Choosing a reptile hotel when you have to leave your pet can be a key element to you enjoying your trip. Knowing that the pet you love and invest so much time in is being well taken care of will help you relax and enjoy yourself in their absence. Take into consideration your pet’s needs when you start to visit hotels in your area.

First, you will need to have all the necessary health certifications your area requires before you take your pet to a reptile hotel. This is done to maximize health and safety for the animals and the humans who will be providing care. Check with your veterinarian well in advance to make sure that any and all tests are taken care of before you have to leave. Your pet will be refused service if their health information is not in good order. Do not accept a pet hotel which does not follow strict policies regarding proof of health for animals it keeps.

Once you have the health information taken care of, begin compiling a list of reptile hotels. You can look them up on the Internet, in the phone book, or you can find some by word of mouth. Ask other reptile owners, pet stores and veterinarians who they would recommend to care for their animals. Any pet hotel should be able to provide you a list of references, which you should check into. This is a pet you love, so make sure you are providing them with the best situation possible.

Plan to go to the hotels on your list and see what they have to offer for yourself. Is the facility clean? Are they willing to meet your list of needs regarding your pet? How do they go about feeding, which can be a delicate situation for reptiles? Is it possible for your animal to be housed privately, or do they place similar animals together with a few to a room? Is their staff friendly and willing to answer your questions? Are they well trained in the care of your pet’s species? Do they have any complaints against them (these will be listed with a variety of entities including the county and the Better Business Bureau)? Most important, what are their policies regarding animal safety? In the event that there is an emergency, what is their protocol? Do they have a backup plan to provide for the animals if a serious problem does occur?

Asking questions, carefully inspecting a location and ensuring health and safety procedures are in place will help you in choosing the right reptile hotel for your family.