Practical Reptile Keeping

Practical Reptile Keeping is the only monthly herp care magazine published in English. Launched in 2009, it attracts an international readership and is packed with advice on how to look after and breed snakes, lizards, tortoises, turtles, amphibians and bugs. As well as stunning photography, each issue features technical help, product information and health care advice to keep your animals in tip-top condition, plus breeding details and the latest news relating to this group of creatures from around the world.

Welcome

The golden-tongued lizard of China's Hengduan Mountains

Counting iguanas

An ancestral salamander found in Tennessee

Six new species of barking gecko discovered

Turtle IQ study

Climate data could predict chytrid impacts

City lizards turn out to be surprisingly social

How colour drives evolution in frogs

A major breakthrough in snake-feeding • Having to feed dead rodents or chicks to snakes (and having to keep a supply at home) is the main reason that people give for not going ahead with their interest in snake-keeping. Now however, help is at hand, with the launch of Arcadia’s brand-new EvoRx food.

At home with tegus • The Argentine black and white tegu (Salvator merianae) ranks amongst the largest lizards in the world, attaining a length of as much as 1.4m (4.5ft), and it can display decidedly dog-type behaviour, even seeking out its owners for attention. But what is it like, living with these large lizards? Here we ask an experienced tegu enthusiast for his thoughts.

My top five pet pythons • Pythons represent some of the most awe-inspiring snakes in the world, but they are also often misrepresented. Ask anyone on the street and most people will tell you pythons are man-eating giants, but this isn’t the case in reality, and in fact, many species of python make great pets and have gentle demeanours. In this article, python-keeper and breeder Timothy Zedi takes a closer look at five of the most suitable species of python to keep, based on his experiences with members of this group.

Introducing lizards • The incredible variety that exists within the world of lizards is revealed here by David Alderton, along with the remarkable attributes of various members of this diverse group of reptiles.

Using springtails

REPTILE FOCUS • Northland green gecko (Naultinus grayii)

What snake would suit you? • Choosing your ideal snake can be difficult, but here veterinary surgeon and reptile enthusiast Dr Tariq Abou-Zahr sets out some of the choices to consider, whether you are a beginner, or already have some experience in this area.

An off-colour bearded dragon

Out of Africa Life in the sand • Explaining how reptiles and amphibians have adapted to different environments, professional herpetologist Paul Donovan concentrates on how those that are to be found in desert landscapes, and particularly Africa’s Kalahari desert, are remarkably well-adapted to survive in such adverse surroundings.

Caring for brown anoles • Although less well-known than their green cousins, these anoles are actually more straightforward, in terms of their care needs, and deserve to be more popular.

TALES FROM THE REPTILE HOUSE The tortoise in the tea packet • Having worked for many years as the curator of a zoological collection in Scotland, Bill Lowe eventually achieved an ambition that he had held since his childhood – to be able to observe Indian star tortoises in the Reptile House and these particular ones weren’t linked to tea!

Practical Reptile Keeping