Reptiles and amphibians together make up a group of animals known as herptiles (meaning "bumpy skin"). This group includes, but is not limited to: lizards, snakes, frogs, and toads, turtles, newts and salamanders. All herptiles are ectotherms, that is, unlike mammals they do not produce internal body heat. Instead their temperature is determined by their surrounding environment. Understanding this fact is crucial to proper herptile care and makes caring for herptiles both fun and challenging. Caring for herptiles is not like caring or a cat or a dog but it can be equally rewarding.

Probably the most important factor in caring for herptiles is designing and establishing the proper habitat. Because different herptiles have different habitat needs it is important to know what environment your herptile comes from in the wild. Understanding the conditions of your herptile's natural environment will greatly help you to be able to mimic these conditions in captivity. For instance, if your herptile comes from a desert-like environment you can design its habitat to more closely mimic a desert. If your herptile's natural environment is a swamp, you will want to make its captive environment more swamp-like. Most iguanas come from tropical forests, thus a captive environment that is warm and humid with plenty of vertical climbing area would be ideal for them.

We cannot emphasize enough the need to research and understand the natural environment condition of your herptile for proper herptile husbandry.

The following are several factors that are important to consider when designing a proper enclosure:

Heat

All reptiles require external source of heat. Providing a heat source can be done in several ways. In nature the sun is the main source of this heat, though it is not the only source. In captivity, the "sun heat" can be mimicked by using a hooded lamp focused into the enclosure. The lamp should be placed so that it provides enough heat without burning the herptile. If a lamp or a light bulb is placed so that the herptile can come into contact with it the herptile may lay upon or next to the light and severe burns may occur. Never let your herptile come into contact with a light bulb or lamp.

In addition to focused light heat sources (sun-heat mimickers) it is also advisable to use some sort of ground heat source. In the wild, the sun heats the ground or surrounding rock and herptiles lay on the surface of these areas to absorb their heat. In captivity this source of heat can be mimicked by using on of several types of heating units. Heating pads "hot rocks," and "under the tank" heat strips are a few of these sources. It is important to be able to adjust the temperature output of these types of heat sources an overheating can occur and burns can result. In particular, hot rocks are notorious or overheating and causing burns. Also human heating pads are not designed for heating herptile habitats. Caution should be taken to make sure moisture and excessive weight is kept away from these types of products.

Another source of heat usable in captive herptiles is ambient air heat. While focused light source heat and ground heat is important, ambient air heat is also important. Ambient ai heat can be provided by using a room heater in an enclosed area, especially important if your herptile's enclosure is made of screening. Either turning the house thermostat up or using a space heater in an enclosed room will help keep the surrounding air warm for your herptile.

Finally, make sure there is a gradient of heat in your herptile's enclosure. That is, the enclosure should have an area that is heated as well as areas that are not directly heated so the animal can move in and out of the heat. Establish a gradient of heat in the enclosure that will allow the herptile to regulate its body temperature. Again, research your herptile's natural environment so you can more closely mimic it in captivity.

Lighting

While focused light can be used to mimic the heat of the sun, it does not provide the proper ultraviolet light (UV) all herptiles need to properly synthesize calcium. Also UV light is important for healthy skin nd vision. All herptiles in captivity should have some source of UV light, specifically, both UVA and UVB. UV light can be provided in several ways. First, a UV bulb can be placed so that its light shines directly onto the herptile. Second, the herptile, and/or its enclosure, can be brought into contact with direct sunlight several times a week. It should b noted that UV light and its benefits are filtered by both glass and plastic. This means that a UV light shining through glass or plastic onto a herptile is effectively useless. Sunlight or UV light provided by a UV light bulb shining through screen, or better yet, directly onto a herptile is required for benefits to be gained. Also, while bringing your herptile outside to get direct sunlight is a good way to provide the crucial element, it may not be advisable depending on other surrounding environmental or social conditions. For example, if it is cold outside your herptile will get cold, which is not advisable, or if you have a large snake your neighbors may not appreciate you taking it out to "sun" it as it may be frightening to them. Always take into consideration the effects on both your pets and your fellow human beings when bringing your pets outdoors.

Humidity

An often overlooked environmental factor in herptile husbandry is humidity. Establishing proper humidity levels can be crucial for some herptiles and is certainly important for all of them. Herptiles who typically need high humidity are those from tropical areas. Examples of these are most chameleons, many iguanas and water dragons, and many frogs. Some turtles and geckos also come from very humid regions.

Humidity can be provided in several ways ranging from periodic misting with a spray bottle to rigging up an "in-tank" misting with humidi-stat to sense the ambient humidity in the enclosure. For example, one of our veterinarians has used spray bottles for his iguanas and a combination spray bottle and moisture absorbing/holding sphagnum moss for his South american horned frogs. For his tiger salamander, fire-bellied toad, and fire-bellied newt, he has an enclosure that has 3/4" of water on one side with large gravel gradually sloping up one side. This provides a dry area so they can submerge themselves fully and also move out of the water as they desire. That particular enclosure also has a branch of wood propped up so that they can climb off the ground should they wish to.

Research your herptile's natural environment so that you know its humidity needs. This will help you design your enclosure properly.

Water

All herptiles need water, regardless of what is naturally occurring in their environment. It may seem like a desert dwelling herptile has no need for water but this is almost never the case. While these herptiles may seldom, if ever, be seen drinking water, it s simple enough to provide them with water should they need it. Most herptiles do regularly need fresh water, so find some way to provide it for them. Often a simple shallow bowl of clean water is sufficient for your herptile's needs. Take care to keep the water and the bowl clean. Your herptile may choose to use this bowl of water as a bathtub or toilet. Should this occur, throw out that water and replace it with clean water in a clean bowl. Dirty water and bowls can harbor harmful fungus and more importantly, bacteria, that can cause health problems for your herptile.

Size

Many herptiles purchased in captivity are juveniles. This means that they will grow over time (provided, of course that they are well cared for). It is important to provide your herptile with an appropriately sized enclosure. As your herptile grows, the size of its "house" will need to be increased. For example, iguanas are often sold as "babies" or juveniles in pet stores. Typically they are under 12" long and can do well in a 20-30 gallon terrarium. However, iguanas do most of their growing in the first 18-36 months of their life, and reach lengths up to 6 feet. While most do not reach this size in this short period of time, many do get 3-4 feet long. At this size an aquarium of 60 gallons or greater is recommended.

Be prepared to upgrade your enclosure as your pet grows. A simple rule (but not always the best way) to determine proper enclosure size is this: the enclosure should be at least twice as long as the total length of the pet, one and a half times wide as the pet is long, and, depending on the natural inclination or habitat of the pet, one and a half times as high as the pet is long in body length. That being said it is important to realize what type of environment your herptile comes from in the wild. Many snakes are mostly terrestrial (lives on land) and require very little vertical area in their habitat, however, some are mainly arboreal (lives in trees) and require a lot of vertical climbing are in order to thrive. Another example is the difference between different species of frogs. Horned frogs are terrestrial and need virtually no climbing are, while green tree frogs are almost exclusively arboreal and need lots of climbing space. Consider your pet's natural environment in designing your herptile's enclosure.

Hiding Spots

All herptiles require some place to hide to get away from the view of predators. While captive herptiles are not preyed upon, their natural instinct is to hide when they feel threatened. They may not realize that they are free from being preyed upon, and therefore may experience stress from feeling threatened. Providing a hiding area is a simple way to make your herptile more secure. Hiding spots may be a piece of bark, a cardboard box, a leafy plant, or rocks stacked in such a way that a herptile can hide between them. Any structure should be set up so that the herptile feels like it cannot be seen by predators. For example, one of our veterinarians uses sphagnum moss in this South American horned frog's tank to help provide humidity. This has a bonus in that they can burrow down into the moss to hide.

Hiding spots are particularly important when a herptile enclosure or habitat is changed. For example, when you bring home a pet from the pet store or swap meet you will need to have ample hiding places for your new pet so it feels secure and can "acclimate" to its new habitat. It will often take several weeks for your herptile to become acclimated to its new environment. Hiding spaces will help to make the transition easier.

Another aid in acclimatization of herptiles is housing them in low traffic areas, that is, where there is less human and other animal activity. A spare bedroom or similar area works well. Make sure the animal is eating well and has established a "routine" before moving it into a more used/traffic area.

Food

Different herptiles have different food requirements. Some are carnivores, some herbivores, and some omnivores.

Carnivores
Carnivores eat only meat. They get virtually all their nutrients from eating other animals or the eggs of other animals. In captive herptiles it is important to provide nutrient rich food sources. This can be achieved by feeding the "prey" nutrient rich food. In the wild, carnivores eat prey that is also wild, prey that has been eating a variety of food. Often these foods include vegetables and grains, and sometimes other animals. When feeding captive carnivorous herptiles it is important to gut-load prey items. That is feed they prey items a variety of nutrient rich vegetables and grains just prior to feeding them to your carnivore. This is particularly important when feeding insectivores (a special type of carnivore that eats insects exclusively). Many captive insects are void of nutrients having typically been raised on low nutrient foods. Rodents should also be fed prior to being fed to herptiles.

Another consideration in feeding carnivorous herptiles is the choice between live and pre-killed prey. While feeding live prey items may seem, and truly "be," more natural, it can be potentially hazardous for the herptile. Rodents in particularly can be very aggressive and have sharp teeth. Should a rodent bite the herptile while the herptile is attempting to catch or subdue the rodent prior to eating, a serious infection will surely be the result. Some herptile owners insist on feeding live prey to their herptiles, arguing that in the wild herptiles would have no problem with prey inflicted infections. This may or may not be the case (not being in the wild and observing herptiles preying on rodents we have no firsthand information on the numbers of infections caused by rodent/prey bites and the eventual outcome of these bites, should they be occurring). However, we do know about and have firsthand experience with prey inflicted bites and their resulting infections. In our opinion it is easy enough to offer pre-killed prey to rodent eaters and virtually eliminate the threat of bites and ensuing infections. Herptile owners who want to feed pre-killed prey should call different pet stores and look on the Internet for sources of food for their herptile.

A note should be made that some herptiles will only eat live prey (most of these are insectivores) and need the movement of live prey to stimulate their instinct to feed. In these cases the conscientious owner should take care to observe their herptile eating so as to minimize the potential for bite infections to fester. If you see your get get bitten by its prey, take it to your veterinarian to minimize the chance of infection. Remember that herptiles as ectotherms have slower metabolisms. This means it takes them longer to develop sickness and show signs of being sick. Do not presume your pet's rodent inflicted bite wound is OK because you see no blood or obvious signs of infection. Only a qualified veterinarian can actually determine if your pet has an infection.

Herbivores
Herbivores eat almost exclusively vegetables, with occasional fruit and sometimes insects. It is important to feed a variety of calcium rich vegetables such as dandelion greens, collard greens, carrot tops, escarole, parsley, spring salad mix, mustard greens, and others. Dark leafy greens tend to be richest in calcium and thus are most highly recommended. Variety is important as it more closely mimics what herbivorous herptiles eat in the wild. Vegetables to be avoided are ones high in phosphorous (which binds calcium) and high ones in fat. Most fruit is high in phosphorous as are some vegetables like some squash, bell peppers, many cabbages, and beans. Avocado in particular is extremely high in fat and should be avoided. Research your vegetables so you will know which ones are high in calcium and low in phosphorous and fat. There are several commercial "iguana" or "turtle" foods that can be purchased at pet stores, but it is unclear whether they provide the proper variety and amount of nutrients. They may be perfectly fine but we recommend feeding fresh vegetables rather than processed and packaged commercial herptile foods.

Vitamin Supplements
Many books on herptile care suggest giving your herptiles some type of vitamin supplement. Whether this is necessary or not is open for debate, but feeding high quality foods is more important than using supplements. Often the supplements are in powder form and are sprinkled onto the food or "dusted" onto the prey. Some supplements are liquid and designed to be added to the pets drinking water. The major problem with both forms of supplements is that they may impart unappetizing flavors to the food and water. Animals may not want to drink water with such vitamins in it and may refuse to eat food that has been coated in vitamin powder. Also it is possible to order supplement food and cause premature mineralization to occur in the herptile's organs. Kidneys, liver and heart are all particularly susceptible to mineralization and can become compromised by over supplementation. Insectivores (like chameleons) whose prey items (like crickets) are habitually dusted with vitamins can develop damaged organs, whereas insectivores who are fed well-fed or "gut-loaded" prey are much less likely to develop these problems.

Basically when it comes to vitamin supplementing "less is more" is a good approach to take. Ideally, feeding high quality food should provide all the vitamins your pet needs.

Health Care

Like humans, pets require periodic "well checks" to establish normal healthy conditions. Yearly exams on the herptile by a qualified veterinarian are the only way to accomplish this. It is a good practice to bring all "new" herptiles to your veterinarian as soon as you acquire them so as to establish a baseline of your pet's condition. Often the veterinarian will suggest running some tests on your newly acquired herptile to make sure you have not picked up a sick herptile. These tests may include fecal screens, blood work, and often an bacterial culture. These tests, while not cheap, are important to the long-term health of your herptile. You can expect somewhere between $100-$200 on a first time visit for their herptile. Future visits may be, but are not always, less expensive after the baseline of health is established.

Once your herptile is set up and eating regularly, familiarize yourself with its daily routine and its healthy look. Over time and during different seasons your herptile may look and act differently. This is normal. You may notice that your herptile is more active during the summer (longer daylight periods) and less active during the winter. Some herptiles even hibernate or go through a period of "torpidity" when the days shorten and the temperature drops. Research your pet's natural pattern and observe your pet in captivity so you can recognize when it is responding to seasonal changes as opposed to slowing down due to sickness.

Also, seasonal changes can stimulate developmental changes in your herptile. For instance, if you have a sexually mature herptile it may develop mating behavior during the spring or summer. Sexually mature female herptiles often start producing eggs when the season changes from colder to warmer, even if there is no male present to fertilize them. This can be potentially dangerous for the herptile as it may stop eating during egg development, or it may have difficulty laying the eggs. Herptiles unable to lay their eggs are called "egg bound" and can become very sick rapidly. If you suspect your pet is egg bound it is important to have it seen by a qualified veterinarian as soon as possible.

While some changes in your pet's routine are normal responses to seasonal changes, any change that seems abnormal, especially resulting in loss of appetite or lethargy, should be considered cause for examination by a veterinarian. Get to know your herptile's routine so you can recognize when it is sick.

Cleaning

Cleanliness cannot be emphasized enough. Most herptile sicknesses are caused by an unclean environment. It is important to get into a routine of cleaning your herptile and its enclosure. Weekly cleaning of the enclosure and bathing of the herptile is recommended, but daily "spot cleaning" of any feces or other debris is also important. For larger herptiles a clean bathtub with enough warm water in it to partially cover the animal is a good way to bathe them, while for smaller herptiles a plastic "carry cage" can act as a pseudo bathing station. We recommend bathing our herptile for at least 20 minutes in warm water. Be careful not to make the water too hot as serious injury can result. While the herptile is bathing you can be cleaning its enclosure. We recommend an antibacterial soap and water, or alternatively, in cases where you know there to be infectious harmful bacteria, bleach and warm water. If using bleach, be sure to rinse thoroughly with hot water. No smell of bleach should remain when you have finished rinsing. If you smell bleach you have not rinsed well enough.