Guidelines for Responsible Herptile Ownership

Guidelines for Responsible Herptile Ownership: What everyone should know before buying or selling a reptile.

The popularity of herpetoculture, the keeping and breeding of amphibians and reptiles, has skyrocketed in the last 25 years, in part, because of the great accomplishments of hobbyists in determining the requirements for successfully keeping and breeding these species. Unfortunately, a side effect of this popularity has been increasing reports and criticisms of irresponsible behaviors and animal neglect by reptile owners. The following article addresses several topics related to successful reptile ownership. Their message can be summarized as follows: Think before you buy. Knowledge is power. Strive to do the very best. Take orders, both human and nonhuman, into consideration.

Before buying, Research and Read

Herptiles are ectotherms (cold-blooded), and to successfully keep them in captivity requires a certain base of knowledge. Being warm-blooded mammals, humans do not have a natural propensity for understanding the needs of reptiles. Fortunately, a great deal of information about the subject is now available.

In the last 25 years, herpetoculturalists have acquired and accumulated an extensive base of interdisciplinary knowledge on how to successfully keep and breed close to 200 species of reptiles and amphibians in captivity. This has resulted in many good books on the subject of reptile and amphibian care being offered in stores of through internet book sellers. Additional information can be found on various web sites, although some common sense may be required to sift through the mish mash of sites, many by overnight self-made “authorities” who spread a range of fallacies and myths (e.g., true chameleons should always be kept singly, any amount of animal protein is bad for green iguanas, unfounded statements regarding the UV requirements of different lizards, etc.)

In any case, there is no getting away from the fact that you will have to read up before you buy any animals. It may well turn out that after your initial research you will discover that the eventual size of the species you are considering, its behavioral propensities and/or its husbandry requirements may not make it suitable for the conditions you can provide.

Reptiles and the Law

An important aspect to selection is to be aware of state and local regulations with regards to owning various reptile and amphibian species.

If you have an interest in keeping native species, contact your state fish and game agency and request their regulations regarding the collecting and keeping of those species. If your interest is in exotic species, contact both your state fish and game agency and your county or local animal control agency to find out about any restrictions on reptile ownership. In many areas, this information can now be found by doing a search on the internet. Another good source for this kind of information is to contact a local herpetological society.

As a rule, stores of breeders that sell reptiles in your area will usually only offer species that are legal to own. A good general information source regarding regulations that restrict reptile and amphibian sales, ownership and transport is the latest addition of John Levell’s Reptiles and the Law.

Selection

The responsible selection of a species is the most important first step any reptile keeper will take. It will pretty much determine the rest of your obligations as a reptile keeper. Because improper selection is probably the number one cause of reptile-related problems, this is the factor I will emphasize most. It is also the area that requires the most forethought and research.

A herptile’s appearance is usually the first feature that attracts a prospective owner. Something about how they look appeals and generates a certain level of fascination. Reptiles and amphibians are just about the neatest, most beautiful things on earth; they’re like living art. But appearance alone should not dictate whether or not you should own a certain species. Other factors must be considered, such as the size a species may attain, its captive requirements and the difficulty of its care.

Adult size

Probably one of the most important criteria for selecting a species is size. How big will it get? As a rule, small to medium sized reptiles are generally much easier and affordable to house and maintain than larger ones. Some species of lizards and snakes (e.g., anoles, leopard geckos, western hognose snakes) can be kept in enclosures as small as a 10-gallon aquarium (but a 20-gallon, at least, would be ideal.) Popular medium sized species, such as bearded dragons, Uromastyx, various skinks and most of the larger captive-bred colubrids, will require at least a 48-inch enclosure to be kept properly.

Turtles, as a rule, require large enclosures and can be labor intensive to maintain. Most of the popular water turtles sold in the pet trade, such as red-eared sliders, painted turtles and soft-shell turtles are among the most demanding and expensive of the reptiles to house properly indoors. Adult specimens will require at least a 48-inch tank, as well as filtration systems and/or water draining/replacement systems.

My advice when selecting an enclosure is to design an environment that will be a pleasing and aesthetic addition to you home, yet still provide the animals inside with a high quality of life.

It has become clear to me that most reptiles and amphibians, to be provided with a high quality of life, require larger enclosures than usually recommended, as well as more enriched environments. That’s the general rule; small to medium-sized aspecies are usually better suited as pets for many people, rather than larger species.

On Large Reptiles

There is a place for large reptiles in society and they are suitable pets for the right person, much like other large animals some of us keep as pets, such as certain breeds of dogs, pot-bellied pigs, horses, goats, large macaws, geese and emus.

The problems with large reptiles, however, can be summarized as follows: Although most start off small they will eventually grow to a hundred times or more their initial body weight by the time they are mature adults. This growth rate is difficult for people to imagine. After all, human babies raised under good conditions typically grow to between 20 and 25 times their initial body weight.

The adult size achieved by large reptiles such as green iguanas, Nile monitors or African spurred tortoises will require that you provide them with enclosures or pens the size of at least a small room. If you can not afford to provide a room-sized enclosure then you should not choose to own large reptiles.

Because of their size, larger reptiles have a low relative surface-to-volume ratio (relatively little skin area for their size/weight) compared to small reptiles. Keeping them adequately heated and lit under indoor conditions will require spotlights and heat pads often totaling several hundred watts. A primary cause of death of all large reptiles, whether green iguanas, monitor lizards, large constrictors or large tortoises, is inadequate heat. Many of these commonly die of respiratory or kidney disease after they reach a large size.

Most large reptiles eat and defecate amounts corresponding to their size. Performing water changes with species such as large monitors or large turtles that tend to defecate in their water containers may have to be done several times a week. In closed quarters, the amount of fecal matter and associated smell can generate another kind of problem.

Large reptiles can become difficult to handle and some species can present certain risks to the handler. When handling large lizards, untrimmed claws can inflict lacerations. Aggressive large lizards, such as some sexual-onset male green iguanas, can inflict serious bites that can require emergency medical treatment.

Adult giant snakes require the learning of certain procedures and the presence or assistance of one or more people during handling or maintenance. (See “Guidelines for the Responsible Sale and Ownership of Giant Snakes, located in separate thread.) Some large water turtles can inflict painful bites, and once they exceed 50 to 60 pounds can prove problematical to move without help or some type of dolly.

To put this in perspective, large reptiles present some of the same problems as other large mammals. They require space, eat and defecate large amounts, and like dogs, cats, large parrots, emus, farm animals and others, can inflict serious bites or lacerations. The heaviest species can also prove difficult to handle or move.

cont'd...

On the Keeping of Giant Snakes

I wanted to dedicate a small section of this article to giant snakes because they are the source of some of the worst Page Ranking for the reptile hobby, and are often associated with the most commonly reported examples of irresponsible reptile keeping.

At the outset, let me state that all giant snakes (green anaconda, Asian rock pythons, reticulated python, African rock python) are specialist snakes. I believe their ownership involves what I would call an avocational risk, such as sky diving, car racing and mountain climbing. As with all these fields, practicing the avocation the right way will minimize the risk, and there is a body of knowledge and certain procedures that must be learned to practice the avocation safely and responsibly.

It is worth noting that the Burmese python, the most widely sold and kept of the giant snakes, is also the most dangerous of all the nonvenomous snakes kept in the United States. In recent years, one or two people a year, either owners or children, are killed in the U.S. by Burmese pythons. In addition to the news-making deaths, there are numerous other mostly unreported accidents associated with Burmese pythons which involve strike and constriction incidents.

Why are there so many incidents involving Burmese pythons? It’s simply because too many are indiscriminately sold to untrained people who should not own them. It’s not that Burmese pythons are particularly aggressive. On the contrary, they are often so docile that owners and their families put aside all common sense and project onto their animals an intelligence and social propensity that are simply not there. Other giant snakes that are typically more aggressive, such as reticulated pythons, African rock pythons and green anacondas, cause owners to be much more cautious during their handling and maintenance.

For the great majority of people who for one reason or another want to own a large boid snake, one of the best choices are boa constrictors. Many of the subspecies can remain at a manageable size in the 5- to 8-foot range, and even the larger forms, such as red tail boas do not usually present a life threatening risk. To date, I have found no report of a human being killed by a boa constrictor, although it is certainly not completely impossible.

[Excerpt from article by Philippe de Vosjoli © 2003 Reptiles USA]

Extremely well said.

Thanks, Todd! Great article... I've printed it out.
Although we all joke about being Herpaholics, your articles are a sober reminder of the responsibilities involved: Especially the "DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY!!!"

Originally Posted by Todd

In addition to the news-making deaths, there are numerous other mostly unreported accidents associated with Burmese pythons which involve strike and constriction incidents.

Why are there so many incidents involving Burmese pythons? It’s simply because too many are indiscriminately sold to untrained people who should not own them.

while i agree with the article mostly and think that is is a great article (thank you todd!) i think that by stating that there are so many incidents involving these snakes because many of them are sold to untrained people is a bit broad, and implies that this is the only reason these accidents occur.

frankly, there are many seasoned keepers of large snakes and other herps that have been bitten by their animals. now i have been keeping herps for 7 years and catching them all my life. most of these herps were pretty docile creatures that couldn't cause much damage, but tell me that most people don't get comfortable and trusting around their burm. i have been bitten a few times. rat snakes, bearded dragons with bad attitudes, and leopard geckos to name a few. tell me that most of you have never been bitten, and then the ones who have, tell me you should not own them.

i know that there are different rules regarding keeping large snakes, just as there are different rules in keeping hots. but all i'm saying is accidents happen.

i also know i don't always articulate myself well...

lola

Todd, your thoughts on herp care and responsibility really made me think hard about the environment that I am providing for my uromastyx. Am I giving him the very best care and housing that I can? And your posts have certainly set aside any plans that I have had for ever owning a large reptile such as a green iguana or a large snake. I honestly don't think I could handle that much responsibility. I think that I will become a uromastyx specialist - medium sized, docile, friendly lizards, who require a level of care that I can handle. Thank you for your excellent post.
-Allie.