The Monitor

May, 2008

From the Editor's Desk

Newsletter Material

This is YOUR club. The more you give into it, the more you will get out of it. Your opinions, suggesions and submissions are welcome. You may submit articles by email before the 10th of the month to luvcatz5@aol.com

President: Logan Randolph
Vice-President: Michele Patton
Secretary: Carrie Gardner Treasurer: Doreen E. Saccardo
Chairman of the Board: John Soto
Editor: Carrie Gardner
Co-Editor: Doreen Saccardo
Field Trip Chair: Doreen Saccardo
Webmaster: Carrie Gardner
Administrative Assistant Alexander Peters

NEXT MEETING:
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
DUSTIN SMITH ON HIS TRIP TO PANAMA
7:00 p.m.
Moccasin Lake Nature Park
Clearwater, FL 727-462-6024
~~~~~~~~DON'T MISS IT~~~~~~~~

Alton of Smelt Feed and Pet Supply is donating a #15.00 gift certificate every month for our raffle. His store is located at 4116 East 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605, 813-248-2359

If you would like to receive the League of Florida Herpetological Societies newsletter, it is now online. You can contact Victor at . Make sure he has your correct email address and don't forget to mention that you are affiliated with the Suncoast Herp Society.

Web Page info: Calendar page is updated all the time as is Adoptions and Advertisements.

If you would like to receive updates on the website via email, please scroll down to the bottom of the home page and join Yahoo! Groups. Choose to receive email or daily digest. I send out an email to the list every time a change is made.

If you have photos you would like added to the "Club Photos" page, please email Carrie to have them added.

Carrie's Notes

IMPORTANT INFO ALERT!! If you go to the Adoptions/Advertisements page on our website, you will find info on a place that takes in unwanted large reptiles (iguanas, tortoises, etc.). They are located in Nebraska, but assured us that they have the proper facilities and permits. They will even help with shipping costs. If you know of anyone who needs to find a home for a big reptile, please give them our website information.

Hidey Ho fellow herpers!

World Turtle Day is May 23, 2008. So if you see a tortoise or turtle, give it a hug!

Senator Bill Nelson is coming down on the side of the people who would liket o ban large pythons. He has taken the USGS map to heart and is in the process of contacting the other states where "Burmese pythons can live" together with the ban. Please feel free to write or e-mail Senator Nelson, as I have done!

RED-EARED SLIDERS: As of right now, there is no rescue for red-eared sliders. However, I spoke to Jenny Novak from FWC and they are working on an adoption network for hopefully the beginning of next year. As of right now, they only option available for unwanted turtles is euthanizing.

Doreen's Column

Hi there~~~

*****I just want to add continuing thanks to Carrie for keeping up with the website, I know that takes a lot of work with many frustrations. But she does an excellent job and it shows. Thanks Carrie.

*****Last month Rick Richardson was our guest speaker. He spoke on reptiles as pets and which species he would recommend for beginning herpers. See Carries recap.

*****Because we had information about the Tampa Reptile Show at the Manatee Civic Center on April 19 and 20, 2008, we were offered a free table to promote the club. John Soto bought a table to sell stuff on and I was there all weekend. This was not a good show and we hardly sold anything and only made about $62. I am glad we did not have to pay for the table. John did good only cause he wholesaled most of his stuff late Sunday afternoon. John thinks the Bradenton area was not a good reptile place. We are venturing out this weekend to the Repticon show at the Central Florida Fairgrounds in Orlando. Repticon promoters are very nice and organized and do their best. So when I say the show was bad, it is only because of the venue not the organizers. They do a great job with advertising and set up.

*****April 23, I took Sportie, my big guy, (iguana for those of you who don’t know me) and went to Moccasin Lake for the Moonlight walk and marshmallow roast. There were about 30 people there, (about 12 of them came from my church). We learned about owls and other birds of prey. We also got to watch Lloyd light up a pickle with electricity. That was pretty cool. At the end we got to roast marshmallow and eat s’mores. (I only ate the chocolate…for those of you who do know me).

*****Change of plans for May, I could not get a hold of Dan Costell but Dustin Smith called me and he will be speaking about his recent trip to Panama and the conservation of reptiles there. He has a power point presentation set up and should have a lot of awesome slides, don’t miss out on this one.

*****Yours truly will be speaking in June about the dos and don’ts of iguana keeping. I will bring Sportie and maybe one other. Critter has been a little crazy lately, I think he wants a girlfriend. I had to peel him off my face today and have two big cuts to prove it. To his defense, I did have a couple of dishes of fruit in my hand and he watched me feed the others first so I think he was getting a little antsy. I still love them though J

*****I received a call from Aminah Grefer. She is the one who donated all the stuff we sell at the shows. She has a whole storage unit of new merchandise she wants to get rid of for a negotiated lot price. A lot of it is reptile related. She said that it would be good for someone who had a store or a flea market space. If anyone is interested let me know and I will give you her phone number.

*****I am sure everyone heard of the devastating news about those blue iguanas that had been murdered in the Cayman Islands. This is a horrible act of violence against any species of animal and there seemed to be no motive to this crime. We will discuss whether we want to make a donation. If you want to read more about this here is the link: Blue Iguanas Violently Killed in Grand Caymans.

*****Continued thanks to Donnetta Hester who agreed to make the monthly calls. This really helps me a lot. Thanks again.

*****I just want to add continuing thanks to Carrie for keeping up with the website, I know that takes a lot of work with many frustrations. But she does an excellent job and it shows. Thanks Carrie

May 8 ~~ Ed Osborne

May 14 ~~ Curt Stanford

June 3 ~~ John Soto

June 19 ~~ Alice Gardner

June 20 ~~ Cayle Pearson

Happy Birthday to you!

*****I know we have new people attending our meetings, but I have not received any new birthdays. You can drop me an email at iguanadoreen@hotmail.com so I can add it to the list.

*****Have a herpy day!! Doreen~~

Speaker Recap By Carrie

Rick Richardson has 43 (at the time of his talk) snakes and has only been keeping them for 2-years! He is not interested in other reptiles, like lizards and turtles, but is strictly a snake man. He keeps them first as pets, and second as breeders. They all have names, not numbers, as most breeders do.

Rick emphasized EDUCATION before you buy a snake . . . or any animal for that matter. No matter what animal you keep as a pet, whether it is a dog, cat, snake, or a hamster, you have to be willing to provide them with what they need, and take on pet responsibility. That means if you have to take your $5.00 hamster to the vet because something is wrong, then that's what you should do. There is no price on another living creature's life, no matter what the creature may be. There are so many resources available now that there really isn't any excuse. Libraries, Internet, Herpetological societies, even going to shows and asking the breeders are some of the many options you have to research your soon to be new pet. And take your time. Get what you need, and make your choice carefully. It is better to go to a show and get your snake from a reputable breeder than a pet shop. Pet shops are notorious for buying their animals from disreputable breeders. I must admit that I got my ball python at a pet shop, but the owner bred boas, and agreed that I could return him if the vet found something seriously wrong with him. He has been perfectly healthy and I was lucky. The other two snakes I got from John Soto and Bill Murray.

One thing you need to consider is how much food is going to cost with your snake. The larger the snake, the bigger the prey they need. Tina, Rick's biggest snake at nine-and-a-half feet and 45 pounds, gets a rabbit every two weeks. The price can add up. Others in Rick's group eat colossal rats. You also have to decide if you want to feed live, or pre-killed frozen. Rick recommends pre-killed frozen rodents. The process of freezing kills any parasites that the rodents may have, and a dead prey item cannot attack and harm your snake. There are many places you can get pre-killed frozen mice or rats. If you have the room for a bulk order, and the rodents are vacuum-sealed so they can last a long time, then it runs cheaper in the long run. I get 100 juvenile rats at a time from Mice on Ice (chosen because I liked the name . . . but they are very good), and that lasts me well over a year.

One of the things you have to look at is what size the snake will become. Rick brought his beautiful Columbian red-tail pastel dream boa, named Jewel. She had just turned two and was a pretty good size. She will grow to be much bigger - 9-10 feet and around 60 pounds. With a snake that big, you have to be careful when handling. They will be putting all that weight on two focal points and that can harm the snake. So if you are thinking of getting a snake that gets to a large size, you have to keep that in mind. And buy or build proper caging that has the bottom that slides out, or a way for the snake to get out on his or her own. I'll add my own two cents in here and say that if you have the snake around your neck, to be very careful where those two focal points are. If they are near where your jugular and carotid arteries are, they might just constrict enough to cause you to faint, merely by keeping their balance! Then you run the risk of injuring the snake if you fall flat on your face (if you've noticed I seem more concerned for the snake, you are right! Just teasing . . . try not to break your nose.)!

Requirements for your snake, and please have this set up before you purchase the snake, is a tank or reptile cage longer than the snake's eventual length will be - that is escape proof. Snakes are escape artists and when you think that your tank is secure enough, and it really isn't. For substrate, Rick uses blank newsprint. He prefers this to printed newspaper because he doesn't want ink on his snakes. It was mentioned in the meeting that most newspapers use organic inks that have anti-bacterial properties. It's all a matter of personal choice. I use newspaper on my ball python, and he has never gotten inked. That's not to say that some newspapers don't "bleed" and I know I personally hate handling newspaper because I don't like getting inked myself! If you have one or two snakes, Rick recommended aspen sandi chips. It is easy to keep, and when the snake does his or her business, all you need to do is scoop it up, discard it and add some more. One thing Rick DOES NOT recommend is using bark. It is hard to sanitize and leaves the snake susceptible to salmonella infections. This can kill a snake in 72-hours. He also recommends that if you use the sandi chips to feed your snake in a rubbermaid container outside of the tank. The chips can get on the prey and impact your snake. Impaction is a serious problem and can cause death if not detected. Another good reason to feed your snake outside your tank (unless you have a burrowing snake like my Kenyan sand boa) is to keep them from being aggressive. I feed my ball python and rosy boa in outside containers, and they don't try to bite me when I go to get them out of their tanks. And when I place them in their containers, they know they will be getting a tasty tidbit very soon. If I fed them in their tanks, I risk teaching them that they will get a tasty tidbit each time I stick my hand in there, and if I don't have a tasty tidbit, then my hand becomes one. I found that out the hard way when I accidentally brushed my hand with one of Ralphie's (the ball python) rats, and he attacked my hand instead of the rat. I guess he thought I was the fresher food! Other things you need for your set-up is some sort of heat source, on one end of the tank. This is so they can regulate their body temperature and is common among all reptiles, not just snakes. I use an undertank heater with my boys and girl. Of course, keep in mind that they also need a cooler area. You also need a large, heavy water dish - not one that can be easily knocked over or moved . . . and it's amazing what they can move! And a hide . . . that is important. Without some place to go and hide, it would stress the snake out. It stresses me out just thinking about it.

Husbundry and cleaning are ALWAYS overlooked with snakes. Check your snake tanks regularly and clean up any messes. Make sure they have fresh water at least twice a week, and handle them frequently. Rick handles each of his snakes twice a week and some of them every day. Most people would scoff at this, but I believe that a snake recognizes his or her owners and it's important to have that bond with them.

Now onto Rick's recommendations for pets . . .

#1. Nicaraguan boa. This snake has the reputation of being aggressive but is not. There are two phases, the white-bellied, and the red-bellied. They are a ground snake and relatively inexpensive, a good size, and low in food costs. Inez and Pedro were kind enough to grace us with their presence.

#2. Ball python (my personal favorite). These are relatively small pythons that are very docile. They are safe for children, HOWEVER, a child should never be allowed to handle a snake unsupervised. When scared or defensive, these snakes will "ball up" with their head in the center for protection . . . hence the name, "ball python." After a time, they get used to things and become very inquisitive. And by the way, they are only called ball pythons in the U.S. The rest of the world knows them by "Royal python," which is from their Latin name Python regius, which means "royal." Ball pythons are known to be very finicky eaters. Part of this can be solved by buying captive bred snakes. Those that are wild-caught usually want their African rodents and not the lab ones we give them. But there still might be problems. Seems as if they like to scare their owners by not eating for several months. That happened to me and it freaked "Mommy" out. It's happened to Rick as well. However, they can go a year or more without eating. Some ball pythons will only eat a certain color of rodent, and some, like mine, are afraid of live rodents . . . even if they're pinkies!

#3. Colubrids . . . mostly corn and rat snakes. There are some 2000 species of colubrids in the world, making them the biggest snake family. And yes, some of them are venomous . . . like the boomslang, false cobra, or mangrove snake. The most popular snakes are the corn and rat snakes. They come in many beautiful colors. They are fine in a 10 or 20-gallon tank, and don't quite have the heat requirements of a python or boa. Rick brought his Mexican Black Mountain Rat Snake . . . a truly beautiful snake. They are the only snakes that are one color . . . black body, head, belly, tongue, and mouth. Most people think the Eastern indigo is all black, but they actually have a reddish tinge to their heads. The colubrids are better off with pre-killed frozen rodents because they don't really have the strength to kill a live one.

Of course, the cost of these animals varies. Depending on color morphs, a snake can be relatively inexpensive or into the thousands of dollars. Going back to Jewel, Rick's Columbian pastel dream red-tail - if Rick mates her to Apollo, his F4 hypo boa, those hypo dreams will be worth anywhere between $8,000 and $10,000! Rick hopes to supplement his current retirement income with selling his babies' babies.

Thank you Rick, for your informative talk and your stories. We loved to hear about them. And it was quite evident how attached to your snakes you are. I'm glad I'm not the only one that has conversations with my snakes!

Michele's Musings

Fun trivia facts about reptiles & amphibians.

Do not buy a reptile or any other pet on an impulse. Research the pet's needs to find out how large it grows and how long the animal lives.

Nile crocodiles have been known to reach speeds of up to 29 miles per hour.

Despite their relatively modest 20" size, bearded dragons are still considered by many to be a "giant" lizard.

There are 8,240 species of reptiles in the world, inhabiting every continent except Antarctica.

Averaging 10 to 12 feet in length, the king cobra is the largest, venomous snake in the world. It is also the only known snake that builds a nest for egg incubation.

The emerald tree boa can strike a bird or small mammal in complete darkness. The pits along the lips of most boas and pythons, and the nostril-like cavities of pit vipers, are infrared heat receptors. Snakes use these heat pits to sense the location of anything that differs in temperature from its surroundings by as little as 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

One way to tell a frog and toad apart: frogs have smooth, clammy skin; while toads have dry, bumpy skin.

Iguanas are among the most popular pets in the United States. Unfortunately, most captive iguanas die within the first year, and many are either turned loose by their owners or given to reptile rescue groups.

Primarily herbivores, iguanas are active during the day, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit. They generally live near water, and are excellent swimmers. If threatened, they will leap from a branch, often from great heights, and escape with a splash to the water below. They are tough enough to land on solid ground from as high as 40 feet and survive.

Snakes lack a middle ear and cannot hear most sounds carried through the air. They "hear" by sensing vibrations from the ground.

A blindworm is not blind, nor is it a worm. It looks like a snake, but it is easily identified as a lizard because of its movable eyelids and fragile tail.

Scientists believe turtles live longer than any other backboned animal. Some box turtles and tortoises have lived more than 100 years.

Lizards and snakes have a single sheet of overlapping scales. Other reptiles grow plates (separate areas of scales). The main function of the skin is to keep water in the animal's body. Reptiles can go without water for long periods, and many species thrive in deserts.

Only a few species of reptiles provide care for their eggs of young. Among pythons, mud snakes, and some skinks, the female wraps her body around the eggs and protects them. A female alligator carries her newly hatched young to the water in her mouth. They also protect their young for the first year or two of their lives.

Chameleons are known for their ability to change color, but many other kinds of lizards also have this ability. The chameleon's color is controlled by body chemicals called hormones, which affect pigments in the skin.

About a fifth of all species of snakes bear live young. The pregnancy period among most last 2 to 3 months. Some species have more than 100 young at a time, but most bear far fewer.

Tuataras are the only living members of an ancient group of reptiles that appeared on earth more than 200 million years ago.

The earliest known frog appeared during the late Jurassic period, about 190 million years ago! Scientists believe that the oldest frogs developed jumping legs to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs. Specimens on the first known frogs have been found on Navajo Indian reservations in Arizona. Fossils of meat-eating fish and reptiles such as dinosaurs have been found at the same site. These fossils show that the skeletal shape and body plan of the frog has remained almost unchanged over the last 190 million years. In addition, frogs had the added advantage of being able to hop away to avoid the many predators which inhabited its surroundings.

"Wabbits"

A precious little girl walks into a pet shop and asks, in the sweetest little lisp between two missing teeth, "Ecuthe me, mithter, do you keep widdle wabbits?" As the shopkeeper's heart melts, he gets down on his knees so that he's on her level and asks, "Do you want a widdle white wabbit, or a thoft and fuwwy bwack wabbit, or maybe one like that cute widle bwown wabbit over there?" She, in turn, blushes, rocks on her heels, puts her hands on her knees, leans forward and says in a tiny quiet voice, "I don't think my python weally gives a thit."

Ciao!

Carrie

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