Category: Beginner Questions
Herp Queries: Road Herping Tips
Look for snakes, but always remember to keep an eye out for other traffic, too! [...]
Why Do Hognose Snakes Play Dead?
If predators are able to smell or detect the presence of toad toxins coming off the snakes in some way, that might contribute to a successful deterren [...]
What Is The Other Blue Dart Frog?
Several of the tiny frogs among the dendrobatids display some tinges of blue. [...]
Is The Blue-Tongue Skink An Ideal Lizard For Those New To Reptile Keeping?
While the bearded dragon and leopard gecko are most often recommended as the ideal beginner lizards, the blue-tongued skink can also make a good first [...]
Are My Twin-Striped Plated Lizard Eggs Fertile?
If your lizard lays eggs, set up an incubator with a moist medium for the eggs. Make sure to leave them in the same position you found them when you t [...]
The Vet Report: Salmonella In Reptiles
In the 1970s, red-eared sliders were so popular in the pet trade that they were actually raised in human sewage ponds —hence the source of the Salmone [...]
Caiman Are For Expert Reptile Keepers
Caiman, even of the dwarf variety will grow very large, and as such are only to be kept by experienced reptile keepers. [...]
Herp Queries: Difficulty Seeing Reptiles In Their Zoo Enclosures
If you can't see a particular reptile in its enclosure at the zoo, don't be shy to ask for help in spotting it. [...]
When Will My Russian Tortoise Learn How To Mate?
Do you have any advice to share about a good way to tell if a successful mating has occurred? [...]
Reptile Roadkill
Very few studies on herp road kill numbers exist, however, and they don’t exist for the U.S. as a whole. [...]
Can A Reptile Be Partially Albino?
Gulf Coast box turtles and alligator snapping turtles are two turtles in which males sometimes lose pigment on their heads when fully mature. [...]
Photographing Reptiles Behind Glass Enclosures
When photographing reptiles behind glass, let the flash strike it from an angle of 15 degrees off the perpendicular or greater. [...]
Herp Queries: Reptile Shows And Germs
Have young ones wash their hands after touching herps, or any animals for that matter. Most all tables at the shows have antibacterial disinfectant fo [...]
Is There A Snake That Does Not Bite?
People entering the herp hobby via a pet retailer often assume that if it’s for sale to the public, then it must be tame. Don’t assume that any animal [...]
Are Gila Monsters And Chuckwallas Look-Alike Lizards?
Chuckwallas (Sauromalus ater) resemble Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) in appearance, although to what degree depends largely on your prior exposu [...]
Bearded Dragon Won’t Drink
Bearded dragons prefer to lick droplets off the walls of their enclosure rather than drink from a bowl. [...]
Herp Queries: Photo Critique Concerns When Shooting Reptiles
If you post pictures in a public forum, I’m afraid you’re stuck accepting (not necessarily cheerfully) whatever comments accrue. [...]
Herp Queries: Something About Skinks
Most skinks native to the United States are small (under 6 inches in total length) and tend to be of the long, slender body conformation. [...]
Herp Queries: Use Good Judgment With Children And Reptiles
It’s necessary for kids to learn such things “gently” in order to dodge more serious ones that will surely come along later in life. [...]
Reptile Medicine Behind Bars At The Monroe County Sheriff’s Animal Farm
The Monroe County Jail in Florida is home to a variety of animals, cared for by inmates. [...]
Herp Queries: The 4-Inch Turtle Law
The law is aimed at curtailing commercial sales of small turtles, which often end up as pets of small children. [...]
Field Herping For Snakes: Driving Or On Foot?
Walking through a herp’s habitat to find it offers the added pleasure of communing with nature up close. [...]
The Scoop On Reptile Poop
Most herps’ droppings don’t last long out in the rigors of nature. [...]
Herp Queries: Photographing A Venomous Snake
Never allow any part of your body to come within striking range. [...]
