VHO terms
Namespace https://vho.bio/ns/core# · ontology version 0.8.0 · Turtle
Classes (193)
Acrylic vho:Acrylic
Cast or extruded poly(methyl methacrylate) sheet. Transparent like glass; lighter and less brittle; scratches more readily and discolours over years of UV exposure.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureMaterial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Activity Pattern vho:ActivityPattern
A quality describing the diel timing of an organism's activity peaks (crepuscular, nocturnal, diurnal, cathemeral). Drives the photoperiod and lighting regimes a species expects to encounter in captivity.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diel_vertical_migration
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Air Exchange Level vho:AirExchangeLevel
A categorical level of passive air exchange an enclosure provides, determined by the size, number, and placement of its ventilation openings relative to enclosure volume. The levels are ordered low, moderate, high. Used as a conditional-fact guard, a level reads as the design providing at least that level of exchange.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:DesignCondition
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Airflow Pattern vho:AirflowPattern
The way air moves inside an enclosure, set by where its ventilation openings sit relative to one another and by any equipment driving circulation. Independent of how much air the enclosure exchanges with the surrounding room, which vho:AirExchangeLevel states: two enclosures at the same exchange level can hold one interior stirred throughout and one with still pockets. Used as a conditional-fact guard, a pattern reads as the design producing that movement.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:DesignCondition
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ambient temperature vho:AmbientTemperature
Temperature of the air inside an enclosure. Bearer of the vho:ambientTemperature numeric value used in care regime constraints.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnvironmentalTemperature
- equivalent to
- obo:ENVO_09200001
- also known as
- air temperature
- source
- obo:ENVO_09200001
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Amphibia vho:Amphibia
Class of ectothermic tetrapod vertebrates characterised by a typically biphasic life cycle (aquatic larva, terrestrial adult) and a permeable, mucous, scaleless integument that functions in cutaneous gas exchange and osmoregulation. Contains all vivarium-kept frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Animal, vho:Chordata
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_8292
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_8292
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Anatomical Trait vho:AnatomicalTrait
A trait reflecting structural anatomy (e.g., tarsal claw, permeable skin, gape size).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Trait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Animal vho:Animal
A living animal kept in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Organism
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Anura vho:Anura
Order of amphibians comprising tail-less adults with elongated hind limbs adapted for jumping. Bearer of vho:PermeableSkin and vho:ThinIntegument universally: the dorsoventral skin functions as a respiratory and osmoregulatory surface and is mechanically vulnerable.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Amphibia
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_8342
- also known as
- frogs and toads
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_8342
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Aquarium vho:Aquarium
An enclosure whose interior is fully aquatic. The resident occupies the water column and surface; no terrestrial substrate is present.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Enclosure
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquarium
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Arachnida vho:Arachnida
Arthropod class containing spiders, scorpions, and related lineages. Members typically bear eight legs and lack antennae.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Arthropoda
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_6854
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_6854
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Araneae vho:Araneae
Order of arachnids characterised by silk-producing spinnerets and a body divided into a cephalothorax and abdomen.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Arachnida
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_6893
- also known as
- spiders
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_6893
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Arthropoda vho:Arthropoda
Invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, segmented body, and jointed appendages. Phylum containing all vivarium-kept invertebrates other than gastropods and annelids.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Metazoa
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_6656
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_6656
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Assertion Polarity vho:AssertionPolarity
Whether a qualified assertion runs toward its value or away from it. Independent of vho:basis, which says how much the assertion weighs: a preference against something can be mild or absolute, as a preference for something can.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Background Role vho:BackgroundRole
Played by an EnclosureBackground or by content positioned to function as a visual background.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Baked soil granulate vho:BakedSoilGranulate
Nutrient-bearing soil fired into stable granules for planted aquaria and paludarium water sections. Granular structure drains and circulates water freely while each granule holds moisture and feeds rooted aquatic plants; softens and breaks down over a service life of a few years.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- aquarium planting soil
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ball Python vho:BallPython
Small, heavy-bodied, terrestrial nonvenomous python native to the grasslands and forests of West and Central Africa. Adults reach 109–136 cm total length; named for its habit of coiling into a ball when threatened. The most widely-kept pet snake, prized for its docile temperament and modest size.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Python
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_51751
- also known as
- Python regius, royal python
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_51751
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Band Role vho:BandRole
The kind of claim a source makes about a numeric band. A band carrying no band role states required provision; a band carrying one is a different kind of claim, such as a field-observation statistic, that informs provision without stating it. What to conclude from such a band is the judgement of whoever applies it.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Basking Surface vho:BaskingSurface
A surface where an organism warms via radiated or conducted heat.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:ThermalRole
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Behavioural Trait vho:BehaviouralTrait
A trait reflecting behaviour (e.g., burrowing-required, arboreal-preference). Distinct from vho:Temperament: traits gate capacity realization; temperament is a quality.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Trait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Body length vho:BodyLength
Linear extent of an organism's body. Abstract parent of the conventional body-size descriptors (vho:SnoutVentLength, vho:TotalLength, vho:DiagonalLegSpan, vho:CarapaceLength, vho:PlastronLength), each of which fixes the axis along which a clade's body size is measured.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- equivalent to
- obo:PATO_0000122
- source
- obo:PATO_0000122
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Body mass vho:BodyMass
Mass of an organism's body. Used for individual measurements and for species-level typical-adult ranges (vho:typicalAdultMassRange).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- equivalent to
- obo:PATO_0000125
- source
- obo:PATO_0000125
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Body measurement vho:BodyMeasurement
A measurement of a body-size descriptor. The node names the descriptor it measures with vho:measuredAs and its unit with vho:unit. A measurement of an individual organism carries a single vho:value; a species-typical measurement instead carries vho:minInclusive and vho:maxInclusive in the manner of a vho:Range.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Brumation exit vho:BrumationExit
A husbandry action sequence that brings a resident out of brumation: progressive restoration of temperature and photoperiod, gradual reintroduction of food.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Brumation initiation vho:BrumationInitiation
A husbandry action sequence that prepares a resident for brumation: progressive reduction of temperature and photoperiod, cessation of feeding, increased hydration.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Brumation maintenance vho:BrumationMaintenance
Husbandry checks during an active brumation period: temperature monitoring, hydration checks, weight checks. No feeding.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Brumation period vho:BrumationPeriod
A seasonal phase of metabolic slowdown observed in many temperate reptiles and amphibians during cooler months. Temperatures, feeding, and lighting are progressively reduced over the entry phase, held minimal during the maintenance phase, and gradually restored during the exit phase.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SeasonalPeriod
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy#Brumation
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Burrow Site Role vho:BurrowSiteRole
Played by substrate (or, less commonly, hardscape with a pre-formed cavity) deep, structured, and stable enough for a resident to construct or occupy a permanent burrow. Distinct from vho:Hide: a hide is an above-substrate concealment surface, while a burrow site provides excavated underground residence. For fossorial and opportunistic-burrower species (theraphosids, fossorial reptiles), the burrow site is the primary day-time residence.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Calcium carbonate vho:CalciumCarbonate
Calcium salt CaCO₃. In vivarium husbandry, served as a calcium supplement dusted onto feeders or provided in dish form; also incorporated into some substrate blends for pH buffering and incidental calcium availability.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Supplement
- equivalent to
- obo:CHEBI_3311
- source
- obo:CHEBI_3311
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Calcium sand vho:CalciumSand
Granular calcium-carbonate sand. Marketed for reptile enclosures as a digestible substrate; the premise is the hazard: the calcium content invites deliberate ingestion, and calcium carbonate reacts with gastric acid and clumps, so ingested material obstructs rather than passes. The same material is the standard, deliberately chosen substrate of marine and hard-water aquaria, where it buffers pH and carbonate hardness and the terrestrial ingestion pathway does not exist; the hazard is therefore carried as a trait-gated capacity, not a blanket contraindication.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- aragonite sand, calcium carbonate sand
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aragonite
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Calcium supplement vho:CalciumSupplement
A powdered dietary supplement whose primary mineral is calcium (typically calcium carbonate, CHEBI:3311), used to correct the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio of insect feeders. May or may not include vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol, CHEBI:28940) depending on whether the enclosure provides UVB.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Supplement
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-food/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Calcium supplement with D3 vho:CalciumWithD3
Calcium supplement that also contains supplemental vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Appropriate when the enclosure does NOT provide UVB lighting: the dietary D3 substitutes for the D3 the resident would otherwise synthesise via UVB exposure.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:CalciumSupplement
- also known as
- Ca + D3
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-food/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Calcium supplement without D3 vho:CalciumWithoutD3
Calcium supplement that does NOT contain supplemental vitamin D3. Appropriate when the enclosure provides UVB lighting: the resident synthesises its own D3 from UVB, so additional dietary D3 risks over-supplementation.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:CalciumSupplement
- also known as
- Ca only
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-food/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Capacity vho:Capacity
What a continuant in a vivarium is capable of doing.
Top-level class for the capacity continuant. Specific types of capacity (e.g., vho:FeedingCapacity, vho:CleaningCapacity) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Carapace length vho:CarapaceLength
Linear extent of a dorsal shield along its midline. Abstract parent of the conventional carapace-based body-size measures, used directly for crustaceans and specialised by the chelonian straight and curved measures.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Care Axis vho:CareAxis
A curatable dimension of husbandry knowledge about a taxon, such as humidity provision or diet. An axis names the question a curator answers, not the answer; each axis links to the assertion properties that answer it via vho:coversProperty, and taxa state which axes are meaningful questions for their members via vho:applicableAxis and vho:inapplicableAxis.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Care Guide vho:CareGuide
A sectioned prose document describing how to keep a species in captivity. Wraps human-readable husbandry narrative around explicit pointers to the ontology axioms that back each claim.
The CareGuide carries document-level metadata (title, creator, source, date) via Dublin Core. It is the round-trip bridge between hobbyist-facing prose and machine-readable axioms: each section names which species class and which properties on that class it describes, so a renderer can walk from prose to axiom and back.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Care Guide Section vho:CareGuideSection
A single section of a CareGuide. Carries prose for one topical cluster (e.g., enclosure, diet) and links to the axioms it describes via vho:describes.
Sections are the atomic prose units. A section is expected to bear exactly one rdfs:label (the section title), one dcterms:description (the prose body), one vho:sectionOrder (for stable rendering), and one or more vho:describes edges to the species class and/or to specific property URIs on that class.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Care Regime vho:CareRegime
A bundle of husbandry value constraints (humidity, temperature, photoperiod, feeding, supplementation) scoped to a period.
Attached to a species (or other organism class) via vho:hasCareRegime; scoped to a vho:Period via vho:duringPeriod.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Chordata vho:Chordata
Phylum of animals possessing a notochord at some life stage. Contains all vivarium-kept vertebrates.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Metazoa
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_7711
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_7711
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Clay vho:Clay
Fine-grained phyllosilicate soil fraction. Nearly impermeable when packed and strongly water-holding; blended with sand it produces a mouldable substrate that hardens as it dries and holds excavated burrows and tunnels, the basis of burrowing-substrate blends for fossorial species.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Cleaning action vho:CleaningAction
A husbandry action that removes waste, uneaten food, shed skin, or biofilm from the enclosure. Distinct from substrate change: cleaning does not replace the substrate medium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Cleanup Crew Role vho:CleanupCrewRole
Played by detritivores (isopods, springtails) maintaining bioactive substrate.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Climbing Structure vho:ClimbingStructure
A continuant providing arboreal traversal surfaces for an organism.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Coco coir vho:CocoCoir
Fibre and pith milled from the husks of coconut palm fruit. Widely used as the bulk component of tropical bioactive substrates: holds water without becoming anaerobic, supports microbial colonisation, and resists decomposition over typical enclosure timescales.
Property values are for fine-pith form (the most common form in vivarium use); coarse-fibre forms drain faster and retain less. Refine per form when species encoding requires the distinction.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- coconut fibre, coir pith
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Coconut husk chip vho:CoconutHuskChip
Chipped coconut husk in centimetre-scale pieces. Coarser than coco coir from the same husk: drains far better, holds less water, and opens a blend's structure.
Values are for chip-grade pieces of roughly 8-15 mm. Fine grades behave as vho:CocoCoir.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- coco chip
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coir
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Commercial Food vho:CommercialFood
A material entity that is manufactured and sold as food for an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Comparator vho:Comparator
The direction in which a vho:SizingConstraint bounds its quantity.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Component portion vho:ComponentPortion
The share one constituent contributes to a composite continuant. The portion names the kind of material or part it stands for with vho:componentType and states its share with vho:massFraction, vho:volumeFraction, or vho:count. A substrate mix carries one portion per material, and the mix's derived properties are computed from its portions rather than asserted on the mix.
Distinct from vho:SubstrateComponent, which is the material itself: vho:CocoCoir is a substrate component, and a portion naming it at a mass fraction of 0.6 is a component portion.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Constraint Basis vho:ConstraintBasis
The reason a vho:SizingConstraint exists and the weight a breach carries. The evaluation shape enforces only binding bases; non-binding bases inform presentation.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Continuant vho:Continuant
A thing that persists through time and is wholly present whenever it exists: an animal, an enclosure, a substrate, a piece of equipment, and also the qualities, roles, and capacities those bear.
The topmost class for things, as opposed to happenings. An enclosure is a continuant; misting that enclosure is not. Relations such as vho:hasQuality and vho:hasPart hold of things and never of happenings, and this class is what lets them say so.
- type
- owl:Class
- equivalent to
- obo:BFO_0000002
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Correlophus vho:Correlophus
Genus of New Caledonian geckos containing the crested gecko (C. ciliatus), Sarasin's giant gecko (C. sarasinorum), and the eyelash gecko (C. belepensis).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Diplodactylidae
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_1479064
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_1479064
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Crested gecko vho:CrestedGecko
Arboreal, crepuscular-to-nocturnal gecko endemic to southern New Caledonia. Bears soft adhesive setae on the toe pads, a frilled crest of dermal projections from the head along the back, and an autotomous tail that does not regenerate after loss.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Correlophus
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_143539
- also known as
- Correlophus ciliatus, eyelash gecko
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_143539
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Crested gecko axanthic morph vho:CrestedGeckoAxanthic
Recessive colour morph of Correlophus ciliatus lacking yellow and red carotenoid pigmentation. Visually distinct (grayscale phenotype) but otherwise broadly similar in husbandry to wild-type. The morph class exists to demonstrate the morph-override pattern in the ontology; species-level regimes inherit unchanged where the morph does not override.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:CrestedGecko
- also known as
- axanthic crested gecko
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/reptifiles
Decor vho:Decor
Passive non-structural items, typically synthetic, placed in an enclosure primarily for aesthetic or visual-barrier purposes.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureContent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Dendrobatidae vho:Dendrobatidae
Family of small, predominantly diurnal Neotropical frogs known for aposematic colouration and (in many genera) cutaneous alkaloid sequestration derived from a wild arthropod-prey diet. In captivity, individuals raised on fruit flies and springtails do not produce these alkaloids and are non-toxic.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Anura
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_43469
- also known as
- poison dart frogs
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_43469
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Deposition Site Role vho:DepositionSiteRole
Played by a continuant on or in which a species deposits eggs. For dendrobatid frogs this is typically a bromeliad axil, a film canister, a moist sphagnum-lined leaf, or a similar water-holding or moisture-retaining geometry. Distinct from vho:Hide: a deposition site must hold moisture at the deposition geometry but need not provide visual concealment.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Derived Enclosure Quantity vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
A quantity computed from an enclosure's dimensions (and, where relevant, its substrate) and bounded by a vho:SizingConstraint. Each quantity term fixes its own computation; the term is the parameter a constraint selects.
Quantities fall into two measurement frames. Stated-dimension quantities (vho:Height, vho:FloorLongAxis, vho:FloorShortAxis, vho:FloorDiagonal, vho:FloorArea, vho:Volume) are computed from the enclosure's stated product dimensions, the frame in which care sources publish enclosure minima. Furnishing-state quantities (vho:Clearance, vho:SubstrateDepth, vho:WaterDepth, vho:WaterSurfaceArea) depend on how the enclosure is set up. A consumer comparing a physically measured enclosure against a stated-dimension constraint may allow a small manufacturing tolerance; the size of that tolerance is the consumer's own policy.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Design vho:Design
A specific configuration of an enclosure, its contents, environmental state, and resident organism(s), described as a coherent unit.
Names one vivarium configuration so its constituents can be referred to together: which enclosure, which contents, which environmental measurements, which resident organisms, and which period is current. Applications that assess a configuration against a species' requirements do so over Design instances, under criteria those applications publish themselves.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Design Condition vho:DesignCondition
A condition of an enclosure design, such as the presence of live plantings, that a care requirement may be restricted to via vho:appliesWhen. Whether a given design satisfies the condition is judged by the tool or keeper applying the requirement; the vocabulary defines only what the condition means.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Diagonal leg span vho:DiagonalLegSpan
Distance from the tip of the first leg to the tip of the diagonally opposite fourth leg with the legs extended. The conventional body-size measure for spiders, including theraphosids, where the span of the extended legs, rather than the length of the body, determines the floor space the animal needs and the fall distance it can survive.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Diel Period vho:DielPeriod
A period scoped to a recurring daily cycle (e.g., Daytime, Nighttime, Crepuscular).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Diplodactylidae vho:Diplodactylidae
Family of geckos endemic to Australia, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. Includes the New Caledonian giant geckos and the crested gecko.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Gekkota
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_311552
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_311552
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Door vho:Door
A movable structure that forms an entrance of an enclosure in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosurePart
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Drainage Layer Role vho:DrainageLayerRole
Played by whatever structure beneath the substrate bed lets irrigation water pass out of the bed and collect below it rather than waterlogging it. A layer of coarse free-draining aggregate such as expanded clay is the typical player; a raised false bottom plays the same role.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Enclosure vho:Enclosure
A structure that contains an organism in a vivarium.
Top-level class for the enclosure continuant. Specific types of enclosure (e.g., vho:Aquarium, vho:Paludarium) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Enclosure Background vho:EnclosureBackground
A structure that forms a background of an enclosure in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosurePart
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Enclosure Content vho:EnclosureContent
A material entity that is contained in an enclosure in a vivarium.
Top-level class for the enclosure content continuant. Specific types of enclosure content (e.g., vho:Substrate, vho:Decor) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Enclosure material vho:EnclosureMaterial
Class of materials used to construct enclosure parts. Material is attached to a vho:EnclosurePart individual via vho:material; it is a property axis distinct from the part class.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Enclosure Part vho:EnclosurePart
A part of an enclosure in a vivarium.
Top-level class for the enclosure part continuant. Specific types of enclosure part (e.g., vho:Wall, vho:Door) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Endorsement vho:Endorsement
A review of the published effective record of a species or morph class, at a stated release, that concluded with the reviewing agent endorsing the record's content as sound husbandry guidance. Names the reviewed class via vho:endorsedSubject and the release-stamped record document via vho:endorsedRecord; the reviewing agent and the completion date are stated with prov:wasAssociatedWith and prov:endedAtTime. An endorsement may scope itself to particular care axes via vho:reviewedAxis; absent that, it covers the whole record. Reviews that did not conclude in endorsement are not recorded.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- prov:Activity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Environment vho:Environment
The set of ambient conditions inside an enclosure at a given time. Bearer of qualities such as temperature, humidity, photoperiod, and airflow.
Environment is the dynamic state inside an enclosure; Enclosure is the physical container.
Top-level class for the environment continuant.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Environment Zone vho:EnvironmentZone
A spatially-distinct region inside an enclosure whose ambient conditions differ enough from the bulk that they must be evaluated independently. Subclass of vho:Environment. Bearer of the same per-axis measurement properties that sit directly on a vho:Design for single-environment cases (vho:ambientHumidity, vho:ambientTemperature, vho:baskingTemperature, vho:waterTemperature, vho:baskingUvi).
Used for paludarium-style enclosures where a water area and a land area have substantially different ambient conditions inside the same enclosure. Regimes scope to a zone class via vho:scopedToZone; the generic regime-vs-measurement SHACL shape walks that link to the matching zone in the design. Single-environment designs (terrestrial cases) need not assert any zones; the shape's design-level branch applies.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Environment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Environmental temperature vho:EnvironmentalTemperature
Temperature quality inhering in an environmental material: air, water, soil, or other substrate of an enclosure interior. Parent class for the material-specific temperature qualities used by VHO care regimes.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Temperature
- equivalent to
- obo:ENVO_09200000
- source
- obo:ENVO_09200000
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Equipment vho:Equipment
An active or functional item placed in an enclosure, typically powered or mechanical, providing or regulating an environmental condition.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureContent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Feeding action vho:FeedingAction
A husbandry action that offers a foodstuff to a resident organism. Pairs with vho:performedOn (the recipient) and vho:involvesFoodstuff (the food item).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Foliage vho:Foliage
Leafy plant structure, living or artificial, dense enough for an animal to shelter within and move through. A functional class rather than a taxonomic one: a live planted pothos and an artificial plant of similar form both belong, while a bare branch or a leafless ornament does not. The usual player kind for vegetation-cover requirements.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureContent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Foodstuff vho:Foodstuff
A material entity that is used as food for an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Formicarium vho:Formicarium
An enclosure for a colony of ants, divided into a nest chamber holding the queen and brood and a connected foraging area where food and water are offered. The two compartments are held at different conditions, the nest darkened and kept damp against brood desiccation and the foraging area lit and dry, so a design is evaluated per compartment rather than as one interior.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Enclosure
- also known as
- ant farm
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Front opening vho:FrontOpening
A vho:Door installed on a vertical face of the enclosure. Subsumes swing-door and sliding-door variants.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Door
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Gecko commercial diet vho:GeckoCommercialDiet
Powdered commercial diet formulated for arboreal frugivorous geckos (Correlophus, Rhacodactylus, Mniarogekko, similar New Caledonian lineages). Typically a nutritionally-complete blend of fruit powders, insect protein, vitamins, and minerals; reconstituted with water to a viscous paste at feeding time. Multiple manufacturers offer equivalent formulations; any nutritionally-complete product in this category satisfies a regime referencing the class.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:CommercialFood
- also known as
- CGD, crested gecko diet
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-food/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Gekkota vho:Gekkota
Infraorder of squamates containing geckos and pygopods. Members are widely kept in vivaria across crepuscular, nocturnal, and diurnal lineages.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Animal, vho:Squamata
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_8560
- also known as
- geckos
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_8560
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Glass vho:Glass
Soda-lime or low-iron glass used for transparent walls, doors, and lids. Holds heat well, blocks UV-B, fragile under impact.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureMaterial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Grammostola vho:Grammostola
Genus of heavy-bodied, slow-growing, long-lived terrestrial tarantulas native to South America (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay). Includes the widely-kept beginner-friendly species G. pulchra (Brazilian black) and G. pulchripes (Chaco golden knee). Adult females typically exceed 10 g and persist for decades in captivity.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Theraphosidae
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_29014
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_29014
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Brazilian black tarantula vho:GrammostolaPulchra
Slow-growing, heavy-bodied terrestrial tarantula endemic to grassland and pampas habitat in southern Brazil and Uruguay. Adults are jet-black with iridescence; adult females reach 13–17 cm diagonal leg span and 15–25 g body mass, with captive lifespans of 25–30 years.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Grammostola
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_1826295
- also known as
- Brazilian black, Grammostola pulchra
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_1826295
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Gravel vho:Gravel
Loose rounded or crushed rock fragments coarser than sand. Occasionally used as a drainage layer or decorative floor; particles are hard, heavy, and large enough to obstruct the gut of a small-bodied animal that ingests them with prey. Colour variants are the same material.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- pebble substrate
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Habit vho:Habit
A quality describing the macrohabitat or substrate-stratum an organism predominantly occupies (arboreal, terrestrial, saxicolous, fossorial, aquatic). Drives enclosure-orientation and structural-content requirements.
Habit is the gross stratum preference. Finer microhabitat preferences (thin-branch preference, leaf-litter preference, bromeliad axils) are not modeled at this level.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habit_(biology)
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Hardscape vho:Hardscape
Passive structural material (typically natural wood, rock, or similar) placed in an enclosure to provide habitat structure or play roles such as hide, climbing structure, or basking surface.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureContent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Heating equipment vho:HeatingEquipment
Equipment whose primary function is to raise the temperature of the enclosure, its substrate, or its occupants. Includes radiant heat lamps, ceramic heat emitters, deep heat projectors, heat mats, and radiant heat panels.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Equipment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Hide vho:Hide
Provides visual cover and a sense of enclosure to a target organism.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:ShelterRole
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Hinged lid vho:HingedLid
A top opening with a hinge along one edge.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:TopOpening
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Horticultural charcoal vho:HorticulturalCharcoal
Lump wood charcoal crushed for horticultural use. A minor blend component valued for aeration and for adsorbing odour compounds; drains freely and holds little water.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Humidity vho:Humidity
Quality inhering in air by virtue of the partial pressure exerted by the bearer's water vapour content. The relative-humidity value referenced by VHO care regimes (vho:humidityRange, vho:ambientHumidity) is a measurement of this quality.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- equivalent to
- obo:PATO_0015009
- source
- obo:PATO_0015009
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Husbandry Action vho:HusbandryAction
An action that is performed in a vivarium for the purpose of husbandry.
Top-level class for the husbandry action process. Specific types of husbandry action (e.g., vho:FeedingAction, vho:CleaningAction) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Occurrent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Land Zone vho:LandZone
The terrestrial region of a paludarium or other partly-aquatic enclosure. Bearer of the standard ambient-air measurements (vho:ambientHumidity, vho:ambientTemperature) and the standard basking measurements where applicable. Distinct from vho:WaterZone within the same enclosure.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnvironmentZone
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Leaf litter vho:LeafLitter
Dried fallen leaves (commonly oak, magnolia, or beech) layered over or mixed into a substrate. Provides surface cover and microfauna habitat, and is itself food: litter-feeding invertebrates consume it as a dietary staple, so the class is both a substrate component and a foodstuff.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Foodstuff, vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- dried leaves
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_litter
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Leaf Litter Role vho:LeafLitterRole
Played by a layer of loose dried plant material, typically hardwood leaves, spread over the substrate surface. Provides ground-level concealment, humidity buffering, egg-deposition microsites for some species, and habitat for detritivore microfauna.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Lepidosauria vho:Lepidosauria
Superorder of reptiles containing Squamata (lizards, snakes, amphisbaenians) and Rhynchocephalia (tuatara). The nearest ancestor of Gekkota above Squamata.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Chordata
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_8504
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_8504
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Lid vho:Lid
A movable structure that forms a cover of an enclosure in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosurePart
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Life Stage Period vho:LifeStagePeriod
A period scoped to a developmental stage (e.g., Hatchling, Juvenile, Adult).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Lighting equipment vho:LightingEquipment
Equipment whose primary function is to deliver light to the enclosure across some part of the visible, UVA, or UVB spectrum. Includes daylight bulbs, plant grow lights, and UVB tubes. Distinct from vho:HeatingEquipment: lamps emit both heat and light but are typed by their primary intent.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Equipment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Linoleum substrate vho:LinoleumSubstrate
Substrate composed of vinyl flooring, shelf liner, or linoleum sheet. Off-gasses plasticisers and adhesive residues at vivarium temperatures and humidities. Sometimes used as a cheap floor covering; not safe.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Substrate
- also known as
- shelf liner substrate, vinyl flooring substrate
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Live Feeder vho:LiveFeeder
A living animal that is used as food for an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Mesh vho:Mesh
Woven metal or synthetic mesh used for high-ventilation walls, doors, or lids. Allows airflow and UV-B transmission; bears vho:MeshTopEntanglement when used as a lid.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureMaterial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Mesh lid vho:MeshLid
An enclosure lid constructed from woven or perforated mesh. Provides high ventilation but bears vho:MeshTopEntanglement; unsafe for any resident carrying vho:TarsalClaw.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Lid
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Metazoa vho:Metazoa
Multicellular animals. Root of the animal taxonomic chain referenced by VHO.
- type
- owl:Class
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_33208
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_33208
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Misting action vho:MistingAction
A husbandry action that applies water as fine droplets to the enclosure interior, raising humidity and (for many species) providing drinking water as droplets on surfaces.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Moisture category vho:MoistureCategory
A named band of the substrate water-retention scale, used to read a composite's derived water retention as a keeper-facing moisture level. Each category individual carries its band bounds as data.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Mygalomorphae vho:Mygalomorphae
Infraorder of spiders characterised by paraxial chelicerae (fangs swinging in parallel rather than opposed), two pairs of book lungs, and (in most lineages) a long-lived, slow-growing life history. Contains the Theraphosidae (true tarantulas), Atypidae (purse-web spiders), and other lineages.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Araneae
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_6894
- also known as
- mygalomorph spiders
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_6894
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
No requirement vho:NoRequirement
A sourced statement that a care axis needs no provision for members of a class: the axis was considered and the cited source states none is required. Names its axis via vho:onAxis and carries source or contributor provenance like any assertion. Distinct from an axis nobody has curated yet, which carries no statement at all.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Occupant Role vho:OccupantRole
Played by the resident organism(s) of a design.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Occurrent vho:Occurrent
Something that happens, unfolding over time with different parts at different times: a feeding, a misting, a moult, a brumation.
The topmost class for happenings. vho:HusbandryAction sits here, and ordering between actions is stated with vho:precedes. A happening is never the bearer of a quality or a role; the thing it happens to is.
- type
- owl:Class
- equivalent to
- obo:BFO_0000003
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Orchid bark vho:OrchidBark
Coarse milled bark (typically of Douglas fir, white fir, or redwood) sold for orchid potting. Used in vivarium substrate blends as the drainage and aeration component: low water retention, high drainage, slow decomposition.
Values are for medium-grade (10–20 mm) chunks. Fine-grade bark behaves closer to coir; large-grade behaves more like drainage layer than substrate component.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- fir bark
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchid#Cultivation
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Organism vho:Organism
A living thing in a vivarium. This includes both animals and plants.
VHO scopes Organism to species kept in a vivarium. Livestock, companion mammals, and birds are out of scope.
Top-level class for the kept-species continuant.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Outcome vho:Outcome
What befalls an animal or an enclosure once a capacity is realized: an injury, an illness, an escape, a death. Named by vho:hasOutcome on the capacity that produces it, and graded by vho:severity.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
PVC vho:PVC
Polyvinyl chloride sheet, typically used for opaque rear and side walls of large reptile enclosures. Excellent thermal insulation; rigid; not transparent.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureMaterial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Paludarium vho:Paludarium
An enclosure containing both water and land in fixed proportions. Distinguished from an aquarium (no land) and a riparium (water with shallow margins, but the residents are aquatic).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Enclosure
- also known as
- aquaterrarium
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paludarium
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Peat moss vho:PeatMoss
Partially decomposed sphagnum accumulated in bog deposits, milled for horticulture. Acidic, fine, and extremely moisture-retentive; used where a blend must stay damp with little drainage. Nutrient-poor despite its organic origin.
Distinct from vho:SphagnumMoss (dried whole-strand moss). Peat harvest carries sustainability concerns that keepers increasingly weigh against coir alternatives; that choice is editorial, not a property difference this module models.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- sphagnum peat
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Period vho:Period
A temporal phase to which one or more care regimes scope. Abstract parent of diel, seasonal, reproductive, and life-stage periods.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Physiological Sub-Period vho:PhysiologicalSubPeriod
A transient period that can co-occur with a life-stage or seasonal period. Distinct from vho:LifeStagePeriod (exclusive, monotonic, advances once) and vho:SeasonalPeriod (exclusive, cyclic, advances annually): a physiological sub-period rides on top of the current stage and reverts. Bearer of moult-cycle sub-periods (PreMoult, Moulting, PostMoult), feeding sub-periods (post-feeding, fasting), and reproductive sub-periods of the per-event kind (gravid, post-clutch).
A design may assert vho:currentPeriod for both a LifeStagePeriod and a PhysiologicalSubPeriod simultaneously: the two are orthogonal axes, not alternatives. vho:ReproductivePeriod remains a sibling subclass of vho:Period; new reproductive sub-states should consider PhysiologicalSubPeriod instead.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Physiological Trait vho:PhysiologicalTrait
A trait reflecting physiology or biochemistry (e.g., calcium-deficiency susceptibility, elevated cortisol sensitivity).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Trait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Pine substrate vho:PineSubstrate
Substrate composed of pine or cedar shavings, chips, or pellets. The aromatic oils characteristic of these conifers (phenols, abietic acid derivatives) off-gas at room temperature and act as neurotoxins on reptiles and amphibians. Universally contraindicated in vivarium use.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Substrate
- also known as
- cedar substrate
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Plant vho:Plant
A living plant kept in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Organism
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Plant Matter vho:PlantMatter
A material entity that is derived from a plant and is used as food for an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Plastron length vho:PlastronLength
Straight-line distance from the anterior margin to the posterior margin of a chelonian plastron, measured along the midline. Used alongside carapace length to size chelonians and to track growth.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Prey Role vho:PreyRole
Played by a foodstuff (including a live feeder animal) during a feeding event.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Property Condition vho:PropertyCondition
A conditional-fact guard stated as numeric bounds on a measurable or derived property of a design or its contents: the condition holds when the named property's value falls inside the stated bounds. Carries vho:onProperty naming the property, with vho:minInclusive and or vho:maxInclusive as the bounds. Judged by the consumer against the design's actual or derived values.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Python vho:Python
Genus of constricting pythons native to sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Includes the ball python (Python regius), the most widely-kept pet snake.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Pythonidae
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_37579
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_37579
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Pythonidae vho:Pythonidae
Family of nonvenomous constricting snakes native to Africa, Asia, and Australia. Includes the ball python, the most widely-kept pet snake.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Serpentes
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_34984
- also known as
- pythons
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_34984
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Qualified Assertion vho:QualifiedAssertion
A class-level fact stated with its parameters attached: the property it asserts (vho:onProperty), the value it asserts (vho:assertedValue), and any combination of how binding it is (vho:basis), which direction it runs in (vho:polarity), the condition under which it holds (vho:appliesWhen), and where the claim comes from. Asserting one entails the bare triple it names, exactly as asserting a vho:RoleRequirement entails the role is required, except where the assertion is advised against.
A fact needing none of these parameters is stated as the bare triple and carries no node. The two forms are alternatives, not layers: a class states a given property and value in one of them.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Quality vho:Quality
A quality of a continuant in a vivarium.
Top-level class for the quality continuant. Specific types of quality (e.g., vho:Temperature, vho:Humidity) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Quartz sand vho:QuartzSand
Washed silica sand of the grade sold as play sand. The drainage-and-structure component of arid blends: near-zero water retention and nutrient value, packs with organics to hold burrow walls. Colour variants are the same material.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- play sand, washed sand
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Rack heat element vho:RackHeatElement
A heating element built into a rack rather than into any one enclosure, delivering heat to each tub through its floor or its back wall. The tub has no separate heat source, so the heated surface is the whole of the thermal provision and the temperature the resident lies against is the temperature under control.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HeatingEquipment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Rack tub vho:RackTub
An enclosure consisting of a tub that slides into a shelved rack and is closed above by the shelf itself rather than by a lid of its own. Walls are typically opaque and interior height is low; heat reaches the resident by conduction through the floor or the back of the tub from an element belonging to the rack, and the keeper reaches the resident by withdrawing the tub from the front. Having no lid of its own, a rack tub carries neither the hazards of a mesh top nor a route for lighting mounted above the enclosure.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Enclosure
- also known as
- tub
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Range vho:Range
An inclusive numeric range with optional unit. Used by care-regime value constraints (humidity range, temperature range, feeding frequency).
Carries vho:minInclusive, vho:maxInclusive, and optionally vho:unit.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ranitomeya vho:Ranitomeya
Genus of small Neotropical dendrobatid frogs (typical adult SVL 14–25 mm) characterised by arboreal habit, phytotelm-rearing reproductive ecology, and substantial intraspecific colour-pattern variation across geographic locales. Resurrected from Dendrobates in 2006.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Dendrobatidae
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_1004436
- also known as
- thumbnail dart frogs
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_1004436
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Mimic poison frog vho:RanitomeyaImitator
Small Neotropical dendrobatid frog (typical adult SVL ≈ 17–22 mm) endemic to lowland and pre-montane primary and secondary forest of San Martín department, Peru. Notable for Müllerian mimicry of sympatric Ranitomeya species and for biparental care: males transport tadpoles to phytotelmata (typically bromeliad axils or arboreal pools) and females provision tadpoles with trophic eggs.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Ranitomeya
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_111125
- also known as
- imitator, Ranitomeya imitator
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_111125
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Removable lid vho:RemovableLid
A top opening that lifts free of the enclosure rather than staying attached along a hinge or a track. Held down by clips, latches, or its own weight, and capable of exposing the whole opening at once.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:TopOpening
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Reproductive Period vho:ReproductivePeriod
A period scoped to reproductive state (e.g., Gravid, Postpartum, BreedingIntroduction).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Reptile carpet substrate vho:ReptileCarpetSubstrate
Substrate composed of looped or napped synthetic fibre marketed as 'reptile carpet'. The fibre loops catch and snag the fine toe structures of adhesive-pad geckos and other small-bodied lizards. Off-gassing is not the primary concern with this product; toe trauma is.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Substrate
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Riparium vho:Riparium
An enclosure whose interior is water to its full depth, planted at the margins with vegetation rooted below the surface and emerging above it. The residents are aquatic and occupy the water throughout; the emergent growth is habitat structure and shade rather than land the residents haul out onto. Distinguished from a paludarium, whose land section is dry ground the residents use.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Enclosure
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Role vho:Role
A role that a continuant in a vivarium can bear.
Top-level class for the role continuant. Specific types of role (e.g., vho:OccupantRole, vho:CleanupCrewRole) are subclasses.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Role Requirement vho:RoleRequirement
A requirement that a role be played in a design, stating the role and optionally how many distinct players it needs (vho:minRoleCount), how binding the requirement is (vho:basis), and the condition under which it applies (vho:appliesWhen). Asserted on an organism class via vho:roleRequirement; asserting one entails the role is required just as vho:requiresRole does, with the stated parameters attached.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Seasonal Period vho:SeasonalPeriod
A period scoped to an annual season or dormancy cycle (e.g., Brumation, ActiveSeason, DrySeason).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Serpentes vho:Serpentes
Suborder of squamates comprising the snakes: limbless, elongate carnivores that locate, subdue, and swallow prey whole. Contains all vivarium-kept snakes.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Animal, vho:Squamata
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_8570
- also known as
- snakes
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_8570
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Severity vho:Severity
How serious the outcome of a realized capacity is for the animal, on an ordered scale running mild, moderate, critical. Carried by vho:severity on the capacity, so that two hazards realized under the same conditions can still be ranked against each other.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sex vho:Sex
The sex of an individual organism, asserted on the individual rather than the species. Ranges and requirements that differ between the sexes reference a Sex individual to scope themselves; an individual with no sex assertion is treated as unsexed, and unscoped species-level values apply.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sharp-edged decor vho:SharpEdgedDecor
Decor whose surface or perimeter presents sharp, fractured, or otherwise abrasive edges to the enclosure interior. Includes cut acrylic, broken or chipped ceramics, and rigid moulded plants with thin, unfiled leaf tips. Bears vho:SoftTissueLaceration.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Decor
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Shelter Role vho:ShelterRole
Abstract role for any continuant whose function is to provide shelter, cover, or perceived safety.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sizing Constraint vho:SizingConstraint
A floor or ceiling on a derived enclosure quantity, expressed either as a multiple of a body-size descriptor (vho:relativeTo and vho:multiple) or as a fixed dimension (vho:absoluteFloor), in a direction given by vho:comparator and for a reason given by vho:basis. Optionally restricted to residents bearing a quality or trait via vho:appliesWhen.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sliding door vho:SlidingDoor
A front-opening door that translates horizontally along a track.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:FrontOpening
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sliding lid vho:SlidingLid
A top opening that translates horizontally along a track in the enclosure's upper frame, exposing part of the opening at a time.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:TopOpening
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Snout-vent length vho:SnoutVentLength
Linear distance from the snout tip to the anterior margin of the vent, measured along the ventral midline. The conventional body-size measure for lizards and for tail-bearing amphibians, preferred over a snout-to-tail measure because it is unaffected by tail loss or tail regeneration.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sociality vho:Sociality
A quality describing whether members of a species tolerate or require conspecific company in shared housing. Drives cohabitation decisions: whether an enclosure may hold more than one member, and whether a lone individual is deprived.
Sociality here is housing compatibility, not social structure in the ethological sense: it answers the keeper's question of who can share an enclosure. Cross-species compatibility is not modeled at this level.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sphagnum moss vho:SphagnumMoss
Dried fibrous tissue of Sphagnum mosses. Acidic and antimicrobial; used as a top-dressing or major component where extreme moisture retention is required (e.g., dart frog vivaria, humidity-sensitive incubation). Hold capacity is exceptional: dried sphagnum can absorb 15–20 times its dry mass in water.
Values are for long-fibre (whole-strand) sphagnum; milled sphagnum behaves more like coir.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- long-fibre sphagnum
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphagnum
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Squamata vho:Squamata
Order of reptiles containing lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Animal, vho:Lepidosauria
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_8509
- also known as
- scaled reptiles
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_8509
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Straight carapace length vho:StraightCarapaceLength
Straight-line distance from the anterior margin to the posterior margin of a chelonian carapace, taken with calipers rather than over the curve of the shell. The conventional body-size measure for turtles and tortoises and the basis on which their enclosures are sized.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:CarapaceLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Substrate vho:Substrate
The medium covering the enclosure floor, composed of one or more components contributing to drainage, water retention, and bioactive viability.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureContent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Substrate change action vho:SubstrateChangeAction
A husbandry action that replaces some or all of the enclosure substrate. Disruptive to bioactive setups, which favour spot-cleaning over substrate changes.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Substrate Component vho:SubstrateComponent
A constituent material of a substrate blend (e.g., coco coir, sphagnum, orchid bark). Component classes carry intrinsic property values (water retention, drainage, particle size) that compose into substrate-level derived properties via SHACL Rules.
Used as the type of the blank-node or named-individual components reached via vho:hasComponent on a vho:Substrate.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Substrate temperature vho:SubstrateTemperature
Temperature of the substrate (soil, coco coir, sand, or other floor medium) inside an enclosure. Relevant to bioactive viability, burrower comfort, and incubation conditions.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnvironmentalTemperature
- equivalent to
- obo:ENVO_09200012
- also known as
- soil temperature
- source
- obo:ENVO_09200012
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Supplement vho:Supplement
A material entity that is used as a dietary supplement for an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Swing door vho:SwingDoor
A front-opening door hinged at one vertical edge.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:FrontOpening
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Tadpole food vho:TadpoleFood
Powdered or pelleted commercial diet formulated for anuran larvae. Typically a high-protein blend of fish meal, algae, and supplemented micronutrients; reconstituted with rearing water or fed as a sinking pellet. Distinct from adult anuran diets: tadpoles are typically aquatic herbivores or microphagous omnivores, whereas post-metamorphic adults are insectivores.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:CommercialFood
- also known as
- tadpole bites, tadpole diet
- source
- https://www.thejunglevault.com/items/ranitomeya-imitator-care-and-breeding
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Tadpole Nursery Role vho:TadpoleNurseryRole
Played by a water-holding continuant in which tadpoles are reared. Typically a phytotelm (e.g., bromeliad-leaf axil), a film canister filled with water, or a dedicated rearing cup. Distinct from vho:DepositionSiteRole: deposition is where eggs are laid; rearing is where the resulting tadpoles develop. For Ranitomeya imitator the two roles may be co-located in the same phytotelm but remain conceptually distinct.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Temperament vho:Temperament
A quality that describes the temperament of an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Temperature vho:Temperature
Quality of the thermal energy of a system. Abstract parent of the material-contextualised temperatures used in care regimes (ambient, substrate, water).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Quality
- equivalent to
- obo:PATO_0000146
- source
- obo:PATO_0000146
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Theraphosidae vho:Theraphosidae
Family of large, typically long-lived mygalomorph spiders kept widely in vivaria. Members carry paired tarsal claws used for clinging.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Animal, vho:Mygalomorphae
- equivalent to
- obo:NCBITaxon_6895
- also known as
- true tarantulas
- source
- obo:NCBITaxon_6895
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Thermal Role vho:ThermalRole
Abstract role for any continuant whose function is to provide a thermal effect on an organism (basking, cooling, gradient anchor).
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Top opening vho:TopOpening
A vho:Lid that provides access by opening upward.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Lid
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Topsoil vho:Topsoil
Mineral-and-organic surface soil free of fertiliser, pesticide, and hydrophobic additives. The bulk moisture-and-nutrient component of most terrestrial and bioactive blends: holds water well, packs firmly enough to support burrows, and feeds rooted plants and detritivores.
Property values assume screened, additive-free soil. Bagged garden soils with fertiliser pellets or moisture crystals are unsafe and are not this class.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- also known as
- organic soil, plain topsoil
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsoil
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Total length vho:TotalLength
Linear distance from the snout tip to the tail tip, measured along the body. The conventional body-size measure for snakes and for elongate tailed amphibians such as newts and salamanders, whose usable space scales with the length they can stretch out to.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Trait vho:Trait
An anatomical, physiological, or behavioural feature of an organism that participates in capacity realization.
Abstract parent for trait categories. Domain content adds specific trait individuals.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Tree fern fibre vho:TreeFernFiber
Fibrous root mantle of tree ferns, milled for epiphyte and vivarium use. Open, springy structure that drains freely while holding moderate moisture; slow to decompose, so it keeps tropical blends aerated over long service.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Unguarded heat lamp vho:UnguardedHeatLamp
A radiant heat lamp installed without a protective cage around the bulb. Bears vho:HeatElementContact; unsafe for any resident carrying vho:ClimbingAbility.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HeatingEquipment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Unit vho:Unit
A unit of measurement. Specific units (vho:Celsius, vho:Gram, vho:Centimetre, vho:Month, vho:Year, vho:PerDay) are individuals of this class.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Unregulated heat cable vho:UnregulatedHeatCable
A flexible heating cable routed beneath a substrate bed, around a burrow, or through a rack without a thermostat governing its output. Bears vho:ConductedContactBurn; the hazard reaches a fossorial resident in the part of the enclosure it cannot leave.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HeatingEquipment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Unregulated heat mat vho:UnregulatedHeatMat
An adhesive or free-standing heat mat installed beneath or behind an enclosure without a thermostat governing its output. Bears vho:ConductedContactBurn: an ungoverned mat holds its full output rather than a set surface temperature, and the surface it heats rises well past the band any resident tolerates.
A governing thermostat reads the temperature at the resident's level rather than at the element, since a probe on the element controls how hot the element runs and not what the animal experiences.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HeatingEquipment
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/ball-python-care-guide/ball-python-humidity-temperatures/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Untreated tap water vho:UntreatedTapWater
Water drawn directly from a municipal supply without dechlorination or aging. Bears vho:ChloramineExposure: residual chlorine and chloramines cross a permeable amphibian integument and disrupt cutaneous gas exchange and osmoregulation. Distinct from treated water (dechlorinated, RO-remineralised, or aged 24 h under aeration), which does not bear this capacity. Modelled as a vho:Substrate subclass so it participates in the capacity-realisation pattern alongside other unsafe substrates, rather than as a vho:Foodstuff or a dedicated vho:WaterMedium class.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Substrate
- also known as
- raw tap water, unfiltered tap water
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
UVB lamp vho:UvbLamp
A lighting fixture emitting in the UV-B band (280–315 nm) at intensities relevant to reptile and amphibian D3 photosynthesis, typically a T5 or compact fluorescent tube rated by output strength for the intended basking distance. Naked-bulb installation is required, since UVB is blocked by glass and most plastics.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:LightingEquipment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Venom significance vho:VenomSignificance
The severity of an envenomation from a venomous species to a typical adult human, on a three-step keeper-facing scale. Handling guidance, not toxinology: the scale orders species for keeper-safety purposes and makes no clinical claim beyond its step definitions.
- type
- owl:Class
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Vent vho:Vent
A structure that forms an opening for air circulation in an enclosure in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosurePart
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Visual Barrier vho:VisualBarrier
Breaks line-of-sight, contributing to perceived safety; distinct from a full hide because it need not enclose.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:ShelterRole
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Vitamin D3 vho:VitaminD3
The inactive form of vitamin D, hydroxylated in the liver to calcidiol and further in the kidney to calcitriol (the active hormone). In vivarium husbandry, supplied either directly as a dietary supplement or generated endogenously in the keeper organism via UV-B exposure.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Supplement
- equivalent to
- obo:CHEBI_28940
- also known as
- calciol, cholecalciferol
- source
- obo:CHEBI_28940
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Wall vho:Wall
A vertical structure that forms part of an enclosure in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosurePart
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water change action vho:WaterChangeAction
A husbandry action that replaces some or all of the water in an aquatic or paludarian enclosure, or in a water dish. Critical for aquatic setups to maintain nitrogen-cycle stability.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water Source Role vho:WaterSourceRole
Played by an entity providing water an organism can drink from or soak in: a water dish, a pool or stream section of a water zone, or foliage and decor surfaces that collect misting droplets for species that drink droplets rather than standing water.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water temperature vho:WaterTemperature
Temperature of liquid water inside an enclosure: water dish, pool, or fully aquatic enclosure body. Distinct from vho:AmbientTemperature because water and air at the same notional ambient can differ substantially in actual temperature.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnvironmentalTemperature
- equivalent to
- obo:ENVO_09200014
- source
- obo:ENVO_09200014
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water Zone vho:WaterZone
The water-filled region of a paludarium or aquarium. Bearer of vho:waterTemperature, the at-surface vho:ambientHumidity (typically ≈ 1.0), and water-quality properties (pH, hardness, nitrogen-cycle compounds). Distinct from vho:LandZone within the same enclosure.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnvironmentZone
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Web Anchor Role vho:WebAnchorRole
Played by structure offering attachment points for silk, letting a web-building organism anchor tube webs, retreat webbing, or moult mats. Cork bark, branches, and textured backgrounds are typical players.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Whole Prey vho:WholePrey
A dead animal that is used as food for an organism in a vivarium.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Wood vho:Wood
Solid or panel wood (plywood, MDF, hardwood) used for opaque walls of custom enclosures. Excellent thermal insulation; requires sealing for humid setups.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:EnclosureMaterial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Wood-chip substrate vho:WoodChipSubstrate
Substrate composed of coarse hardwood or bark chips (other than fine-grade orchid bark used as a blend component). Particles are large, hard, and irregularly-shaped, posing an impaction risk if ingested by a small-bodied animal.
Distinct from vho:OrchidBark used in fine-grade form as a substrate blend component. The relevant capacity here is impaction from ingested coarse pieces; ingestion of fine-pith blend components is not the same hazard.
- type
- owl:Class
- subclass of
- vho:Substrate
- also known as
- bark-chip substrate
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Object properties (85)
age at sexual maturity range vho:ageAtSexualMaturityRange
Relates an Organism class to a vho:Range describing the typical age at which members reach sexual maturity, in months (vho:Month).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
ambient temperature range vho:ambientTemperatureRange
Ambient-temperature range required by a care regime, expressed as a vho:Range.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
applicable axis vho:applicableAxis
Asserted on a taxon or species class to state that the named care axis is a meaningful husbandry question for its members, whatever the answer turns out to be. Applicability accumulates down the taxonomic chain and is removed only by an explicit vho:inapplicableAxis assertion on a nearer class.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
applies when vho:appliesWhen
Restricts a vho:SizingConstraint, vho:RoleRequirement, vho:CareRegime, or vho:QualifiedAssertion to the circumstances in which it applies. The guard value is one of: a trait or quality individual (for example vho:FallRisk or vho:Fossorial), tested through vho:hasTrait or vho:hasQuality on the resident or its class hierarchy; a vho:DesignCondition individual (for example vho:BioactiveConfiguration), judged by the tool or keeper against the design; a class of enclosure content or equipment (for example vho:UvbLamp), holding when the design contains an instance of it; or a vho:PropertyCondition node stating numeric bounds on a measurable or derived property. A fact with no guard applies to every resident of the asserting class in every design. Multiple guard values on one node are conjunctive: the fact applies only when every guard holds; alternative conditions are stated as alternative nodes. Guarded regimes carry every value they assert under the guard.
No range is stated: the guard taxonomy admits both VHO individuals and bare classes, which rdfs:range cannot express. shape:AppliesWhenGuardShape closes it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
applies when not vho:appliesWhenNot
Restricts a vho:SizingConstraint, vho:RoleRequirement, vho:CareRegime, or vho:QualifiedAssertion to circumstances in which a condition does not hold. Admits the same guard values as vho:appliesWhen; the fact applies only when the named condition is absent, for example a supplementation regime that applies only to designs containing no ultraviolet-B lighting. Absence is judged closed-world by a consumer that can see the whole design; a reader without the full design must treat a negated guard as unevaluable rather than assume it holds. May be combined with vho:appliesWhen on one node; all stated conditions, positive and negative, must hold together.
No range is stated: the guard taxonomy admits both VHO individuals and bare classes, which rdfs:range cannot express. shape:AppliesWhenGuardShape closes it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
asserted value vho:assertedValue
The value a vho:QualifiedAssertion asserts: the object the named property relates the asserting class to. A class where the property takes one (vho:Paludarium for vho:requiresEnclosureClass), an individual where it takes one (vho:Solitary for vho:hasQuality), or a literal where it takes one (a coefficient for vho:minDerivedDrainage).
No range is stated: the admissible values are whatever the property named by vho:onProperty admits, which spans classes, individuals, and literals, and no one class of the domain covers them. The property named by vho:onProperty is the authority on what its value may be.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:QualifiedAssertion
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
assertion vho:assertion
Relates an organism class to a vho:QualifiedAssertion stating a class-level fact together with its parameters: how binding it is, which direction it runs in, the condition under which it holds, and where the claim comes from. Asserting one entails the bare triple the assertion names, exactly as vho:roleRequirement entails the named role is required; an assertion whose polarity is vho:AdvisedAgainst entails nothing, since it states that the value is a poor choice rather than a required one. A class states any given property and value in exactly one of the two forms.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:QualifiedAssertion
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
asserts no requirement vho:assertsNoRequirement
Relates an organism class to a vho:NoRequirement stating that a care axis needs no provision for its members: the axis was considered and the cited source states none is required. The statement shadows any ancestor bands on the axis and is reported as a sourced none, visibly distinct from an axis nobody has curated yet.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:NoRequirement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
band role vho:bandRole
The kind of claim the source makes about this band. A band with no band role states required provision; a roled band, such as vho:AverageFieldExposure or vho:MaximumFieldExposure, is an observational claim that informs provision without stating it. Parallel bands on one axis, each with its own role and provenance, stand together; what to conclude from an observational band is the judgement of whoever applies it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Range
- range
- vho:BandRole
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
basis vho:basis
How binding a requirement is and how strongly a breach weighs: vho:WelfareMinimum for a binding wellbeing floor, vho:RecommendedProfile for a non-binding aspirational value, vho:SurvivalFloor for a hard lower limit. Carried by vho:SizingConstraint nodes, vho:RoleRequirement nodes, vho:CareRegime nodes, and vho:QualifiedAssertion nodes; on a care regime it qualifies every value the regime asserts, and two bands of differing bindingness on one axis are stated as two regimes.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- range
- vho:ConstraintBasis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
basking temperature range vho:baskingTemperatureRange
Relates a care regime to the inclusive temperature range required at the design's basking surface during the regime's period, in degrees Celsius (vho:Celsius). Distinct from vho:ambientTemperatureRange: the basking-surface range is a location-scoped requirement reflecting the local hot spot, not the bulk ambient air. Validated against vho:baskingTemperature on the design.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
cohabitation group range vho:cohabitationGroupRange
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) bearing vho:Gregarious, to declare the acceptable count of conspecifics sharing one enclosure as a vho:Range. The minimum is a welfare floor for obligately social species; the maximum is a crowding ceiling for the stated baseline enclosure, with nuance carried on the range node.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
comparator vho:comparator
The direction of a vho:SizingConstraint: vho:AtLeast for a floor, vho:AtMost for a ceiling.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:SizingConstraint
- range
- vho:Comparator
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
component type vho:componentType
Relates a vho:ComponentPortion to the class of substance or part it stands for (e.g., vho:CocoCoir). The value is a class IRI used as a class-level reference.
No range is stated: the admissible classes span substrate components, enclosure parts, and whatever further material families composites are declared over.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:ComponentPortion
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
constrains vho:constrains
The derived enclosure quantity a vho:SizingConstraint bounds (vho:Height, vho:Clearance, vho:FloorLongAxis, vho:FloorShortAxis, vho:FloorDiagonal, vho:SubstrateDepth, and similar).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:SizingConstraint
- range
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
contact surface temperature range vho:contactSurfaceTemperatureRange
Relates a care regime to the inclusive temperature range required at the surfaces a resident rests against during the regime's period, in degrees Celsius (vho:Celsius). Where heat reaches the resident by conduction, through the enclosure floor, a heated wall, or a heated branch, the surface is the heat provision and the range states the band it must hold. Where the heat provision is stated elsewhere, the range states the limit a contact surface must not exceed, since a surface within reach of a resting animal burns it at a temperature the air and the basking site never reach. Validated against vho:contactSurfaceTemperature on the design.
Distinct from vho:baskingTemperatureRange, which states the band at a site the resident moves onto in order to thermoregulate. A contact surface is one the resident rests against whether or not it seeks heat there, so the range is a requirement on every such surface rather than on a chosen one. A range stating a maximum alone is a limit with no provision behind it, and a range stating a minimum alone is a provision whose ceiling the source does not give.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
current period vho:currentPeriod
The period currently active for a design (e.g., Daytime, Brumation, Hatchling). Determines which care regime applies.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
describes vho:describes
Relates a care guide section to a class or property it discusses. Targets are typically the species class (whole-section subject) and one or more specific property URIs on that class (per-paragraph anchors).
No range is stated: a target may be either a class or a property, and a renderer tells them apart by inspecting the target.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareGuideSection
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
during period vho:duringPeriod
Relates a care regime, sizing constraint, role requirement, or qualified assertion to the period during which it holds, such as vho:Daytime, vho:Brumation, or vho:AdultStage. A fact with no period holds in every period. At most one period is stated on a node: a fact holding across two periods is scoped to a period covering both or stated as two nodes.
A period answers when a fact holds; vho:appliesWhen answers in what circumstances. The two are different questions and may be stated together on one node, where every stated condition must hold. A period is judged against the resident's current state, which a consumer may not know; a consumer that cannot judge it treats the fact as conditional rather than as one that applies.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- range
- vho:Period
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
enclosure sizing constraint vho:enclosureSizingConstraint
Relates an Organism class (a species or higher taxon) to a vho:SizingConstraint declaring a floor or ceiling on a derived enclosure quantity, either as a multiple of a body-size descriptor or as a fixed dimension. Resolved by consumers together with the resident's body measurement.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:SizingConstraint
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
endorsed record vho:endorsedRecord
The release-stamped record document a vho:Endorsement reviewed. The value is the record document IRI, which fixes exactly which published content the endorsement covers; later releases carry the endorsement forward with its original target, and how a previous-release endorsement is presented is the judgement of the tool displaying it.
No range is stated: the value is a document IRI, and VHO has no document class of its own to range over.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- subproperty of
- prov:used
- domain
- vho:Endorsement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
endorsed subject vho:endorsedSubject
The species or morph class whose record a vho:Endorsement reviewed. The value is a class IRI used as a class-level reference.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Endorsement
- range
- vho:Organism
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
feeding frequency vho:feedingFrequency
Feeding frequency required by a care regime, expressed as a vho:Range with a per-time unit.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
for role vho:forRole
The role a vho:RoleRequirement requires. The value is a vho:Role subclass IRI used as a class-level reference, following the convention of vho:requiresRole.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:RoleRequirement
- range
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
for sex vho:forSex
Scopes a range or measurement to one sex of a sexually dimorphic species. A sex-scoped range refines the unscoped species envelope, which remains authoritative for unsexed individuals; it never replaces it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- range
- vho:Sex
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has body measurement vho:hasBodyMeasurement
Relates an individual organism to a measured value of one of its body-size descriptors, carried as a vho:BodyMeasurement bearing vho:measuredAs, vho:value, and vho:unit. A design's sizing constraints resolve against the resident individual's measurements in preference to the species-typical span.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:BodyMeasurement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has capacity vho:hasCapacity
Relates a continuant to a latent capacity it bears. Capacities are realized when their conditions are met (see vho:realizedWhen).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- equivalent to
- obo:RO_0000091
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has care regime vho:hasCareRegime
Relates a species (or other organism class) to a care regime that applies to its members during some period, scoping care to a period.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:CareRegime
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has component vho:hasComponent
Relates a composite continuant to a vho:ComponentPortion standing for the share one constituent contributes to it, and so to the composite's derived properties. Substrate mixes are composites of this kind, as are gas mixtures, light spectra, and assembled enclosures.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- subproperty of
- vho:hasPart
- equivalent to
- obo:RO_0002180
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:ComponentPortion
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has content vho:hasContent
Relates a design (or enclosure) to an item of enclosure content placed within it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- range
- vho:EnclosureContent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has enclosure vho:hasEnclosure
Relates a design to the enclosure it configures.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- vho:Enclosure
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has environment vho:hasEnvironment
Relates a design to the ambient environmental state inside its enclosure.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- vho:Environment
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has organism vho:hasOrganism
Relates a design to a resident organism in that design.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- vho:Organism
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has outcome vho:hasOutcome
Relates a capacity to the outcome that occurs when it is realized, such as a limb injury or dehydration.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Capacity
- range
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has part vho:hasPart
Generic part-of relation between continuants. Aligned with BFO:0000051 (has part).
Domain and range are vho:Continuant because the relation holds between things of any kind; the subproperties vho:hasContent and vho:hasComponent carry the tighter typing.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- equivalent to
- obo:BFO_0000051
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has quality vho:hasQuality
Relates a continuant to a quality that inheres in it (humidity, temperature, temperament, weight).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- equivalent to
- obo:RO_0000086
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:Quality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has role vho:hasRole
Relates a continuant to a role it bears in some context. Inverse of vho:playedBy via vho:plays.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- equivalent to
- obo:RO_0000087
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has section vho:hasSection
Relates a care guide to one of its constituent sections.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareGuide
- range
- vho:CareGuideSection
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has trait vho:hasTrait
Relates an organism (or, by class-level assertion, a taxon) to an anatomical, physiological, or behavioural trait it bears.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Trait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
has zone vho:hasZone
Relates a design to one of its spatially-distinct environment zones (vho:WaterZone, vho:LandZone, or other vho:EnvironmentZone subclasses). A design that requires zoning declares one vho:hasZone per zone instance; each zone bears its own per-axis measurements. Single-environment designs (the terrestrial-gecko case) need not assert any zones; the SHACL shape's design-level branch reads measurements directly from the design.
Subproperty of vho:hasPart in spirit but not declared as such; zones are ambient-state continuants, not material parts.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- vho:EnvironmentZone
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
humidity drying minimum vho:humidityDryingMinimum
Relates a care regime to a low-humidity range the environment must regularly reach, typically between misting cycles. Distinct from vho:humidityRange (a band to hold): the drying minimum is a required excursion, asserting that periodic drying to this range is part of healthy husbandry for the species. Sustained humidity above the excursion range is a husbandry problem even when the ambient target band is met.
A required excursion is not anchored to a time of day. Where a source states a true diel cycle, period-scoped vho:humidityRange regimes carry it; the drying minimum expresses the schedule-independent requirement to dry out. Whether an enclosure can reach the excursion range depends on its ventilation.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
humidity range vho:humidityRange
Relative-humidity range required by a care regime, expressed as a vho:Range. The band is a target to hold for the duration of the regime's period.
Where a source states a diel humidity cycle, such as heavy misting after dark with drying through the day, assert separate period-scoped regimes carrying the high and low bands. Where the source states only that the environment must dry out regularly, without anchoring the low phase to a time of day, use vho:humidityDryingMinimum instead.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
in context vho:inContext
Relates a role to the design (or other context) in which it is played.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Role
- range
- vho:Design
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
inapplicable axis vho:inapplicableAxis
Asserted on a taxon or species class to state that, contrary to an assertion on one of its ancestors, the named care axis is not a meaningful question for its members, such as basking temperature for a taxon that does not bask. Not a statement that no provision is needed; a considered answer of none is stated with vho:assertsNoRequirement instead.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
involves foodstuff vho:involvesFoodstuff
Relates a feeding action (or supplementation action) to the foodstuff class offered. Pairs with vho:performedOn to identify both the recipient and the food item.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:HusbandryAction
- range
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
lacks capacity vho:lacksCapacity
Asserted on a continuant class to state that, contrary to a vho:hasCapacity assertion on one of its ancestors, members of this class do not carry the named capacity. A positive, sourceable claim about the members of the class, not an absence of data.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
lacks quality vho:lacksQuality
Asserted on an organism class to state that, contrary to a vho:hasQuality assertion on one of its ancestors, members of this class do not bear the named quality. A positive, sourceable biological claim about the members of the class, not an absence of data.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Quality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
lacks trait vho:lacksTrait
Asserted on an organism class to state that, contrary to a vho:hasTrait assertion on one of its ancestors, members of this class do not bear the named trait. A positive, sourceable biological claim about the members of the class, not an absence of data.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Trait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
material vho:material
Relates an enclosure part (wall, door, lid, vent) to the material it is constructed from. Modeled as a separate axis from the part class so that the (part × material) grid does not require a class for each combination. The value is a vho:EnclosureMaterial subclass IRI used as a class-level reference.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:EnclosurePart
- range
- vho:EnclosureMaterial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
measured as vho:measuredAs
Relates a vho:BodyMeasurement to the body-size descriptor it measures (vho:SnoutVentLength, vho:TotalLength, vho:DiagonalLegSpan, and similar). The descriptor is referenced as a class-level value, following the convention used by vho:requiresEnclosureClass.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:BodyMeasurement
- range
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
on axis vho:onAxis
The care axis a vho:NoRequirement answers.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:NoRequirement
- range
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
on property vho:onProperty
Names the property a node is about: the measurable or derived property a vho:PropertyCondition constrains, for example vho:derivedWaterRetention for a condition on the substrate composite, or the property a vho:QualifiedAssertion asserts, for example vho:requiresEnclosureClass.
No range is stated: the value is a property IRI, not a member of any class of the domain.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
performed by vho:performedBy
Relates a husbandry action to the agent that performs it. Typically a human keeper; may also be an automated system (timer-driven mister, dosing pump).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:HusbandryAction
- range
- prov:Agent
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
performed on vho:performedOn
Relates a husbandry action to the continuant it acts upon: the resident organism, the enclosure, an item of content, or a foodstuff.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
played by vho:playedBy
Relates a role to the continuant playing it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Role
- range
- vho:Continuant
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
player kind vho:playerKind
Qualifies a vho:RoleRequirement by the class its player must belong to: a role binding satisfies the requirement only when its vho:playedBy value is an instance of every named kind, tested through the class hierarchy. A requirement with no player kind accepts any player of the role. Multiple kinds on one requirement are conjunctive and almost always an authoring error: a source allowing either of two kinds is expressed as an unqualified requirement, a common class covering both, or two alternative requirement nodes.
No range is stated: the value may be any class. Which classes a given role admits is stated on the role itself with vho:playableBy, and a value outside the role's admissible set is a validation failure; a role stating no admissible set accepts any class.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:RoleRequirement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
plays vho:plays
Relates a continuant to a role it currently plays, within the role and context model.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Continuant
- range
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
polarity vho:polarity
Whether a vho:QualifiedAssertion runs toward its value or away from it. An assertion stating no polarity is read as vho:Affirmed. Independent of vho:basis: the basis says how much the assertion weighs, and the two compose, so a value advised against on a recommended profile is a mild preference and one advised against on a welfare minimum is a welfare problem.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:QualifiedAssertion
- range
- vho:AssertionPolarity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
precedes vho:precedes
Asserts that one husbandry action precedes another in a process sequence. Minimal occurrent-ordering primitive: irreflexive partial ordering, no commitment to interval semantics, Allen relations, process-bag composition, or transitive closure under OWL. Consumers that need closure walk it themselves. The continuant-side modelling patterns cover most cases; vho:precedes exists for the occurrent-side cases (breeding lifecycle, moult cycle, brumation initiation→maintenance→exit) where ordering matters.
A minimal relation for ordering husbandry-action occurrents, such as the stages of a breeding cycle. Ancillary terms (initiates, terminates, a process-class parent) can be added without revising this property.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:HusbandryAction
- range
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
provides quality vho:providesQuality
Relates a role to a quality it provides while played (e.g., a hide provides shelter and visual barrier qualities).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Role
- range
- vho:Quality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
realized when vho:realizedWhen
Relates a capacity to its realization condition. Gated on a vho:Trait, the capacity realizes against a resident bearing the trait; gated on a vho:DesignCondition, it realizes in any design where the condition holds, for example conspecific predation realized by the presence of a co-housed conspecific. Part of the capacity-and-trait model.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
relative to vho:relativeTo
The body-size descriptor whose measured value a vho:SizingConstraint's vho:multiple scales to produce the bound. The descriptor is referenced as a class-level value, following the convention used by vho:requiresEnclosureClass.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:SizingConstraint
- range
- vho:BodyLength
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
requires action vho:requiresAction
Relates a care regime to a husbandry-action class that must be performed during the regime's active period (e.g., daily misting during a tropical daytime regime). The value is a vho:HusbandryAction subclass IRI used as a class-level reference.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:HusbandryAction
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
requires air exchange level vho:requiresAirExchangeLevel
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) to declare the level of passive air exchange members require of their enclosure. The value is a vho:AirExchangeLevel individual. A humidity-retaining species requires vho:LowAirExchange; a stagnation-sensitive species requires vho:HighAirExchange.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:AirExchangeLevel
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
requires airflow pattern vho:requiresAirflowPattern
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) to declare an airflow pattern members require of their enclosure's ventilation openings, independent of how much air is exchanged. The value is a vho:AirflowPattern individual, such as vho:CrossVentilation for species sensitive to stagnant air pockets.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:AirflowPattern
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
requires enclosure class vho:requiresEnclosureClass
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) to declare that designs housing members of that class must use an enclosure of a specific class. The value is an owl:Class IRI used as a class-level reference (mirroring vho:requiresFoodstuff). The paludarium-paradigm dart frog asserts vho:requiresEnclosureClass vho:Paludarium; a desert species could similarly require a non-mesh-top configuration. A consumer checks a design by walking the resident's class hierarchy and comparing the design's vho:hasEnclosure against the named class.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Enclosure
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
requires foodstuff vho:requiresFoodstuff
Relates a care regime to a foodstuff class required during the regime's active period. The value is a vho:Foodstuff subclass IRI used as a class-level reference.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
requires role vho:requiresRole
Relates a species (or other organism class) to a role its members require to be played in their design (e.g., vho:CrestedGecko vho:requiresRole vho:Hide). States bare membership: at least one player, unconditionally, with no stated basis. A requirement carrying a player count, a basis, or an applicability condition is stated instead as a vho:RoleRequirement via vho:roleRequirement; a class states any given role in exactly one of the two forms.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
reviewed axis vho:reviewedAxis
A care axis a vho:Endorsement is scoped to, for a reviewer endorsing only the axes within their competence. An endorsement with no reviewed axis covers the whole record.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Endorsement
- range
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
role holder for vho:roleHolderFor
Relates a role to the organism for whose benefit it is played: a hide is played for a specific resident, and the same object plays separate roles for separate residents.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Role
- range
- vho:Organism
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
role requirement vho:roleRequirement
Relates a species (or other organism class) to a vho:RoleRequirement stating a role its members require together with the requirement's parameters: a minimum player count, a basis, or an applicability condition. Asserting a role requirement entails the named role is required, exactly as vho:requiresRole does; a class states any given role in exactly one of the two forms.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:RoleRequirement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
scoped to zone vho:scopedToZone
Relates a care regime to the environment-zone class whose measurements the regime validates against. The value is a vho:EnvironmentZone subclass IRI used as a class-level reference (mirroring the convention of vho:requiresFoodstuff vho:LiveFeeder). The generic regime-vs-measurement SHACL shape walks from the regime's vho:scopedToZone to whichever zone in the design is a/rdfs:subClassOf* the named class, reads the measurement from that zone, and validates against the regime's range. A regime without vho:scopedToZone validates against design-level measurements; both modes coexist in the same generic shape via a UNION branch.
Used for paludarium-style enclosures. The class-as-value convention is deliberate: declaring a zone class (vho:WaterZone) rather than a specific zone instance lets a curator author species-level regimes without committing to any particular design's zone naming.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:EnvironmentZone
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
severity vho:severity
Relates a capacity to the severity of its realized outcome: vho:Mild, vho:Moderate, or vho:Critical.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Capacity
- range
- vho:Severity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
sex vho:sex
The sex of an individual organism. Asserted on the individual, never on a species class; an individual without the assertion is unsexed, and unscoped species-level ranges apply to it.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Sex
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
supplement with vho:supplementWith
Relates a design to the supplement class (or instance) used as its supplementation protocol. Mirrors the class-as-value convention of vho:requiresFoodstuff: a design typically points at a vho:Supplement subclass (e.g., vho:CalciumWithD3) to declare the protocol abstractly; instance-level references are also supported for SKU-level provenance. The appropriate supplement class depends on the design's UVB provision: dietary D3 and UVB-driven cutaneous synthesis are complementary routes to vitamin D sufficiency, so a protocol including D3 suits UVB-free designs while a UVB-provisioned design calls for calcium without added D3.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- vho:Supplement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
supplementary feeding frequency vho:supplementaryFeedingFrequency
Feeding-frequency range for the supplementary foodstuff in a care regime, expressed as a vho:Range with a per-time unit. Parallels vho:feedingFrequency but applies to vho:supplementaryFoodstuff rather than vho:requiresFoodstuff.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
supplementary foodstuff vho:supplementaryFoodstuff
Relates a care regime to a foodstuff class offered as a supplement to the primary required foodstuff during the regime's active period. Distinct from vho:requiresFoodstuff: supplementary foodstuffs are typically lower-frequency, secondary inputs (e.g., live insects offered weekly alongside daily commercial diet).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Foodstuff
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
typical adult mass range vho:typicalAdultMassRange
Relates an Organism class to a vho:Range describing the typical mass span of a healthy adult of the species, in grams (vho:Gram).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
typical body measurement vho:typicalBodyMeasurement
Relates an Organism class to the typical adult span of one of its body-size descriptors, carried as a vho:BodyMeasurement bearing vho:measuredAs, vho:minInclusive, vho:maxInclusive, and vho:unit. Used to size a design when no individual measurement is supplied. A class may carry one per descriptor.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:BodyMeasurement
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
typical lifespan range vho:typicalLifespanRange
Relates an Organism class to a vho:Range describing the typical captive lifespan span of a healthy member of the species, in years (vho:Year). Captive lifespan differs from wild lifespan; the value here is the captive-husbandry-relevant figure.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
unit vho:unit
Unit of measurement associated with a numerical value or range (e.g., vho:Celsius, vho:PerDay).
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- range
- vho:Unit
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
UVI range vho:uviRange
Relates a care regime to the inclusive UV-index range required at the design's basking location during the regime's period. UVI is dimensionless. Validated against vho:baskingUvi on the design. UVB is conventionally provided only during the lit phase of the diel cycle, so this property typically lives on a Daytime-scoped regime.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
venom significance vho:venomSignificance
Asserted at the class level on an Organism class bearing vho:Venomous, to state the severity of an envenomation to a typical adult human as a vho:VenomSignificance individual. Asserted at the rank where the severity holds: a family may be venomous while significance varies by genus or species.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:VenomSignificance
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
waives role vho:waivesRole
Asserted on an organism class to state that, contrary to a requirement on one of its ancestors, members of this class do not require the named role to be played in their design. Removes the role however the ancestor stated it, whether as a bare vho:requiresRole or as a vho:RoleRequirement. A positive, sourceable husbandry claim, not an absence of data.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- vho:Role
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
water temperature range vho:waterTemperatureRange
Relates a care regime to the inclusive water-temperature range required at the design's water zone during the regime's period, in degrees Celsius (vho:Celsius). Distinct from vho:ambientTemperatureRange (the air-temperature requirement): water and air at the same notional ambient can differ substantially. Validated against vho:waterTemperature on the water zone via the generic regime-vs-measurement shape, typically with vho:scopedToZone vho:WaterZone.
- type
- owl:ObjectProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Datatype properties (35)
absolute floor vho:absoluteFloor
A fixed bound on a vho:SizingConstraint, in centimetres (vho:Centimetre). Combined with any vho:multiple term as a maximum for a floor (vho:AtLeast) or a minimum for a ceiling (vho:AtMost). Used alone where no body-relative proportion is established for the species.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:SizingConstraint
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
ambient humidity vho:ambientHumidity
Current ambient relative humidity inside the enclosure, expressed as a decimal in [0, 1]. Asserted on a vho:EnvironmentZone instance for zoned designs, or on the vho:Design directly for single-environment designs.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
ambient temperature vho:ambientTemperature
Current ambient temperature inside the enclosure, in degrees Celsius. Asserted on a vho:EnvironmentZone instance for zoned designs, or on the vho:Design directly for single-environment designs.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
basking temperature vho:baskingTemperature
Current temperature at the design's basking surface, in degrees Celsius. Location-scoped measurement distinct from vho:ambientTemperature (bulk ambient air). Typically written by the physics simulator; paired with the regime-side vho:baskingTemperatureRange via vho:validatesAgainst.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
basking UVI vho:baskingUvi
Current UV-index reading at the design's basking surface. Dimensionless. Location-scoped measurement; typically written by the physics simulator or asserted from a Solarmeter reading. Paired with the regime-side vho:uviRange via vho:validatesAgainst.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
body mass vho:bodyMass
Body mass of an individual organism, in grams (vho:Gram). Per-individual measurement; the species-level typical range lives on the species class as vho:typicalAdultMassRange. Compared against a species-specific juvenile threshold to flag small-bodied individuals.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
conspecific cohabitation only vho:conspecificCohabitationOnly
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) bearing vho:Gregarious, to declare that its cohabitation figures apply to same-species groups only: members may share housing with each other but not with other species. Asserted only where a source states the restriction.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- xsd:boolean
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
contact surface temperature vho:contactSurfaceTemperature
Current temperature at a surface the resident rests against, in degrees Celsius: the enclosure floor above an under-tank element, the floor or wall of a tub heated from the rack, or a branch heated from within. Location-scoped measurement distinct from vho:ambientTemperature, which reads the bulk air, and from vho:baskingTemperature, which reads the site a resident moves onto to thermoregulate. A design can hold both of those within their bands while a surface the resident lies on is hot enough to burn it. Paired with the regime-side vho:contactSurfaceTemperatureRange via vho:validatesAgainst.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Design
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
count vho:count
Non-negative integer count of items of a component within a composite.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:ComponentPortion
- range
- xsd:nonNegativeInteger
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
default photoperiod hours vho:defaultPhotoperiodHours
Default photoperiod-relevant duration in hours associated with a period (e.g., 12 for Daytime in a temperate baseline).
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Period
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
derived drainage vho:derivedDrainage
Composite drainage value derived from the component drainage values weighted by mass fraction. Produced by the compositional-derivation rule; not asserted directly.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Substrate
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
derived nutrient richness vho:derivedNutrientRichness
Composite nutrient-richness value derived from the component nutrient-richness values weighted by mass fraction. Produced by the compositional-derivation rule; not asserted directly.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Substrate
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
derived water retention vho:derivedWaterRetention
Composite water-retention value derived from the component water-retention values weighted by mass fraction. Produced by the compositional-derivation rule; not asserted directly.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Substrate
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
drainage vho:drainage
Intrinsic drainage coefficient of a substrate component, in [0, 1]. Higher values drain faster.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
enclosure depth vho:enclosureDepth
Internal depth of an enclosure, in centimetres (vho:Centimetre). The front-to-back horizontal span when viewed from the keeper's front.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Enclosure
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
enclosure height vho:enclosureHeight
Internal height of an enclosure, in centimetres (vho:Centimetre). For arboreal species, the height dimension is typically the binding axis of the sizing constraints asserted on the species.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Enclosure
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
enclosure width vho:enclosureWidth
Internal width of an enclosure, in centimetres (vho:Centimetre). The left-to-right horizontal span when viewed from the keeper's front. For species-shape validation, width is one axis of the minimum-dimensions check; the spec convention is W × D × H.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Enclosure
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ferguson zone vho:fergusonZone
Baines' Ferguson Zone (1–4) classifying a species' UVB-exposure requirement category. Zone 1 = crepuscular / shade-dweller; Zone 4 = full open-sun basker. Asserted on a vho:CareRegime as a classification annotation, alongside or instead of vho:uviRange when the curator prefers the categorical form. Not itself a SHACL-gated constraint.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- xsd:integer
- source
- https://www.uvguide.co.uk/ferguson-zones.htm
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
mass fraction vho:massFraction
Fraction of a composite's mass contributed by a component, expressed as a decimal in [0, 1].
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:ComponentPortion
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
maximum derived water retention vho:maxDerivedWaterRetention
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) to declare the maximum acceptable substrate-composite derived water-retention coefficient for designs housing members of that class. Dimensionless, in [0, 1]. Declares that a persistently saturated substrate is itself harmful, as for arid-adapted species prone to mycosis or stress in wet enclosures.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
max inclusive vho:maxInclusive
Inclusive maximum value of a vho:Range.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Range
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
median particle size vho:medianParticleSize
Median particle size of a substrate component, in metres.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
minimum derived drainage vho:minDerivedDrainage
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) to declare the minimum acceptable substrate-composite derived drainage coefficient for designs housing members of that class. Dimensionless, in [0, 1]. Declares that standing moisture must clear the substrate rather than pool, as for species whose refuges fail or whose integument suffers in waterlogged media.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
minimum derived water retention vho:minDerivedWaterRetention
Asserted at the class level on an Organism species (or higher taxon) to declare the minimum acceptable substrate-composite derived water-retention coefficient for designs housing members of that class. Dimensionless, in [0, 1]. Compared by consumers against the vho:derivedWaterRetention value that the compositional-derivation rule derives from substrate components.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Organism
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
min inclusive vho:minInclusive
Inclusive minimum value of a vho:Range.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Range
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
minimum role count vho:minRoleCount
The minimum number of distinct entities that must play the role a vho:RoleRequirement names. A ball python needing a snug refuge at each end of its thermal gradient carries a hide requirement with a minimum count of two. Absent, the minimum is one.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:RoleRequirement
- range
- xsd:nonNegativeInteger
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
multiple vho:multiple
The factor by which a vho:SizingConstraint scales the resident's measured vho:relativeTo descriptor to produce the bound. A value of 3.0 against a diagonal leg span of 15 cm yields a 45 cm bound.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:SizingConstraint
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
nutrient richness vho:nutrientRichness
Intrinsic nutrient-richness coefficient of a substrate component, in [0, 1]: the capacity of the material to sustain rooted plants and detritivore cleanup crews. Nutrient-rich soils score high; washed mineral media score near zero. Deliberately coarse: it orders materials for planted and cleanup-crew-supporting builds and makes no finer horticultural claim.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
photoperiod hours vho:photoperiodHours
Hours of light per 24-hour day that the regime's seasonal period prescribes. Carries vho:Hour implicitly. Distinct from vho:defaultPhotoperiodHours on a Period (which gives the default for the period itself); vho:photoperiodHours on a regime states the species-specific value the regime asserts.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:CareRegime
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
section order vho:sectionOrder
An integer that determines the rendering order of care guide sections within their parent care guide. Lower values render first.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:CareGuideSection
- range
- xsd:integer
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
substrate depth vho:substrateDepth
Depth of a substrate item in a design, in centimetres (vho:Centimetre). Per-substrate measurement (a design may carry more than one substrate item with different depths); read as the vho:SubstrateDepth quantity when a consumer resolves the resident species' substrate-depth sizing constraint.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:Substrate
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
value vho:value
The measured value of an individual organism's vho:BodyMeasurement, in the node's vho:unit. Species-typical measurements use vho:minInclusive and vho:maxInclusive instead of a single value.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:BodyMeasurement
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
volume fraction vho:volumeFraction
Fraction of a composite's volume contributed by a component, expressed as a decimal in [0, 1].
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:ComponentPortion
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
water retention vho:waterRetention
Intrinsic water-retention coefficient of a substrate component, in [0, 1]. Higher values hold more water per unit mass.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- domain
- vho:SubstrateComponent
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
water temperature vho:waterTemperature
Current temperature of the water body of an enclosure, in degrees Celsius. Asserted on a vho:WaterZone instance for zoned (paludarium / aquarium) designs, or on the vho:Design directly for single-environment designs that nonetheless model a water body. Paired with the regime-side vho:waterTemperatureRange via vho:validatesAgainst.
- type
- owl:DatatypeProperty
- range
- xsd:decimal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Annotation properties (14)
cited by vho:citedBy
Indicates downstream citation: a term or assertion is referenced by an external work or by another VHO module.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
constrains derived property vho:constrainsDerivedProperty
Links a class-level substrate requirement property to the composite-level derived property its value is compared against. Consumers read these pairs to evaluate every substrate-requirement axis with one generic check.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
covers property vho:coversProperty
Links a vho:CareAxis to an assertion property whose resolved presence answers the axis. Tooling reads the link to compute coverage, so adding an axis or widening one is a data edit with no per-axis machinery.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
covers quality kind vho:coversQualityKind
Links a vho:CareAxis to a vho:Quality subclass whose members answer the axis when asserted on a taxon through vho:hasQuality or withdrawn through vho:lacksQuality. Qualities of different kinds answer different questions: where a taxon lives, when it is active, and whether it tolerates conspecific company are three separate curatorial judgements carried by one property, so an axis names the kind it asks about rather than the property that carries it.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
derived from vho:derivedFrom
Indicates that an assertion (typically a quantitative value or range) was derived from a cited source rather than asserted novelly. Used alongside dcterms:source for finer-grained provenance.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
derived from component property vho:derivedFromComponentProperty
Links a composite-level derived property to the intrinsic component property it aggregates. The generic compositional-derivation rule (shape:SubstrateDerivationRule) reads these pairs from the graph, so adding a derivation axis is a data assertion rather than a new rule.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
exclusive kind vho:exclusiveKind
Asserted on a vho:Quality subclass to state that its members are mutually exclusive: members of a taxon bear at most one of them, and two borne at once is a contradiction rather than a pair of compatible readings. A quality kind carrying no such assertion is unconstrained, which is the common case: an animal may be arboreal and saxicolous, or crepuscular and nocturnal, and both readings hold at once.
Exclusivity is a claim about the animal, not about the model, and is asserted only where a third state and a combined state are both impossible. A taxon changes an inherited answer by withdrawing it with vho:lacksQuality and asserting another, so exclusivity is read across the resolved set rather than the asserted one.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
expressed in unit vho:expressedInUnit
Metadata link relating a value-carrying property to the vho:Unit its values are stated in. A vho:Range node may state vho:unit itself, and where the two differ the node is the authority; this link is what a consumer reads when the property has no node to read, such as an axis a taxon has not been curated on yet. A quantity with no dimension states vho:Unitless rather than leaving the link absent.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
plausible maximum vho:plausibleMaximum
The upper bound of the interval a value of this property falls in across the animals this ontology describes, stated in the property's vho:expressedInUnit. It records the breadth of the quantity, not a limit on it: a sourced value above this bound is valid, and the bound widens to accommodate it.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
plausible minimum vho:plausibleMinimum
The lower bound of the interval a value of this property falls in across the animals this ontology describes, stated in the property's vho:expressedInUnit. It records the breadth of the quantity, not a limit on it: a sourced value below this bound is valid, and the bound widens to accommodate it.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
playable by vho:playableBy
Relates a vho:Role subclass to a class whose members may play it. Several values are alternatives: a player belonging to any one of them is admissible. A role carrying no vho:playableBy admits any player, which is the correct reading for a role whose admissible players the vocabulary cannot yet name.
A role admits the union of its own values and those of every class it is a subclass of, so a set of sibling roles sharing one answer states it once on their parent. Several values are alternatives here, unlike the conjunctive several values of vho:appliesWhen: a climbing structure is hardscape or foliage or decor, and requiring one player to be all three states nothing a design could satisfy.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
presupposes vho:presupposes
Relates an assertion property or a vho:CareAxis to a vho:Trait or vho:Quality individual that members of a taxon must bear for the property to be assertable, or for the axis to be a meaningful question. A taxon whose members do not bear the named individual is one for which the question does not arise: the property is not merely uncurated but inapplicable, and an assertion of it is an error rather than a judgement. Presence is tested through vho:hasTrait or vho:hasQuality across the taxon and its ancestors, honouring vho:lacksTrait and vho:lacksQuality.
Several values are conjunctive: every named individual must be borne. A presupposition states what asking the question at all assumes about the animal, and is read before any design exists; vho:appliesWhen restricts one asserted fact to circumstances judged against a design, and is a different question read at a different time.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
retracts vho:retracts
Links a retraction property to the accumulating assertion property whose inherited members it removes (for example, vho:lacksTrait retracts vho:hasTrait). Integrity checks and resolution tooling read this link, so a new accumulating pair joins them by declaring it, with no per-pair machinery.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
validates against vho:validatesAgainst
Metadata link relating a regime-side range property (humidityRange, ambientTemperatureRange, baskingTemperatureRange, uviRange) to the design-side measurement property it is compared against (ambientHumidity, ambientTemperature, baskingTemperature, baskingUvi). Lets a consumer drive one generic in-range check across every regime axis. Adding a new measurement axis is then: declare the range property, declare the measurement property, and link them with vho:validatesAgainst, with no per-axis machinery required.
- type
- owl:AnnotationProperty
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Individuals (142)
Abdominal rupture from fall vho:AbdominalRuptureFromFall
Latent capacity for a heavy-bodied resident to suffer abdominal-cuticle rupture and fatal haemolymph loss on impact after a fall from sufficient height inside the enclosure. Realised in residents carrying vho:FallRisk (heavy-bodied theraphosids over a species-conventional adult-mass threshold).
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- Biomechanics described in Schultz & Schultz, The Tarantula Keeper's Guide (3rd ed.).
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Absorptive contamination vho:AbsorptiveContamination
Latent capacity borne by a continuant whose surface bears residues, plasticisers, adhesive monomers, or other water-soluble compounds capable of crossing a permeable amphibian (or soft-invertebrate) integument on contact. Realised in residents carrying vho:PermeableSkin.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Activity pattern vho:ActivityPatternAxis
The care axis asking when members of a taxon are active across the daily cycle. The answer decides when the enclosure's conditions are the ones the animal actually experiences, and which period a care regime scoped to day or night is stating.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Adhesive setae vho:AdhesiveSetae
Micrometre-scale hair-like projections covering the toe pads of certain gecko lineages. Setae generate adhesion via van der Waals interactions with the substrate, enabling vertical-surface and inverted-surface locomotion. Bearers can scale glass, smooth bark, and the underside of enclosure lids; toe pads are mechanically sensitive and susceptible to fibre snag from looped or napped substrates.
- type
- vho:AnatomicalTrait
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setae
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Adult stage vho:AdultStage
Developmental life-stage period from sexual maturity onward. Species-specific in onset: cresties enter adulthood at ~15–18 months. Used to scope dietary, growth-tracking, and reproductive regimes.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Advised against vho:AdvisedAgainst
The assertion holds away from its value: the value is a poor choice for members of the class, with whatever weight vho:basis gives it. Distinct from a retraction, which withdraws a claim an ancestor made, and from a hazard, which names a mechanism by which harm follows. A preference with a mechanism behind it is stated as a capacity realised by a trait; this polarity carries the preference that has no mechanism to name.
- type
- vho:AssertionPolarity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Affirmed vho:Affirmed
The assertion holds toward its value: the property relates the class to the value, with whatever weight vho:basis gives it. The reading an assertion carries when it states no polarity.
- type
- vho:AssertionPolarity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ambient temperature vho:AmbientTemperatureAxis
The care axis asking what air-temperature band the general interior of the enclosure must hold for members of a taxon.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Any time vho:AnyTime
Round-the-clock period: a DielPeriod individual that matches any current diel period for care-regime resolution. Intended for care-regime axes that genuinely do not vary diel-wise (e.g., crested gecko ambient humidity). The care-regime SHACL shapes consume vho:AnyTime via a UNION branch in their SPARQL: a regime with vho:duringPeriod vho:AnyTime fires whatever the design's vho:currentPeriod is.
- type
- vho:DielPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Appendage loss vho:AppendageLoss
Loss of a limb, leg, toe, or other appendage, whether torn away, shed by autotomy in escape, or lost to injury that does not heal. Locomotion, climbing, and prey handling are impaired for as long as the animal lacks the appendage, which for a species that does not regenerate is the rest of its life.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Aquatic vho:Aquatic
Lives in the water column or on the bottom of a water body and leaves it rarely or never. The enclosure is a water body: every care axis that matters is measured in the water, and dry land, where present, is incidental rather than habitat.
- type
- vho:Habit
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquatic_animal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Arboreal vho:Arboreal
Lives in trees or other vertical vegetation; spends most of its active time off the ground.
- type
- vho:Habit
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arboreal_locomotion
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
At least vho:AtLeast
The constrained quantity must meet or exceed the bound: a floor.
- type
- vho:Comparator
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
At most vho:AtMost
The constrained quantity must not exceed the bound: a ceiling.
- type
- vho:Comparator
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Autotomous tail vho:AutotomousTail
A tail that can be voluntarily shed at a pre-formed fracture plane in response to predator stress, handling pressure, or aggressive conspecific contact. Some lineages regenerate the lost tail; others (including Correlophus) do not, so loss is permanent. Bearers warrant low-stress handling protocols and careful cohabitation review.
- type
- vho:AnatomicalTrait
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autotomy
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Average field exposure vho:AverageFieldExposure
The band is the source's stated average of field measurements of the quantity, taken where wild members of the taxon were observed exposed to it.
- type
- vho:BandRole
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Basking temperature vho:BaskingTemperatureAxis
The care axis asking what surface or retreat temperature the warm end of the enclosure must offer for members of a taxon that thermoregulate against a localised heat source.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Bioactive configuration vho:BioactiveConfiguration
A design condition in which the enclosure sustains a self-maintaining substrate ecosystem: live plants rooted in the substrate, detritivore invertebrates consuming waste, and a substrate bed that is retained and irrigated rather than periodically replaced.
- type
- vho:DesignCondition
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Body measurement vho:BodyMeasurementAxis
The care axis asking what the typical adult body measurement of a taxon is, in the clade-conventional descriptor, as the basis for body-relative enclosure sizing.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Capacities vho:CapacityAxis
The care axis asking which hazards members of a taxon bear in their own right, as distinct from the hazards their enclosure's contents bear. A capacity borne by a taxon is realised by a condition of the housing rather than by a piece of equipment: members that prey on co-housed conspecifics bear vho:ConspecificPredation, realised wherever a conspecific is present, and members whose males fight bear vho:IntrasexualAggression.
Most capacities are borne by equipment, substrate, and other enclosure contents, and are curated on those classes rather than on a taxon. This axis asks only about the taxon's own.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Cathemeral vho:Cathemeral
Activity distributed across both day and night without a strong diel peak.
- type
- vho:ActivityPattern
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathemerality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
degrees Celsius vho:Celsius
- type
- vho:Unit
centimetres vho:Centimetre
- type
- vho:Unit
Chemical off-gassing vho:ChemicalOffgassing
Latent capacity for a manufactured substrate or surface to off-gas plasticisers, adhesive residues, or other non-volatile-but-respiratory-active compounds. Realised when the resident organism breathes air drawn from the enclosure (RespiratoryExposure).
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Chimney ventilation vho:ChimneyVentilation
Ventilation openings low on the enclosure together with openings high on it, so that air warmed inside rises, leaves through the upper openings, and draws replacement air in through the lower ones. Flow is vertical and sustains itself as long as the interior is warmer than the surrounding room, which makes it the pattern a heated enclosure falls into when its openings are a low front strip and a screened top.
- type
- vho:AirflowPattern
- also known as
- stack ventilation
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Chloramine exposure vho:ChloramineExposure
Latent capacity for chlorine and chloramines residual in municipal water supplies to cross a permeable amphibian integument and disrupt cutaneous gas exchange and osmoregulation. Specialises vho:AbsorptiveContamination for the most common keeper-side failure mode (using untreated tap water for misting, pool top-up, or substrate moistening) and gives the SHACL report a sharper message than the generic absorptive-contamination capacity.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Clearance vho:Clearance
The vertical space between the substrate surface and the top of the enclosure: the enclosure height less the depth of the substrate beneath. Bounded as a ceiling for heavy-bodied species at risk of fall injury, where a tall enclosure with deep burrowing substrate is safe but the same enclosure with a shallow substrate is not, and as a floor where a source states required climbing space above the substrate.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Climbing ability vho:ClimbingAbility
The capacity and propensity to ascend vertical or overhanging surfaces inside an enclosure, including walls, branches, and the underside of lids. Arboreal and scansorial species express this trait; obligate burrowers and benthic species do not. Climbing ability brings an organism into contact with elevated equipment (heat sources, lighting) whose surface temperatures or hazards are tolerable at ground level but harmful on direct contact.
- type
- vho:BehaviouralTrait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Conducted contact burn vho:ConductedContactBurn
Latent burn capacity borne by an unregulated element delivering heat by conduction through a surface a resident rests against: the surface reaches a temperature that burns on prolonged contact, while the enclosure air and any basking site stay within their bands. Realised in residents carrying vho:ContactExposure.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/ball-python-care-guide/ball-python-humidity-temperatures/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Conspecific predation vho:ConspecificPredation
Latent capacity of a species' members to prey on or fatally injure co-housed members of the same species, commonly under size disparity, moulting vulnerability, or food scarcity. Realised by vho:ConspecificPresence: the hazard arises from the housing configuration itself, not from any trait of the individuals involved. For species bearing vho:Solitary this capacity sharpens the housing rule with the mechanism; it never licenses cohabitation of a solitary species.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Conspecific presence vho:ConspecificPresence
The design condition of an enclosure housing more than one member of the same species. Realizes capacities whose hazard arises from cohabitation itself, such as conspecific predation, independent of any trait of the individuals involved.
- type
- vho:DesignCondition
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Contact burn vho:ContactBurn
A thermal burn where the animal met a surface or element hotter than its tissue tolerates. Reptiles and invertebrates commonly fail to withdraw from a heat source quickly enough to avoid injury, so a burn can be extensive by the time it is noticed.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Contact exposure vho:ContactExposure
The physiological condition of resting in sustained contact with the surfaces of the enclosure. Universal across vivarium-kept animals, which lie, perch, or burrow against a floor, a wall, or a branch rather than holding themselves clear of them. Realizes capacities borne by surfaces that injure on prolonged contact, such as an element delivering heat by conduction through the floor a resident lies on.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalTrait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Contact surface temperature vho:ContactSurfaceTemperatureAxis
The care axis asking what temperature the surfaces a resident rests against must hold, for members of a taxon whose heat arrives by conduction through the enclosure floor or another surface, and for any taxon whose contact surfaces need a limit they must not exceed.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
count vho:Count
- type
- vho:Unit
Crepuscular vho:Crepuscular
Activity peaks at twilight, around dawn and dusk.
- type
- vho:ActivityPattern
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular_animal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Critical vho:Critical
An outcome that threatens the animal's life or disables it permanently, such as a fatal fall, a ruptured abdomen, or the loss of a limb.
- type
- vho:Severity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Cross ventilation vho:CrossVentilation
Ventilation openings on opposing or offset enclosure faces at different heights, producing a continuous through-flow of air driven by pressure and temperature differences, rather than exchange through a single face.
- type
- vho:AirflowPattern
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Cutaneous chemical injury vho:CutaneousChemicalInjury
Injury from a compound crossing the integument: irritation, chemical burn, or disruption of the gas exchange and osmoregulation an animal with permeable skin performs through it. Distinct from injury by ingestion or inhalation, which reach the animal by other routes.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Daytime vho:Daytime
The lit phase of a 24-hour diel cycle in a vivarium. The exact hour boundaries are design-specific; the period is named here as a categorical phase rather than a clock interval. The default duration of twelve hours reflects the even split most care sources baseline; species photoperiod regimes override it.
- type
- vho:DielPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Death vho:Death
The animal dies. Named where the capacity's realisation is expected to kill rather than to injure, whatever the route: a fall that ruptures the abdomen, or a conspecific that preys on it.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Delicate toes vho:DelicateToes
Toes whose distal structure (adhesive setae, fine claws, or thin scalation) is mechanically vulnerable to fibre snag and abrasion. Borne by geckos with adhesive setae and by other small-bodied lizards with similarly fine toe anatomy. Realizes the toe-snag capacity on looped-fibre substrates and the abrasion capacity on rough porous surfaces.
- type
- vho:AnatomicalTrait
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setae
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Detritivorous feeding vho:DetritivorousFeeding
Feeding by ingesting decomposing plant material, including the enclosure substrate itself. Millipedes, many isopods, and other litter-feeders take their staple diet from the bedding layer, so what the substrate is made of is a dietary fact for them, not only an environmental one. Gates substrate capacities that realise through ingestion of bedding material, such as vho:IndigestibleFibreImpaction.
- type
- vho:BehaviouralTrait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Diet vho:DietAxis
The care axis asking what members of a taxon eat and how often, including supplementary foodstuffs and their frequencies, by life stage where the answer differs.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Diurnal vho:Diurnal
Activity peaks during daylight hours.
- type
- vho:ActivityPattern
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diurnality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Dry vho:Dry
Substrate moisture category for composites with derived water retention below 0.30: arid setups whose substrate holds little water between waterings.
- type
- vho:MoistureCategory, vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Egg stage vho:Egg
Pre-hatch ovum stage. For amphibians with biphasic life cycles, the egg stage is short (days to a few weeks) and occurs in a moist phytotelm or substrate site; regimes scoped to vho:Egg typically constrain humidity and temperature but not feeding.
Egg-rearing parameters often differ from larval-rearing parameters for the same species: a Ranitomeya egg-laying site holds a single clutch at high humidity until hatch, then the larvae are transported to a separate rearing pool.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Fall risk vho:FallRisk
The physiological condition of being heavy-bodied enough that a fall from height inside the enclosure can rupture the abdomen on impact. Borne by adult Theraphosidae of heavy-bodied genera (Grammostola, Brachypelma, Lasiodora, Phormictopus) over a species-conventional adult-mass threshold; not borne by lightweight arboreal theraphosids (e.g., Avicularia, Caribena) or by spiderlings of any genus.
This trait is defined as vocabulary. The species-scoped fall-risk SHACL shape currently reads vho:bodyMass directly rather than via this trait.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalTrait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Female vho:Female
The female sex of a sexually dimorphic species.
- type
- vho:Sex
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Floor area vho:FloorArea
The area of the enclosure floor, the product of width and depth.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Floor diagonal vho:FloorDiagonal
The diagonal of the enclosure floor, the square root of the sum of the squared width and depth. The longest straight line an animal can occupy on the floor, used to size snakes against the length they can stretch out to.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Floor long axis vho:FloorLongAxis
The longer of the enclosure's two floor dimensions (width and depth). Orientation-independent, so a constraint does not depend on which wall faces the keeper.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Floor short axis vho:FloorShortAxis
The shorter of the enclosure's two floor dimensions (width and depth). Orientation-independent.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Forced circulation vho:ForcedCirculation
Air moved through the interior by a powered fan rather than by pressure and temperature differences alone. Circulation runs independently of where the openings sit and breaks up still pockets, and on its own it redistributes interior air without raising the amount exchanged with the surrounding room.
- type
- vho:AirflowPattern
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Fossorial vho:Fossorial
Lives underground; burrows or occupies pre-existing tunnels for most of its active life.
- type
- vho:Habit
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossorial
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Froglet stage vho:Froglet
Post-metamorphosis terrestrial life stage in anurans, between morphological completion of metamorphosis (tail resorption) and sexual maturity. Froglets are markedly smaller than adults and require the smallest available feeders (springtails, melanogaster fruit flies) at higher feeding frequencies.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
grams vho:Gram
- type
- vho:Unit
Gravid vho:Gravid
Transient physiological state of carrying eggs or developing young. Gravid residents commonly alter thermoregulation and feeding, and many species require a deposition site during this period; regimes scoped to it adjust temperature access, food offering, and disturbance. Weeks to months in duration depending on lineage.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalSubPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Gregarious vho:Gregarious
Members tolerate or require conspecific company in shared housing; a species-level group-size envelope states how many. For obligately social species the group minimum is a welfare floor: a lone individual is deprived, not merely conveniently housed.
- type
- vho:Sociality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Habit vho:HabitAxis
The care axis asking where members of a taxon spend their active life: in the canopy, on the ground, underground, on rock, in water, or across more than one of these. The answer sets which stratum of the enclosure must be usable habitat rather than incidental space.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Hatchling stage vho:Hatchling
Earliest post-hatch (or post-birth) life-stage period, before the juvenile stage: the resident is at its smallest and most fragile, typically requiring the smallest feeders at the highest frequency, shallower water features, and minimal handling. Species-conventional in duration; care sources for snakes and lizards commonly state hatchling feeding schedules distinct from juvenile ones.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Heat element contact burn vho:HeatElementContact
Latent burn capacity borne by an unguarded radiant or convective heat source: direct contact with the element surface produces a thermal burn. Realised in residents that can ascend to or otherwise contact the element.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/heat-bulb-guide/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Height vho:Height
The height of the enclosure, in the stated product dimensions. Typically the binding floor for arboreal species. Distinct from vho:Clearance, the vertical space remaining above the substrate.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
High air exchange vho:HighAirExchange
Air exchange through one or more full mesh walls or lids. Interior conditions track the surrounding room closely and humidity requires active management.
- type
- vho:AirExchangeLevel
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
hours vho:Hour
- type
- vho:Unit
Humidity vho:HumidityAxis
The care axis asking what relative-humidity band the enclosure air must hold, including any tolerated drying floor between mistings.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Husbandry actions vho:HusbandryActionAxis
The care axis asking what recurring keeper actions, such as misting or water changes, the care of members of a taxon requires during each period.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Impaction vho:Impaction
Obstruction of the digestive tract by material the animal cannot pass, whether swallowed with prey, eaten deliberately, or taken in while feeding on the substrate. Feeding stops, and the obstruction is frequently fatal without veterinary intervention.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Indigestible-fibre impaction vho:IndigestibleFibreImpaction
Latent capacity for long-fibre plant material to compact in the digestive tract of an animal that eats its substrate. Realised in organisms bearing vho:DetritivorousFeeding: litter-feeders such as millipedes ingest bedding as food, and coir-type fibre resists their gut processing where genuine leaf litter and decomposing wood do not. Inert for organisms that do not feed on substrate.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ingestion impaction vho:IngestionImpaction
Latent capacity for a coarse, hard, or fibrous substrate to cause gastrointestinal impaction if ingested. Realised in individuals with SmallBody: the small-body trait is materialised by a species-specific bodyMass threshold (13 g for crested geckos) and reflects the empirical observation that larger animals safely pass ingested particles that block smaller ones.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Intrasexual aggression vho:IntrasexualAggression
Latent capacity of a species' mature males to injure other males of the same species in shared housing, through territorial combat or dominance conflict. Borne at the class level by species whose sources document male-male incompatibility; realised when a co-housed individual bears vho:MaleSex. The aggressor-side condition, that the bearer is itself a mature male, is part of this definition: mixed-sex or all-female groups of the same species may cohabit where the species' sociality otherwise allows it.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Jumping ability vho:JumpingAbility
The capacity and propensity to cross open space in a single leap, whether launching between perches, striking at prey, or fleeing. Jumping animals reach places contiguous routes never touch, including an open enclosure rim from a perch below it; jumping ability therefore feeds containment decisions alongside climbing ability, and inside the enclosure it argues for clear leaping lines between perches.
- type
- vho:BehaviouralTrait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Juvenile stage vho:JuvenileStage
Developmental life-stage period from post-hatch independence to sexual maturity. Species-specific in duration: cresties are juvenile through ~12 months. Used to scope dietary, growth-tracking, and handling-frequency regimes.
Age-based stage. Distinct from the mass-based vho:SmallBody, which materialises on individuals below a species-specific safety threshold (e.g., 13 g for cresties). A juvenile may or may not also carry SmallBody.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Laceration vho:Laceration
A tear or cut in the integument from contact with a sharp or abrasive surface. Serious in proportion to the integument that bears it: an unscaled or thin-skinned animal is cut where a scaled one is not.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Lifespan vho:LifespanAxis
The care axis asking what the typical captive lifespan range of a taxon is.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Low air exchange vho:LowAirExchange
Air exchange limited to small openings such as drilled holes or narrow vent strips. Interior air turns over slowly and humidity released inside the enclosure is largely retained.
- type
- vho:AirExchangeLevel
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Male vho:Male
The male sex of a sexually dimorphic species.
- type
- vho:Sex
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Male sex vho:MaleSex
Trait borne by an individual organism whose sex is male. Materialised from the individual's vho:sex assertion rather than asserted directly, so that capacities can gate on sex through the standard trait mechanism; vho:sex remains the authoritative fact.
- type
- vho:Trait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Body mass vho:MassAxis
The care axis asking what the typical adult body-mass range of a taxon is.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sexual maturity vho:MaturityAxis
The care axis asking at what age members of a taxon typically reach sexual maturity.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Maximum field exposure vho:MaximumFieldExposure
The band is the source's stated range of maximum field measurements of the quantity, taken where wild members of the taxon were observed exposed to it.
- type
- vho:BandRole
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Medically significant envenomation vho:MedicallySignificantEnvenomation
An envenomation with documented systemic effects in humans (severe pain, cramping, neurological or cardiac symptoms); medical evaluation is warranted after any bite or sting.
- type
- vho:VenomSignificance
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Mesh-top entanglement vho:MeshTopEntanglement
Latent entanglement capacity borne by woven or perforated mesh lids: the mesh openings can catch the tarsal claws of an arthropod attempting to climb the underside of the lid, leading to torn appendages, autotomy, or death.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://www.tarantulaforum.com/threads/mesh-tops-and-tarantulas.328927/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
metres vho:Metre
- type
- vho:Unit
Mild vho:Mild
An outcome the animal resolves without intervention and which leaves no lasting effect, such as brief stress or a superficial abrasion.
- type
- vho:Severity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Mild envenomation vho:MildEnvenomation
An envenomation that is painful and locally symptomatic for a typical adult human; medical attention rarely needed absent allergy or unusual reaction.
- type
- vho:VenomSignificance
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Moderate vho:Moderate
An outcome calling for keeper intervention or veterinary treatment, and from which the animal is expected to recover, such as a treated burn or a resolved infection.
- type
- vho:Severity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Moderate air exchange vho:ModerateAirExchange
Air exchange through partial mesh panels or generous vent strips. Humidity can be held with regular misting, but stagnant air does not accumulate.
- type
- vho:AirExchangeLevel
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Moist vho:Moist
Substrate moisture category for composites with derived water retention from 0.55 up to 0.80: visibly damp substrate that sustains elevated ambient humidity.
- type
- vho:MoistureCategory, vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
months vho:Month
- type
- vho:Unit
Moulting vho:Moulting
The ecdysis event itself: the resident sheds the old cuticle and inflates the new one. In Theraphosidae, this typically occurs on the back (the animal flips over to perform the moult). Hours to a day in duration; the resident is acutely vulnerable during and immediately after the event.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalSubPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Negligible envenomation vho:NegligibleEnvenomation
An envenomation comparable to or milder than a bee sting for a typical adult human; no medical attention expected absent allergy.
- type
- vho:VenomSignificance
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Neurological damage vho:NeurologicalDamage
Injury to the nervous system from a neuroactive compound, presenting as tremor, incoordination, unresponsiveness, or death. Cumulative under continued exposure, and frequently irreversible once apparent.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Neurotoxic oil off-gassing vho:NeurotoxicOilOffgassing
Latent capacity for a substrate to off-gas volatile organic compounds (phenols, terpenes) that act as neurotoxins on exposed animals. Realised when the resident organism breathes air drawn from the enclosure (RespiratoryExposure, universal across air-breathing tetrapods and arthropods).
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Nighttime vho:Nighttime
The unlit phase of a 24-hour diel cycle in a vivarium. The exact hour boundaries are design-specific; the period is named here as a categorical phase rather than a clock interval. The default duration of twelve hours reflects the even split most care sources baseline; species photoperiod regimes override it.
- type
- vho:DielPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Nocturnal vho:Nocturnal
Activity peaks during the night.
- type
- vho:ActivityPattern
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturnality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
per day vho:PerDay
- type
- vho:Unit
per week vho:PerWeek
- type
- vho:Unit
Permeable skin vho:PermeableSkin
The physiological condition of bearing skin that functions as a respiratory and osmoregulatory surface and absorbs water-soluble compounds (hand oils, soaps, sunscreens, sprayed residues, untreated chlorine and chloramines) on direct or indirect contact. Universal across Anura and the wider class Amphibia; also borne by some soft-bodied invertebrates with cuticular permeability. Distinct from vho:ThinIntegument: the same amphibian skin bears both, but the realised capacities differ, with thin integument realising mechanical-laceration capacities and permeable skin realising absorptive-contamination capacities.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalTrait
- source
- Cutaneous physiology established in Duellman & Trueb 1986; Heatwole 1994.
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Photoperiod vho:PhotoperiodAxis
The care axis asking what daily light duration, possibly varying by season, the enclosure must provide for members of a taxon. A sourced answer that ambient room light suffices with no dedicated provision is an answer, distinct from the question never having been considered.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Post-moult vho:PostMoult
Transient physiological state following ecdysis, lasting days (spiderlings) to weeks (mature theraphosids), during which the new cuticle hardens and pigment is laid down. While the cuticle is soft the resident bears vho:ThinIntegument (materialised by a SHACL rule keyed on vho:currentPeriod vho:PostMoult) and is acutely vulnerable to mechanical-laceration capacities (sharp-edged decor, abrasive substrate). The trait reverts when the design's current period leaves PostMoult.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalSubPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Pre-moult vho:PreMoult
Transient physiological state preceding ecdysis in arthropods. Behavioural and physiological markers vary by lineage but commonly include cessation of feeding, reduced activity, darkening of the integument as the new cuticle forms beneath, and (in spiders) sealing of the burrow entrance. Days to weeks in duration.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalSubPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Recommended profile vho:RecommendedProfile
A non-binding aspirational value, larger than the welfare minimum, offered as guidance for a better setup. Not enforced; consumers may present it as a recommendation.
- type
- vho:ConstraintBasis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Respiratory exposure vho:RespiratoryExposure
The physiological condition of breathing air drawn from the enclosure environment. Universal across vivarium-kept tetrapods and air-breathing arthropods. Realizes off-gassing capacities of substrates and decor whose volatiles enter the breathing zone, such as pine and cedar essential oils, freshly-cured silicone, and off-gassing plastics and adhesives.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalTrait
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Respiratory injury vho:RespiratoryInjury
Injury to the respiratory surfaces from a compound carried in the air the animal breathes, presenting as irritation, inflammation, or reduced gas exchange.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Required roles vho:RoleAxis
The care axis asking what functions, such as a hide, climbing structure, water source, or burrow site, must be played by the contents of an enclosure housing members of a taxon.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Saxicolous vho:Saxicolous
Lives on rocky surfaces; occupies the rock-stratum analogue of arboreal niches.
- type
- vho:Habit
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxicolous_lichen
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Semi-aquatic vho:SemiAquatic
Divides its active time between water and land, with both media serving as primary habitat: swims and forages or shelters in the water body and hauls out, basks, or burrows on land. Enclosures provide a swimmable water body and usable dry land, each with its own conditions.
The habit describes where the animal lives, not what its enclosure contains. A species that requires a water zone for one life function, such as an arboreal frog depositing larvae in a pool, keeps its own habit; the water requirement is expressed through zone and role requirements instead.
- type
- vho:Habit
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Semi-arboreal vho:SemiArboreal
Divides its active time between the ground and elevated structure: climbs and perches readily but forages, shelters, or thermoregulates at ground level as well. Enclosures serve both strata, with usable floor space and sturdy climbing structure rather than a purely vertical or purely horizontal layout.
- type
- vho:Habit
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Single-face ventilation vho:SingleFaceVentilation
Ventilation openings confined to one face of the enclosure, so air is exchanged across that face by diffusion with no path leading through the interior. Air far from the vented face moves little, and still, humid pockets persist there even where the enclosure as a whole exchanges freely.
- type
- vho:AirflowPattern
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Enclosure sizing vho:SizingAxis
The care axis asking what floors and ceilings bound the enclosure's dimensions for members of a taxon, whether body-relative or absolute, and what kind of enclosure is required.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Slightly moist vho:SlightlyMoist
Substrate moisture category for composites with derived water retention from 0.30 up to 0.55: substrate damp at depth with a dry surface.
- type
- vho:MoistureCategory, vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Small body vho:SmallBody
Individual-level trait borne by an animal whose body mass falls below a species-specific juvenile threshold. For crested geckos the threshold is 13 g (the safety threshold at which loose-substrate impaction risk, overhead-UVB cooking risk, and overhead-heat-lamp distance constraints become material). Materialised from vho:bodyMass measurements by a SHACL rule, and gates substrate-avoidance capacities.
- type
- vho:AnatomicalTrait
- source
- The 13 g threshold for Correlophus ciliatus follows ReptiFiles.
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Sociality vho:SocialityAxis
The care axis asking whether members of a taxon may share an enclosure with conspecifics, and if so how many. A solitary answer states that conspecific company is itself a welfare risk; a gregarious answer carries the group-size envelope, whose minimum can be a welfare floor and whose maximum is a crowding ceiling.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Soft-tissue laceration vho:SoftTissueLaceration
Latent laceration capacity borne by a continuant presenting sharp or abrasive edges to its enclosure interior: contact with the edge tears thin or unscaled integument. Realised in residents carrying vho:ThinIntegument.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Solitary vho:Solitary
Members are housed singly: the presence of a conspecific in the same enclosure is itself a welfare risk, ranging from chronic stress and food competition to injury and cannibalism. Applies regardless of enclosure size; more space mitigates but does not remove the risk.
- type
- vho:Sociality
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Spiderling stage vho:Spiderling
Post-emergence life stage in spiders, from leaving the egg sac through the early instars where the resident is still markedly smaller than the adult and requires different husbandry parameters (smaller feeders, shallower substrate, higher humidity tolerance, and closer monitoring). For Theraphosidae the spiderling phase spans roughly the first 5–8 moults; species-conventional boundaries between Spiderling, JuvenileStage, and AdultStage are at the curator's discretion.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Subadult stage vho:Subadult
Life-stage period between the juvenile stage and sexual maturity: near adult size but not yet mature. Care sources commonly key feeding frequency to this stage, and for some species (notably heavy-bodied snakes) to a body-mass band rather than an age; where a source states a mass-keyed schedule, the regime is scoped to this stage and the mass band carried in its comment.
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Substrate vho:SubstrateAxis
The care axis asking what properties the substrate bed must hold for members of a taxon: the floor and ceiling on composite water retention, and the floor on composite drainage. The bounds constrain a single mix, which must satisfy every one of them at once, so they are one question rather than several.
Two bounds naming the same derived property through vho:constrainsDerivedProperty are the floor and ceiling of one range: vho:minDerivedWaterRetention and vho:maxDerivedWaterRetention both constrain vho:derivedWaterRetention and are presented together. A consumer pairs bounds by their shared target rather than by name.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Substrate depth vho:SubstrateDepth
The depth of a substrate item in the design, in centimetres. Bounded as a floor for burrowing species and for species whose humidity depends on a substrate moisture reservoir, and as a ceiling where a source states a maximum safe depth, such as moist substrate that develops anaerobic pockets at depth. No universal safe-depth ceiling exists: anaerobic risk depends on the material, its moisture, and the aeration of the build, so ceilings are asserted only where a source states one. Each substrate item is checked independently.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Summer vho:Summer
The annual high-photoperiod, high-temperature half of a temperate-baseline seasonal cycle. The exact dates are design-specific; the period is named here as a categorical phase. Species in tropical or non-temperate ranges may use vho:Summer for the locally-corresponding high-activity season or override with a species-specific seasonal period instead.
- type
- vho:SeasonalPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Survival floor vho:SurvivalFloor
A binding hard lower limit below which the animal cannot be kept at all. A breach is more severe than a welfare-minimum breach.
- type
- vho:ConstraintBasis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Tadpole stage vho:Tadpole
Aquatic-only larval stage characteristic of anuran amphibians. Tadpole regimes require an aquatic environment (vho:WaterZone or dedicated rearing setup), water-temperature constraints, and a stage-specific diet (powdered tadpole food, in some genera supplemented by trophic eggs deposited by the female).
- type
- vho:LifeStagePeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Tarsal claw vho:TarsalClaw
Recurved claw at the distal end of an arthropod leg, used for clinging to substrates. Present in arachnids (typically as paired claws on each tarsus) and in many other arthropods. The clinging mechanism that makes the trait useful on rough surfaces is also what makes it liable to entanglement on woven or perforated materials such as fine mesh.
- type
- vho:AnatomicalTrait
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod_leg
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Terrestrial vho:Terrestrial
Lives on the ground; rarely or never climbs.
- type
- vho:Habit
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_animal
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Thin integument vho:ThinIntegument
An outer body covering that is thin, soft, or unscaled relative to a typical reptilian scaled integument. Includes amphibian skin, the cuticle of soft-bodied invertebrates, and the body wall of newly-moulted arthropods. Thin integument is mechanically vulnerable to laceration on sharp edges and chemically permeable to environmental contaminants.
- type
- vho:AnatomicalTrait
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integumentary_system
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Toe-fibre snag vho:ToeFiberSnag
Latent capacity for a looped, napped, or fine-fibrous surface to catch the distal toe structures of an arboreal climber. Realised in individuals with DelicateToes (geckos with adhesive setae or fine claws). Outcome ranges from temporary detachment of adhesive pads to traumatic toe loss.
- type
- vho:Capacity
- source
- https://reptifiles.com/crested-gecko-care/crested-gecko-substrate-options/
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Traits vho:TraitAxis
The care axis asking which anatomical, physiological, and behavioural features members of a taxon bear. A trait is observed rather than provided, and it is the fact a hazard keys on: whether an enclosure's mesh lid, heat element, or fall height threatens a resident is decided by the traits the resident carries, so the trait list is the curated basis on which hazards resolve.
The axis asks which features the animal bears, not which hazards it bears: a hazard a taxon carries in its own right is asked about by vho:CapacityAxis.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Traumatic injury vho:TraumaticInjury
Physical injury from force: a wound, a fracture, or internal damage from being struck, bitten, or crushed. Named where the harm is mechanical and does not resolve to a more specific outcome such as appendage loss or laceration.
- type
- vho:Outcome
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ultraviolet provision vho:UltravioletAxis
The care axis asking what ultraviolet exposure members of a taxon require. Ultraviolet care spans the UV-B waveband, which drives cutaneous vitamin D synthesis and is expressed as a UV-index band at the basking location or as a Ferguson Zone classification, and the UV-A waveband, which many animals perceive and which influences basking, foraging, and social behaviour. An answer on any property the axis covers answers the axis; for many taxa the sourced answer is that no provision is required, and that answer is recorded rather than left blank.
The covered properties address the UV-B side; a UV-A provision property extends the axis through vho:coversProperty rather than a new axis, keeping ultraviolet one question with one coverage state.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
unitless vho:Unitless
- type
- vho:Unit
Venom vho:VenomAxis
The care axis asking how severe an envenomation by members of a taxon is to a typical adult human. Applicable to taxa bearing vho:Venomous, where it governs the handling precautions and the keeper experience a species is suited to.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Venomous vho:Venomous
Produces venom and bears apparatus to deliver it by bite or sting, defensively or in prey capture. A keeper-safety fact: it informs handling protocols and tool use, not enclosure design. How much an envenomation matters to a human is stated separately per taxon via vho:venomSignificance.
- type
- vho:PhysiologicalTrait
- source
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venom
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Ventilation vho:VentilationAxis
The care axis asking what level of passive air exchange and what airflow arrangement the enclosure's ventilation openings must provide for members of a taxon.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Volume vho:Volume
The volume of the enclosure, the product of the stated width, depth, and height.
Most care sources state floor dimensions and height rather than volume; prefer constraints on those quantities where the source supports them, and reserve volume for species whose sources genuinely reason in it.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water depth vho:WaterDepth
The vertical distance from the water surface to the deepest point of the standing water body in a design. Bounded as a floor for swimming and soaking species and as a ceiling where shallow water protects weak swimmers.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water surface area vho:WaterSurfaceArea
The horizontal area of the surface of the standing water body in a design. Bounded as a floor for species whose swimming, gas exchange at the surface, or thermoregulation depends on open water extent.
- type
- vho:DerivedEnclosureQuantity
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Water temperature vho:WaterTemperatureAxis
The care axis asking what temperature band the standing water body in the enclosure must hold, for members of a taxon with an aquatic life stage or aquatic habits.
- type
- vho:CareAxis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Welfare minimum vho:WelfareMinimum
A binding floor at which a keeper can provide a minimum standard of wellbeing for the animal, larger than the bare minimum needed to keep it alive. A breach is a welfare failure.
Captures the standard the Federation of British Herpetologists applies in its enclosure-size guidance, which grounds the figure in freedom from discomfort and exposure and freedom to express normal behaviour.
- type
- vho:ConstraintBasis
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Wet vho:Wet
Substrate moisture category for composites with derived water retention of 0.80 and above: saturated or near-saturated media of paludarium margins and permanently wet setups.
- type
- vho:MoistureCategory, vho:Range
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
Winter vho:Winter
The annual low-photoperiod, low-temperature half of a temperate-baseline seasonal cycle. The exact dates are design-specific; the period is named here as a categorical phase. Species in tropical or non-temperate ranges may use vho:Winter for the locally-corresponding low-activity season or override with a species-specific seasonal period instead.
- type
- vho:SeasonalPeriod
- contributor
- https://vho.bio/contributor/crittercad
years vho:Year
- type
- vho:Unit