kingsnake.com
Chad Brown
Monitor Breeding Program
February 28, 2005

PHFaust: On behalf of Jeff Barringer and all of us at kingsnake.com, I'm very pleased to welcome Chad Brown to our Seventh Annual Chat Week.

Chad is the owner of ProExotics and a football player for the Seattle Seahawks. He says, "I started Pro Exotics in my mind in 1988 when I got my first snake, a boa, my freshman year at CU. It wasn't until I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 that I had a little money in my pocket and started to really put this business together." On top of all that, Chad describes himself as a "full time husband and dad." Chad is a much-requested return guest, and his topic this year is the ProExotics monitor-breeding program.

Thank you so much for joining us, Chad, and welcome!

PHFaust: And his faithful Sidekick Robyn is here to make sure he doesnt get into any trouble

Taylor: ?

Maliyum: ?

PHFaust: ;)-

SengokuJidai_nr: ?

GODFATHERBURM: ?

RePtImAlS: ?

robyn@ProExotics: i do my part : )

hph: ?

PHFaust: Talyor Go Ahead

Heterodon62: ?

treemonitors_com: ?

Digby_Rigby_nr: ?

herper4ever: ?

Taylor: chad are you still livin in seattle

jeffb: Howdy Robyn and Chad!

caimanSR: ?

chadbrown_nr: yes i live in seattle during the football season, and in denver during the offseason

PHFaust: Mali

RePtImAlS: Hello pro exotics, i was wondering if u work with any dwarf boas (especially nicaraguan/central amerian boas).. also what do u think about there future potential???

Maliyum: Waht is the best diet when a female monitor is gravid?

treemonitors_com: ?

RePtImAlS: ?

chadbrown_nr: we/i love the smaller boas. we are working with the leopards now. we should have a few born this year. i like their potential because i think most keepers like a smaller snake.

PHGinger: GUEST CHAT TONIGHT - Tonight is a special guest chat. To ask our guest speaker, Chad Brown, a question, type a '?' ONCE and WAIT for your turn to be called upon. People will be called on in order of the que line. Thank you.

PHFaust: Mali go again dear

Maliyum: What is the best diet when a female monitor is gravid?

chadbrown_nr: mice or rats for a gravid monitor. sized to her needs. a very gravid monitor will not like a giant meal. it could smash those eggs in her!

robyn@ProExotics: diet for gravid monitor- that wouldn't really vary from a normal healthy diet. i would be sure that it is well balanced, focused on whole foods, and just be sure she is getting enough calories and nutrition to meet the needs of the breeding process.

Maliyum: thanks

PHFaust: Sengo your up

SengokuJidai_nr: Chad, first off big time fan of you as an NFL player and as a reptile breeder! As for my question...what is your favorite monitor species to work with and what would you recommend for a first time monitor owner?

chadbrown_nr: ackies, ackies, ackies. what could be better than a full on monitor in a smaller package.

SengokuJidai_nr: Thanks man...I look forward to seeing you play next season!

PHFlame: godfather, you're up

AngelusChame_nr: Hey, does anyone here know a good amount of Veiled Chameleons?

GODFATHERBURM: where is your shop and do you have one in Denver? I would like to visit I am in Wichita Kansas. Do you have a website where I could see some of your stuff? And what is your favorite Herp? BTW: played a little seimi pro here last year I almost forgot how much fun it was!!!!

AngelusChame_nr: I've read up alot.

chadbrown_nr: you get a chance to learn all the things that make monitors monitors without having a nile eating your dog.

SengokuJidai_nr: lol

SengokuJidai_nr: again...thanks

AngelusChame_nr: I need some serious help.

SengokuJidai_nr: go Seahawks!

chadbrown_nr: we closed our retail store, but we still serve local customers on saturdays. our website is www.proexotics.com. my favorite herp is...... let me think it changes from time to time.

SilentViper_nr: i knew a seahawk he was my neighbor.. John Tushar

jeffb: I heard it was nightsnakes

chadbrown_nr: don't know him

AngelusChame_nr: ?

chadbrown_nr: this week jeff its coachwhips

Jeff Lemm: ?

AngelusChame_nr: ?

jeffb: there ya go

AngelusChame_nr: !

AngelusChame_nr: !?

PHFaust: Reptlmais your turn

GODFATHERBURM: Thank you sir, good luck this season even tho Im a Raiders fan LOL

chadbrown_nr: i'm really starting to fall for the ornate uro's.thats my favorite herp this week.

herper4ever: a pitt native asking how much longer do you think the ball morphs woll sell like hot cakes and turn in to the new corns AND has an albino dum boas ever came up?

PHFaust: OK HpH your turn

Tarentola: ?

hph: Will you be playing again this year? When you retire will you start working at the shop more frequently?

AngelusChame_nr: /whisper PHWyvern I need some help with my baby chameleon, i don't want him to die of hunger or anything.

animalgurl_nr: l

Marks: ?

chadbrown_nr: i think the ball "game" has more than a few years left. things may move quicker than they have but they won't be corns ever. i've heard albino dumerils rumors but never seen a photo.

chadbrown_nr: i'm planning on playing this year, and i do plan to spend more time at the shop when i retire

DrBossk: ?

PHFaust: Hetero Your turn

reptilefreak101: ?

Thomas j: ?

Heterodon62: Why no ackies this year? Whats it look like for next year?

robyn@ProExotics: AngelusChameleon- try the Chameleon forum to search for your answers, there is certainly a lot of info there.

jeffb: and lots of helpful people

RePtImAlS: ?

chadbrown_nr: we have stopped working with the ackies for a while. ornates are in the ackie cages now. i'm sure we will work with them again soon.

Heterodon62: how long do you guess till there back?

PHFaust: Treemonitors your turn

treemonitors_com: What would do you suspect as being problem/s you experienced with your V. prasinus eggs , and what do you plan on doing in the future to correct the problem/s?

chadbrown_nr: maybe a year or so. when we were working with them we couldn't get them our customer fast enough

treemonitors_com: do you keep your animals in pairs or trios/groups?

chadbrown_nr: with the green trees i think its a nesting issue. we are still tweaking the nesting bit by bit, trying to see what works. we have had eggs in three different cages now, so we think our cage works. now on the the nesting....

treemonitors_com: you do not think incubation had anything to do with failure to hatch?

treemonitors_com: it seems many people experience eggs that drown, from too much moisture towards the end of incubation

chadbrown_nr: the females have their our cages. we move the male from cage to cage.

robyn@ProExotics: i definitely killed some viable eggs before hatching, that was my fault...

chadbrown_nr: i think that a egg that has been nested properly doesn't die in incubation unless things are really poorly incubated.

robyn@ProExotics: you tell people again and again- "Don't screw with the incubator!"- and then you go and do it yourself. it was a horrible lesson, but one that needs to be learned a few times, apparently. there are so many subtleties to incubation : )

treemonitors_com: yes, I can attest to that...

chadbrown_nr: or things change with in the incubator too quickly

chadbrown_nr: i will give robyn grace for killing those green tree eggs. we all learn by mistakes

dicy_nr: lol

treemonitors_com: just thought I'd bring up a topic that has proven to hinder many keepers from succeeding..

chadbrown_nr: no hard feeling right?

CalebsHerps_nr: ?

PHFaust: Herper your turn

treemonitors_com: rather than, dude, what's your favorite snake?

PHFaust: herper going twice

chadbrown_nr: i still think nesting is a much bigger issue than incubation. not saying that good incubation is easy!

DrBossk: Does your shop see an approximate size with your ackies when they begin to breed? I have a trio that are reaching the 17-18 inch mark (yearlings). Thanks

PHFaust: Gecko your turn

Geckoholic: Do you plan on working with any other species of tree monitor in the future?

chadbrown_nr: you should be seeing breeding behavior by now. 17-18 inches is now than enough size to breed.

Heterodon62: ?

gekkotail: ?

chadbrown_nr: nowadays i like to take it slowly. until we hatch a few cluches of green trees, i see no need to start with more tree momitors

PHFaust: Ilikesnakes your turn

ilikesnakes7792: Chad, what do you think is the best starting out lizard or monitor? What are requirements with Lizards and monitors? Do monitors make good pets? (I'm a snake person)

Geckoholic: I hear ya, it is always nice to have success with what you have before you move one....wish I had the patience for that

chadbrown_nr: for someone with no lizards before, i say leopard geckos. they will teach you about feeding bugs(how big, how many) and lizards shed differently than snakes. much can be learned with leopards. monitors can be great pets. i really think ackies are perfect as a single pet, or for someone who wants a breeding project.l

CalebsHerps_nr: ?

PHFaust: Silent Viper

SilentViper_nr: chad what is your favorite snake and your favorite lizard?

caimanSR: ?

SilentViper_nr: and also why

chadbrown_nr: current favorite lizard is ornate uro's and favorite snake is boelen's pythons

SilentViper_nr: why are they your favorite?

reptilefreak101: do you think you will ever breed cb black rough neck monitors? and how much will they cost? also are you i got one

reptilefreak101: srry wrong thing

SilentViper_nr: we dont need any sarcasm

chadbrown_nr: why ornate's? because they are sooooooo colorful. and they never run or bite. boelen's because of the velvetly black skin and the calm way they carry themselves

SilentViper_nr: thank you chad

SilentViper_nr: thanks for taking the time to talk to us

PHFlame: savannahking, you're up

PHFlame: savannah, you're up

savannah_king: ok give me a sec

PHFlame: savannah, let me go to simbo while you type

PHFlame: simbo, you're up

chadbrown_nr: rough necks are a hard lizard to sell. when we buy farm bred babies it can take a while to sell them. so if we were to produce a few clucthes a year, chances are we would get stuck with a bunch of babies, or we would have to sell them for cheap.

PHFlame: ok, back to savannah

savannah_king: wut is the proper humidity for a savannah monitor and were do you get this decomposed granite you speak of on your site and wut is a staple diet for an 18" sav

monitors007: ?

chadbrown_nr: there is no proper humidity. your cage should allow the lizard to choose its humidity for its needs. not just one all over cage humidity.

chadbrown_nr: the granite is found at our local landscape yard. for your sav, i would feed bugs and mice. roaches, worms and crickets are greart for lizard that size.

EricC_nr: ?

savannah_king: ok thanx

PHFaust: Caimen

PHFaust: I think Caimen has left, Jeff Lemm your turn

Jeff Lemm: HI Chad (and Robyn) -Good deal on the tree monitors, just a matter of time. You guys doing anything with Sanzinia and any breeding if so? Also, Robyn, tried your heat gun in the field (and in my cages), nice! Thanks!

caimanSR: sorry but I keep getting drop

chadbrown_nr: jeff- thanksfor the temp gun shout out! we have never had sanzinia. i think they are a smoking snake. too many snakes, not enough time!

PHFaust: OK Caimen your turn

Jeff Lemm: have a good night guys, lemme know when you want some! Thanks

robyn@ProExotics: hey Jeff, good to hear : ) they are a great tool. i sure would like some "in the field" Temp Gun pics for our site : ) i will send you some shirts too, we are trying to put together a "PE around the world" pic page, and surely you go round the world! hit me up after the chat at robyn@proexotics.com

Jeff Lemm: nice, talk soon,

caimanSR: can you give me info on sexing ackie,because I have 5 and have goten no eggs. they are 2-5 years old,I can send pics later. thanks from SRREPTILES

chadbrown_nr: i think jeff lemms reptiles article has sexing photos in it. it was a few years back. you should be able to look at the base of the tails and spot of males spurs.

PHFaust: Marks your turn

Marks: I've read your care sheet about the ackies sex being determined AFTER hatching. Is there any scientific evidence of this or is it just something you've noticed? Have you noticed this in other monitor species as well?

Marks: Also, will there ever be any chance of seeing black knight again? I'm down to my last two cans.
sterlingbp: ??

CalebsHerps_nr: ?

chadbrown_nr: i think this occurs in all lizards. if they are put into trios or more as soon as they hatch the sex ratio is 50/50 or 40/60. not every time, but as a general rule i believe this to be true. i have not seen any science on this, but our breeding and raiseing of babies makes me think this way

treemonitors_com: monitors have separate sex chromosomes...

treemonitors_com: separate sexes before birth

Marks: Thanks Chad, I hope you start carrying the ackies again soon. (and the BK as well)

PHFaust: Calebs your turn

PHFaust: Chad, including calebs, we have 4 questions, and then i promise to untie you....

PHFaust: Calebs this is your last chance

CalebsHerps_nr: ok

PHFaust: Ready calebs?

PHFaust: Digby go ahead

Digby_Rigby_nr: Hello do you work with any non inbred locale specific monitors and how long have you been working with the Bolens pythons?

CalebsHerps_nr: i have a question on my lepord gecko i need to know if my setup is ok he is 6 days old he has a water bowl a ffood bowl with waxworms in it and paper towle bedding is that good and i am getting box turts tomorrow what should i do to the when they arrive?

reggie_nr: here's a Bufo for you Digby < can you idendify it ? http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=727346,727347

chadbrown_nr: i don't know what you mean by non inbred. the only monitors we have now are green trees, white throats and a few ackies

Digby_Rigby_nr: by non inbred I mean animals that arent related

chadbrown_nr: we have worked with boelen's for about eight or nine years.

chadbrown_nr: make sure your leopard has a few hiding places. a baby will want be secure

CalebsHerps_nr: he dose a black one and fake plants

Digby_Rigby_nr: and are the green trees locale specific that you work with

chadbrown_nr: i guess the ackies we worked with were related. we got our stock from a few places, but they were all frank's blood.

CalebsHerps_nr: so about my boxies what do i do when they come

chadbrown_nr: no the green trees aren't. i have no idea where our females are from and our male was cb in germany!

PHFaust: Calebs, you might want to check the boxie forum

CalebsHerps_nr: i did but there wasnt really an answer anywhere

Digby_Rigby_nr: okay thank you for the answer and have you tried snails as feeders?

PHFaust: New cage set up is a pretty detailed disucssion...

Digby_Rigby_nr: green tree monitors love them

gekkotail: ??

chadbrown_nr: let them get comfortable before you start handleing them and showing them off. i would let them eat in private for a week or so as well.

gekkotail: How tame are your ackies? I am planning on getting one at the next show, but have seen some pretty nasty bites. Also, how easy are ackies to breed? In your experience do they need a brumation period like other lizards? Thanx

PHFaust: Sengo you get the final question

SengokuJidai_nr: Chad, what is the proper diet for an ADULT Water Monitor? Does it include rabbits? How about insects, even though they are so big?

chadbrown_nr: we haven't tried snails yet, but ALL lizards seem to lve roaches.

gekkotail: oh sorry, i accidently pressed enter

sterlingbp: Bob Clark, How many lavander-albinos (visuals) are in the country and who has them?

PHFaust: Bob Clark is no longer the guest.... :) It is chad brown

JLExotics: sterling...quite a few....many people

JLExotics: 3-5 different people on kingsnake have advertised them

chadbrown_nr: our were/are very tame. a little wiggly but they didn't bite. we never cooled ours. our warehouse was cooled in the winter, but the ackie cages were keep with the heat all year long.

SengokuJidai_nr: Chad, what is the proper diet for an adult water monitor?

JLExotics: http://proexotics.com/care_water.html

gekkotail: thanks!

chadbrown_nr: adult waters eat what they want!. they will eat the really large roaches. in fact the love them. i hand feed our white throats big roaches all the time.

SengokuJidai_nr: thanks...how bout rabbits?

JLExotics: how are the white throats Chad? Any chance at baby bandeds this yr ?

ghost_pit2001: do lizards have nipples,like for feeding their young?

JLExotics: no

chadbrown_nr: i'm sure they would like rabbits. i think it would be very messy.

PHFaust: Chad, on behalf of Jeff B., myself and all of us at kingsnake.com, thank you so much for being our guest tonight!
To learn more about Chad Brown, please visit www.proexotics.com.

Thank you to all who joined us tonight as well. Tomorrow night we'll be welcoming Patrick Naybors of Saurian Enterprises discussing dart frogs, and Darrell Senneke, Director of the World Chelonian Trust, discussing the Conservation of Asian Turtles.