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 "tapir frog" discovered

Beautiful new snake found in Paraguay

Rare frog rediscovered after more than a century

Stunning new sea snake discovered

Stunning new stick insects discovered

Divided up

New gecko found in Venezuela

BEAUTIFUL NEW - AND IMPERILLED - SNAKES DISCOVERED

The care and breeding of northern pine snakes • This month, Timothy Zedi highlights a snake that is currently rather overlooked, and yet has much to offer both newcomers and more experienced keepers alike.

pygmy chameleons • These delightful and fascinating small lizards are only just starting to be bred more regularly, with their requirements being better understood and the technology to replicate their natural environment now available. John Courteney-Smith MRSB FLS describes his experiences with the bearded species, which originates from Tanzania.

A new addition to the Elements

The world of snakes • A chance discovery earlier this century rewrote our thoughts about the origins of snakes, which rank as one of the most successful of all groups of reptile, based on their distribution today and much more has also been revealed about this group over recent years, as David Alderton reports.

Starting with amphibians

REPTILE FOCUS • Southern New Guinea giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys bibroni)

ENRICHMENT FOR THE Galápagos giant tortoises • Christine Dobson discusses her observations working with these tortoises at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre on Isabela Island, which forms part of the Galápagos Archipelago.

Outdoor enclosures for reptiles • With the imminent arrival of summer, now is a good time to turn your thoughts to outdoor accommodation for your reptiles. Here are some ideas and tips.

Meet the Peter Pan of the amphibian world • During the last century, axolotls were widely kept as pets, but their popularity subsequently declined, as increasingly exotic species of amphibian started to be bred. Now though, the signs are that the popularity of these remarkable and strange aquatic salamanders is growing again, and deservedly so, as Georgie Bull explains.

The development of venom • The key feature that sets venomous snakes apart from all other reptiles (aside from a pair of venomous lizards) is the presence of a highly complex cocktail of chemicals, forming their venom. But why did only a relatively small number of reptiles evolve it, and how did it develop? Paul Donovan explains.

Keeping sun beetles • Looking for a colourful, interesting and inexpensive invertebrate to keep and study? Here’s an idea.

Practical Reptile Keeping