Your first reptile in Bangkok: how to choose without regretting it

The questions worth asking yourself before you pick a species. Not which one is cutest, but which one fits your space, your time and your tolerance.

Start from the space, not the photo

A Bangkok condo has a hard ceiling on floor space. An animal that needs a 120 centimetre enclosure as an adult becomes a problem in a year, not on day one. Judge the adult size, never the size in the shop.

Ask yourself what feeding you can live with

Some species eat frozen rodents, some eat live insects, some eat greens. If you or anyone you live with cannot accept mice in the freezer, rule those species out on day one. This is the most common reason people give a reptile up.

Bangkok humidity helps some species and hurts others

The air here is humid year round, which makes the high humidity species easier to keep than they are in Europe. It also means the arid species need more deliberate control than you would expect, and poor ventilation is where the health problems start.

Do not buy two because you think it will be lonely

Most reptiles do not want company. Many are stressed or injured by being housed together. Buy one, get it right, then expand.

Ask the shop the hard questions

When did this animal last eat. How long does it get as an adult. What enclosure does it need at that size. A shop that cannot answer is a shop that is not keeping its own animals properly.