Enclosure is the more general, catch-all term that avoids the debate entirely, and it's increasingly the word used in care guidance because it doesn't imply a specific style of build. A glass-fronted wooden cabinet, a mesh-sided setup for arboreal species, and a fully planted bioactive tank could all reasonably be called an enclosure, regardless of whether someone else in the hobby would call them a vivarium or a terrarium.

The rule of thumb worth keeping in mind is straightforward. If in doubt about husbandry, a care sheet and, where needed, a conversation with staff who handle these species day to day is the right first step. If in doubt about the animal's health, whether that's appetite, behaviour, weight, skin or anything else, the right step is a vet with genuine reptile experience, not a general practice unfamiliar with exotics, and not a forum thread.

Reptiles are often bought on the strength of how they look as juveniles, without much thought for what keeping them actually involves five or ten years down the line. Before choosing a species, it's worth weighing up lifespan, enclosure space and ongoing running costs honestly, since all three tend to outlast the initial enthusiasm of the first few weeks.

Substrate is another area worth checking line by line. Some kits include a starter bag suited to the enclosure's intended species; others include a generic substrate that may or may not suit the animal actually being kept. Hides, water dishes and basic decor are the items most likely to be missing from a kit altogether, on the assumption that a keeper will add these separately based on preference.

As with any enclosure, running it for a few days before an animal moves in lets temperature and humidity settle properly, and any questions about whether a setup suits a particular species are best checked against a care sheet or with a vet experienced in reptiles.

More information is available at NRC Reptile Centre.