Exo Terra Faunarium Small PT2255 Plastic Reptile Terrarium and Transport Container Review (2026)

What the Small Faunarium is built for

The Exo Terra Faunarium Small, model PT2255, measures roughly 9 by 6 by 6.5 inches with a listed tank volume around half a gallon, and the whole container weighs about 11.36 ounces empty. Exo Terra positions the Faunarium line as a tool for transport, quarantine and temporary housing of reptiles, amphibians and live feeder insects rather than a display enclosure, and the Small size sits at the bottom of that lineup. Because it is injection molded plastic rather than glass, it survives drops and car rides far better than a tank would, and its light weight makes it easy to carry one handed to a vet appointment or a reptile show table without needing a cart or a second person.

Ventilation and the feeding door

The lid combines side angled ventilation slits along the edges with a sizeable transparent feeding door set into the top, a design Exo Terra uses across the whole Faunarium range. That door lets a keeper drop in a cricket, mist the interior or check on an animal without lifting the entire lid, which cuts down on the number of full openings during a car ride or a quarantine check, and each full opening is a moment where an alert or defensive animal can push past a hand. A molded handle on the lid makes one handed carrying straightforward, and the boxes are stackable, so a breeder running several Small Faunariums for hatchling quarantine can rack them without dedicating a full shelf to each one.

Why the size limits what it can hold

At roughly 9 by 6 by 6.5 inches, the Small Faunarium only makes sense for hatchling reptiles, small geckos, insects used as feeders, or a juvenile animal being held for a short vet visit or quarantine check. It is too shallow and narrow for an adult bearded dragon, ball python or anything that needs room to stretch out, climb or thermoregulate across a real temperature gradient, and Exo Terra does not market the Faunarium series as compatible with overhead heat lamps or UVB fixtures. Any warmth during a short stay in this box needs to come from a heat mat placed underneath or beside it on a thermostat, since the plastic is not rated to sit directly under a basking bulb the way a mesh topped glass tank would be.

Using it for quarantine or transport

For quarantine duty, a paper towel liner keeps waste easy to spot for parasite checks, and a shallow water dish plus a simple hide fits even in the Small size for a hatchling or small gecko. Because the plastic is smooth and does not hold odor once wiped down, cleaning between animals is quick: warm water, a reptile safe disinfectant, then a full rinse and dry before the next occupant goes in, which matters for breeders cycling several new arrivals through the same containers. The same features that help with quarantine make it a practical transport box too, since the low, stable base and the see through door let a keeper check on a nervous animal during a drive without opening the lid and risking an escape in a moving vehicle.

Where it lands against other carriers

Against its own bigger sibling, the Exo Terra Faunarium Flat Home Medium, the Small gives up floor space in exchange for an even lighter, more pocketable box that suits hatchlings and insects rather than a juvenile lizard. Compared with a Lee's Kritter Keeper or a basic clear box like the Jungle Bob terrarium, the Faunarium's hinged feeding door is the standout advantage, since it means fewer full lid openings during handling and fewer chances for a small, fast animal to slip out. A soft sided option like a bearded dragon travel backpack offers a shoulder strap the rigid Faunarium lacks, but the hard plastic is easier to disinfect and will not flex if an animal pushes against the sides, which matters most for anyone using this box repeatedly for quarantine rather than a single trip.

Frequently asked questions