A Rainbow of Primary Reptiles
By Bonnie J. Keller
One of the most frequent, but pleasant, types of calls I receive goes something like this:
"Hi, my name is ____________ , and I (my son, daughter, husband, wife, etc.) am thinking about getting a reptile as a pet. Could you help us select one that might be right for us?"
I love getting this type of call because it says to me that the people involved are thinking about what they are buying, rather than having an impulse when they saw something "neat" at the pet store. I will usually talk to them a few minutes about their lifestyle, home, personal preferences as far as feeding (do they mind "whacking" a mouse, or are veggies a more appealing menu item?), etc. Once I have narrowed down what will/won't work for them, I make my recommendations to them.
On the other hand, most people don't make this type of call before they see something in the pet store, and often come home with something they know little or nothing about. The sad fact is that most pet shop owners and employees know very little more about the reptiles they are selling than you do. With the influx of new exotic species increasing each month, there is no way a pet store can keep up on the information that they need to know each animal well. And, to make matters worse, most books available are quickly outdated. (I think of it being similar to computer books - they are constantly being re-written because of new models, etc. Reptiles don't get new models, but we are learning about them at an increasing rate, which makes the old information about them obsolete and sometimes dangerously wrong.)
So, below is a sampling of some reptiles you may encounter at a pet store some time. I have included a very brief care description with each one, to help you in deciding if what you see is going to be something that you can care for properly. If it helps, clip this article out and take it with you just in case you get that sudden urge to buy that cute thing that you can't even pronounce… It may just save a life.
| COMMON NAME | CLIMATE | FOOD IN CAPTIVITY | RECOMMENDED FREQUENCY | AVERAGE ADULT SIZE | POSSIBLE ADULT SIZE | ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN |
| Boa constrictor 3 | Tropical | rodents | 1-2 times/week | 9-10 ft | 15 ft | 20+ years |
| Ball pythons 3 | semi-arid | rodents | 1-2 times/week | 3-4 ft | 6 ft | 30+ years |
| Burmese pythons | tropical | rodents, larger prey | 1-2 times/week as juveniles, 5-6X/year as adults | 15-18 ft | 25-30 ft | 30+ years |
| Reticulated pythons | tropical | rodents, larger prey | 1-2 times/week as juveniles, 5-6X/year as adults | 18-20 ft | 25 -30 ft | 30+ years |
| Milksnakes | varies with species | rodents | 1-2 times/week | 3-5 ft | 5 ft | 20+ years |
| Kingsnakes | temperate | rodents | 1-2 times/week | 3-5 ft | 6 ft | 20+ years |
| Corn / rat snakes | temperate, but varies | rodents | 1-2 times/week | 5-7 ft | varies on species, but 7-8 ft for largest | 20+ years |
| Garter Snakes 3 | temperate | fish, worms, frogs, insects | 3-4 times/week | 2-3 ft | 4 ft | 10+ years |
| Green Snakes 3 | temperate | fish, worms, frogs, insects | 3-4 times/week | 3-4 ft | 4 ft | 10+ years |
| Anaconda 1 (green or yellow) | tropical water-dweller | rodents, larger prey | 1-2 times/week as juveniles, 5-6X/year as adults | 15-20ft | 25-30 ft | 30+ years |
| COMMON NAME | CLIMATE | CAPTIVE DIET | FEEDING FREQUENCY | AVERAGE ADULT SIZE (w/tail) | ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN |
| Green Iguana | tropical | vegetarian; see www.anapsid.org for specific needs | daily | 4-6 ft | 20+ years |
| Bearded Dragon | temperate, semi-arid | insects, veggies, fruits | daily | 18-20" | 10-15 years |
| Leopard & Fat-Tailed Geckos | semi-arid, arid | insects | 4-5 x /week | 8" | 10+ years |
| Anole 3 | temperate, tropical | insects | 4-5 x /week | 5-7" | 5+ years |
| Jacksons Chameleons 2, 3 | tropical montane | insects | 4-5 x /week | 8-10" | 4-5 years |
| Veiled Chameleons 2 | semi-arid | insects, veggies, fruits | 4-5 x /week | 10-14" | 4-5 years |
| Panther Chameleons 2 | tropical | insects, small amounts of fruit | 4-5 x /week | 10-16" | 5-10 years |
| Savannah Monitors 3 | semi-arid, arid | insects, snails, some rodents | 4-5 x /week | 3-4 ft | 10-20 years |
| Nile / other monitors 1, 2 | semi-arid to sub-tropical (varies with species) | insects, rodents, fish, poultry | 2-3x/week | 5-7 ft | 20+ years?? |
| Blue-tongued skinks | semi-arid to sub-tropical (varies with species) | insects, veggies, fruits | 4-5 x /week | 18-24" | 10-15 years |
| Collared lizards 3 | arid | insects | daily | 8-10" | 5-10 years |
| Uromastyx | arid | veggies & some fruits | daily | 15-18" | 10-20 years |
| Monkey-tailed skinks | tropical | veggies, some fruit | 4-5 x /week | 18-24" | 10-15 years |
| Small skinks (various types) | semi-arid to sub-tropical (varies with species) | insects | daily | 8-12" | 5+ years |
| COMMON NAME | CLIMATE | CAPTIVE DIET | FEEDING FREQUENCY | AVERAGE ADULT SIZE | ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN |
| Caimen | tropical | rodents, insects, poultry, fish | 3-5x/week | 5-6 ft | 75+ years |
| Alligator | sub-tropical | rodents, insects, poultry, fish | 3-5x/week | 15+ feet | 75+ years |
| COMMON NAME | CLIMATE | CAPTIVE DIET | FEEDING FREQUENCY | AVERAGE ADULT SIZE | ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN |
| Sliders & Painted turtles (several types) | temperate to sub-tropical | insects, fish, plant matter, turtle sticks | daily | 10-18" | 50-75 years |
| Box turtles (many types) | sub-tropical to semi-arid (depends on species) | worms, insects, veggies, fruits | daily | 6" | 75+ years |
| Russian & Greek Tortoises | semi-arid | leafy greens, fiber, grass | daily | 6-10" | 75+ years |
| Sulcatta (Spur-Thighed) | arid | hay, grass, veggies, fruits | daily | 24+", 200+lbs | 100+ years |
| Red & Yellow foot tortoises | tropical | veggies, fruits, worms, insects | daily | 12-14" | 50-75 years |
| Hingebacks | semi-arid to temperate (depends on species) | veggies, fruits, worms, insects | daily | 10-12" | 50-75 years |
| COMMON NAME | CLIMATE | CAPTIVE DIET | FEEDING FREQUENCY | AVERAGE ADULT SIZE | ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN |
| Horned (Pac-Man) Frogs | tropical | insects, worms, fish, rodents | 3-4x / week | 5-6" | 10+ years |
| Tree frogs (MANY species) | tropical to temperate (varies with species) | insects | 3-5x /week | varies | varies |
| African Clawed Frogs | Temperate water | insects, fish | 3-5x /week | 4-5" | 5+ years |
| American Bullfrogs | temperate | insects, fish, frogs, "turtle sticks", rodents | 3-5x /week | 5-10" | 10+ years |
| Pyxie frogs (African bullfrogs) | temperate to semi-arid | insects, worms, rodents | 3-5x /week | 5-8" | 10+ years |
| Fire-bellied toads | temperate water | insects, fish, "turtle sticks" | 3-5x /week | 2" | 5+ years |
| COMMON NAME | CLIMATE | CAPTIVE DIET | FEEDING FREQUENCY | AVERAGE ADULT SIZE | ESTIMATED LIFE SPAN |
| Fire Salamander | moist temperate cool | insects, worms | daily | 6-8" | 30+ years |
| Fire-bellied newt | temperate water | insects, worms, "turtle sticks" | daily | 5-6" | 5-10 years |
| Marbled / spotted salamanders | moist temperate cool | insects, worms | daily | 6-10" | 20+ years?? |
| Tiger salamander | moist temperate cool | insects, worms | daily | 10-12" | 20+ years?? |
| Axlotls | temperate water | insects, worms, fish, frogs, "turtle sticks" | daily | 10-12" | 20+ years?? |
Remember, these are brief care sheets that tell you a LITTLE about these animals. There is much more to know about any of these animals. Please call or write for more information.
Bonnie Keller is the Founder of the VA Reptile Rescue, Inc., as well as the Founder/Past -President of the NH Herptile Society. She can be reached by e-mail at: info "at" vareptilerescue dot org (Take out the spaces and " marks, replace the "at" with an @ sign, and the word "dot with a period.)
Or, you can try the old-fashioned way (telephone) during reasonable hours: 804-272-5324
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