With the economy the way it is, we are finding more and more that our customers and many others are having trouble not being able to take care of their animals the way they once used to. We would like all of our readers to know that if you find yourself in this position, we can help you. Lately, we have taken in a few “rescues” and they are all living very happily in various pens/tanks/cages and eating fresh produce/fish daily. We know that it’s hard to get rid of the animals you love due to rough times. It’s heartbreaking any time you have to get rid of an animal that you have loved and raised but sometimes it’s the only option and we are very understanding to each person’s unique situation. We just wanted our friends to know that we can help if/when you need us to. Best wishes to all!
With Summer upon us, we feel there are some very important precautions our customers should be taking with their animals that they may or may not be aware of. We hope the following is helpful to you and if you have any further questions that you will take the time to e-mail us or comment.
When traveling with your reptile or amphibian, do not leave them in your car without the air conditioning running. Also, do not leave them in direct sunlight. Most people will place their animals in deli cups- clear plastic containers with holes around the side that are provided when you buy the animal- this can prove lethal if sunlight is hitting the container. Animals will quickly suffer heat stroke- this can occur in less than a few minutes! You may also want to consider using cold packs to keep the container cool. To do so, place the container in a box and surround the cold pack with newspaper so it is not in direct contact with the animal.
If you keep your pet outdoors, make sure it is capable of living in the elements of your location. Some areas suffer from major extremes where it is upwards of 90 degrees during the day and drops down to the low 50′s at night. This kind of pattern can cause respiratory problems in some species and can actually kill others! Be sure to check their water bowls numerous time throughout the day, not only to check the levels but to be sure that the water isn’t too hot and is clean. To prevent the water temperature from rising to dangerous levels, you may want to place it in a shady area or build a covering for it (kind of like a car port). Also, be sure that you have areas where the animal can retreat to be out of the sunlight. For smaller tortoises and even box turtles, we find that the dog igloos work perfect. Plants that are full around the base are also a great way to provide shade (be sure the plants in the enclosure are not toxic-see our toxic plant list).
Good luck this Summer and be safe!
Tags: care, health, temperature
Another show weekend has come and gone! Repticon is sure getting bigger and better every day. The show was great, the customers were great, and the overall atmosphere was great!
The black throat monitors that we had for sale sold out by Saturday afternoon. We attribute that mostly to our stunning star- the one, the only, Bosco 
How can anyone resist the thought of owning a “terrifying lizard” that likes to be held like a baby?
One of the things we had out for sale that kept amazing customers were our Rough Green Snakes (aka green grass snakes). You may be asking, “What is so amazing about these snakes?” Aside from being gorgeous, the answer is simple: they eat crickets rather than mice and never bite!
We also had tons of “Oohs” and “Aahs” over our salamanders and desert iguanas.
All we have to say is if you didn’t come out, you need to come out to the next one! These shows are simply awing and definitely something worth taking the time to see.
Tags: Repticon Orlando, reptile show
Another show weekend is here. We will be at the Orlando Repticon show this weekend and we have a suprise for our customers. We will finally be bringing some Black Throat monitors for sale! They are 3 juveniles, ranging from approx. 16″ to 2 feet. They are all handleable and are eating frozen/thawed mice.
We will also be bringing a variety of turtles and tortoises, salamanders, newts, axolotls, frogs, desert iguanas and some other lizards.
So come out and see Bosco our 5 foot Black Throat and maybe pick one of your own up!
Tags: black throat monitor, Repticon, reptile show
We now have an official biologist on staff. Samantha graduated Saturday morning from USF with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. Congratulations Samantha!
With school now out of the way, you can be sure we will all soon be seeing a better, more efficient Martins World Exotics.
It’s egg-laying season for the majority of our turtles and tortoises and there are eggs to be dug up everywhere! Today alone we got Cuora flavomarginatas, spotted turtles, redfoot tortoises, Nicaraguan wood turtles, and albino red-eared sliders.
Digging eggs is a morning and evening ritual every day of the week now for the next several months. Which means for us: massive hangnails, dirty/broken fingernails, and lacerations on the finger tips. Why do we have these problems? It is very important that we hand dig the eggs as using a shovel puts the eggs at risk for being broken. It’s tough work but it pays off when you see a cute little face with an egg-tooth looking out at you on hatch day
There are many plants that could prove lethal to your turtle or tortoise so the following list consists of just a *few* of the more common ones:
- Chrysanthemums (“mums”)
- Daffodils
- Euphorbia
- Privet
- Crocus
- Cyclamen
- Delphinium
- Foxglove
- Hydrangea
- Jasmine
- Lilly of the valley
- Lobelia
- Lupine
- Mistletoe
- Potato leaves
- Rhubarb leaves
- Rhododendron
- Wisteria
- Yew
It is imperative that you do not use any toxic garden chemicals such as weed killers, pesticides, mouse/rat/slug poison, etc.
We always recommend Redfoot tortoises for beginners. They are very hardy and easy to take care of. Some other tortoises you might consider are Russian and Hermanns tortoises as they stay small (4-6″ and 8″ respectively).
Tags: tortoise
During egg-laying season it is very important to be sure that your female tortoise/turtle is receiving adequate amounts of calcium to ensure proper egg formation. We do this by placing multiple cuttlebones in their feeding area. We do this every 2 weeks during egg-laying season and once a month in the off season. It is also a good way to ensure that both males and females have calcium available to them at all times to support their bones. Cuttlebones can be found at your local pet store, most grocery stores, and can also be ordered online at http://www.reptilesupply.com.
People have long been told not to feed their reptiles iceberg lettuce because it does not contain enough of the essential nutrients necessary to keep your animal healthy and because it is “mostly water”. Both varieties of lettuce contain the same nutrients however romaine lettuce contains almost 3 times the amount found in iceberg. Iceberg can be fed to your reptile but should not replace romaine or other greens in their diet.