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

How Antarctica’s only insect thrives • Featuring stories that include an investigation into snake bites worldwide and how to reduce the resulting toll of injuries and deaths, ground-breaking research into the lifestyle of young sea turtles which reaches very different conclusions from what was believed to be the situation in the past, plus the latest news on the first-ever soft tissue analysis from a plesiosaur, why pterosaurs grew so large, and more, including new information to detect Florida’s introduced pythons more efficiently, while starting here with an insight into the single insect species native to Antarctica and how it manages to survive there.

New weapon in the war against invasive pythons

New global study investigates snake bites

Soft tissue from a plesiosaur analysed for the first time

How pterosaurs became gigantic

The ultimate insect survivor?

Ground-breaking new research into turtles

Guide to breeding snakes successfully PART ONE • Timothy Zedi shares his first-hand experiences with breeding snakes, gained over many years, in the first of a two part series about this exciting but potentially rather daunting subject.

Keeping salamanders • Have you thought about keeping salamanders? Don Harper explains the appeal of these often colourful amphibians, which can be quite easy to maintain and are also frequently long-lived as well.

How the turtle got its shell • Recent research has provided new insights and information about just how tortoises and turtles gained their shells, as well as revealing the lasting impact this has had on their lifestyles, by focusing on their earliest known ancestors. David Alderton reports on the latest discoveries.

Lighting for a green tree python

REPTILE FOCUS • Malayan horned frog (Megophrys nasuta)

The behaviour of Bosc’s monitor lizard • Scientist Alexander Hill writes about how these lizards react differently, depending on their environment, and asks why this should be the case?

Outdoor enclosures for reptiles • With the imminent arrival of spring, now is a good time to turn your thoughts to summertime accommodation for your reptiles. Here are some ideas and tips from James Brereton MSc.

Introducing an unusual group of dendrobatids • Poison dart frogs of the family Dendrobatidae are very popular vivarium subjects, thanks to their bright colours and diurnal pattern of activity. Nevertheless, not all members of the family are quite so brightly-coloured but they are no less interesting to keep.

Talking teeth • One crucial aspect of snake biology that is often overlooked is the variance in tooth structure that exists within this group of reptiles. This has a critical influence on their lifestyle and behaviour. Professional herpetologist and African resident Paul Donovan explains more.

The scorpion that disappeared in the shower • Having worked for many years as the curator of a zoological collection in Scotland, Bill Lowe soon realised that certain creatures will always inspire fear and misunderstanding amongst members of the public, however hard you try to correct their misconceptions.

Practical Reptile Keeping