About Reptile Grove
Why Reptile Grove exists, how its guides are researched, and an honest explanation of its fictional editorial persona.
Reptile Grove exists because pet reptile advice online is often confident, repetitive and wrong in small but important ways. A slightly low basking temperature, a missing UVB source, a diet built on the wrong feeder insect or a tank that is too small can each shorten an animal’s life. Our mission is to give US keepers clear, evidence-minded husbandry guidance they can act on, and to help them recognize when a problem needs a veterinarian.
What we cover
The site focuses on common pet reptiles kept in US homes. That means lizards such as bearded dragons, leopard geckos, crested geckos, chameleons and skinks, snakes such as ball pythons, corn snakes and kingsnakes, and turtles and tortoises including sliders, box turtles and Russian, sulcata and red-footed tortoises. We also cover the topics that apply to every species, such as choosing an animal, feeder insects, quarantine, hygiene, travel, ownership rules and breeding ethics. We do not cover amphibians or unrelated wildlife.
How the guides are made
Every article connects an environmental condition, such as heat, light, humidity, space or diet, to what it does to the animal’s health. We lean on published veterinary and biological research first, then on reputable husbandry references, and we say clearly when the evidence is limited or experts disagree. Our work is research-based. We do not run hands-on product tests, and we never claim to have personally kept or treated the animals we write about.
Who writes it
Reptile Grove is edited under the name Maren Calloway. Maren is a fictional editorial persona, and the background described in her biography is an illustrative backstory rather than a record of a real person’s career. Her portrait is an AI-generated illustration and does not depict a real reviewer, veterinarian or keeper. She has no veterinary credentials, and nothing on this site should be read as credentials, ownership or testing that she does not have. What the persona provides is a consistent editorial voice, while the substance of every article comes from the sources it cites and the care taken in explaining them.
Where we draw the line
We can explain what a healthy animal looks like, which husbandry mistakes cause common problems and what questions to bring to an appointment. We cannot diagnose your animal or recommend treatments or medication doses. For illness, injury, medication, surgery or an animal in distress, please contact a qualified reptile or exotics veterinarian.
If you notice an error or have a better source, we would like to hear about it through the Contact page.
What are you looking for?
Lizards
Pet lizard selection, housing, lighting, nutrition, behavior, health and breeding, from geckos and bearded dragons to chameleons, skinks and larger species.
Snakes
Pet snake selection, enclosures, temperature and humidity, feeding, handling, health, morphs and breeding, with deep coverage of ball pythons.
Turtles
Care for pet turtles and tortoises, including aquatic and outdoor housing, diet, shell health, growth, seasonal dormancy and reproduction.
Reptile Basics
Ownership decisions and husbandry principles shared across pet reptiles, including choosing an animal, equipment, feeders, vet care, hygiene, travel, US rules and breeding ethics.
Who writes here
Maren Calloway
Hello, I'm Maren, the editorial voice of Reptile Grove.
My way into reptiles was through reading rather than through a pet store. As a kid I haunted the natural-history shelves of my local library, and I was the one who lingered in the reptile hall at the museum, reading every placard about where a species actually lives. That habit never left me. I still start with the question of what an animal's natural environment is doing for it, and then ask how a home enclosure can honestly stand in for that.
I care about this work because so much reptile advice is passed along as confident folklore. A care sheet gets copied a hundred times, a number gets rounded, a caveat gets dropped, and eventually an owner is trying to fix a problem that the advice itself created. I like going back to the sources, reading the methods before the conclusions, and noticing where the evidence is strong, where it is thin and where experienced keepers and veterinarians simply disagree.
I write about the connections that matter most for animal health: temperature gradients, UVB and calcium, humidity, enclosure size, feeder insects and what a healthy animal looks like compared with one that needs help. I also spend a lot of time on where species differ, because a setup that suits a bearded dragon can quietly harm a tortoise or a ball python.
I should be clear about what I am not. I do not keep animals at home, I do not run tests on products, and I am not a veterinarian. My work is reading, comparing and explaining, and I will always tell you when a situation is beyond what an article can handle and needs a qualified reptile or exotics vet.
Away from the desk, I am a map person, a slow birdwatcher and an enthusiastic, mediocre bread baker. I keep a running list of claims I have seen repeated online and what the research really says about them. If you spot something I have gotten wrong, please write to me, because I would much rather fix it than defend it.
More about Maren Calloway →How we work
Start from real keeper decisions
Each topic begins with a question an owner actually faces, such as what size enclosure a species needs, which foods are safe, or whether a symptom is worth a vet visit. We shape the article around that decision instead of around a keyword, so the answer is practical and complete.
Read the best available sources first
We look for peer-reviewed veterinary and biology literature, clinical references for exotic animals, and guidance from professional and conservation bodies before turning to breeder and keeper experience. When a recommendation rests mostly on keeper consensus, the article says so.
Explain where species differ
Husbandry advice does not transfer neatly between a desert tortoise, a rainforest chameleon and a ball python. We spell out how heat, light, humidity, diet and space needs differ, and we flag advice that is safe for one species but risky for another.
Revise when the evidence or a reader says so
Husbandry knowledge keeps improving, and mistakes slip through. We update articles when better evidence appears, and we correct errors that readers report, with the source that prompted the change kept in mind for the next review.
What you can expect
Research, not hands-on testing
Reptile Grove is built on reading and synthesizing published sources. We never claim to own the animals discussed, to have tested equipment or foods ourselves, or to have first-hand clinical experience.
An honest editorial persona
Our editor, Maren Calloway, is a fictional persona, and her portrait is an illustration rather than a photo of a real person. Her purpose is to give the site a consistent editorial voice, not to lend borrowed credentials to the content.
Veterinary questions go to veterinarians
We help you recognize warning signs and prepare for an appointment, but we do not diagnose or recommend drug doses for your animal. Anything involving illness, injury, medication or surgery points you to a qualified reptile or exotics vet.
No hidden commercial relationships
Right now the site runs no advertising, no affiliate programs and no sponsored content, and it has no analytics tools configured. If any of that changes, the Disclosure and Privacy pages will be updated to say so plainly.