Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Browsing the pages of Herpetologica and other journals over the years, I several times came across field studies indicating that certain populations of savannah monitors consumed diets composed entirely of invertebrates.  In certain seasons, the lizards gorged on either locusts or land snails exclusively for months on end.  When some captives fed [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
The Partnership for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (http://www.parcplace.org/) presents a unique opportunity for hobbyists and others to work in the company of professional herpetologists.  The organization is unique and, in my opinion, far-sighted, in focusing on common as well as rare amphibians and reptiles.  Membership is open to all interested persons.
Working groups [...]

Check out: Captive Care of the Mexican Axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum – Part 1, for the first part of this article.
Feeding
Repto-min, trout chow or salmon chow serves well as a mainstay; alternate this with Hikari Massivore Delight or a pelleted cichlid food, freeze dried prawn, live blackworms, earthworms, minnows, shiners and guppies.  Axolotls will also take [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Please see Natural History of the Axolotl for information on axolotls in their natural habitat.
I highly recommend the Mexican axolotl as an aquarium animal for both beginning and advanced hobbyists, and include them whenever possible in the zoo exhibits that I design.  Assuming that attention is paid to temperature and water quality (please [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Plastic turtle docks and basking platforms are wonderful innovations that I have found very useful both at home and in public exhibits that I have designed.  The models I mention here look quite natural right out of the box, and when covered with some live algae and surrounded by live or artificial [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
The mealworm has long been valued by pet keepers, but medical researchers are now giving it some respect as well.  A recent (December, 2008) article in the journal Science reveals that antimicrobial peptides manufactured by the mealworm beetle destroy any bacteria that happen to survive the original onslaught launched by the beetle’s [...]

Note: Please see Part I and Part 2 for further information on the captive care and natural history of this insect.
Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Social Grouping
The orange-spotted roach is sexually dimorphic – males have full wings (but rarely if ever fly), while females have only wing-stubs.  A ratio of 1 male per 3-5 females is ideal…excess males should [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
A common drawback in dealing with pathogen outbreaks among captive amphibians is the great sensitivity of most species to available medications.  Drugs formulated for fish, used as a soak or bath, have great potential.  However, amphibians absorb liquids over a much greater surface area than do fishes – in some cases with [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
The desert tortoise was at one time collected in huge numbers for the pet trade.  Unfortunately, most were not properly cared for, and survival rates were abysmal.  This, combined with massive habitat loss in the American Southwest, led all states within its range to adopt protective legislation, and to its listing with [...]

Click: The Natural History of the Ball Python, Python regius: Ball Pythons in the Wild – Part 1, to read the first part of this article.
Status in the Wild
This species is threatened across large areas of its range by collection for the food, leather and, in the past, pet trade.  Today the vast majority of [...]