Reptielenhuis De Aarde Reptielenhuis de Aarde, the newest Dutch zoo

IceQueen

IceQueen

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
As off late july there is a new official zoo in the Netherlands called Reptielenhuis de Aarde. It's a small reptilehouse situated in Breda. They've been open since march 31st, but just got an offical license last week.

I've visited the zoo yesterday and was very impressed. It's very well build, looks amazing and all the animals have nice, big enclosures with natural settings. They don't have very special species, but that's ok, cause it's just a great way to see some reptiles and enjoy yourself for a few hours

You can encounter some animals and hold them or touch them, like a turtle, bearded dragon or a snake. They also have a very relaxed water monitor who can be let out of it's enclosure to walk around a bit, you may also touch him.

The staff is very nice and devoted, it's a hobby turned into a zoo.

I think it's a good edition to the Dutch zoo's.

Their website: http:Welkom bij het reptielenhuis De Aarde

The pictures I took can be found here: Reptielenhuis de Aarde | Zoosite (click on fotoimpressie)
 
this looks like a nice place. Unfortunately it seems there are no photos on their website showing the terrariums, but from your own site they do indeed look large and nicely-displayed.
 
Today I went to visit one of the Netherlands newest public animal-collections "de Aarde" in Breda. It opened last year and I had heared already some positife reactions about it.
It a little difficult to find but after I had managed that http://www.zoochat.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif/bmi_orig_img/biggrin.gif
I entered the hal and was suprised by the enormous enclosure in which the animals are kept !
The collection is quite standard and not very large but the animals all looked very healthy and enjoyed the space offered.
Species seen : Spured,Red-fooded and Leopard tortoises
Red-cheeked and Yellow-cheeked turtles
Bearded dragon, Frilled-,Philippine Sialfin- and Australian Waterdragons ( these last ones are quite rare in European collections )
Crowned basilisks
Green, Rhino and Black Iguana ( from the Rhino there is only one, from the Black iguana I only saw one specimen )
Yemen chameleon
Black and White - and Red tejus
Solomon Mangrove, Water and Black-throated monitors
Reticulated ( a REAL big specimen ! ) and Tiger python
some other - smaller snake-species
Dwarf caiman and African Dwarf crocodil
Cane toad ( also a HUGE specimen seen ) and Giant leaf frogs
Goliath bird-eating spider
Breeding-results so far have been few and I know only about some Red-fooded tortoises which have been hatched.
The hal has 2 levels and realy makes a clean impresion. Down-stairs there is a nice pond with lots of plants in which the turtles are kept. Up-stairs is build like a board-walk and you can look down to the ground-level.
Conclusion : a small but very nice reptile-collection surtainly worth visiting if you are around !
 
Visited De Aarde again today and it still is a very clean collection in which the animals seems to do very well. Talked with the owner and a keeper - which were both very friendly and gave all the information asked ! - and they told me that a third species has been bred succesfully : Sailfin Lizards have been hatched.
Further several tortoise-species had laid eggs ( Leopard and Red-footed )
Chucwalla-eggs
Green Iguana eggs
Bearded dragons eggs
Cane toads also had producted eggs but these were not hatched.
 
New species kept at De Aarde : a male Fiji banded iguana ( for a female they are still searching ) :).
 
Visited De Aarde today and it still is a very good and clean zoo and the animals all looked fine. A few changes since my last visit, some animals had changed enclosure ( Australian water agames were now together with the Crowned basilisks ), some were gone ( Tree frogs, Yemen chameleon, Solomon mangrove monitor, Black-throated monitor ) and some were new ( Fijian banded iguana, Carpet chameleon, Carpet python ).
It was quite buzzy so didn't talk with the owner about breeding results - will do that next time.
Already have uploaded some pictures and more will follow.
 
it looks like a nicely-kept place. The terrariums are interesting, with their glass panels going straight from the floor (makes them look like museum cases to me) but I like how they are well-furnished inside.
 
I agree with you Chlidonias and they are also very large which is not always the case in many other collections !
 
I found it difficult to judge their sizes, but one of my major bug-bears with reptiles in zoos is how they are all too often housed in very small tanks, often poorly-furnished. This place seems so much better.
 
Chlidonias said:
I found it difficult to judge their sizes, but one of my major bug-bears with reptiles in zoos is how they are all too often housed in very small tanks, often poorly-furnished. This place seems so much better.
Click to expand...

Chlidonias, it is the work of true herptile friends. Hence, the quality of exhibitry for the species concerned as well as presentation-wise are so much the better than in most conventional zoos.
 
Visited De Aarde today and noticed a few changes :
Cane toad not seen anymore, enclosure contained now a medium-sized Reticulated python ( the big reticulated pythons are still in one of the realy big enclosures ).
For the male Fiji banded iguana a female has been found
Didn't see the Red tegus anymore.
 
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