Research-based animal care
Into the Canopy
Care sheets for 1,468 animals kept in human care. Every sheet published here passed two checks: real evidence the species is kept, and sourced care information for that exact species. More animals are added as their evidence is confirmed. Each sheet blends scientific databases, veterinary references, zoos, educators like Clint's Reptiles, and experienced keepers, shows where they agree, and cites them all.
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Explore by classification
47 care sheetsMammalsFur, whiskers and warm blood, from pocket pets to elephants.Rodents · Cats, dogs and other carnivores · Monkeys, lemurs and apes · Hoofed farm and wild mammals · Kangaroos, wallabies, possums
17 care sheetsBirdsParrots, songbirds, poultry, waterfowl, raptors and more.Parrots · Songbirds and perching birds · Chickens, pheasants and quail · Ducks, geese and swans · Emu
43 care sheetsReptilesSnakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises and crocodilians.Lizards · Snakes · Turtles and tortoises · Alligators and caimans
12 care sheetsAmphibiansFrogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians.Frogs and toads · Axolotls and mole salamanders · Aquatic caecilians
1,332 care sheetsFishesEvery fish in the aquarium trade, plus public-aquarium species.Carp, barbs, minnows, loaches · Cichlids · Catfish · Tetras, piranhas and pacus · Gouramis, bettas, snakeheads
17 care sheetsInvertebratesTarantulas, insects, crustaceans, snails, corals and more.Spiders · Freshwater shrimp · Emperor and forest scorpions · Vinegaroons · Flower and ghost mantisesStart here
In-depth care sheets
68 of the most commonly kept animals have extra hand-written care sections, Clint's Reptiles ratings where available, and more sources.
In-depthAckie (spiny-tailed) monitor
Varanus acanthurus
A pint-sized monitor with a huge personality.
Pet trade
In-depthAmerican alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
A 50-year, 10-foot commitment.
Zoos & aquariums
In-depthAsian water monitor
Varanus salvator
An intelligent, swimming giant: the "gentle giant" of monitors.
Pet trade
In-depthBall python
Python regius
The calm, curl-up classic of pet snakes.
Pet trade
In-depthBearded dragon
Pogona vitticeps
Sun-loving, friendly and endlessly popular.
Pet trade
In-depthBurmese python
Python bivittatus
A heavy-bodied giant with a famously calm reputation.
Pet trade
In-depthCentral African rock python
Python sebae
Africa's largest snake, powerful and spirited.
Pet trade
In-depthCommon blue-tongued skink
Tiliqua scincoides
Docile, chunky and flashes a blue tongue.
Pet trade
In-depthCommon boa constrictor (red-tailed boa)
Boa constrictor
A powerful but famously steady big snake.
Pet trade
In-depthCorn snake
Pantherophis guttatus
Hardy, colorful and Clint's Reptiles' top-scoring snake.
Pet trade
In-depthCrested gecko
Correlophus ciliatus
A sticky-toed fruit-lover that hates heat.
Pet trade
In-depthGreen anaconda
Eunectes murinus
The heaviest snake on Earth, at home in the water.
Pet trade
In-depthGreen iguana
Iguana iguana
A 6-foot vegetarian with a whip of a tail.
Pet trade
In-depthLeopard gecko
Eublepharis macularius
Maybe the best beginner lizard there is.
Pet trade
In-depthLeopard tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis
A spotted savanna grazer.
Pet trade
In-depthNile monitor
Varanus niloticus
Africa's longest lizard, fast, bold and powerful.
Pet trade
In-depthPanther chameleon
Furcifer pardalis
The most colorful chameleon of all.
Pet trade
In-depthRed-eared slider
Trachemys scripta elegans
America's classic pet turtle, built to last decades.
Pet trade
In-depthRed-footed tortoise
Chelonoidis carbonarius
A humid-forest tortoise that eats fruit.
Pet trade
In-depthReticulated python
Malayopython reticulatus
The world's longest snake, and a brilliant, active giant.
Pet trade
In-depthRussian tortoise
Testudo horsfieldii
Small, tough and a great first tortoise.
Pet trade
In-depthSulcata (African spurred) tortoise
Centrochelys sulcata
The giant backyard tortoise, best adopted.
Pet trade
In-depthVeiled chameleon
Chamaeleo calyptratus
Color-shifting, independent, look-don't-touch.
Pet trade
In-depthWestern hognose snake
Heterodon nasicus
Dramatic bluffs from a tiny, upturned-nose snake.
Pet trade
In-depthAxolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
The forever-young salamander that regrows its limbs.
Pet trade
In-depthBlack-backed jackal
Lupulella mesomelas
A sleek, clever wild canid built for the African bush.
Pet trade
In-depthBlack-tailed prairie dog
Cynomys ludovicianus
The most social of the ground squirrels.
Pet trade
In-depthBlue-and-yellow macaw
Ara ararauna
A loud, brilliant, lifelong commitment.
Pet trade
In-depthBudgerigar
Melopsittacus undulatus
A small parrot with a big vocabulary.
Pet trade
In-depthCapybara
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris
The world's largest rodent, and it needs a pool.
Pet trade
In-depthChicken
Gallus gallus domesticus
Eggs, bug control and big personalities.
Farm & ranch
In-depthCockatiel
Nymphicus hollandicus
Crested, affectionate and great whistlers.
Pet trade
In-depthCommon kusimanse
Crossarchus obscurus
A small, sociable mongoose that never stops foraging.
Pet trade
In-depthCranwell's horned frog (pac-man)
Ceratophrys cranwelli
A round, ambush-hunting mouth with legs.
Pet trade
In-depthDegu
Octodon degus
Chattering, social rodents from Chile.
Pet trade
In-depthDomestic canary
Serinus canaria
Centuries of song in a small bird.
Pet trade
In-depthDomestic duck (mallard)
Anas platyrhynchos
Messy, hardy and happiest near water.
Farm & ranch
In-depthDomestic ferret
Mustela furo
A playful, carnivorous troublemaker.
Pet trade
In-depthEastern tiger salamander
Ambystoma tigrinum
A big, burrowing salamander with a big appetite.
Pet trade
In-depthEmperor scorpion
Pandinus imperator
A big, shy scorpion with a mild sting.
Pet trade
In-depthEmu
Dromaius novaehollandiae
Six feet of feathers, booming calls and devoted dads.
Farm & ranch
In-depthFancy mouse
Mus musculus
Tiny, busy and fun to watch.
Pet trade
In-depthFancy rat
Rattus norvegicus
Clever, affectionate and endlessly curious.
Pet trade
In-depthFennec fox
Vulpes zerda
Giant ears, tiny fox, endless energy.
Pet trade
In-depthFour-toed (African pygmy) hedgehog
Atelerix albiventris
A prickly, solitary night wanderer.
Pet trade
In-depthGolden (Syrian) hamster
Mesocricetus auratus
Small, nocturnal and fiercely independent.
Pet trade
In-depthGray parrot (Congo African grey)
Psittacus erithacus
One of the most intelligent birds on Earth.
Pet trade
In-depthGroundhog (woodchuck)
Marmota monax
A true hibernator and master tunnel engineer.
Pet trade
In-depthGuinea pig
Cavia porcellus
Chatty, social and built for grazing.
Pet trade
In-depthKinkajou
Potos flavus
A honey bear with a prehensile tail.
Pet trade
In-depthLinnaeus's two-toed sloth
Choloepus didactylus
Slow-motion life in a humid canopy.
Pet trade
In-depthLong-tailed chinchilla
Chinchilla lanigera
The softest fur on Earth, and very heat-sensitive.
Pet trade
In-depthMeerkat
Suricata suricatta
Sentinels of the desert that must live in groups.
Pet trade
In-depthMexican redknee tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii
A docile spider where females live 25–30 years.
Pet trade
In-depthMongolian gerbil
Meriones unguiculatus
Desert diggers that love company.
Pet trade
In-depthOriental fire-bellied toad
Bombina orientalis
A tough little toad with a warning-red belly.
Pet trade
In-depthPatagonian mara
Dolichotis patagonum
A rodent that runs like a deer and pairs for life.
Pet trade
In-depthRaccoon
Procyon lotor
Brilliant hands, big personality, endless curiosity.
Pet trade
In-depthRed fox
Vulpes vulpes
Clever, scent-marking and very much a wild canid.
Pet trade
In-depthRed-necked (Bennett's) wallaby
Notamacropus rufogriseus
A cold-hardy kangaroo cousin.
Pet trade
In-depthRing-tailed lemur
Lemur catta
Sunbathing, female-led troops from Madagascar.
Pet trade
In-depthServal
Leptailurus serval
A long-legged African cat that can leap 5 feet.
Pet trade
In-depthSouth American coati
Nasua nasua
A snout for every crevice and a tail held high.
Pet trade
In-depthStriped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
Mostly gentle, famously smelly when scared.
Pet trade
In-depthSugar glider
Petaurus breviceps
A pocket-sized marsupial that glides between trees.
Pet trade
In-depthVirginia opossum
Didelphis virginiana
North America's only marsupial, and a gentle oddball.
Pet trade
In-depthWhite's tree frog
Litoria caerulea
A smiling, chunky frog that can live 16+ years.
Pet trade
In-depthWhite-faced capuchin
Cebus capucinus
Brilliant, social and lives up to 45 years.
Pet trade
Many sources
AnAge, the Amniote Life History Database, FishBase, the Merck Veterinary Manual, Royal Veterinary College factsheets, zoos, universities, Clint's Reptiles and experienced keepers.
Averaged numbers
When sources report different lifespans, sizes or temperatures, each sheet shows every value and the average between them.
Federal law, species by species
Every sheet checks the Lacey Act, Endangered Species Act, CITES, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Big Cat Act and more, then points you to your state agency.