Reptiles are fascinating but demanding animals. Their behaviour, living environment, breeding and other aspects are particularly varied and often appear highly exotic. Keeping reptiles is therefore a specialist hobby – for people with a real understanding of what makes animals tick. 

Tips for buying a reptile

Many reptile keepers gained their first experience of these animals at exhibitions or when visiting a friend or acquaintance. Such contacts are an invaluable source of help if you decide to start keeping your own favourite reptile. 

Healthy reptiles can be purchased from a responsible breeder. You can obtain the addresses of breeders from a vet, reptile association, online or your local pet shop. Animal shelters and private rescue centres are another option: in addition to dogs, cats and guinea pigs, they often have reptiles in need of a new home. 

Signs of a healthy reptile

• Behaviour typical of its species (you will need to read up on the species in advance)
• Undamaged skin, scales, shell 
• Eyes and nose that are free of discharge and mucous
• Clear eyes
• A clean behind

Checklist for initial equipment

To feel happy and remain healthy, reptiles need food that meets their dietary requirements and a range of different accessories: 

• A large home for your reptile, e.g. a terrarium or paludarium
• Accessories suitable for your reptile, e.g. stones, grottos, food bowls, drinking bowls
• A suitable substrate
• Carrier for when visiting the vet
• Main food for daily nutritional requirements
• Technical equipment to provide the required living conditions for your pet, e.g. heater, UV lamp.

Alongside providing the right diet, creating the right living conditions for your reptile is one of the key requirements for ensuring a long and healthy life. It is particularly important to provide a sufficiently large home with conditions (temperature, humidity etc.) that mirror those found in nature.

Body care

Reptiles generally retain their natural behaviour when kept in captivity. They will therefore clean and care for themselves. To ensure that your pet's skin, scales or shell remain healthy, however, you must provide a diet rich in all essential nutrients and maintain the right living conditions (UV light, temperature). It is therefore important to check the values for these conditions on a regular basis to identify any potential problems.

Reptile cage and hygiene

Remove leftover food and bodily waste on a daily basis. If you do not, these could provide a breeding ground for germs and attract insects. Depending on the type of cage, you will need to clean it thoroughly about once each week. This will usually involve changing the substrate or cleaning the accessories. Do not use strong household detergents. You do not need to change water in an aquarium or paludarium on a regular basis.

The perfect diet

Despite their name, omnivorous reptiles cannot and must not simply eat "everything". Their diet does, however, include both plant and animal material, such as insects, leaves and fruit. It is therefore important to ensure that even omnivorous reptiles are given food that has been designed to meet their particular dietary needs.

Vita Terra® Reptile Pellets is a main food with a balanced composition that meets the basic dietary requirements of a wide range of omnivorous reptiles. Depending on the species, you will also need to provide fresh and/or live food.

Feeding tips 

• Provide quantities and portions suitable for your particular species 
• Always serve food at room temperature 
• Remove perishable leftovers after feeding 
• Wash out bowls after each meal
• Provide fresh water at all times

New members of your family

It is best to use a secure pet carrier when collecting your new housemates from the breeder or pet shop. Take care to avoid any large temperature fluctuations while in transit. Once your new pets have arrived home and have been placed in the cage you set up in advance, you should leave them alone for a while to get used to their new surroundings in peace. Depending on the species, behaviour and individual character of your new pets, you will need to wait one or several days before carefully starting to initiate contact. The animals will soon forget their shyness when offered tasty "bribes" in the form of a piece of fruit or house cricket.

Alternative Title

Inland bearded dragon

Scientific Title

Pogona vitticeps

Appearance

Although originally brownish grey in colour, various colours are now bred, including albino, yellow and even red. Size: up to 55 cm (including a 30 cm tail).

Origin

The Central bearded dragon is a reptile that occurs in a wide range of arid to semiarid woodland regions of Australia.

Behavior

Bearded dragons are not social animals, but will often tolerate others, meaning that they can sometimes be kept successfully in a group. However, sooner or later, dominance fighting is inevitable if two males live together.

Food

The Central bearded dragon is an omnivore which, in its natural habitat, eats insects as well as seeds, leaves and other plant material. The young, however, mostly eat meat. When kept as pets, adults should be given fresh vegetarian food on a daily basis and animal-based food every other day at most. It does not always have to be live food; they will also eat dried insects and special food.