For smaller critters: Buy plant pot saucers as food/water dishes, really cheap, really shallow and so far no mealworm has escaped them for me (get plastic or glazed ones, not the rough pottery ones). Plus there's some really pretty ones out there XD
Just a note that if you do want reptile branded products instead of going to petsmart you can check out pangeareptile.com they sell stuff at a cheaper price and if you can wait till your expo most the vendors sell those items at wholesale prices....atleast in the US they do.
I know right?! I'm like yay! If I can figure out how to provide them with the same high quality of life for less money I can have more Critters!!! GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE!! 😁😁😁
Something to note about dollar store plants: please soak them before using to make sure the colors don’t bleed. I was using some in my baby crestie enclosures and noticed some flowers were bleeding their dye, so I removed them and OH MY GOD the dye itched SOOO bad!!! Ever since then, I soak all fake plants, especially silk flowers with warm water and a little vinegar 👍👍👍
Plants from Amazon too! I bought the fake ivy that everyone was getting for their rooms and it had an odd smell. So I soaked it in hot water…the water turned green! None of the plant’s colors faded, so excess color must have been on the surface. The smell pretty much went away after the soak, but I still sanitized them haha
I'll never forget the day my mom came into the kitchen and found me boiling a pot of rocks for my reptiles enclosures. She thought I'd lost my mind but I saved a lot of money 🤣
and on the flip side, my dad was wondering why i bought a bag of leaves (where i live most of the trees either give teeny tiny pine-like leaves or they’re somewhat poisonous :D)
Caution ⚠️ with the rocks! Do not bake rocks that you grabed from a creek. The water trapped in the rocks will evaporate and expand which can make rocks explode.
"And by far the biggest waste of money for any reptile keeper is" "Dawn power wash!" Ah yes, I hate when I spend too much money on my dawn power wash for my ball python. Lol.. Funniest ad timing I've seen in a while.
Being a Herper I quickly learned how crappy the pet store hooks are, so what I got instead is a paint roller, it's strong, telescopic and only thing I had to do was add a rubber tip
I did an experiment and put one of those exo terra hydrometers in the bathroom when I showered. The mirror was completely fogged up and my digital hydrometer was showing 99%. The exo terra one was still at 60%. 😅
@@treybaron9840 basically a digital one is more accurate then analog... So, buy one of those. I personally bought a reptile one because it had 2 temp probs, humidity prob, could turn off things for me while I'm at work, extra outlits, and I need all those things. I also bought bioactive substrate @pet store because I needed a specific amount and work 10-12 hours a day/ 6 days..... It had all layers I needed with no waste (because it was measured for that *cough* paying for convenience not difference in that case)
5:30 One warning for buying fake plants: Make sure they are pure plastic or w/e. I got some fake plants at Michael's for my bp's cage and one of them was a neat-looking red flower thing, felt kind of like velvet. I spray the cage sometimes for humidity but when I went to spot clean, I saw that her substrate was stained red. Scared the hell outta me cause I thought my snake had bled everywhere lmao. But the flower just dyed everything around it when it got wet.
Also with Michaels. A LOT of their stuff is covered in glitter. Be it craft plants it holiday plants or just the glitter falling on nearby plants. Basically any craft store has items covered in glitter so just watch out for that or avoid buying stuff with glitter.
I've noticed that even fake plants from the fish section of the pet shop is way cheaper than the reptile section in the same shop. You can get much bigger and better quality ones for the same price. I like the tall shape and weighted base of the fish plants. Makes them great for my arboreal tarantulas without having to stick anything down, just burry the base.
Petco: hey guys buy some reptile brand plants here that’d be pretty epic I think cmon guys don’t you wanna spend $15? Dollar tree: fear not my child get 15 plants here for that price
Worth mentioning that there definitely are different qualities of coconut products, chips, coir, etc. May not matter if you're not going bioactive, but the cheapest coir and chips tend to also have a lot of salts in them, while the better brands have been soaked and rinsed to get rid of it. (Important when you are, say, using the chips as orchid planting medium....or as part of the substrate for a bioactive vivarium.) So pay attention to what you're getting and if it's cheap and you're not sure, look up instructions for rinsing it properly before you use it in your tank.
I started with aquariums and I realized pretty early on I was wasting so much money on name brand crap! So I had already learned my lesson when I started getting into reptiles lol. Still finding good cheep alternatives very helpful video! 🦎
Sphagnum moss. My Petco was selling a brick for $19.99. Home Depot sells plain sphagnum moss for orchids for $5.99, same amount of moss as the Petco brick.
Hey, I work at Home hardware, and the Beyond peat rebranded to Beats peat (also Megamulch which is the same just coarser pieces), and its the same product, in case you ever wanted to order it again, its like 10$ for 3cuft
@@WickensWickedReptiles your welcome, your videos are cool and watching this made me realize that getting the latest reptile hide or useless products is pointless I used to want all the latest accessories but know my beardie has all he needs.
I use Govee too! Love the Bluetooth feature, you can set alarms that tell you when anything is out of parameters that you set and it will send notifications to your phone
Thank you for mentioning heat rocks. 20 years ago my first snake died because a heat rock that was sold to a 9 yo me from a petsmart employee cooked him. I have since kept all of my snakes 11 different species. perfectly fine without purchasing anything from petsmart. No hate towards petsmart just most of there employees have no idea about reptiles. Love the videos awesome job.
Snake discovery uses a temperature gun which is more accurate because it’s supposed to see if someone has a fever so it’s accuracy is well and it really works.
You're the absolute bomb. So many content producers don't add their rationalizations in and just fill their videos with unnecessary clutter and conversation filler. 🦎
Video idea: Top 5 Little-Known Reptiles That Make Great Pets. I don't think you've done a video on that before, but if you have then please disregard this request lol.
When sanitizing rocks be sure they are dry.never pick ones from rivers where water can be trapped inside them. Cuase steam can build up inside them and cuase them to explode.
Not only is natural decor cheaper but you can make your cage look better with them to. I just used natural decor and plants from hobby lobby for my corn snake and copper head exhibits and they look beautiful!
As a zoology doctorate student who has been keeping reptiles most of my life and will continue to as my career specialization the biggest thing people don’t realize they are spending too much money on is heating equipment. As he said thermostats are cheep when you know what your looking for, but you can also get deep done heat lamps for pennies on the dollar as well at some hardware stores, not only that but many of the heat lamps you can find are actually rated for a higher wattage and are usually a higher quality as well. This also goes for temperature controllers as well you can get agricultural temp controllers and some heat sources can even use lamp dimmers both are a fraction of the price temp controllers branded for reptiles are. Even with all this however, the biggest waste of money is I see by far in this hobby is what people spend on reptiles branded heat sources. A lot of research from some prominent figures within the reptile care sphere has concluded that the most effective and efficient source for your reptile to heat itself is a simple incandescent halogen bulb. Normal heating methods only output infrared C which is good at hearing air, surfaces, and the scales/skin of animals. Unfortunately infrared C is not good at penetrating surfaces which means while rocks and other hardscape that would normally hold heat for hours only do so for a few minuets, and your reptile or amphibians has to sit under a basking area for ours in repeat in order to build up enough heat to digest their food more efficiently. This is why so many reptiles are sluggish and inactive. Simple white halogen incandescent bulbs you get at the hardware store for a bulk pack that cost 14$ emit infrared A,B,C, and UVA all of which actually provide bioavailable heat and energy for your reptile. This means the animal is more active, and has less issues with digestion long term. I find it so ironic that our of all these 14$ single heat bulbs and heat emitters the most effective source of heat comes from a light you can by 20 of on amazon for the same price. Also another thing not to waste your money on if your doing a live planted bioactive setup is to not go overboard on buying your led lights unless you specifically have high light requirement plants. A daylight led spotlight or daylight t5 from the hardware store gets nearly the same amount of light input for a quarter of the cost.
Thank you for your comment. I have been wondering about the heating options. I hope this doesn’t sound too naive, but what wattage for halogen bulbs? When I did a search for them, a number of options came up.
Got you recommended to me on a reptile lover Facebook group, and I def understand why! You're awesome! Blows my mind you don't have more subscribers yet... Continue the great work, you're helping me and many others learn more! 🦎🦎🦎
You are so awesome! Ive had many different reptiles in my 55 years and made mistakes,but because of your knowledge and love for these beautiful creatures mot only have you educated me further you have saved lives as well. Thank you ! Keep the videos comming!🦎🐍
You know those black plastic snake hides? I found these black plastic cat litter boxes for $3 at Dollarama; they're the same size as the XL of those snake hides. I flipped them upside down, cut a hole in one side and melted the edges so there were no sharp parts. Perfect snake hides, 2 for $6 instead of 2 for $44!
Excellent vid dude. Just took in a rescue corn snake after my mate moved to a new house. Prior owners just left it in a shitty tiny enclosure (2ft) with non-regulated temp control. Poor sod is the most timid thing and Its fully grown. Dropped a few hundred quid on a good 5ft viv and seems happier in that she's stretching out and exploring but looking to people like yourself to be a better snake owner. Keep up the good work!🦎
Even tho I don't own any reptiles or planning to get any time soon, still have been useful for my animal management course, so thanks for the amazing videos and advice/care guides 🦎
2 year old video but my latest fave save is to use Organic ground coco blocks from Burpee meant for planting food or delicate seedlings in. The blocks are like half the price of Reptile Branded coco fiber blocks, and pure coconut husk only just like reptile stuff.
I use a 250w heat light I got at Orschlens/Tractor Supply for $5, it heats my spiny tailed iguanas tank by itself, where it used to take 3 EXPENSIVE reptile pet store bulbs. I just have a hook in ceiling so it hangs above cage instead of setting it on the acreen bc its to hot.
Im so happy you mentioned the Govee thermometers. I use 2 of them in my uromastyx enclosure. I also have govee smart plugs that I use as timers for my lights. I can control the entire enclose from the same app! Plus the smart plugs are way easier to set the schedule than traditional timers.
I’ve been wanting a bearded dragon for so long and now that I’ve gotten one I’ve been very anxious on how to handle him and I want to make him as happy and comfortable as possible and your videos have helped me do just that and put me and him at ease, thanks for the tips🤗🙏😁
So while I don’t have reptiles, I do have aquariums. In the fish community people have been warning against boiling and baking rocks to remove pathogens. Essentially if there are air pockets on the rock, then the heat can expand this air and cause it to literally explode! Probably won’t happen every time, but I sure won’t be doing it. Just scrub it with a disinfectant and super hot water
Just ordered 4 of the thermometer/hygrometer’s you showed in this video. The reviews on them were all high.....PLUS you can monitor them via Bluetooth which is pretty awesome!!
I’m in Winnipeg & was grateful when I bought my first snake 2 years ago, a local reptile keeper referred me to Home Hardware for their coconut husk. I stock up every May when it goes on sale for $8.50/brick. The brand they carry now is “Mega Mulch”.
@@Dirty_Donuts I’m not certain. I know it’s seasonal. So it disappears after summer. You can try phoning them. I believe it’s more like $15 or so a brick now.
thank you! i think i found it, or something like it. i found a 15 dollar block that is 2.5 cubic feet. so i think thats enough for my little tank. thank you responding though!
Something to keep in mind regarding that recommended thermometer/hygrometer. Remove the little kickstand on the back if you're using it for a snake enclosure, particularly a ball python. They can and will get stuck in it and it causes injury. Otherwise they're great devices.
I’ve been a fish/planted aquarium keeper for about a decade. I’m 34. Grew up in the 90’s in the era of “GET YOUR KID A LIZARD!”… A lot of these products remind me of growing up and going to the pet store. As an adult, I’ve realized that the small pet industry isn’t built on pet keeping, but rather pet “buying”. It would be interesting to see your take on how the industry is built on repeat sales instead of proper healthy pet keeping. This video is a great example. A lot of these products seem intentionally built and sold not only to harm your new pet (so you buy another one in a month) but also to keep the hobbyist ignorant so they keep buying needless products that just further harm our pets and set our learning curve very steep. For what it’s worth, my 10 year old son wants a reptile and coming from the naturalistic aquarium world, I’ve been trying to research natural reptile habitats, care, and which species would best suit him. Your videos have been a great help, thanks!
I only use the reptile branded Coco fiber because it's what my local Walmart sells and it's not that expensive when you only have one snake. The gardening stuff is also usually in big bags and I don't like having extra to store.
The wood and rocks thing is so accurate my reptile shop sells police’s of drift wood for $20! I live on the river so I can go outside and find something better and it’s free
Thank you for the video. My daughter just got a baby tortoise and is cautious about the temperature so we bought the cheap one from Walmart. Its ok for now, its only been two days with her new friend, at least she can sleep without worrying too much. I will get the digital thermometer, were not overly stressed, because its summer. ❤🐢🤗
I got a collapsible snake hook on clearance for 6 bucks. The hook part fell out but I glued it back in and use it when I’m herping. It works surprisingly well for moving spiky vines and holding up plywood- it bends a little bit that’s just because of the fact that it can collapse. Overall it’s good if your not working with any heavy bodied snakes, such as king snakes and garters-
I've never needed a snake hook for my corns...and I simply have actual plants in the viv, so no problem with trying to find decor...Had no idea about the substrate, though! Wow!
My brother has his dragon and we all take care of her...I am the one who romps around outside and finds branches and stone to sand and sanitize and whatever. My bro is definitely the one who goes to petco and buys a 20 dollar neon green plastic vine ahahaa...pains me
Thanks so much for this video! I have wanted a reptile since I was little but never had the opportunity to get one. I’m hoping to get a crested gecko and this video helps to make the start up cost so much more affordable.
Thanks so much for the info! So much mixed and incorrect info out there can be so confusing. What brand is the organic coco husk that you use? I am looking to make a better mix for my BP with that, play sand, and leaf litter..maybe some kind of moss too? Thanks!
Darn near all the non-hide decor in my gecko tank was from the dollar store or the garden! Rocks (I used to collect them so I had some big ones perfect for her tank), cheap dollar store plants except for one particularly nice fake succulent, moist hide is a mason jar. Only thing bought as reptile branded decor was her main two hides.
@@emchanted13 big time, basically just clean out water bowls. It’s different if you’re a breeder though, tubs are more efficient space wise and all also if you have big reptiles like tegus/retics, spot check here and there. But I just keep colubrids so bioactive works perfect all I do is feed and clean out water bowls
my least favorite thing about artificial plants was the bacteria build up! having lizards with very high humidity and the tank always being wet, the plants would develop a heavy bacteria film. i chose bioactive pretty soon after getting my lizards becus of this.
6:10 well, on this one.. I live in a rural area where the farmers love to spray my home with pesticide. Putting them in the oven will not get rid of that. Also, if you're living in an apartment and don't have a home, it's likely not am option anyway.
Wish I had watched this before I went nuts thinking if I cared enough about them I needed to spend crazy money on this stuff .... Truly thank you.......Love your channel and by the way done and done lol here's my emoji 🦎
Btw just for any Canadians out there, go into the crafts section at dollarama and find the dried bagged moss, it’s live moss u just put some water over it and it works amazing I use it for my newt all the time and she loves it
What reptile products do you think have a better alternative?
Cypress mulch and any other bedding
Clamp lamps are a great one, they have them at home depot and similar stores for a fraction of the price!
For smaller critters: Buy plant pot saucers as food/water dishes, really cheap, really shallow and so far no mealworm has escaped them for me (get plastic or glazed ones, not the rough pottery ones). Plus there's some really pretty ones out there XD
MISTERS!!! Especially the ones that are pressurized
Just a note that if you do want reptile branded products instead of going to petsmart you can check out pangeareptile.com they sell stuff at a cheaper price and if you can wait till your expo most the vendors sell those items at wholesale prices....atleast in the US they do.
You’re not saving me any money. You’re the reason another ball python is on his way to my house 😂
hahahaha woops!
Actually though, I just got a new one too. 🤭🤪
I want one so bad but my mom can’t deal with the mice! 😭😭😭
Same😭
I know right?! I'm like yay! If I can figure out how to provide them with the same high quality of life for less money I can have more Critters!!! GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE!! 😁😁😁
Something to note about dollar store plants: please soak them before using to make sure the colors don’t bleed. I was using some in my baby crestie enclosures and noticed some flowers were bleeding their dye, so I removed them and OH MY GOD the dye itched SOOO bad!!! Ever since then, I soak all fake plants, especially silk flowers with warm water and a little vinegar 👍👍👍
Yes even with the expensive one, I bought some at Michaels and they bleed 😕
Yes, i never see people mention cleaning products before giving them to your animals.
Thank you I was looking for this comment :)
Plants from Amazon too! I bought the fake ivy that everyone was getting for their rooms and it had an odd smell. So I soaked it in hot water…the water turned green! None of the plant’s colors faded, so excess color must have been on the surface. The smell pretty much went away after the soak, but I still sanitized them haha
GOOD TO NOTE
I'll never forget the day my mom came into the kitchen and found me boiling a pot of rocks for my reptiles enclosures. She thought I'd lost my mind but I saved a lot of money 🤣
and on the flip side, my dad was wondering why i bought a bag of leaves (where i live most of the trees either give teeny tiny pine-like leaves or they’re somewhat poisonous :D)
Caution ⚠️ with the rocks!
Do not bake rocks that you grabed from a creek. The water trapped in the rocks will evaporate and expand which can make rocks explode.
Okie dokie UwU
I kinda want to see that 😆
I usually just boil them
just effin boil it.
@@joshpiercey8477 same here
Whoever is creeping around in the background on the left, I love them. 🦎
hahah he says hi
It’s a big Burmese python
@@legendarysupersaiyan2279 I suspected as much, but I don't trust my snake identification lol
@@Tink00 the face and the patterns gave it a way for me
*Right*
"And by far the biggest waste of money for any reptile keeper is"
"Dawn power wash!"
Ah yes, I hate when I spend too much money on my dawn power wash for my ball python. Lol.. Funniest ad timing I've seen in a while.
😂
Lmao I got a chrome book add
Mine was GOOGLE something or other but I got a kick out of it too!
Lmao!
Haha I got deodorant and Sensodyne :)
Being a Herper I quickly learned how crappy the pet store hooks are, so what I got instead is a paint roller, it's strong, telescopic and only thing I had to do was add a rubber tip
@@noprofile8503 you can grab them at most hardware stores like Home Depot/Lowes/ Ace etc!
I did an experiment and put one of those exo terra hydrometers in the bathroom when I showered. The mirror was completely fogged up and my digital hydrometer was showing 99%. The exo terra one was still at 60%. 😅
What’s the best hygrometer and thermometer?
@@treybaron9840 basically a digital one is more accurate then analog... So, buy one of those. I personally bought a reptile one because it had 2 temp probs, humidity prob, could turn off things for me while I'm at work, extra outlits, and I need all those things. I also bought bioactive substrate @pet store because I needed a specific amount and work 10-12 hours a day/ 6 days..... It had all layers I needed with no waste (because it was measured for that *cough* paying for convenience not difference in that case)
5:30 One warning for buying fake plants: Make sure they are pure plastic or w/e. I got some fake plants at Michael's for my bp's cage and one of them was a neat-looking red flower thing, felt kind of like velvet. I spray the cage sometimes for humidity but when I went to spot clean, I saw that her substrate was stained red. Scared the hell outta me cause I thought my snake had bled everywhere lmao. But the flower just dyed everything around it when it got wet.
Also with Michaels. A LOT of their stuff is covered in glitter. Be it craft plants it holiday plants or just the glitter falling on nearby plants. Basically any craft store has items covered in glitter so just watch out for that or avoid buying stuff with glitter.
I've noticed that even fake plants from the fish section of the pet shop is way cheaper than the reptile section in the same shop. You can get much bigger and better quality ones for the same price. I like the tall shape and weighted base of the fish plants. Makes them great for my arboreal tarantulas without having to stick anything down, just burry the base.
true
Taking notes for prepping my enclosure!
What are ya getting? And can you tell me how big the enclosure is and what your putting in it?
@@axoticgeckos I'm getting a hognose. Im only just beginning to prep!
@@lindsayschultz3816 awwwww I love those noodles! I want one but my dad HATES snakes, so for now I'm just breeding Leo's!
I would consider building a bio-active enclosure for when it grows up, for the longevity of its life and overall health/comfort
@@jensenblaze25 yup
"remember those old school antennas on cars?"
Yes... I am indeed over 30...😅
hahaha same
Petco: hey guys buy some reptile brand plants here that’d be pretty epic I think cmon guys don’t you wanna spend $15?
Dollar tree: fear not my child get 15 plants here for that price
Definitely do a part 2! I’m sure you already have a bunch of ideas but I know I stopped buying reptile branded bulbs! Home hardware for the win!
100%
Save big money at menards
Worth mentioning that there definitely are different qualities of coconut products, chips, coir, etc. May not matter if you're not going bioactive, but the cheapest coir and chips tend to also have a lot of salts in them, while the better brands have been soaked and rinsed to get rid of it. (Important when you are, say, using the chips as orchid planting medium....or as part of the substrate for a bioactive vivarium.) So pay attention to what you're getting and if it's cheap and you're not sure, look up instructions for rinsing it properly before you use it in your tank.
I started with aquariums and I realized pretty early on I was wasting so much money on name brand crap! So I had already learned my lesson when I started getting into reptiles lol. Still finding good cheep alternatives very helpful video! 🦎
"I'm not sponsored by exoterra" _proceeds to explain why not to buy exoterra products_
Sphagnum moss. My Petco was selling a brick for $19.99.
Home Depot sells plain sphagnum moss for orchids for $5.99, same amount of moss as the Petco brick.
Hey, I work at Home hardware, and the Beyond peat rebranded to Beats peat (also Megamulch which is the same just coarser pieces), and its the same product, in case you ever wanted to order it again, its like 10$ for 3cuft
This is very helpful thank you
“By far the biggest waste of money for any reptile keeper is”
ad: APEX LEGENDS
HAHAHAHAA
I can’t believe I didn’t watch this channel sooner this guy is awesome.
thanks, I really appreciate it!
@@WickensWickedReptiles your welcome, your videos are cool and watching this made me realize that getting the latest reptile hide or useless products is pointless I used to want all the latest accessories but know my beardie has all he needs.
I use Govee too! Love the Bluetooth feature, you can set alarms that tell you when anything is out of parameters that you set and it will send notifications to your phone
Notifications?! Now THAT'S awesome!
I'm honestly surprised ur not past 100k yet. You have some of the best videos on reptiles. 💚🦎
Wow, thank you! Hopefully soon!
I 👍
Me neither. He's the first reptile TH-camr I've watched.
Agreed
Thank you for mentioning heat rocks. 20 years ago my first snake died because a heat rock that was sold to a 9 yo me from a petsmart employee cooked him. I have since kept all of my snakes 11 different species. perfectly fine without purchasing anything from petsmart. No hate towards petsmart just most of there employees have no idea about reptiles. Love the videos awesome job.
You should do more videos like these that saves us some money, love it!
That's the plan!
Snake discovery uses a temperature gun which is more accurate because it’s supposed to see if someone has a fever so it’s accuracy is well and it really works.
Temp guns are good for testing surface temps(basking spot for example). While gauges are good for checking the air.
Subscribed as soon as you said you were from Canada! Love to help support other Canadians in the hobby!
Much appreciated my dude!
You're the absolute bomb. So many content producers don't add their rationalizations in and just fill their videos with unnecessary clutter and conversation filler. 🦎
so happy you like the videos :)
Video idea: Top 5 Little-Known Reptiles That Make Great Pets.
I don't think you've done a video on that before, but if you have then please disregard this request lol.
th-cam.com/video/G-0lamVjA4w/w-d-xo.html
@@WickensWickedReptiles Oh nice! Thanks!
Great video!! The only thing I'd mention is if you're going to buy plants not intended for reptiles is to wash the excess dye out of them! :)
yep
When sanitizing rocks be sure they are dry.never pick ones from rivers where water can be trapped inside them.
Cuase steam can build up inside them and cuase them to explode.
Already wasted money on that hydrometer. Going to look into the digital one and pick up the dollar tree plants! Thank you! 🦎🦎
Did it work?
Definitely make a part two! This is tons of help for newer people entering the hobby. 🦎🦎
Not only is natural decor cheaper but you can make your cage look better with them to. I just used natural decor and plants from hobby lobby for my corn snake and copper head exhibits and they look beautiful!
As a zoology doctorate student who has been keeping reptiles most of my life and will continue to as my career specialization the biggest thing people don’t realize they are spending too much money on is heating equipment.
As he said thermostats are cheep when you know what your looking for, but you can also get deep done heat lamps for pennies on the dollar as well at some hardware stores, not only that but many of the heat lamps you can find are actually rated for a higher wattage and are usually a higher quality as well. This also goes for temperature controllers as well you can get agricultural temp controllers and some heat sources can even use lamp dimmers both are a fraction of the price temp controllers branded for reptiles are.
Even with all this however, the biggest waste of money is I see by far in this hobby is what people spend on reptiles branded heat sources.
A lot of research from some prominent figures within the reptile care sphere has concluded that the most effective and efficient source for your reptile to heat itself is a simple incandescent halogen bulb.
Normal heating methods only output infrared C which is good at hearing air, surfaces, and the scales/skin of animals. Unfortunately infrared C is not good at penetrating surfaces which means while rocks and other hardscape that would normally hold heat for hours only do so for a few minuets, and your reptile or amphibians has to sit under a basking area for ours in repeat in order to build up enough heat to digest their food more efficiently. This is why so many reptiles are sluggish and inactive.
Simple white halogen incandescent bulbs you get at the hardware store for a bulk pack that cost 14$ emit infrared A,B,C, and UVA all of which actually provide bioavailable heat and energy for your reptile. This means the animal is more active, and has less issues with digestion long term.
I find it so ironic that our of all these 14$ single heat bulbs and heat emitters the most effective source of heat comes from a light you can by 20 of on amazon for the same price.
Also another thing not to waste your money on if your doing a live planted bioactive setup is to not go overboard on buying your led lights unless you specifically have high light requirement plants.
A daylight led spotlight or daylight t5 from the hardware store gets nearly the same amount of light input for a quarter of the cost.
Thank you for your comment. I have been wondering about the heating options. I hope this doesn’t sound too naive, but what wattage for halogen bulbs? When I did a search for them, a number of options came up.
Well...I wish I had read that comment before buying all those bulbs and lamps.
@@kimcfriberg691I would like to know this too
🦎 newbie here! Was about to head to the pet store and watched this first. You just saved me millions. Thanks!
Got you recommended to me on a reptile lover Facebook group, and I def understand why! You're awesome! Blows my mind you don't have more subscribers yet... Continue the great work, you're helping me and many others learn more!
🦎🦎🦎
Awesome! Thank you!
You are so awesome! Ive had many different reptiles in my 55 years and made mistakes,but because of your knowledge and love for these beautiful creatures mot only have you educated me further you have saved lives as well. Thank you ! Keep the videos comming!🦎🐍
You know those black plastic snake hides? I found these black plastic cat litter boxes for $3 at Dollarama; they're the same size as the XL of those snake hides. I flipped them upside down, cut a hole in one side and melted the edges so there were no sharp parts. Perfect snake hides, 2 for $6 instead of 2 for $44!
wicked tip!
I'm so glad I'm not the only hardware store shopping for my little noodles. 🦎
Excellent vid dude. Just took in a rescue corn snake after my mate moved to a new house. Prior owners just left it in a shitty tiny enclosure (2ft) with non-regulated temp control. Poor sod is the most timid thing and Its fully grown.
Dropped a few hundred quid on a good 5ft viv and seems happier in that she's stretching out and exploring but looking to people like yourself to be a better snake owner. Keep up the good work!🦎
Even tho I don't own any reptiles or planning to get any time soon, still have been useful for my animal management course, so thanks for the amazing videos and advice/care guides 🦎
2 year old video but my latest fave save is to use Organic ground coco blocks from Burpee meant for planting food or delicate seedlings in. The blocks are like half the price of Reptile Branded coco fiber blocks, and pure coconut husk only just like reptile stuff.
Check out your local plant store for bags of coco 👍
i was always unsure if i could use those dollar store plants, now i know :) 🦎
I use a 250w heat light I got at Orschlens/Tractor Supply for $5, it heats my spiny tailed iguanas tank by itself, where it used to take 3 EXPENSIVE reptile pet store bulbs. I just have a hook in ceiling so it hangs above cage instead of setting it on the acreen bc its to hot.
Im so happy you mentioned the Govee thermometers. I use 2 of them in my uromastyx enclosure. I also have govee smart plugs that I use as timers for my lights. I can control the entire enclose from the same app! Plus the smart plugs are way easier to set the schedule than traditional timers.
I preach smart timers, so useful
@@WickensWickedReptiles They are wonderful!
@@WickensWickedReptiles I can't find the link for the one showed.
Lol I can't seem to find any link you ever mention in any video.
I’ve been wanting a bearded dragon for so long and now that I’ve gotten one I’ve been very anxious on how to handle him and I want to make him as happy and comfortable as possible and your videos have helped me do just that and put me and him at ease, thanks for the tips🤗🙏😁
So while I don’t have reptiles, I do have aquariums. In the fish community people have been warning against boiling and baking rocks to remove pathogens. Essentially if there are air pockets on the rock, then the heat can expand this air and cause it to literally explode!
Probably won’t happen every time, but I sure won’t be doing it. Just scrub it with a disinfectant and super hot water
Just ordered 4 of the thermometer/hygrometer’s you showed in this video. The reviews on them were all high.....PLUS you can monitor them via Bluetooth which is pretty awesome!!
Wicked here is just speaking straight facs,and I love it as always.
hey I do my best :)
Yes you do .
Its so good to finally have someone to talk about whats useless and a waste of money! You gained a follower!
I love this so much! I have been trying to convince my friend she doesn't have to get the reptile specific items now maybe she will believe me.🦎
Perfect timing...I knew most of these..but I am going to the Phoenix expo this weekend...so at least I know what not to grab while I am there!
Just found this channel. Where have you been all my life man.
I didn't realize how crap the thermometers are. Thanks for the knowledge on that. 🦎
I’m in Winnipeg & was grateful when I bought my first snake 2 years ago, a local reptile keeper referred me to Home Hardware for their coconut husk. I stock up every May when it goes on sale for $8.50/brick. The brand they carry now is “Mega Mulch”.
i know this is an old comment but i have been looking, do you know if it has been discontinued? they have a big brick but it looks like dirt
@@Dirty_Donuts I’m not certain. I know it’s seasonal. So it disappears after summer. You can try phoning them. I believe it’s more like $15 or so a brick now.
thank you! i think i found it, or something like it. i found a 15 dollar block that is 2.5 cubic feet. so i think thats enough for my little tank. thank you responding though!
I wish I watched this earlier. 😢 live and learn 😊 Thanks for the substrate tip!!!
Something to keep in mind regarding that recommended thermometer/hygrometer. Remove the little kickstand on the back if you're using it for a snake enclosure, particularly a ball python. They can and will get stuck in it and it causes injury. Otherwise they're great devices.
100 percent!
So true. Once the phrase "For Reptiles", the price increases. Even with lighting, water bowls. And so true on the fake plants. Love the video.
🦎 the snake in the background to your left had my attention almost the entire video 😂 I love him
🦎 I love the periscope in the background, they are just so adorable!
I’ve been a fish/planted aquarium keeper for about a decade. I’m 34. Grew up in the 90’s in the era of “GET YOUR KID A LIZARD!”… A lot of these products remind me of growing up and going to the pet store. As an adult, I’ve realized that the small pet industry isn’t built on pet keeping, but rather pet “buying”. It would be interesting to see your take on how the industry is built on repeat sales instead of proper healthy pet keeping. This video is a great example. A lot of these products seem intentionally built and sold not only to harm your new pet (so you buy another one in a month) but also to keep the hobbyist ignorant so they keep buying needless products that just further harm our pets and set our learning curve very steep.
For what it’s worth, my 10 year old son wants a reptile and coming from the naturalistic aquarium world, I’ve been trying to research natural reptile habitats, care, and which species would best suit him. Your videos have been a great help, thanks!
Thank you for sharing with us! 🦎
You’re gonna be at 100k in no time! Another great video! 🦎
So close!
I only use the reptile branded Coco fiber because it's what my local Walmart sells and it's not that expensive when you only have one snake. The gardening stuff is also usually in big bags and I don't like having extra to store.
A shirt with reptiles on it?! Sign me up 🦎 💖
The wood and rocks thing is so accurate my reptile shop sells police’s of drift wood for $20! I live on the river so I can go outside and find something better and it’s free
Thank you for the video. My daughter just got a baby tortoise and is cautious about the temperature so we bought the cheap one from Walmart. Its ok for now, its only been two days with her new friend, at least she can sleep without worrying too much. I will get the digital thermometer, were not overly stressed, because its summer.
❤🐢🤗
I’m gonna get a leopard gecko soon so this video is just for me wickens wicked reptiles love your videos
New to channel nice to see a fellow canadian. Always hadnissue with those little hydro/therm gona try these out for aure
This channel has quickly risen to my 2nd favorite reptile channel (sorry Chandler is first)
eh how can you not love Chandler! love his channel!
This is super helpful! Thank you so much! Rescued my ball python a year ago and still learning how to best take care of him. 🐍🦎
Congrats on 90k, I remember when you were at 30k!
Same
Legend!
🦎 these videos are so helpful as a new reptile owner thank you
Still one of my favorite Canadians
thank you! eh
I got a collapsible snake hook on clearance for 6 bucks. The hook part fell out but I glued it back in and use it when I’m herping. It works surprisingly well for moving spiky vines and holding up plywood- it bends a little bit that’s just because of the fact that it can collapse. Overall it’s good if your not working with any heavy bodied snakes, such as king snakes and garters-
Haha those prop drops, yeah you are a rapper now 😄🦎
I've never needed a snake hook for my corns...and I simply have actual plants in the viv, so no problem with trying to find decor...Had no idea about the substrate, though! Wow!
That exact zoo med hook I have snapped just before watching this video lamooo
F
My new favorite reptile TH-camr as a crested gecko owner
oh thank you!
My brother has his dragon and we all take care of her...I am the one who romps around outside and finds branches and stone to sand and sanitize and whatever. My bro is definitely the one who goes to petco and buys a 20 dollar neon green plastic vine ahahaa...pains me
wow eh
Thanks so much for this video! I have wanted a reptile since I was little but never had the opportunity to get one. I’m hoping to get a crested gecko and this video helps to make the start up cost so much more affordable.
Good luck!!
This guy deserves 100 million subs,he is so experienced ❤
wow, thank you!
Thanks so much for the info! So much mixed and incorrect info out there can be so confusing.
What brand is the organic coco husk that you use? I am looking to make a better mix for my BP with that, play sand, and leaf litter..maybe some kind of moss too?
Thanks!
Is it even a WWR vid if Diamond doesn't bite your ear 🤔
No it is not
Darn near all the non-hide decor in my gecko tank was from the dollar store or the garden! Rocks (I used to collect them so I had some big ones perfect for her tank), cheap dollar store plants except for one particularly nice fake succulent, moist hide is a mason jar. Only thing bought as reptile branded decor was her main two hides.
Damn that decor, I went bioactive for most of my reptiles.
Do you find that a bioactive environment is easier upkeep than artificial?
@@emchanted13 big time, basically just clean out water bowls. It’s different if you’re a breeder though, tubs are more efficient space wise and all also if you have big reptiles like tegus/retics, spot check here and there. But I just keep colubrids so bioactive works perfect all I do is feed and clean out water bowls
my least favorite thing about artificial plants was the bacteria build up! having lizards with very high humidity and the tank always being wet, the plants would develop a heavy bacteria film. i chose bioactive pretty soon after getting my lizards becus of this.
All good ideas for saving $. TY
Thanks!
I would love to know all the “hacks” I can get! 🦎🐍
100%
0:48 that's the one I actually used when I had a leopard gecko. But it measured moisture, not heat. I had an electronic thermostat like you showed
🦎
Great vid, extremely nice reptile videography! I hope you get your > 100K subs- you deserve them!
Thank you so much 👍
I just got a bobtail lizard and your videos helped me set up her tank, thanks 🦎
Glad I could help!
I love that thermostat. Have them all over the house from cages to grow tents and can check them all on my phone.
I use that thermometer/hydrometer too! I love it!!
This video has been a real help overall. Added some of those items to my Amazon cart. Thanks!
Just found your channel the other day and have binged. So much good information 🦎
6:10 well, on this one..
I live in a rural area where the farmers love to spray my home with pesticide. Putting them in the oven will not get rid of that. Also, if you're living in an apartment and don't have a home, it's likely not am option anyway.
Wish I had watched this before I went nuts thinking if I cared enough about them I needed to spend crazy money on this stuff .... Truly thank you.......Love your channel and by the way done and done lol here's my emoji 🦎
hope you enjoyed :)
Btw just for any Canadians out there, go into the crafts section at dollarama and find the dried bagged moss, it’s live moss u just put some water over it and it works amazing I use it for my newt all the time and she loves it