Glossary 📘

Welcome to the glossary! Below is a handy reference for common terms you'll see in our care sheets for reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

A

• Arboreal 🌳 – Animals that live in or frequently climb trees and vertical spaces.

• Ambient Temperature 🌡️ – The general air temperature in the enclosure, not under a direct heat source.

B

• Basking Spot 🔥 – A warm area where reptiles can raise their body temperature by sitting under a heat source.

• Brumation 💤 – A period of dormancy in some reptiles during colder months, similar to hibernation.

C

• Calcium Powder 💊 – A supplement (often with or without D3) used to prevent metabolic bone disease.

• Clutch 🥚 – A group of eggs laid by reptiles or amphibians at one time.

D

• D3 (Vitamin D3) 🌞 – A vitamin that helps reptiles absorb calcium, especially important when not using UVB.

• Dechlorinator 💧 – A solution that removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water to make it safe for pets.

E

• Enclosure 🏠 – The tank, terrarium, or vivarium where your exotic pet lives.

• Ecdysis 🐍 – The scientific term for shedding skin, primarily used for reptiles and amphibians.

F

• Feeder Insects 🦗 – Live insects like crickets, roaches, or worms that are fed to insectivorous pets.

• Fogger 🌫️ – A device that increases humidity by producing a fine mist.

G

• Gut-loading 🥬 – Feeding nutritious food to feeder insects so your pet receives better nutrition.

H

• Humidity 💦 – The moisture level in the air; vital for shedding and respiratory health.

• Heat Mat 🔲 – A heating device placed beneath or on the side of a tank to provide warmth.

• Hygrometer 📈 – A tool used to measure humidity levels inside the enclosure.

I

• Invertebrate 🕷️ – An animal without a backbone, such as tarantulas, millipedes, or snails.

M

• Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) ⚠️ – A dangerous calcium deficiency often caused by poor diet or lack of UVB light.

• Mist/Misting 🚿 – Spraying water to raise humidity or help with shedding.

S

• Substrate 🪵 – The material covering the floor of the enclosure (soil, sand, etc.).

• Shedding 🧦 – The natural process of reptiles and amphibians removing old skin.

• Spray Bottle 💧 – Used for misting the enclosure to increase humidity levels.

T

• Terrarium 🌿 – An enclosed space designed to house land-dwelling pets and maintain temperature and humidity.

• Thermometer 🌡️ – A tool for monitoring temperatures inside the enclosure.

• Thermostat 🎛️ – A device that regulates heaters to prevent overheating or underheating.

U

• UVB (Ultraviolet B) 🔆 – A type of light essential for vitamin D3 production and calcium metabolism in many reptiles.

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🦎Reptile Terminology

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🐾Animal Origins

There are several abbreviations used to describe where an animal originated the commonly used ones are:

CB - Captive Bred - This is an animal which has been bred in captivity.
WC - Wild Caught - These animals have been taken directly from the wild as either babies or adults.
LTC - Long Term Captive - These are wild caught animals which have been in captivity for a good while and are therefore usually well acclimatised.
CF - Captive Farmed - These are usually bred in semi captive conditions in their country of origin.
CH - Captive Hatched - This is where the eggs are taken from the wild or from animals of wild origin and hatched in captivity.

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🐍Snake Species Abbreviations

GTP - Green Tree Python
ATB - Amazon Tree Boa
ETB - Emerald Tree Boa

BCC - Boa constrictor constrictor - The redtailed boa
BCI - Boa constrictor imperator - The common boa

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📊Counting Animals

When people have more than one of the same species of animal they often abbreviate it to a series of 3 numbers eg 1.2.0 cornsnakes. The first number is the number of males, the second number is the number of females, and the third number is unknown sex.

1.0.0 - This is one male
0.1.0 - This is one female
1.2.0 - This is one male and two females
0.0.4 - This is four animals of unknown sex.