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The SHS Monthly Meetings are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the
month at 7:00 PM click for more information and directions.
Each monthly meeting has an informative speaker, raffle and
members are invited to bring animals or husbandry equipment they
have for sale. Children are always welcome. Please visit the
Calendar Page for more detailed
information.
Website Updates: Updates: NOVEMBER 13, 2009, NOVEMBER'S NEWSLETTER IS UP! Please check Calendar Calendar and Ad pages are always changing, so check back often. PLEASE SEE NEWSLETTER FOR UPDATES ON ALL THE NEW BILLS INTRODUCED THAT COULD AFFECT THE REPTILE INDUSTRY...
AMNESTY DAY: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2009 FROM 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. This event will be held on Busch Gardens property (I will get more information on exactly where soon). SHS WILL HAVE A TABLE THERE. Due to the recent death of Shaiunna Hare, a big turn out is expected. This Amnesty Day also coincides with the beginning of the Hillsborough River Watershed Awareness Week. Because of this, there will be a lot of emphasis on responsible pet ownership and a variety of organizations will be there. If you would like to volunteer for our table, please contact Doreen or Carrie. If you are interested in becoming a home to the animals turned in, please go to http://myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/Nonnative_AmnestyDayEvents.htm and follow the links. Please keep in mind that you will need to show the proper permits before you can take any animal home.
SUPPORT USARK!! www.usark.org Sign up on their mailing list, join them on Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, become a member or make a donation. These people are out on the front lines protecting our right to own, breed, and sell these animals. Any donation made will be matched by ZooMed.
As President, Cayle Pearson would like to hear any ideas for the club, field trips, speakers, etc., please email Cayle at diapsidevolution@gmail.com
GREAT SNAKE INFO! http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/blog/snakeblog.html. David Seeveld, who started the company (and now lives in Oregon), emailed me. There is A LOT of information on snakes, and awesome photos. Check it out!
FLORIDA FRESHWATER TURTLE HARVEST As of July, 2009, Florida's laws regarding fresh water turtle harvests have changed. The new rule bans the commercial take or sale of freshwater turtles from the wild in the state and ends the commercial harvest of freshwater turtles. It also bans the taking or transporting of freshwater turtle eggs from the wild. It allows a person to take one freshwater turtle for non-commercial purposes, such as education or to keep turtles as pets. *Exception: only includes species that are NOT LISTED as species of special concern, threatened, endangered, or from groups that include species that are similar in appearance to the listed species. This includes alligator snapper turtles, Barbour's map turtles, Suwanee cooters, Escambia map turtles, cooters, and common snapping turtles. The closed season for taking softshell turtles remains in effect from May 1 - July 31. Owners of turtles under old rules will be able to apply online for a Class III No-Cost Personal Pet Permit at www.myfwc.com and keep their pet turtles. You should be able to apply for this permit in Sept. 2009. If you need to transport more than one turtle at time, you can apply online at www.myfwc.com for a Captive Wildlife Importation, Temporary Possession of Class I, II, III permit. That will allow you to transport more than one turtle for 45 days. Turtle Farms licensed under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Servies will be able to apply for a permit August 31, 2009 to collect a limited number for breeding stock. The new rules alows the FWC to issue a permit to take more than one turtle per day from the wild for scientific purposes, educational programs, exhibition, farming, or other justifiable reasons. If you need more information, please contact Florida Fish and Wildlife's Patricia Behnke at 850-251-2130.
REPTILES OF SPECIAL CONCERN: There are 6 animals: reticulated python, Burmese python, African rock python, amethystine python, green (not yellow) anaconda, and the Nile monitor. As of January 1, 2008, you must have a permit to own the above mentioned animals. The permits are combined with the Venomous animal application on FWC. The cost is $100.00, and this is whether you have one or 100. Dealers MUST see the permit before selling an animal to a person, and the Dealer is responsible for keeping records of who they sold what too (in other words, you should have documentation of the name, address, permit #, etc. and what animal you sold too). Also in effect Jan 1. is microchipping reptile of special concern that is over two and a half inches in diameter. That will be enforced on July 1, 2008 more strictly. Any questions, contact Caitlyn Bowerman from FWC at 850-488-6253.
RED-EARED SLIDERS: No more permits are being issued to own red-eared sliders. The state is encouraging euthanasia. HOWEVER, thanks to Pete Richardson, there is a place where they can be shipped. This is from The Turtle and Tortoise Club's July Issue: "Stacey Vajanyi and I (Marvin Bennett) have been collecting red-eared sliders from pet owners who could not or choose not to keep them anymore. These pet owners have paid us a small fee to ship these turtles to Oklahoma, ‘their home range,'. It is good to see the previous owners doing the right thing instead of dropping them in their local lakes. This is a program set up by myself and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission." If you have or know of someone who is wanting a new home for their red-eared slider, please contact Marvin Bennett at 407-851-0198 or Stacey Vajanyi 321-961-0050.
NEW MONTHLY EXOTIC SHOW IN TAMPA. Starting Nov. 14, on the second Saturday of the month, there will be a monthly show for exotic animals. Table prices start at $30.00 (including electric) and will be held at the Tampa American Legion, Seminole Post #111; 6918 N. Florida Avenue, Tampa, FL 33604. For Vendor Information, please call 727-458-0302.
Since the photo page is back up, I can start accepting photographs once again at luvcatz7@tampabay.rr.com. Please make sure the photos you send are resized so I can open and save the attachment. Thanks!
Our Vice-President, Michele Patton, has a column. She researches a topic and writes an article about it. And I must say, she is very talented at doing it! If you have any ideas on what she should write about, please email Michele.
If you have a reptile that needs a home, there is a place listed on the Adoptions Page that will take your animal. Please see Adoptions page for more details. To put an ad up on the Adoptions and Advertisements page, please send Carrie an email with information on the animals, including temperment, the price you are selling for (if applicable), name, email and a phone number.
REPTILE EXILE Offers pet sitting for reptiles and quality feeder rats at low prices. Contact Sean or Nicole at 727-365-4568 or Reptile.Exile@yahoo.com
If you are interested in updates through email, please sign up to the Yahoo list on the bottom of this page.
Special thanks to Bruce Shwedick, who helped me immensely on my page for the American Alligator. Please visit his page at www.reptilediscovery.com to learn more.
Please help George Heinrich with his tremendous tortoise/turtle conservation work. Please visit Gopher Tortoise Council and Florida Turtle Conservation Trust
From George Heinrich: Many of you are aware that the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a species of conservation concern rangewide. We are writing to provide the following publications and to inform you of conservation issues related to this species in Florida. It is our intention to get this species on the radar screen of biologists, coastal land managers, educators, and conservationists in our state. The single most feasible action that would benefit terrapin populations is a regulatory change requiring the use of a simple bycatch reduction device on crab pots used in Florida waters. A recommendation as such has been submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and we are hopeful that they will act in good faith. We will keep you posted, as we may eventually need letters of support.
Bill Murray has a website up for purchasing his tortoises, and eventually other animals. I highly recommend that you go to the site, because I designed it. Please visit www.redfootranch.com. On the picture page are photographs of the identical twin red foot hatchlings...though they are not for sale.
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