The holidays are here, and most families are busy planning something for their end-of-year festivities. Whether you celebrate ages-old Christmas traditions or simply relish in the holiday spirit, don’t forget to include your pets in the joy of the season! Exotics might not come to mind as animals that can enjoy a holiday surprise, but there are actually plenty of options to keep your reptile or amphibian engaged on Christmas day.
Enrichment is a great choice any time of year, but it’s easy to get creative around Christmastime. Here are some suggestions for how you can incorporate a festive spirit into your reptile’s or amphibian’s life so they can get something positive out of the season, too.
Stuff Those Stockings
Humans aren’t the only family members who can enjoy digging through a stocking to see what’s inside! Enrichment is essential for exotic animals to keep their brains and bodies active, and reptile-safe stocking stuffers are one way to achieve this. Grab a stocking that’s the right size for your pet to fit their body inside, then hide a few appealing treats within. The process of rooting around, digging, and even dragging the stocking can support your pet’s natural foraging behaviors!
If you’re looking for some suggestions for what sorts of special treats you can include in a stocking for your reptile or amphibian, consider:
- Pieces of meat – You can always wash the stocking afterward!
- Chunks of aromatic plants – For the herbivores! Think very ripe melon, strawberry, banana, or even flowers
- Bugs – The sound of them moving around can draw your pet’s attention
- Reptilinks – Because of their collagen casing, they’ll stay together instead of mushing against the inside of the stocking (try scent juices to really entice your animal to participate!)
- Pellets – Some species, such as tortoises, would love to find a pile of pellets as a special treat inside their stocking
Just make sure you don’t choose any stockings that include glitter, as these small particles can irritate your pet’s eyes and nose. If your pet's a little too wide to fit into a stocking, try a Santa hat instead!
Explore a Winter Wonderland
While cold-blooded reptiles shouldn’t spend their time in the snow, there’s no reason you can’t (figuratively) bring the snowy experience indoors! Try providing your pet with a play area full of snow lookalikes.
- Aspen – This dry, flaky substrate doesn’t hold humidity especially well, but it’s loose and fluffy—the perfect texture for a quick frolic. If your species needs higher humidity, provide a small mountain of aspen to play in rather than swapping out the entire substrate. Many reptiles love to dig through the aspen due to its interesting new scent. Just make sure not to include treats in the pile, as your pet could ingest pieces of aspen bedding.
- Newspaper – For a crinkly, audibly interesting snow mimic, consider ripping up strips of newspaper. Exploratory pets will love diving into the light, airy pile! However, if you have pets that enjoy feasting on leaves, consider balled-up newspaper instead; this way, your animal won’t take any curious bites out of a flat piece of paper.
Decorate
The holiday season is about decorating with colorful lights, Christmas trees, garlands, and more. Black, white, red, and green remain the season’s most popular shades, whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, or something else—so consider incorporating these vibrant hues into your enclosures. Some options for enriching installations include:
- Garlands – While garlands come in varieties ranging from strings of faux berries to glittery ribbons, the best (and safest) option for reptiles is the standard pine branch mimic. This green hanging decoration is a staple in many households, and its unique texture can entertain your reptile for hours as they weave in and out of a garland placed on the floor of their enclosure. Keep an eye on herbivores and snackers who might try to take a bite; you know your pet best! If using a garland inside the enclosure isn’t safe for your species, consider decorating the outside so they have something intriguing to look at.
- Woven wood – Many craft stores sell wreaths in varying sizes made of woven wood. These provide great climbing opportunities for reptiles and can be hung from the ceiling or simply propped against one wall of the enclosure. Soak or rinse the wreath in warm water before placing it into the enclosure to remove any holiday scents the wood might have picked up in the store.
- Miniature desktop trees – Christmas trees don’t have to be several feet tall. Desktop trees are an interesting installation that can provide climbing opportunities, especially for snakes, if the branches are strong enough. If they’re a little flimsier, even the opportunity to push the tree over and roll it around (or climb underneath it) provides something new for your pet.
Make a Holiday Dinner
For many, the big dinner on Christmas day is the highlight of the season. Your exotic can participate too! Try making a beautiful plate of their favorite foods as a special treat. Maybe a tegu would appreciate a tower of mini Reptilinks with a cup of dubia roaches in the middle, all garnished with slices of banana and melon. Can you create a Christmas “tree” out of a mix of collards, dandelion greens, and chard for your herbivorous skink or tortoise? Taking the time to make something creative—and present food in a way that your pet hasn’t seen before—can make Christmas day just as exciting for them as it is for you!