Practical Reptile Keeping – January 2026

Summary

Practical Reptile Keeping January 2026 leads with Timothy Zedi's buyer guide to five gecko species — from the 20-25cm leopard gecko to the 43cm leachianus — alongside the first documented captive breeding of the 13.9cm Fea's treefrog (Rhacophorus feae) by Russian keepers Anna and Mikhail Bagaturov. News breaks on Paradoxophidion richardoweni, a 37-million-year-old fossil snake from Hampshire.

This January 2026 issue of Practical Reptile Keeping opens with breeder Timothy Zedi ranking five gecko species for keepers of every level. Leopard geckos remain the entry-level favourite at 20-25cm; African fat-tailed geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) are described as the calmest at 15-20cm; the diurnal Phelsuma grandis reaches 25-30cm and needs UVB; Australian knob-tails stay at 10-15cm; and the New Caledonian leachianus tops out at 43cm and lives past 20 years.

The breakout feature documents the first successful captive breeding of Fea's treefrog (Rhacophorus feae), a 13.9cm rhacophorid previously thought smaller than the white-lipped treefrog. Anna and Mikhail Bagaturov detail a 12 December pairing, a foam nest of approximately 400 eggs with 65-70% fertility, and metamorphosis in 56-80 days under UVB at 23-26°C. John Courteney-Smith visits Eco Exotics to discuss super dwarf reticulated pythons from Indonesia's Korompa and Madu islands, kept under 2.4m long, alongside a parallel Abronia alligator lizard breeding programme with 28 known species.

News & Views, compiled by G. Valentine, delivers four peer-reviewed stories: a 26-year Dendrobates duellmani holotype error corrected at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute; the 37-million-year-old Paradoxophidion richardoweni described from 1981 Hordle Cliff fossils; the long-traced origins of the amphibian-killing chytrid fungus; and Satyrex ferox, a feisty new tarantula from Saudi Arabia. Regulars include a Broadley's flat lizard close-up and Dr Sean McCormack on the shortage of exotic vets in the UK and Ireland.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.20 · The top five geckos

Zedi ranks leopard geckos, African fat-tailed geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus), the Madagascan day gecko Phelsuma grandis, knob-tailed Nephrurus species and the leachianus (Rhacodactylus leachianus) for hobbyists. Each profile gives adult size, temperament and a specific care detail — leopard geckos need a vitamin-D3 calcium bowl, leachianus need 60-80% humidity with multiple hides and are not first-pet geckos. The at-a-glance table lists basking temperatures from 30-36°C and incubation periods ranging from 42 to 150 days. Useful as a first-purchase checklist before you visit a breeder.

▸ News & Views

p.4 · A deceptive dartfrog is unmasked

University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute researchers corrected a 26-year mistake: the 1999 Dendrobates duellmani holotype (specimen KU 221832) was the wrong catalogue-numbered specimen. The frog is now reclassified as the Amazon dartfrog, Ranitomeya ventrimaculata. Collection manager Ana Motta argues the case proves natural-history museums need extended-specimen holotypes that include calls, DNA and field data — not just a single photograph. Take-home: never describe a new species from a single photo; always verify the actual specimen before publishing.

p.4 · New snake found in southern England

Hampshire's 1981 Hordle Cliff fossils have been identified as Paradoxophidion richardoweni, a 37-million-year-old early caenophidian snake — the lineage that includes most living snakes. CT scans of the Natural History Museum's 31 vertebrae produced a digital model that links this species to elephant-trunk snakes. Named for Sir Richard Owen, who first found fossil snakes at the same site. Practical lesson: museum collections still hold undescribed species from decades-old fieldwork, so any herper visiting the Natural History Museum should check the reptile fossil drawers.

p.4 · Feisty new tarantula species found

Saudi Arabian fieldwork has yielded Satyrex ferox, a new tarantula notable for its enlarged male reproductive organs that prompted the new genus Satyrex. Related species include Satyrex speciosus from Somaliland. Researchers describe the spider's anatomy and behaviour alongside habitat photos from the Arabian peninsula. Practical lesson: tarantula taxonomy is being reshaped by genital morphology, so hobbyists should track the peer-reviewed papers before trusting a vendor's species label on a tarantula purchase.

▸ Species Care & Husbandry

p.26 · Breeding difficulties in a Kenyan sand boa

Dr Joanna Hedley walks through Pumpkin, a four-year-old Kenyan sand boa (Eryx colubrinus) showing late-stage pregnancy complications. Ultrasound and a Doppler probe confirmed viable foetuses; an overnight nesting setup produced 20 healthy neonates after one initial loss. Hedley flags that Kenyan sand boa gestation can run anywhere from three to eight months because females store sperm. Take-home: scan a late-stage boa to confirm foetal heartbeats and stage of pregnancy before intervening; have a deep, burrowable nest box ready by the expected due date.

p.28 · Choosing the right bedding for your reptile

Anthony Iglesias of LBS compares two newer substrates. Lignocel is a low-dust spruce fibre with strong humidity buffering, ideal for boas, pythons, corn snakes and burrowing lizards. Alpha-Dri is virtually dust-free processed cellulose aimed at leopard geckos, bearded dragons and quarantine or post-surgery enclosures. Pick Lignocel for naturalistic setups where burrowing and behavioural enrichment matter; pick Alpha-Dri where sterility and odour control dominate. Avoid pine and cedar shavings entirely — both substrates are hypoallergenic, biodegradable and screened for phenols and aromatic oils.

p.36 · Corn snakes and lighting

Abigail Nail's Reaseheath College study divided 12 hatchling Pantherophis guttatus into three UVB groups using Arcadia 2%, 6% and 12% T8 tubes. The 2% group basked more than controls, with measurable behavioural improvement but no difference in growth or length over 17 weeks. Recommendation: a 2% Arcadia bulb mounted behind a mesh barrier at 10cm, producing 0.5-0.6 UVI at the basking branch, is a sensible starting point for hatchling corn snakes — not a free pass to skip UV entirely.

p.38 · Out of Africa: Spots and stripes

Paul Donovan profiles the leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) of Botswana, the second-largest African tortoise at over 70cm carapace and 20kg. Captive notes: 27-30°C daytime with a 31-33°C basking spot, full-spectrum UVB and a 12-14 hour photoperiod; no hibernation, but cooler winter housing at 25-28°C overnight. Diet is grass, dandelions, leafy greens and grated carrots dusted with calcium — no significant fruit. Eggs incubate 5-6 months at 30-31°C in damp vermiculite, with TSD: 22.5-27°C gives mostly males, around 30°C mostly females.

▸ Breeding Projects

p.46 · Eco Exotics: Breeding snakes that suit you!

John Courteney-Smith interviews Dave at Eco Exotics on super dwarf reticulated pythons from Indonesia's Korompa, Kalatoa and Madu islands. The largest pure super dwarf male measured 2m at seven years; selective breeding aims for 99% SD blood over decades. Smith also covers the collection's parallel Abronia alligator lizard project: 28 species range from Mexico to northern South America and the lizards climb up to 40m in trees. Take-home: ask any reticulated python vendor for locality papers before assuming an animal will stay under 2.4m.

p.55 · First breeding of the world's largest treefrog

Anna and Mikhail Bagaturov document the first captive breeding of Rhacophorus feae, a rhacophorid previously ranked below the white-lipped treefrog but now considered possibly the world's largest at 13.9cm females. A 12 December pairing at 14-16°C produced a 16x14x10cm foam nest of about 400 eggs with 65-70% fertility; tadpoles raised at 23-26°C with aquarium aeration metamorphosed in 56-80 days. Success factors: UVB, varied diet with pinkie mice, group housing with thin branches, and a fast temperature drop to trigger amplexus.

▸ Regulars

p.34 · Reptile Focus: Broadley's flat lizard

A one-page profile of Platysaurus broadleyi, the Augrabies flat lizard of South Africa's Augrabies Falls National Park. Males carry ultraviolet-rich throat patches that signal dominance and have three times the UV-receptor density of typical lizards. They leap into the air to catch flies around visitors, supplement their insect diet with Namaqua figs, and follow bird flocks to ripe trees. Females lay two summer clutches. The photo page doubles as a quick reference for anyone considering this species or comparing flat lizards with other rock-dwelling agamids.

p.60 · Vet Talk

Dr Sean McCormack (University College Dublin) on the shortage of exotic vets in the UK and Ireland. Most vet students get only a couple of weeks of herp lectures in their final year, leaving general practitioners underprepared for reptile cases. He explains the elective and EMS routes that lead to specialisation, and warns that bearded dragons have become a rescue-centre casualty because low prices encourage owners to skimp on UV and housing. Take-home: locate a referral exotics practice before you buy a reptile, and budget for higher consult fees.

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Editor's Take

The January 2026 issue delivers unusually heavy science for a hobbyist title. David Alderton's news desk leads with a genuine 26-year taxonomy correction at the University of Kansas and a brand-new 37-million-year-old British fossil snake named for Sir Richard Owen — both stories with clear keepers' takeaways. The Fea's treefrog breeding protocol by the Bagaturovs is the standout feature: a transparent, data-rich case study with specific dates, group sizes and temperatures, rather than the usual husbandry gloss. Corn-snake UVB testing and the super dwarf retic interview give working keepers useful numbers. Weaknesses: the cover is essentially a stock Madagascan day gecko photo, and Vet Talk opens with bearded dragon market commentary rather than clinical content. Best suited to active keepers rather than absolute beginners.

Strengths
• News desk treats keepers like adults, with peer-reviewed sources cited inline
• Fea's treefrog protocol includes exact dates, group sizes and temperatures
• Corn-snake UVB study gives working keepers specific 2% bulb and 0.5-0.6 UVI numbers

Weaknesses
• Vet Talk opens on bearded dragon market commentary rather than clinical content
• Several pages of LBS product specifications read like an embedded catalogue

Verdict: Recommended — 12 items, science-grade features, light on clinical vet advice