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

A new method to help turtle hatchings • Featuring stories that include why one of the rarest island salamanders in the world is under threat, a new and worrying insight into why honeybees are becoming scarcer, the results of an investigation into how frogs and toads catch and swallow prey, and more, including a significant new insight into the genetics of the Aldabra giant tortoise and beginning here with a device that is set to revolutionise the protection of the nests of sea turtles, proving invaluable once the hatchlings start to emerge. Compiled by G. Valentine.

Discovering how frogs and toads actually swallow

Giant tortoise genome revealed

Mice threaten rare salamander

Honey bee lifespans have plummeted

Divided in half

What shapes a butterfly's wing patterns

Scent matters • Dr Julia Mueller-Paul investigates the unseen world of chemical communication in reptiles and amphibians, and reveals some remarkable discoveries.

Ready for a revival! THE CASE OF THE RIBBON SNAKE • All through life, we are confronted by fashions and changing trends, writes Christian Castille. There are very few things in life that effectively don't have a “sell by” date on them, and some, such VHS videos and eight track stereos will never make a return to popularity.

Parasites in tortoises • Whether to deworm pet tortoises or not has always been a debatable issue. Other pets such as dogs and cats are routinely dewormed at least every three months, so why not tortoises too? Dr Joanna Hedley, BVM&S, DZooMed (Reptilian), DECZM (Herpetology), MRCVS provides advice.

Lighting for a Hog Island boa

Seeking help for gravel-eating

AMPHIBIAN FOCUS • Emperor crocodile newt – Tylototriton shanjing

Hope for an endangered snake? • US-based reptile enthusiast Mitchell Robinson travels to the Central American country of Honduras and unexpectedly stumbles across a very rare find.

Out of Africa The geckos of Botswana • This month in his regular column, Paul Donovan looks at members of this group of relatively small lizards found in Botswana, a number of which can often be found in and around human habitation.

TALES FROM THE REPTILE HOUSE The Bosc's monitor with a weak bladder • Having worked for many years as the curator of a zoological collection in Scotland, Bill Lowe was responsible for a wide range of lizards. One of the most memorable was an adult Bosc's monitor that came to live in the park in rather unusual circumstances.

Your First Reptile Making the right choice! • One factor above all others explains why reptiles have become such popular pets. The research efforts of a number of companies have led to the development of a broad range of housing, feeding and health products, developed specifically with the welfare of reptiles in mind. This has greatly simplified their care, but which species should you choose when starting out? Hannah-Marie Salisbury, BSc (Hons) An Sci advises.

HAPPYTOGETHER? • In this article, Dr Jason Randall MSc explores the controversial subject of keeping different species of reptiles and amphibians together in the same enclosure. This is often considered to be a taboo subject in the reptile world, but here are Jason's views, based on his own...