Task · part of 8. A month in your custody, or three months of visits. Do ONE
8(a). Take custody for at least a month, or keep eggs to hatching
Optional May not apply Often forgotten
Three routes inside one: keep one or more animals for a month recording food, feeding, colour changes, shedding and habits; or keep reptile eggs until they hatch; or keep amphibian eggs until they become tadpoles or larvae. Records and a report either way, and rehoming at the end unless you are the long-term owner.
Notes and warnings
Warning. THE RULES THAT GOVERN THIS ROUTE ARE NOT IN ANY NUMBERED REQUIREMENT. A standing note above requirement 1 says Scouts must NOT use venomous reptiles here; that collecting is prohibited in most National and State Parks and needs the land manager's permission anywhere else; that species protected by federal or state law must not be collected; and that YOUR STATE MAY REQUIRE YOU TO BUY AND CARRY A LICENCE for certain species. The 2025 requirements book puts it even more plainly than the current page does: endangered, protected or threatened species must not be used as live specimens for this requirement. Check your own state's wildlife and fish and game rules before you collect anything.
Warning. TWO OF THE THREE ROUTES INSIDE THIS REQUIREMENT ARE SEASONAL AND YOU DO NOT CONTROL THE SEASON. Keeping reptile eggs from laying until hatching, or amphibian eggs from laying until they become tadpoles or larvae, both depend on eggs being laid, which happens when it happens. Only the third route, keeping one or more animals for at least a month, can be started because you decided to start.
Where this step comes from
- Reptile and Amphibian Study Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-09-19), Requirement 8(a) · Requires the animal to be turned over to another responsible party approved by the counselor at the conclusion, unless the Scout is the long-term owner. The standing note above the requirements forbids the use of venomous reptiles here.