How to Buy a Reptile by John Davis

Preface
I frequently get letters and phone calls from parents whose kids and adults whose partners or spouses
want a reptile! I get even more letters and phone calls from parents whose kids "or spouses# went ahead
and got a reptile without reali$ing the full implications what they were getting into! In many cases the
reptile they got was unsuitable for them% in too many cases a reptile was unsuitable period! &hese
owners found often too late that the choosing and caring for reptiles is not as simple as it may appear!

&he 'lien (actor
)ith most reptiles we are attempting to keep an animal with very specific environmental and dietary
needs in an environment very much unlike its native habitat! *wners must spend a great deal of time+
and money+working to keep their reptile,s enclosure warm enough or cool enough and dry enough or
humid enough or the reptile will sicken and die! )hat works to provide the right temperatures and
humidity during the summer may not be enough during the winter! During the spring and fall the great
disparity between ambient day time and night time temperatures makes almost daily fiddling with
heating equipment a must! If you don,t have the money to invest in the e-tensive heating and lighting
equipment "and increased power bills# or the time to be monitoring temperatures day and night during
much of the year that is a basic requirement of keeping most reptiles then a less .alien. reptile should
be considered!

&he Interest (actor
)hether the child is si- or si-teen most lose interest in their reptile after the initial thrill has worn off!
&his is true of many adults especially those who acquire reptiles that are more work than they
bargained for! &he daily grind of food preparation cleaning and disinfecting the enclosure checking
the water the temperatures making sure it is shedding properly taming it getting pooped on
remembering to close and secure the enclosure spending the allowance or limited budget on lighting
and heating and food supplies "or begging parents or family for the same# blowing the savings on
emergency veterinary care because one or more of the above weren,t provided or done all conspire to
make even the best intentioned most avid child "and spouse# find other things to take their time! &his
leaves the animal to languish in its enclosure often for years as one parent or the other tries to guilt the
child "or spouse# into caring for it! &oo often these animals end up severely ill before anyone does
anything about it "usually giving it away when they find that no one wants to buy it#! &oo many of these
animals die from the neglect!

&he /ool (actor
&he cooler+looking the reptile the more it is likely to cost you in time and money and space to set up
properly quite apart from the cost of the reptile itself! &he trick for a parent who is working to get their
child redirected to a more appropriate reptile is to learn as much as possible about the suitable reptiles!
&his usually means heading to the local herpetological society )orld )ide )eb and herpetological
booksellers to get information on how the animal lives and has adapted to its environment as the books
and information available in most pet stores will not cover this information!

&he ./aterpillar. (actor
Richard *,Barry founder of the Dolphin Pro0ect has said .&eaching a child not to step on a caterpillar
is as important to the child as it is the caterpillar!. &eaching your child why she can,t have that li$ard or
frog or snake is 0ust as important to you and the child as it is to the animal itself! 1eeping animals of
any sort is a ma0or responsibility! It is a life+long commitment "the life of the animal which may well
e-ceed your child,s middle school high school and college years#! It is not something to be done
lightly nor with the thought that if it doesn,t work out or the child gets bored you can 0ust give it to a
$oo or sell it! &he increasing number of reptiles being given away for whom no homes can be found
tells 0ust how unrealistic this attitude is! Being tired of the whining and begging is simply not a good
enough reason to potentially put the life of an animal at risk!

&he .2et. (actor
's discussed in the (inding ' Reptile 2et article not all vets are knowledgeable about reptile medicine!
If you cannot find a reptile vet in your area be prepared to widen your search geographically!
3nfortunately 0ust as there are no laws mandating that pet stores must know anything about the
animals they sell there is no law mandating that pet stores sell only those species for whom there are
competent vets in the area who can e-amine and treat them! /ompounding the problem are the people
who buy e-otics without first finding out if there are vets capable of treating them and who then try to
pass their sick animals off to other unsuspecting people once they reali$e that finding a qualified vet is
going to take some effort + not to speak of money! If you live in a rural or otherwise less metropolitan
area and decide to buy any type of e-otic pet you must commit to traveling the distances required to
get your e-otics to a vet trained in their treatment! Depending on where you live that may entail trips
of one or more hours! In some parts of /anada and the 3!4! some herp keepers drive 5 or more hours +
one way + to see their vet! If you aren,t prepared to go the distance don,t get the pet!

Basic /onsiderations
*kay! 6ou have successfully dealt with the above factors and have decided that a reptile will be
suitable for your family! But which one is best for you7
Reptiles are not all alike and as prospective owners we need to understand some things about
ourselves before we can even think about what reptile to get! 'sk yourself the following questions and
then we can narrow the field down8

How much money can you spend7
Remember that the cost of the reptile is generally the cheapest part of getting a reptile! *n top of the
cost of the reptile itself is the enclosure "and despite all cautions most people still start off with ones
that are too small and so have to buy a new one within a year or so# the furnishings the substrate the
lighting equipment and supplies the heating equipment and supplies cleaning equipment and supplies
food housing and food for the food "when you have to supply crickets and worms and things# and
initial veterinary care! (or e-ample that 9:; iguana will actually cost you 9<5; or more "depending on
where you live and the availability of the necessary lighting and heating equipment foods and
veterinarians#% that 9= anole will cost you 9>5+:;;! ?i$ards on the whole are much more e-pensive
than snakes when everything is taken into consideration! 'nd then there,s the monthly costs of heating
the herp "see /alculating the /ost of @lectricity#!

How much room can you spare for an enclosure7
*ne of the most common mistakes is that people buy enclosures that are too small! )hile the enclosure
may fit the animal at the time of purchase reptiles grow often reaching adult si$e within a year or two!
It is cruel and inhumane to house an animal in an enclosure that is too small! It not only causes severe
stress which leads to illness and behavioral problems + it also makes taming and working with
territorial species that much more difficult! 4uch animals spend most of their time trying to break out of
their enclosure often in0uring themselves severely enough to require veterinary care! (or some reptiles
such as iguanas and large pythons and boas there are no commercially made enclosures big enough for
these animals and much of what is available is not the right shape for them! &his means that you must
build or have built an enclosure that may ultimately take up a good portion of your living space!

/an you feed one animal to another7
Aost snakes and li$ards that eat rodents will cheerfully take killed prey and for their own safety and
for the humane treatment of the prey should be fed killed prey! &hat means however that if you cannot
find a pet store that will kill it humanely for you you will have to kill the prey humanely yourself or
buy prey in bulk from breeders who will ship it to you already killed and fro$en! )hich means that the
family needs to accept the fact that in the free$er amongst the chicken and ice cream is a bag or two
of mousicles!!!
Aealworms and crickets need to be fed live% the large Boophobas ".kingworms.# should be killed by
quickly crushing their heads before being fed out!!!can you do this7
If housing and caring for insects keeping containers of worms and beetle larvae in the refrigerator isn,t
appealing or keeping baggies of prekilled mice rats or rabbits "whole rabbits not the neatly butchered
ones from your meat market# in the free$er isn,t something you or your family can deal with "or have
room for# and if you can,t kill them humanely yourself then a carnivorous or omnivorous reptile is not
for you! &he commercial foods and dried insects available at pet stores are not appropriate
replacements for fresh whole prey and in many cases the reptiles will not even touch them!

/an you prepare fresh foods on a regular basis7
'mericans have a strange conception of what ,vegetables, are! &hey are not the things you find on top
of a fast food burger nor even what you will find at most salad bars! )hen you have an herbivorous
li$ard or tortoise or an omnivorous li$ard or turtle you must be prepared to buy a variety of healthy
vegetables greens and fruits and prepare them in such a way as to enable the reptile to ma-imi$e its
intake and digestion! 6ou may have to hit a couple of grocery stores or convince the produce manager
at your regular store to get what you need and then spend an hour or two a week preparing the foods!
In some countries in which green iguanas desert iguanas 3romasty- and prehensile+tailed skinks "all
herbivorous li$ards# are sold the foods they need to be fed regularly are difficult or impossible to
find! 's with carnivore food products the commercially available foods for herbivores are not
appropriate replacements for a properly constructed fresh food diet!
Does an herbivore still sound good to you7 3nfortunately there are no herbivorous snakes and the
herbivorous li$ards are amongst the hardest and most demanding of all to keep!

/an you afford the upkeep7
&his includes regular changes of substrate cleaning supplies "including separate sponges disinfectant
rubber gloves etc! 0ust for the reptile# appropriate and sufficient food and veterinary care as well as
lighting and heating equipment and supplies often including special "and e-pensive# 32B+producing
fluorescent tubes that need to be replaced every =+:< months!
' cost generally not taken into consideration is the cost of providing heating and lighting to all reptiles
but especially for desert and tropical species! )hile there is some respite during the winter for desert
species owners tropical species must be maintained at tropical temperatures all year round! &o get an
idea of what your prospective reptile may cost you see the information on /alculating the /ost of
@lectricity! 1eep in mind that as it gets colder outside it may take more heating equipment 0ust to
maintain the temperatures they need "see Heating8 )atts it all about for more information#!

4uitable 4tarters
)hat criteria do I use in deciding what is a suitable starter reptile7 I look at the ease of keeping it "note8
this may still entail more work time money or space than you personally are willing to devote to it#
moderate si$e "C in + D ft# and ease in taming "note8 parents must do the taming++not the child++and
must oversee all interactions between child and reptile even when the reptile is very tame!#
Eo matter what you are told by someone trying to sell you a reptile or what you read in the too many
outdated books still being sold in stores and stocked on library shelves no reptile is easy enough to
care for to be left strictly to a child to care for! 6our child cannot be e-pected to get himself to the pet
store or hardware store for food and supplies nor to place orders with mail+order suppliers! &oo many
reptiles die because the light went out or got unplugged or it was forced to go .0ust one more day.
without water or food!
Aost reptiles are skittish when you first get them "even species recommended as good starter reptiles#
and need to be handled carefully! Handlers are likely to get pooped on or musked or the animal quickly
escapes their grasp! 1ids are prone to 0ust drop the animal who starts thrashing or entwining around
their fingers or arm and they tend to squeal and throw an animal that poops on them++teenagers as well
as young children have e-hibited this reaction so the age of your child is not necessarily a good
determinant! 'n adult must always do the initial handling giving close supervision until they are
satisfied that the child is capable of not being freaked out and the animal e-hibits a degree of comfort
being held by the child! Retiles can be seriously even fatally in0ured "or otherwise traumati$ed# by
being clutched too hard by an eager youngster so if your child can,t be hold the reptile gently enough
they should not be allowed to hold the reptile until the child matures enough to being able to control
how tightly they hold onto the reptile!
?i$ards
?eopard Fecko
&hese small nocturnal insectivores "who get big enough to feed on pinkie mice# can do well in a <;
gallon aquarium with several inches of clean playground+type sand an undertank heating pad an
overhead nocturnal heat source hollow log and bark slab and water bowl! Aa-imum si$e is C inches!
&emperament is very sweet though may be skittish at first! Have been popular captive+bred li$ards for
decades!
/ollared ?i$ard
Diurnal desert dwellers that can be set up as the leopard gecko but must be in a larger enclosure at
least a 55+=; gallon! &hey also need much higher heat during the day and a special fluorescent bulb
that produces 32B "<G;+H<; nm wavelengths + something that only specially made and rather
e-pensive + fluorescents can do#! ?argely carnivorous adults will eat some plant matter! Aost in stores
are wild+caught! &o :;+:< inches!
Bearded Dragon
Diurnal desert dweller to be set up as the collared! Babies are cheap but that,s because they have a
lower survival rate! Buy one at least = inches long + big enough to start eating mouse pinks! 4maller
beardeds are more difficult to feed with intestinal impaction from insect e-oskeletons and paralysis
and sei$ures+even death+from being fed prey that is too big all too common! &hese guys need the least
amount of work in terms of taming + they are pretty much big la$y slugs! &hey do go into a winter
slowdown a period of long inactivity "sleeping for days or weeks# interspersed with a bit of
wakefulness eat a bit drink a bit then down again for several weeks! &o <; inches!
Blue+tongue 4kink
&hese low+slung wide+bodied li$ards look like a giant alligator li$ard with skin like your kitchen floor!
?ike the bearded dragon these 'ustralian natives are strictly available as captive bred li$ards here in
the 34! Blue+tongue skinks are omnivores requiring a temperate woodland type of environment with
temperatures in the mid+>;s to mid+C;s! &hey need some access to 32B which can be easily supplied
by taking them outside with you for awhile during clement weather and by providing a 32B
fluorescent during the winter months! &o <D inches! &hey like to move about and wander so a larger
than e-pected enclosure is a must!
4avanna Aonitor
&hese strictly wild+caught strictly carnivorous li$ards are one of the most common of the small
monitor li$ards! &hey also have one of the nicest temperaments+when you get them tamed! &hey are
masters of scrabbling backwards in your arms and hands leaving trails of scratches in their wake! 6ou
do need to be careful when feeding them their mice however+they get e-tremely eager and easily
mistake your fingers for the mouse so always use tongs! &emperatures from mid+>;s to mid+C;s with a
slightly higher basking area! 32B occasionally! Hissy and thrashy initially lots of bluff but rarely a
bite! *nce tamed by an adult are usually suitable for handling by middle childhood age kids! &o D feet!
Food climbers they need large well secured enclosures!
4nakes
/orn 4nake
/orns are the easily the most domesticated of all snakes and widely available as captive bred! &hey also
come in a remarkably wide variety of colors! Hatchlings are barely bigger than a pencil but are active
feeders "and poopers#! &hey be a little skitty at this si$e and certainly not appropriate for young
children to handle at this age but they rapidly put on mass and length ma-ing out at D feet with a head
no bigger than a small adult thumb! 4weet inquisitive and gentle snakes they are easily kept singly or
in pairs in a <; gallon enclosure as adults! &emperatures in the mid >;s+mid C;s no special lighting
easily feed on killed mice!
/aptive Bred 1ingsnakes
Aost kings are also great starter snakes! &hey may be a little skittish at first and may musk you during
the first month but once they reali$e you mean no harm and are in fact a nice warm place on which to
hang out they are calm and rela-ed being handled! /aptive bred kings are generally great eaters and
can be easily converted to feeding on defrosted prey! &emperatures need to range from the+>;s to mid+
C;s! &hey should be kept singly due to their propensity to eat other snakes including other kings!
Depending on species may be kept in <;+H; gallon enclosure as adults!
/aptive Bred Ball Pythons
I cannot stress enough the importance of only only only *E?6 buying a captive bred by the person
from whom you are buying ball python! Aost stores are selling imports + whether they were wild
caught snakes or hatched from wild collected eggs is immaterial8 they do not recogni$e mice as being
food they are heavily parasiti$ed and stressed and an increasing number are infected and dying from
inclusion body disease! 4ince beginners "and even many intermediate# herpers cannot tell a good store
from a bad one and even herp specialty stores are selling sick and wild caught ball pythons I
recommend you do not buy them from a store period! Buy only from a breeder to whom you can go
back to for assistance! &his means not buying one from those folks selling cheap ones at e-pos! If you
buy a healthy captive bred one who is feeding well "ask to see it being fed + too many people have
ended up with non+feeding ball pythons after being assured by the store or e-po vendor that .it 0ust
ate.# then you will have a wonderful snake + all the fun of the large pythons without the bulk or si$e or
potential for harm!

3nsuitable 4tarter Reptiles
I consider these unsuitable for children+and many adults+for a variety of reasons! &his is not to say that
they are not suitable for some people! 4ome are not handlable some have very comple- needs some
rarely become tame many are available only as wild caught specimens which means that they are not
in great health to start with!!!
?i$ards
Herbivorous li$ards those who eat nothing but vegetation on the whole get very large ranging from H+
= feet with in the first :+H years depending upon species! It is because of their large body si$e and the
temperatures found in their native habitat "all are desert neotropical or tropical li$ards# that they have
been able to succeed as herbivores! Due to their si$e and environmental needs not to speak of the
power in their bites and tails herbivores are more difficult to care for than omnivorous li$ards! 4ome
are only available if you catch them in the wild8 chuckawallas and desert iguanas are not being bred
much in captivity! Freen iguanas rapidly reach 5+= feet in overall length and take a great deal of work
to tame + so much so that they often defeat adults and should never be left to children to care for and
tame! &he 3romasty- also called spiny+tailed or dab li$ards currently available in pet stores are for
the most part wild+caught imports and are highly parasiti$ed and stressed! 3ntil such time as captive
breeding is up to speed "or unless you can find a captive breeder now# these should be passed on for
now!
*ther unsuitable li$ards given the degree of care hardiness tame+ability aggressiveness or delicacy8
'gamas + there are many different species being imported + getting accurate species identification and
finding proper care information is often difficult
'meivas aka Junglerunners Dwarf &egus
'noles often miscalled .chameleons. they lack the prehensile tail and turret eyes of the true
chameleons
Basilisks
/hameleons
Day Feckos "Phelsuma species#
Dwarf &egu "see 'meiva#
Freen Iguanas and other iguanids such as spiny+tailed iguanas crested or helmeted iguanas .forest
chameleons.
Aountain Dragons
Aonitors other than 4avannahs
&egus "?ansdown% 'I#
&okay Feckos
&ree Dragons
4ailfin Dragon
4piny+tailed Iguanas "aka black iguanas#
3romasty- I 4ee Eote
)ater Dragons
I Eote8 4ince this article was written 3romasty- breeders have well multiplied like their li$ards! If
you buy from a good captive breeder and if you will commit to maintaining these li$ards at the hot
desert temperatures they require and if you don,t mind the scratching or poking of the claws and the
spiked tail then this li$ard may be worth a try for some beginners!

4nakes
Fenerally speaking any snake that requires two or more people to handle it when it is barely half
grown isn,t a good idea for beginners! &hat elimiates all boas and pythons but the very small one ones
"those that are less than si- feet when full grown#!
'nacondas + combine huge si$e and nasty temperament in a powerful body
Burmese pythons + huge and generally nice but involved in increasing numbers of human fatalities due
to owner stupidity
Hognose + while generally nice and docile they are rear fanged and mildly venomous% the easterns only
eat toads
Rainbow boa + a sweet moderately si$ed boa with very critical humidity requirements
Red+tail boas + not as huge as anacondas Burmese or reticulated pythons but based on the increasing
numbers being dumped on rescues even :; feet is too much for some people
Reticulated pythons + see anaconda
'ny tree boa or python + many tend to have very specific humidity and dietary needs and with their
testy temperament and very long bird+snagging teeth can deliver a painful bite
)ater snakes "e-ception8 some garters are okay but require live fish# + tend to be testy and finding and
maintaining the proper water pH can be a problem
)ild caught garter kings gophers etc! + many are difficult to feed on what we have to offer them in
captivity and in most places it is illegal to capture wild birds and mammals to feed them
&urtles 'nd &ortoises "/helonians#
'll of them! /helonians are not good handling animals and are much more complicated in their set up
and care then pet stores will tell you! Different species have very specific environmental and dietary
requirements that must be met! Aost sold in the pet trade are wild caught and so are suffering from
internal and e-ternal parasites respiratory and shell infections!

In closing!!!
If I sound negative at times it is because I am! @-perts estimate that between 5;+G;J of reptiles die
their first year in captivity on top of the :;+5;J that died during the importation process! &he reasons
for their dying once they reach the importing country are primarily due to people not knowing what
they are getting into relying on inaccurate care information "including that provided by most pet
stores# and not being able to afford the necessary equipment upkeep and veterinary care "assuming
that the basic equipment required is actually available in the country in which the reptile is sold#!
*f all the animals kept in captivity reptiles are the only ones who do not typically reach their normal
lifespan! In captivity most animals should live to+or e-ceed+their e-pected natural life span due to the
improved conditions "regular feeding veterinary care etc!# and lack of predators! &hat this doesn,t
happen with reptiles is a tragic commentary on how poorly we understand and provide for these
animals! If the pet trade were itself fully knowledgeable if the people selling reptiles were honest about
what it takes to properly house and maintain reptiles they sell and about the reptiles, eventual si$e and
temperament the reptile trade would not be the multi+million dollar business it currently is!!!
If reptiles were as cool and easy to care for as too many people think they are then reptile rescue
groups herpetological and humane societies wouldn,t be getting literally do$ens of calls a week from
people trying to give away their reptiles! 6es give away! Besides the <;+D; calls every month from
iguana owners who no longer want their li$ards I take calls from people trying to get rid many
different types of reptiles "most common8 Burmese pythons red+tailed boas large monitor li$ards
aquatic turtles bo- turtles#! &hey generally call me after they have found that no one has beat down
their doors trying to buy their reptile and that the pet stores or breeders from whom they originally
bought their animal and $oos and wildlife educators and refuges don,t have any more room for cast+off
pets! *thers are shocked by not being able to find a vet who will treat their severely ill reptile for free
or that there isn,t anyone else out there who will pay for the necessary care for them! Besides the <;+H;
iguanas a year I take in and try to find homes for "something that has become increasingly difficult as
there are more people buying them than are actually capable of and willing to care for them properly# I
have taken in or otherwise rescued8 gopher snakes ball pythons Burmese pythons red+tail boas and
corn snakes% savannah monitors gold tegus% bearded dragons leopard geckos tokay geckos water
dragons and sailfin li$ards% bo- turtles tortoises and aquatic turtles% and assorted amphibians! Aost
are suffering from some form of neglect and many are moderately to severely ill! Aost come from
people who never thought beyond merely buying the animal and sticking it in a "generally too small#
enclosure!
Reptiles are not things! &hey are living breathing feeling "yes they do feel pain and suffer from the
effects of stress# animals with the same basic emotions nerve structure and needs that the so+called
higher animals have! )hether they live only a couple of years or :5; years they require the same
commitment to their care and well+being as does any animal!
Reptiles are not stuffed toy animals you can 0ust stick away in a garage because someone in the family
thinks reptiles are icky or because everyone,s lost interest in it! Reptiles do not belong in garages 0ust
as cars don,t belong in the bedroom or family room! 4ticking an intelligent reptile such as a green
iguana in a garage is nothing less than cruel and inhumane! (or some idea of what it is like being
shunted away from family activities or forced to spend your life in a cage way too small 0ust because
the humans refuse to provide you the space you need to ensure your health please read my article
Imagine8 ' 2isuali$ation @-ercise!
1eeping a reptile properly can provide a wonderful learning e-perience for the family! But so too can
choosing not to keep one!
If you take away nothing else from this article please consider this8 do not get nor agree to letting your
child "or spouse or significant other# get any animal that you are not willing to care for provide for and
support entirely for the rest of its natural life! Because all too often that is e-actly what you will be
faced with!!!

4till thinking about it!!!7
Before buying a reptile from a pet store e-po or breeder be sure to check out the lists of herp societies
and reptile rescue groups for information on reptiles that may be available for adoption and to meet and
talk to keepers of species you may be interested in getting! &he various herp email discussion lists are
also a good place to get the views and e-periences of other keepers before you get a reptile! )henever
possible select previously owned animals who need a new home or buy a captive bred one!
Reptile Housing8 4i$e Dimension and ?ifestyle
@-cerpted from master,s thesis8 /lassroom Reptiles8 ' teacher,s guide to their selection and care in the
schoolroom
K:GG> Aelissa 1aplan

' great deal of thought must go into a reptile,s captive environment! &he type of environment it needs
will be based on how big the animal gets how the animal lives in the wild how it gets water and its
macro+ and microclimate requirements! In other words the captive habitat must contain the key
elements of the reptile,s habitat in the wild! Deciding what habitat to set up for a captive reptile depends
upon8
where in that wild habitat the reptile lives%
when it is active% and
what its habits are!
/ommercial and /ustom @nclosures and Aaterials
&o construct a habitat in captivity we must consider the si$e and shape of the enclosure as well as the
materials from which the enclosure will be constructed!
&here are many different aquarium+type enclosures available commercially! &he key thing to remember
is that they are aquariums! Aost do not have tops that have been made specifically for them! 4ome have
been superficially adapted for the reptile trade by the inclusion of a part fi-ed screen part hinged glass
top! 4ome pet supply companies are making flat screens that can be placed on top of standard
aquariums! &he problem with these enclosures is that they are still based on a design that works well
for fish not for the varied needs of reptiles! &hese enclosures generally do not have the height that is
required for arboreal reptiles! &heir glass tops prohibit the proper use of ultraviolet B+producing
fluorescents "as 32B is filtered out by glass and plastic#! &here is no safe way to mount heating
equipment to them or install shelving inside them! Aany factory+fitted and after+market tops fit so
poorly or loosely that they are worthless in preventing a determined snake from escaping!
&here are companies making wooden melamineLpressboard and molded plastic enclosures! &oo often
however these are modeled on the glass aquariums and so suffer from the same drawbacks of those
enclosures! Aany are built in a simple cube shape! &aller than the glass aquaria they are usually not tall
enough and are rarely wide enough for the full grown li$ard or snake for which they are being sold!
&heir large front+opening door makes it almost impossible to prevent a motivated li$ard from escaping
when you open the door! Aelamine presents a problem in that while the insides and outside of the
enclosures look good and they clean and disinfect well the sides of the openings and doors are not
finished on many of them! &he e-posed pressboard soaks up liquids "spilled water urates cleaning and
disinfecting solutions# warping over time often leaving escape+si$ed gaps or weakening the overall
structure so that the enclosure inhabitant can push its way out!
)ire cages fabricated for mammals or birds are sometimes used! 3nfortunately these are impossible to
heat and maintain the thermal gradients required by most reptiles without heating the room in which the
cage sits! &he wire poses a danger to reptiles as they can severely in0ure their snouts toes and tails by
repeatedly rubbing climbing trying to claw out or squee$e through the openings or when startled into
a flight response!
Hobbyists and herpetoculturists are a creative group of people when it comes to modifying e-isting
structures into reptile habitats! *ld armoires prefabricated shower stalls 0ewelry or deli display cases
discarded television sets and sturdy wooden book cases have been converted into reptile enclosures!
' common failing with many of these custom conversions however is the same as when you buy an
enclosure that appears large enough or large enough .for now.8 the reptiles too often rapidly outgrow
them! Because of the work and e-pense that goes into converting a piece of furniture or buying a
commercially produced enclosure most reptile owners are unwilling to repeat their efforts one or two
years down the line when the reptile has outgrown it!
Aany people want to set up naturalistic enclosures with interesting layered substrates plants
branches molded back and side walls .ponds. etc! &he problem with most is that in trying to make it
as attractive and ,natural, as possible there is too often insufficient room for the intended inhabitant to
properly move around thermoregulate access the necessary microclimates or feed! 't least H;+D;J of
the floor space should be left open for the reptile to easily move about feed water and defecate! &here
is no substitute for an appropriately si$ed enclosure nor for not e-panding or providing larger
enclosures as required by the reptile,s continued growth!
Determining @nclosure 4i$e8 4ome rules of thumb
Aany reptiles do well in spaces smaller than what would be suitable for similarly si$ed mammals!
However space is very important for reptiles! &he space must be large enough to permit a proper
temperature gradient to be set up and maintained! @nough room must also be provided for the animal to
move around thermoregulate feed drink bask and sleep!
&he following dimensions pertain to a single reptile being kept in a simply furnished enclosure! &he
dimensions must be increased by one+half for each additional animal housed together with even more
room provided for territorial species! 'dditional room also needs to be provided if a naturalistic habitat
is being set up for the reptile"s# including leaving H;+D;J of the floor space free for movement
feeding and defecating!
)hen calculating a li$ard,s si$e for the purposes of determining enclosure si$e you must include the
tail in the total si$e! &he tail is 0ust as important in the thermoregulation and manufacturing of the
precursors to vitamin DH as the rest of the body! 6ou may think the following dimensions are
e-cessively large so I will take this moment to note some herpetocultural and $oo sources specify si$es
dimensions even larger than those shown below!
?i$ards
Dimension
4nout+&ail ?ength
Ainimum length "side to side#8
<+H -
Ainimum depth "front to back#8
:+:!5 -
Ainimum height8
&errestrialL(ossorial8
:+:!5 -
'rborealL4cansorial8
:!5+< -





's with li$ards snakes can be deceptive about their requirements! 4ome small active snakes such as
racers need more room relative to body length than do large and largely la$y pythons and boas!
&errestrial arboreal and scansorial snakes do not need to be able to stretch out full length in their
enclosure! &hey should be able to stretch out enough however to allow most of their lung or lungs to
e-tend full length! 4emi+aquatic snakes require larger enclosures to provide a water area large enough
for them to comfortably swim in and hunt for food while the land area is large enough to for sleeping
and basking!
4ome herpetoculturists and commercial snake breeders say that many snakes get stressed when they are
kept in large enclosures! Aost of the people who say this keep their snakes in shoe+bo- or sweater+bo-
si$ed enclosures! )hile it is true that snakes prefer a co$y hiding place one in which they can feel two
or more of the walls with their comfortably coiled body they still need a reasonably large enclosure!
&here needs to be enough room for you to attain and maintain the species required thermal gradient an
adequately si$ed water bowl a humidity retreat bo- and a place to feed! Aany of the enclosures at pet
stores and breeders and pictured in many snake books have barely a few inches of e-posed floor
space the rest of the enclosure being filled with the snake and its bowl!
4nakes
Dimension
&otal ?ength
Ainimum length "side to side#8
HLD of total length
Ainimum depth "front to back#8
:LH of total length
Ainimum height8
&errestrialL(ossorial8
HLD of total length
'rborealL4cansorial8
: - total length ma- =+C ft





's with li$ards snakes can be deceptive about their requirements! 4ome small active snakes such as
racers need more room relative to body length than do large and largely la$y pythons and boas!
&errestrial arboreal and scansorial snakes do not need to be able to stretch out full length in their
enclosure! &hey should be able to stretch out enough however to allow most of their lung or lungs to
e-tend full length! 4emi+aquatic snakes require larger enclosures to provide a water area large enough
for them to comfortably swim in and hunt for food while the land area is large enough to for sleeping
and basking!
4ome herpetoculturists and commercial snake breeders say that many snakes get stressed when they are
kept in large enclosures! Aost of the people who say this keep their snakes in shoe+bo- or sweater+bo-
si$ed enclosures! )hile it is true that snakes prefer a co$y hiding place one in which they can feel two
or more of the walls with their comfortably coiled body they still need a reasonably large enclosure!
&here needs to be enough room for you to attain and maintain the species required thermal gradient an
adequately si$ed water bowl a humidity retreat bo- and a place to feed! Aany of the enclosures at pet
stores and breeders and pictured in many snake books have barely a few inches of e-posed floor
space the rest of the enclosure being filled with the snake and its bowl!
'quatic 'nd 4emi+'quatic &urtles
Dimension
/arapace ?ength
Ainimum length "side to side#8
D+5 -
Ainimum depth "front to back#8
<+H -
Ainimum height8
:!5+< - total length plus C+:<. to prevent escapes




'quatic and semi+aquatic turtles need both a land and water area! &he water area must be large enough
for them to swim freely through the water to catch their food! &hose species whose natural habits
include burrowing into the silt or sand at the bottom of their native lakes or rivers must have similar
substrate layers in the bottom of their enclosure! &his is in addition to the necessary depth and breadth
of the water and the additional space above the water line to preclude escape! (or some species of
aquatic turtles a haul+out place big enough for the tank inhabitants or floating platform may be all that
is needed in an otherwise completely aquatic enclosure! Aost 4emi+'quatic species will require a
substantial land area as well as water area! &he haul+out and land areas are used to bask sleep and
laying eggs!
3se a good strong aquarium or prefabricated tub! 'quatic turtle tanks are very heavy and there is
tremendous pressure placed on the walls of the enclosure! Remember that the above dimensions are for
a single turtle in an enclosure! If you are keeping more than one turtle both the water and land areas
will have to be increased by :+< times the total length of the largest inhabitant in each width and length!
&errestrial "Bo-# &urtles 'nd &ortoises
Dimension
/arapace ?ength
Ainimum length "side to side#8
5 -
Ainimum depth "front to back#8
H -
Ainimum height8
:!5+< - to prevent escapes




&hanks to variations of the &he &ortoise and the Hare fable most people think of tortoises as slow+
moving animals who do little with their time! 's tortoise owners will tell you however a healthy
tortoise housed in a proper environment is both active and quick! Bo- turtles are similarly wide+ranging
and well speedy! Aany tortoises and bo- turtles range widely throughout their habitat with several
sleeping and basking areas used every day! Aost are burrowers and talented diggers easily digging
under outdoor pen walls and fences! &hey are also good climbers especially tortoises! @scapes can be
prevented when they are housed indoors by building the enclosure walls higher than they can stretch
when they climb on the back of another inhabitant or on top of a rock log or hide bo-!
&ortoise and bo- turtle enclosures need pans of shallow water that the chelonian can easily walk into
and drink from! 3nlike the 3!4! species of bo- turtles "&errapene# those from /hina and Indonesia
"/uora# are more aquatic in their habits and must have deeper yet easily accessible water in which to
soak and feed!
Housing Different 4pecies &ogether
&here are many problems associated with keeping members of different species even orders
together! &he primary problem is that the individual animals may have commensal or other organisms
in or on their bodies with whom they have co+evolved! Having co+evolved together the host animal has
some natural immunity to the possible deleterious effects of the organisms! @-posing another reptile to
these organisms however could be fatal to that reptile! &his is especially true with animals from one
continent being mi-ed with animals from another continent! &oo often people try to mi- species
together who have completely different habitat requirements! &his will cause severe stress in the animal
whose needs are not being met and may ultimately be fatal to it! Problems are also caused when
housing predators with prey even if that particular predator may not prey on that species of prey! 'n
e-ample is housing a bearded dragon and sand boa together! Eot only are they from different continents
"potential for transmission of deadly organisms# but even though the sand boa may not think of eating a
large bearded dragon the bearded dragon who is preyed upon by snakes in its native habitat will
always be fearful if not outright terrified by the constant presence of the boa!
Basing your decision on what animals can be kept together cannot be made by looking at what is being
done in most pet stores! Aost stores tend to house different species or ta-a together without regard for
$oonotic transmission or habitat requirements! &hus it is not uncommon to see iguanas housed with
tortoises terrestrial turtles with aquatics and temperate frogs with tropical li$ards! 6ou must complete
your own research using encyclopedias atlases and availing your self of information resources
through the local herpetological society herpetoculture publications and Internet resources!
?ifestyles of the )ild and 4caly
Habitats
&he habitat is where the reptile generally lives within its ecosystem! Deserts woodlands temperate
grasslands savannahs and tropical forests are the ecosystems from which most of the reptiles in the pet
trade come! Habitats are a comple- mi- of temperatures humidity levels photoperiods elevations
organic lifeforms inorganic matter and space!
'quatic8
'quatic reptiles need large bodies of water in which to swim feed and thermoregulate! 4ome do haul
out on land or rocks to sun themselves! &he enclosure needs to be strong enough and waterproofed to
hold the water and provisions made for regular cleaning and disinfecting of the tank as well as the
filtration systems needed to keep the enclosures clean on a daily basis! /are must be taken when
supplying overhead heat sources that the reptiles in the enclosure cannot get to them and topple them
into the tank! If submersible heaters are used to heat the water they must be shielded so that the animal
cannot come into direct contact with them!
'rboreal8
Aany species of li$ards and snakes spend most or all of their time in trees including anoles water
dragons iguanas various agamas and geckos boas and pythons! 'rboreal enclosures therefore need to
be tall as well as have the necessary width! &hey must be outfitted with sturdy branches or for the large
li$ards and snakes shelves for basking and roosting! 'll fi-tures in these enclosures must be securely
fastened! &he lighting and heating elements must be shielded as these reptiles will easily climb on and
into them! If live plants are used in these enclosures they must be sturdy enough to withstand the
clawing and crushing they will get or be easily removed and replaced with other plants when they get
too damaged for continued use! ?ive plants will also require that a partial or complete drainage layer be
used to catch the run+off when the plants are watered! &hey must obviously also be non+to-ic and
harmless!
(ossorial8
Aany snakes and li$ards and some chelonians are burrows spending some or all of their time covered
by a few inches or more of substrate! 4ome like sand boas are rarely seen above ground% others like
some skinks burrow away to sleep and digest! @nclosures for fossorial reptiles need to be strong
enough to safely hold several inches of burrowable substrate over a drainage layer! &hey must also be
tall enough to make it difficult if not impossible for the inhabitant to climb up+and out+of the enclosure!
&he same width and depth furnished to terrestrial reptiles must also be provided!
4cansorialL4a-icolous8
Aany li$ards live in rocky crevices basking and hunting for food on rocky walls and outcroppings!
Rocks cleaned and disinfected can be arranged and cemented together with a non+to-ic silicone
cement to provide walls and outcroppings for such li$ards! /aves and crevices can be built into these
structures to provide some natural hiding and sleeping places! )alls need to be anchored to the back of
the tank to prevent their toppling over and crushing the enclosure inhabitants! *utcroppings should be
well balanced and partially buried in the substrate to ensure they are not toppled or shifted around
during use! 4cansorial enclosures need sufficient height and depth to be able to fit in the walls and
outcroppings yet still keep the reptiles safely distant from overhead heat and light sources! &hey also
need the width necessary for ample thermoregulation and food gathering!
4emi+'quaticLRiparian8
4ome reptiles spend considerable amounts of time in the water swimming feeding and sleeping as
well as basking on dry land! &hese enclosures must provide ample room for the aquatic area setup as
well as a terrestrial portion% both must be large enough for the inhabitants to use them for their intended
purpose! 's with aquatic enclosures heating and lighting must be securely mounted to ensure that they
cannot be accidentally toppled into the water!
&errestrial8
&errestrial reptiles still make use of various irregularities in their environment irregularities often being
different microclimates! &errestrial enclosures then must provide such irregularities! 'll type of
terrestrial reptiles will make use of such features as hide bo-es or caves areas of higher humidity and
rocks branches or shelves for climbing and sunning! 'mple width and depth of enclosure are required
to ensure enough room for the furnishings and adequate thermoregulation!
Eaturalistic Habitats
In creating habitats you must begin to think of the interior space in three dimensions! 6ou will need to
consider not only the reptile,s living spaces within the habitat but also your ability to easily get in to
service and clean the environment! ' natural habitat setup in captivity unfortunately does not include
all the microorganisms found in the wild that would be busily engaged in breaking down plant and
animal wastes! &he more difficult or complicated an enclosure is to get into and service the less likely
it is going to be done as often as needed! If you cannot devote the time necessary to establish and
maintain a comple- environment then consider making one that is a bit less comple-! ?ess comple-
does not mean uninteresting! It can still be interesting and educational for you and the class suitable
and interesting for the reptile and not require ma0or disassembly and a full day to get in and cleanM
?ook at photographs of your reptile,s native habitat or go out looking on your own! 2isuali$e each
section of the scene by looking at it from the top down + down into the ground! Eote the uneven surface
of the ground itself the different heights of the plants growing there the fallen branches leaves the
scattering of rocks or stones! If you are out in the wild take a small spade or stick and dig into the
ground a bit! ?ook at and feel the earth beneath the surface the different te-tures humidity and
temperatures! &he features on top of the ground constitute the topography of the habitat% those at and
under the surface are the substrata!
/reating a habitat means recreating the key aspects of the topography and substrata! )e begin
constructing the habitat from the substrata up starting with the different substrates then building layer
by layer the surface topography!
If you are using a glass enclosure make sure it is sturdy enough to hold the weight of the contents! If
you can find the older metal+framed aquariums they are stronger than the all+glass ones! 1eep in mind
that the enclosure especially a large one is going to be very heavy when you are done! It is best to set
the enclosure in its place first then begin constructing the interior! )hen buying or building enclosures
remember that the bottom several inches of the interior will be given over to substrata and ground
cover so always buy or build taller enclosures than you might otherwise think you need!
Aake a couple of sketches of the interior both as it will be seen from the front and from the top! Begin
to decide where you will make the high and low spots and place the plants and other furnishings
keeping in mind the reptile,s habits and preferences for daytime basking sleeping feeding and water
use! *nce you have these figured out you then will know where you need to place the lights and heat
sources! If you are limited by access to electrical outlets as to where the lights and heat can be then you
will have to design the interior based on where those lights must be placed!
'rtificial Habitats
'rtificial habitats differ from naturalistic habitats in that they are set up more simply! &he needs of the
reptiles for thermoregulation lighting humidity security etc! are still being met but in an
environment that does not particularly resemble the diversity of materials elevations etc! of their
native habitat! 'rtificial habitats should always be used when animals are in quarantine prior to being
introduced into their permanent individual or community enclosures!
References
Barnard 4usan A! ":GG=# Reptile 1eeper,s handbook! Aalabar (?8 1rieger Publishing /ompany!
De 2os0oli Philippe! ":GG=#! Design and Aaintenance of Desert 2ivaria! 4antee /'8 'dvanced
2ivarium 4ystems!
Friehl 1laus! ":GC>#! 4nakes8 Fiant 4nakes and Eon+2enomous 4nakes in the &errarium! Hauppauge
E68 Barron,s @ducational 4eries!
Heatwole Harold (! N &aylor Janet! ":GC>#! @cology of Reptiles! /hipping Eorton 'ustralia8 4urrey
Beatty N 4ons Pty ?td!
1reger Aichael! ":GGH#! &he psychological well+being of reptiles! Humane Innovations and
'lternatives 5:G+5<H!
Aattison /hris! ":GG<#! &he /are of Reptiles and 'mphibians in /aptivity! ?ondon @ngland8
Blandford Press!
4ociety for the 4tudy of Reptiles and 'mphibians! ":GGD#! /aptive Aanagement and /onservation of
'mphibians and Reptiles! James B! Aurphy 1raig 'dler Joseph &! /ollins! "@ds!#! Hays 148 4ociety
for the 4tudy of 'mphibians and Reptiles!
)arwick /lifford! ":GG;#! Important ethological and other considerations of the study and
maintenance of reptiles in captivity! 'pplied 'nimal Behaviour 4cience <>"D# H=H+H==!
Bug Feorge R! :GGH! Herpetology8 'n Introductory Biology of 'mphibians and Reptiles! 4an Diego
/'8 'cademic Press!