Pet Care Articles from PETCO

Articles

Reptile - Care

Climate Control for the Cold-Blooded
Your amphibian will thrive best in an environment that closely resembles its natural habitat. This habitat should provide your pet with the adequate temperature ranges (to digest food and fight disease), the correct light and dark periods (to hunt for ...

Your Reptile's Environmental Needs
Since reptiles live in vastly different climates around the world, there is no single ideal environment for your pet. Be sure to research your snake, lizard or turtle of choice so you can design a vivarium to suit his particular needs. To keep your ...

Cage Cleaning
Herpetologists and veterinarians alike recommend regular and thorough cleaning, sterilization and disinfection of your pet's enclosure to maintain disease-free living conditions. If your reptile or amphibian (herp) lives in a land habitat, you must ...

Reptile Routine
Routine is extremely important to your reptile. They are sensitive to the slightest change in their environment or routine. Any change can cause your pet stress, which can negatively impact his health. Providing a hiding place and following a consistent ...

Sleeping Reptiles
What is hibernation? The extended sleep period known as hibernation is a survival mechanism that keeps many reptiles from starving when food becomes scarce. Often depicted as a cozy winter nap, it's really a crucial time when a reptile's body functions ...

Herp Housecleaning
Because reptiles and amphibians are particularly susceptible to infection and disease, it's important for owners to keep their environment as clean as possible. You'll worry less about your pet staying healthy if you set up a program for maintaining a ...

Essential Lighting
The right rays are essential to your reptile's health and happiness.

Creating a Second Nature
Green iguanas - whether in the wild or in your home - want to bask on branches in the heat of the day. Here's how to help your herp follow his instinctive habits. Matters to Digest To understand a pet's needs in captivity, you need to know ...

Cold Blood, Warm Holiday
While many people's holiday thoughts turn to kittens and puppies decked out in red bows, others dream fondly of a pet that is a little more scaly and cold-blooded. Snakes may not be considered a typical holiday mascot, but they can be wonderful, easy to ...

Reptile Handling
Read our recommendations for preventing the transmission of infectious diseases in reptiles.