---
title: Reptile Care Article
author: codebuddy
type: article
source_topics: exotic_reptile_mbd, exotic_reptile_husbandry, exotic_pet_profile_corn_snake, exotic_pet_profile_turtle, exotic_reptile_dysecdysis, exotic_reptile_respiratory, exotic_nutrition_reptile, exotic_environment_corn_snake, exotic_environment_red_footed_tortoise, exotic_environment_greek_tortoise, exotic_pet_regulation_us_lacey_reptiles, exotic_tox_reptile_impaction, exotic_tox_reptile_scalerot, exotic_husbandry_iguana, exotic_husbandry_corn_snake, exotic_nutrition_corn_snake, exotic_health_corn_snake_shedding, exotic_husbandry_box_turtle, exotic_husbandry_african_spurred_tortoise, exotic_nutrition_turtle, exotic_health_tortoise_beak, exotic_health_turtle_carapace_fracture
date: 2026-07-29
---

# Reptile Care: An Owner's Overview

"Reptile" spans a huge range — lizards, snakes, turtles, and tortoises — but a handful of principles protect almost all of them, and a few mistakes cause most of the trouble.

## Heat, Light, and the POTZ

Reptiles are ectothermic: they rely on their environment to hit their preferred optimal temperature zone (POTZ). Get the temperature gradient wrong and digestion, immunity, and appetite all suffer. Most **diurnal lizards and turtles need UVB light (290–300 nm)** for vitamin D3 synthesis and calcium regulation; unfiltered sunlight is best, and artificial bulbs are a distant second. Nocturnal species (many snakes, geckos) tolerate lower light but still benefit from a proper day cycle.

## The Big One: Metabolic Bone Disease

**Secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism** — soft, folded, or fractured bones — is the most common reptile bone disease, and it is a disease of mismanagement: a diet low in calcium relative to phosphorus, vitamin D3 deficiency, and no UVB. It is preventable. Aquatic turtles and insect-eating lizards are also prone to **hypovitaminosis A** when fed diets lacking preformed vitamin A (and beta-carotene does not substitute for many reptiles).

## Shedding and Skin

Incomplete sheds (dysecdysis) trace back to low humidity or poor health. Many arid species (leopard geckos, tortoises) still need a humid microclimate to shed cleanly. Snakes normally shed in one piece, spectacles included.

## Hazards

- **Impaction** — radiolucent foreign bodies plus overheating cause gut obstruction; avoid loose substrates that get ingested and never bake a sick reptile.
- **Scale rot** — unsanitary, wet substrate leads to skin infection.
- **Trauma** — carapace fractures in turtles (repairable with external fixation) and cage-mate injuries in grouped animals. Quarantine new arrivals for **3–6 months**.

## Species Notes

- **Iguanas** are arboreal, UVB-dependent, and best kept one species per enclosure.
- **Corn snakes and ball pythons** are generally solitary and docile; house non-breeders singly.
- **Box turtles** may need a license where they are endemic and need calcium-fortified food; **African spurred tortoises** need a calcium-fortified fibrous plant diet and large (often outdoor) enclosures.
- **Chameleons** are so territorial they must be isolated to survive long term.

Note: many reptiles are restricted under wildlife laws (e.g., the US Lacey Act lists injurious reptile species), so check local rules before acquiring.