Rules

Some 22++ years ago(early 00s), the practice of hot herping was gaining a lot of popularity in the US. This probably had a lot to do with Steve Irwin's Crocodile Hunter nature show on the Discovery channel where he made it look so easy to handle deadly snakes without getting bitten. There were a whole bunch of snake breeders online that sold deadly snakes. And in many US states, no laws were on the books against keeping them. Like Washington for example(western WA is wayyyyy too cold and wet for tropical snakes to survive except briefly in the summer). That has of course changed. Most US states ban the keeping of venomous snakes without a permit and you can't get one in WA unless you're a zookeeper.

Is it that there were too many fatal accidents that inspired lawmakers to try to crack down on this hobby? I never hear about people keeping venomous snakes these days. I never got the chance to do it(always wanted a red spitting cobra whose venom isn't *that* dangerous to humans but will blind you if it gets in your eyes). There actually was a guy who said he'd train me and let me stay at his house(he was ex-military) but I backed out because he told me that he had no antivenin or any safety training for a snakebite emergency.

I have two azure dart frogs in a glass terrarium and I'm struggling with how to limit the algae/crud on the inside of the glass. I try to wipe it down with a wet paper towel but it just comes back within a day or two. I obviously don't want to use any cleaning chemicals that can harm the frogs, though I'd like some solution so I can actually see them! I did try a wire mesh lid instead of a solid acrylic/glass lid to reduce to humidity, but the fruit flies escaped through the holes and got everywhere 🙄

Terrarium pic

I've had the exo terra frogs and co dart frog terrarium (the one with the big drain in the bottom) for 2.5 years now and it seems to have sprung a tiny leak somewhere along the outer seam of the base...

Anyone have advice for me? What did you do when a tank sprung a leak?

Should I get a new one and start from scratch? Take everything out and try and reseal? Should I try and return/get my money back?

So far it's a small amount of water but it's a problem that's only going to get worse :/

Thanks a bunch!

So, about a month ago one of my snakes (my ball python) went missing. His screen lid had separated and he squeezed out. After a month of tearing my house apart on multiple occasions, I found him while flipping boards outside.... I'm glad to have him back safe and sound but I am worried about parasites he could have gotten in that amount of time. I have him in a secure enclosure with paper towels to monitor. Should I immediately take him to the vet or should I continue to monitor for a few weeks? He has good body condition and looks in perfect shape but you can never tell what's going on inside. Thanks for your help!

Planning on building a large terrarium soon and would like to include some clean up crew both for the health of the system as well as to watch go about their little bug lives. I was thinking about doing rubber ducky isopods and pink dragon millipedes as they are both very visually striking and I think they inhabit similar environments, but I don’t want to do anything unfair to any animals just because I think it would be cool. Are these species compatible in a large space with plenty of food?

Hi, I was wondering what everyone thinks of reptile morphs

My 11 y/o lady Luna has looked for a while like she had some stuck shedding on her 3rd eye for a long time but I never could find anything to try to help pull at and soaking never seemed to help her either.... until today.

It looked like it was finally starting to crack off so I for some tweezers to help it along and so my surprise the whole thing came up about 1/3 of the way. It hurt her so she jerked away and I didn't get a good look and I haven't tried messing with it anymore. And now it's bleeding a bit.

What do I do? Ps the video is posted in r/iguanas but it wouldn't let me post it here. (Ignore that brown spot on her mouth that is just some dried up breakfast.)

Hi all,

I am fairly new to snake care and am looking at getting my first corn snake! I currently have a 40 gallon tank. I understand this may be too small when the snake is full grown, but is it too big for now? I read that the baby might not be able to regulate its heat in a tank this large… so can I just make sure to keep a close eye on the tank temp? I do not have the snake yet so I am not sure how small my baby will be. Thanks for the help! (Post cross-posted)

hey. not sure where else online to ask this. but I noticed last night that my lizard's logs glow in the dark??? it only lasts a few minutes after being exposed to the UV light.

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/774896687859892239/1209543802256105552/image.png?ex=65e74e72&is=65d4d972&hm=f81fe9a264f2d11aa25ed1aa2440d8a5e52d227d11abecc9911346591e85477f&=&format=webp&quality=lossless

Does this... mean anything? Should I be concerned? What the hell

I have had it with Fluker's domes. I have battled with them for the last time. I know its not a great option to begin with but I get them and the bulbs for REAL CHEAP where I work so I've stuck with them. I should've put two and two together when we buy them for next to nothing from the manufacturer to begin with.

I have a 4' x 2.5' tortoise table for my Russian tortoise. Right now I keep a 100W and a 10.0 UVB on him now. He has an outdoor enclosure I keep him in during the day when its warm enough so he gets loads of natural UVB but this is where he spends a good amount of time too because its often cold or rainy or both and I want to get him a better, and longer, UVB fixture. Basking is at about 90-95 depending on the surrounding temp. He spends a good amount of time wandering around other parts of the enclosure which tells me he isn't freezing cold at those temps. But my fixtures and bulbs keep going out and I'm done messing with them. I need some help. Chekhov needs some help. Thanks for sticking with me, please drop your recs in the comments.

Or should I stick with frozen cubes?

What are some other snacks he’d like? He’s still pretty small.

I was at a zoo and they had hot with dart frogs in same cage ? Even had them in green tree Python cages? Any reasoning to why???

I’m very interested in advancing my knowledge of specific herps, but not getting a degree or working in the herpetology field. It seems a little scammy that there’s a “master herpetologist” online certification, especially when I see people slap it on LinkedIn or Insta like it makes them a professional. I know they also partner with The Rattlesnake Conservancy for venemous handling programs. Are any of their courses worth it for the specific information offered?

This would have been 1977 in the north of England, ……so there ween’t exactly many animal welfare laws

I apologize for the novel...I've been struggling with this, and I feel like context will help. I have a 4'(wide)x2'x2' pvc enclosure that I purchased earlier in the year as part of a project that I had in mind. As it turns out, that particular animal isn't suited for being kept in a bioactive enclosure. The fella who ran the shop I purchased it from had a fantastic place full of bioactive enclosures and cool animals. He was a zookeeper in Miami prior to opening the store, so I took quite a bit of time talking with him about potential projects. He had me convinced that a properly set up bioactive enclosure that size would be adequate for a Green Tree Python. After doing quite a bit of reading and asking questions in other places, I realized it wouldn't be a great idea. It would be my first GTP and I'm not really willing to gamble a pet's life on my talent...lol...they are fragile, and I just didn't feel confident enough.

In the meantime, I've been creating hardscape and substrate and slowly purchasing lighting, heating and plants. At this point, I could have the enclosure planted and grown in, with CUC established in a matter of a couple of months. It is set up to be a tropical environment with humidity controlled anywhere between 40 and 80% depending on how frequently I mist it, and temps available from the high 60's Fahrenheit and up. No matter what inhabitant winds up going in, I enjoy the process of getting it up and running. Currently, it has been created with an arboreal or semi-arboreal creature in mind. There are several levels of horizontal perches and branches and a super cool buttress root tree stump "hide" that I created. Once it's up and running, the entirety of the height will be available for use through wood, vines, plants and foam/drylok hardscape. I'm in love with the plan.

I'm taking my time and really trying to put a lot of thought and effort into creating something that will allow for a new pet to really thrive. Every time I begin to zero in on something as an inhabitant, I'm dissuaded by people who reply in groups for that specific species. It's hard for me to believe but I've been told that it would be inadequate for anoles or day geckos, so I pumped my brakes. I've been told that tree skinks wouldn't work, so I slowed my role. I don't want to cram something in there that won't be able to do well and I'm running out of things that I have interest in, which sadly, doesn't include New Caledonian geckos, corn snakes or ball pythons. I've invested hundreds of dollars into it and if it just becomes an expensive planter, that's fine but I imagine that there is *something* that fits.

In the past I've had large constrictors, an iguana, inverts, fish and a tokay. Currently I keep a group of mossy frogs, a ghost mantis, a small fish tank and a *ton* of plants (I just got my orchid to rebloom for the first time...I feel like that's a planty milestone!) I know how to care for things. I know how to dial in husbandry. I want to give usable space to something that will use it.

So what do you think, Reddit? Did I start a really expensive terrarium or is there anything suitable? What would you put in it?

Hello,

I found a spotted salamander in my basement. It's supposed to stay above freezing for the next few days. Is it safe to release it outside?

Hey! I have a left over 12x12x18 enclosure, what can go in it? I have mourning geckos already in a different enclosure so really looking for anything else.

I just barely discovered a leg injury on my salamander. He spends most of his days hiding under his water dish so I rarely see his fully body. How could this have happened and what can I do?

A weekly discussion thread for everything herpetoculture related. Mostly!

Ask your question here, discuss about a new product or a specific care requirement.

Or just talk about your current projects, your animals and your setups.

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I have a weirdly shaped tank that’s 12”x35”x17”. I would like to use it to house my grey tree frogs in a big bio active enclosure and would like to flip it on its side to be arboreal.

I’m having a really hard time time the right size conversion kit though! Checked Etsy and Amazon. Any tips or recourses are super appreciated.

Hey, I have a Mesh enclosure, what reptiles would be good for it? It’s 2x2x4. Thank you!

I would like to get a leopard gecko and have some questions.

Is just one ok or would it need company

Would a 3d printed food and water bowl be safe

What are some things that I need

Hello! I received a 29 gallon tall fish tank from a relative, and I'm thinking about putting some kind of reptile or amphibian in it. I've never owned or really interacted too much with one so I want to do this right. What might go best for a beginner in a tank this size?

A weekly discussion thread for everything herpetoculture related. Mostly!

Ask your question here, discuss about a new product or a specific care requirement.

Or just talk about your current projects, your animals and your setups.

----

This post is automatically posted every month.

I work in a natural history museum that primarily deals with insects, but we also have a variety of frogs. In particular, we are amassing quite the collection of dart frogs. However, I’ve been doing some research, and I am concerned we aren’t giving our amphibian friends the proper care they need. In particular, I’m concerned about the moss we use. Not only do we not have drainage layers set up in our tanks, we also only use wild moss that we bring in from outside. From my understanding, because the moss is so absorbent, the high levels of moisture can be detrimental to the frogs and their health. I want the best possible care for our animals, so I wanted to ask what the best possible substrate is for all frogs, but specifically dart frogs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone, I am not a snake enthusiast nor have any interest in keeping snakes, but my stepson is really into them. He is in a spiralling depression right now because one of his snakes died in a fire and I really want to help him.

So long story short, he was living on his own and had 5 snakes, he used plastic containers, two with heating mats and three with ceramic heating lamps. They all have a temperature measuring unit which automatically stops them if they reach a certain set temperature. He had burnt holes on the top of the container to lower the heat lamp, somehow it fell and ended up burning the terrarium with the poor snake inside.

Now he is still using the same type of containers but he has wrapped tin foil around the lamps to keep the container top from heating up too much and to keep the lamp in place. I still think it is not secure enough because the plastic lid where the lamps is placed gets heated and I am afraid it will melt and the lamp could potentially fall again.

Please suggest me ways by which I can help him secure it, should I just request him to use mats? Are there any products I can use to heat up that won't start a fire? Can I build the container with some kind of material that won't catch a fire? He absolutely doesn't want to use glass because he is afraid it will break

TLDR; Total beginner, don't know anything about snakes, a terrarium caught fire, please suggest me ways to make the terrarium safe.

A weekly discussion thread for everything herpetoculture related. Mostly!

Ask your question here, discuss about a new product or a specific care requirement.

Or just talk about your current projects, your animals and your setups.

----

This post is automatically posted every month.

First infection I cannot identify is in the skin of the toad. It seems to be bleaching in certain spots, especially around the parotoid glands and upper back. The spots have a grey color and are slowly spreading.

The second is on the toad's left eye, it's swollen and red under the upper eyelid and leaking a cloudy, watery substance.

Please share any ideas on what the respective health issues might be, possible treatments and if they are infectious.

Hi everyone, I have a fire skink and would like to get a gecko or a pacman frog as well. If i get another herptile, will I be able to keep it in the same enclosure as my fire skink or will my fire skink get stressed/try to eat the new animal?

I have noticed some spots on the belly of my African bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus). Image in link https://imgur.com/a/LPQWr6C

He has also recently had a hunger strike. But I'm fairly certain that was due to constipation. Because the last fecal pellet he passed had sand in it, and the day after he ate. He was buried a lot during that time.

Has anyone seen spots like this before/know what it is?