CV’s to – Mrs Williams, PAWS, 6&7 Oldway Centre, Monmouth, NP25 3PS.

Closing date 30th Nov 2012

 
Educational Talks
On Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout April we will be having specialist talks in the shop. The talks are free for everyone, and each one focuses on a different group of pets. Children will have the opportunity to get ‘hands on’ with the animals, and there will be questions and answer sessions too.

• Tues 3 April 11am: Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
• Thurs 5 April 2pm: Bearded Dragons, Leopard Geckos & African Snails
• Tues 10 April 11am: Corn Snakes, Musk Turtles & Horsefield Tortoises
• Thurs 12 April 2pm: Gerbils, Hamsters & Chinchillas
• Tues 17 April 11am: Rabbits & Guinea Pigs
• Thurs 19 April 2pm: Bearded Dragons, Leopard Geckos & African Snails

Poster Competition
Win an incredible hamper of goodies! In celebration of Easter, we’re running a children’s art competition.
Simply download the template here or come and collect one from the shop. Colour and decorate as you like! The competition is open to everyone under the age of 16 and completed entries should be returned to the shop by Friday 6th April. We will announce the winner and present prizes in the shop on Saturday 7th April at 12 noon.
We’re looking forward to seeing many colourful bunny entries!

Easter Egg Hunt
Take part in our free and educational Easter Egg Hunt! Find 10 photos of different animal eggs in the shop for your chance to win a chocolate prize! Visit us today. The hunt is on between Monday 2nd April to Friday 20th April

Here at PAWS we are proud to be known as a traditional pet shop, selling both animals and a vast selection of equipment and accessories. We have three main sections to our new-look shop, which includes a new aquatic section stocking goldfish, minnow, neons, angelfish and much more. We also stock a large range of tanks and aquatic equipment.

Our fantastic new reptile area stocks all your vivarium needs from lights to substrates, as well as live and frozen food. Come along and see our fascinating range of reptiles for yourself! We promise you won’t be disappointed.

We also have a fabulous range of cute and cuddly animals, from hamsters to rabbits. We stock all manner of food, cages and equipment to ensure your furry friends stay happy and healthy.

Come along and visit us in our new shop open Mon-Sat from 9am-5pm and Sunday from 10am-4pm. We look forward to seeing you soon!

From all the team at PAWS

Housing

Do not keep your tortoise in an old fish tank or small wooden vivarium. They need an open-topped container with plenty of ventilation.

The guide for cage size for an adult tortoise should be 182x60x60cm, but the bigger and more varied the habitat provided, the better.

Adults can go outside on warm days, but should have a shady area where they can retreat. Outside accommodation should be escape and fox-proof, situated away from toxic vegetation and have a basking area and opportunities to climb. The enclosure should be fully covered to protect the tortoise from airborne predators.

Furnishing

Cover the floor of the cage with a suitable substrate such as aspen. Create an interesting environment with a mixture of substrates.

Provide shelter and an area for climbing.

Heating

Create a gradient by heating both ends of the cage to different temperatures so the tortoise can choose its preferred temperature.

Heat should be provided using spotlights and or UV lamps. Visit our shop for further advice on the heating products that are suitable for your tortoise.

The warm end of the cage should be heated to a daytime temp of 30°C-32°C and 18°C-20°C at the cool end. Night temps can be dropped to around 19°C.

Lighting

Tortoises require UVB lighting to help them absorb and utilise the calcium in their diet. This light should be left on for 12-14 hours per day.

Humidity

Maintain low levels of humidity. A damp habitat can increase the risk of breathing problems.

Diet & Feeding

Tortoises are herbivores so feed them a varied diet including dark greens, dandelions, weeds, kale, herbs and dried grass. Ensure that you wash all food before feeding it to your tortoise and remember not to pick plants from the roadside.

Tortoises also enjoy fruit including apples, berries, grapes, kiwi and pear. Fruit should be kept to a minimum, as high sugar content in the diet is dangerous.

We stock commercial pellets in our shop, which provide your tortoise with all the nutrients required for a healthy, balanced diet.

Hibernation

This is a complicated procedure and we advise you to come and speak to us for advice about how to prepare, and safely hibernate, your tortoise.

Housing

A well ventilated, heated, escape-proof vivarium is the best housing for your corn snake.

The size of the vivarium you’ll need should be calculated as follows: diagonal of the cage floor = more than half of the snake’s length.

Furnishing

Bark or wood shavings are an ideal substrate material.

Avoid newspaper as this is too slippery and can damage the snake’s spine

Provide a hide for the snake at the cool end as well as the hotter end of the vivarium to give the snake a choice.

Provide a climbing branch and artificial plants

Temperature

Corn snakes need a hot area of around 32°C, with a background daytime temperature of 27°C. At night the temperature should drop to around 22°C.

Gentle heat can be provided using heat mat or heat rocks which are an appropriate size for the vivarium.

More intense heat can be provided using spotlights or heat lamps.

Lighting

Corn snakes do not need UVA or UVB lighting as they are mostly nocturnal.

Provide an incandescent daylight bulb or a Reptiglo 2.0 flourescent tube that can be set on a timer to give 10-12 hours of daylight.

A Night Glo bulb could help with nocturnal viewing if required

Diet & Feeding

Corn snakes are carnivores and feed on defrosted mice or rats of an appropriate size, as they consume their food whole.

Young snakes can be fed every 2-5 days and adults every 7-14 days.

Handling

Hold your snake loosely, supporting the middle and the rear of the body. Your movements should be slow and deliberate.

Always wash your hands after handling your snake as reptiles can carry a form salmonella, so good hygiene practice is important.

Never handle your snake just before, during or just after feeding as this is likely to result in a bite.

Housing

An escape proof, wooden, plastic or glass vivarium with fitted air vents, minimum size of 60x30cm, are suitable homes for your leopard gecko.

A larger vivarium will be needed if you are keeping a group, but you should only keep them as groups of one male with several females.

Furnishing

Desert sand or reptile carpet is a suitable substrate. We sell this in our shop. Do not be tempted to use any other type of non-specialist sand.

Smooth rocks and artificial cacti can be used as décor.

Your gecko will need a hideaway such as a small cave filled with moist moss.

Heating

You should have a cool end and a hot end of the vivarium monitored by thermometers and controlled with a thermostat. The hot end should be 30°C-32°C, while the cool end should be 22°C-24°C

Night temperature: 21°C-24°C

Heat should be provided using either underfloor heat mats or spotlights.

Lighting

The Leopard Gecko is a nocturnal species, so UVB lighting is not needed. It can be a good idea to provide a weak source of UVB (around 2%) for 2-3 hours a day to re-create the basking conditions that the reptile would typically enjoy in the wild.

Humidity

As leopard geckos come from desert areas, they require low level humidity and good ventilation.

Diet and feeding

Leopard geckos enjoy live insects such as crickets, locust hoppers and waxworms as a treat. Larger geckos feed on mealworms and adults will take pinky mice.

Feed youngsters daily and adults every other day.

Remove live food from the vivarium after feeding.

Provide a shallow water bowl.

IMPORTANT: Food should be dusted with a vitamin and calcium supplement on a regular basis – once or twice a week for non-breeding adults but 3-4 times a week for juveniles and egg-laying females. Failure to do this is highly likely to result in bone malformation and other health problems.

Handling

Leopard Geckos are very docile and rarely bite. Movements should be slow and gentle, but confident. Place one hand above the shoulders and support the underside with your other hand.

Never pick your gecko up by the tail, which the animal will drop at the slightest touch. Although it will re-grow, it will not look the same and there is a risk of infection if broken.

Housing

An adult bearded dragon will need a vivarium with a minimum length of 90cm. If you’re keeping a pair of dragons, the vivarium will need to measure at least 120cm in length. You will need to provide a hot/basking spot for them and arrange some hiding spaces. Male bearded dragons are territorial so are best housed singly.

Furnishing

The bottom of the vivarium should be covered in a substrate such as sand, coconut bark chips, aspen wood-shavings or artificial grass. Provide something for your dragon to climb on such as a branch or secure rockwork. Provide shelter such as a piece of cork bark and additional bark. Include a spotlight or UV lamp for basking.

Temperature

One end of the vivarium should be heated. This creates a thermal gradient allowing lizards to choose its preferred temperature.

Thermal gradient: 26°C-28°C at the cool end, up to 40°C at the hot end.

Night Temperature: minimum 16°C-18°C for adults.

Lighting

Bearded Dragons require high intensity UVB lighting in order to fully absorb and utilise the calcium in their diet. Lighting should be left on for 12-14 hours per day.

Humidity

Bearded dragons require low humidity and good ventilation.

Diet and Feeding

Bearded Dragons are omnivores so enjoy a varied diet of live insects, fruit and vegetables.

Their diet should include: crickets, locusts, giant mealworms, pinkie mice, kale, dandelion, watercress, carrots, courgettes, parsley, apples, pears and berries in limited quantities.

We can advise you about how much and how regularly to feed your dragon based on its age. Ask us in-store.

Handling

To pick up your dragon, place one hand above the shoulder and support the underside with your other hand.