Practical Reptile Keeping

Practical Reptile Keeping is the only monthly herp care magazine published in English. Launched in 2009, it attracts an international readership and is packed with advice on how to look after and breed snakes, lizards, tortoises, turtles, amphibians and bugs. As well as stunning photography, each issue features technical help, product information and health care advice to keep your animals in tip-top condition, plus breeding details and the latest news relating to this group of creatures from around the world.

Welcome

What is unique about a chameleon's eyes? • Featuring reports about how reptiles and invertebrates are potentially providing us with new drugs to treat conditions ranging from gout to breast cancer, the hidden sense of turtles that helps them to find their way on their long oceanic journeys, a remarkable new ancestor of modern-day crocodiles from Brazil and more, including a species of frog than was forgotten for more than 60 years, and starting here with a remarkable new discovery about a chameleon's eyes which had been overlooked by scientists for centuries.

How reptiles could help to treat gout

Medical help from deadly sources

Scientists reveal how baby turtles navigate thousands of miles with a hidden magnetic sense

A crocodilian predecessor

THE FROG FROM THE SIXTIES

North American ratsnakes • Members of this group of ratsnakes are among the best species of snake that you can keep in my view, writes Tim Zedi. They are large, impressive snakes with a calm temperament, making them an ideal choice for those starting out in the snake-keeping hobby. In this article, I will cover a range of different species of North American ratsnake, along with their care and breeding requirements.

REPTILE REPRODUCTION - lizards • Paul Donovan looks at the amazing diversity that exists in the reproductive habits of lizards.

Frogs with natural sunblock

REPTILE FOCUS • Papua snake lizard (Lialis jicari)

CELEBRITY snake owners • There are quite a number of celebrities who have pet snakes, including several famous actors, musicians and athletes. Some of these personalities have only owned snakes for a short period of time, whilst others consider their snakes to be part of the family. Bill Lowe reports.

When your dinner fights back

VETERINARY CASEBOOK • It can be a matter of expecting the unexpected when dealing with reptiles, as specialist veterinary surgeon Dr Sarah Pellett reveals.

Spots and stripes • Botswana is home to a relatively small number of different tortoises and turtles. In this article, Paul Donovan describes one of the country's best-known species, which shares its name with that of one of Africa's big cats.

The mystery of the green anole • This American species (Anolis carolinensis) has faded in popularity over recent years, but these gorgeous miniature iguanids deserve to be more popular again.

BORN OF FIRE • HAVING worked for many years as the curator of a zoological collection in Scotland, Bill Lowe and his team of keepers were accused of some pretty strange practices, which, in this case, included spotting the backs of fire salamanders using a brightly coloured marker pen!

New diagnostic techniques • The way in which our understanding of illness in reptiles has advanced has been paralleled by a rapid expansion in the diagnostic techniques that are now available to vets. In her column this month, specialist veterinary surgeon Dr Joanna Hedley explains some of the newer diagnostic tools now being used in this area, and how these compare with more traditional tests.

Keeping leaf cutting ants • It's now easier than ever to set up and maintain a colony of these remarkable and highly evolved insects, as expert Andrew Stephenson reveals, and watching them is guaranteed to provide...