Pine and Cedar
Did you know you shouldn't use pine or cedar bedding for your rodents, herps, inverts, birds, or really any small animal? Want to know why?
By now most people know better than to use cedar bedding for their small animals, however, many people are unaware that pine can be just as deadly. Cedar will usually kill a hamster or a mouse in several weeks or less. This is mainly due to the overwhelming fumes it gives off. Its just too potent for their tiny lungs to handle. Cedar also contains harmful oils, aromatic hydrocarbons, phenols, and dust, which will lead to respiratory problems and eventually an early death.
Do you really want your pet living in those oils and fumes? Pine oil is used in household cleaners (even has pine in the name). Phenols are toxic organic compounds. They're often a byproduct of dye and resin manufacturing, tanning and textile, and petroleum refining. They're also one of the ingredients in eucalyptus leaves that makes them toxic. Hydrocarbons are compounds containing various amounts of hydrogen and carbon (hence the name). They're found primarily in fossil fuels. Some hydrocarbons are major air pollutants, some are carcinogenic (cancer causing), while others contribute to photochemical smog. So, by now you may have realized that cedar contains some nasty stuff for your pet, but read on.
You may notice that pine and cedar have similar aromas. That's because pine also contains harmful oils, fumes, phenols, and the like, just not as much as cedar, which is why its scent isn't quite as strong. This doesn't mean its safe to use though. It will still cause respiratory illnesses, and will more than likely shorten your pet's lifespan, but it will drag out their suffering longer than cedar will. Pine bedding also tends to contain a lot of dust. I admit that I used to use pine for my rodents years ago, but ever since I stopped, I've noticed my rats have been living twice as long, and they're all free of respiratory problems. When housing rodents, safe alternatives to pine include aspen, paper towels, Care fresh Ultra (not regular Care fresh, its too dusty), and Yesterday's News cat litter. When housing certain snakes or monitor lizards, aspen, paper towels, newspaper, or a more natural substrate may be used, such as bark mulch or moss, depending on your species' requirements.
UVA and UVB
Did you know your reptile absolutely needs exposure to UVB radiation?
Well, ok, so not ALL reptiles need it, but a huge portion of them do. Snakes are exempt from this rule, as are most nocturnal lizards. However, all chelonians, crocodilians, and the majority of lizards need regular exposure to UVB light.
]UVB is ultraviolet light in the spectrum between 280 and 300 nanometers (nm). UVA is between 320 and 400 nm. It's closer to the visible spectrum than UVB, and can actually be seen by some reptiles. UVA isn't really necessary for any fital bodily functions. However, since it can be seen by some reps, its absence would mean that things would appear the wrong colours to your pet. Imagine if you woke up one day and everything you recognized was the wrong colour! As you can imagine, this is very stressful, so UVA is fital to keeping your reps happy and healthy.
Although UVA plays its role, UVB is far more important. In short, without it, your reptile will die. Basking reptiles need exposure to UVB in order to allow calcium into their bodies. Here's how it works. UVB is absorbed by the skin where it generates vit. D3, which isn't really a vitamin, but more like a hormone. The D3 then travels through the bloodstream to the liver and the kidneys where it regulates the absorption of calcium into the body. No UVB, no calcium. UVB exposure does not generate calcium though, it only allows your reptile to use the calcium you give it. Oh, and don't worry, any light that produces UVB automatically produces UVA. You have to pass through A to get to B.
This doesn't end there. Even if you use calcium supplements, and provide UVB lights, it may not be enough. Unlike UVA, UVB can't pass through glass, plastic, water, or fine mesh. Fluorescent UVB lights need to be closer than 12 inches from the reptile to even be effective, and they also need to be replaced every 6 months cause they stop producing UVB. Some lights only produce 2% UVB, which is pretty near worthless. 5-7% is a much better figure. Mercury vapour lights generate much more UVB, and can project it several times the length a fluorescent can. They also can produce heat, doubling as a basking light. They're more expensive, but actually save you money in the long run cause they last much longer than fluoros.
If you have a basking reptile, UVB exposure is a necessity. Take care to provide the proper levels of UV exposure, temperatures, and photoperiod for your reptile when supplying UVB light. Also watch out for misleading packaging. The only way you know if it produces UVB is if it says so on the package. For fluorescent UVB I recommend Zoo Med's Reptisun 5.0, and for MV lighting, try Megaray's line of SB lights.
Chlorine and Distilled Water
Did you know that both chlorinated water and distilled water are dangerous for your amphibians?
Actually, chlorinated water should never be given for any small animals. It's not good for reptiles, and in small rodents it's been suspected to cause crystals forming in the kidneys. However, chlorine and even distilled water pose special dangers to amphibians. Here's why.
Amphibians are unique among the animals. They are born in the water, morph, then take on an entirely new form and a whole new way of life. Only certain insects have a similar growing cycle. Amphibians also have the remarkable ability to absorb water and oxygen through their skin. In fact, they take in more oxygen through their skin than they do from breathing normally. Some salamanders have even evolved to have vestigial lungs! Amazing this may be, but its just the water absorbing ability I'm going to discuss here.
Anyone who keeps amphibians as pets may notice that they've never witnessed their frog or salamander takes a drink of water. Well, everyone knows that without water amphibians dry up and die, so how can they afford not to drink? The answer is that they do take in water; they just don't drink it like most other creatures. They simply absorb the water directly into their bodies. Since water can move in, it can also move out, which is why amphibians need so much moisture. This ability poses some problems for keepers though. When that water is absorbed, the stuff that’s in it is also taken in.
People put chlorine in their tap water to kill stuff. It keeps our water a little more sanitary. It also makes our water dangerous for an amphibian. For this reason, you need to dechlorinate your tap water with either a water filter or with the aide of a dechlorinating agent, such as Stress Coat or Reptisafe. Many ask, "Why not just use distilled water?". This may seem like a good idea, but it can actually kill your pet. Distilled water has nothing in it. Absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, this means that when your frog is sitting in distilled water, he's not getting any minerals out of it like he would normal water. It also means that minerals he already had in his body will leave his body and enter the water in an effort to balance the amount of substances in and out of the frog. If I remember my high school biology, this process is called osmosis, or something similar. Sorry Mrs. Jossart, I knew I should have read that chapter.
In short, don't use tap water or distilled water for your amphibians. Use bottled, filtered, or a dechlorinator to keep your Kermit hopping, healthy, and happy.
http://www.freewebs.com/rodents2reptiles/didyouknow.htm
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