Getting started, the new keeper	This page is currently under construction
I am often contacted by various people that have fallen in love with the concept of keeping reptiles as pets and genuinely seek advice or information about getting started. Although I understand the passion and fully understand why anybody would be drawn to and captivated by the rewarding hobby of keeping reptiles, I also know that the information one needs to acquire to ensure the well being of native reptile in a captive environment takes a little while to learn. As reptile enthusiasts we obviously want to be able to keep and maintain them in such a manner that ensures that they live a long and healthy life.  With this in mind I have attempted to address here some of the most crucial aspects needed to get you started in the briefest way as possible. I have added hyperlinks for your convenience should you wish to get a far more detailed explanation on each subject which I highly suggest you have a look at your leisure.
Obtaining a licence In Australia we have tight regulations regarding the keeping of native reptiles. It is illegal to keep most reptiles in any state with out first obtaining an appropriate licence. Generally speaking this is a relatively easy thing to do and if you contact your local wildlife department they will normally help you on your way. State Wildlife Departments Link
Choosing a suitable Reptile No doubt you would already have an idea about the type of reptile you would like to keep. It is very important though, to do a little basic research about the needs of your future pet before you obtain it. Ask yourself a few questions first e.g. Does your reptile need feeding every day? Is this food difficult to supply? Does it require tropical temperatures? Is it highly arboreal? What will be its caging requirements? Etc. Often there are specific needs required for a particular species and you will need to fully understand these first as this in itself can determine whether or not a particular species is suitable for you or your life style you lead. Like any captive pet, it requires some sort of commitment.
Caging When choosing the right enclosure to house a reptile it is important to understand that different species often require different needs and therefore you must establish what species you intend to keep before building or purchasing your enclosure. As an example: an arboreal species may require a taller enclosure than a terrestrial species or a python that naturally occurs in the tropical rainforest may require more humidity than perhaps a desert dwelling species. This might mean that the enclosure housing the desert species requires more ventilation etc. Clearly it is helpful to know a bit about the species natural habitat before obtaining your enclosure. One thing that is very important no matter what enclosure you have, is to ensure that the enclosure is escape proof and when housing dangerous species the cage must be lockable. As keepers we must view it as a privilege to be able to keep reptiles in suburbia. Local council by-laws can often be at risk of change by irresponsible keepers that allow inadequate housed reptiles to escape into the neighborhood.
Glass Fronted Enclosures Glass fronted enclosures are probably the most commonly used cages and in my opinion looks the most attractive.(Fig 1) These enclosures are normally made with the glass in the front sitting in place in plastic or some times metal tracks. This allows the glass to slide along it to open. The glass thickness that should be used is 6mm. A problem with using thinner glass can be that it takes less pressure to open and larger snakes have been known to force the glass to slide open if it is not locked. A good idea is to have a raised front lip on the bottom of the enclosure so that there is less chance of substrate material falling into the track or worse, faeces which can be difficult to clean. One of the draw backs of this type of enclosure is that reptiles are often exposed to movement passing in front of the glass may cause a nervous species to be stressed. This can obviously be helped by providing a hide box within the enclosure. Although I own the odd python that simply does not settle well in this type of enclosure despite having an adequate hide box supplied.
Rack mounted Plastic Tubs. Plastic tubs are becoming very popular as reptile housing these days, and although they don't look that great as a piece of furniture they certainly have lots of good points. Plastic tubs are commonly available, are usually cheap, and easy to clean. Multiple tubs type set ups are normally kept together in a rack and this type of system can be more practical than conventional caging and especially for individuals that maintain large collections. There are several different designs to consider but the most commonly used would be made out of timber (Fig 2). One of the difficulties with a rack of plastic tubs is the heating of each tub. This is normally achieved by having either individual heating mats for each container or having heat cable recessed into the floor of the timber that the tubs sit on in. I personally prefer steel racks and find that heat cable glued or cemented underneath one of the steel rails works a treat (Fig 3).     It is optional to whether or not you choose to have a lid on your containers, however if you do not have lids then it is absolutely crucial to make sure that when building such a rack that there is not too much clearance above each tub from the next shelf above otherwise your reptiles will escape. As a rule of thumb, a snake is capable of escaping from any gap that it can get its snout under. Ventilation can be achieved by drilling small holes in the sides of your containers or if you are not using lids then the gap between the top of the container and the shelf above may be sufficient. Personally though, I prefer as much ventilation as I can get.
Aquariums or Glass tanks Some people like to save themselves money by converting old fish tanks into reptile enclosures. These types of cages can look excellent but the main problems they suffer are the poor circulation of air and without altering the structure to allow for side ventilation you are only left with being able to ventilate the top. I would suggest the use of perhaps a computer fan or similar covered with a grill mounted to the top lid to improve circulation.
Cage Furnishishing While every body appreciates the look of a cage naturally decorated, it must be remembered that the more elaborate you make your enclosure the more difficult it is usually to clean. If you have the time to maintain such a setup then that is great. Most people who keep large collections however, prefer to keep their enclosures simple. Hide Boxes It is very important to always provide your reptile a place to hide. You may choose perhaps a hollow log, card board box, plastic fake hide boxes that represent rocks etc. When considering a hide box for a snake it is important to keep it relatively small. Snakes are generally cryptozoic and often feel secure in tight areas. Make sure however that whatever you provide does allow for the removal of its occupant. Rocks and Branches If setting up your enclosure with rocks, be particularly careful that they cannot be easily pushed around by the occupant of the cage and you do not want rocks or any other heavy objects falling on your reptile. If using branches removed from the bush as perches, then make sure that these are clean. Water Dishes Water should at all times be provided. It is best to use a container that can not easily be tipped over and it must be of a size that your reptile can climb in to. This is particularly important for snakes during their skin shedding cycle as they will often take to the water bowls for a soak. It is best to choose a container that is easy to clean and we prefer to use ceramic type containers. There are many plastic water dishes now available designed specifically for reptiles  made to look like rock pools. These look quite good and are usually easy to clean. Substrate There are many different ways to go when considering a preferred substrate. We believe you cannot go past the use of newspaper as it is very cheap, and easy to obtain. We also realize that to many keepers, this looks unappealing to the eye and spoils the look of any display cage. Some people choose to use wood shavings instead, and this does look very good. If this is your choice of substrate then make sure that you use wood shavings that do not contain toxins or come from untreated timber. Another variation on this is the use of bark chips. These though, can get a little expensive and as you cannot really wash these properly, need to be changed when becoming dirty. One very popular substrate these days is breeder's choice.  I personally do not use this as I have personally witnessed a python getting its trachea blocked from a piece. As it is very absorbent, it can easily stick to the wet area on the inside of a snakes mouth, if it becomes in contact while it's feeding. Sand and soil can be used as a substrate and should be thoroughly cleaned before hand. The potential downfall of using this as a substrate is that when it becomes damp and can harbor disease. What ever you decide on as a substrate for your enclosure, it is advisable to protect the bottom of your enclosure with some sort of water proofing. Although our cages have sealed bottoms, we still prefer to use a piece of neatly fitting plastic underneath the substrate which helps keep any liquid ever getting to the flooring in the first place. It is much easier to clean of uric acid of a flexible sheet of plastic than scrubbing it off a wooden surface.
Heating As reptiles are ectotherms, maintaining adequate heating is absolutely critical. Heating can be achieved in a number of different ways and it depends on your cage design or type as to the easiest heating to provide. In the past, the some what traditional way most keepers heated their cages was with the use of over head lighting. While there is nothing wrong with this idea it important to provide a suitable lighting cover or grill to prevent your reptile burning its self against the hot globe. Heat mats are becoming very popular these days and this is the preferred option when housing reptiles in plastic tubs mounted on racks. All heating provided should be monitored to prevent over heating and this is easily achieved with the use of a thermostat. There are many quality thermostats available specifically designed for the use of both heat mats and incandescent lighting. When planning where you are going to place your heat source with in your new enclosure, you must aim to set it up in a way that will provide the best possible temperature gradient. Understanding Thermoregulation. Always remember to use a qualified electrician if there is any hard wiring to be done.
Lighting Lighting inside an enclosure for many species of diurnal reptiles can be beneficial and is of particular importance to many of the lizard species. In the wild some lizards need to absorb the light spectrum of the sun to synthesize vitamin B1. These days this can easily be artificially recreated with the use of specialized globes and fluorescent light tubes that are now manufactured especially for reptiles and easily obtainable through most pet stores.(fig 4) It is highly debatable however, that the use of specialized UV lighting has any significant benefit for any of the nocturnal species of pythons. I personally do not use them myself as I do not consider them as necessary. Clearly though, to supply such lighting could only be considered as being more natural. I would not be at all surprised if in the future we actually learn that there is some over looked health benefit from UV exposure. It is important to remember though that nocturnal species of snakes are predominately cryptozoic by nature and the exposure of bright lighting will tend to make them hide. I like to rely solely on the natural filtered light that our enclosure receives through the rooms many windows. This way I can easily expose the various day light hours that determine the changing seasons. I believe this is an important component when attempting to breed.
Purchasing your Reptile Once you are ready to obtain your reptile it is time to shop around. It is normally advisable to stick to captive bred reptiles from reputable breeders where ever possible. This is not to say that all wild caught reptiles do not do well in captivity. The problem with some wild caught reptiles is that it is very hard to judge their age, they may harbor disease and internal parasites, an may not adapt to captivity causing them excess stress. If you do decide to purchase a wild caught reptile make sure that the specimen has at least had some sort of captive history, been treated for parasites and is feeding well. No matter what reptile you purchase, ask to see a feeding history of the animal and inspect the reptile over making sure that it moves okay and has no deformities. With snakes an monitors, make sure that you see a healthy looking tongue flicker.
How often should I handle my new reptile There is no set rule as to how often you should handle you reptile as this clearly depends on the temperament of each individual species, or specimen. A common mistake made by the over enthusiastic new keeper, is the tendency to over handle their reptiles. When you first introduce a new reptile into its enclosure you must resist the urge to handle it until it has adequate time to settle in properly, and has at least fed and digested its first meal within its new enclosure. If your reptile has successfully eaten, then this is generally a good indication that its stress levels are at a minimum. This does not necessarily mean though, that your cage is set up perfectly but more simply an indication of a suitable captive who has settled in okay. It is important to remember though that there is no evidence to suggest that any particular reptile actually enjoys being handled at all. Many people claim that their pet snake enjoys being handled. It is my opinion however, that they do not. While your pet reptile may indeed tolerate being handled for amounts of time, my experience has taught me that too much handling does increase their stress levels. It is a catch 22 situation really, as you would obviously like to have your reptile used to being handled and yet you do not want to cause it undue stress. Common sense is the best advice I could give, if your reptile acts agitated then put it down. It is worth remembering that snakes that are over handled and especially when they continuously move around trying to escape quickly build up lactic acid and become exhausted. When this happens the snake will feel and act limp. When handling a new snake that is not yet used to being handled regularly, it is best to avoid any sudden movements and particularly movement across the front of its head and across their path of their vision. While no movement is best, the slower an more even your movement, the less likely the reptile will become startled. I do not recommend that any snake that is likely to bite be handled in such a way where you are at risk of receiving a bite to the face. Although most bites are completely harmless, a bite to your eye ball could be disastrous and could very likely cause blindness. Not all snakes bite because they are trying to defend themselves or to act as a deterrent. Some snakes in fact get so used to the smell of people that regularly feed them that they will consider your hand or body as food. This can result in what many of us call feeding response bites and is usually a result of hand feeding snakes without using tongs. I have a few pythons that start this as soon as I remove them from the enclosure. They casually sniff around my hands or arm and then slowly spread their jaws apart and foolishly attempt to consume me. Although I find this amusing it could be quite daunting to a new inexperienced keeper and still daunting to me when it is a ten foot Olive python and difficult to get off. This behaviour is often caused by the regular feeding of your snake by hand. The snake after a while associates your own scent with the prey item being offered, so when it gets free handled, it thinks that you are the food. (Fig 5)