehabilitator for many years and took care of several strange creatures. Early in our marriage, we raised and moved our house to a different spot on our lake front property to avoid spring flooding. We went from a family cottage to a year-round residence. This prompted many outdoor visitors.
"One early autumn night I found a Blue Spotted Lizard in our garage. In all my years growing up and bringing home every creature imaginable, I had never seen anything so beautiful. It was midnight blue with powder blue spots. We kept him over the winter - which also meant keeping crickets over the winter. As long as we kept the lizard well-fed and his tank clean, it was happy.
"The cricket habitat was a bit more tricky; a damp sponge in one large jar cap, corn meal in another jar cap and a cardboard egg carton for the crickets to hide in. We released the lizard in the spring near a large creek close to our home.
"When my stepchildren were growing up they would bring me back lots of baby painted turtles. This must have been to pay me back for the many baby animals I brought home to my mother when I was a child. She always accepted them with open arms. Painted turtles love worms, which thankfully were easy to find around the lake. It was fun with two turtles in the tank to watch them fight over one worm. Each turtle would take an opposite end of the worm and back away from each other...but I never stayed around long enough to watch the splitting result!
"Another December I went to a holiday party with some friends and in the driveway, on a small slab of ice, found a baby garter snake. I have no explanation of where it came from or how it got there, but guess who took him home in her coat? (I had to put it in my pocket
"I bought worms for the tiny garter snake from various bait shops all winter long and it tripled in size before spring. My husband does not like snakes, so keeping its tank in our living room was quite a challenge. (Especially the morning I came down stairs to find the snake had pushed the screen top off the tank and was hiding somewhere in the living room!) I later found it safely wrapped around one of my silk plants. From then until spring, the garter snake had a large rock on top of the screen tank top!
"I have never shirked from the care of any kind of animal. It is important to understand their needs and know whether you can handle them or not. I love animals of all kinds - warm or cold. As a pet sitter, I would love to care for snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs...whatever! But I have not had anyone with this need contact me yet." -Susan Pevear
Veronica Atlantis, Seaside Pet Minder, Salisbury, MA writes,
"I specialize in birds, fish and reptiles, but 98 percent of my customers are dog and cat owners. It is always important for any pet sitter to prepare and do research when taking care of a herp. Not all lizards, snakes or reptiles have the same care requirements. Some
"I did invest in fireplace gloves to handle larger reptiles, such as iguanas. Iguanas are strong and have sharp nails and scales. Caring for them is actually more complicated than one would think! If the iguana and its environment are not properly cared for and cleaned, a pet sitter is at risk for some pretty nasty diseases. Their cages or enclosures should not have a strong or overpowering odor.
"As with all clients, you need to evaluate the situation to see if it is a job you want to take. One question
"I've owned iguanas and have taken care of various reptiles. I enjoy them as much as any dog or cat! I have included photos of my iguanas: Soto, who is on the motorcycle, (deceased), Stimpy (Deceased, he lived to be 15 years old!) and Fruitcake with eggs." -Veronica Atlantis
Kelly Holland, owner of Kelly's Peaceful Petsitting Services, Brookehaven, PA writes,
"We have approximately 30 exotic pet clients and care for every kind of reptile imaginable as well as most snakes. (Except for those that are venomous.) Our clientele includes iguanas, skinks, bearded dragons, chameleons, water dragons, geckos, monitors - you name it, we
"I think it is hard for herp owners to find pet sitters because of the different type of care required. I have been referred to by quite a few pet sitters in our area because they do not care for reptiles and know that I am an exotic veterinary technician.
"The difference for caring for reptiles than a cat or dog is the feeding, husbandry, environment, understanding the signs and symptoms of illness and handling. Cleanliness is crucial, as most reptiles don't use a litter box or go outside to 'do their business.' However there are some reptiles that do use a litter box- but miss - and I have been known to walk a very large monitor on a harness to get 'some real sunshine!'
"When pet sitting for a herp, I ask the owners several questions:
I also ask the owner if he or she sprinkles supplements on the food. (Called "gut loading.")
"I usually prepare myself and staff with extra paper towels, a name of a place to get an extra herp food source (like crickets) an antibacterial cleanser to prevent any illness and sturdy work gloves to handle the bigger reptiles.
"I look forward to seeing how other pet sitters answer and getting some tips from them too!" -Kelly Holland
Do you have herp tips that you would like to share with fellow pet sitters? Please drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you!
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"We found another interesting creature in our garage a few years later - a baby bull frog! We created a habitat for him, which included a large tank with a 'pond,' some mossy ground and a rock-built house to hide in. By then we had the 'cricket care' figured out, so the bull frog thrived. But as he matured, its night-time croaking became louder. This would encourage our dog to bark back at him! Sleeping became a problem. 
so the ladies I was riding with wouldn't flip out!) 
"My sister worked as a ranger at a desert park in California and always brought home animals that people had dumped in the park. One year she brought home a mated pair of land tortoises -which ate about $15 worth of fresh veggies a week!
lizards eat crickets and some have a vegetarian diet. And not all herps drink from a bowl, some obtain fluids from a 'drip system.' 
to ask a herp client is, 'Does the pet have aggression issues?' (Some pythons can be mean.) It is also important to find out if the creature is legal to own in that particular state. 
care for it. In fact, one of our five herp clients does reptile rescue. My staff and I have even witnessed a few hatchings - that was really exciting! 