There are quite a few herp species that inhabit tropical savanna—habitat that is too dry to be rain forest, but too wet and vegetated to be desert. Obviously, these examples are nowhere near all inclusive of the possibilities out there.
They are examples of mixed-species vivaria that I have either maintained personally in the past, currently, or successfully maintained by my colleagues at other zoological parks. They are also not lists of guaranteed success either; mixed-species vivaria always carry a certain degree of risk and should only be attempted after much thought and preparation is done on the part of the keeper to ensure a harmonious existence for all species involved.
Mixing species can be loaded with potential—potential for a rewarding vivarium or for disaster. How well your mixed-species enclosure turns out depends on how much time and effort you put into planning and setting it up, and how well you plan for unexpected outcomes, such as incompatible individuals.
Many hobbyists write off setting up such a vivarium based upon the potential for failure alone, which is perfectly reasonable. Mixing species is by no means easy, and it is probably best left to the most experienced herpkeepers, as they will be more experienced in detecting abnormal behavior or correcting environmental problems such as low humidity or improper temperatures.
I have found mixing species, and watching them interact as they would in nature, to be a reward as great as any in the hobby. Good luck! Since first breeding fire-bellied toads in , he has kept and bred 76 species of herps, including tentacled snakes, Panamanian golden frogs, hellbenders and Uroplatus geckos.
Ashley Troy Quick December 13, pm. Big Boxes More Reptile Reading Newer Post. Older Post. Different species have different light, heat, humidity, and temperature requirements. In general, groups of same species females may be housed together with or without one male. However, only one male should be kept in the tank, as males tend to be more territorial than females and are more likely to fight.
This is just a rule-of-thumb, as females can fight with each other as well, and individual males may torment females when they want to mate and are rebuffed. Therefore, regardless of gender combinations in a tank, when a new reptile is added and the social hierarchy is reconfigured, tank-mates need to be monitored closely for fighting. If any aggressive behavior is noted, reptiles should be separated immediately before injury ensues. When stressed by a change in environment, a seemingly healthy reptile can break with disease such as gastrointestinal parasites when introduced into its new enclosure.
This can result in illness and even death for the newly introduced reptile or for the existing pets. Therefore, housing the new introduction separately for at least a month while monitoring it for signs of sickness can help prevent tragic loss. A second pet in a tank means twice as much fecal and urine production and twice as much wasted food.
All this waste can build up in a tank quickly, leading to high ammonia levels, poor quality living conditions, and increased chance of infection spread. Thus, more than one pet in a tank means both more frequent spot cleaning of bedding and more frequent complete tank disinfection.
If the tank is aquatic, with more than one turtle in a larger tank, there will be more waste in the water, requiring a more powerful filter. All of this translates into more work for more than one pet.
As a note, chameleons may look laid back, but they do not fare well with any cage mates, including other chameleons. Any time you acquire a new herp and plan to introduce it to your existing terrarium, you should keep it separated from your other reptiles and amphibians for about two to three months. Failing to quarantine a new pet could result in the loss of every animal in your terrarium. Parasites and other diseases will quickly spread through your herp collection.
You are always taking a risk when you combine specimens in one housing setup. For example, certain species of dart frog such as D. Introducing a new animal into an existing enclosure requires a few extra measures to make it as safe as possible in addition to all the above. Firstly, we strongly recommend quarantining any new animals before introducing them to others. You want to be sure that your new animal does not carry anything illness or parasites etc. Therefore a new animal being introduced should not be seen as invading territory.
Once the animals have been introduced to each other, keep a close eye on them over the next few hours to days — as much as possible. Usually, if serious physical aggression is to appear, it will present itself early on, and if it does happen, you want to be able to stop it as soon as possible. As mentioned previously, bullying can take the form of physical aggression or psychological bullying through dominancy. The former is easy to spot as you will see injuries particularly to the legs, tail and back of the neck.
The sooner you spot evidence of injuries the better. If you follow all the advice above then with a bit of luck you will have no problems housing two or more animals together successfully. An enclosure, housing multiple animals successfully can be a rewarding experience and will produce a fascinating display.
However please remember that even following all the advice perfectly cannot guarantee that two animals will get along and you should be prepared to separate animals if necessary. Caresheets With over 50 years collective experience in the reptile trade we have a wealth of knowledge on offer to help with any reptile related problems you may have.
Housing Reptiles Together The following advice is mainly aimed at non-snake reptile species. Space and Husbandry Changes First and foremost, if you intend on housing two animals or more, together, you will need to be able to provide an enclosure big enough. Size Probably the most important factor in determining the success of housing animals together.
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