RebYell
New Member
- Messages
- 1
- Location
- The Great State of Georgia
Hello, I am new to this forum, and I come with a broad question.
How do I improve the life of my lizard? She is a five year old lizard I acquired from ++++++++ years ago, and she has been living and thriving just fine. She is not sick, nor has she ever been, she is not unhappy from what I can tell, but I feel like I could do a lot more for her.
She is in a 20 gallon long tank, she does not have a light, but because of the way I have her and my beardie's tank set up, the heat from the tank below her emits into hers, keeping it a comfortable 78 degrees or so. I would like to get her a proper tank set up with a light and put her in my bedroom, but that is for another day. Regardless, I have a large cave for her, a small cave which sticks to the glass with magnets and allows me to pull the outside of it away and observe her in her cave. She has outgrown it, but still hides in there without getting stuck. Paper towels are her substrate currently, and she enjoys mealworms, the occasional cricket, and a vitamin/calcium spray supplement that covers her food.
But I still feel I can do more for her. I work at ++++++++ as a Pet Care Associate. I see the Leos we have in those tanks, and they come out, greet me in the morning, and are fairly active during the day for a nocturnal animal. But Chip, my Leo, is often found hiding in her cave, and even under the paper towel, both day and night, only coming out to eat and relieve herself. This is fine, I know she is nt unwell, but I worry that I may not be doing enough for her. I see other Leos out and enjoying the day, sometimes forming more crepuscular patterns in order to be around their owners.
Is there something I can do to encourage her to be a bit more active? I don't want to force her away from her primal urges and instincts for the sake of my entertainment, but perhaps it is more than that. Do I need to put her tank in a quieter area of the house? Do I need to make her tank more natural/realistic?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Much obliged,
RebYell
How do I improve the life of my lizard? She is a five year old lizard I acquired from ++++++++ years ago, and she has been living and thriving just fine. She is not sick, nor has she ever been, she is not unhappy from what I can tell, but I feel like I could do a lot more for her.
She is in a 20 gallon long tank, she does not have a light, but because of the way I have her and my beardie's tank set up, the heat from the tank below her emits into hers, keeping it a comfortable 78 degrees or so. I would like to get her a proper tank set up with a light and put her in my bedroom, but that is for another day. Regardless, I have a large cave for her, a small cave which sticks to the glass with magnets and allows me to pull the outside of it away and observe her in her cave. She has outgrown it, but still hides in there without getting stuck. Paper towels are her substrate currently, and she enjoys mealworms, the occasional cricket, and a vitamin/calcium spray supplement that covers her food.
But I still feel I can do more for her. I work at ++++++++ as a Pet Care Associate. I see the Leos we have in those tanks, and they come out, greet me in the morning, and are fairly active during the day for a nocturnal animal. But Chip, my Leo, is often found hiding in her cave, and even under the paper towel, both day and night, only coming out to eat and relieve herself. This is fine, I know she is nt unwell, but I worry that I may not be doing enough for her. I see other Leos out and enjoying the day, sometimes forming more crepuscular patterns in order to be around their owners.
Is there something I can do to encourage her to be a bit more active? I don't want to force her away from her primal urges and instincts for the sake of my entertainment, but perhaps it is more than that. Do I need to put her tank in a quieter area of the house? Do I need to make her tank more natural/realistic?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Much obliged,
RebYell
