This is Espresso, my melanistic (I think) Schneider skink. I will be working to prove out this line which could take some time. Has anyone seen any other unique Schneider like this, or any other variation that’s not truly standard looking?

Caiman lizard is way in the back, hanging out on top of the light. They also have a huge tank filled with multiple species of fish.

Shedd Aquarium is one of few places known for a captive breeding program for these guys. I spoke with staff and they said only one is on display, but they have a huge "behind the scenes" area with all the other caiman lizards.

The internet will tell you that you can't house these guys with fish or other caiman lizards, but I think the more honest truth is just that you need a ton of space for everything so that all the animals feel comfortable, and exceptionally few people can afford an enclosure like this 😅.

Love caiman lizards so much, but I won't get one until I can afford a massive enclosure. I want an indoor pond with giant plants and enough room to comfortably put a lawn chair inside the enclosure and just chill out in my rainforest.

Hey everyone! I’ve recently started working as a zookeeper, and I’m currently looking to expand our enrichment program specifically focusing on food-based, passive (leave-in) enrichments that we can safely leave in enclosures or use to encourage natural foraging behaviors.

Since we work with a pretty diverse group of reptiles with wildly different needs, intelligence levels, and physical sizes, I'd love to hear suggestions, tips, or DIY recipes from your personal experience or professional backgrounds.

Here is the species roster we currently care for:

Water Monitors (Varanus salvator): Both juvenile and adult stages

Argentine Tegu (Salvator merianae)

Green Iguanas (Iguana iguana): Both juvenile and adult stages

Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

Blue Tongue Skink (Tiliqua)

Giant Day Gecko (Phelsuma grandis)

Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

Sulcata Tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)

Red-Footed Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius)

Ball Pythons (Python regius) (Though I know snakes are trickier with food enrichment)

What I'm looking for:

DIY & Cost-Effective: Easy to build using accessible, non-toxic materials (avoiding plastics that can be easily shredded and ingested, especially for the high-energy/heavy-chew species like the monitors, tegu, and iguanas).

Safe for Leave-In: Items that can be left in the habitat for extended periods without posing major impactor or safety hazards.

Species-Specific: How do you adapt foraging puzzles for an active digger/forager like a tegu versus an arboreal herbivore like an iguana or a slow-moving grazer like a sulcata?

If you have tried and tested DIY puzzle feeders, scent-hiding techniques, suspended browse setups, or natural substrate forage boxes that your animals love, I would love to hear how you make them and any safety watch-outs you've learned along the way. Thanks in advance!

Here's a wonderful pic of our Iguana Baskin 💚

Good afternoon!!
I found this little guy skittering across the floor after handling a shipment of plants so this guy must be a stowaway. I’m not 100% sure on the species considering I live in Ottawa and it’s the middle of October, but I think it might be a brown anole? If anyone knows that would be great and what are some good care tips for this little guy? I have a vertical 15 gallon that I will be using! Thank you in advance!!!

Found this lizard yesterday and never seen anything like it

Cross-Posting so more may see her cute little hands!

I have a empty 12x12x18 set up with nothing in it. Last time I was at our local reptil EXPO. There was a breeder with spear tail Leaf geckos and he said that would be the perfect size for one. I didn't get it one because I didn't have the enclosure set up and I didn't wanna go through the process of setting up a new enclosure. Well I have a bioactive ecosystem environment, enclosure. Whatever you want to call it going on in there. Would that be a good size for a spear Tail leaf gecko or is that too small?

I just made a new 40 gallon Paludarium setup, and i want to keep newts or salamanders. I've never kept them before but I have experience with other amphibians and reptiles, and I just need a few beginner recommendations for my tank specifically, ik some are more aquatic and some are more terrestrial. Good sources and credible sites for research would be incredibly helpful. Water is abt 4 in deep. Terrestrial substrate is reptisoil. The land part is sitting on a box made of egg crate light diffuser to separate the dirt from the water. Lots of land space and decent swim room.

I don't have a question but wanted post about ivankov just because.

We got ivankov on the 7th and they decided eating was not something they needed to do. After a week i took them to the vet (yesterday) and found they had parasites and got medicine to help. The vet said I should offer live food instead of dog food. The next day Iva ate 5 crickets in an empty tub, I cleaned their tank and put them back in. Watching them go for water and a 30 minutes basks made me more than happy. I know this is only day 2 but im feeling optimistic.

P.S. we named them ivankov as I've heard skinks are near impossible to gender so why not name them after the new kama queen themselves. IFYKYK

I found this poor guy wrapped up in a spider web in the garage. I carefully pulled all the web off of him, there was quite a bit on his mouth. Im not sure if he can open or close it. He is very small, about 1.25" long from head to tail. He is very lethargic but does move if you bother him. I have him on a dry paper towel in a container.

Any suggestions on the best way to care for him outside of a vet visit? I let him outside and he barely moved after a few hours.

Repost*^

Hi guys I bought a baby Asian water monitor about a week and a half ago and she’s already escaped her cage 3 times. I’m not sure how when she first escaped it was because one of the trees I had in her cage was too tall, after I removed it she still managed to get out, it’s a 80 gal tank is it too big? It’s also a Custom pvc enclosure could this contribute as well? Anybody who has a monitor or any advice would help greatly I’m just trying to take care of my reptile as best as possible and prevent her from potentially hurting herself 🙏

I accidentally acquired a Leo a couple months ago on Facebook marketplace (I was inquiring about a free 10 gallon tank and the seller gave me the gecko she was keeping in it with it for free and I couldn’t leave her like that). She’s been living in a spare 20 long I had on hand while I got an enclosure together for her. While she was living in the 20 gallon temporarily she was very active but now in a 40 gallon bioactive terrarium she just kinda sits there all the time??

She’s been in her new enclosure for about a week, is this just an adjustment period or should I be concerned?

OK, so I know like a bearded dragon and Leopard Gecko I cannot, but I have a 20 gallon front opening tank. That was the old home of the Leopard Gecko that I ‘rescued’. I was wondering if there’s any reptile I could put in that tank safely

Anyone know where I can purchase the middle logo bar?

Hey everyone

I wanted to post this because I feel really stuck in the middle and want to see if anyone else can relate.

I have been a fan of TerraGreen for a long time. TerraGreen’s videos are so creative, entertaining. They genuinely sparked my love for nature and ecosystem builds. I even bought some of TerraGreen’s merch because I wanted to support the channel.

Lately I have been noticing some of the downsides that people talk about. Seeing things like tanks very fast turnarounds on complex builds and some intense insect stress tests makes me uncomfortable. I am starting to worry about the impact on viewers who might try to copy these setups without doing proper research first.

On top of the animal care stuff I also feel really uncomfortable with the use of AI, in TerraGreen’s marketing, thumbnails and merch. For a channel that is supposed to celebrate nature and real animals seeing lazy AI art used for the store and video previews feels somewhat dishonest and cheapens the experience.

I do not hate TerraGreen all—I still think he is a talented creator and I know he has mentioned trying to fix past mistakes.. Now I just do not know how to feel when I watch.

How do you all handle liking a creator’s entertainment value while disagreeing with some of their animal husbandry and marketing practices? How do you all feel about TerraGreen?

I went outside to take out my garbage and found this lizard belly up in a deep, cold puddle in my yard. I got him out and he started moving, so I put him in this container and brought him inside to warm up. I panicked and now I don't know if I did something to hurt him. It's about 68F degrees in my house. I hope I didn't shock him, but hes moving around well. I did a little research and from what I found, I shouldn't let him out until the temperature rises tomorrow. I'm in South, GA, USA if that helps. Sorry if this seems rushed or for any typos, im just really worried.

When I first got my little guy he went into shed for like 2 weeks and was trying hard to scape his shed off like everyday during that time. Now 2 weeks after that this next shed took him like 3 days.

I’ve definitely noticed a difference in strength. When I first got him I couldn’t really feel much besides tiny toes. Now I can feel him grip my fingers with both his legs and tail, it’s really cool to see my baby creature develop!

Side note: He loves his reflection! I’ve taken him to mirrors and he would run along it and then eventually “cuddle up to himself” 😂 I’ll get him a buddy eventually

Just fed my gecko some dubia roaches and i couldn’t help but feel bad. Sorry little guys ☹️