Reptiles

Reptiles are members of the Reptilia order. They are vertebrates that are coldblooded, have scales, and layeggs. There are many things to consider before committing to a reptile as a pet. Most importantly, some of the most common reptiles you will see in a pet store (or worse, as prizes at the fair!) are the somes that are the most difficult to care for properly. Before getting into specific care issues, though, I'd like to discuss more general issues that should be considered before deciding on a pet reptile. The first step in deciding on whether a reptile is the right pet for you is finding out whether you can even have one where you live.

Salmonella Risks and Prevention
All reptile owners need to be informed about Salmonella infections. The risks shouldn't keep most people from keeping reptiles since with the proper management and hygiene the risks are minimal. Still, owners should be aware of the risks, and the US Centers for Disease Control recommends that certain risk groups should be careful about contact with reptiles and amphibians.

The Importance of Light and Heat
Many problems with keeping reptiles can be traced back to not providing the proper environmental conditions, particuarly heat. Proper lighting is also important for many reptiles. The equipment to provide the proper heat and light to captive reptiles is often quite expensive, but is absolutely essential to keeping pet reptiles healthy. It is important to find out exactly what conditions your reptile needs and never cut corners when it comes to meeting those conditions!

Pick a Healthy Reptile
It is important to keep in mind that depending on where you get a reptile, it may be very stressed, dehydrated, and prone to illness. Here are some items to look for when buying your reptile to increase the chances of picking out a healthy pet reptile.

Agamids

 * Butterfly Agama (Leiolepis sp.)


 * Chinese Water Dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)
 * Frilled Dragon (Chlamydosaurus kingii)


 * Lehmani Agama (Laudakia lehmanni)


 * Mountain Horned (Lizard Acanthosaura sp.)
 * Painted Agama (Laudakia stellio)


 * Red Head Agama (Agama agama)
 * Sailfin Dragon (Hydrosaurus weberi)
 * Sinai Agama (Trapelus siniatus)
 * Toad Head Agama (Phrynocephalus sp.)
 * Australian Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii)


 * Beaver Tail Agama (Xenagama batilifera)


 * Bell's Angle Head Dragon (Gonocephalus bellii)


 * Black Agama Laudakia (Agama) (stellio picea)


 * Crested Dragon (Ctenophorus Cristatus)


 * Crested Tree Dragon (Gonocephalus grandis)


 * Doria's Angle Head Lizard (Gonocephalus doriae)


 * Dragon Agama (Japalura splendida)


 * Dwarf Rock Head Agama (Agama aculeata)


 * Egyptian Spiny Agama (Agama spinosa)


 * Forest Crested Agama (Calotes emma)


 * Green Crested Agama (Bronchocela jubata)


 * Malayan Mountain Horned Lizard (Acanthosaura armata)
 * Ornate Tree Dragon (Gonocephalus chamaeleontinus)
 * Pale Agama (Agama palida)


 * Shield Tail Agama (Xenagama taylori)
 * Southern Tree Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis)


 * Spiderman Agama (Agama mwanzae)


 * Striped Water Dragon (Physignathus temporalis)


 * Tropical Spiny Agama (Agama armata)


 * Vietnamese Calote (Calotes sp.)


 * Vietnamese Flying Dragon (Draco volans)

Bearded Dragons

 * Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)


 * Italian Leatherback Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)


 * Rankins Dragon (Pogona brevis)


 * Red Bearded Dragon (Pogono vitticeps)


 * Pastel Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)


 * Silky Bearded Dragon


 * Translucent Bearded Dragon

Geckos
Leopard Gecko Breeds
 * Albino Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Albino Leucistic Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Blazing Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Blizzard Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Enigma Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * High Color Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Leucistic Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Snow Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Tremper Albino Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Pinstripe Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 * Super Snow Baby Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

Exotic Geckos

 * African Clawed Gecko (Holodactylus africanus)
 * Bibrons Gecko (Pachydactylus bibroni)
 * Cape Yellow Head Gecko (Lygodactylus capensis)
 * Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus)
 * Crested Gecko, Flame (Rhacodactylus ciliatus)
 * Flying Gecko (Ptychozoon Kuhlii)
 * Gargoyle Gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus)
 * Golden Gecko (Gekko ulikovskii)
 * Halmahera Giant Gecko (Gehyra vorax)
 * House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
 * Madagascan Velvet Gecko (Homopholis boivini)
 * Marbled Gecko (Gecko grosmanni)
 * Mossy Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae)
 * Panther Gecko (Paroedura pictus)
 * Panther Gecko, Anerythristic Morph (Paroedura pictus)
 * Tokay Gecko (Gecko gecko)
 * White Line Gecko (Gekko vittatus)
 * White Spotted Gecko (Tarentola a. annularis)
 * African Fat Tail Gecko (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus)
 * African Fat Tail Gecko, Albino (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus)
 * Angel Gecko (Geckolepis petiti)
 * Angulated Dwarf Gecko (Lygodactylus angularis)
 * Bastards Gecko (Paroedura bastardi)
 * Brook's Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
 * Cat Gecko (Aeluroscalabotes felinus)
 * Central American Banded Gecko (Coleonyx mitratus)
 * Chinese Cave Gecko (Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi)
 * Crocodile Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)
 * Dune Gecko (Stenodactylus stenodactylus)
 * Fan Foot Gecko (Ptyodactylus hasselquistii)
 * Florida Reef Gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus)
 * Giant Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus)
 * Hainan Cave Gecko (Goniurosaurus hainanensis)
 * Henkels Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus henkeli)
 * Lined Leaf Tail Geck o (Uroplatus lineatus)
 * Malaysian Green Eyed Gecko (Gekko stentor)
 * Ocellated Gecko (Sphaerodactylus a. argus)
 * Russian Frog-Eyed Gecko (Teratoscincus scincus)
 * Satanic Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)
 * Short Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus ebenaui)
 * Smooth Skin Leaftail Gecko (Uroplatus malama)
 * Texas Banded Gecko (Coleonyx brevis)
 * Thick Toe Gecko (Pachydactylus tetensis)
 * Tibetan Frog Eye Gecko (Teratoscincus roborowski)
 * Wheelers Knobtail Gecko (Nephrurus wheeleri)
 * William's Blue Cave Gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi)
 * Wonder Gecko (Teratoscincus scincus)
 * Yucatan Banded Gecko (Coleonyx elegans)
 * Day Gecko (Phelsuma l. laticauda)

M​onitor Lizards

 * Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus)
 * Water Monitor (Varanus salvator)
 * Green Tree Monitor (Varanus prasinus)
 * Peach Throat Monitor (Varanus jobiensis)
 * Savannah Monitor (Varanus exanthematicus)
 * Timor Monitor (Varanus timorensis)
 * White Throat Monitor (Veranus albigularis)
 * Black Rough Neck Monitor (Varanus rudicollis)
 * Black Throat Monitor (Varanus albigularis)
 * Black Tree Monitor (Varanus beccarii)
 * Blue Tail Monitor (Varanus doreanus)

Chameleon

 * Common Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon)
 * Giant Spin y (Verrucosus) Chameleon (Furcifer verrucosus)
 * Jacksons Chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii)
 * Senegal Chameleon (Chamaeleo senegalensis)
 * Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
 * Bearded Pygmy Chameleon (Rieppeleon brevicaudatus)
 * Brown Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris)
 * Cameroon Sailfin Chameleon (Chamaeleo montium)
 * Carpet Chameleon (Furcifer lateralis)
 * Crested Chameleon (Chamaeleo cristatus)
 * Desert Side Striped Chameleon (Chamaeleo bitaeniatus)
 * Domergues Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia thieli)
 * Fischers Chameleon (Kinyongia fischeri)
 * Flap Neck Chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis)
 * Four Horned Chameleon (Chamaeleo quadricornis)
 * Giant One Horn Chameleon (Chamaeleo melleri)
 * Giant Three Horn Chameleon (Chamealeo deremensis)
 * Graceful Chameleon (Chamaeleo gracilis)
 * Green Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholeon viridis)
 * Helmeted Chameleon (Chamaeleo hoehnelli)
 * Kenyan Pygmy Leaf Chameleon (Rieppeleon k. kerstenii)
 * Montane Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholeon acuminatus)
 * Oustaleti Chameleon (Furcifer oustaleti)
 * Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)
 * Perinet Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia therezieni)
 * Plated Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia stumpffi)
 * Spectral Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholeon spectrum)
 * Taveta Two Horned Chameleon (Bradypodion tavetanum)
 * Uluguru Pygmy Chameleon (Rhampholeon ugulurensis)

Iguanas

 * Basilisk
 * Chuckwalla (Sauromalus sp.)
 * Club Tail Iguana
 * Cuban Rock Iguana (Cyclura nubila)
 * Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis)
 * Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
 * Red Iguana (Iguana iguana)
 * Spinytail Iguana (Ctenosaura similis)

Anoles
Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)

Cuban False Chameleon (Chamaeleolis barbatus)

Cuban Knight Anole (Anolis equestris)

Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)

Aquatic Turtles

 * Red Eared Sliders
 * Box Turtles
 * Eastern Box Turtles
 * Gulf Coast Box Turtles
 * Ornate Box Turtles
 * Three Toed Box Turtles
 * Japanese Pond Turtle

Tortoises

 * Hermann's Tortoises
 * Horsfield's/Russian Tortoise
 * Leopard Tortoises
 * Red Footed Tortoise
 * Sulcata Tortoise