| A collection of in-depth information that does not fit into any of the species specific sections.
Husbandry| Herpetology | Health and Medical
Dictionary of Herpetocultural and Herpetological Terms
Temporarily unavailable
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Husbandry:
Issues about keeping your reptile or amphibian in captivity, including (but not limited to) housing, feeding, heating and lighting.
General Care
Captive Environment
- Aquarium Cycling for Aquatics: Understanding the nitrate cycle and how it pertains to aquatic herp and fish health, and how to properly cycle your aquarium to avoid nitrogen disasters. COMING SOON!
- Building a Fake Rock Wall: An illustrated, step-by-step guide for constructing a false rock wall in your animal's enclosure.
- Heating Your Herp: Some basics about heating, an explanation of thermal gradients, and descriptions of some common heating devices.
- Humidity and Captive Herps: Understanding why humidity is an important factor in herp enclosures. UPDATED!
- Light Quality: Heat, humidity and light are three key husbandry factors with captive reptiles and amphibians, and light quality is usually ignored. COMING SOON!
- Mixing Species: Why mixing different types of reptiles and amphibians together in the same enclosure is not a good idea, and important points to consider for mixed species vivariums.
- Plants for the Aquarium: A guide to live plants for your aquatic or semi-aquatic enclosure. COMING SOON!
- Plants for the Desert Terrarium: A guide to live plants for your arid, desert-like enclosure. COMING SOON!
- Plants for the Tropical Terrarium: A guide to live plants for your tropical or semi-tropical forest or jungle enclosure. COMING SOON!
- Sterile Versus Naturalistic Enclosures: Simple, sterile enclosures are very common in herpetoculture, particularly in North America. This article compares and contrasts simple and naturalistic enclosure design.
- Substrate Choices: Not all substrates are appropriate for your herps. Learn which ones are safe and which are dangerous.
- Understanding Ultraviolet and Calcium: Why do so many herps need special full-spectrum lighting? Information on the relations between vitamin D3, calcium, sunlight, and those expensive fluorescent tubes. UPDATED!
- Water Quality: Water chemistry parameters are important to understand when you are keeping aquatic or semiaquatic herps or fish. COMING SOON!
- Why Quarantine?: Why is separating new animals important?
Diet and Nutrition
- Feeding Pre-killed Prey to Snakes: Feeding pre-killed is safer for your pet and more humane. Included are tips to get your stubborn snake to switch to dead prey.
- Taking Care of Crickets: You are what you eat! Healthy prey means healthy pets, and crickets are one of the most common prey items for insect-eating reptiles and amphibians. UPDATED!
Care and Maintenance
- Effective Cleaning and Captive Herps: A guide to effective routine cleaning, your best weapon against sick pets! UPDATED!
- Finding a Lost Snake: Do you have a snake loose in the house?
- Handling: Amphibians: The do's and don'ts of handling amphibians, and when and why they may be handled. Includes important things to remember so that above all you do NOT harm your amphibian.
- Handling: Lizards: The do's and don'ts of handling lizards. Includes important things to remember so that above all you do NOT harm your lizard, how to hold small and large lizards, and what to do if you get bitten.
- Nail Trimming: A short, illustrated guide to trimming your large lizard's claws. UPDATED!
- Record Keeping: A Vital Skill: Keeping feeding, elimination, medication and behaviour records is not only important for large collections, but for casual herp owners, too.
- Shedding: Peeling Away the Mystery: An explanation of the skin shedding process, or ecdysis. UPDATED!
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Herpetology:
Information about reptilian and amphibian natural history, anatomy, physiology and behaviour.
Anatomy and Physiology
General
- An Introduction to Living Reptiles and Amphibians: Learn about the different living groups of reptiles and amphibians: Frogs, toads, salamanders, caecilians, lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodilians and amphisbaenians. COMING SOON!
- Herp Myths Dispelled: Popular modern misconceptions about reptiles and amphibians, dispelled.
- Herp Taxonomy: Latin or scientific names can be confusing, this article sheds some light on why they are useful and what's in a name.
Behaviour
- Green Iguana Body Language: What is your iguana trying to say? Article as it appeared in volume 3, issue 4 of Reptile Care Magazine.
- Herp Ethology: Reptile and amphibian behaviour cannot really be compared to that of other common pets like dogs and cats. Understanding their natural behaviour is an important part of keeping them healthy as pets.
- Live Another Day! Antipredator Behaviours: Reptiles and amphibians would not be such successfully adapted animals without a selection of effective behaviours to save their own lives in the face of a predator. Article as it appeared in volume 3, issue 6 of Reptile Care Magazine.
- Parental Care in Amphibians: These animals make better parents than you might think! Article as it appeared in volume 3, issue 3 of Reptile Care Magazine.
- Tail Shedding: Caudal Autotomy: Having your lizard drop its tail while you're handling it can be a shocking experience if not expected. The physiology of tail shedding and what to do when it happens. UPDATED!
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Health and Medical:
Keeping your herp happy and healthy- Common medical problems and other information regarding your health and your pets' health.
Health at Home
- A Basic Guide to Evaluating Amphibian Health: When keeping amphibians as pets, it's important to know what looks normal and what doesn't. Examining the animal from head to tail can provide a lot of valuable information about its health, but you have to know what to look for! UPDATED!
- A Basic Guide to Evaluating Lizard Health: When keeping lizards as pets, it's important to know what looks normal and what doesn't. Examining the animal from head to tail can provide a lot of valuable information about its health, but you have to know what to look for!
- Claw Trimming: A short, illustrated guide to trimming your large lizard's claws. UPDATED!
- The Deal With Poop: Many owners are not aware of that your herp's business is a very important indicator of its health! Learn more here.
- Effective Cleaning and Captive Herps: A guide to effective routine cleaning, your best weapon against sick pets! UPDATED!
- Salmonellosis: Herps are infamous for salmonellosis, get the facts here. Information on Salmonella, not just restricted to reptiles and amphibians.
- Why Quarantine?: Why is separating new animals important?
Veterinary Information
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