Jan 07 2009
How Many is Too Many Reptiles?
The number of reptiles each individual herp owner will want to bring into their homes will be different then other herp owners. Some people get one or two snakes, or maybe a pair of turtles, or a breeding group of Bearded dragons, and then call it quits. Other people dedicate whole sections of their homes and lives to reptile ownership, collecting dozens of types of snakes and tortoises and always looking for more. While there is nothing wrong with owning many snakes or lizards, it is important to take into account what each animal needs to be healthy and properly cared for before adding more, and more, and more to your menagerie.
Tortoises may not need regular affection like a dog or cat might, but they do need to be feed regularly and properly every day. They also need a suitably sized enclosure with a heat lamp, a water dish, and substrate that they can dig around in and burrow in. And each time you add a tortoise to your group, you have to factor in that they will need more space, more food, more water, and more room to bask under their heat lamp. Plus different sized tortoises can’t necessarily be housed together, as larger ones will run over the top of smaller ones and possibly hurt them. It can also be necessary to house males and females separately, and desert tortoise species will need to be kept somewhere warm and dry, while tropical tortoise species need to be kept more humid.
As you can see, the more tortoises you want to keep, the more difficult it can be to accommodate them all. The same can be said for multiple snakes, multiple lizards, and multiple amphibians. So if you have a room in your home that you can devote to your reptiles (we call ours the Reptile Room), and you have the money and space and time to devote to them, go ahead and gather your personal herpetarium. Otherwise you should stick to one or two of your favorite herp pets.
