Expert Advice on Caring For Reptiles

Over recent years, reptile keeping has developed from something of a minority interest among a small number of dedicated fans to represent a large and growing part of the mainstream pet industry.Success with these animals goes hand-in-hand with a good understanding of their general biology and particular needs - which is where this site comes into its own.

Reptile Housing

One of the key differences about keeping reptiles as pets is that a great amount of thought must be given to their housing, as unlike many other types of pets, they will be spending their entire lives in their captive environment. In general, the closer their captive environment approximates their …

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Keeping Bearded Dragons as Pets

Although not as famous as kangaroos bearded dragons are a well-known export from Australia and quite popular as pets, despite their complex dietary and environmental requirements. Their popularity is due in part to their sociable natures but also to their range of endearing behaviours which make them fascinating to watch. …

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Keeping Milk Snakes as Pets

Milk Snakes are closely related to King Snakes although slightly less common, and as such, many aspects of their care and husbandry is similar. They are so named because of their powerful constricting ability and the corresponding myth about milking cows. Most adults are 25-30 inches in length, although a …

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Inclusion Body Disease

Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) is the one word which strikes fear into the hearts of all boa and python keepers as it is incurable and ultimately always leads to death. It is also a very unpleasant illness causing great suffering in the snake before death or humane euthanasia. Unfortunately, as …

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What to do if Your Reptile Escapes

First of all prevention really is better than cure. So above all else, spend time making sure that your reptile enclosure is absolutely escape-proof. You’d be amazed at the size of gaps that some snakes or lizards can squeeze through or how strong some reptiles can be in pushing or …

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Blister Disease

Poor reptile husbandry leads to a lot of problems and a lot of diseases that can be easily preventable. Cleaning your reptile’s enclosure regularly and maintaining it at the correct humidity levels is essential not only for general attractiveness and the reptile’s comfort but also to prevent horrible and potentially …

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Metabolic Bone Disease

Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) is probably one of the most common illnesses that reptile owners will have to deal with. In a sense it is really an umbrella term for a number of disorders such as osteoporosis, fibrous osteodystrophy, secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism, osteomalacia and rickets. All of these relate to …

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Is it Normal for a King Snake to Stop Eating?

King snakes in the wild eat a variety of prey, from rodents to birds, amphibians to lizards and even, frequently, other snakes! In fact, they will eat each other if kept together so these snakes must be kept alone in their cages. Pre-killed mice or baby rats are usually the …

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Can an Electronic Mouse Repeller Harm my Frog?

The electronic mice repellers on the market are designed to specifically target rodents – this includes all members of the rodent family, such as rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, rabbits, squirrels – and yes, gerbils. All reputable products come with clear warnings not to place the repeller in the same …

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Do Tortoises Excrete a Substance that Causes Illness?

While healthy tortoises do not excrete a specific disease-causing substance, as such – like all reptiles, they do often carry the Salmonella bacterium which can cause Salmonellosis, a serious disease which can have potentially fatal consequences if untreated, especially in children. This bacterium is not easily destroyed through the normal …

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Reptile Expert