Bioactive and Enriched Desert Vivarium Part I

I have returned to the internet for part one of my two-part desert vivarium build. This enclosure will house my new leopard gecko that I adopted from a local reptile rescuer. In this video we discuss the basics of arid and desert habitats, look at a bunch of books about geckos, watch some videos of Pakistan, and run around in the Mojave Desert, all in service of a single goal: to get a feel for desert and arid ecosystems and figure out how to use this information to improve our reptile husbandry.

Part two of the video is the actual build video "time-lapse style" where I make all the hardscape from scratch and plant the setup. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZGYlmap6H8&feature=youtu.be

As a general disclaimer: sand obstructions/impactions can and do occur in geckos. These are likely either due to underlying health problems that compromise gut motility, or nutrient deficient animals that are eating a large amount of substrate in an attempt to obtain necessary minerals from the environment. My position is that a healthy, properly fed animal kept in appropriate parameters is exceedingly unlikely to get a GI obstruction from natural substrate, and I would rather take that risk than deprive my animals of the ability to perform digging behaviors. Dogs fairly frequently get GI obstructions requiring hospitalization or surgery from eating toys (probably much more frequently than reptiles getting substrate impactions), but dog owners have not adopted a mentality that no dogs should ever be able to play with toys again. I am extending this logic to my reptiles. I was going to make a video discussing this specifically, but I found one from another channel that I think is a pretty good resource and there is no reason to reinvent the wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQPEA6qxz7w

Timestamps:
Discussion of substrate - 0:00
Recipe for desert substrate - 3:24
Plants and lighting - 3:57
Clean-up Crew: 4:47
Observations of wild desert herps: 5:28

Sources Cited:

1) Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularious) from Pakistan https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304381063_leopard_gecko_Eublepharis_macularious_from_Pakistan.

2) The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos: ISBN-10: 0974297127

3) Geckos: a Complete Pet Owner's Manual Everything About Selection, Care, Nutrition, Diseases, Breeding, and Behavior: ISBN 10: 0812090829

4) Mader’s Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery: ISBN-10: 0323482538

5) The Leopard Gecko Manual: ISBN-10: 1620082594

6) Reptiles Magazine Desert Substrate Recipe: https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/lizard-vivarium-desert-substrate-mix/

7) Pakistan Journal of Zoology article discussing leopard gecko habitat types (E. macularis is a very widespread species living in several Pakistani habitats including four of Pakistan's five deserts) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301685679_revised_herpetology_of_habitat_types

Videos:

1) Punjab Urial Survey in Salt Range October 2019: by Into the Wild with Asif
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSfLvAYF62g&list=PL0uyn3OSo3FrAqBaMwkcL872iKk072VZt&index=9&t=0s

2) West Indian Leopard Gecko: by Rohit Salunkhe wildlife lover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fJ_4lSFw5Y&list=PL0uyn3OSo3FrAqBaMwkcL872iKk072VZt

3) Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis Macularius ) by Pak Geographic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hH5i0Te7DM&list=PL0uyn3OSo3FrAqBaMwkcL872iKk072VZt&index=3
Music:
1) Sunshine on Sand by Unicorn Heads: YouTube audio library
2) Amazement by Freedom Trail Studio: YouTube audio library
3) Gnawledge by Perro Cruzado: www.freemusicarchive.org

Видео Bioactive and Enriched Desert Vivarium Part I канала Connor Long