Crazy Critters Inc.: February 2019

The problem with treating constipated reptiles with a laxative of some type is that constipation is a symptom – not the primary condition. Laxatives can be harsh on an animal’s system (humans included).

Using a laxative developed for mammals on a reptile, especially an herbivorous lizard, who has a very different digestive system and metabolism, may result in the ‘cure’ being worse than the condition which prompted the curative.

Humans typically use laxatives because their diets do not include enough fiber and they do not drink enough water during the course of the day. Boost the fiber and water intake, and laxatives are no longer necessary.

It is much the same with reptiles: feed them right, heat them right, house them right, provide sufficient room and incentive for exercise, and regularity is not a problem.

Common reasons for a reptile not defecating include:

it is too cold
its digestive system has shut down due to metabolic bone disease
it is impacted with “iguana-approved bark” or “lizard litter” or similar substrates
it is clogged with parasitic worms
it is dehydrated
it is impacted by a foreign object

Laxatives are rarely needed when reptiles are too cold. Nowel movements will come when their temperatures up where they need to be is enough to get the digestive tract functioning again. However, bathing the animal in warm water and massaging the belly gently while you are waiting for the temps in their enclosure/room to rise does help things move along more quickly.

Note that some foods may cause mechanical constipation by indigestible matter failing to break down or otherwise cluttering up, and clogging, the gut: whole-kernel corn, fig seeds, whole peas, whole grapes, and whole berries such as blueberries. Corn, of course, isn’t a great food to feed anyway.

Pumpkin is reputed to be a sort of natural anthelmintic (wormer)…the problem is that as far as I know, no research has been done to validate this or to determine exactly which types of worms it kills.

Feeding large quantities of the orange veggies, such as several meals of all squash or all carrots, will give any animal loose stools. Figs, prunes (again, reconstitute by soaking in hot water), and honey have all been recommended as stool softeners, too.

Pumpkin is an effective natural laxative that is easy to administer because (surprisingly) it has a flavor that most animals seem to enjoy.

Pumpkin Seeds Fight Worms

In recent times, herbalists have discovered that the seeds of the pumpkin also work as an effective deworming agent against tapeworms and other intestinal parasites in dogs and humans.

Pumpkin seeds contain the amino acid called cucurbitacin, which paralyzes and eliminates the worms from the digestive tract.

Raw, organic pumpkin seeds have been used to treat a variety of parasitic and other ailments since the colonists first came to the New World and discovered the benefits of this Native American crop.

The flesh and seeds of the pumpkin were used by the Native American tribes to:

heal wounds
cure kidney ailments and urinary problems
as a parasitic treatment on humans.

Feeding Directions

Pumpkin seeds can be fed whole. Don’t feed the salted seeds from the grocery store; find some raw, organic seeds instead. If you do not give as a treat, you can grind them in a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet and add them to meals. Give a teaspoon per ten pounds of body weight once or twice a day until rid of the parasites.

We Adopt ~ Breed ~ Rescue ~ Transport ~ Rehabilitate

Crazy Critters Inc. is a Private Non-Profit, 501(c)3, Exotic Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Our Wildlife Facility is located in Eustis, Florida. We provide permanent homes to over 200 animals including lizards, turtles, skinks, geckos, birds, and assorted wildlife. Crazy Critters Inc. was established to provide non-domestic, non-releasable animals with a safe and permanent home.

Mostly Tortoises and Turtles call Crazy Critters Inc. home. What makes us unique is that after adoption, Crazy Critters Inc. continues to share the lives of the pets on social media. Providing an additional continued connection. When an animal finds its way to Crazy Critters, it has found a forever home.

Everyone in our community benefits when donors put their funds together to help protect animals and our environment. And the fact that the animals can call this a forever home makes it that much better. Your monetary donations help provide veterinary care, food, and supplies to the animals in our care.

In keeping with our commitment to a quality life for the animals here at the sanctuary, we provide a diet created specifically for each animal’s needs, the best veterinary care, enrichment programs for the animals, and maintain their spacious, safe habitats.

Click DONATE to make a safe Paypal Transaction, of any amount. Every single dollar adds up! We will contact you by email to see how you would like your sponsorship recognized. We appreciate our community! We are always looking for corporate sponsors who believe in a mission such as ours

Depending on where you live and the type of succulents you are growing, you may need to consider bringing some of your succulents inside for the winter. Many succulents can’t handle temperatures below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some Haworthias can survive a few degrees of light frost for a short period

If you live in a climate with four seasons, even one with harsh winters, there are some succulents that will grow outdoors year-round for you! Some Sempervivums Sedums, Agave, Ice Plant, Lewisa, Yucca, and Optunia are cold hardy beauties.

These marvelous plants are often overlooked in the world of succulents. A lot of people don’t realize they exist, or that there are so many of them! These are all great options for maintaining a gorgeous succulent garden outdoors year-round, even if your climate gets below freezing.

Sempervivums winter well for the most part.

Interestingly, Sempervivum responds to the cold primarily by changing color and closing up. While some Sedums are perennials because they die back completely to protect their roots during the cold months.

Regardless of the species of succulent and no matter where you are growing it, you should feed the succulents one last time at the end of summer. That’s because succulents don’t need fertilizer during the winter months. Succulents need diluted fertilizer only while they are actively growing.

Stop feeding when the plants stop growing for the year and go dormant, which occurs when the temperatures drop and the light level falls. Too much fertilizer causes succulents to develop soft leaves, which are prone to rot.

Kalanchoe Copper Spoon will not tolerate frost.

Move an infested succulent away from other plants. Fill a spray bottle with a drop if Dawn dish soap and water to mist onto the plant to kill the pests.

Keep the succulent away from the rest of the plants for a couple of weeks just in case a few of the bugs survive the first spray. Repeat the Dawn application until all the pests are gone.

But what about Echeveria, Sanserveria, and the other plants in most collectors care?

Any plants considered soft succulents (Echeveria, Crassula, Kalanchoe, etc.) are not cold hardy and must be kept indoors in the winter. These are semi-tropical plants and generally will not survive temperatures below 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, they do make great house plants.

The biggest factor in keeping succulents alive over winter is light. Too little light will cause succulents to stretch in an effort to get closer to the light source. Succulents, in general, thrive in full sun. This is difficult to provide indoors, but give them as much direct sunlight as possible. A south-facing window is best, but east or west windows will work.

Place your dormant succulent in an area with at least three to four hours of bright light. In fact, succulents need less light during the winter than when they are actively growing during the summer. Succulents can survive with indirect light during the winter.

Fluorescent lights can be used if natural light is insufficient. It is important that the plants be kept within 1 to 2 inches of the bulbs. Fluorescent light becomes practically useless to plants at more than 3 inches from the bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are too hot and give off the wrong spectrum of light for plant growth.

Echeveria will not tolerate winter temps

Extreme temperature changes can harm soft succulents. Bring them in before winter temperatures dip below freezing. Keep the temperature of the room the succulents are in no cooler than 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter.

Some succulents such as Aeoniums may do better in a cool room or basement, between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, to allow them to rest during the winter.

Most succulents do not need to be kept especially warm during the winter. Keeping the plants cool will keep them in a semi-dormant state. A warm location encourages the plants to grow and with the lower light intensity indoors during the winter, results in leggy plants.

If the succulent species can tolerate freezing temps it will go into complete dormancy. You’ll notice leaves get limp and thin. However, with some water in early spring, they’ll be back easily.

Cold Temp = Less Water

Succulents get their name from the fact that they store water in their leaves, roots, and stems, thus requiring much less moisture than other types of plants. Over-watering them can lead to root rot.

Succulents are always better off too dry, than too wet. This is especially true during the winter when the plants are receiving less than ideal light and cooler than normal temperatures.

Keep your succulents on the dry side during the winter. Water just enough to keep the plants from shriveling. In a cool room, you may only need to water once every 10 to 14 days.

Be especially careful to keep the plant itself dry, especially rosette plants like Echeverias. Water will set in the center of the rosette and rot will quickly turn the plant to mush. Remember, the quickest way to kill a succulent is to keep it wet!

While you can remove dead foliage from your dormant plants, for aesthetic purposes, in the winter it does offer a form of protection.

Jade plants will tolerate temperatures of 45 to 55 F. But not below 40 F.

Overwintering can be a pest… and bring in pests! Be sure to check the leaves of your succulents every month for aphids or mealybugs, which look like tiny cotton balls. Look under the leaves as well.

Move an infested succulent away from other plants. Fill a spray bottle with a drop if Dawn dish soap and water to mist onto the plant to kill the pests.

Keep the succulent away from the rest of the plants for a couple of weeks just in case a few of the bugs survive the first spray. Repeat the rubbing alcohol application until all the pests are gone.

Shocked From The Cold

Staghorn Ferns can not tolerate temperatures below 55 degrees F.

Succulents in cold winter climates need some way of preventing the water in their cells from freezing. They do this by becoming dormant and allowing their cell sap to lose water.

To grow succulents well, you need to mimic natural conditions and expose the succulents to increasing cold, and then revive them in spring.

Succulents from warm winter climates aren’t built to withstand cold temperatures and can suffer physical damage if exposed to cold.

If you live in an area where temperatures regularly drop below 45 F, you should keep your succulent plant in a pot and bring it indoors for the winter. You can move it back outdoors in the spring when temperatures are regularly above 45 F.

If you live in a region where temperatures only sometimes drop too low for your succulent, then it will probably be fine outdoors with some protection from frost, such as bringing it onto a covered patio, covering it with cloth, or stringing Christmas lights onto the plant.

Shop Related Products