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

New snakes discovered • Featuring reports this month about just a few of the remarkable recent discoveries of new species of reptile, amphibian and invertebrate that have been reported from around the world. These include three previously unknown ground snakes from Ecuador, six tiny new frogs from Mexico, three cryptic black-bellied salamanders from the Appalachians, a mountainfrog from Australia, a bent-toed gecko from Cambodia, and more, beginning here with three remarkable new species of Ecuadorian snakes.

Six new frog species found in Mexico

Three new black-bellied salamanders

New mountainfrog species found

A previously unknown bent-toed gecko

Three new chameleon species discovered

New pit viper found in China

New toads found in Nevada

New accolade for singer Taylor Swift!

Fire and Ice • In our June issue, Susie Kearley spoke with Terri Sommella of Fire and Ice Dragons about the breeding, accommodation and care of bearded dragons. Here their conversation focuses on the feeding and handling of juvenile dragons, and some of the astounding morphs that Terri bred in her collection.

Life in water • In this latest instalment of his series examining how reptiles have adapted to different environments, Paul Donovan focuses on how members of this group have successfully adopted an aquatic lifestyle.

A gecko of many guises

REPTILE FOCUS • Dione's rat snake (Elaphe dione)

Enrichment for amphibians & reptiles • James Brereton MSc looks at an area of reptile care that is becoming the subject of increased focus today, and explains how enrichment can simply be incorporated into the way that you look after your pets.

Restoring the reputation of female chameleons • Female chameleons are not as popular as males because they suffer from egg laying issues. This is one of those ‘facts’ that circulate within the hobby. Any breeder will tell you that when offering a healthy batch of chameleons for sale, it is always the females that are last to find new homes. For me, this is quite sad, because I believe this attitude is totally misplaced nowadays, explains Peter Hawkins.

Keeping and breeding the rough scale python • Well-known German breeder Marc Mense describes his experiences with this snake, which is probably the rarest species of python in the world.

Amphibian reproduction • Continuing his series on the reproductive habits of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, professional herpetologist Paul Donovan describes the breeding strategies of anurans - frogs and toads.

Introducing snake-necked turtles • James Brereton MSc focuses on one of the most distinctive groups of freshwater turtles, and particularly on a species that is now critically endangered.

TALES FROM THE REPTILE HOUSE The Burmese in the beer barrel • Having worked for many years as the curator of a zoological collection in Scotland, Bill Lowe soon learnt that he couldn't even go out to the pub for a quiet pint without making an unexpected new acquisition for the Reptile House.

Practical Reptile Keeping