Reptile Community — Terms of Service

Last updated: 10 October 2026

1. About Reptile Community

Reptile Community is an Ireland-based online discussion and educational platform dedicated to reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and responsible herpetoculture.

The platform provides discussion forums, educational resources, species care information and opportunities for members to exchange knowledge and experiences.

Reptile Community is registered with the Irish Companies Registration Office (CRO) under Business Name Registration Number 372563.

Registered business address:

42 South Main Street
Youghal, Co. Cork
P36 FP23
Ireland

Reptile Community is an individually registered business name and is not a limited company.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, registering for or participating in Reptile Community, users agree to comply with these Terms of Service and the Community Guidelines.

Members who do not agree with these terms should not register for or continue using the platform.

These terms apply alongside applicable laws. Nothing in them limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

3. Membership and Accounts

Registration is free.

Members must provide accurate registration information and maintain the security of their accounts.

Members are responsible for taking reasonable precautions to protect their accounts and for activity carried out through them, except where responsibility cannot lawfully be attributed to the member.

Accounts must not be used to impersonate individuals, organisations or businesses.

Users must meet the minimum age requirements specified during registration and applicable data protection law.

Reptile Community may restrict, suspend or terminate accounts where reasonably necessary to enforce these terms, protect members or comply with legal obligations.

4. Community Standards

Reptile Community encourages constructive, respectful and evidence-based discussion.

Members must not:

Harass, threaten, intimidate or unlawfully discriminate against others.
Publish unlawful, defamatory or deliberately deceptive material.
Share another person’s private information without authorisation.
Post spam, fraudulent advertisements or malicious links.
Encourage unlawful wildlife collection, trafficking or trade.
Promote deliberate animal cruelty or unlawful animal keeping.
Repeatedly disrupt discussions or evade moderation decisions.

Differences in husbandry practices should be discussed respectfully, with reference to relevant evidence wherever possible.

Disagreement alone does not constitute misconduct.

5. Educational and Husbandry Information

Reptile Community provides educational information intended to support informed and responsible animal keeping.

Published resources may include husbandry recommendations, scientific research, veterinary information and practical experience.

Information may change as scientific understanding develops.

Members should assess information in the context of the species, individual animal and circumstances involved.

Educational material does not replace professional veterinary advice.

Where an animal is injured, ill or showing signs of distress, appropriate veterinary assistance should be sought.

6. Vivarium Vault and Educational Resources

The Vivarium Vault contains species care guides and other educational resources.

Reptile Community retains rights in original educational materials produced for the platform, subject to any third-party rights.

Members may access these resources for personal educational purposes.

Reproduction, republication or commercial distribution of original resources requires permission unless otherwise authorised by law or an applicable licence.

Scientific facts and general husbandry principles are not claimed as exclusive property.

7. Member-Generated Content

Members retain ownership of original material they contribute.

By posting content, members grant Reptile Community a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to store, reproduce, display, format and distribute that content as reasonably necessary to operate the platform and make their contributions available to its users.

Members must have the necessary rights to publish any photographs, documents or other materials they upload.

Content must not infringe another person’s copyright or other legal rights.

Removal of an account does not necessarily result in the immediate removal of all associated discussion content. Requests concerning personal data will be handled under applicable data protection law.

8. Marketplace

The Reptile Community Marketplace provides a platform for members to advertise, discuss and arrange lawful transactions involving reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, equipment and related goods.

Reptile Community provides the advertising platform only and is not a party to transactions between members unless expressly stated otherwise.

8.1 Irish Pet Sellers and Suppliers Register

Members advertising animals in Ireland must comply with the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 681 of 2019), where applicable.

Persons or businesses required to register with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) must hold the appropriate registration before engaging in activities for which registration is legally required.

Where the Regulations apply, advertisements must contain the information required by law, including applicable registration and animal identification details.

Members must not falsely claim to be registered or use another seller’s registration details.

Registration requirements depend on the nature and scale of the activity, the animals involved and any applicable exemptions.

Members are responsible for establishing whether registration is required in their circumstances.

8.2 Animal Welfare and Legal Compliance

All animals advertised must be legally held and eligible for lawful transfer.

Members must comply with applicable animal welfare legislation, wildlife protection laws, CITES requirements, transport regulations and any other relevant restrictions.

Where documentation, permits or certificates are legally required, sellers must ensure these are available and provided as required.

Advertisements involving illegally obtained animals, unlawful transactions or deliberate animal welfare violations are prohibited.

Members advertising animals outside Ireland must comply with the laws applicable to their location and the proposed transaction.

8.3 Seller Responsibilities

Members advertising animals or goods must provide accurate descriptions and must not deliberately misrepresent species, locality, captive-bred status, sex, age, health or other material information.

Sellers must provide prospective keepers with information required by applicable law.

Reptile Community may request reasonable evidence of registration or other legally required documentation where appropriate.

8.4 Marketplace Transactions

Transactions are arranged directly between participating members.

Reptile Community does not guarantee the identity, reliability or conduct of buyers or sellers.

Members are encouraged to verify relevant information and documentation before entering into transactions.

Reptile Community may remove advertisements, restrict Marketplace access or suspend accounts where listings breach applicable law or community rules.

9. Animal Welfare and Responsible Herpetoculture

Reptile Community supports responsible, science-based reptile keeping and breeding.

Discussions should promote appropriate animal welfare, species-specific husbandry and compliance with applicable legislation.

Content encouraging deliberate cruelty, illegal collection or unlawful trade is prohibited.

Members are encouraged to distinguish established scientific findings from personal observations or emerging husbandry practices.

10. Moderation

Reptile Community may review, edit, relocate, restrict or remove content where reasonably necessary.

Moderation decisions may be made to address:

Breaches of these terms or Community Guidelines.
Unlawful content.
Spam, fraud or security concerns.
Harassment or threats.
Significant risks to animal welfare.
Misleading Marketplace activity.

Moderation will be applied proportionately, taking account of applicable legal requirements.

Where required by law, affected members will receive information about moderation decisions and available means of challenging them.

Members may contact the forum administration to request reconsideration of a moderation decision.

11. Reporting Content

Members may report potentially unlawful or inappropriate content using the forum’s reporting facilities.

Reports should identify the relevant content and explain the concern.

Reptile Community will assess reports and take appropriate action where warranted.

Reports submitted in good faith will not result in penalties merely because the reported content is ultimately found not to breach the rules.

Where applicable, reports of illegal content will be handled in accordance with the EU Digital Services Act and other relevant legal requirements.

12. Privacy and Personal Data

Personal information is processed in accordance with Reptile Community’s Privacy Policy and applicable Irish and European data protection law.

Members should avoid publishing sensitive personal information about themselves or others in public discussions.

Requests concerning personal information may be submitted using the contact details provided in the Privacy Policy.

13. Availability and Security

Reptile Community aims to maintain a reliable and secure platform but cannot guarantee uninterrupted access.

Maintenance, technical issues, security incidents or circumstances beyond reasonable control may affect availability.

Members must not attempt unauthorised access, interfere with platform security or introduce malicious software.

14. External Websites and Services

Discussions may contain links to external websites or services.

Reptile Community does not automatically endorse external content or accept responsibility for third-party services.

Members should independently assess external information and exercise appropriate caution.

15. Limitation of Liability

Reptile Community provides its discussion and educational services with reasonable care.

Information contributed by members may contain inaccuracies or reflect individual opinions.

Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability that cannot be excluded under applicable Irish or European law.

Subject to those protections, Reptile Community is not responsible for losses arising solely from independent transactions between members or reliance on information supplied by third parties, except where liability arises under applicable law.

16. Changes to These Terms

Reptile Community may update these terms to reflect changes in legislation, platform functionality or community requirements.

Material changes will be communicated through appropriate website notices or other available channels.

The current version will remain accessible through the website.

17. Governing Law

These Terms of Service are governed by the laws of Ireland, subject to any mandatory protections available to users under applicable law.

Disputes will be addressed in accordance with applicable Irish and European legal requirements.

18. Contact Information

Reptile Community
CRO Business Name Registration: 372563

42 South Main Street
Youghal, Co. Cork
P36 FP23
Ireland

Website: www.ReptileCommunity.com