Owner with Bearded Dragon photo by Sarah Beck

Foundations of Herpetological Husbandry

  • 8.2 hours
  • 52 lessons
  • Certificate

Foundations of Herpetological Husbandry is a self-paced course in science-based care for reptiles and amphibians in human care. It is written for people who already keep a reptile or amphibian, or are about to, and want their setup grounded in evidence rather than pet-store habit.

Across 52 short lessons you will work through what welfare means for an animal that cannot tell you how it feels; how to read the natural history of a species and turn it into an enclosure; heat, light and humidity, and the hardware that delivers them safely; enclosure size and furnishing; diet, water and supplementation; hygiene and quarantine; handling; recognizing illness early and knowing when a veterinarian is the right call; and the questions to ask before you buy, adopt or rescue an animal.

The course draws on the current husbandry literature and on ReptiFiles articles, used with permission, alongside the Reptile Lighting Guide and published welfare science. Where the field has moved on from older advice, the lesson says so and explains why.

No animal handling is required to complete the course. Completion earns a certificate of completion from The Herpetology Collective.

Good to know before you enroll

  • It is yours to keep. Buy the course once and you have access for as long as the course exists, including future revisions.

  • No deadlines. There is no cohort and no expiry. Work at whatever pace your life allows.

  • Refunds. There is a 14-day refund window, provided you have not worked through more than about a fifth of the course. The details are in the Refund and Returns Policy.

  • Splitting the payment. A credit-based payment plan is available at checkout.

  • If cost is the obstacle. Tuition assistance is available. Ask us.

  • What the certificate means. Finishing the required coursework earns a certificate of completion. It documents completion of The Herpetology Collective’s educational program. It is not an academic degree, professional license, government credential, or permission to handle wildlife outside the laws that apply where you live.

Course content

  1. Unit 0: Orientation

    1. Locked: H-0.01: How to Use This Course (and How to Read Husbandry Advice)
    2. Locked: H-0.02: The Five Provisions: The Yardstick This Course Uses

  2. Unit 1: Before You Commit

    1. Locked: H-1.01: Read a Book! Doing the Research First
    2. Locked: H-1.02: Consider Size and Longevity
    3. Locked: H-1.03: Demand Responsibly-sourced Animals
    4. Locked: H-1.04: Which Animal Fits Your Life?
    5. Locked: H-1.05: Consider Rescue!
    6. Locked: H-1.06: Consider the Cost: What a Proper Setup Costs in 2026
    7. Locked: H-1.07: A Keeper's Code of Conduct and Ethics

  3. Unit 2: How Their Bodies Work

    1. Locked: H-2.01: Ectotherms: Why Temperature Runs Everything
    2. Locked: H-2.02: Gradients are Key
    3. Locked: H-2.03: Replicate Nature and Read the Animal
    4. Locked: H-2.04: How to Research Any Species: A Repeatable Method
    5. Locked: H-2.05: Shedding: What Ecdysis Tells You
    6. Locked: H-2.06: Brumation, Aestivation, and Seasonal Change

  4. Unit 3: The Enclosure

    1. Locked: H-3.01: How Big? Sizing an Enclosure by Formula
    2. Locked: H-3.02: Proper Enclosures: Types, Materials, and Tradeoffs
    3. Locked: H-3.03: Substrate: Behavior, Impaction, and the Evidence
    4. Locked: H-3.04: The Importance of Hiding Places
    5. Locked: H-3.05: Furnishings, Layout, and Safe Materials
    6. Locked: H-3.06: Outdoor Enclosures and Natural Sunlight
    7. Locked: H-3.07: Bioactive Enclosures: What They Are and Are Not
    8. Locked: H-3.08: Community Enclosures (Cohabitation)

  5. Unit 4: Heat, Light, and Air

    1. Locked: H-4.01: Lighting for Herps, Part 1: Light Is Not Heat
    2. Locked: H-4.02: Lighting for Herps, Part 2: UVB, Vitamin D, and Ferguson Zones
    3. Locked: H-4.03: Heating Equipment: Making a Patch of Sunlight
    4. Locked: H-4.04: Thermostats: The Device That Prevents Burns and Fires
    5. Locked: H-4.05: Measuring What You Built: Thermometers, Hygrometers, and Probe Placement
    6. Locked: H-4.06: Humidity, Ventilation, and Air Quality

  6. Unit 5: Water and Food

    1. Locked: H-5.01: Water: Hydration and Water Quality
    2. Locked: H-5.02: Variety is the Spice of Life!
    3. Locked: H-5.03: Supplements: Calcium, Vitamin D3, and Reading Labels
    4. Locked: H-5.04: Invertebrate Feeders
    5. Locked: H-5.05: Whole Prey, Plant Diets, and Feeding Well
    6. Locked: H-5.06: Aquatic Turtles: Managing the Water They Live In

  7. Unit 6: Behavior, Enrichment, and Handling

    1. Locked: H-6.01: Even Herps Need Enrichment
    2. Locked: H-6.02: Handling: When, How, and When Not To
    3. Locked: H-6.03: Transporting Animals
    4. Locked: H-6.04: Escapes: Prevention and Response

  8. Unit 7: Health, Hygiene, and the Vet

    1. Locked: H-7.01: Cleanliness is Crucial: Handwashing, Salmonella, and Zoonoses
    2. Locked: H-7.02: Cleaning and Disinfecting Enclosures
    3. Locked: H-7.03: Quarantine and Biosecurity
    4. Locked: H-7.04: Choosing the Right Veterinarian
    5. Locked: H-7.05: Recognizing Illness Early and Keeping Records
    6. Locked: H-7.06: A Reptile and Amphibian First-Aid Kit
    7. Locked: H-7.07: From Husbandry Error to Illness: The Common Pathways

  9. Unit 8: Safety and Emergencies

    1. Locked: H-8.01: Fireproof Your Herp Room
    2. Locked: H-8.02: Emergency Preparedness: Outages, Storms, and Evacuation

  10. Unit 9: Responsibility and the Long Term

    1. Locked: H-9.01: We're Not Disposable! A Lifetime Commitment
    2. Locked: H-9.02: Never Release Captives Into the Wild!
    3. Locked: H-9.03: Rehoming, Breeding, and End-of-Life Decisions
    4. Locked: H-9.04: Keeping Your Knowledge Current

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