Dec 30 2008
Just How Much Have My Herps Grown?
Size means alot in the reptile world. You will need animals that are the right size in order to breed them, or keep them housed together, or to keep them in certain types of enclosures. You will also need to know what size your reptiles are so you can keep track of their growth (especially when they are still babies and juveniles) and in case you need to medicate them. If you take one of your pets to the vet they will probably be weighed there, but it is also a good idea to purchase a scale for your home where you can weigh your animals whenever you feel it is necessary. In most cases a gram scale will be best, as many reptiles such as geckos, baby tortoises, small snake, and lizards will not weigh more than a couple of pounds at the most. My partner and I bought a relatively cheap scale from Bed, Bath, and Beyond that weighs items up to 6.6 lbs, weighs in gram measurements, and figures out how much an animal weighs even if we have to put them in something to get them to stay on the scale. For some of our critters we weighed them on the first day we had the scale and haven’t weighed them since, as they are older reptiles and don’t seem to be having any troubles growing. Others, such as our baby Sulcata Oliver, we are weighing at least once a month (and sometimes more.) We are curious to see just how fast he is growing, so we keep careful track of his weight each time we take it. We also measure his length along his bottom shell, to make sure he is growing properly that way as well. To keep track of each weight taken as well as lengths measured, we keep a notebook with a page for each animal and their stats. I also have marked down their species, gender, latin name, and the date they joined our “family.” This way we have information that we can easily refer back to if needed. Keeping this size information will come in handy when it is time to breed some of our snakes and tortoises, and will also be useful if we ever have a sick reptile and need to give details to our vet. I highly recommend that every herp owner keep a log for their animals as well.
