mixed species for reptiles
- Thread starter flamboy
- Start date
There are so many successful combinations that its not really worth starting species specific list. I have seen....
crocodilians sharing with lizards
crocodilians sharing with terrapins
terrapins sharing with tortoises
terrapins sharing with lizards
lizards sharing with terrapins and tortoises
lizards sharing with lizards
lizards sharing with snakes
snakes sharing with snakes
and even snakes sharing with crocodilians.
so that really only leaves snakes sharing with terrapins or tortoises, which must be a bad idea and tuataras - which i have never seen share with anything.
crocodilians sharing with lizards
crocodilians sharing with terrapins
terrapins sharing with tortoises
terrapins sharing with lizards
lizards sharing with terrapins and tortoises
lizards sharing with lizards
lizards sharing with snakes
snakes sharing with snakes
and even snakes sharing with crocodilians.
so that really only leaves snakes sharing with terrapins or tortoises, which must be a bad idea and tuataras - which i have never seen share with anything.
LizardInsanity
Well-Known Member
Personally for me :
Tokays and Reticulated Pythons
Green Mamba and Gaboon Viper
Plated Lizard and Pancake Tortoise
Timber Rattlesnake and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Black Rat Snake
Various crocodilians mixed with turtles and fish
Eyelash Vipers and Poison Dartfrogs
And I think you could possibly house veiled chameleons with tortoises and uromastyx but I am not sure if anywhere does this
Tokays and Reticulated Pythons
Green Mamba and Gaboon Viper
Plated Lizard and Pancake Tortoise
Timber Rattlesnake and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Black Rat Snake
Various crocodilians mixed with turtles and fish
Eyelash Vipers and Poison Dartfrogs
And I think you could possibly house veiled chameleons with tortoises and uromastyx but I am not sure if anywhere does this
really? i taught that a young retic would eat the gecko, guess im wrong you got an example of a zoo housing the two together? agree with everything, except for the gaboon with the mamba, cause they come from quite different areas i believe, but than again im no expert, you got an example for that as well?
Last time I visited, I think Paignton Zoo mixed a tokay gecko in with yellow anacondas.
LizardInsanity
Well-Known Member
Both of those places are at Clyde Peelings Reptiland
Some examples at Melbourne Zoo's reptile house:
- Boa constrictor and green iguana
- Tawny dragon and striped legless lizard
- Ball python and tokay gecko
- Merten's water monitor and freshwater crocodile (have seen this same mix at Melbourne Aquarium)
- Southern forest dragon and pink-tongued skink
- Centralian blue-tongued skink and ridge-tailed monitor
- Coastal taipan and brown tree snake
- Arafura file snake and freshwater crocodile (together with some brackish fish species)
- Philippine sail-finned dragon with Carolina box turtle, painted turtle and I think Macquarie river turtle
- Green basilisk (I think) and twist-necked turtle
- Emerald tree boa and Honduran milk snake
- Frilled dragon and Hosmer's skink
- Fijian crested iguana (I think) and star tortoise
- Diamondback rattlesnake and corn snake
The zoo also has turtles and (at least previously, not sure about now) Australian water dragons in the Great Flight Aviary.
As you might have noticed, they do not always observe the geographical niceties when it comes to mixing species. I don't really have a problem with this. The signage makes it clear where the respective species come from and the zoo is able to exhibit more species than if they imposed strict zoogeographical realism on their mixed-species exhibits.
The 'I thinks' are exhibits where there is definitely an iguanid lizard with those testudine species, but I may have the pairings the wrong way around.
- Boa constrictor and green iguana
- Tawny dragon and striped legless lizard
- Ball python and tokay gecko
- Merten's water monitor and freshwater crocodile (have seen this same mix at Melbourne Aquarium)
- Southern forest dragon and pink-tongued skink
- Centralian blue-tongued skink and ridge-tailed monitor
- Coastal taipan and brown tree snake
- Arafura file snake and freshwater crocodile (together with some brackish fish species)
- Philippine sail-finned dragon with Carolina box turtle, painted turtle and I think Macquarie river turtle
- Green basilisk (I think) and twist-necked turtle
- Emerald tree boa and Honduran milk snake
- Frilled dragon and Hosmer's skink
- Fijian crested iguana (I think) and star tortoise
- Diamondback rattlesnake and corn snake
The zoo also has turtles and (at least previously, not sure about now) Australian water dragons in the Great Flight Aviary.
As you might have noticed, they do not always observe the geographical niceties when it comes to mixing species. I don't really have a problem with this. The signage makes it clear where the respective species come from and the zoo is able to exhibit more species than if they imposed strict zoogeographical realism on their mixed-species exhibits.
The 'I thinks' are exhibits where there is definitely an iguanid lizard with those testudine species, but I may have the pairings the wrong way around.
I think there's a difference here between could and should. Snakes should not be kept with anything, even another snake unless for breeding purposes. They can and will eat anything they can fit in their mouth if they get peckish. King snakes and milk snakes are well known for cannibalistic tendencies and will eat other snakes even if not hungry.
Crocodilians I believe can be kept with turtles because of the shell, but personally I would bet that they'd be quick enough to get a leg if they fancied. Anything else they would have a go at if they got the chance. I did see a lovely exhibit with caiman and butterflies last year which I can't see any issues with really.
Some lizards can be kept together but only if their humidity/temperature requirements match. Lizards come from all over, from deserts to rainforests and generally need different care with a few exceptions.
Turtles are mostly fine all together, but caution should be taken with more aggressive species Tortoises are also fine together as long as the heatlamp is a sufficient level to warm the smaller ones without the bigger ones getting burnt.
Some of the combinations mentioned already will most likely be because the zoos really aren't bothered who gets eaten, corn snake with diamondback for example will most likely finish with a dead corn snake within a year. I assume the zoo knows this and couldn't care less because corns are common. Sad but true.
Crocodilians I believe can be kept with turtles because of the shell, but personally I would bet that they'd be quick enough to get a leg if they fancied. Anything else they would have a go at if they got the chance. I did see a lovely exhibit with caiman and butterflies last year which I can't see any issues with really.
Some lizards can be kept together but only if their humidity/temperature requirements match. Lizards come from all over, from deserts to rainforests and generally need different care with a few exceptions.
Turtles are mostly fine all together, but caution should be taken with more aggressive species Tortoises are also fine together as long as the heatlamp is a sufficient level to warm the smaller ones without the bigger ones getting burnt.
Some of the combinations mentioned already will most likely be because the zoos really aren't bothered who gets eaten, corn snake with diamondback for example will most likely finish with a dead corn snake within a year. I assume the zoo knows this and couldn't care less because corns are common. Sad but true.