Mixing species -PLEASE READ

[Lex]

Hi there are two very seperate schools of thought on mixing, both have some very valid points and neither I feel should be dismissed out of hand, there is another thread I started outlining the parameters you should follow if you are to make this work, but like i said, read both the threads, then make an educated descision, somethings really dont do well as play mates.
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/lizar...now-could.html

[tonfifty]

i am new to keeping lizards and found your info helpful thank you

[robbo101]

i just think its down to experience and luck really i have always wanted to mix but never really took the risk and i dont think i will

[jaguarfold]

didnt want to srart a war just i have a white spot and a gargoile in together and they r fine just asking if a a flying gecko would go with them

[Tomato Frog]

Hi everyone,

I have to agree that most of the time if you are trying to maintain a certain species in the best possible conditions for breeding or display then it is easier to cater for just their particular needs in one enclosure. That said, there are situations where mixing species of reptile and/or amphibian does work.

Space is an important consideration, and stress induced lactic acid build up is a killer in herps. Ensuring that all of the species present have enough space to exhibit normal behaviour is essential!

I have maintained some mixed species exhibits with great success in the past, but have ALWAYS ensured that the organisms present come from the same bio-geographical range. They do not have to occupy the same niche in the wild (indeed this can cause stress as they compete for the exact same resources), but rather have been exposed to similar biological stresses (bacteria, fungi, etc) and so do not bring potential problems with them that could affect their new co-habitants adversly. Even captive bred individuals can still carry microbes from their distant wild caught relatives, be warned!!

Those who are willing to put in the time to reaserch where their herps share the same range and have the space to provide a suitable recreation of the natural environmental conditions will do well with mixing species. If you plan to 'throw' certain species together to save space, then I'm affraid that in the long term things will probably turn out for the worst.

Cheers,

PJ

[gecko101]

ok....

[arthur cooke]

Hi, I've kept mixed species vivs for about 25 or so years.
A couple of points I'd like to make, stress is not all bad,reptiles will meet stress in the wild and have a means of coping with it and low levels will help keep the reptile alert and behave like it would in the wild.
Once you have reptiles in the same house it would be almost impossible to stop bacteria, viruses etc moving from one reptile to another and if you for example buy from a pet shop, then this may have happened already.
The larger the viv, the more micro environments will be produced and it is fairly easy to produce micro environments in a large viv,some areas wetter, hotter, cooler etc.
It's an advantage to have reptiles that are active at different times as this means they aren't all hunting, basking at the same time.
Mixed vivs need not contain only reptiles, in mine I would keep land hermit crabs,giant millies and fruit beetles and worms, the beetle grubs are good food when small and like worms will help get rid of food waste and small amounts of reptile waste/poo.
In my last viv I also kept a pair of tiny finches which did very well and bred.
Mixed vivs need a great deal of extra thought and planning, especialy if they are also naturalistic with plants etc.
My last viv was 8ft x 8ft x 3ft and was lit by a 400w HPS, a 4ft florescent and 2 100w mercury vapour lamps, heating was underground soil heaters x 2 and whatever the lights produced.
Hope that was a bit helpful.
cheers arthur

[I Love Reptiles]

Not sure about other species, but i heard that green iguanas can make great lodgers for large tortoises.

[matt020593]

Hey Arthur did you ever get pics of that enclosure? I remember we talked about it earlier in this thread, it sounded amazing.

[donstapley]

just a worrying thought......on other parts of this forum certain members are recommending that tortoise keepers can keep bearded dragons in with them. Is it just me or is there a serious problem with this, and another was saying that it was a good idea to keep a tortoise in with guinea pigs. To me that has bad news written all over it. Obviously some have not yet come across this thread?