Sacramento Zoo My two cents on Sacramento Zoo's Reptile house

V

Viper

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
I personally believe that the Sacramento Zoo should strive for immersive exhibits in their reptile house. Many of them are barren and an eyesore that also does not do the inhabitants justice, for example, the club tailed iguana enclosure. The reptile house at this zoo is a major attraction, charming both kids and adults alike by displaying a diverse collection in which some are familiar (crocodile, boa, dart frogs), while others are completely alien (axolotl, caecilian). The reptile house itself is satisfactory, providing some excellent enclosures that are commendable in terms of landscaping and design, though leaving the rest pretty sucky. Well-designed exhibits are crucial to the education of the general public and shouldn’t be skimped on to make the space functional (there is a difference). Both the MOLA and Lair are spectacular reptile destinations and should be every zoo’s goal to display their reptiles in a similar way. Just my two cents. . .

The Best of Sacramento Zoo’s Reptile house (from the gallery)


- The West African Dwarf Crocodile Exhibit (photo by snowleopard)
http://www.zoochat.com/948/west-african-dwarf-crocodile-exhibit-233649/

- The Red Tailed Boa Enclosure (photo by snowleopard)
http://www.zoochat.com/948/red-tailed-boa-constrictor-exhibit-233648/

There were a few others that I didn't see in the gallery

1: Green Tree Python and Carpet Python Enclosure (mixed species)
2: Poison Dart Frog Exhibit
3: Sonoran Sidewinder(average)

Sacramento Zoo Reptile Collection: Zoo Animals - Reptiles - The Sacramento Zoo

Viper
 
It is a pretty good reptile house for being built in 1970. They used to have most of the species of large snakes crammed into it (anacondas, pythons, boa constrictors), but have replaced them mostly with appropriate species for the size of the enclosures. It may be the best reptile house in Northern California, although the new California Academy of Sciences has a really good reptile collection too.
 
An excerpt from my 2011 review:

Reptile House – There are quite a few unusual species in the 37 exhibits within this building, although there is potential for many more terrariums as there were a number of empty, blacked-out enclosures that could easily boost that number. Amongst the 41 species are many constricting snakes and surprisingly very few venomous animals. Species list: Bengal monitor, emperor flat rock lizard, Chinese crocodile lizard, collared lizard, rainbow sand lizard, spiny-tailed lizard, green crested basilisk, prehensile-tailed skink, gila monster, club-tailed iguana, Honduran club-tailed iguana, standing’s day gecko, Bibron’s gecko, Puerto Rican boa, red-tailed boa constrictor, rainbow boa, rubber boa, ball python, green tree python, carpet python, giant garter snake, Taylor’s cantil, northern Pacific rattlesnake, sidewinder rattlesnake, gopher snake, flat-tailed tortoise, African pancake tortoise, western pond turtle, aquatic caecilian, axolotl, California tiger salamander, California newt, marine toad, Colorado river toad, fire bellied toad, legless lizard, West African dwarf crocodile, White’s tree frog, green tree frog, northern red-legged frog and poison dart frogs (assorted species in 2 exhibits).

There are 34 exhibits that range in size from tiny tanks to average-sized terrariums that are found at many zoos. However, there are 3 large exhibits with these species: red-tailed boa constrictor; West African dwarf crocodile in a much too small enclosure; and a carpet python/green tree python/White’s tree frog exhibit.
 
@DavidBrown

So, you're saying that the reptile complex doesn't need improvement? I understand that it is maybe the best reptile house in northern/central California but, like all zoo's there is always room for improvement. Hopefully, after some renovations happen with the primate complexes, the reptile house could be their next focus. It would be nice to have an exhibit as spectacular as the LAIR in northern California.

Viper
 
Viper said:
@DavidBrown

So, you're saying that the reptile complex doesn't need improvement?

Viper
Click to expand...

No, I'm saying that for a 40+ year old building the reptile house is still remarkably functional and that none of the other zoos in northern California have built a better reptile house. Oakland has a good, but small, reptile house in the kid's zoo. San Francisco Zoo has no reptile house. The California Academy of Sciences has a great reptile collection, but most of it is in tanks comparable to Sacramento. I think that you make a really good point about barren tanks in the Sac reptile house not being attractive and hopefully that will change.

It would be nice if Sacramento could do something really special like have tuataras and/or build an extension with a Komodo dragon exhibit. There is always room for improvement - especially as more is learned about captive reptile and amphibian husbandry and enrichment.
 
The zoo doesn't seem to be very public about their reptile breeding program, although, if you must know, contacting the zoo is an option.

Cheers,
Viper
 
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