You may request to rearrange the experience date within 24 hours of making the original booking without incurring any rearrangement fee. Any request to rearrange made more than 24 hours after the original booking will incur a £30.00 rearrangement fee. All rearrangement requests are subject to availability, and a new experience date must be agreed and confirmed at the time the rearrangement is requested. Rearrangement requests will not be accepted without confirmation of a new date.

Our experiences typically consist of us showcasing 7 of our incredible animals: 2 mini-beasts, 2 lizards, 2 snakes, and a tortoise! This lineup cannot be amended - we do not provide bespoke packages for a number of reasons. One is that we attend multiple experiences each day and so we take a selection of animals so that everyone gets a varied experience. Another reason is that we cannot guarantee which animals will be available from day to day. This is due to feeding schedules and health statuses of each of our animals - for example, if an animal is going into shed, we cannot bring them out for experiences.

We cannot hold parties in gardens/marquees. This is due to: the weather; if it is too hot or too cold, we can't guarantee the safety and comfort of our animals; and security. The venue for the experience must be secure.

You can either: Fill in an online enquiry form here; or Email us on team@tomstalkingreptiles.co.uk. We do not take bookings over the phone. You can still call us with any questions or if you would like to talk in person first. We often run our experiences at various times throughout the day and offer experiences 7 days a week so if you can't get hold of us, please email or send us a text/WhatsApp.

Our 1 hour experiences are recommended for 1-to-1s up to 12 participants. Our 1 and a half hour straight through experiences are recommended for children aged 9 years and over and for large groups of 15 plus participants. We do not hold straight through experiences for participants under 9 years old. Our 1 and a half hour split experiences (made up of a 45 minute session, a 30 minute break, and another 45 minute session) are recommended for large groups especially for younger children. For experiences with more than 15 participants under 9 years old, a 1 and a half hour split experience must be booked to allow all participants sufficient time with each animal. Participant numbers are made up of the birthday person, any siblings, and all other friends/family that are to join by sitting in the semi-circle, engaged throughout the entire experience. Adults/supervisors are welcome but they must remain on the outside of the semi-circle. Anyone on the outside of the semi-circle does not count in the participant numbers. The number of participants will affect our fee (more participants means a higher fee). Experiences can be held in a residential dwelling provided that there is adequate space for seating for all participants to sit comfortably on chairs, benches, or sofas arranged in a single-lined semi-circle. Participants must not be seated in a manner that results in crowding or squeezing, as this is necessary for the safety and welfare of both participants and animals. For health and safety reasons, including emergency and fire evacuation requirements, participants must not be seated on the floor. We recommend a maximum of 8 participants in a residential setting. If your participants cannot sit comfortably in a single-lined semi-circle on chairs in your residential setting, please look into hiring a hall or event space. For 9 or more participants, a hall or event space must be hired to ensure all participants have plenty of space and are comfortable for the experience. We rely on you to use your best judgement in order to ensure all participants can sit comfortably for the duration of the experience. If participants are overcrowded upon our arrival, we reserve the right to cancel the experience where we feel there is a risk to our animals. Should this cancellation occur, no refunds will be given. The venue (whether a residential dwelling, hall, or event space) must be entirely secure. Experiences cannot be held in gardens, even if you have a gazebo/marquee.

Deposits for party experiences are £50.00 for a 1 hour or a 1.5 continuous experience and £100.00 for 1.5 hour split experiences. Deposits are non-refundable in all circumstances.

We will arrive 10 to 30 minutes before the scheduled experience start time. We will be set up and ready to begin at the scheduled experience start time. All participants must be seated and ready for the safety briefing and rules rundown at the scheduled experience start time. If an invitee misses this briefing, unfortunately they will not be able to participate. This cannot be recorded and sent to latecomers. We need to gauge participants' reactions and attitudes during the briefing for safety reasons.  Participants must remain calm and seated throughout the entire experience. This is the responsibility of the supervising adults. The animals are our priority, concern, and responsibility; the participants are yours.  Rundown: Welcome, introduction, and full safety briefing Individual introductions to each animal—who they are and what makes them special Animals are brought around so participants can get up close Participants may handle the animals if they wish and are encouraged to ask questions We focus on each participant, allowing time to observe, learn and build confidence Throughout the experience, photographs are very welcome. We simply ask that one designated person takes photos to help the session run smoothly. Please note: the number of participants and the length of your booking will determine how many animals can be included.

We do not have any spiders at Tom's Talking Reptiles. We do have tarantulas. They don't tend to come to children's experiences, however, as they are not able to be handled. Instead, we bring animals that can be held and/or touched!

Absolutely not! We provide experiences for all ages, from 2-3 years old up to a 100th birthday party! We frequently attend nurseries for educational sessions so we often see 2 to 3 year olds getting involved. This age group can be one of the best to work with as they tend to be a little more fearless and willing to engage. We predominantly work with 4 to 5 year olds. This age group tends to be less afraid and more willing to learn and get involved.  6 to 10 year olds can be a little more fearful but are keen to learn and push their boundaries. 11 to 16 year olds are often the most curious- asking lots of questions and want to overcome any fears they may have. 16+ are always good fun. They are always intrigued to learn and better their understanding of our creatures. Adults can be really rewarding for us!

Our experiences typically consist of us showcasing 7 of our incredible animals: 2 mini-beasts, 2 lizards, 2 snakes, and a tortoise! We cannot advise you in advance what animals are coming as we cannot guarantee what animals will be exhibited on particular days. This is due to feeding schedules and health statuses of each of our animals - for example, if an animal is going into shed, we cannot bring them out for experiences. You find out which animals are joining you at the experience when they are revealed, one at a time!  For this reason, we also cannot take requests.

Experiences can be held in a residential dwelling provided that there is adequate space for seating for all participants to sit comfortably on chairs, benches, or sofas arranged in a single-lined semi-circle. Participants must not be seated in a manner that results in crowding or squeezing, as this is necessary for the safety and welfare of both participants and animals. For health and safety reasons, including emergency and fire evacuation requirements, participants must not be seated on the floor. We recommend a maximum of 8 participants in a residential setting. If your participants cannot sit comfortably in a single-lined semi-circle on chairs in your residential setting, please look into hiring a hall or event space. For 9 or more participants, a hall or event space must be hired to ensure all participants have plenty of space and are comfortable for the experience. We rely on you to use your best judgement in order to ensure all participants can sit comfortably for the duration of the experience. If participants are overcrowded upon our arrival, we reserve the right to cancel the experience where we feel there is a risk to our animals. Should this cancellation occur, no refunds will be given. The venue (whether a residential dwelling, hall, or event space) must be entirely secure. Experiences cannot be held in gardens, even if you have a gazebo/marquee.

Tom’s Talking Reptiles’ basic rules are:

We are based in Crawley, West Sussex, and cover the South East and London areas. We do not travel further than an hour and a half out from Ifield, Crawley. Central London and further locations attract a higher fee.

If you need to cancel a booking with us, you need to write to us at team@tomstalkingreptiles.co.uk. If you have already paid the full balance for the experience: Cancellations made more than 7 days prior to the scheduled experience date will receive a 75% refund of the total amount paid. Cancellations made 7 days or fewer before the scheduled experience date will receive no refund. If you have not yet paid the full balance for the experience: The deposit is non-refundable in all circumstances. If you cancel within 7 days of the scheduled experience date, the full remaining balance becomes immediately due and payable.

Please email us at team@tomstalkingreptiles.co.uk. Please be aware that a £15.00 administrative fee will be incurred if any changes are required to your booking.

All of our experiences provide you the opportunity to look, touch, or hold* our animals. As covered in our safety briefing, if you would prefer to just observe and not touch an animal, simply sit with your arms crossed. We will never force anyone to touch or hold an animal if you do not wish to. We always encourage participation as this is a unique experience and occasionally this experience can encourage people to overcome their fears! We do ask that even if you are unsure or nervous, that you please remain calm and seated. *not all animals can be held.

Payment of the remaining balance must be made by bank transfer in full no later than 7 days before the experience start time via bank transfer. Please note that we no longer accept cash on arrival or bank transfers on the day. Please use your name and the date of your experience as a reference and let us know you have paid so we can check and confirm it has been received. ​