Jargon Buster!

We understand whether you are an experienced keeper or if you are a new owner, it is tough to understand the jargon and abbreviations used. So we thought we would give you a helping hand in our Jargon Buster. We have compiled some of the most used bits of jargon so you can better understand the information you are reading.

Morph – a mixture of genes

Viv – Vivarium

Retic – Reticulated

Stat – Thermostat

Arboreal – lives in trees or bushes

Cloaca – A snakes opening, used for excretion and reproduction

Gravid – A female with eggs or embryos

CHE – Ceramic Heat Emitter

F/T – Frozen thawed, referring to prey that is frozen then thawed to feed

MBD – Metabolic Bone Disease

RI – Respiratory Infection

RUB – Really Useful Box! Used by many keepers to house snakes

Husbandry – Refers to the overall care and housing of an animal

In Blue – A snake’s eyes will go blueish/milky looking when it first goes into shed, lasts about 24hrs

Substrate – Substance used to cover the vivarium floor

CB - Captive Bred, often followed by a shortened number which denotes the year it hatched or was born, e.g. CB16

Numbers An alternative way of stating the gender of exotic pets:

• 1.0 - Male

• 0.1 - Female

• 0.0.1 - Juvenile or unsexed