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Add a Custom Species

If a species isn’t in Scutely yet, you don’t have to wait. Add it as a custom species and use it right away: it works on animal profiles, cards, care logging, exports, and public pages just like an official species. Custom species are private to your account and never appear in anyone else’s species lists.

Adding a custom species

  1. When adding or editing an animal, open the species picker and search for the species.
  2. If nothing matches, tap Add “your search” as my species.
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Species name (required)
    • Scientific name (optional)
    • Category (optional) — picks the family icon and terminology used around the app
  4. Leave Also suggest this species to Scutely checked (recommended) and save.

The new species is selected immediately and you can finish creating your animal. Custom species are created in the mobile app; animals using them display normally on the web app and on public pages too.

Automatic upgrade to official

Here’s the good part: when a species you suggested gets added to Scutely officially, your animals switch over automatically. Any custom traits you created under it carry over as well. The custom entry cleans itself up, and there’s nothing you need to do.

In Settings → Custom Content → Species, the entry’s badge changes from Custom to Implemented so you can see it was officially added. Implemented entries stick around as a record until you remove them.

Matching uses the species name, so keeping the suggestion box checked when you create one is the fastest way to get it added for everyone.

Managing your custom species

Go to Settings → Custom Content → Species to see all of your custom species, how many of your animals use each one, and to edit or remove them.

  • Edit updates the name, scientific name, or category everywhere it appears.
  • Remove takes it out of your species picker and this list. Animals already using it keep displaying it, including animals you’ve transferred to someone else.

There’s no limit on custom species, on any plan.

What custom species don’t do

  • They don’t appear in the HerpDex, and traits on a custom species can’t be submitted to community voting until the species is official.
  • They don’t come with species profiles or care content.