Heloderma suspectum
Gila monster
A secure desert enclosure for a lawful animal only. Private keeping is heavily restricted.
Legal status
- Venomous · rehoming blocked
- CITES II
Venomous. Repticentra blocks rehoming of venomous species. CITES: Heloderma spp. is Appendix II, except Heloderma horridum charlesbogerti which is Appendix I, so Heloderma suspectum is Appendix II. No EU annex is recorded because the annex column was not verified in Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/966. Not recorded here as an EU invasive alien species. Many places require a venomous-animal permit. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 24–30°C
- Basking
- 32–35°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 2. About 0.7–1.5
- Humidity
- 30–40%
- Minimum enclosure
- About 120 × 60 × 60 cm for one adult
- Adult size
- About 35–55 cm.
- Lifespan
- Often 20 years or more.
- Difficulty
- advanced
Diet and feeding
Infrequent meals of rodents or eggs. They are adapted to eat rarely. This is not a feeding challenge to push. Often every 7–14 days, and sometimes less often. Follow a reptile veterinarian, not a snake chart.
Substrate
A dry packed mix.
Health
The bite is medically significant. Do not free-handle. This sheet is not permission to keep the species.
Handling
Do not handle except for veterinary care, with training and equipment.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.