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Herpetological & WildlifeAcademy

Working with Reptiles: Careers in Shops, Rescues, Zoos and Sanctuaries

What it really takes to work with reptiles: the law, safety, daily routines, the public and getting the job.

Level
Beginner
Study time
TBC
Modules
7
Lessons
63
Assessment
Module quizzes · graded certificate
Version
v1.0 · reviewed 21 October 2026

What you'll learn

  • ✓Compare the main reptile workplaces and the roles within them
  • ✓Explain the key UK laws that apply to reptile shops, rescues, zoos and sanctuaries
  • ✓Carry out a simple risk assessment and work safely with chemicals, zoonoses and large or dangerous species
  • ✓Follow a professional daily routine of checks, cleaning, feeding and health observation
  • ✓Apply biosecurity and quarantine procedures to protect a collection
  • ✓Keep clear, accurate records and handover notes
  • ✓Handle, restrain and transport reptiles with minimal stress
  • ✓Assess welfare and plan, record and evaluate enrichment
  • ✓Give honest care advice and handle difficult conversations with the public
  • ✓Prepare a CV, interview answers and a plan for building a career with reptiles

About this course

You know the basics of reptile care. This course shows you what changes when it becomes your job. Whether you're studying animal management at college or applying to work in a reptile shop, rescue, zoo or wildlife sanctuary, you'll learn how professional reptile workplaces run and what employers expect from the people they hire.

The course is written by Caleb Wright, owner and founder of Wright's Reptiles, a specialist reptile store in the UK. Caleb has extensive experience working in reptile rescues, shops and breeding facilities, and has spent years hiring, training and managing teams. This course is the result: the dos and don'ts every new team member should know.

Across ten modules you'll explore the different reptile workplaces and the roles in them, the laws you work under, health and safety, the daily routine, biosecurity and quarantine, records and paperwork, handling, restraint and transport, enrichment and welfare assessment, working with the public, and finally getting the job and building a career, from your CV and interview to your first months in the role.

Every lesson is written in plain English, with real workplace scenarios, diagrams, checklists and templates. Each module ends with a glossary and a quiz: ten multiple-choice questions plus a written section where you explain what you've learned in your own words. Optional portfolio tasks, such as a risk assessment, a quarantine protocol, an enrichment plan and a CV, give you work you can use for college assignments and job applications.

When you've completed all ten modules, you receive a verifiable certificate of completion graded Pass, Merit or Distinction, based on your average score across the module quizzes. This course supports, but doesn't replace, an accredited qualification or the training your employer gives you.

Course content

7 modules · 63 lessons · study time TBC

Module 1The Reptile Workplace9 lessons
  • The world of professional reptile careWhat this course covers, who it is for, and an overview of the places where people are paid to look after reptiles.Free preview15 min
  • Reptile shopsHow specialist reptile shops work, the roles within them and what a day on the shop floor really involves.15 min
  • Rescues and rehoming centresWhy reptiles end up in rescue, how an animal moves through a rescue, and what working or volunteering in one involves.15 min
  • Zoos and aquariumsWhat modern zoos and aquariums are for, how reptile departments are organised and what keepers actually do.15 min
  • Wildlife sanctuaries, education and outreach businessesHow sanctuaries differ from rescues and zoos, and how education and outreach businesses use reptiles to teach the public.14 min
  • Veterinary, breeding and other related rolesThe wider range of jobs that involve reptiles, from exotic vet practices and breeders to wholesale, media and research roles.14 min
  • Skills, qualities and career routesWhat employers look for in reptile workers, the qualifications and routes into the sector, and how careers progress.18 min
  • Module 1 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
  • Module 1 quizTest your understanding of Module 1: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min
Module 2The Law You Work Under9 lessons
  • Why the law matters at workHow laws, regulations, licence conditions and workplace procedures fit together, and why every member of staff needs to understand them.15 min
  • The Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the five welfare needsThe duty of care, the five welfare needs and what they mean for you as a member of staff, with the Scottish and Northern Irish equivalents.18 min
  • Licensing pet shopsHow businesses that sell reptiles are licensed in England, what inspectors look for, how star ratings work and how the rules differ in Wales and Scotland.18 min
  • Zoo licensingHow the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 works, what the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice expect, how zoos are inspected and why conservation and education are legal duties.18 min
  • The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and venomous speciesWhat the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 controls, which reptiles it covers, who is exempt and how workplaces that keep venomous species protect staff and the public.16 min
  • Wildlife trade and protected speciesHow CITES and the wildlife trade regulations control the trade in reptiles, when an Article 10 certificate is needed, how native reptiles are protected and why non-native species must never be released.18 min
  • Selling animals responsiblyThe rules on selling to under-16s, the advice and paperwork that should go with every sale, the basics of consumer rights and how to refuse a sale professionally.18 min
  • Module 2 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
  • Module 2 quizTest your understanding of Module 2: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min
Module 3Health and Safety at Work9 lessons
  • The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974: your duties and your employer'sWho is responsible for safety in a reptile workplace, what the main law expects of your employer and of you, and how the other safety regulations fit underneath it.15 min
  • Risk assessment step by stepHow to identify hazards, judge risk, choose controls using the hierarchy of control and record a risk assessment that people will actually use.16 min
  • Zoonoses and hygieneHow infections pass between reptiles and people, who is most at risk, and the handwashing, PPE and hygiene habits that keep staff and the public safe.15 min
  • Chemicals and disinfectantsHow the COSHH Regulations apply to cleaning products in reptile workplaces, how to read labels and safety data sheets, dilute correctly and avoid dangerous mixtures.15 min
  • Bites, large constrictors and team handlingWhy reptiles bite, how workplaces reduce bite risk, why large snakes are handled by teams and what a typical team-handling policy looks like.16 min
  • Venomous species: what trainees can and can't doHow professional workplaces manage venomous reptiles, the limits on what trainees may do, and how bite and escape emergency plans work.15 min
  • Accidents, first aid and reportingWhat to do when someone is hurt at work, how first-aid arrangements work, how to record accidents and near misses, and when RIDDOR reporting applies.16 min
  • Module 3 glossaryThe key health and safety terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
  • Module 3 quizTest your understanding of Module 3: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min
Module 4Biosecurity and Quarantine9 lessons
  • What biosecurity is and why it mattersThe routes by which infection gets into, spreads through and leaves a reptile collection, and why every member of staff is part of the barrier.15 min
  • New arrivals and intake checksHow a workplace receives a new animal, from the paperwork and the first hands-off look to the intake record and the move into quarantine.16 min
  • Quarantine set-up and protocolsHow a quarantine area is laid out and run, how long quarantine usually lasts as a matter of workplace policy, and the rules that keep it working.17 min
  • Common infectious threatsAn overview of the infections most often discussed in reptile workplaces, how they spread and what signs should make you report, without trying to diagnose.18 min
  • Preventing cross-contaminationHow hands, tools, clothing and the order you work in can carry infection between enclosures, and the practical habits that stop it.15 min
  • Cleaning versus disinfectionWhy cleaning and disinfecting are two different jobs, how contact time and organic matter affect a disinfectant, and how workplaces choose products.16 min
  • Outbreaks, isolation and working with vetsWhat happens when infection is suspected in a collection, how isolation works, and how staff at every level support the vet.17 min
  • Module 5 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
  • Module 5 quizTest your understanding of Module 5: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min
Module 5Records and Paperwork9 lessons
  • Why records matterHow good records protect animal welfare, keep a workplace legal, satisfy inspectors and let a team work as one, even when people change shifts.14 min
  • Husbandry logsHow to keep clear, consistent logs of feeding, shedding, weights and behaviour, and how to use them to spot problems early.16 min
  • Health and veterinary recordsWhat health and veterinary records contain, how they link to husbandry logs, and how good records help the vet and protect the animal.15 min
  • Stock, sales and traceabilityHow workplaces record where each animal came from and where it went, why supplier records matter, and how CITES paperwork fits in.16 min
  • Zoo record systems and identificationHow zoos record animals using shared databases such as ZIMS, why studbooks matter for breeding programmes, and how individual reptiles are identified.16 min
  • Writing clear notes and handoversHow to write objective, useful notes and handovers that someone else can act on, with examples of weak notes rewritten well.16 min
  • Data protection and customer recordsThe basics of UK GDPR in plain terms, and how to collect, use, store and share customers' and adopters' details safely and lawfully.17 min
  • Module 6 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
  • Module 6 quizTest your understanding of Module 6: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min
Module 6Handling, Restraint and Transport9 lessons
  • Principles of low-stress handlingWhy, when and how professionals handle reptiles and amphibians, how to read an animal before you touch it, and the habits that keep handling calm and safe.16 min
  • Handling lizardsHow to pick up, support and return lizards safely, from small geckos to large monitors, and why tails, skin and claws need particular care.15 min
  • Handling snakes (non-venomous)How to approach, lift and support non-venomous snakes, avoid feeding responses, and work as a team with large constrictors.16 min
  • Handling cheloniansHow to lift, hold and move tortoises, terrapins and turtles safely, and which species need specialist handling.14 min
  • Amphibians and other delicate speciesWhy amphibians and fragile reptiles need minimal handling, how to move them using containers and wet gloves, and how to protect both the animal and yourself.15 min
  • Restraint for health checks and vet visitsHow to prepare for and assist with health checks, weighing and veterinary examinations, and where your role ends and the vet's begins.15 min
  • Transport and moving animalsHow to move reptiles and amphibians safely, from one room to another or across the country, including containers, temperature control, paperwork and the law.17 min
  • Module 7 glossaryThe key terms from this module on handling, restraint and transport.6 min
  • Module 7 quizTest your understanding of Module 7: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min
Module 7Working with the Public9 lessons
  • Customer service in a specialist shopWhat good customer service looks like in a reptile shop, how to open a conversation, listen properly and leave every customer better informed than when they arrived.16 min
  • Giving good care adviceHow to ask the right pre-purchase questions, use care sheets well, give honest advice and recommend the right equipment rather than the most expensive.17 min
  • Difficult conversationsHow to stay calm and professional when you need to refuse a sale, deal with a complaint or talk to someone whose animal is being poorly kept.17 min
  • Rescue intake and rehomingHow reptile rescues handle surrender conversations, assess potential adopters and use adoption agreements to give animals a secure future.17 min
  • Talks, education sessions and handling encountersHow to plan and deliver a reptile talk or handling session that is safe, hygienic, good for the animals and genuinely engaging for the audience.18 min
  • Social media and representing your workplaceHow to post about animals and your workplace responsibly, send the right welfare messages and keep your own online presence professional.15 min
  • Safeguarding, professionalism and your own wellbeingHow to recognise and report safeguarding concerns, keep professional boundaries with the public and look after yourself in emotionally demanding work.18 min
  • Module 9 glossaryThe key terms from this module. Learn them and be able to explain each one in your own words.6 min
  • Module 9 quizTest your understanding of Module 9: 10 multiple-choice questions and your own written notes. Pass mark 60%.20 min

Who this course is for

  • Animal management and animal care students at college or university
  • Young adults applying for jobs in reptile shops, rescues, zoos and wildlife sanctuaries
  • New staff and volunteers who want to understand how professional reptile workplaces run
  • Keepers with a basic understanding of reptiles and husbandry who are thinking about a career with animals

Assessment & certificate

Each module ends with a quiz that is marked automatically: multiple-choice questions plus a written section where you explain what you've learned in your own words. You can take each quiz once and cannot retake it, and you'll see the correct answer to any question you got wrong.

When you've completed every module, you receive a certificate of completion with a unique verification code, graded on your average score across all the module quizzes:

  • PassUp to 69%
  • Merit70–79%
  • Distinction80–100%

Everyone who completes every module receives a certificate.

This certificate confirms completion of an online, theory-based course and a passed online assessment. It is not an accredited qualification and does not certify practical competence.