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Almost everything you need to know about pet care.
Reptiles - Terrarium (Terranium)
The basic home for a reptile is a glass or plexi aquarium used as a terrarium, topped with a secure lockable lid. You can start with a 60 litre tank and go up from there.
Aquatic turtles need a large terrarium with a filtration system. You will need to add a raised piece of cork bark to one corner and add a basking lamp over the cork bark area so your turtle can 'sun bathe' and completely dry off. A 60 litre tank is large enough for an aquatic turtle up to 5cm in length.
As your turtle grows it will need a larger filtered terrarium. Snakes need a living area that is at least half as long as their length, and at least one third of their body length in width. A 1 metre long snake needs a terrarium that's about 35 cm wide and at least 50 cm in length. Lizards can go into a glass terrarium, but some of them, particularly chameleons, need more air circulation and may be happier in a wire mesh reptile cage.
The terrarium needs a substrate, disposable, absorbent flooring. Natural substrates such as sand, mulch or any commercially produced pelleted or shaved substrates are preferred to newspaper because they look better, are more absorbent, provide more grip for the creature to push against when moving about the enclosure, and may provide some burrowing opportunities for lizards and snakes.
The water dish, drip waterer, or misting system is a critical factor in reptile husbandry.
 At night snakes and lizards like to use a 'hide' area.
For tortoises, the cage area should be at least 16 times the footprint of the shell; a 15cm tortoise needs as a minimum a reptile cage that is four shell-width's wide, or 60cm wide, and about four times the shell's length in length, or 60cm. That gives a 15cm long tortoise a tank the size of a 90 litre aquarium, which is okay for a month to two. For longer (summer) periods the tortoise needs to go in an outdoor enclosure or into an indoor enclosure that's about 120cm square.
 Look at unique terrarium designs from Hagen Exo-Terra here with zooplus and
give your special pet a special place!
Hagen Exo Terra Explorarium 45 - transportable net-terrarium for reptiles
and amphibians.
The Exo Terra Explorarium is extremely easy to setup. Simply remove it from
the carrying case, undo the two side buttons, then hang it in your preferred
location.
The durable nylon provides optimal ventilation and allows ultraviolet rays
from fluorescent UVB lights, or the sun, to penetrate deep inside the enclosure
All advantages of Hagen Exo Terra Explorarium 45 in short overview:
Easy and fast to setup,
For indoor and outdoor use,
Extremely easy to transport,
Extra-strong nylon mesh,
Optimal ventilation, Escape proof.
Further possible uses:
In the wild
The Exo Terra Explorarium is light-weight, compact and extremely easy to set
up, making it the favourite tool for herpetologists and researchers in the field.
During research, the collected reptiles or amphibians can be kept stress free
and within their natural temperature and air humidity range without the risk
of overheating or suffocation.
Outdoors
Besides excellent ventilation, the "open-air" concept allows beneficial
sun-rays to reach the animals inside, making the Exo Terra Explorarium the ideal
outdoor basking enclosure for full UVB radiation exposure. Due to the strong
nylon mesh and durable construction, the Explorarium can be used as a permanent
outdoor enclosure in warmer climates or as a temporary enclosure during sunny
and warmer days in colder climates. The included Exo Terra Flextray can be used
to hold substrate and/or contain liquids inside the enclosure.
Indoors
The Exo Terra Explorarium provides optimal ventilation - very important for a
number of reptile species (e.g. Chameleons). An incandescent light fixture (e.g.
Exo Terra's Glow Light) can be easily mounted inside the enclosure. The nylon
mesh allows ultraviolet rays from fluorescent UVB lights to penetrate deep inside
the enclosure. The Explorarium can also be positioned in front of windows, without
the risk of overheating, as is common with glass terrariums. The included Exo
Terra Flextray can be used to hold substrate and/or contain liquids inside the
enclosure.
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