Q. I have a Firebellied, a wood frog, and a White's treefrog. I was just wondering if the toxins from the firebelly toad harmful to the frogs. My other question is do you carry Northern leopard frogs or any species of red-eyed tree frog?
A. Technically, NONE of the frogs you mentioned need to be kept together, as they all come from different parts of the world, different climates, etc. Moreover, the firebellies DO secrete a certain amount of toxins which may adversely affect the other frogs. It is impossible to know if they will be harmed, as there are many variables at play.

We "do" sell N. leopard frogs and red-eyed tree frogs, our having these animals is dependent on availability from our suppliers, much of which is seasonal.

Q. I bought a Nile monitor lizard about a month ago and I was wondering what is the best way to handle him and how can I tell male from female? He is about a foot long and he is pretty aggressive. I really love him and don't mind that he bites.
A. Handling, in our opinion, is not a good idea with this animal as they (Nile monitors) do not appreciate it. Moreover, there really is no "taming" of this species. Sexing 'can' be achieved through blood work or 'probing,' but we usually decline sexing this animal until it is sexually mature (usually about 3') when it can be done visually.

Q. We purchased a baby leopard gecko a few months ago and up until the last few days she has done quite well. She seems to have lost her appetite for crickets and prefers the wax worms more. Is this normal or should we just give her the crickets and only supplement her with the wax worms once a week? I placed a few crickets in her home yesterday but she does not appear to have eaten them. Also, what causes a yellow coloring to periodically appear on her back and legs. I have given her the calcium supplement on the crickets and was wondering if this coloring was a lacking vitamin.
A. Yellowing is part of maturation. She could probably just be mature and not as hungry because she is not growing as quickly. Her care sounds appropriate. If she wants wax worms, give 'em to her and offer crickets. You might try investing in a good book on gecko care.

Q. How can I tell what gender my snakes are? They are both young grey ratsnakes. Just wondering if they will breed. Also, can I buy some mice and keep them in another tank and breed them for food for my snakes?
A. There are a few different methods available for determining the sex of snakes, and we prefer to probe them. Obviously, one needs a male and a female to breed them, as well as basic knowledge of the pre-breeding conditioning/incubation for the species. We have some EXCELLENT books on the subject.

You can breed your own mice if you like, however, we have long ago found it much easier to buy frozen rodents from professional suppliers. We also sell only frozen rodents, in addition to USING ONLY FROZEN.

Q. I have a orange bellied newt and I've been trying to feed it reptile sticks and he/she won't eat them. I was wondering what they eat and how cold the water should be.
A. Room temperature, clean, dechlorinated water, live crickets and bloodworms, and HBH "Newt Bites" as food.

Q. Awhile back I bought a Cuban Treefrog I was wondering whether or not there would be a breeding season? Also how many babies would a pair of adults have?
A. Breeding season is primarily in early spring. They can have hundreds of viable (fertile) eggs.

Q. My roommates and I got 3 frogs from you, and we like them very much but we cannot remember what they are called. I am passionate about animals and was trying to find more info on them. They are kinda lime green with black spots on the back. The underside is bright orange also with black spots. They are really small, no more than 2.5 inches long. I'm not good with estimating measurements, but they are real small little guys. I thought they were firebelly toads, and one roommate said firebelly tree frog, and someone else said oriental something.
A. They are indeed Firebelly Toads. They are an aquatic toad and are not a tree frog. They are from Asia, and so are sometimes called Oriental Firebelly Toads.

Q. Do you know how old a mandarin salamander, tylototriton verrucosus, can get? Can I keep a peppermint shrimp together with a pistol shrimp in my saltwater aquarium?
A. The pistol shrimp might kill the peppermint. Depends on size difference, thank size, hiding places, etc. As for the other question, we don't know that that is common knowledge. Tiger Salamanders can live well over 10 years while others only 5 or 6. The Mandarin Salamander (Emperor newt) probably lives more than the 5-6 because they are a bigger salamander. They are typically wild caught and very stressed upon arrival at local stores. They come from cool, wet mountainous regions of Asia living under moss, logs, etc., being mainly terrestrial. Coming from harsh habitats, they are pretty hardy once settled into captivity. They do best below 80 degrees F and will enter and feed in shallow water dishes. Try feeding small crickets, waxworms, blackworms. If kept properly, you should be able to keep this animal for many years.

Q. We bought a leopard gecko from you a while back for our son. We enjoy her a great deal. We named her Fisher to go along with the rest of our animals named after the Titans. The questions that I have are these: My husband would like a tarantula. What would we need for it and what are the best gentle species to get? We have a tank ready and he had picked out a baby he had seen at your store. A rose back? Can you tell me about this species and what I'd need to get for it?
A. Most likely the species you are inquiring about is a Chilean Rosehair. A small aquarium (10 gallons) with a screen lid, bark litter, under-tank heater, a few simple cage decorations and a good tarantula book. 

Q. I am in California and have had a rodent problem. I noticed that kingsnakes eat rodents..can they deal with a live one...rats...the ones we have been catching are the young ones not as big or aggresive as adults. I know this is probably a strange question, but I am quite serious as the ways of poison and maiming traps are not satisfactory to me...would the snake stay in my yard or do they wander? I do have dogs but would think a snake could avoid them and they can be trained to not go near..I would appreciate any info you would be willing to share.
A. Whether they will stay or not is hard to determine, but yes, they do eat rodents. They would only be able to eat very small rats. You can live trap the rodents and re-release.

Q. We bought a leopard gecko from you a while back for our son. We enjoy her a great deal. We named her Fisher to go along with the rest of our animals named after the Titans. The questions that I have are these: My husband would like a tarantula. What would we need for it and what are the best gentle species to get? We have a tank ready and he had picked out a baby he had seen at your store. A rose back? Can you tell me about this species and what I'd need to get for it?
A. Most likely the species you are inquiring about is a Chilean Rosehair. A small aquarium (10 gallons) with a screen lid, bark litter, under-tank heater, a few simple cage decorations and a good tarantula book. 

Q. I recently bought an albino burmese python from you and before that I had a ball python and the entire 8 months that I had my ball python it never snapped at me or anything. I was feeding my new snake and dropped the mouse in the container that I feed it in and when I went to pick it up it snapped at me. It didn't bite, just snapped. I was just wondering if I did something wrong to make it feel uncomfortable? How much more aggressive are albino burmese pythons than ball pythons?
A. Neither Ball Pythons nor Burmese Pythons are "aggressive," but BOTH have heat-sensing pits located on their upper lips. When you reach in front of ANY snake, in or out of its cage, you risk a defensive strike, but ESPECIALLY so if the snake possesses these heat-sensing pits. You were viewed as a possible threat, and the snake was merely defending itself.

Q. How often do you get blue tongue skinks. Mostly the male type. How do you tell the difference between the male and female?
A. We usually stock B-tongue skinks, but at certain times of the year (such as late spring) they are "in season" and more likely to be available. At the present, only wild-collected animals are available, of which we have some. Males usually have a longer, more slender neck and a longer, more arrow-shaped head, but this requires some experience as it is a comparative analysis.