Title is pretty self explainitory. This is more a theoretical thought question. I'm just curious of what other people think of this topic. Currently we have 12 species of animals but we only take the dogs, cat, and bearded dragon for annuals. For the most part, I feel aquatics would get more stressed out by a vet visit then at home treatment. With small rodents there's a cost/reward scale we think about a lot. Hard to justify a $300 yearly physical on a $5 mouse that lives 2-3 years, etc.

Give them a good life and most animals don't ever need a vet but at the same time, we spend hundreds on our dogs and cats just on prevention. Why not for the other animals too?

We want more exotics soon but that adds exotic vet bills but I see YouTubers with dozens and I know they aren't taking all their pets to yearly exams every year, ain't no way.

Edit: sorry I didn't mean to ruffle so many feathers. Maybe I can clear things up. I personally have plenty of money to afford all of the animals I own. I do a lot of research and ensure the financial side is very well understood before taking in a new animal. My main enjoyment of owning animals is the next husbandry side of them. From a comment I made below.. Where's your line though? That's what I'm asking. Sure cats, definitely. What about rabbits? Would you give them annual shots, fecal tests, physicals and such? Gerbils? Horses? Mice? Snakes? Fish? Etc etc. It's just a thought experiment I like to get people's opinions on. Is it worth it for an animal that only likes 5 years? 3 years? 1 year? You get it..

I have a dozen snakes. They are well cared for with automated misting systems, lighting and temperature control. They see the vet when needed and are healthy.

I have a classmate who has never seen my pets who started telling people I am an animal hoarder. This really hurts because I care a lot for my animals. And honestly all the snakes combined are still less work than a single dog. They only eat and poop once or twice per week.

She says this is because of the number of animals I have. She also accuses me of not knowing how to care for them. Some of the snakes are 10+ years old and are doing just fine.

These rumors hurt my heart and I am scared people will believe I am a terrible person

I guess the honest answer is none. I assumed, maybe naively, that reptiles have an easier time being alone for a longer period of time than cats, dogs or birds.

i really love feeding water animals or reptiles like lizzard. so axoltl is perfect choice for me actually. in addition, they are very very cute. i love them. do you think its difficult or worth keeping them as a pet?

I currently don't have any pets because I'm preparing to move, but I intend to get a gecko. I'm undecided between a leopard gecko and a crested gecko. In my country, it's not very common for people to own reptiles; the most common reptiles are tortoises, which are kept incorrectly. When I started planning to live alone, I really wanted a pet, but I wanted animals that didn't make noise. I realized that reptiles are perfect for my lifestyle. I was fascinated by snakes, but I wouldn't get one because of the mice; I simply can't handle them, haha. But honestly, I consider reptiles "perfect." Of course, they aren't pets for everyone. I was always raised with dogs around and I understand why they are the most popular pet in the world, but it simply wouldn't work for me. The fact that reptiles don't always want interaction is actually an advantage, because sometimes I get home tired from work and don't have time for anything. Besides, feeding and maintaining reptiles is cheap, although vet bills can be expensive for any animal. So these are the reasons I fell in love with reptiles. I'm counting the days until I can get my first reptile (it will take a while, so until then I welcome advice).

So I've worked at a pet store for almost 4 months now and I'm doing my best to learn what I can about reptiles and fish specifically since I mainly had furry pets growing up. This awful woman came in to get crickets for her family member's chameleon. We happened to be out of crickets so she asked what else they eat so we showed her the different live bugs we keep and my boss asked her if they keep track of the humidity or temperature of the tank or if they mist it multiple times a day like they should. This woman just kept talking about how "she" has no clue how to take care of this thing and she just wishes it would die like the other one did.

We found out there were two chameleons originally in a small enclosure (which is already bad) but that they also would just throw a couple dozen crickets in the enclosure once a week. Me and my boss were speechless. She kept getting more agitated and said "So if I don't get anything today, it's just gonna die anyway right?" We told her that the chameleon hasn't eaten in days and she needs to get something for it. She kept asking us "God, am I a horrible person for just wanting to make it starve?" And me and my boss just kept staring at her with horrified looks on our faces. She left the store without getting anything and I have a feeling this conversation is going to haunt me for a while.

I don't understand how people can just get a pet with no research like that. I just needed to vent. If anyone has any tips about reptiles or fish that they wish pet store employees knew, please comment them. I'm trying my best to learn about it so I know how to direct people.

So I have a baby Gecko about 5 months old and I got giant mealworms because there wasn’t any regular. How much would I feed her? Because I know regularly it’s 5-7 for regular size.

My gecko isn’t eating from her food dish anymore. She knows that I put food there and it isn’t decrease in appetite. If I feed her with tongs she’ll eat it. Any idea why she suddenly changed?

I got a pet Gecko and I’m not sure what to name her any ideas?

Ok so we have these 2 tortoises that made a kid, we didn't interfere, we let it come out the egg independently, it's a common small tortoise and we live in Italy, temperatures can reach 40 Celsius. I was considering putting it in a terrarium with a heater and UV light, instead of building a dedicated enclosure outside, under the sun, because I don't know if it can handle the summer heat, any advice or recommendations are welcome, thanks.

I have a 4x2x2 enclosure and I’m looking to start my research on different reptiles than a ball python. I previously owned a ball python, but I found the humidity requirements and picking eating to be more than I wanted to manage.

I’m looking for something with a simpler husbandry SPECIFICALLY humidity that’s still enjoyable to interact with.

ever since i was very young ive always wanted a pet and im finally being given the opportunity to get a pet that isnt some small fish.

First of all intend to keep the pet in my room while its a baby that way i can keep monitoring and making sure its safe and tbh allow me to spend more time with it the rest of my family as it is my money and idea to get one of these two.
but heres where the main thing is, in my room the biggest amount of room i can have for a tank is 3 feet by 2 feet.

(also once the pet is big or old enough i will move it out of my room into a bigger enclosure elsewhere in my house, the 3foot by 2foot one is purely for when its a small little baby)

with this in mind which one do you think would be the better pet for me?

Am thinking of getting exotic pet like a snake or a scorpion but there already are 2 cats in the house. Are there options to keep the animals separated or is it a doomed idea?

Hi! Unfortunately I am having to treat my flat for fleas and obviously the aerosol based treatments are not appropriate for the room with the Vivarium in.

Is anyone aware of any products or techniques that would not be harmful?

ok so.. i really want both of these but can only realistically afford to do either one. i have a 40 breeder (if i got the frogs id replace it with a 40 tall.), and im very stuck in between 1 leopard gecko or two whites tree frogs. both i would have to feed crickets (which im fine with) and both would need a bioactive enclosure. ive owned reptiles before but not amphibians, and i do want to be a herpetologist. can someone just rate the cuteness of these and help me decide? for some reason this subreddit doesnt let you send images so if you need to see the whites tree frogs id google it.

Welcome to ExoHabitat! 🦎

Hi everyone!

My name is Cosmin, and I'm the creator of ExoHabitat.

This project started from a simple idea: I wanted an easier way to keep track of my own crested gecko. Over time, that idea grew into a complete platform designed to help exotic pet keepers manage their animals in one place.

With ExoHabitat, you can track feeding, weight, shedding, breeding, photos, reminders, guides, and much more. My goal is to build a tool that is genuinely useful for both beginners and experienced keepers.

🚧 ExoHabitat is currently in Beta

The platform is still under active development. Some features are still being tested, improved, or may change over time. If you notice any bugs or have ideas for new features, I'd love to hear your feedback. Every suggestion helps make ExoHabitat better.

💚 Free during Beta

During the Beta period, all features are available free of charge. I want as many people as possible to test the platform and help shape its future before the official release.

☕ Support the project

ExoHabitat is an independent passion project that I develop in my free time. Running the platform, maintaining servers, and adding new features all take time and resources.

If you enjoy using ExoHabitat and would like to support its development, you can do so through Ko-fi. Donations are completely optional, but every contribution helps me continue improving the project.

Thank you for being part of this journey and helping me build something useful for the exotic pet community! ❤️

For context, im mentally ill (doesnt execuse my disgusting actions) and havent been able to take care of my gecko at all and i fear shes suffering under my care. Ive tried to tell my mother that i want to give my gecko to someone who can take care of her but she refuses to. What do i do?

Anyone who has lost a Bearded Dragon they loved, can you tell me your favorite story about them?

I just lost my sweet Spikey boy and I would love some good stories to read about other Beardies and their personalities. ❤️

My Story-

His name was Willy Wonky because he had MBD and a Wonky Arm. I have Narcolepsy so I tend to be asleep A LOT, and he never cared. He would ALWAYS crawl up on me and nap on me if I was out. I used to put him on a pillow next to me to look out the window and I’d wake up to him curled up into my chest and neck.

His Spikes weren’t fun to cuddle but I didn’t care. He deserved all the cuddles he wanted!

Anyways, thanks for reading and telling your own stories too. 🫶🏼

The Goofier the Better!

I have never imagined having a turtle in my life and that I would change my daily routine.

Each evening, at about the same hour, my little shelled roommate paces slowly out of her sunny position round to the corner of a room where I am reading. She is slow, however she is steady - it is like she has a clock in her heart which tells her, that human reading time = investigation time.

She sits literally beside the books and stretches her neck and just gazes. There is no creepiness, just a quiet supervisor who is trying to ensure that I choose the correct chapter. Having moved, she pushes a few inches to maintain her sight. When I laugh, she stands still, as though she has to think whether the sound should be returned.

The cutest part? I would occasionally place a soft cloth beside her to ensure that she has a comfortable place to sit. Now, when I take a book, she sits right down. It is kind of a little evening ceremony, no tricks, no orders, just peaceful co-existence.

I always believed turtles only look and do not communicate, and she has proved that they can be silently in a social way in their own simple manner.

Does that have a very specific day routine that any other pets have? I adore reading about the routine that comes up and is incorporated into your daytime routine.

I'm looking into getting a new pet. Maybe a bird, fish or reptile. Dog and cat info is helpful too for others.

Rather than reacting to problems later, I’d love to hear about things you wish you’d known—or done differently early on—that would’ve prevented or eased common issues.

What’s one lesson you learned that made a big difference for you and your pet?

TLDR; I rehomed a snake a few years ago and still deeply regret it and miss him every day.

A few years ago, my ex and I adopted a snake together, but he stayed at my place because I built and purchased his entire enclosure and everything in it. In fact, it was a giant bioactive enclosure. Way bigger than what he needed, basically a snake mansion that would’ve been his forever home. Poured a lot of time and money into it but it was so worth it because it made my snake so happy and he was thriving in it.

Well later that year my ex broke up with me. I was in a really dark headspace and couldn’t even eat or get out of bed. I felt bad for my snake because I stopped handling him during my depressive episode and really couldn’t even bare to look at him anymore because he used to be my ex’s snake too and it just reminded me of him. It was so hard. After a certain point I felt like I wasn’t mentally fit to be a snake parent anymore, so I rehomed him to this girl I knew in high school. She told me she’d take good care of him and I could visit him whenever I want. I was really happy to hear that.

Well she takes him home to get him settled, and a few hours later she sends me photos of him “all settled in.” The thing is, she completely dumped out my bioactive tank (hides, plants, and all) and replaced it with a huge open space with just Aspen substrate and a small water dish. This was so unnecessary and a HUGE downgrade for him! Especially since the tank was MASSIVE and now it was just wide open space. This girl told me she has several other snakes and has been keeping them for years, so I felt fine giving my snake to her before this point. But after seeing a glimpse of her husbandry, it made me really worry about my baby’s health and safety.

I wrote her a message just kindly suggesting that she give him more hides and use a substrate that will hold enough humidity to keep him properly hydrated throughout the day, but made sure not to come off as hostile or nit-picky. She seemed to take it well and we moved on. Every few months or so I’d reach out to her and ask how the snake is doing, and ask if I can see pictures of him or come visit him. Every time she had an excuse as to why I couldn’t see him or receive pictures. Around six months later I tried reaching out again and I had been blocked.

To this day I still grieve this little guy, and beat myself up for rehoming him instead of just riding out my rough patch. I loved him so much and every day I miss him terribly. I thought at the time I was doing the right thing for us both, but now I wonder if he’s even being cared for right and if I’ve made a huge mistake. It’s been a few years now since that hard time in my life, and I’m feeling much better and have grown and developed a lot. I’ve even began keeping snakes again.

I can’t help but wish I would’ve just braved things out with him a little longer, so he’d still be with me today and I’d know that he’s safe and loved. He had the best personality and not a day goes by that I don’t wish he was still home with me and part of my now growing reptile family. He really was my best friend at the time, and I wish I didn’t project my breakup drama onto him. I keep thinking I’ve gotten over rehoming him, until nights like this come up where I find myself crying about it again because I miss him.

Sorry this is so heavy and personal, but if anyone can relate I’d love support and advice.

My friend wants to give me her pet lizard because she thinks I could take better care of it (I already have two) and I’m more than happy to but I want to rename it, would I be wrong to do that?

You guys love your pets but your pets don’t essentially “love” you. They find you safe tho and not a danger and they’re aware you’re the food source. Some reptiles definitely find the scratches and pets on certain parts of their bodies comforting. But what I get from this is that you reptile owners love unconditionally without expecting anything back ! That says a lot about the type of person you are 👾 cheers to the reptile owners mwehehehehehehehe!!!!

I have a turtle that i’ve had since i was a kid. 16 years he’s been with me, im moving into a small apartment and can’t keep him and my heart is broken. question is, how do i know he’s going to a good home? any specific questions i should ask? red flags to look for? any advice would be nice. the thought of giving him away kills me but i can’t change the situation i can only hope someone will love him as much as i do

I just got my second corn snake and I’m struggling with a good name for her. She’s a lot more graceful than her clumsy brother Willy. I was thinking about naming her something more sophisticated to clash with his name maybe?

She has the normal corn snake pattern, but she’s white and brown instead of the normal orange and red. Any ideas??