How much time do you spend on reptile maintenance?

Just interested to know how much time everyone here spends on reptile maintenance (cleaning, feeding, temps, humidity, etc) per week.

I'm right at 5-6 hours a week strictly on my snakes...if I added in maintaining my feeders, which I think that would count as the only reason I have feeders is because I have snakes, then I'd be over 10 hours a week.

Only 4 snakes-
Daily 15-30 min ( water,spot cleaning, checking temps humidity)

Wed night- 1x week 1 hr apx (cleaning, changing out paper towel sub, washing hides)

Monday night-1x week 30 min or so thawing feeding.

Lol adult adhd, so I need to stick to a strict schedule.

(voted 16+)

For 9 snakes and 2 cresties:

30 min/day cleaning feeding cresteds

1-2 hours thawing and feeding snakes every 5 days

I voted 2-5 hours per week. I only have 4 snakes at home right now so it only takes me about 15min each day to check on everybody and that includes topping off water and changing out paper if necessary. Weekly feeding adds about 1/2 an hour that night and I'd add another 1/2 hour on top of that on any given night if Ella spills her water. The boas haven't ever spilled, but Ella is a klutz and tends to dump her water at least once a week..... :P

I'm about 6-10 hrs a week. With over 50 snakes I soley care for, plus my geckos, I'm about there. Plus, I help Chad sometimes with his stuff.

Even with 6 snakes and 3 geckos(so far), I think I still spend more time on my geckos than on my snakes. Managing my feeders, making sure they're well fed and cleaning up their poop corners. I find my geckos more entertaining than my snakes though :)

For 7 snakes, this is my monthly schedule. 1st, 11th, 21st are feeding days. On even numbered days, I change water and spot clean. On odd numbered days, I handle at least 3-4 of them, so they each get handled about 3 times a week. Each Sunday night I do a thorough cleaning of 2 enclosures, so each enclosure gets a thorough cleaning monthly. I do have to adjust cleaning days based on the feed schedule. Changing water doesn't take that long because I have two bowls per snake and I just put in the clean ones and wash the dirty ones in the dishwasher.

It's usually closer to 10-11 hours for me with 50+ snakes but breeding season is a bit busier so I rounded up.

I only have a dozen in my collection but I'm rather meticulous so it's at least six or seven hours per week. more if upgrading the size of feeder rats. bare minimum I spend about half an hour each day either cleaning or checking husbandry.

16+ minimum of an hour a day just feeding and watering/misting, weekly cleaning on most cages (which is around 30 tanks and 10 tubs). Weekly feeding for the snakes and frogs, everyother day maintenance of feeder colonies. Figure in about 2 hours for shopping for supplies, and i get a full week

I have four snakes and I spend at least three hours a week feeding, cleaning, and checking temps. I am very obsessed with keeping enclosures clean and making sure temps and humidity are spot on.

At least 16 hours taking care of snakes and feeders.:snake: :mouse2::rat:

With the tokays, cresteds, balls, beardies, feeders and other miscellaneous geckos we have here I end up working for 4 hours a day. Sundays are the full out cleaning and snake feeding day so Sundays take about 6 hours. It's a full time day job for me. Thank god I love what I do.


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Wife spends 3-5 hours a week feeding. I spend 5-10 hours a week on everything else depending on what I have to do. Like today I'm about to spend about 3 hours cutting substrate paper to fit the tubs.

I honestly never counted, I enjoy being in the snake room so much that it does not feel like work or chores so I don't really look at how much time I spend there, rats on the other end :rolleyes:

Yea im with Deborah^
i only have a small number of snakes so i dont consider it work at all. Feeding day is usually friday or saturday which takes a total of maybe 1 hour. I feed live so i do have to watch everything but still doesnt take more than that usually. Then wednesday is cleaning day (complete cleaning). Which takes maybe an hour. Then usually everyday/every other day i spot clean/refill water bowls. Which takes about 5-15min. So total a week thats like 2-2.5 hours. I honestly wish i had more snakes to take care of lol. Hopefully getting some more soon tho :D

I put in an hour or less, but I was only really considering monitoring temp and humidity, general spot cleaning, feeding and water changes which only takes a few minutes each day (plus I split the responsibility with my boyfriend). However I did not take into account, updating the log (for each snake), handling, research (we are always trying to improve our methods and the lives of our reptiles) or the rack we have been working on.. so in retrospect I probly would have put 2-5 if I really thought about it. :P

We really needed the 1-2 hour range. Basically it depends on how cooperative my crested is feeling... she's, um, really helpful during feeding... and whether it is time for a full on clean out or just a quick pass. (Love how easy geckos are!)

I have to say, although it is a pain and I still don't have it set up perfectly, getting a misting system has significantly reduced the amount of work and also the amount of required handwashing!