HerpTime

Time to make it rain 🌧️ in this rain chamber 💦 What’s a rain chamber? Exactly what it sounds like. To induce breeding in these red eye tree frogs, I’ll have to mimic heavy rainfall, and there’s no better enclosure I’ve found to do it in than a @zoomedlabs Paludarium! With up to 20 gallons of space for water below and lots of height and depth for frogs to get busy, it’s definitely the go-to. Just some pvc pipe and a pump is all it takes to create the rain infrastructure. Red eye tree frogs are nocturnal, so gonna have to dim the lights to get the breeding to start. Just a few short flash videos to show you all what’s going on in the chamber, but I didn’t want to disturb them too much when they were getting in the mood. Naturally, red eyes lay their eggs on leaves, but I think they like the Paludarium just as much as I do… so they decided to lay their eggs on the actual glass instead! Unlike what many people may typical think about frogs, a lot of species lay their eggs outside of water, and red eyes are one of them. these eggs will develop quickly (in about a week) and will bust out of the gelatinous egg mass almost in sync, each one wiggling free, triggering the next. Once in the water, it’ll only take a couple of months for these new tadpoles to sprout legs, lose their tails, and crawl out as mini versions of their parents. And all I had to do was make it rain! #HerpTime #frog #asmr #satisfying

Time to season some crickets 🦗🧂with some ZooMed Repti Calcium and Reptivite 💊 I always get asked “whats the white stuff?” when I post a feeding video: calcium and multivitamin. Specifically from @Zoo Med Laboratories, Inc. which is truthfully my favorite brand for supplements. I use these to enhance and enrich the feeder insects I give to my lizards. This is because the insects we feed in captivity don’t always necessarily contain all the vitamins and minerals our lizards would be eating in the wild, so adding it makes sure they get everything they need for healthy growth, bodily function, and successful reproduction. I prefer the ZooMed supplements not only because they fulfill the nutritional needs for my animals, and I’ve produced multiple healthy generation of lizard using almost exclusively these two products, but because it’s the best product I’ve found to stick to the feeders!! Effortlessly, the calcium and vitamins will attach to crickets or other feeders when shaken well, and will not come off for nearly an indefinite period of time! Other brands don’t adhere well or eventually start to fall off after a bit of time. I haven’t found that problem with this product! And I don’t think the lizards mind it one bit. I always get a kick out of watching my lizards eat, and I hope you will too, Enjoy! #HerpTime #reptile #lizard #asmr #satisfying

I put my lizards in a refrigerator 3 months ago, and today I take them out. In order to trigger breeding in these Madrean alligator lizards (Elgaria kingii) I need to put them in brumation. Brumation is a reptiles version of hibernation where they basically don’t move much and wait for spring. They never truly “fall asleep” but their heart rate, breathing, and metabolism slow down and use nearly zero energy. Naturally, with the change of seasons, they would go under ground and prepare for winter. Since these lizards are in captivity, I have to artificially create winter. Without putting the lizards into brumation, they wouldn’t know it’s spring (once winter is over), and wouldn’t know it’s time to make more babies. I do not feed them 2 weeks before brumation, to totally flush out their systems since any food left would go undigested in the cold temperatures and would essentially rot in their bodies. Once off of food and ready to go, I drop them down to about 55-50 degrees Fahrenheit. They stayed at this temperature for 3 months. In nature, they may get much cooler, but it’s not necessary to get them much colder as it can get risky. And low 50s is enough for them to get the memo it’s time to snooze! Once out, I’ll warm them back up over the course of a week or two and put them on a heavy feeding schedule to fatten up the girls for egg laying! Let’s hope for some eggs and babies soon! #HerpTime #reptile #lizard

Speed run making a baby gecko with me! These are ashy geckos (sphaerodactylus elegans), a very easy to keep species of micro gecko. The babies pop out looking like little highlighters and are adorable, but I think the even more incredible feat of nature is how the females lay eggs. This female will go thru this process of laying one large egg (in relation to her body size) at a time. Sometimes once a month, sometimes in even shorter intervals! All species of sphaerodactylus lay one egg at a time just like this, and I find it amazing what their little bodies are able to accomplish. Just the amount of space in the body the egg takes up, and the energy and nutrients it takes to create such a proportionately large egg. Extremely taxing on their bodies, yet they can lay several in a breeding season! Just another reason to be amazed by these little geckos. #HerpTime #reptile #gecko #microgecko

First official frog 🐸 post on HerpTime? You know it 🙌 This next @Reptile Super Show I plan to bring many different captive bred species of frogs, and so many other vendors will as well, per usual! Fun video just showing off some frogs I enjoy and the goofy vocalizations they make. These are just a few of the species I’ve started working with in the past year. This is HERP-time after all, and frogs are definitely herps… and it is ALWAYS HerpTime! I’ve kept amphibians on and off for 20 years, but this time it’s not just a phase 👨‍🎤 lots of research, learning the hard way, and learning by example, I’m excited to have a few spawns under the belt at the HQ😅 A life time more of learning left, I hope all my fellow herp enthusiasts don’t mind a frog video in the mix of HerpTime content 🫡 come learn alongside me, since that’s the best part about this hobby; you’ll never know it all, and when you think you do, you haven’t even scratched the surface! Oh, and don’t forget to attend the Reptile Super Show! #HerpTime #animals #reptile #frog

Creating a cliff side cage with styrofoam and cement ⚒️ this @zoomedlabs reptihabitat enclosure is a size I really like for raising multiple baby lizard in, with both plenty of height and space for them. Great size that I don’t really see anywhere else. This enclosure is designed to be a Cuban cliff side for some of my baby Cuban cliff anoles (anolis bartschi). I start off by carving styrofoam to create the cliff ledges. I orient them all at a similar angle to create the affect that the cliff face is multiple layers of natural stone face. Once the ledges are in place with tape, I go in with expanding foam to fill in all the other areas and add to the ledges. A day later when dry, time to carve to get closer to the final product. The carved foam is then covered with plastic cement, which is very easily maliable depending on the amount of water added. I use sponges to create a natural “sand stone” texture. A few days later and the cement has cured. Cuban cliff anoles are a species that will do well in cooler ambient temps compared to other anoles, which allows for the use of mosses on the cliff face since they won’t get too hot or dry. The hydro balls and reptisoil that ZooMed offer is also a favorite of mine for bioactive enclosures like this! Planting kept a little spars just so I can more easily observe the babies’ growth and development. This enclosure will serve its purpose in raising up my baby cliff anoles until they’re ready for their new homes! #HerpTime #reptile #terrarium #asmr

Lizard ASMR feeding 🔊 The last one is definitely the strangest 🍄 feeding my collection is one of my favorite things to do, because not only do I get to check in on the animals but I also get to enjoy watching them enjoying themselves. All these lizards grabbed their food with excitement and I can’t help but think they take pleasure in these meals! #HerpTime #reptile #lizard #asmr #satisfying

I think my lizards are broken! They’re squeaking! Not many lizards are capable of vocalization, but at least 16 species of anoles are, and here are just a few examples in my collection. I explain why they have this ability in the video, but no matter how you look at it, it’s pretty comical. From shrill squeals to soft chirps, the range in all the different species is definitely intriguing. I’m not sure if anyone has taken the time to record video of all the species vocalizing, but here’s a good start to a few! I keep several other species that will vocalize, but comfort of the animal comes first so if they were not cooperating or willing to vocalize in the short time I pulled them out for filming I left them be. This video is for educating about these amazing lizards but of course their comfort must come first. No lizards harmed while filming, just a bit grumpy. Enjoy! #HerpTime #reptile #lizard #learn

I love it ✅ Such phenomenal little works of art each and every one of these geckos is 🎨 Micro geckos over the last few years have become a large interest of mine and you can see why: the variety of all the species, the uniqueness each individual possesses, the understanding behind their tiny eyes, the ease of care, and the ability to house many in a relatively small area! It’s much easier to house and care for 100s of micro geckos than 100s of monitor lizards 🙌 All species in the video can be found on my morph market wink wink 😉 #HerpTime #reptile #lizard #microgecko

The Jamaican turquoise anole (anolis grahami) has to be one of the most exquisitely colored reptiles on the planet! Blue and purple as an adult, yellow and orange as a hatchling! I enjoy breeding this species and there is definitely demand for them as terrarium inhabitants, so I’m happy to supply fellow hobbyists. I remove the eggs from the enclosure because it gives better odds of a higher hatch rate. Hatching in the enclosure is entirely possible, and this species is one that I have never ever seen harm babies. But collecting the eggs allows me to completely control their fragile incubation. If left in the enclosure, soil can get too moist and rot them, soil can become too dry and dehydrate them, temperature may fluctuate into unideal ranges, and rogue feeder insects may turn them into meals. All reasons I collect and artificially incubate. As you can see in the video, eggs are a very soft, pliable texture. They are a thin leathery membrane that will absorb water all of incubation. Once hatched, care of the baby is identical to the adults. Within 10-12 months, this orange baby will look very similar to the male shown in this video. Even females get the bright turquoise body and purple tail! Anolis grahami is a fairly outgoing species and make such amazing displays, tolerating a range of temperatures and humidities in the home terrarium. And come on, those colors are second to none! Next enclosure you plan to set up, consider planning one for a cool anole species like grahami! #HerpTime #reptile #lizard #anole