So I have been wanting to keep some more reptiles but don’t have much space inside and i’ve been doing research on reptiles that i can keep outside but i can only find animals i can keep outside during the summer and not the colder months anyone have some ideas for what i can keep outdoors yearly
1 Like
certain turtles and tortoise are pretty much your only options and they are limited at that
2 Likes
Growing up in ny… I’ve seen some native species of garter snakes that would be able to tolerate it in Washington… but honestly I wouldn’t even risk it.
Anything you house outside would need to be carefully prepped for brumation each year and that is a ton of stress or potential death of the animal to deal with if not properly housed and conditioned.
I’ve seen people loose seemingly healthy animals while simulating brumation behaviors because a simple bacterial infection can run rampant while they’re inactive or food left in the belly can cause issues as well.
Maaaaybe a heated pond for red ear sliders or painted turtles can work. But that would be the only thing I’d try
3 Likes
Russian tortoises would probably do just fine. In their native habitat, they hibernate for as much as half of the year.
3 Likes
Unless you like in a warm climate conducive to keeping reptiles, just because you have no space inside is no good reason to house a reptile outside. Unless you would be interested in putting in a koi pond in your backyard.
This is just my opinion of course but if anyone does come up with a inside/outside reptile it would be interesting.
4 Likes
I would like to add to what I said earlier. If you go with turtles, you will need a large pond about 4 feet deep with a large heater to turn on if it gets under 0 degrees for extended periods of time. A lot of Mediterranean tortoises species go through similar climates in there native habitats so you may want to look into them.
2 Likes
Thank you i’ve been thinking about it and I don’t really want turtles or tortoises unless its a box turtle but they aren’t able to survive here it gets 30 degrees lowest during the harsh winter months but i’ll just wait for room to open up inside
1 Like
Get Leaf Tail Gecko or a Leopard Gecko.
They can be housed in a small cage / aquarium and set on your dresser and stay in the house all year. One or two will not take up much space at all.
In my opinion because were you live it will be hard to care for any reptile, turtle or tortoise outside year around.
2 Likes
I have a leopard gecko already i want to get a crested or some arboreal gecko maybe some morning geckos but the exo teras are a little expensive for me and I don’t want them to break during shipping so i’m gonna see if i can build me own wooden enclosures
1 Like
Might be worth looking into Russian ratsnakes. Very hardy and cold tolerant.
The problem with snakes is they can escape easily if your not careful
Ok thank you
A crested Gecko can live in a vertical vivarium so as not to take up much space at all- it’ll fit on a nightstand or desk easily. Do some research, but they make great pets and can be handled.
2 Likes
Bouncing off @athleticshoelace’s suggestion, mourning geckos could be kept in an even smaller enclosure. They’re not nearly as handleable as a crestie, since they’re tiny and quick, but they can be kept in groups, which is neat, since you can observe them interacting with each other. Plus they’re all female and reproduce via parthenogenesis, which is pretty freaking cool.
2 Likes
Garter snakes. Its too cold here