How do I keep my reptile's health record?

1. On Pets, tap Add pet and pick Reptile.
2. Pick the Kind of reptile, like Corn snake, Leopard gecko or Tortoise. It's optional, and Other takes any name.
3. Save. Your reptile's page has Feeding, Enclosure and Care among its sections.
4. Open Enclosure and tap Add the setup.

How do I record the enclosure?

The enclosure is a part of the profile, not an entry: you keep one current setup and update it when something changes. "The first thing a reptile vet asks is the setup, and most reptile illness comes from it."

1. Open Enclosure and tap Add the setup, or the pencil to edit it.
2. Fill what you know. Each field is optional:
   • Enclosure size and Substrate (with Aspen, Paper towel, Coconut fiber and Soil mix as quick picks).
   • Heat source: Heat mat, Basking lamp, Ceramic heater, Deep heat projector, Radiant panel or Other, as many as you use.
   • Basking temperature, Cool side temperature and Night temperature, read off the thermometers, in your temperature unit.
   • UVB lamp type (T5 tube, T8 tube, Compact bulb, Mercury vapor bulb or No UVB) and Installed on.
   • Humidity.
3. Tap Save. "Updated on is set when you save."

The section also lists Enclosure care coming up, from the enclosure care you set to repeat.

How do I log feedings?

Log each meal, refused ones too, and VetVitae schedules the next one. "Two refusals in a row are often the first sign something is off."

1. Open Feeding and log a meal, or tap Done on the next feeding when it's due. Done logs the same as last time.
2. Type the food and how many.
3. Pick the result: Ate, Refused or Regurgitated.
4. For snakes, pick the Prey: Frozen and thawed, Pre-killed or Live. For insect and greens eaters, pick the supplement: Calcium, Calcium with D3, Multivitamin or None.
5. Leave Repeat feeding on to get the next feeding on Home and in your reminders, then tap Save feeding.

The form shows the app's notes where they apply. With live prey: "Live rodents can badly bite a snake. Never leave one alone in the enclosure." After a snake regurgitates: "Wait 10 to 14 days before the next meal and offer a smaller prey. If it happens again, see a vet."

How often does VetVitae suggest feeding?

It suggests a rhythm for a few common reptiles, by age, and nothing for the rest.

For any other reptile, the form says "No usual rhythm for this one. Ask your vet how often." After a snake regurgitates, it suggests waiting 14 days.

What happens after two refused meals?

VetVitae shows "Two refused meals in a row" on the Feeding section, with "Check the temperatures and whether a shed is coming, and weigh before the next meal." A refusal in the 14 days before a shed, or during a brumation, doesn't count, and its row says "Not counted · before a shed" or "Not counted · brumating".

How do I log a shed?

A shed stays open while it lasts. You log when it started, and when it ends you say whether it came off complete or got stuck.

1. On your reptile's page, tap Add, then Shed.
2. Set Started on and save. The profile shows "Shedding since {date}".
3. When it's over, open the shed and tap It ended.
4. Pick the result, Complete or Stuck. For a stuck shed, pick where: Eye caps, Tail tip, Toes (not for snakes), Body patches or Other.

A stuck shed puts "Stuck shed" on the profile until the next complete one. The form shows the app's notes, like "Eyes turn blue a week before a shed. Snakes often refuse food then." and, for stuck eye caps, "Never pull eye caps off. Raise the humidity and ask your vet." If a shed is still open after 14 days, VetVitae asks once "Did {name}'s shed end?".

What happens during brumation?

Brumation is logged like a shed: open while it lasts, closed when it ends. While it's open, feeding reminders pause and refused meals don't count.

1. On your reptile's page, tap Add, then Brumation.
2. Set Started on and the Weight at the start, from the latest weigh-in or typed now.
3. Save. The profile shows "Brumating since {date}" and Feeding shows "Feeding reminders are paused".
4. When it ends, open the brumation and tap It ended. VetVitae offers Turn feeding reminders back on, which moves the next feeding to tomorrow.

The form shows the app's note: "Brumation is only safe for a healthy animal. Weigh before and every 2 weeks during it." After 4 months, VetVitae asks once whether it ended.

What are enclosure care and soak?

For reptiles, Care holds Enclosure care (cleaning, substrate, UVB) and Soak (lukewarm water only). Both can repeat with a reminder.

• Enclosure care services: Spot clean, Deep clean, Substrate change, UVB lamp change, Water bowl clean, Other.
• Suggested repeats: deep clean every 4 weeks, substrate change every 3 months, UVB lamp change every 6 months. Spot clean has none: "Spot cleaning is a daily habit, not an entry."
• A done UVB lamp change sets Installed on in Enclosure. The form shows the app's note: "UVB fades long before the lamp stops lighting. Change it on schedule, even if it still glows. Some lamps last 12 months. Follow the maker's interval."
• A soak has no product and no suggested repeat: "Some reptiles soak weekly, others never."

Daily things like spot cleaning or misting fit better as routines, checked off in one tap. VetVitae suggests some for each kind when you add to Care.

Can I log eggs?

Yes, for females and reptiles of unknown sex, except boas, which give birth. Eggs work the same as for birds: one entry per clutch, open while incubating, with a line on the usual clutch for leopard geckos, corn snakes and bearded dragons. Reptiles don't get a worked-out hatch date, so add one if you know it to get a reminder the day before. See eggs for birds for the steps.

The form shows the app's note for reptiles: "A female straining or restless without laying needs a vet."

Questions