Reptile & amphibian care & vivarium setup
VivariumHub is a free, one-species-per-page care resource covering 36 popular pet reptiles and amphibians. Every guide lists the exact temperature, UVB, humidity, diet, and enclosure size that species needs — plus an interactive UVB calculator, a bioactive vivarium builder, and where to buy.
Care sheets, a UVB setup calculator, and where to buy — for every popular pet reptile and amphibian.
Snakes
Pet snakes like the ball python and corn snake are calm, low-maintenance beginner reptiles that need a warm-to-cool thermal gradient, secure hides, and the right humidity — most need little or no UVB.
Ball Python Full care guide · 165K searches/mo Guide 
Corn Snake Full care guide · 165K searches/mo Guide 
Hognose Snake Full care guide · 135K searches/mo Guide 
Kingsnake Full care guide · 110K searches/mo Guide 
Boa Constrictor Full care guide · 74K searches/mo Guide 
California Kingsnake Full care guide · 33K searches/mo Guide 
Mexican Black Kingsnake Full care guide · 18K searches/mo Guide 
Florida Kingsnake Full care guide · 4K searches/mo Guide 
Milk Snake Full care guide Guide Lizards
Pet lizards range from the beginner-friendly bearded dragon to color-changing chameleons and large tegus. Most are active baskers that need a hot basking spot and strong UVB.
Bearded Dragon Full care guide · 368K searches/mo Guide 
Chameleon Full care guide · 368K searches/mo Guide 
Tegu Full care guide · 61K searches/mo Guide 
Blue-Tongue Skink Full care guide · 50K searches/mo Guide 
Panther Chameleon Full care guide · 33K searches/mo Guide 
Green Anole Full care guide · 33K searches/mo Guide 
Jackson's Chameleon Full care guide · 22K searches/mo Guide Geckos
Pet geckos such as the leopard gecko and crested gecko are among the easiest reptiles to keep — small, hardy, and (for crested geckos) needing no special heating or UVB.
Turtles & Tortoises
Pet turtles and tortoises split into aquatic turtles like the red-eared slider (filtered water + a basking dock) and grazing tortoises like the sulcata and Russian — both need strong UVB and decades of commitment.
Red-Eared Slider Full care guide · 91K searches/mo Guide 
Sulcata Tortoise Full care guide · 61K searches/mo Guide 
Russian Tortoise Full care guide · 27K searches/mo Guide 
Red-Footed Tortoise Full care guide · 22K searches/mo Guide 
Hermann's Tortoise Full care guide · 18K searches/mo Guide 
Greek Tortoise Full care guide · 5K searches/mo Guide 
Star Tortoise Full care guide · 4K searches/mo Guide Amphibians
Pet amphibians — dart frogs, tree frogs, and pacman frogs — are kept at room temperature in humid, planted bioactive vivariums and eat small live insects like fruit flies and crickets.
Tree Frog Full care guide · 832K searches/mo Guide 
Pacman Frog Full care guide · 204K searches/mo Guide 
Glass Frog Full care guide · 103K searches/mo Guide 
Strawberry Dart Frog Full care guide · 27K searches/mo Guide 
Golden Poison Frog Full care guide · 16K searches/mo Guide 
Golden Mantella Full care guide · 15K searches/mo Guide 
Fire-Bellied Toad Full care guide · 11K searches/mo Guide 
Dyeing Dart Frog Full care guide · 11K searches/mo Guide 
Green-and-Black Dart Frog Full care guide · 8K searches/mo Guide 
Thumbnail Dart Frog Full care guide · 6K searches/mo Guide 
Yellow-Banded Dart Frog Full care guide · 4K searches/mo Guide Reptile & amphibian FAQ
What is the best pet reptile for beginners?
The best beginner reptiles are the leopard gecko, crested gecko, corn snake, ball python, and bearded dragon. All five are hardy, widely captive-bred, and forgiving of small husbandry mistakes — though a bearded dragon needs more space and stronger UVB than the others.
What is the easiest reptile to keep?
The crested gecko is the easiest reptile for most people — it thrives at room temperature with no basking lamp, needs little or no UVB, and eats a ready-made powdered diet instead of live insects.
Do all reptiles need UVB?
No. Most snakes need little or no UVB, while basking lizards (bearded dragons, tegus) and tortoises need strong UVB to stay healthy. Each species page has a UVB calculator that gives the exact bulb strength and mounting distance.
What's the difference between a reptile and an amphibian?
Reptiles (snakes, lizards, geckos, turtles) have scales and dry skin; amphibians (frogs, toads) have moist, permeable skin and live in humid vivariums. Both are covered here because they share equipment like bioactive vivariums and live feeders.
Build a Bioactive Vivarium
Calculate drainage, substrate, cleanup crew, and plants for any enclosure size — tropical, temperate, or arid. Our free interactive builder gives you quantities and buy links in seconds.