About the Developers
HerpDesk Manager is proudly developed by The Reptile Academy — a specialist Centre of Excellence for reptile and amphibian education, animal welfare and SEND learning.
We didn't set out to build software.
We simply needed a better way to manage a growing professional animal collection.
When we couldn't find a platform that met the needs of modern reptile and amphibian keepers, breeders and educational collections, we built our own.
Who we are
The Reptile Academy
The Reptile Academy is a specialist not-for-profit social enterprise based in Dorset, United Kingdom.
Recognised as a Centre of Excellence for reptile and amphibian education and animal welfare, we deliver specialist educational programmes, Alternative Provision, Holiday Activities & Food programmes, accredited qualifications and practical animal care experiences, with a particular focus on supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Every day, our team works directly with reptiles, amphibians and the people who care for them.
This means HerpDesk Manager has been designed by genuine animal professionals for real-world animal management — not simply software developers.
Photograph of the Dorset centre
Learners in a teaching session
Enclosure and animal room views
Supported practical handling
Purpose-built husbandry space
Daily checks being logged
Why we built HerpDesk
Built from Experience
When The Reptile Academy was first established in 2018, our licensed collection consisted of just 30 animals. At that size, spreadsheets, paper records and simple filing systems worked well enough.
As the organisation grew, so did the collection. Following our move to our purpose-built Dorset centre in 2023, our licence increased to 101 reptiles and amphibians, bringing significantly greater husbandry, health, feeding and compliance requirements.
By 2026, our licensed capacity had increased again to 200 animals, creating a level of record keeping that could no longer be managed efficiently using Excel spreadsheets, paper records and cloud folders.
We searched extensively for specialist software. Unfortunately, every solution we found either lacked the features we needed, focused only on zoos, or wasn't designed specifically for reptiles and amphibians.
So we decided to create our own. Today, HerpDesk Manager is the same platform we use ourselves every day to manage our own collection.
Our journey
2018
The Reptile Academy is founded
Founded with a licensed collection of 30 animals, managed with spreadsheets, paper records and filing systems.
2023
Move into our Dorset facility
Licensed capacity increased to 101 reptiles and amphibians, bringing far greater husbandry, health, feeding and compliance requirements.
2026
Licensed capacity reaches 200 animals
Record keeping outgrew spreadsheets and cloud folders. HerpDesk Manager officially launched.
Designed for real keepers
Designed by Keepers, for Keepers
Every feature inside HerpDesk Manager exists because someone genuinely needed it.
Whether that's recording a snake's feeding history, monitoring amphibian water quality, tracking breeding projects, managing medication schedules or keeping accurate enclosure records, the platform has been shaped by practical experience rather than assumptions.
Our goal isn't simply to digitise paperwork. It's to improve animal welfare by making good record keeping easier.
Weekly feed being recorded
Routine welfare monitoring
Water quality parameters
Photography from our own collection and education sessions will replace these placeholders.
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Year founded
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Original licensed collection
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Licensed animal capacity
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Designed around real collections
Not-for-profit social enterprise
Our mission
More Than Software
HerpDesk Manager is not simply another subscription app.
As a not-for-profit organisation, our objective is to improve reptile and amphibian husbandry whilst making professional collection management accessible to everyone.
To help achieve this, we've introduced a free HerpDesk Youth plan, giving young reptile and amphibian keepers, students and aspiring herpetologists access to a capable record-management platform at no cost.
As users grow their collections or require more advanced features, HerpDesk offers a range of affordable subscription plans for individuals, breeders and professional organisations.
Every subscription directly supports
- Continued development of HerpDesk Manager
- New features and improvements
- Long-term platform maintenance
- The educational work of The Reptile Academy
- Our specialist Centre of Excellence in Dorset
By choosing HerpDesk, you're not only investing in better record keeping — you are helping support education, conservation and opportunities for the next generation of reptile and amphibian enthusiasts.
Pricing philosophy
Fair Pricing
We believe professional software should be accessible. That's why HerpDesk offers:
A free Youth plan for young keepers and students
Affordable subscriptions for individual keepers
Advanced plans for breeders
Professional organisation plans for larger collections
Our pricing is designed to remain fair while ensuring the platform can continue to grow sustainably.
See all plansJoin the HerpDesk Community
Whether you care for one leopard gecko or manage a licensed collection of hundreds of reptiles and amphibians, HerpDesk Manager has been built to support you.
HerpDesk Manager is proudly developed and maintained by The Reptile Academy, a not-for-profit Centre of Excellence for reptile and amphibian education, animal welfare and SEND learning based in Dorset, United Kingdom.