4 Ways to Interact Better with Nocturnal Exotic Pets – The Tye-Dyed Iguana
Photo by David Clode
Are you a night person?
Many exotic pets are most active during the night. And that can make them seem boring to those who use the dark for sleeping.
But if youâre up during that time, you may see your reptile, amphibian, or arachnid climbing, jumping, or digging much more than it does during the day.
What can you do to make the most of this time when you get to see your pet in action?
We have a few suggestionsâ¦
Feed at night
Nocturnal animals have an instinct to eat at night. Thatâs what they would do in their natural habitats, and itâs still what most of them are wired to do.
You can get many nocturnal pets to accept a daytime feeding schedule. But, something pretty cool happens when you feed your nocturnal reptile or amphibian at night.
Youâll likely find your pet much more in the mood to eat. A lot of nocturnal exotic pets display higher levels of excitement for their meal when fed at night.
Make their habitat interesting
If you want to become nighttime buddies with your pet (or even if you plan to hit the sack and leave your pet to its own devices), itâs a great idea to add hides and habitat décor to their terrarium.
If you always check in on your pet during the day, you may think that they donât appreciate the extras in their habitat because theyâre just lying around.
But they may actually be interacting much more with their environment at night. So make sure you provide plenty of stimulating objects for your reptile, amphibian, or arachnid to explore.
It makes for a much happier pet.
Watch easier with red lights
One of the perks of owning a nocturnal exotic pet is that they donât require terrarium lights, like diurnal animals do.
But that also means that when itâs dark in their tank, itâs dark. And you canât see all those interesting things they may be doing in the night.
Of course, you can turn on your lights, but thatâs kind of disturbing for an animal thatâs trying to enjoy the dark (and doesnât need as much light as you to see well).
An option for keeping your petâs vision more comfortable while allowing yourself to see inside their habitat at night is a red incandescent bulb.
Red bulbs provide illumination in the tank without disturbing your petâs day and night cycle as much as other lights would.
Let them be
Finally, one of the best things you can do for your nocturnal pet is not to disturb it. Itâs busy doing its own thing. And reptiles, amphibians, and arachnids are not typically social creatures.
So donât tap on the tank, and donât try to reach in and handle the animal. This is actually a health matter for your pet because too much handling causes stress for many species.
If you have a species that tolerates some handling, you can pick a time when it is alert but not hungry or especially active to get it used to being handled. Also avoid handling just after an animal has eaten because this can affect their digestion.
The Tye-Dyed Iguana is open until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Come in late and get a look at some of the nocturnal animals starting to get moving.
