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 Ethiopian species of puddle frog found on an unexplored mountain • 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 a West African stiletto snake, three Ecuadorian ground snakes, a Virginia millipede, five New Guinea frogs, an Ecuadorian coffee snake, a Mexican tree dragon, a Gulf Coast salamander, and more, beginning here with the Ethiopian puddle frog.

New stiletto snake discovered

New snakes found in South America

New millipede discovered in a very unusual locality

Unique findings on São Tomé island

A GROUP OF NEW FROGS FOUND IN NEW GUINEA

New coffee snake species discovered in Ecuador’s cloud forests

New tree dragon discovered in Mexico

New salamanders discovered

My top five African lizards • In this article, Timothy Zedi, an experienced herpetologist living in South Africa, introduces five different types of African lizard ideal for enthusiasts with different levels of experience, providing practical insights into their care and behaviour.

Meet the rock star who breeds pythons • Navarone Garibaldi, frontman of the band ‘Them Guns’, has been fascinated by reptiles since his earliest days. Here, in this exclusive interview with David Alderton, he talks about his interest in reptiles, his music, and how he has brought these two aspects of his life together in some respects.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

REPTILE FOCUS • Cameroon dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus conraui)

Water and our bearded dragon • Just how have bearded dragons adapted to survive in a climate where free-standing water is a luxury and it gets incredibly hot? Plus how should this influence their care - if at all? Pete Hawkins sets out his thoughts, having investigated this topic extensively, talking with specialist vets, scientists, breeders and keepers of these lizards, and drawing on his own experience.

An island python • Especially if your interest is in breeding more unusual snakes, then why not consider the Savu island python (Liasis savuensis)? It is a fascinating and threatened python that needs to be bred more widely in collections, with little currently being known about its behaviour and biology, as James Brereton MSc reveals.

Understanding the breeding behaviour of tortoises • Without doubt, Les White is one of Britain’s most successful tortoise breeders, having literally bred many hundreds, if not thousands, of Mediterranean and Russian (Horsfield’s) tortoises over the past couple of decades. Although now retired from this area of the hobby, he explains what you need to know in order to maximise the chances of success with your tortoises.

The discovery and care of the tomato frogs • The island of Madagascar is home to some of the world’s most unusual and distinctive reptiles and amphibians – and the tomato frogs are no exception, as John F. Taylor explains.

Longhorn beetles • Paul Donovan writes about a group of rather confusing but nonetheless fascinating beetles, some of which he regularly encounters in his garden.

Practical Reptile Keeping