About HerpMath
Last updated: · Reviewed against sources listed below
HerpMath is a free set of reptile feeding and care calculators. We built it to give reptile keepers, especially beginners, clear numbers they can act on, with every value traced back to a veterinary or academic source.
Who runs HerpMath
Hi, I’m Mike, and I run HerpMath. I have loved keeping animals for as long as I can remember.
My oldest companion is a turtle I have raised since it was a hatchling. We have been together for more than 30 years now. My second turtle joined me 15 years ago. It grew to about the size of my palm and has stayed that size ever since.
I also keep eight parrots. It started with just two, a male and a female. The other six all hatched from eggs the pair laid here at home. Add ten goldfish, and it is a busy house.
Three decades with a turtle taught me how much good care comes down to numbers: basking temperature, UVB, how much to feed and how often. It also taught me how often care sheets disagree on those numbers. HerpMath is the tool I wished I had: calculators that give a clear answer and show where it comes from.
I am not a veterinarian. I write and check every page myself, but the numbers come from the veterinary and academic sources on our sources page, not from my personal opinion.
— Mike
Why we built it
Most new keepers get feeding advice from forums, pet store staff and care sheets that disagree with each other. One source says to feed a baby bearded dragon 50 crickets a day; another says 20. One says a ball python needs a rat every week; another says every three weeks. The advice is often given without a reason, so it is hard to know whom to trust.
HerpMath takes a different approach. Each tool asks for your animal’s real numbers, applies a stated rule, and shows the rule and its sources right under the result. When sources disagree, we show the range they share instead of a single “perfect” number.
Our mission
To help reptile keepers make good day-to-day decisions with reliable data, and to know when a question needs a veterinarian instead of a calculator.
How our content is made
- Data comes first. Every number is collected from veterinary organizations, veterinary hospitals and published research, listed on our sources page. Experienced keepers’ guides are used only as a supplement and cross-checked.
- Values live in data files, not in the code. Calculators and tables read from the same files, so a correction updates every page at once.
- Every page is checked by a person. We may use software to help draft text, but a person checks every number and statement before it is published.
- We review everything each quarter. The “Last updated” date on each page changes only when the content has actually been re-checked.
What HerpMath is not
We are not veterinarians, and nothing on this site is a diagnosis or treatment plan. Our pages flag the signs that mean your animal should see a reptile vet. Please read our disclaimer.
Get in touch
Found a number that looks wrong or have a source we should consider? We want to hear it — contact us.