3.
4.
Aggressive behaviour – and
cannibalism – is something that
most people who keep reptiles are
aware of, and involves snakes and
lizards of all ages, including elapids,
pythons, monitors, agamids, and
even newborn blue-tongues.
Amongst unsuspecting newcomers
to the reptile hobby, it is often first
noticed when one of their pet
turtles or bearded dragons asserts
its domination over another. In the
wild, this is part of a reptile’s
normal life, and intraspecific
combating between some pythons
and elapids, for example, is a feature of the
breeding season and forms an important part of
the selective process. Because of the abundance
of space in their natural habitat, individuals can
get away from each other when confronted,
should they wish to do so. In captivity, this is not
so easy and aggressive interactions may be
exacerbated because one animal cannot escape
the attentions of another. This then requires
careful control and management by the keeper.
My large outdoor enclosures (refer iHerp Australia
issue 10) are specifically designed so that if two
individuals have issue, one can run away and get
5.