🏠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

• Vertical terrarium for a crested gecko: height, ventilation and humidity

  Vertical terrarium for a crested gecko: why height matters more than floor space, what size fits each age, and how to manage the humidity cycle.

• Green anoles: keeping and breeding them in a terrarium

  Keeping and breeding green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) successfully: vertical terrarium, heat and UVB, group make-up, and breeding conditions.

• The blue-tongue skink: setup and basic care

  Floor space, heat and UVB, substrate, and an omnivorous diet: the basics for housing and correctly feeding a blue-tongue skink (Tiliqua).

• Hibernating a Greek tortoise outdoors: how to prepare it properly

  Preparing a Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) for outdoor hibernation: pre-hibernation health check, a frost-free shelter, monitoring, and a safe wake-up.

• Breeding green anoles: setting up a breeding terrarium

  How to breed the green anole (Anolis carolinensis): winter cooling, egg-laying, incubation, and the gear for a breeding terrarium. A step-by-step guide.

• What Terrarium for a Green Anole: Size, Height and Setup

  What size terrarium for a green anole? Minimum dimensions, height, planting, UVB lighting and a thermal gradient for a successful setup.

• 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.

• Mold and condensation in a humid terrarium: diagnosing and fixing it

  Persistent fogging, mold patches on the decor: the causes of excess condensation in a humid terrarium (water dragon, crested gecko, chameleon) and how to fix it.

• Green anoles in a group: cohabitation, dominant males and beginner mistakes

  The green anole lives in small groups, but only one male per terrarium: here is how to build a balanced group, spot a bullied individual and avoid the mistakes that stress these lizards.

• The leopard gecko's moist hide: essential for a successful shed

  Without a moist hide, the leopard gecko risks an incomplete shed on its toes and tail tip. How to build, place and maintain this essential hideaway.

• African fat-tailed gecko terrarium: getting the setup right

  A nocturnal, ground-dwelling cousin of the leopard gecko, the African fat-tailed gecko has similar needs but wants more humidity. A step-by-step setup guide.

• Tropical terrarium humidity: measuring and holding the right level

  Too dry, a tropical terrarium's air dehydrates the animal and hampers shedding; too damp and poorly ventilated, it breeds mould. How to measure and stabilise humidity at the right level.

• Chinese water dragon terrarium: what size and setup for an adult?

  Tall, spacious and humid: the Chinese water dragon's enclosure must match its arboreal, semi-aquatic lifestyle. Dimensions, planted walls and swimming basin, item by item.

• A growing terrarium for a green iguana: planning for growth to 1.5 m

  A young green iguana of 20 cm can reach 1.5 m as an adult. Why the starter terrarium quickly becomes obsolete, and how to plan housing that truly tracks its growth.

• 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.

• Hermann's tortoise or Greek tortoise: which one to choose?

  Adult size, home range, protected status: the two most popular tortoises in Europe look alike but are not equivalent. What a ten-year Bulgarian field study reveals.

• What's the best reptile for a 10-year-old child?

  A docile leopard gecko, a calm ball python, or species to avoid altogether: the right choice depends as much on temperament as on health risk. What an English study on childhood salmonellosis makes clear.

• Bearded dragon: why the basking lamp's position matters as much as its wattage

  A bearded dragon that always faces its lamp isn't a coincidence. What a Canadian study on the species' thermal orientation preference shows, and how to factor it into your terrarium layout.

• Royal python or boa constrictor: which to choose as a first snake?

  A tank twice as big, a much higher running budget: a boa constrictor isn't just a bigger ball python. The full comparison for choosing your first snake.

• Crested gecko or leopard gecko: which to choose as a first gecko?

  UVB required or not, different stress levels found in a 2023 study: the full comparison between crested gecko and leopard gecko for beginners.

• Red-eared slider grown too big: the mistakes to never make

  An undersized tank, releasing it into the wild: the classic mistakes once a red-eared slider outgrows its setup, and what a 2017 study reveals.

• Pacman frog terrarium: how deep should the substrate be for burrowing?

  5 to 10 cm isn't always enough: what a study on pacman frog estivation reveals about the risks of substrate that's too dry or too shallow.

• Corn snake: what a terrarium large enough to stretch out in actually changes

  A 2021 study comparing two enclosure sizes for corn snakes shows the real effect of enough room to stretch out on the animal's activity levels.

• Ball python: what a study comparing rack and enriched terrarium housing reveals

  A 2021 German study compared ball python behaviour in rack versus enriched terrarium housing: the species' normal behaviours barely appeared in the rack system.

• Blue-tongue skink: what a study on an Australian cousin changes about the idea of solitude

  Decades of research on an Australian skink closely related to the blue-tongue skink document unusually strong pair fidelity for a lizard, with implications for scent recognition in captivity.

• Corn snake or ball python: which should you choose first?

  Corn snake or ball python for a first snake? Budget, adult size, temperament and feeding compared so you pick the right species.

• Tokay gecko: what a study on pair housing changes about setting up the terrarium

  A study tracked enclosure use and thermoregulation behaviour in Tokay geckos housed as pairs, with results worth knowing before attempting this notoriously tricky cohabitation.

• Crested gecko: what a study on dominance between females changes about cohabitation

  A US study filmed female crested geckos cohabiting for two months: a dominance hierarchy forms, with concrete implications for setting up a shared terrarium.

• Greek tortoise: what a study on the cost of righting itself changes about enclosure terrain

  A study measured the metabolic cost of self-righting in the Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise: getting back on its feet costs roughly twice as much energy as walking, a benchmark for thinking through enclosure terrain.

• Boa constrictor: what a study on thermal aggregation changes about terrarium heating

  A classic study measured how young boa constrictors cluster together depending on ambient temperature. Reason enough to rethink the size of the basking spot and the sharpness of the thermal gradient.

• Vertical or horizontal terrarium: how do you choose by species?

  Vertical or horizontal terrarium: which orientation to pick depending on whether your reptile climbs, burrows, or mostly stays on the ground.

• How deep should reptile substrate be, by species?

  Terrarium substrate depth: how many centimetres to provide depending on whether the reptile burrows, needs a thin liner, or lives on a mat.

• Should you raise humidity at night for a desert species?

  Nighttime humidity for bearded dragons or desert geckos: why some species benefit from a slight overnight humidity spike despite their arid origin.

• Screen cage for a chameleon: which model to choose?

  Screen cage for a chameleon: why ventilation matters more than air-tightness, what size fits each species, and setup mistakes to avoid.

• 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