THINKING ABOUT GETTING A REPTILE PET?
Many people have the mistaken idea that reptiles make good pets because they are easy to care for. Nothing could be further from the truth. All reptile species have fairly stringent requirements in terms of their environment. The heat, light, and humidity levels that keep one reptile species happy and healthy can actually kill a different species that requires a completely different environment.
The Main Rule to follow before you get any type of exotic pet or reptile pet is to RESEARCH the species. In particular, you must find out the following information:
1. ORIGIN: Find out where it lives in the wild, and what conditions it experiences there. Is it native to a tropical rainforest with low light, high heat, and high humidity levels? Or does it come from a semi-arid region where light and heat levels are extremely high, but humidity is very low?
2. HEAT / HUMIDITY REQUIREMENTS: What sort of heat and humidity requirements does the species have? And can you meet those requirements adequately in your home without a great deal of cost and effort?
For example, it is obviously much easier and much less expensive to keep a sulcata tortoise (native to semi-arid regions of Africa, doesn't hibernate, poops a lot, adults reach 75 to 100 pounds, does best outdoors) here in New Mexico than it would be to keep one in Buffalo, NY. On the other hand, meeting the environmental requirements of a Jackson's Chameleon (native to the low, rainy coastal areas of Madagascar, requires high humidity and a temperature range from 65F to 90F) would be much easier and cheaper in Seattle than it would be here in New Mexico.
3. UV LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Virtually all reptiles other than snakes require some form of UV light to help them process the calcium in their food properly. Find out what sort of UV requirements the species has. Does it come from a rainforest with low light levels, or from a desert region with extremely high UV levels? Good UV bulbs (such as the Mega-Ray UVB heat bulbs sold at ReptileUV.com) are not cheap, but they are effective and crucial for keeping your reptile pet healthy. Reptiles that do not get regular exposure to adequate UV radiation can develop Metabolic Bone Disorder, which is usually fatal.
4. HOUSING: How will you house your pet? Please understand that glass aquariums are probably the worst type of housing you can subject a reptile to. It's better to buy special reptile enclosures made by manufacturers such as Vision, Reptile Basics, or Reptarium. You can also build reptile enclosures yourself using plans from the Internet (Google "reptile cages") -- but you'll need materials and supplies as well as power tools and the ability to use them safely.
When buying or building an enclosure, keep in mind the eventual adult size that your pet is likely to reach -- STARTING OFF with a large enclosure that the reptile can grow into will be cheaper than buying or building a series of progressively larger enclosures.
5. DIET: What does the species eat in the wild? Is it herbivorous (eats only plants), carnivorous (eats only meat), or omnivorous (eats both)? Will you be reasonably able to provide a diet that is similar to the animal's natural diet?
7. ADULT SIZE AND TEMPERAMENT: Some reptile owners are fascinated by the idea of owning a large carnivorous reptile that exudes a sense of the primitive, a sense of danger. Sure, it may seem cool to own a Burmese python or a Nile monitor lizard or maybe an alligator, but you must realize that these animals can present a real and significant danger to your own safety. They DO NOT ever become tame. Even in a domestic setting, they retain their natural instincts -- to protect themselves, to show dominance over others, and to attack and eat prey. These animals can become dangerously unpredictable when they feel threatened or if they smell prey (food animals) nearby. Most people don't realize that reptiles are tremendously strong. Hauling a stubborn 50-pound sulcata tortoise out from under a bush is difficult enough, but it pales in comparison to handling a pissed-off five-foot monitor lizard or a hungry 10-foot python when it smells the rabbit you are going to feed to it.
In short: the larger the animal (especially if it is carnivorous) will be at adulthood, the more you TRULY need to be concerned with safety -- both your own and others around you!
And as for owning venomous snakes: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, unless you are a true professional with the right equipment and extremely secure enclosures and facilities. Keeping venomous snakes is illegal in many communities and you could face fines and/or jail time if the authorities discover your collection.
Being bitten by a venomous snake in your collection is bad, but other consequences, to yourself and to herp enthusiasts in your community, can be worse. There is nothing like a snakebite injury or death to provide community leaders with a golden opportunity to appear to "Do Something To Keep the Community Safe!" And banning all reptile pets seems to be the easiest path for these do-gooders to take. Call me selfish, but I don't want to lose the opportunity to have my pets simply because you were dumb enough to get killed by one of yours.
FINALLY: Visit the following web page before you buy any kind of reptile pet!
Before you buy any kind of reptile pet, PLEASE read the following web page at the Anapsid.org website. I cannot emphasize enough how valuable Melissa Kaplan's words are on this topic: