Who we are, and why a guide just for reptile keepers exists
Only 20.6%[1] of reviewed US vet practice websites even mention aftercare, and far fewer mention reptiles. We're an independent guide that fills that gap and passes your request to providers who can help.
- Independent: we don't own or run any crematory
- Every figure traced to a named source
- Plain answers written for keepers, not sales copy
In one paragraph
An independent guide and request service, not a crematory
Reptile Cremation Services is a website that explains reptile aftercare and helps keepers reach providers who can carry it out. We don't own crematories, vehicles or premises, and nobody from this site will collect your animal. When you send a request, we look at what's available where you live and reply by email with options and prices from providers who serve your area.
Sending a request costs you nothing and doesn't commit you to anything. You choose whether to contact a provider, and you deal and pay them directly. If none of the options suit you, that's fine; the guides on this site are here to use either way.
The gap we fill
Why reptile keepers need their own aftercare guide
Pet aftercare information is written almost entirely for dogs and cats. That leaves reptile keepers guessing about things that matter a great deal to them: whether a crematory can take a 12-foot python, what happens to a tortoise shell, how to tell brumation from death, and how to handle a body that may carry Salmonella.
600,000[2]
There are about 600,000 pet snakes in the UK (1.3% of households).
700,000[3]
There are about 700,000 pet tortoises and turtles in the UK (1.6% of households).
6 million[4]
About 6 million US households keep reptiles.
Those are UK pet snakes, UK tortoises and turtles, and US households with reptiles. That's a lot of keepers, and most will face this at least once. We wrote the services overview and the local pages around their questions, not a generic pet checklist.
Step by step
What happens when you send us a request
- You tell us the basics on the contact page or any form on the site: species, rough weight (and length for a snake), where you are, and what you'd like to happen.
- We look at who serves your area and which of them accept reptiles of that size, handle shells, or offer private cremation for very small pets.
- We email you back with the options we found, what each typically costs and what to ask before booking.
- You decide. Contact whichever provider you prefer, or none. We don't book on your behalf unless you ask us to pass your details on.
We reply by email, so there's no phone call to brace yourself for. If you're planning for a senior tortoise rather than dealing with a death today, our planning page is a calmer place to start.
How we check facts
How we research, and why we chose the quieter number
Reptile keeping attracts strong opinions, and some statistics travel further than the evidence behind them. A good example is first-year mortality. An advocacy group's claim that most pet reptiles die within a year of purchase is widely repeated, but a peer-reviewed University of Kent survey found only 3.6%[5] of pet snakes, chelonians and lizards died within their first year.
When sources disagree, we prefer peer-reviewed research, government data and regulator reports over campaign figures and marketing claims, and we say which one we used. Every figure on the site links to its source, and the research page lists the full set with dates. For reptiles, that means sources like the University of Kent study of pet reptile mortality and the Merck Veterinary Manual's captive lifespan table, rather than figures passed around keeper forums.
Our own maths
How to read our stats and the 'our estimate' label
Most figures here are straight facts from a named source: a survey, a price list, a study. A few are our own calculations built from those facts, and they're always labelled our estimate. We use them only where the arithmetic tells you something useful that no source states directly.
$9.2 -> $4.2 -> $4.0 per lb[6]
Estimates are only as good as their inputs, so we show the working on the research page and keep them conservative. Our tools use the same sources: the memorial budget planner starts from published ranges you can edit to match real quotes.
Editorial standards
What we will and won't publish
- No invented reviews, ratings or testimonials. If you see a quote on this site, it's our own writing, and it's never attributed to a customer.
- No pretending to be a provider. We don't claim crematories, staff or vehicles we don't have.
- No stretched facts. A UK finding stays a UK finding; we won't present it as a US figure.
- Honest prices. We give ranges from named sources and tell you to ask for a written total, because local prices vary.
- Care around life and death. Where there's any doubt, such as a reptile that might be brumating, we tell you to get a vet's confirmation first.
Our reader polls follow the same rule. Results are live and anonymous and we never present them as research; the poll results page explains how they're counted.
Did the people around you understand your grief for a reptile?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Did the people around you understand your grief for a reptile?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which reptile are you planning aftercare for?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Did you (or would you) compare more than one provider?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Do you cremate reptiles yourselves?
No. We're an independent guide and request service. We don't operate crematories or collect animals. We help you find and compare providers that serve your area and can handle your species, and you arrange the service with them directly.
Why do you recommend a vet check before cremation?
Because reptiles in brumation, or simply too cold, can look lifeless while still alive. A reptile vet can confirm with a Doppler probe in minutes. We would rather add a step than risk anyone cremating or burying an animal that could have recovered.
Where do your prices come from?
From published sources such as CareCredit's US cremation cost guide, pet insurer guides and the UK regulator's review of pet cremation. Each figure shows its source. They're typical ranges, not quotes, so we always suggest asking a provider for a written total before agreeing.
What does 'our estimate' mean next to a figure?
It marks a number we calculated ourselves from published facts, for example cost per pound worked out from weight-based price bands. We label them so you can tell them apart from sourced facts, and we explain the working on our research page.
Are your reader polls scientific surveys?
No. They're open, anonymous and live, with one vote per person, so they show what readers of this site chose, not what all reptile keepers think. We compare them with published research where we can, and we never quote them as facts.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] Only 20.6% of reviewed US veterinary practice websites mentioned after-death body care (32% referenced euthanasia at all). Cooney, Kogan, Brooks, Ellis - Pet Owners' Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine (2020), 2020.
- [2] There are about 600,000 pet snakes in the UK (1.3% of households). UK Pet Food (formerly PFMA) Pet Population 2026, 2026.
- [3] There are about 700,000 pet tortoises and turtles in the UK (1.6% of households). UK Pet Food (formerly PFMA) Pet Population 2026, 2026.
- [4] About 6 million US households keep reptiles. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 National Pet Owners Survey release, 2025.
- [5] A University of Kent survey found only 3.6% of pet snakes, chelonians and lizards died within one year of acquisition; boas and pythons had the lowest mortality (1.9%) and chameleons the highest (28.2%). Robinson JE, St John FA, Griffiths RA, Roberts DL. Captive Reptile Mortality Rates in the Home and Implications for the Wildlife Trade. PLoS One, 2015 (PMID 26556237), 2015.
- [6] Private cremation cost per pound falls with size in the US: roughly $9.2/lb for a 15 lb pet, $4.2/lb at 60 lb and about $4.0/lb at 100 lb. Our estimate: band midpoint price / representative weight: 0-30 lb (midpoint $137.50 / 15 lb) = $9.17/lb; 51-70 lb ($250 / 60 lb) = $4.17/lb; over 90 lb ($400 / ~100 lb) = $4.00/lb. How we calculate.
Send us your reptile's details
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.