So you’ve decided to start a new breeding program with your pet reptile. Now you want to know which of the many reptile enclosures is best for your pet. In this brief article I’m talking from my own experience and that of other reptile keepers. Spoiler alert: all of these enclosures will work poorly, sometimes very well, depending on the species involved. But only one, the best, is the most conducive to good reptile husbandry.
Let’s begin with the reptile’s accommodation needs. The main item that must meet these needs is warmth. While I was tending to our four legged friend and learning about his peculiar habits, he would chill so badly if the temperature inside the PVC reptile enclosure wasn’t at least slightly above room temperature. The solution is a nice sturdy, properly insulated, nicely ventilated, double glazed windows that open for air flow. You might also want some sort of supplementary heating unit for the evenings – perhaps a small electric heater or something similar, to give the coop a warm, cozy feel at night.
Heating is a matter of necessity too – there’s no getting around it. If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area where the winters are mild and stable, you can very effectively stock your PVC 40 gallon terrarium with rocks, run tunnels, and even small cardboard boxes containing food and water dishes. But for most areas of the world, a steady winter climate means that the only realistic option for heating is a very strong heater fitted with a vapour filter. This will get rid of any moisture problems from the air in the PVC 40 gallon terrarium but will also heat the terrarium itself and provide a source of artificial warmth for your reptiles. The benefits of a good heater include keeping the temperatures right for long periods during the winter months, increasing the humidity inside the enclosure to levels that are suitable for tropical reptiles, and providing a regulated temperature so you can give your pterosaur or lizards fresh water to drink.
A temperature gradient is another benefit, which provides a good level of control in the winter. With a temperature gradient, the enclosure becomes warmer as you approach the bottom of the enclosure, but cooler as you approach the top. This works particularly well for small lizards or juvenile reptiles that are housed together in a small enclosure with limited ventilation. Indoor herb gardening can be a rewarding hobby, but it can become difficult if you have to constantly monitor the growth of herbs because their roots have a tendency to grow rapidly. An indoor temperature gradient will keep your herb plants at just the right temperatures for rapid growth, as well as preventing fungal or bacterial infections from taking hold due to poor conditions.
An important benefit of an acrylic or glass enclosure is that they are completely enclosed and therefore provide a good level of security for the pet. Some people choose to use metal for their reptile enclosures, but the problem with this is that they provide no form of protection for your pet. If you have a small child living with you, then this is something you definitely want to consider. It is also important for you to think about how the temperature will be, and a good set up will include a temperature sensor to let you know when the enclosure is too hot or too cold for your pets. These reptile tanks and enclosures are available online and in specialist pet stores, and they are a popular option among arboreal reptiles.
For an arboreal reptile enthusiast who wants to keep his exotic pet but cannot get it home because of space or money constraints, the solution to your problems could be a UVB protected housing. As the name suggests, these are enclosures that are fully UVB protected and therefore do not expose their inhabitants to harmful levels of radiation. These protected housing is particularly popular with ball pythons but can be used with almost any reptile species. This is another reason that it is so successful for the species it is designed for; it caters to every species’ specific needs, providing the perfect habitat to keep them at their best. There are many types of UVB enclosures, all of which come with different levels of UVB lighting.
Another popular option available for a UVB reptile enclosure is an overhead heating system. These are great options for keeping your pet in the comfort of their own home, and as long as you choose a high-quality system, such as a Trane heat pump, you should be able to maintain a consistent and reliable temperature. While the design of the UVB enclosure may differ from species to species, it is important that you do not sacrifice quality for any amount of cost.
The final type of UVB enclosure that you might want to consider is a reptile air bubble. These air bubble enclosures are incredibly effective, and work especially well for smaller and delicate species. They provide the ideal home for your snake, all the way up to full-grown adults, because they successfully trap the hot air within and keep it well insulated. However, if you do decide to get one of these systems, you will need to purchase an air pump to operate them. These are some of the most effective reptile enclosures and work well for both species of snakes.
