🏠Bedding and habitat for your reptile: getting the size right

This is the structural purchase — and where mistakes cost the most: too small, badly placed, badly sized. Our guides give serious minimum dimensions for a reptile, the materials that last, and the traps of entry-level products.

The key point : Size the terrarium for the adult, not the juvenile: 120 × 60 × 60 cm for a bearded dragon, and OSB insulates better than all-glass.

Our dedicated guides

• Complete bearded dragon setup: what starting budget should you plan for?

  Terrarium, UVB, heating, decor, food: everything a complete bearded dragon kit includes, with a realistic starting budget of 400 to 700 €.

• Complete leopard gecko setup: what starting budget do you need?

  An 80 cm terrarium, heat mat, hides and calcium: what goes into a complete leopard gecko kit, with a starting budget of 250 to 450 €.

• Which terrarium for a corn snake? Size, security and budget

  Minimum dimensions, secure locking, thermal gradient: how to choose a terrarium for an adult corn snake, with a detailed budget.

• 3D terrarium backgrounds and decor: polystyrene, cork or resin?

  3D background decor for terrariums: cork panels, carved polystyrene or resin, prices, installation and safety for geckos, bearded dragons and snakes.

• Outdoor enclosure for a Hermann's tortoise: building and safety

  Outdoor enclosure for a Hermann's tortoise: minimum area, escape-proof walls, shelter, plants and a budget of 100 to 400 €, with a note on regulations.

• Substrate for tortoises: topsoil, soil-sand mix or wood chips?

  Which substrate for a tortoise in a terrarium or shelter: soil-sand mix, fertiliser-free topsoil, depth, prices and materials to avoid.

• Leopard gecko or bearded dragon: which should you choose first?

  Leopard gecko or bearded dragon as a first reptile? Budget, space, upkeep and handling compared so you pick the species that fits your home.

• Glass or OSB terrarium: which should you choose?

  Glass or OSB terrarium? Insulation, price, weight, upkeep and suitable species compared to pick the right enclosure between 100 and 400 €.

• First terrarium: the 7 mistakes you absolutely must avoid

  Undersized enclosure, unregulated heating, forgotten UVB: the 7 first-terrarium mistakes that cost dearly and how to dodge them from day one.

• Corn snake budget: how much does the first year cost?

  First year with a corn snake: 450 to 800 € all in. Breakdown of setup, frozen prey, electricity and vet costs.

• From juvenile to adult terrarium: when and how to upgrade?

  When to move your reptile to its adult terrarium, which gear to rebuy or keep, and how to manage the transition: the upgrade guide.

• Which terrarium for a leopard gecko or a bearded dragon? Size, glass or OSB

  Minimum dimensions, glass or OSB, ventilation, budget: the Planète Pets guide to choosing the right terrarium for a leopard gecko or a bearded dragon.

• Safe terrarium substrate: which to choose, which to avoid at all costs

  Paper towel, soil-sand mix, coconut fibre, beech chips: which substrates are safe for leopard geckos, bearded dragons or corn snakes, and which to ban.

Bedding & habitat by breed or species

• Leopard gecko
• Bearded dragon
• Corn snake
• Ball python
• Crested gecko
• Blue-tongue skink
• Hermann's tortoise
• Greek tortoise
• Red-eared slider
• Veiled chameleon
• Green iguana
• Chinese water dragon
• Green anole
• Pacman frog