Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Please see Part I of this article for background information on these snake-keepers’ favorites.  Garter Snakes and the closely related ribbon and water snakes usually make hardy captives, yet there are very few records of individuals surviving over 10 years.  I believe this may have to do with some of their [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Please see Part I of this article for general information concerning pet turtle shelters.  Today we’ll look at meeting the needs of a few specialists.
Aquatic Bottom Dwellers
Mata Mata Turtles (Chelus fimbriatus), Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina), Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macroclemmys temmincki) and some other aquatic species prefer to burrow under plants or [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  Tarantulas and scorpions have long been invertebrate pet staples, with over 150 species being captive bred in large numbers.  However, insect keeping, always popular in Japan but much less so elsewhere, is now coming into its own in the USA.  I recently found that over 50 stick and leaf insect, 30 [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  I’ve been fortunate in having had many adventures with reptiles.  Some took place in the exotic locales I dreamed of visiting as a child, but one of my first was situated in far less promising surroundings – the sewers below the Bronx, in NYC!
The Legend
I grew up hearing tales of huge [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  In  Part I of this article we looked at the importance of calcium, leaf litter and decaying wood in the diet of the African giant millipede (Achispirospreptus gigas) and its relatives. 
Research Needed
Few field studies have been made of millipedes in the wild, and we therefore know little about their exact nutritional [...]

Lengthening days and warmer temperatures are beginning to register on amphibian pets nationwide, stirring long-dormant breeding urges.  Last week I was please to find that a 2 year old female axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) which I paired with an older male had produced eggs for the first time.  A week or so earlier a reader informed [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.
Those who keep reptiles, especially turtles and lizards, are often of the opinion that amphibians make rather unresponsive pets.  True, a number of frogs and toads “come to life” at feeding time, but by and large amphibians are somewhat more retiring than are most reptiles.  This is especially true of the salamanders, [...]

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. Recently I posted an article about native treefrogs in my own collection: My Animal Collection: How a Herpetologist Keeps Barking Treefrogs (Hyla gratiosa) and Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). Today I’d like to add some thoughts on another US native, the very attractive green treefrog. Please see my earlier article for detailed [...]

Hello Frank Indiviglio here.Please see Parts I and 2 of this article for information on housing and diet. Today I’ll conclude with some thoughts on toads in community terrariums and the wild.
Tank mates
American toads are quite peaceful towards one another, but larger animals will nudge others from food, so keep an eye on them at feeding [...]

Click: My Animal Collection: How a Herpetologist Keeps American Toads, Bufo (Anaxyrus) americanus and Related Species, Part I, to read the first part of this article.
Temperature
American toads are, in contrast to many amphibians, quite resilient in terms of temperature tolerance.   However, they do best at moderate temperatures, and in the heat of summer will attempt [...]