Saying goodbye to your reptile in Wellington
Whether your reptile is a gecko or a 70-pound tortoise, you have time to get this right. Here's how to confirm death, what cremation costs in Wellington and how to find a provider used to reptiles.
- Safe handling and Salmonella tips
- Private or communal, explained simply
- Help with large snakes and heavy tortoises
Wellington, New Zealand
Finding reptile-savvy help in Wellington
Cats are a big part of life in Wellington, and many households also keep rabbits, guinea pigs, birds or fish. Burial in the garden is common in New Zealand, but steep, rocky sections, rental properties and small townhouse plots can make it impractical here. Having your pet cremated privately with the ashes returned lets you keep your pet close and decide later whether to bury, scatter or keep the ashes at home.
Wellington's weather is famous for wind, and the city sees plenty of rain and changeable days, but temperatures stay mild most of the year and snow in the suburbs is rare. That gives you a little more time after a pet dies than in a hot climate. Keep the body in the coolest room, on a towel with cool packs alongside, and try to arrange collection within a day, especially in the warmer months from December to March.
Many practices around Wellington close on Sundays and some on Saturday afternoons, which is often exactly when keepers discover a loss. If the body is already stiff and the eyes sunken, an emergency fee buys you nothing: seal it, chill it and call first thing Monday. If there's any doubt at all, keep it warm and phone the emergency line.
With roughly 212,000 residents, Wellington is one of the New Zealand communities we cover.
69%[1]
69% of bodies in New Zealand were cremated in 2023, per the Funeral Directors Association of NZ.
6 million[2]
About 6 million US households keep reptiles.
700,000[3]
There are about 700,000 pet tortoises and turtles in the UK (1.6% of households).
3-5% of body weight[4]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
To check the figures yourself, see Embrace Pet Insurance and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 National Pet Owners Survey release.
Cremation habits in New Zealand and your reptile
The human cremation figure for New Zealand, around 69%[1], reflects a real mix of habits, and keepers' forums show the same divide, between garden burials and private cremation. Neither camp is wrong. Size often settles it: a hatchling turtle fits under a rose bush, while a 40-pound tortoise needs more thought.
The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023) is where the New Zealand figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Wellington tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
What Wellington's climate means for aftercare
Wherever you are, the first rule with a reptile is to confirm death before anything else, because a cold or brumating reptile can seem lifeless. After that, keep the body in a sealed tub in the fridge. In warm weather, ask for collection within a day or two; in cold weather, you'll usually have a little more time.
Wellington prices, from gecko to giant tortoise
Across Australia and New Zealand, small pets sit in the cheapest band. One Auckland crematorium lists individual cremation at NZD 305 and communal at NZD 55 for pets of 2 to 7 kg[5], and a tiny gecko is lighter still. In Wellington, ask whether there's a lower rate for very small pets and whether collection is included.
The full price table by size is on our New Zealand page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Rules reptile keepers should know in New Zealand
Most decisions after a reptile dies are yours to make. The exceptions are burial, scattering and anything involving a regulated species. Some reptiles are covered by wildlife-trade or invasive-species rules, which can affect selling or giving away a shell and mean a sick or dead reptile should never be released or dumped outdoors. Everything else follows the general pet rules for New Zealand.
In New Zealand, most pet reptiles are turtles, with native geckos and skinks kept only under specific permits because they're protected. If you keep a native reptile, check your permit conditions before burial or cremation. Councils set home burial rules, and many urban sections are too small for it, so cremation through a vet is common.
The first 48 hours with a reptile, step by step
- If you're unsure, wait and call. Freezing, burial and a cremation booking can all wait for a vet's confirmation, ideally using a Doppler probe.
- If you keep a collection, ask the vet whether a necropsy (post-mortem) is worth doing before cremation. Refrigerate, don't freeze, if you want one.
- Keep children and anyone with a weak immune system away from the body and the cleanup.
- Choose between private and communal cremation. For a small lizard, ask how much ash to expect so you can pick a keepsake that fits.
- Arrange collection or drop-off. A sealed tub is enough to take a small reptile to the clinic yourself; a big tortoise or a long snake is a job for the provider's van.
- Get the return date and price in writing, including the urn or container.
Keeping your reptile close
Wellington is built on hills, and many homes sit on steep sections reached by long flights of steps, zig-zag paths or even private cable cars, with no driveway at the door. If your pet dies at home, that affects how collection works. It helps to note your suburb in your message, along with how many steps there are between the street and your door, and where a vehicle can safely park on a narrow road.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or see how other readers answered in our polls, look through our guides and the blog, Our services overview lays out every option side by side. More local pages: the New Zealand overview and every city in New Zealand.
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.
When your reptile seemed to have died, how sure were you at first?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
For a small lizard or gecko, would you still choose private cremation knowing only a pinch of ash may come back?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Cremation cost calculator
Estimate a realistic price range for your pet's size, location and the type of cremation.
Ashes weight estimator
See roughly how much ash to expect back, by species and body weight.
Pet age & senior years calculator
Convert your pet's age and see when senior-care and planning conversations usually start.
Questions people ask
Why does the Wellington page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023) reports about 69%[1] of New Zealand residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
My reptile died within its first year. Is that common?
It's less common than some claims suggest. A peer-reviewed University of Kent survey found only 3.6%[7] of pet snakes, chelonians and lizards died within their first year, though rates varied by species, with chameleons highest. If your reptile died young, a vet can help you understand why, which may protect any others you keep.
Do I have to use the crematory my Wellington vet recommends?
No. Your vet's arrangement is convenient, but you can choose any provider that serves Wellington and ask them to collect from the clinic. For a reptile, it's worth asking whether they have handled your species before and how they keep very small bodies separate from others.
Is communal cremation a respectful choice for a reptile?
Yes. In communal cremation your reptile is cremated with other animals and no ashes come back, but reputable providers handle it with the same care and scatter or bury the ashes together in a dedicated place. It suits keepers who don't want an urn at home. Ask where the shared ashes go; some providers can tell you the location so you can visit.
How long until I get my reptile's ashes back?
Many families get private cremation ashes back within one to two weeks, and 5-10 days[8] is commonly quoted in the US. From a smaller town, where the crematory may collect only on certain days, it can take longer. Ask for an expected return date when you book, and whether the ashes come by post or for collection.
Do Australian crematoria take pythons, dragons and blue-tongues?
Most do. Animal Medicines Australia reports that 3%[9] of Australian households keep reptiles, so crematoria in larger centres see native species regularly. Give the species, weight and, for a python, the length. If you hold a wildlife licence, check whether it asks you to record the death, and keep the cremation certificate with your records.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 69% of bodies in New Zealand were cremated in 2023, per the Funeral Directors Association of NZ. The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report, 2023.
- [2] About 6 million US households keep reptiles. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 National Pet Owners Survey release, 2025.
- [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] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [5] The same Auckland provider lists individual cremation at NZD 625 and communal at NZD 215 for a 70-95 kg dog, and NZD 305 vs NZD 55 for a 2-7 kg pet. Caring Cremations (Auckland) - Pet cremation prices, 2026.
- [6] If Jonathan the tortoise hatched in 1832, he is about 194 years old in 2026. Our estimate: 2026 - 1832. How we calculate.
- [7] 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.
- [8] A US aftercare guide says many families receive private cremation ashes within about one to two weeks, with 5-10 days commonly quoted. Funeral.com - Pet Cremation Timelines: How Long Until Ashes Are Returned, 2026.
- [9] 3% of Australian households keep reptiles. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 2025.
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