Madagascan Giant Day Gecko Care Sheet

The largest of the 70 or so species/sub species of the Phelsuma genus. This fascinating bright green, usually red spotted, arboreal gecko comes originally from the north area of Madagascar. As the name suggests this is a diurnal (active by day) lizard. It feeds mainly on insects, smaller vertebrates and some nectar. The Madagascan Giant Day Gecko hunts through the branches and leaves and has the lamellar pads on their toes that make geckos (some) famous for being able to climb vertical surfaces and even hang up side down from leaves and ceilings. In captivity they have no problem running round the glass sides of a suitable vivarium. Anyone considering a bioactive set up would do well to consider the day geckos. I had this set up myself with a breeding pair of Giant Day Geckos (Phelsuma grandis) and it looked the business.

Madagascan giant day gecko

Housing

The Madagascan Gian Day Gecko is arboreal so height is as important as floor space. The larger the enclosure the better but as a minimum 60cm long by 60cm high. They can grow up to 30cm (male) although not always. Females are usually a couple of inches smaller. As already stated, they are very agile. They can also be very fast and will shoot out through an open vivarium door if you’re not careful. If they do then you are left chasing a very quick lizard around your walls and ceiling, at my age not that easy. They are known for being escape artists, you have been warned.

madagascan giant day gecko

If using a wooden vivarium you will need to ensure it is well sealed. These are tropical/sub tropical lizards and the humidity will blow the panels if not properly sealed. I prefer glass for these and similar animals because they are better suited to to the humidity and for spraying the plants and gecko with water. Also, unless you are using some sort of tray liner, wood or more properly melamine) is not suitable for a bio active setups. There are at least four readily available brands of glass vivarium/terrarium currently in the UK (and we have accounts with all of them) and a host of custom builders.

Heating

Madagascan Day Geckos are tropical/sub tropical lizards so some form of heating is essential to the continued health of the lizard. Which ever form of heating is used, a temperature gradient across the vivarium will allow the gecko to thermoregulate. Nearly all reptiles are poikilothermic. That is their internal body temperature varies with the temperature of their surroundings (unlike us homeotherms who maintain a stable internal body temperature). They need a hot end (30-32C in the basking area) and a cold end (24-25C) with a gradient in between so they can position themselves to warm up and cool down as required. There are a variety of heating products on the market that can achieve this but I will just outline one method here (with variation depending on budget) as it is the one I tend to use.

A heat mat, mounted to the side of the vivarium to give background heat. This can be left on day and night and connected to a thermostat to switch it off if temperatures get too high (more likely in the day time – why will be clear in a second). A second heat (and light) source, at the same end as the heat mat, mounted above the mesh of the vivarium lid, in the form of a basking lamp. This gives a “hot spot” for the gecko to bask in when it wants to warm up and if a UVA lamp is used it also helps stimulate natural behaviour and colour in the lizard. This lamp is only on during the day giving a day/night difference in temperatures.

Alternatively you could put the basking lamp on a dimmer stat. (dims it down if it gets to hot by reducing the voltage applied to the lamp, which has the added benefit of prolonging lamp life) and have a smaller mat on all the time for background heat. The second method gives finer control but a dimmer stat. is twice the cost of a mat stat. so… As long as the Madagascan Day Gecko is protected from over temperature, either will work fine. If using a wooden vivarium, all heat sources would need to be on a thermostat of some description as wood is a good insulator and will keep the heat in. Glass vivariums usually have mesh lids. Heat rises and escapes so the chances of dangerously high temperatures is much reduced.

Only house one male in an enclosure as males will fight. If housing a male and female together ensure you have a large enclosure with plenty of furniture to ensure the female can avoid the male when she wants. Constant attention form the male will at best cause distress and at worst physical injury.

Lighting

Most of the food you are going to feed to your Madagascan Giant Day gecko is going to have a poor calcium/phosphorous ratio, namely live insects. This imbalance can be corrected by supplementing the diet with calcium in one form or another. However unless the correct levels of UVB light are supplied then this dietary calcium remains unavailable to the gecko. Animals (us included) use light in the UVB range of the spectrum to synthesize vitamin D3 in the skin. Vitamin D3 is used to metabolize calcium in the diet (and as we are all aware with the COVID pandemic, by the immune system). No vitamin D3, no calcium absorbed from food. The body then goes on the hunt for calcium as it is required by the nervous system and it will start to rob it from the only source left to it, the bones. This leads to a horrible, debilitating disorder called “metabolic bone disease”. The bones start to go thin and even bendy. Mild cases can be reversed but severe cases, even when conditions are corrected, will leave the gecko with deformed limbs and joints. It is painful, crippling and can be fatal and it is totally avoidable with the right UVB lighting. It is even worse in young, growing geckos as obviously they need more calcium to actively grow bones. A Madagascan Giant Day gecko is diurnal, so it is out in the partial sun all day. It is generally classed as a Ferguson zone 3 reptile which means it needs a UVI (UV index) range of 1.0 – 2.6 (Maximum UVI: 2.9 – 7.4 in basking zone).

Don’t worry too much about the technical details of this but the type of UVB lamp you use will depend on the set up of your vivarium and the positioning of the lamp. Not only are there differing strengths of UVB lamp (5%, 10% etc.) but different types, T8 tubes, T5 tubes, compact, mercury vapour, metal hallide. The important thing is that the gecko gets enough UVB light during the day. Unless you possess an expensive UVI meter to check the levels you can only go on a basic understanding of what you are buying.

If the lamp is going to be very close to the basking spot or area where the gecko spends most of the time then a 5% compact will work. If it is going to be a little further then a 10% would be better. If you wish to use a more spread out source then go for a tube. T5 tubes kick out more UVB than T8 tubes but are more expensive. Mercury vapour and metal hallide are probably too strong for this set up and generate a lot of heat, unless of course they are mounted much further away from the lizard. UVB does not travel far from the lamp and the level decays over distance. The stronger the lamp the further it will reach so Mercury vapour are better for ground dwelling species like tortoises or more specialized set ups (such as very large enclosures or rooms). If in any doubt speak to your local reptile shop. In the UK, as part of the license conditions (and you have to have a license to sell animals commercially here) all shops must have a UVI meter and record readings daily. They will know exactly what lamp you need for your set up. Note that ALL UVB lamps will need to be replaced annually. It may still light up but it will no longer be giving out sufficient UVB.

I mentioned UVA with reference to basking lamps in the heating section. UVA stimulates natural behavior and brings out colour. It does not facilitate vitamin D3 synthesis so a UVA lamp alone is not sufficient. They are different wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum. It may surprise you how many times, when asked what UV lamp they have, customers just have a basking lamp and when it is pointed out that that is mainly for heat and doesn’t provide UVB they tell me “it says UV on the box”.

What about UVC? Well that is the part of the spectrum responsible for skin damage and cancer. No lamps sold for reptiles as UVA or UVB generate any UVC.

All forms of lighting used should be on for around 12 hours a day and off at night to give a day/night cycle that will encourage natural behaviour and benefit the wellbeing of the Madagascan Day Gecko.

Feeding and Watering

I have already alluded to the diet of the Madagascan Giant Day Gecko. In the wild they eat insects, some vertebrates that are much smaller than themselves and nectar. This diet can be easily recreated in captivity. There is a a much wider range of commercially produced live insects on the market now than when I started keeping reptiles getting on for 50 (cough) years ago. I would recommend varying the diet. Don’t just feed one type of insect. They will take whatever they can get in the wild so swapping the food around a bit is good for them. Not only does it just provide a variety from a behavioral aspect but the insects themselves have different nutritional benefits. I am not going into detail of the different fat, protein, calcium, phosphorous etc. levels of all the available insects here, just vary what is presented and you will be OK. Also gut loading the insect before feeding to the gecko significantly boosts the nutritional content. The lizard eats the whole thing, including whatever the the insect has just eaten (so watch what plants you use that the insects might nibble on!). Just feed some carrot to small to medium small crickets for proof, they almost glow orange! Feeding veg. such as carrot, kale, lettuce, basil etc. will not only boost the vitamins and minerals available to the gecko but will also keep the insects alive. DO NOT let the veg. spoil though. This will wipe out the livefood pretty quickly. They will get sweaty and smelly and you have just wasted a couple of quid. Feed very small amounts frequently (should be all gone in a couple of hours or so) rather than a large chunk for the week.

For the nectar content of the diet there are commercially available powders that you just add water to and present in some sort of small container. Always make these up in small amounts daily and do not allow to spoil. They can also be used to gut load the insects. There also jelly pots available and the geckos seem to like these too.

I never bother with vertebrates. If you want you can try presenting a defrosted pinkie. The diet ours receive is well balanced enough to make this a bit pointless. Remember, in the UK it is illegal to feed live vertebrates to another animal (except under strictly defined circumstances that are not relevant here).

You can present water in a small bowl and the gecko will drink from it. However I prefer to spray the leaves of any fake or real plants at least daily and allow the gecko to drink from that. If you do use a bowl/dish or something flasher like a water fall set, make sure you keep the water fresh. In a warm environment with insects and gecko poop falling in it will get very nasty, very quickly.

Vivarium Decor

People write books about this subject alone so I am only going to cover the basics. I tend to categorize set ups into three types.

Standard or basic. A suitable substrate on the floor, something that helps maintain a bit of humididity like Cresty Life or Coir mixed with bark chips. Your set up, your choice. Some people don’t use any substrate and just wipe the base daily. Fair enough, bit too boring and too much work for me but I guess it works if you spray more frequently. Fake plants both to spray for the Madagascan Day Gecko to drink from and to provide cover (plastic and silk are available, although I prefer silk as I think they look more “real”). A small container for the mixed food and away you go.

Does the job but it will need the substrate cleaning regularly. You can prolong the life by spot cleaning the gecko poop but I challenge any one to find the cricket faeces! After a couple of months it will start to pong a bit and you will start to get fungus growing which will be detrimental to health.

Standard set up but with added detrivores.

Detrivores are small invertebrates (at least in this case) that, well eat detritus. There are several species available that devour the faeces and break it down into nutrients available to plants. If you are using a standard set up with fake plants, you will still have to periodically clean out the substrate but much less frequently.

Bio Active Set Up

To do this properly I strongly recommend using a drainage layer. You can do it without but it is much more difficult to maintain the correct soil moisture content. Too dry and your plants will not thrive, too wet and you could lose the lot very quickly. Plus the soil could go anoxic, which apart from being unhealthy for the lizard, absolutely stinks.

On the bottom you place a reasonable layer of drainage material, usually clay balls. Over this you place a porous membrane or fleece layer to keep the substrate out of the drainage media. On top of this you place your substrate. For good plant growth use a quality forest media with added plant nutrients. I often put a watering tube through the substrate and membrane into the drainage media so water can be added directly to the media for the plants to access when they have established roots but you don’t have to. Add in your detrivores. I use different species (and different sized) woodlice, springtails (an even smaller species of isopod) and in the past have also used white worms (tiny, threadlike detrivores). These should thrive in the substrate and breakdown all the waste so bacteria can have a go and produce nutrients for your plants. Add plants suitable for the environment. There are so many available I am not going to this subject at all here but you want a variety of different heights. These can be planted directly into the substrate if it is deep enough. If you really want lush plant growth you may have to invest in a specialist lamp specifically for them. There are a number of brands making LED lamps for plant growth in vivariums and they all seem to work well. Your vivarium set up will dictate the size and power required. Spray a couple of times a day (more than you would in a basic set up, you are watering the plants too) and that’s it. OK, not really. You will become a bit of an indoor gardener but the gecko is going to love it and you don’t have to clean it out, just clean the water marks off the glass occasionally. Using rainwater reduces the amount of water marks generated and makes them easier to clean off – no mineral deposits.

Lifespan

This is often overlooked by new owners. By taking on any animal you are taking on a commitment to being responsible for that animal’s welfare for the entirety of its life. In the case of a Madagascan Giant Day Gecko this is usually around 8-12 years although there are reports of up to 20 years. If you can’t plan for this and budget for replacing equipment as it reaches the end of its life or fails then please don’t buy an animal at all. If you can then you have many years of observing these fascinating animals interacting with the forest you have created in your living rom.

New APL Superfood for Dogs

Our APL ranges of pet foods are very popular. From the entry level, hypoallergenic Super Premium range, to the higher meat content natural diet, Grain Free range. Many customers have moved onto these foods from poorer quality supermarket brands and noticed a marked difference in their pets appetite, digestion and coat. More have moved from over priced, supposedly premium brands and found the same thing, as well as more money in their pockets. No food will suit every single animal but the feedback from the vast majority of customers making the move has been very positive. APL Superfood is a fine addition to these existing ranges.

We are now launching a new range of foods under our APL brand. Our new APL Superfood range. This food is even higher meat content again than our existing Grain Free range and will suit customers feeding the highest end brands such as Canagan and Orijen but at a much better price point.

APL superfood

Orijen Original, an 85% meat, high quality ingredient food retails in our store for £71.99 for the largest 11.4kg bag. Canagan, a British sourced and manufactured 60% meat food (Orijen is Canadian), retails in our store for £67.99 for the largest 12kg bag.

APL Superfood, a British manufactured, high quaility ingredient food will retail in our store for £59.99 for a 12kg bags. The 2kg bags are only £1.00 and £2.50 more than the existing APL Grain Free range.

The APL Superfood Adult Dog 65 Duck is already in stock and the APL Superfood 65 Salmon should be in tomorrow for those keen to give it a try and save some money against the more expensive (although equally as good) Canagan or Orijen. All varietties of the APL Superfood are already available online in our webstore.

Of course you may be using some other brand of grain free kibble but want to try a different brand to see how it compares, both in quality, condition, digestibility and price. If you have any questions please do contact us and we will be glad to help.

Remember local delivery on all our products including the new APL superfood is FREE during the current crisis (subject to minimum order of £5. Delivery further afield for the APL Superfood large bags will be £7 per order.

April 2020 Offers Despite The Corona Virus – FREE Local Delivery Available On All Offers

Customers have been complaining and the media have been reporting, some shops are putting up prices as demand for popular items goes up. Happy to say that we have not put up a single price during the crisis and this month we have our regular wholesalers offers available so actually some prices are going down.

Our April offers can be purchased on line by clicking on the link, purchased by card over the telephone for FREE local delivery on all orders over £5 or purchased in store during our temporary opening hours.

Skinner’s Field & Trial Muesli Mix 15kg ONLY £16.99 SAVE £3.50

Burgess Adult Cat Chicken & Duck/Scottish Salmon 10kg ONLY £21.99 SAVE over £10.00

Bakers Adult Dog Complete Beef & Vegetables 14kg ONLY £20.00 SAVE £5

Company of Animals Pet Corrector 30/ml/50ml ONLY £3.99/£6.99 SAVE over 30%

Harringtons Adult Dog Grain Free Chicken 2kg ONLY £4.99 SAVE 30%

Dreamies Adult Cat Treats Chicken/Beef/Cheese/Salmon 60g 2 for £1.50 (in store and telephone orders only)

Good Boy Chewy Twists with Chicken 90g ONLY £1.99 SAVE £1.00

Hollings Tripe Sticks 500g ONLY £6.49 SAVE over £2.00

Yakers Dog Chews Medium 2 Chews/Extra Large 1 Chew ONLY £7.49 SAVE £4.50

Pointer Assorted Small Bones/Beef Gravy Bones 1.5kg ONLY £3.49 SAVE over 33%

Burns Puppy Complete Chicken and Rice 12kg ONLY £37.49 SAVE over £10.00

Tetra Pond Sticks 1 Litre/100g Only £2.89 SAVE 30%

Purina One Adult Cat Chicken 3kg ONLY £10.99 SAVE over £4.00

Whiskas 1+ Cat Complete with Chicken 7kg ONLY £12.99 SAVE over £7.00

James Welleloved Adult Dog Turkey & Rice/Lamb & Rice 2kg ONLY £7.49 SAVE £3.50

The easiest way to take advantage of these offers is to call us on 01452 501882 and pay by card over the telephone for collection in store or FREE local delivery. Customers not living in the local area can order online for normal courier delivery (charges will apply).

Stay at home and stay safe – The Angell Pets Team.

Plumed Basilisk Caresheet

Plumed Basilisks (Basiliscus plumifrons) originate from the humid tropical forests of Central America. They are a semi-aquatic species of lizard that love to climb but use the water to escape, either by diving in or running very fast across the surface. They can become tame and make good pets. Adults can reach sizes up to 75 cm, including tail. Adult males can be territorial and should not normally be kept together. Average life span 10-20

Housing

A sealed wooden (Melamine) vivarium with good ventilation and a glass front is the most suitable. Glass can also be used but be aware that these lizards do not always realize that clear glass is a barrier, and many damage their snouts by constant rubbing – live plants or hanging silk pants in front of the glass sides and back can therefore be a good option for this species. The minimum size should be 1200 x 80 x 60cm but the larger the better. All reptiles are cold blooded and need an external heat source to maintain their body temperature. Each species of lizard requires different degrees of heating, but all lizards benefit from a range of temperatures within the vivarium. One end of the vivarium should be heated. This creates a thermal gradient allowing the lizard to choose its preferred temperature. Thermometers can be placed at each end of the vivarium to monitor the temperature range. The overall vivarium temperature must be controlled by a thermostat. Lower temperatures due to a blown bulb, power failure etc. can be tolerated for short periods but over temperature can kill in quickly. Basilisks like to climb and hang off things and can jump across from branches to heaters so wire mesh guards should be fitted over all hot heat sources used in order to prevent thermal burns.

plumed basilisk

Temperature

Gentle heat can be provided by using heat mats and more intense heat by spot lights or UV heat lamps. Your pet shop will advise on heating products and their use suitable for your green basilisk (another name for the same animal). Create a thermal gradient of 24-25°C at the cool end and 32-35°C at the hot end. Night temperatures can be dropped by a couple of degrees at both ends. There are various ways of achieving this end and different keepers have different methods. The important thing is the actual temperatures. We do it with a heat mat for night time, mounted on the vivarium wall at the hot end with a UVA basking lamp for increased daytime temperatures and natural lighting, using a dimming thermostat.

Lighting

Plumed Basilisks are diurnal lizards and require UVB lighting to fully absorb and utilize the calcium in their diet. This light should be left on for 12- 14 hours in the day. The bulbs will need replacing from time to time and your pet shop will advise you. Different brands and types have different lifespans and just because a tube still lights up does not mean it is still giving out UV. UVB (at around 5-6%) is essential. Without it the basilisk will suffer..Using a UVA basking lamp helps stimulate natural diurnal behaiour and has the added benefit of bringing out the colour of the animal.

Humidity

Plumed Basilisks require a high humidity of 65-85 %. This can be achieved by spraying the vivarium frequently (at least daily) with tepid water, or by installing a waterfall or automatic misting device.Substrate choice will also effect humidity throughout the day.

Furnishings

The floor of the enclosure should be covered with a suitable substrate, such as a mixture of coconut bark and coconut soil or orchid bark (bark chips) to maintain high humidity. As already stated provide a spot light or UV heat lamp for basking. Use branches to create areas to bask in and for climbing and shade. An area to shelter for shade and to prevent stress if your lizard wants to hide away. Plumed Basilisks love to be near water, they use it to escape if threatened in the wild, actually running across the surface, hence to local name of “Jesus Christ lizard” so a large bath should be provided for swimming, or at least for the basilisk to soak its whole body.

plumed basilisk

Cleaning and watering

Remove droppings, frequently produced in the bath and dead food daily. Baths, water and food bowls should be washed and cleaned daily. The enclosure is very warm and bacteria will grow rapidly in dirty water bowls. Vivariums should be completely cleaned out and disinfected with a pet-safe disinfectant regularly. How regularly depends on a lot of factors; substrate choice, whether there are detrivores used or in the case of bioactive set ups perhaps not at all. If not using a live set up then soiled substrate should be disposed of and replaced every couple of months. You can spot clean basilisk poop but I challenge anyone to spot clean cricket or locust poop! Over time this will start to make the vivarium smell if left too long. I don’t like vivarium deodorisers. If it smells then you are not keeping it clean enough.

Feeding

Plumed Basilisks mainly eat live insects, of a size up to the width of their heads, but some will accept fruit and vegetables if offered. In the wild they will also eat fish, small mammals but it is not necessary to feed this in captivity unless you really feel the urge. Remember it is illegal and foolish to feed live vertebrates to another animal in the UK but frozen are available for you to defrost if you simply must. Don’t overdo it though as this can lead to obesity and laziness. Young basilisks should be fed insects once or twice a day with occasional fruit and vegetables. Once growth slows, appetite diminishes substantially. Adults can then be fed 3-4 times a week with more fruit and vegetables offered, if accepted, some just will not. Animal protein can be supplied as crickets, locusts, morio worms and very occasional pinkie mice. Wax worms should be fed sparingly as they have a high fat content. When feeding crickets feed a few at time; if they are eaten readily you can feed a few more. Loose, uneaten crickets annoy and distress them, particularly the black variety. Brown or “silent” rickets are less carnivorous but in large numbers will still nibble. Fruit and vegetables should be washed and dried before being offered in bite size pieces. All food should be dusted with a calcium supplement for fast growing juveniles, and two or three times a week for adults. Vitmain powder should only be used once a week. It is possible to overdose with vitamins (not calcium)

Handling

Plumed basilisks are fairly easily tamed and rarely bite once you’ve put in the work. Young lizards will be quite skittish however, particularly wild caught ones. We only sell captive bred anyway and these are generally much more docile. Movements to pick them up should be smooth, gentle but confident. If you go in with a shaky hand, hesitating and moving around to get the best angle then the basilisk will get nervous and probably clear off or if it can’t then that is the only time it is likely to bite in self defence. Once you have decided how you are going to approach, go in quickly but smoothly. To pick up your lizard place one hand above the shoulders and support the underside fully with the other hand. Keep the basilisk supported at all times, especially when young. It could “take off” at any time.

Health

A healthy Plumed Basilisk should be bright and alert. Its body and legs muscles should appear well-formed and strong. Things to look out for are diarrhoea; this can be caused by incorrect feeding or internal parasite infestation (much more likely in wild caught specimens, another reason to buy captive bred). Nails may become overgrown and will need to be trimmed (we can trim nails for you). Mouth rot: cheesy deposits appear in the mouth. Respiratory problems: signs include fluid or mucus from the nose. Bone disorders: signs include twisted, twitching, swollen or paralysed hind limbs and a soft or undershot jawbone. This is due to a lack of calcium and/or vitamin D3. It can be reversed if caught in time and properly treated. If you are at all worried about the health of your basilisk you should consult a specialist reptile vet as soon as possible. Some reptiles can carry a form of salmonella. Salmonella is most usually contracted by ingestion. Good hygiene and washing hands after handling or cleaning your basilisk should be sufficient to prevent any risk of infection.

At Angell Pets we sell complete set ups for the Plumed Basilisk, including all the equipment, food and supplements you need to keep your animal healthy for many years. We are a five star licence holder and take the welfare of our animals very seriously, both in store and after they leave us.

Gloucester Pet Shop August Offers

Angell Pets Gloucester pet shop August offers are now available in store an on line in our webstore. As usual there are some great offers this month. Have a look through and select your offer. Do hurry though as this is a wholesaler schem and they do tend to run out of stock quite quickly.

Gloucester pet shop

Pro Plan Dog Adult Medium Breed Sensitive 14kg ONLY £35.99 RRP £57.95

Gloucester pet shop

Arden Grange Lamb & Rice 2kg ONLY £6.99 RRP £9.50

Arden Grange Lamb & Rice 12kg ONLY £34.99 RRP £44.82

Bob Martin Cat & Kitten Spot On Wormer 2 Tubes ONLY £4.89 RRP £6.39

Gloucester pet shop

Animal Dreams Cat Litter 30L ONLY £9.75 RRP £12.75

Animology Curly Coat Shampoo
Gloucester pet shop
Animology Stink Bomb Spray

Animology Curly Coat Shampoo 250ml ONLY £3.79 RRP £5.50

Animology Deep Clean Shampoo 250ml ONLY £3.79 RRP £5.50

Animology Stink Bomb Spray 250ml ONLY £3.79 RRP £5.50

Harrington Guinea Pig

Harrington Optimum Nugget Guinea Pig 2kg ONLY £3.29 RRP £4.49

Harrington Rabbit

Harrington Optimum Nugget Rabbit 2kg ONLY £2.49 RRP £3.39

Gloucester pet shop

Greenies Adult Regular 340g ONLY £9.99 RRP £13.00

Iams Dog Chicken

Iams Dog Vitality Large Breed Chicken 12kg ONLY £24.9 RRP £31.99

Pointer Meaty Roll

Pointer Meaty Beefy Marrowbone Rolls 2kg ONLY £4.49 RRP £6.30

Hills Cat

Hills Feline Optimal Care Adult Chicken 2kg ONLY £13.99 RRP £19.69

Hills Feline Optimal Care Mature Active Longevity Chicken 2kg ONLY £14.49 RRP £19.99

Felix AGAIL Senior

Felix AGAIL Senior Mixed Selection in Jelly 40 x 100g ONLY £11.75 RRP £16.00

Gloucester pet shop

Burgess Dog Beef 15kg ONLY £15.99 RRP £22.36

Burgess Dog Chicken 15kg ONLY £15.99 RRP £22.36

Burns Adult Toy & Small Breed Chicken and Rice 6kg ONLY £19.99 RRP £25.24

Catsan Hygiene Cat Litter 20L ONLY £9.99 RRP £13.69

We are in our 10th year tof our Gloucester pet shop too so we have many other offers on in store to celebrate. Keep your eye on our Facebook page or sign up to our email list to be made aware as the offers coime out.

Gloucester Pet Shop Increases Stock – Some Old Favourites, Some New Lines

We are always looking to increase the range of stock we hold in store in our Gloucester pet shop. We have just reorganised the shop floor again to enable us to get a new order of stock in this week. We have restocked with some old favourites that are popular with our customers but that we cannot get through our regular weekly deliveries from our normal wholesalers and we have also added some new lines. One of the new lines is actually both. It is a new brand to replace the brand we used to stock but can no longer get. Turns out to be the same product with a different label.

Komodo Nano Vivariums

gloucester pet shop

These are our favourite enclosures at our Gloucester pet shop for housing tarantulas and other inverts. like mantids. They are glass, so easy to clean, well ventilated and stakable (for the larger collections. The larger sizes can also be used for small amphibians or reptiles (some of the smaller gecko species). We have stocked these before and they are always popular but due to minimum order levels are not always available.

Komodo Terraced Water Bowls

Gloucester pet shop

These heavy resin bowls will grace any vivarium. Will not be overturned by even the most active of lizards or snakes. We always sell out of these quite quickly. I have just found out the real reason they were on the order though. Billie wanted one to match the hides she has in her hognose viv. Cheek.

Hugs Dog Beds In Grape And Teal

gloucester pet shop

We have a new range of Hugs dog beds in stock at our Gloucester pet shop in two attractive colours. These come in rectangular and oval formats and compliment our other ranges of beds already held at the store. Theyt are also very reasonably priced considering their stylish design.

Geo Range Of Cat Scratchers

pet shop gloucester

This is a new product and we only have one model from the range in so we can make ourselves familiar with the product. They looked good in the brochure but we like to know what we are selling. From first look the model we have in stock looks like a winner and again is very reasonable priced as it is an activity toy as well as a scratcher.

Happy Pet Bird Toys

gloucester pet shops

A return of a range of old favourites to our Gloucester pet shop. With a couple of exceptions, we have stocked all these toys before and they sell out quickly everytime. Good value and will keep the fussiest of birds occupied for hours. We also have a couple of new items to expand the range further.

Happy Pet Crafty Creatures Range

gloucester pet shop

Back by poular demand, this range of soft dog toys in the shape of some of the animals we sell!. Spiders, geckos and chameleons. We also have Chuckie the chimp back in our Gloucester pet shop for the first time at Hucclecote.We stopped stocking him at Southgate Street because the drunks would continually set him off and it drove Bille mad. Not a problem we have now we are out of town thank goodness, so Chucky’s back.

Komodo Turtle Food Range

pet shop gloucester

We stocked a very popular turtle food product range for a number of years. However the supplier became less and less reliable, to the point where we were finding placing an order a bit of a lottery as to what, if anything, we would recieve. We have been looking for a suitable replacement and have been disappointed with the alternative products. We saw this new range in the brochure and thought it looked good. Turns out it is the old product supplied under a their own brand name via one of our other suppliers. Result. We have limited numbers of each item this time round because we were not certain how good it would be. Now we know it is our old product, so popular with our existing customers we will order more next time.

Jelly Pots

gloucester pet shop

We always have a range of different flavour jelly pots in store but now we have even more. All the favourites with some exotic additions like melon. Always popular with birds, reptiles and invertebrates.

We will obviously keep trawling the trade press for new and innovitive products to stock in our Gloucester pet shop so keep up to date by visiting the store, checking out this blog or our Facebook page, visiting our webstore or signing up to receive regualr updates. Of course you could do all of the above.

June Offers

Angell Pets Gloucester pet shop June special offers now avaiable. We have a great list of special offers again this month. All offers are available in our Gloucester pet shop and on line in our webstore. These offers are always popular so you may wish to call on 01452 501882 to check we still have what you require in stock or messaging us on our Facebook page.

Interpet Aquarium Gold Tap Safe 100ml ONLY £2.45 RRP £3.09

Forthglade Adult Complete Grain Free Chicken ONLY £1.00 RRP £1.45

Forthglade Adult Complete Grain Free Sardine ONLY £1.00 RRP £1.45

Purina One Cat Chicken 3kg ONLY £9.99 RRP £15.49

Omega Dog Tasty Chicken 15kg ONLY £14.99 RRP £20.99

Omega Dog Tasty Original 15kg ONLY £14.99 RRP £20.99

Supa Wild Bird Feeding Station ONLY £11.99 RRP £16.99

Gloucester pet shop

Whiskas 1+ Fish Selection In Jelly (40 for 36) ONLY £8.99 RRP £11.55

Whiskas

Whiskas 1+ Poultry Selection In Jelly (40 fro 36) ONLY £8.99 RRP £11.55

James Wellbeloved Kitten Pouch Turkey 12 Pack ONLY £7.49 RRP £9.99

James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Pouch Turkey 12 Pack ONLY £7.49 RRP £9.99

Iams Cat Vitality Chicken 2kg ONLY £8.99 RRP £10.99

Beaphar FLEAtec Household Flea SPRAY 600ML RRP £11.49

Beaphar FIRPOtec Spot On Medium Dog 4 Treatment RRP £12.50 Buy both for £16.99 (This offer can only be redeemed in store or via telephone)

Burgess Cat Chicken 10kg ONLY £19.99 RRP £28.61

Burgess Cat Salmon 10kg ONLY £19.99 RRP £28.61

Burns Puppy Original 12kg ONLY £34.99 RRP £46.34

Bob Martin Flea Clear Spot On Cat 1 Treatment ONLY £3.99 RRP £5.44

pet shop gloucester

Animology Cloud Nine Body Mist 150ml ONLY £3.99 RRP £5.50

Animology Heaven Scent Body Mist 150ml ONLY £3.99 RRP £5.50

Animolgy Star Pups Body Mist 150ml ONLY £3.99 RRP £5.50

Johnsons 4Fleas Spot On Treatment Medium Dog 2 Pack ONLY £7.39 RRP £8.89

gloucester pet shop

Hills Canine Advanced Fitness Chicken 2.5kg ONLY £9.99 RRP £14.99

gloucester pet store

Call our pet shop in Gloucester on 01452 501882 to reserve a bargain or order on line from our webstore.

Fat dog? Your Responsibilty!

It seems a bit harsh but I am afraid it is true in all but a very few cases. Wild animals have the ability to respond to changes in their environment. If they feel cold, they will move to a more sheltered or warmer spot, if they are afraid, they will run away, if they are thirsty they will find water and if they are hungry, find food. Each species evolves and adapts to eat a particular type of food and retains this ability to respond to changes in and around it. It has response-ability. Put an animal in a captive environment and you have removed this ability to respond. Now if it is thirsty it can only drink if you provide the water. It can only eat if you provide the food. You have taken on its response-ability. If you are not a responsible pet owner then it’s the animal that suffers the consequences.

So a dog can only eat the food you provide. It will however retain its natural instinct to eat whatever it can, whenever it can, as in the wild it does not know when it will find another meal. The expression to “wolf it down” comes from the ability of a wolf to eat huge amounts of food in one sitting (then to spend days resting with a distended stomach whilst it digests its massive intake of food or regurgitates some for its pups and other pack members). If the owner presents the dog with too much food or inappropriate food, the dog cannot be blamed for eating it. It will not stop when it has had sufficient, it will keep going until it cannot fit more in and will usually still eat treats if you, the leader of its pack offers it some. Offer a dog poisonous food such as chocolate or grapes/sultanas etc. and it will eat it, to its own detriment because you gave it to him.

healthy dogs

So you are in control of your dogs food intake. Yes they will scavenge things you would rather they did not but in the house and garden you control that. If the dog eats the Sunday joint off the side then I’m afraid it’s your fault for leaving it exposed. If the dog eats some Christmas cake and ends up at the vets. (at best) then, well you guessed it. What a lot of people don’t realise is that some foods that are suitable for humans are not suitable for dogs. Chocolate, grapes, avocados are all poisonous to dogs.I was explaining this to a customer once and a lady interrupted and told us that her granny had fed her dog a bit of her chocolate every day for years and the dog was fine. I explained that my mother in law is in her 80s and has smoked 20 cigarettes a day her whole adult life and is still going strong, I wouldn’t however, recommend it as a lifestyle choice. Some foods are just poisonous to dogs, it’s a question of the dose and the individual dog but they are poisonous.

So you have a dog and you don’t feed it human foods, You go to the supermarket and get dog food and dog treats so you have done your bit and if the dog gets fat now it’s not your fault is it. Wrong. Firstly, do you follow the feeding guidelines on the food? Are you reducing this amount if you give the dog a treat? Do you even know what is in the food you pick off the supermarket shelf? If you did you would probably realise you are giving your dog chicken feed.

There are rules for the terms used on dog (and cat) food packaging. If it says “fresh” chicken, then that is what was used to make the food, fresh chicken meat. If it says chicken then its still chicken but it may have been previously frozen of dried for storage. If it says chicken (or poultry) meal then that is the rest of the carcass, after the meat has been removed, ground up into a bone and cartilage meal (a necessary part of the food, it’s where the glucosamine, condroitin and calicum are found). If it says meat and animal derivitives then you might want to reconsider using this food. This term is for what is left when you have taken away the meat and the bones, ie not a lot! You will find that for foods that list this, the first ingredient on the ingredients list is nearly always cereal, or wheat, or maize. The protein content of the food will not come from meat as there is too little in the food but from wheat and maize gluten. In other words it is a bag of cereal with a bit of nondescript meat product mixed in – chicken feed, not dog food.

The other thing about these foods is that whilst they don’t have a lot, if any, meat they do have a lot of carbohydrate. The one thing that is guaranteed to make a dog put on weight and get fat is carbohydrate. A dog needs very little of this, if any. It gets its energy from fat and protein. High levels of carbohydrate get converted straight to fat deposits. Some of the worst foods even have added sugar, totally wrong. It is not added to improve pallatability, dogs have far fewer taste buds than us and don’t taste much, it’s all smell. It is there because a lot of these foods are made from waste products from the human food processing industry, which already have sugar added and we know what a problem we have with high sugar content childrens’ cereals. Where do you think the waste from this industry goes? Who owns the leading supermarket brands of dog food? Do they also own the largest supermarket brands of childrens’ cereals? Hmmm. Would you feed your child meat paste sandwiches and cake every meal for the rest of its life? No of course not but people are feeding this to dogs all the time and this is usually where the problem is.

If you feed your dog the correct, appropriate food and treats, follow the feeding guidelines and obviously give it plenty of exercise, you can be confident that you will have a healthy and fit dog that will live longer than a dog fed on supermarket food. However you will also probably have to deal with people telling you your dog is skinny. It isn’t but we are all so used to seeing overweight dogs that when we see one that is as it should be we think it looks thin. It is just perception. Most (around 90%) of dogs are overweight. A lot are obese, we just don’t notice any more. Unfortunately as with humans, being overweight greatly reduces the dog’s life expectancy and introduces a host of other conditions that make its later life uncomfortable and expensive..

To avoid all the problems associated with a poor diet, feed your dog on proper food. We sell frozen meat, bones and vegetable mixes. A raw food diet is probably the best, it is certainly the most natural. However we all live busy lives and I know for sure that I would forget to defrost the food in time, be in a rush during preparation etc. For this reason I do not use this option (although they do get it occasionally). Instead I feed a good quality, grain free, high meat content kibble. Obviously meat is expensive these days and the higher the meat content of a food, the higher the price of a bag. However the amount fed is lower, so cost balances out somewhat. Also as a side benefit the dog will poop less and the poops will be of a better consistency and easier to deal with. This alone is often reason enough to change food.

grain free dog food
Alfie

Alfie, the Jack Russel in the photo would cost 32 pence per day on APL grain free turkey. 32p a day! That is it. He doesn’t need anything extra. If he has a treat then he has less food that day. My dog, Venus (below) would cost £1.20 a day. She is a staffie/lurcher cross, weighing 31kg. If you can’t afford 32p a day to feed a Jack Russel it would be better not to have one, rather than buy supermarket food and own a little barrel. In any case it would still probably work out the same or more for supermarket food anyway. As for wet food, unless you have been advised by a vet. for very specific reasons then forget it. You are just buying a tin of water (check the packaging, most wet foods are 70-80% water, sometimes disguised by terms such as “aqua” or “moisture”) with poor quality ingredients That’s why people used to add mixer, which is just wheat biscuit. I worked it out for my cousin once, for his dalmations which he fed on the cheapest tinned dog food I was able to source for him. It still worked out cheaper per day to switch to the most expensive, highest quality grain free, high meat content (85%) dry dog food we stock,. Unfortunately, even though I worked it all out for him, listed all the benefits and showed him how much he would save, he could not see past the price of the bag of Orijen, versus the price of one tin of Breederpack wet food. Ho Hum.

Venus at 13-14 years old

So how do you know if your dog is overweight? Sadly if you don’t already know then it probably is. But as a rule of thumb it goes like this. Looking from the side you should see a definite difference between the chest and abdomen areas on the underside of the dog. The line should swoop down from the neck, around the chest, rise up significantly to the abdomen and back down where it meets the back legs. you should be just able to see the outline of the vertebrae above the hips. Just, they should not be protruding. Looking from above the sides should curve in behind the chest and flare out again at the hip and you should be able to see the outline of the ribs under the flesh (obviously this is more difficult on long and wire haired dogs). Observe the outline, not see ribs poking out, the difference is obvious. Now these rules are general, a greyhound has a much more pronounced line on the underside than a labrador but it still holds true. If you look at your dog and its chest line to abdomen look straight or from above has no “waist”, your dog is fat and could do with losing a few pounds. This is not anything to do with looks. It is just that a healthy, fit dog is going to live longer and have fewer issues as it ages than a poorly fed, over weight one. It is not a judgement. Yes you are responsible for it but that in a way is a good thing. It just means you are able to do something about it. Don’t feel bad or “judged” because it is the case, there are that many over weight dogs around it has become the norm and we have become inured to it.

grain free dog food
Alfies waist line from above

Where I come form the phrase “fit as a butchers dog” is much used. There is a reason for the phrase existing. The butchers dog was getting the right diet whilst the rest were eating the scraps we throw away. Now we just allow others to put the scraps in bags and sell it back to us in supermarkets.

The Angell Pets Team

No Price Increase On Most Livefood Items

As with all businesses, decisions have to be regularly made on pricing of products. Costs are increasing all the time; cost of raw materials, cost of energy, cost of utilities, cost of transport, cost of wages. Unlike some large businesses such as supermarkets (who can often dictate to the supplier what price they are willing to pay and even charge suppliers for the privilidge of stocking their products) we have to pay the prices our suppliers demand. We can sometimes negotiate discounts for products we sell in volume and we belong to various wholesaler schemes that provide promotional offers. These discounts and offers we pass directly on to our customers, members of our emailing list, followers of our Facebook page and this blog will be familiar with our regular monthly offers and discounts. However price increases happen every year, often more frequently with some suppliers, and we have to make decisions on how to handle the increases.

Where we can, we always look first to absorb cost increases into our business. There are a number of ways this can be done and we always exhaust all of these methods first. However, once these are exhausted we have no option but to pass on some of the increase to our customers. We never want to do it but some times it is unavoidable. It is only ever done as a response to genuine increases in cost to our business and in response to justifiable increases by our suppliers. In some cases, where we have felt supplier increases have not been justified and an element of unfair market manipulation has been at work, we have stopped stocking that suppliers products, rather than colaborate in overcharging our customers.

livefood

We have recently been informed of what we consider to be a justifiable increase in cost by our livefood supplier. The cost to us for livefood has not increased for a number of years, in fact it actually went down due to improved volume discount a few years ago, a reduction we passed on in full in our own pricing. However the suppliers costs have been steadily increasing over this period. Like us they have done a number of things to avoid passing on these increases but are now at a point where they can no longer do this. Some of their cost figures are eyewatering. They have absorbed increases in production costs over the last decade of a whopping 42%, without passing any of this on. This feat has been acheived by efficiencies, market growth (higher sales volumes) etc.. Unfortunately with the recent increase in the National Minimum Wage and other increases in feed and energy costs they are forced to increase their prices to us. Whilst most of the increases on their high volume items are relatively small (2.3% for prepacked locusts for example), some of the more exotic, small volume items are quite large (10% for dubia roaches).

livefood

So, what do we do? Just pass on the increases to our customers so it remains viable for us to sell these products but lose customers? Absorb the costs and keep our prices the same but go out of business because we no longer have money to pay our own costs (rent, energy, utilities, insurances , suppliers , etc, etc.). In the end our only sensible option is to anaylse each product range in turn and come up with a compromise.

livefood

From the end of May then, there will be a new pricelist for livefood and I am pleased to announce that the higher volume items such as crickets and locusts will not be increasing in price at all. They will be staying at £1.99 a tub. However some of the lower volume sellers will have to go up a little. For example dubia roaches will increase to £2.75, although lobster roaches will remain at £2.49.

livefood

It is never a good thing to increase prices but we do feel that these supplier increases are justified this time round and that our livefood quality remains the best around. We do not just receive it from our supplier, stick it on the shelf and hope it sells before it dies. We look after our livefood, feeding every couple of days (yes it is very fiddly and time consuming but worth it), cleaning out old food and any dead insects, keeping numbers in tubs up by recombining tubs where necessary and controlling temperature to ensure the food is in the best condition possible for your reptile, spider or whatever. Also we do have our loyalty scheme. This means participating customers get an additonal 2.5% off everything they buy when their poiints accumulate. So we are confident we still offer the best value for money on livefood.

So apologies for the small increases in price of some products but remember NO INCREASE in price of locusts, crickets, mealworms, morioworms and waxworms..

Exo Terra Mini Wide Glass Terrarium Offer

We have two Exo Terra Mini Wide (30cm x30cm x 30cm) glass terrariums on offer as part of complet set up deals. These versatile small terratriums make ideal enclosure for a range of animals including spiders and other invertebrates, small frogs and small geckos (such as our Kotschys geckos).

exo terra small wide

The RRP for these enclosures is £68.99. Our normal price is £59.99 but we have them on offer at £29.99, when purchase as part of a complete set up deal. This could be a set up for any suitable animal held in stock, such as an Asian jungle scorpion, Brazilian black taratula, Ghana speckled millipede, blue legged Mantella frog or Kotschys gecko or any other appropriate animal that we sell.

As an example of price, a set up for an Asian jungle scorpion would total £60, including the Exo Terra terrarium, a heat mat, substrate, hide, water bowl and of course the scorpion. A Kotchys gecko set up would be £125, including the enclosure, canopy, UVB lamp, heat mat, substrate, water bowl, hide and gecko.

As the Exo Terra mini wide enclosures are made of glass, we cannot send them by courier and we do not courier any animals in any case. These set up deals are only available for collection from our Hucclecote store.

The Five Star Angell Pets Team