Introduction The Facebook Page is here for more info:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555253836773 In general humans seem to be increasingly concerned over the quality of care we provide our pets. Even improvements for livestock care are being mandated. It’s certain that this trend will continue, and it’s certain that it will increasingly impact our reptile and amphibian hobby. rather…

Is it Ethical to Buy Wild Caught or Imported Reptiles and Amphibians? — Catching Wild Reptiles and Amphibians I think its great that there seems to be a trend towards greater compassion for animals. Humans have historically treated animals horribly, maybe especially reptiles and amphibians. I cant stand the fact that it’s legal for fishermen…

Mostly we don’t need them — Most every care sheet you read will instruct you to incorporate a thermostat of some sort into your vivarium design. So maybe its surprising to read here that I think they are often worthless and even dangerous. Probably because there was no such thing during the first 20 years…

The Role of Radiation in Herpetoculture — The sun bathes the earth in heat and light – radiation. Our animals have evolved over millions of years in an intricate dance with that radiation. They have evolved to operate best within specific wavelengths of solar radiation – from the short UV wavelengths, thru the longer visible…

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! —- After a lot of years trying different substrates for herps, I found a good quality potting mix to be simply the best. And I recommend Miracle-gro potting mix because it has proven to provide the most consistently high quality product. (See: The Great Substrate Debate, and Comparing…

A Critically Important and Often Misunderstood Aspect of our Hobby — The substrate in our vivariums has some important duties. But they can not perform these duties if they have too much or too little moisture in them. Different substrates handle water differently. Some work to our advantage, and some work against us. A good…

Misting and Fogging Systems are Often Misused — There is a place for overhead precipitation systems in herpetoculture – fog, rain or mist – but they are not common. The vast majority of keepers dont need them, and in fact they are very often over used by keepers who have installed them. They should not…

There is almost never a good reason to use them — I dont think there is any aspect of modern herpetoculture quite as ridiculous as the drainage layer. Incorporating a drainage layer in a vivarium is akin to keeping a mop and bucket in your bathroom for those times you overflow the bathtub. Here’s an…

Humidity should come from substrate, not misting — How often have we read of a keeper complaining that they cant get their enclosures to the humidity levels stated on care sheets? Or conversely, a keeper explaining, “I dont know what’s wrong – I have the humidity at the perfect level!” For keepers with little exposure…

CUCs are largely a waste of time and money — I think it will come as something of a shock for some to learn that the whole “Clean-up Crew” thing is largely a figment of our imaginations. The Crew is generally presented as helpful little beasts that busy themselves “cleaning” our vivariums. They do this,…

These waste products from the coconut industry are not good substrates — There are a lot of different coconut husk products sold as substrate for our enclosures. These are a waste product of the coconut industry – not specially designed for enclosures. And they fall far short of what our animals need. They are no…

These are not the best places to find information about your reptile or amphibian pets — There are 2 themes that run thru advice I give to beginning reptile and amphibian keepers: One is to look deeply into the animal’s natural history – let nature be your guide. The second is to be very careful…

Miracle-gro is perfectly safe. But misunderstanding fueled by misinformation abounds — I was so happy with the results I was getting with my “Simple Bioactive” cage designs (See: A Quick Overview of Simple Bioactive) that I completely overlooked the gathering storm of outrage from my fellow keepers! Unknowingly, I offended the closely held dogma of…

Why potting mix is the best option for many reptiles and amphibians — I want to talk here about why potting mix works so well for so many of our frogs, turtles, lizards and snakes, but I also want to just briefly dispel some of the myths. For a deeper dive into this topic see:…

Many recommend top soil for bioactive vivariums — Top soil should never be used in a reptile or amphibian enclosure. The reasons for this are two. First, top soil (AKA mineral soil, or “dirt”) compacts quickly and easily. As it compacts it drives the air out of the substrate which destroys the aerobic (oxygen using)…

Where do those freakin’ gnats come from? How can I get rid of them? — We have Fungus gnats and phorrid flies because we keep our vivariums too wet. The best (and easiest) way to get rid of them is to let our substrates dry down, and stop over watering. Simple, right? Not quite so…