Sources and method

What we treat as a source, how we settle disagreements between them, and how to read the gauges beside each guide.

What counts as a source

Veterinary groups and schools come first: exotics vet associations such as the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV), and university veterinary schools. Welfare charities such as the RSPCA, the House Rabbit Society and the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund come next, because they publish detailed husbandry advice. Peer-reviewed papers are used wherever a claim needs one.

Retailer pages, product listings, social posts and forum threads are not sources for any temperature, portion or health statement.

When sources disagree

They do, more often than people expect. Where two credible sources give different advice, the page says so, names each source and explains the difference. When we have to sort foods or settings into groups, an item goes in the stricter group if any one source advises caution.

Reading the vitals panel

The temperature bar is a scale with colored bands. For reptiles the bands mark the cool side, the warm side and the basking spot, and the gap between them is intentional because an animal needs a gradient. The humidity ring highlights the target range on a 0 to 100 percent scale. UVB is shown in four steps that follow the Ferguson zones used in reptile husbandry, with the usual zones for the species highlighted. The diet bar shows the share each food group should make up.

A panel only shows the gauges we have a source for. If a gauge is missing, we did not find a source good enough to draw it. Rabbit pages, for example, carry a diet bar and no temperature bar yet.

Care levels

When a species overview shows a care level, it is our editorial rating and not a scientific scale. It weighs the space needed, how hard it is to find a vet who treats the species, lifespan, daily time and how sensitive the animal is to mistakes in setup. It is meant to help you compare species, not to tell you that a species is easy.

Individual animals vary

Every range on this site describes a healthy adult of the species. Age, size, illness and breeding all shift what a particular animal needs, so ask your vet before changing an animal's diet or heat setup on the strength of a website.