How We Create Care Guides
Every ScalyPal care guide follows a rigorous process designed to produce the most trustworthy husbandry information available online.
Source Hierarchy
We prioritize information in this order:
- Peer-reviewed veterinary literature — Mader's Reptile Medicine and Surgery, veterinary journal articles, academic husbandry studies.
- Specialist publications — De Vosjoli's Advanced Vivarium Systems series, professional breeder manuals, established field guides.
- Vetted community consensus — Moderated forums (r/ballpython, r/beardeddragons), recognized breeder care sheets with demonstrated track records.
- Direct experience — Our team's own husbandry results, breeding outcomes, and health records.
We explicitly do not use general-interest websites, AI-generated content, or unreferenced pet store care sheets as sources.
Review Process
- Research phase: Compile all relevant sources. Compare husbandry parameters across sources and identify consensus vs. outlier recommendations.
- Draft phase: Write the guide, citing sources inline. Every temperature range, supplement schedule, and enclosure dimension is traceable to at least one authoritative source.
- Validation: Cross-check against active keeper communities. Are our parameters consistent with what experienced keepers actually use successfully?
- Publication: Add TOC, references, species quick facts. Publish with a date stamp.
- Maintenance: Guides are reviewed and updated regularly. When new research or community consensus shifts, we update within 30 days.
Tool Data
Our interactive tools (temperature checker, feeding calculator, calcium dosage) use the same source hierarchy. Parameter ranges represent the overlap between veterinary guidelines and successful keeper practice — not single outlier recommendations.
Corrections Policy
Husbandry is not settled science. If you spot an error or outdated recommendation, email [email protected] with your source. We'll review and correct within 72 hours.