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A few ideas to use to get your pet safely through a power outage, regardless of the time of year.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
Learn how to care for tropical lizards, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Learn about live insects for reptile feeding, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Learn how to take care of your Crested Gecko, tank size, diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies and equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on December 22nd, 2025
Read more about our recommendations for preventing the transmission of infectious diseases in reptiles. Keep pets safe with these best practices.
Updated on October 23rd, 2025
A RES requires full spectrum lighting (UVA and UVB) and lighting that provides heat. The dry dock, or basking area, should be completely out of the water. Basking temps should range between 90F and 95F (32-35C). You should place the UVA/UVB bulb as close to the heat lamp as possible. It should be no more than 12" away from your RES and should not have a barrier between it and your turtle. Glass, acrylic and plastic block UVB while screens with grids under 1/2" can obstruct a good portion of UVB rays negating the health benefits. Lighting should be on for around 12 hours a day, depending on the time of year. Full UVA/UVB bulbs need replacing every 6 months. The simplest combination for adequate lighting is a UVA/UVB fluorescent bulb and an incandescent light bulb (for heat). Incandescent light bulbs are standard household lights easily purchased at stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. Make sure your RES cannot splash water on it or come into contact with it. You can also consider halogen lights and red heat bulbs for supplemental heat. You can buy the UVA/UVB bulbs at most pet stores. Search in the Reptile section. They can also be purchased online for around $30-$40. ReptiSun 10.0 (by ZooMed) or ReptiGlo lights are quality full spectrum bulbs.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Sliders see very well in the dark. They are mainly active during the day and usually sleep in the water at night. A heat lamp is not necessary unless nighttime temps drop below 65 F. In these cases, you can use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter that will provide heat without visible light.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for your question about Smaug, and thanks for the photo as well! I think that you have a good start to your set up, and that we can tweak a few items. First, your lighting situation appears adequate - I see a UVB light (please change this bulb every 4-6 months), a basking light, and a ceramic heat bulb. I would ensure that your temperatures are appropriate for this species, and that you are monitoring them using digital thermometers (I think that you see both a digital and analog thermometers currently) at the level of Smaug. Analog thermometers are inaccurate, so I don't recommend using them (also, they are high up on the sides of the enclosure, so they wouldn't be giving an accurate temperature read for Smaug). For the cage furniture that you have, I like that you have places for Smaug to climb and hide. However, I would recommend having a hide on both the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side so that Smaug has choices. Same for the climbing structures. I may have missed a food and water dish in the enclosure - I would recommend that both of these be shallow, and be large enough for Smaug's entire body to fit within them. I cannot tell what type of shavings that you have on the bottom of the enclosure, but the only wood shavings that I recommend are aspen shavings. If they are pine, these can be irritating to the respiratory system. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Hi there! Let me see if I can help you with Michelangelo. I read through this article from Reptile Magazine, and it seems to have some good advice on husbandry and diet of the species: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/Turtle-Care/Golden-Thread-Turtle-Care-Tips/ I also really like Austin's Turlte Page for information about turtle husbandry: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-chinesegoldenthread.htm In addition, I would recommend you do try to encourage Michelangelo to bask, whether it be outside in the sun, or under a UVB bulb lamp (monitored of course). It is important for his metabolism to have the UVB lighting. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
A 10 gallon tank can be purchased in the local Petco for less than twenty dollars ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/fish/fish-aquariums-kits/aquariums-up-to-ten-gallons/aqueon-standard-glass-aquarium-tank-10-gallon ). It would be easier to keep and secure than a laundry hamper. Given the temps required for geckos, plastic may not be the best option either. You will need a a heat lamp for day use and maybe a heat source if nighttime temperatures drop below 70 F. You can use slate, reptile carpet, plain paper towels or a coconut fiber substrate. Review gecko care at the link below. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Lizards/Leopard-Gecko/
Updated on September 24th, 2025