Reptile and Exotic Animal Housing
All reptiles require an enclosure or home that makes them feel safe and comfortable, this is achieved by providing the correct environment for your particular species. Research should always be done on the natural habitat where the species you wish to keep lives, the enclosure you then setup should be as close to this as possible.
Quick Links
| Terrestrial | Lighting |
| Semi-aquatic & Aquatic | Heating |
| Arboreal | Humidity |
| Fossorial | Substrate |
| Scansorial | Decor |
| Enclosures | Cleaning |
| Hides |
Terrestrial Species
Terrestrial species, including Bearded Dragons (Pogona Vitticeps) and the Savannah Monitor (Varanus Exanthematicus), live in dry arid terrains and require microclimates within their enclosure. The most common microclimate for reptiles is the provision of hot and cool areas to enable thermoregulation. Without adequate warmth they cannot feed, digest food, move about or produce sperm and the best way to create this variation is through using commercially available heat sources such as incandescent lamps, ceramic heaters or heat mats. These should be kept to one end to provide a basking area enabling them to build up their metabolism and the other area of the enclosure should thus be kept free of direct heat. This heating advice applies to most reptiles although variations occur across species. UVB/UVA strengths will also need to be considered as most reptiles will require artificial sunlight to control circadian rhythm and give them vital vitamins.
Semi-aquatic and Aquatic Species
Semi-aquatic and aquatic species, such as terrapins and turtles, require water for swimming and a dry area - such as a rock or log for basking - although the ratios will vary according to species. The water should be filtered for cleanliness and will also help create a gently current. If heating is required the heater element should be kept shielded from the inhabitant.
Arboreal Species
Arboreal species are found in tropical areas where there is generally a lot of foliage. Thus species such as Iguanas (Iguanidae) and Chameleons (Chameleonidae) will require taller enclosures with plenty of strong branches for climbing. Reptiles indigenous to these humid forests will require appropriate humidity levels in captivity to remain healthy and comfortable, too little may effect sloughing, too much may cause respiratory problems. Nevertheless, this moisture may be created by spraying the enclosure daily or providing mini waterfalls. Damp moss, wood chips and bark are all ideal substrates that can be selected to increase humidity.
Fossorial Species
Fossorial inhabitants such as the Rough-scaled Sand Boa (Eryx Gongylophis Conicus ssp) and the Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus Attenuatus) spend most of their time under substrate or in burrows so providing an adequate amount of ground covering is essential. With varying products in the market choosing the correct substrate can be very difficult. Whilst maintaining the aesthetics of the environment trying to be recreated it needs to be easy to clean and cause no harm if ingested. For these burrowing reptiles a play sand and soil mixture will hold its shape well when creating chambers.
Scansorial Species
Finally, scansorial species such as the Ridge-tailed Monitor (Varanus Acanthurus) and the European Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis) inhabit rocky crevices and walls so plenty of rocks and features to provide cover should be provided. Silicone cement can be used to help secure them in place and prevent harm to the inhabitant. Using a variety of natural imitation products (such as logs, foliage and rocks) that provide suitable hides and obstacles helps overcome stress and boredom within reptiles. Reptiles benefit psychologically from the visual disruption caused by furnishings because “when they have a number of things to look at, they do not know that they are in a restricted space. As with all the features discussed it is important to research the natural environment first as some species prefer more space and others prefer a compact habitat.
Types of enclosures
There are many different types of enclosure available, however not all of them will provide the correct living environment for your reptile.
The traditional wooden vivariums are the most popular, these are ideal for the vast majority of lizards and snakes and are available in a range of sizes to suit your chosen species. The disadvantage of this type of enclosure is they do not cope well with damp or wet conditions. There is a model on the market that has the bottom and part of the sides covered in glass to stop the water soaking into the wood protecting the vivarium from water damage. This would be ideal for a reptile requiring high humidity or a damp substrate but not for a semi aquatic species. Species that require very damp or semi aquatic conditions would be better suited in a glass vivarium, these are also available in a range of sizes and can cope with a variety of environments. Glass vivariums prove to be more sterile and easier to clean as they do not harbour moisture or bacteria. However, lizards can become distressed by their own reflection and thus putting a background around three sides of the enclosure would be advised.
It is absolutely essential to choose the correct size enclosure for your chosen species. The enclosure should be big enough for the inhabitant to move around naturally without feeling too restricted, but not so big that they feel vulnerable. Sometimes you will need to upgrade the enclosure three or four times during the growth of your species.
Further issues to be considered is the health and safety of your inhabitant when using heating and lighting equipment, all wires should be out of reach and suitable screens used to prevent any possible contact, especially with snakes and arboreal lizards. Also good ventilation should be provided in all enclosures and gauges used to monitor the temperature and humidity level.
Hides
Hides are important items to consider for any enclosure you are setting up. The amount and types of hides you provide your chosen animal will govern the overall wellbeing, for example a arboreal lizards that lives in a tree for most its life will require a hide in or under a piece of bark at a vertical angle that would resemble a crack in a branch. Placing a hide at ground level for this type of lizard would be unnatural. The number of hides and their location should also be considered. A good enclosure will have a number of hides that will allow the reptile to thermo regulate it's body temperature whilst still being able to feel secure. If you are keeping more then one occupant in the enclosure there should be enough hides available for the individuals to hide separately to avoid territory disputes. Failure to provide a suitable retreat is often a cause of stress and maladaptation of nervous individuals to captivity and can also lead to many health problems.
Lighting
When setting up an enclosure for any reptile it is essential you ensure all lighting requirements are met. Reptiles are cold blooded and require the sun to warm their bodies to the correct temperature, however that’s not all they use the sun for, thus lighting that provides adequate daylight is required. Whatever daylight bulb you choose to use has to have the correct levels of both UVA and UVB rays, it is therefore necessary to research into the requirements for the particular species you are interested in obtaining alongside the different types of bulbs that are available on the market. For example a diurnal desert species will require a much higher level of UVB/UVB then a nocturnal desert species. The correct lighting is very important for the general wellbeing, your reptile will not just use it to define night & day it can also be used to control breeding behaviour by lowering the daylight hours along with the temperature in the winter to bring on brumation (which is like a semi hibernation). Reptiles will also absorb the vitamin D3 from the UVB rays. The light source you choose should be strong enough to light up the hole of the enclosure as if your species was exposed to the same conditions in its natural habitat, a small bulb that just lights up part of the enclosure is not suitable.
Heating
Once you have found the optimum temperature your reptile requires in the enclosure you can start looking for the best solution to achieve this. There are two main choices on the market, the light bulb, this comes in a variety of different wattages so you can choose the right size for your requirements, this has the advantages of giving out extra light in the enclosure whilst on, however this might disrupt your reptiles night pattern if the heater needs to come on during the night. Infrared bulbs can be purchased to get around this problem but some people will choose use you a ceramic heater. The ceramic heater like the light bulb comes in a variety of wattages but unlike the bulb no light is given off, this makes it ideal to use in enclosures were constant heat is required without disrupting the night patterns of the inhabitants. The heat given off by the ceramic is also at a higher wave length which makes it easier for reptiles to absorb.
Setting up your heat source to provide the perfect conditions is very important. There should be a heat variant within the enclosure starting at one end which the optimum (highest) temperature a rock or log should be placed directly under this to provide the basking spot. You are then aiming to get the opposite side of the enclosure around 10-15 degrees cooler then the basking spot. This will provide a hot spot for your reptile to warm up on and a cooler area for you reptile to cool off in. Reptiles can’t control their own body temperature so when they get hot they need to go somewhere cool to loose some of their heat.
Once this is setup you can then install some automated system to the enclosure to insure the reptile receives the same conditions on a daily bases. A simple time clock can be used to control the lighting and a thermo controller can be used to maintain the required temperature in the enclosure.
Humidity
Some species will require more humidity then others so finding the correct level for your reptile is important as this factor can have a large impact on the wellbeing of your species.
There are a few ways of raising humidity in the enclosure sometimes a simple bowl of water placed at the hot end of the enclosure is enough to achieve a small rise in humidity other options are spraying the enclosure will cool water a couple of times a day or installing a fogger system. These systems are designed to raise humidity in enclosure and can be plugged into an electronic gauge which measures and controls the level of humidity in the enclosure around a set figure.
Substrate
This is probably the most debated subject amongst all reptile keepers and everyone has their own opinion on what’s right and what’s wrong. The first thing to consider when choosing a natural substrate is to try and find out where your species would spend most of its time in the wild. Then you can check the market to see what available to best match those conditions. The most debated substrate is sand, sand comes in mainly different varieties and some are better then others. The biggest concern has always been ingestion caused by your inhabitant eating the sand either by mistake or tasting their environment. This then causes compaction inside your lizard or snake leading to ill health or death. There are a number of reptile safe sands available on the market, and care should be taken in choosing the right one.
Woodchips or forest bark is another popular substrate used in enclosures this also has a compaction risk as small pieces could be ingested when feeding, ignoring this for the moment woodchip or bark is an ideal substrate to use if you need to keep the humidity of the enclosure quite high as the wood holds a certain degree of moisture however if kept to wet the wood will starts going mouldy and could cause health problems.
If you are not looking for a natural environment and just want something that is safe and easy to maintain newspaper or kitchen towel is ideal, its not as pleasing on the eye as a natural substrate but its very easy to keep clean. This type of substrate is often used in quarantine or hospital enclosures.
It is not advised to use substrate collected from your garden or local woods as this might contain harmful bacteria and insects, any substrate collected should be thoroughly washed and where possible disinfected with an animal safe product.
As a final point on the substrate debate reptiles in the wild can be found in every continent, except Antarctica, therefore they are exposed to all manner of substrates and conditions and while there maybe some evidence on compacting occurring not enough is known to link this to the cause of the problem or a symptom of maybe another health issue within the reptile.
Décor
How you setup your enclosure is very much a personal choice as long as it has the correct amount of hides, basking spots and climbing areas (if required) for the wellbeing of your reptile.
The simple clean and easy to manage setup, using materials that can just be thrown away or simple to wash maybe for you or your might like the more natural setup which looks much nicer but is a little more time consuming to maintain.
What ever option you choose its important to consider the safety of the occupant all branches, rocks and plants should be safe and secure in the enclosure to stop items failing onto or snaring the occupant when they run around the enclosure. It is also important that if you plan to gather items from the natural environment to use in the enclosure these items are thoroughly washed to make sure all bacteria and life forms are removed. Care should also be taken to ensure that any plants or branches being used are safe for the occupant, for example some trees produce a sap which is harmful to animals, with the wide range of products available, it is advised to purchase the décor rather then to collect it yourself.
Cleaning
Making sure the enclosure is cleaned and the faeces removed when spotted to stop any bacteria growing is very important to the wellbeing of the occupant. Depending on the type of setup you have will determine the best way of doing this. If you have chosen a simple setup you may be able to remove the substrate and wash the enclosure out with hot water and some reptile disinfectant and replace the substrate. However if you use a loose substrate, you might have to pick the dried faeces out with a paper towel or sieve and just clean the décor as required.
When using the second method substrate should be changed every month or so, making sure everything in the enclosure including the enclosure itself is washed with a proper reptile disinfectant and the substrate if loose replaced, this will kill any fungus and bacteria which may be present, as well as removing pests such as mites.
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