Pets West
195 South Highway 92
Sierra Vista, AZ 85636
(520) 459-4215

REPTILES AND SUPPLIES

Reptiles: our selection of reptiles vary with seasonal availability of the animals. We do, however, usually have a good selection of farm raised Iguanas at very reasonable prices.

We can special order reptiles for you. We deal with a few very reputable sources that only ship grade A quality animals. If you don't see what you want, please ask.

Supplies: we have a complete selection of reptile supplies. From terrariums to heat rocks, specialty lighting to special foods, you'll find everything you need - in stock!

Please take some time and read our information sheet on Salmonella.

Pets West on Water Turtles
(an information sheet)

The less you handle your turtle, the better it will do. This is particularly important during the first few months of ownership.

Food

Feed your turtle every 2 to 3 days. If it gets too skinny, feed more. If it gets too fat, feed less.

Water turtles need to be in water to feed. If they find food on a land area, they will run to the closed water source, so they can swallow. Water turtles are predominantly carnivores, but often like to get some fruit and greens. Experiment with a good mix of food items and find out what your turtle likes best.

Don’t just feed one kind of food. In the wild, turtles eat a very varied diet.

The best food seems to be feeder guppies or goldfish, crickets and a commercial food such as Reptomin pellets.

Other good foods include: nightcrawlers (make sure they are not raised on manure), mealworms (not very nutritious), tubifex (not much nutritional value), canned cat food (don’t feed too often), occasional lettuce (wash well) or spinach, melon and other fruits.

Keep introducing different foods, even if the turtle doesn’t eat them initially.

Vitamins and Minerals

A perfect diet will contain all the vitamins necessary, but since we rarely are able to achieve this in captivity it is a good idea to supplement. Most bird vitamins will work well for turtles.

Calcium is very important to turtles. A cuttlefish bone in the tank will be nibbled on by most turtles and supplies extra calcium. Get a new one when the old one gets slimy! Pets West also carries calcium supplements especially for reptiles.

Vitamin A, if lacking, will cause loss of appetite and swollen, runny eyes. This is a common symptom in turtles not fed properly.

Vitamin D3 is synthesized in a turtle’s body using natural sunlight or a full spectrum fluorescent light. This is VERY important. Please be sure to read the next section on light.

Light

Turtles need several hours of exposure to natural sunlight every day. This helps them synthesize vitamin D3. If you keep your pet out doors, and there is sun and shade available in the enclosure, you don’t have to worry. If your turtle is indoors all the time, you have to provide a source of UVB light. Full spectrum lights (ones that produce UVB) are available. Please ask us to show you some examples. The bulbs are fairly expensive but mandatory if you are going to keep your turtle inside away from sunlight.

Turtles need a basking light. Use a clip lamp with a 60watt bulb over the top of the terrarium.

If your turtle will not eat …

Is the turtle kept warm enough? If turtles get too cool, they will stop eating.

Does the turtle like the food you offer? Try out different foods. Some turtles can be very finicky eaters, especially in the beginning. And they have definite likes and dislikes. Most turtles will eventually take small earthworms that are wiggling in front to their nose.

Is your turtle exposed to too much stress? This is often a cause in new animals. Stress can be caused by handling, traveling and tank mates.

Is your turtle healthy? Not eating can be a symptom of other problems.

Don’t panic! A turtle can go without food for weeks, even months, and when it feels well again, it will eat again. See a vet, if you think you are doing everything right, and the animal does not eat for more than two weeks.

Turtles carrying disease?

You will be given a hand-out on salmonella when you purchase your turtle. Please take the time to read it - particularly if you have small children!

If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at 459-4215 or email at svpets@c2i2.com

Thanks for choosing Pets West … the people and pet place!

Pets West Salmonella Info-Bit

Each year in the United States, approximately 40,000 cases of salmonella poisoning (samonellosis) are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is believed that as many as 100 times more cases go unreported.

Salmonella, a bacterium that thrives in the intestinal tract, can causefood poisoning, gastrointestinal inflammation, typhoid fever or septicemia (blood poisoning). It is the most common cause of food poisoning reported in the United States, accounting for almost half of all food-borne illnesses combined.

Where does salmonella come from?

From household pets…Household pets, including cats, dogs, turtles, reptiles and chicks, may carry salmonella which can spread from pets to children.

From our food supply… Our food can become contaminated with salmonella when animals used for food production ingest contaminated feed and fertilizer. Then, because of improper handling or inadequate cooking the bacteria are not destroyed. Commonly susceptible foods include raw and under cooked eggs and egg products, raw milk and raw milk products, raw meat and poultry. To safeguard against salmonella poisoning, all foods from animal sources should be thoroughly cooked or pasteurized. Leftover foods should be refrigerated promptly. When susceptible foods are left at room temperature for extended periods of time, bacteria can grow.

From the soil…Because salmonella is found in human and animal feces and often contaminates soil, foods grown on the ground, such as cantaloupes, lettuce and tomatoes, may become tainted with salmonella bacteria. Such foods should be thoroughly washed and rinsed to prevent the spread of salmonella to the edible parts.

From person to person…Intestinal infections can pass from one person to another via food and water if good personal hygiene is not followed, such as when an infected person whose hands are contaminated with salmonella bacteria handles food.

From cross contamination...Salmonella can be spread during food preparation if hands, cutting boards and utensils are contaminated by infected foods. Wash hands after contact with raw food of animal origin. Disinfect cutting boards and utensils between uses.

Symptoms of salmonella food poisoning come on suddenly, betweensix and 48 hours after eating contaminated food. In adults, symptoms mayinclude: headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and mild fever. Infants may have fever with diarrhea and appear very ill. The illness usually lasts from one to five days, but some diarrhea and poor appetite can linger for more than a week.

Are you susceptible to salmonellosis?

Healthy people are less likely to become sick from salmonella because normal stomach acidity prevents the growth of the bacteria. However, the very old, very young and anyone with a poor immune system are more susceptible to this bacterial invasion.

Reptiles and salmonella

A high proportion of reptiles (turtles, lizards, snakes) carry salmonella. To prevent exposure to this bacteria from reptiles, Pets West recommends the following steps:

Children should not handle reptiles until they can understand that they cannot "kiss" their pet herps, and that they must never put their pets in their mouths! Children should be taught that they must wash their hands with soap after handling their pets, the dishes or cages, and the children should be closely supervised while they interact with their herps.

Keep reptiles out of the kitchen or other areas where food for human consumption is prepared or eaten.

Never allow your herp to swim or soak in the kitchen sink (or bathtubs used for humans). It is also very bad practice to wash equipment and/or dump water bowls into the kitchen sink.

Keep herps away from high-risk people: infants, small children, geriatric folks, HIV positive people, people suffering from autoimmmune disease, or those on immunosuppressive therapy. People that are more susceptible to bacterial infections should avoid herps.

Keep the habitats clean and well ventilated.

Reptiles make excellent pets. In many cases, particularly with the common lizards, snakes and turtles, reptiles are good "starter" pets for children. But just because a reptile is inexpensive doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good pet for a small child to play with unsupervised.

Education is the key. By practicing simple hygiene procedures - such as washing your hands and not drinking the lizard’s water - keeping a reptile can be a safe and enjoyable hobby.

If you have any questions, please give us a call. We’ll be happy to try and answer all of your questions. Thanks for choosing Pets West - the people and pet place.

Pets West
Email

(520) 459-4215