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

Tortoises of the Caribbean • Featuring stories that include new insights into incubation temperatures and the sex of hatchling turtles, how a group of butterflies is being used as a monitor for insect species living in tropical parts of America, why the successful recovery of the green turtle population in the eastern Mediterranean could be threatened, the discovery of a remarkable ancestral lizard in Scotland and more, beginning here with the growing understanding that many islands in the Caribbean used to be home to individual types of tortoises, as can be seen on the Galápagos Islands today. Compiled by G. Valentine.

New critical period of sex determination in sea turtles identified

New Scottish fossil sheds light on the origins of lizards

Egyptian lagoon proves vital to turtles

Butterflies under threat

NEW PTEROSAUR FOUND IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Moving to the next level • Gained some experience keeping reptiles and amphibians? Looking to expand your collection? Hannah-Marie Salisbury B.Sc.(Hons)AnSci M.Sc. suggests a range of species to consider if you are seeking to broaden your interest in 2023.

How to house LARGE TURTLES at home • It's a major problem with cooters and sliders especially. Just how do you cope when your cute little pet outgrows its accommodation? Many end up homeless as a result, but there are practical and surprisingly cost-effective solutions that will allow you to keep your cherished pet in suitable surroundings, as Dawn White explains.

Lighting for young tortoises

Overrun with snails

REPTILE FOCUS • Rhino-horned lizard - Ceratophora stoddartii

The low-down on Legless lizards • Lizards that look like snakes, thanks to their absence of legs, can be confusing. In this article, Christian Castille describes his experiences with the eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis), and explains how fascinating they are to keep.

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Where are they found

Rodent fallacies

Swallowing isn't always straightforward! • Dr Kevin Eatwell, BVSc (Hons), DZooMed (Reptilian), MRCVS explains an interesting case involving a corn snake that was referred to him. Kevin is also a European Veterinary Specialist in Herpetology and a Member of the European College of Zoological Medicine

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WORLDS IN MINIATURE: Thoughts on terrarium Design • Japanese bonsai? What has this Oriental art of growing miniature trees got to do with decorating terraria? Jon Coote explains.

A snowy landscape

Designing your own planted vivarium habitats • When people see attractive planted vivarium set-ups, they often think these must take an immense amount of work to prepare, and that they are only suitable for amphibians. But follow this first-hand, practical advice from Dr Jason Randall, and you can enjoy your very own set-up of this type, with relatively little effort.

Talking about CANE TOADS • Devotee Tony Teece BSc (Hons), discusses the biology, care and breeding habits of this adaptable amphibian.

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Out of Africa • In his regular column this month, Paul Donovan writes about a species that he kept and bred many years ago, and now encounters quite regularly in southern Africa.

HAIR- RAISING...