N Wheeleri Bioactive

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Mack Waters

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Hey guys,

Has anyone ever tried keeping wheeleri or any nephrurus in a bioactive setup because I am considering giving it a shot with a pair of wheeleri i'm hopefully picking up in feb. If so feel free to send photos if you have any!
 
Yeah i agree with Sdaji. Desert species in bioactive enclosures are best for more experience keepers.
Tropical species are best for beginner bioactive tanks.
 
Sweet thanks for the advice so you guys reckon that stick with something more naturalistic but not fully bioactive? My idea now hearing this info is to stick to a standard setup while they are juveniles and a year or two after they have matured then maybe give a bioactive setup a shot for them. Do you believe this is a smart idea?
 
I'd personally be using nothing but sand and one or two objects such as overturned terracotta flower pot bases.

'Smart' is a bit subjective here. If you want your lizards to be happy and healthy and you want your job to be cheap and easy, you literally just need a plastic tub for an enclosure, sand, and some object for them to use as a shelter/burrow entrance site. Plus a heat mat, thermostat and water to pour into the sand.

Bioactive enclosures might be interesting, but they provide no benefit to the reptile, extra work and expense for you, and their value is in the fun and enjoyment of having a bioactive enclosure (if that interests you). If I wanted a bioactive enclosure, I wouldn't include reptiles in it, and if I did want a bioactive enclosure which included reptiles, it sure wouldn't be a burrowing lizard, and I say that as (at the risk of sounding like an arrogant boaster) a highly experienced keeper of a wide range of living things with formal qualifications and experience in zoology and ecology. This isn't to say it's impossible, but for most people it will fail and even for me it would be far more hassle than it's worth. You can learn to swim in the deep end without floaties if you want, but only do that if you want a challenge and have high confidence in your abilities. If it goes badly, your wheeleri will be the ones paying the highest price. Keeping arid Nephrurus species can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. My 2c is that it's better to go for the easy option.
 
I'd personally be using nothing but sand and one or two objects such as overturned terracotta flower pot bases.

'Smart' is a bit subjective here. If you want your lizards to be happy and healthy and you want your job to be cheap and easy, you literally just need a plastic tub for an enclosure, sand, and some object for them to use as a shelter/burrow entrance site. Plus a heat mat, thermostat and water to pour into the sand.

Bioactive enclosures might be interesting, but they provide no benefit to the reptile, extra work and expense for you, and their value is in the fun and enjoyment of having a bioactive enclosure (if that interests you). If I wanted a bioactive enclosure, I wouldn't include reptiles in it, and if I did want a bioactive enclosure which included reptiles, it sure wouldn't be a burrowing lizard, and I say that as (at the risk of sounding like an arrogant boaster) a highly experienced keeper of a wide range of living things with formal qualifications and experience in zoology and ecology. This isn't to say it's impossible, but for most people it will fail and even for me it would be far more hassle than it's worth. You can learn to swim in the deep end without floaties if you want, but only do that if you want a challenge and have high confidence in your abilities. If it goes badly, your wheeleri will be the ones paying the highest price. Keeping arid Nephrurus species can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. My 2c is that it's better to go for the easy option.
Bioactive can provide benefits to species such as Common Tree snakes and Boyd’s forest dragons
 
Bioactive can provide benefits to species such as Common Tree snakes and Boyd’s forest dragons

Arguably and subjectively. But either way, Nephrurus wheeleri is neither a Common Tree Snake nor a Boyd's Forest Dragon, and in all species the husbandry is more challenging and risky in a bioactive setup, especially for a novice keeper.
 
So what I’m getting from you is stay clear from bioactive which is totally cool but would there be harm towards wheeleri if they were housed in a setup that was just naturalistic not fully bioactive? or do you reckon still stick with a very simple setup
 
If by naturalistic you just mean having ornaments etc, it shouldn't make a big difference either way and if it makes you feel happy looking at a more pretty enclosure (which is totally understandable) then that's fine. I personally have no interest in anything other than keeping the animal as happy and healthy as possible and making my job cheaper and easier, but if you want to put in the effort to make it look nice that's fine. The only issues you might have are things like cleaning taking a bit longer (no big deal if you don't have many) and insects being able to hide, making them more difficult for the lizard to catch and potentially ending up chewing on the lizards.

It's certainly fine to play around a bit and see what works for you. I'd definitely suggest starting out with the most reliable, easy and safe methods and working your way to more complicated things once you've gained a bit of experience, but as long as you don't get silly you can do whatever suits your preferences.
 

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