A HEALTHY AND HAPPY REPTILE STARTS WITH GREAT HUSBANDRY

HUS·BAND·RY

  1. The care, cultivation, and breeding of crops and animals.

  2. Management and conservation of resources.

  3. The scientific control and management of domestic animals.

Reptile husbandry relates to the methods and strategies, tools, habitat conditions, and more that are critical to the care of reptiles. Care needs vary from one type of reptile to the next. They are based on the conditions of each animal’s natural habit. Like with many things in life, there are multiple ways to get to the end goal of maintaining constantly good reptile health. No one way is the holy grail, folks will make these claims, but the truth is that care strategies need to be adaptable. Husbandry is not a one size fit all formula. It’s a team effort between your climate, your individual reptile, as well as your available resources. Herpetoculture can be an expensive hobby. Having higher access to resources often leads to easier access to efficient systems such as: automatic misting systems, cultivating your own feeder insects, bioactive enclosures, and more.

 

It’s recommended that you find one or two sources you can trust to provide accurate husbandry information. If your breeder is good at loving and caring for their animals, they should be your first source. For your other sources, find folks you can trust in the community. With that said, there are a few great places to find truly helpful information, I will link them below. You can check out my husbandry guides as well. Note: I have not found a source that I trust for Bearded Dragon care information. I have found bits and pieces of solid care strategies scattered across multiple sources but I’m not citing any of these below because while they have offered helpful tips here and there, their overall husbandry practices could potentially cause harm. Please see my bearded dragon care guide.