About ExoZoo
ExoZoo is a small, independent, advertising-supported site built around eight free calculators and reference tools for people who keep reptiles, exotic mammals, birds, and aquatic exotics — plus a museum of exotic-animal and wildlife history. There is no company behind it, no staff, and no claim to veterinary authority — just tools built from published formulas and a museum built from public references.
How the tools are actually built
Every calculator on this site is a straightforward implementation of a published formula or reference table, not a black box. The Pet Calorie Calculatorruns the standard resting-energy equation, RER = 70 × kg0.75, then scales it to a daily energy requirement (DER) with a life-stage or activity multiplier — the same two-step approach used in veterinary nutrition texts. The Pet Food Calculator takes that same RER/DER output and divides it by the energy density of the food you enter to produce grams per day and a meals-per-day suggestion, so the portion is sized to the animal in front of you rather than a generic feeding-chart average.
The Pet Age Converterdoes not use one universal “multiply by seven” rule. Cats, dogs (split by adult size), rabbits, ferrets, parrots, and tortoises age at different rates, so each species in the tool has its own aging curve and a life-stage label attached to the result. The Vaccination Scheduler works from birth date and species to lay out core and non-core vaccine timing and annual boosters for the animals that actually get vaccinated on a schedule; for reptiles and birds, where routine vaccination is not standard practice, it substitutes the periodic wellness checks that function in that role instead of inventing doses that do not exist. The Exercise Plannergenerates a weekly enrichment plan by group — basking and exploration time for reptiles, flight and foraging for birds, wheel and playpen sessions for small mammals — adjusted by the energy level and sessions per day you set, rather than one plan reused across every species. The Pet Weight Trackeris arithmetic, not a model: it logs the weights you enter, computes net change, percentage change, and distance from a target or healthy range, and draws a sparkline — all stored locally in your browser, not on a server. The Pet Cost Calculator simply adds the one-time setup costs you provide to the ongoing monthly costs of food, substrate, vet care, and supplements to produce a first-year total, a monthly figure, and an annual figure. The Species & Variety Identifieris a filterable reference table of popular reptiles, birds, small mammals, and amphibians — group, care level, adult size, lifespan, varieties, and care notes — that you can search or narrow down; it does not identify an animal from a photo.
None of these formulas were invented here. They come from standard veterinary energy equations, widely published husbandry references, and common vaccination-schedule conventions. What ExoZoo adds is a clean interface for entering your own numbers and getting a specific answer instead of a chart you have to interpolate by hand.
What this is, and what it is not
ExoZoo is not a veterinary clinic, a wildlife authority, or a rehabilitation organization, and it is not affiliated with any brand, veterinary body, or husbandry standard it references. Every calculator result is a general estimate based on the numbers you enter and the formula behind it — not a diagnosis, a prescription, or a substitute for professional judgment. Individual animals vary by health, environment, and genetics in ways a calculator cannot see, so for feeding changes, illness, injury, vaccination decisions, or anything affecting an animal’s welfare, consult a qualified exotic-animal or wildlife veterinarian. Keeping certain species may also require permits; this site does not provide legal advice on that either. The site is supported by advertising, which is how the tools stay free. Beyond the calculators, the Museum of Exotic Animals & Wildlife and the learn section gather reference material on exotic species and their care, and the blog covers related topics in more depth.
Questions, corrections, or a formula you think is wrong? See Contact.