One important consideration every reptile or amphibian pet owner should have on hand, or at least should strongly consider, is a good first aid kit!

One of the hardest, or most difficult aspects of owning pets are the occasional decisions which must be made as to whether or not to rehome, or part ways with your pet reptile, amphibian, or even other pet. Whether this is due to moving and not having the ability to take them with you to the new area in which one would be living, becoming gravely ill or injured in the long-term, or even if it just does not seem to be working out, not what one expected, or for other reasons.

One of the common questions we are asked both in person at events and outreach, and online is “I used to see, or have reptiles or amphibians often, but now no longer do”, or to some variation or extent of this topic. Why is this? Are populations still doing alright? Are they threatened or endangered?

The issue of neglectful, or substandard pet stores with live animals has been an old and very long running one that perhaps is familiar to the vast majority of reptile and other pet owners, keepers, breeders, and hobbyists.

Summertime is here, and a significant aspect that can often influence and affect our ability to keep pet reptile, amphibian, and even invertebrate species (such as tarantulas, scorpions, and insects), as well as the ways pet owners and enthusiasts may be able to keep them, is certainly warmer weather and yearly climate depending on the state and/or region of the U.S. or even other parts of the world one resides in.

But what actually are the differences between “salamanders” and “newts”? Do newts actually have the ability to give humans medicinal or supernatural powers when boiled in a stew or in other purposes by witches, as some forms of storytelling and folklore would often tell us? Or are there other, more scientific and biological distinctions between the two groups?

But what happens when one has been maintaining a pet snake, or other reptile, in captivity for a length of time where it has been relatively, calm, friendly, or handleable, but suddenly changes, or becomes “aggressive”? What could have happened? Or if your newest animal might not exactly be the most socialized or used to being around people.

But one good question which sometimes is asked, or comes up, and will be the focus of this educational article, is *why* a particular species occupies the habitat(s) and/or geographic distributions that they do. Why are some species much more successfully able to not only survive, but thrive in a wide variety of environments, while some others do not?

Many pet owners, keepers, and hobbyists who have been keeping tarantulas in the pet hobby for any length of time, or even those who may be familiar with doing so, or those who may have simply seen them referred to as such in pet stores or at reptile expos, have heard the terms “Old-World” and “New-World” being applied to them.