Designing environments for captive amphibians and reptiles.

Environments for captive amphibians and reptiles play a critical role in their long-term health, and veterinarians need to be informed of the requirements of various species when evaluating the causes of disease. Enclosure size, substrates, landscaping, heating, lighting, and relative humidity are the areas of primary concern when designing vivaria. Two different approaches are used when keeping amphibians and reptiles, depending primarily on the size of the species maintained: a laboratory animal-type system and naturalistic vivarium system. The latter places more emphasis on simulating essential elements of natural habitats and on aesthetic appeal of the display.