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Reptile & Amphibian
News Blog

Keep up with news and features of interest to the reptile and amphibian community on the kingsnake.com blog. We cover breaking stories from the mainstream and scientific media, user-submitted photos and videos, and feature articles and photos by Jeff Barringer, Richard Bartlett, and other herpetologists and herpetoculturists.

Thursday, May 17 2012

Croc farm saved the endangered in Nepal

By Cindy Steinle
Thu, May 17 2012 at 11:10

The most amazing and unusual of the crocodilians, the Gharial, is getting a new chance at life at the Crocodile Breeding Centre at Kasara.

The farm in Chitwan National Park, some 82 km (51 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, was opened in 1978 by the government with support from the Frankfurt Zoological Society in an effort to save the rapidly dwindling gharial, which is also found in neighboring India.

Six decades ago, gharials -- known for their long, slim snouts and great length, with some growing up to 7 meters (23 ft) long -- were numerous in Nepal. There were 235 in the Narayani-Rapti River, which flows near the park, alone.

But their numbers fell rapidly as they were killed for their skins, used to make purses, shoes and belts. Their eggs have been stolen for food or as a remedy for tuberculosis.

In addition, their riverside habitat has been lost to agriculture and water-control projects, with fishing nets also taking a toll.
As a result, their population is now confined to only a small area of Nepal's major rivers. A national census last year found only 102, numbers at which survival in the wild becomes difficult without help -- but that was still up from 50 in 1970, Sharma said.

The centre has three male and 12 female gharials for breeding. Workers also collect eggs from the wild before the onset of the annual floods in July, raise hatchlings in captivity and then release them into the wild.

"If it were not for this, you and I would not be able to see them now. They would have been extinct 15 to 20 years ago," Sharma said.

To read the full article, click here.

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Tuesday, May 15 2012

New amphibian discovered in the Western Ghats

By Cindy Steinle
Tue, May 15 2012 at 09:18

In a partnership between UK and Indian scientists, a new caecilian was discovered -- by pure accident!

The creature - about 168mm in length and pink in colour - belongs to an enigmatic, limbless group of amphibians known as the caecilians.

Ramachandran Kotharambath, lead author of the report, told the BBC Tamil Service that the animal was identified as a new species following extensive comparisons with other, similar examples from this amphibian group.

According to the researchers, specimens of the novel caecilian - named Gegeneophis primus - were collected during field works in two consecutive monsoons, first in October 2010 and then in August 2011.

They were discovered at a valley on a plantation in the Wynad district of Kerala.

The new finding was made as part of a longstanding research collaboration between the department of zoology at the University of Kerala and London's Natural History Museum. The Central University at Kasargod in Kerala also contributed to of the discovery.

To read the full article, click here.

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Monday, May 14 2012

Chinese alligators go wild

By Cindy Steinle
Mon, May 14 2012 at 06:29

The Anhui Yangtze Alligator Nature Reserve working is on its eighth release of the endangered Chinese alligator:

So far, the nature reserve has succeeded in releasing 45 Chinese alligators into the wild, and the six new members will bring the total to 51, sources with the reserve said.

"The experiments were successful, as the released alligators began laying eggs in 2008 and the alligators that hatched in the wild are in good conditions," said Wang Chaolin, deputy director of the nature reserve.

Wang said researchers need to choose young and healthy alligators so they will survive harsh natural conditions. The alligators will also undergo DNA testing before being released to avoid in-breeding.

To read the full article, click here.

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Thursday, May 10 2012

Putting my foot down with the HSUS, PETA, & the general public

By
Thu, May 10 2012 at 08:11

It started with this: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2012/04/loose_python_houston_statement_042812.html

And upon my 6th time reading it, absolutely infuriated more and more each time, I decided to let a few things out in an email to the seemingly biased writer of this article"

"Large constrictor snakes should be left undisturbed in their natural habitats, not kept in cramped tanks or turned loose by irresponsible reptile enthusiasts to fend for themselves in residential Texas neighborhoods"

...and as for the responsible reptile keepers? Most of the ones released were captive bred and are now ultimately wild bred for obvious reasons. The responsible reptile keepers/handlers should be separated from the ignorant but instead it seems that you lump all of us into one pile. Don't demonify reptile keepers as a whole, just the ignorant ones that have ruined it for the rest of us. In the 1980 case, it was stupidity and improper husbandry on the parent's part which led to the child dying. I live with my three rescued large constrictors, multiple geckos I'm breeding to donate to captive breeding programs to expand the gene pools, a rescue monitor, a rescue iguana and my rescue cats. I have not had one problem or difficulty with an escapee reptile because I am responsible. The HSUS should be promoting responsibility of reptile ownership and trying to work together with the reptile community for a solution in Florida."

My point is, quit being an IRRESPONSIBLE animal advocate and lumping everyone that owns a reptile as IRRESPONSIBLE. My other point is, my other animals haven't and won't get eaten because I take the few extra seconds to make sure there is no way of escaping. Even for the smaller animals that I know the cats would love to make a new toy out of. I educate children in schools about reptiles/conservation because most adults will not listen. If a child grows up with a postive experience and memory of an encounter, they'll have a more positive outlook on whatever the encounter was with. When I was 4 years old, I went to classes at the museum in Ft. Worth, TX. I had a tarantula on my head and a python in my hands and I remember thinking how cool it was and I haven't forgotten that day 22 years later.

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Wednesday, May 9 2012

Scared of python attacks? Avoid lemonade, suggests HSUS

By Cindy Steinle
Wed, May 9 2012 at 16:46

Is lemonade a trigger for deadly python attacks?

No, but you wouldn't know it from a recent HSUS press release that sounds like a script for a new movie, Snakes in a Suburb :

"Unsuspecting people across the country are encountering, and even being attacked by someone else’s escaped or released constrictor snake while tending to their gardens, making lemonade in their kitchens, pulling laundry from their washing machines, or sleeping in their beds."

Now, compare that to the original article about the incident:

Apartment managers have vowed to fully investigate the report, but they have yet to confirm its validity. Residents, who were told to notify apartment staff or animal control if they see the python, have not reported any sightings to authorities.

Despite the fact that nobody has actually seen the python, the report, which very well could be a mean-spirited hoax, has been enough to rile up some residents. Some have expressed that going outside the apartment has become a scary proposition. Others are hoping the python cannot sneak its way into the building.

A snake that no one has verified, that no one is claiming to own, that no one has seen in the complex before the single sighting in the parking garage. My sister's cousin's best friend from first grade once saw a python, too!

The reptile community as a whole looks down upon those who release any pets into the wild. This includes dogs and cats, along with any other type of pet. I don't see HSUS releasing a press release regarding dogs being let into the wild only to kill you while you sleep, but in their continued attack on the reptile community, they take fear mongering to a whole new height.

Having worked animal control, I can verify that most snakes sighted in garages and basements are actually things such as bungee cords and hoses instead of an actual snake. But HSUS relies on sensationalism and paranoia instead of those pesky little things called facts. Why do we let them get away with it?

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Tuesday, May 8 2012

Politically Correct Pets

By
Tue, May 8 2012 at 22:29

A one year old boy in Nevada was killed on Saturday, 28 April 2012, by his family’s pet dog, a Mastiff/Rhodesian mix. The dog had never shown aggression toward the baby, and had never bitten anyone before. No information is available on any charges being filed against the dog’s owners.
Here’s the story:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/apr/28/first-birthday-ends-tragedy-when-family-dog-attack/

This sad story did not get much press coverage.
Now take the same story and replace “dog” with “python” and visualize the hysteria. You would have days of press coverage, lengthy news stories, op-eds and editorials accompanied by calls for “tough new legislation” and endless political posturing.

Case in point:
In 2009 a two-year-old Florida girl was killed by her family’s pet python (a Burmese) .
http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/07/01/us-usa-python-idUSTRE56067K20090701
To this day, HSUS continues to cite this tragedy as “proof” that snakes are not suitable as pets.
Further, the owners of the python were convicted (in 2011) of third degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.

The fact is that there are politically correct pets, and politically incorrect pets. Man’s best friend has full “protected class” status, even when he grabs a toddler by the head and shakes him to death, as happened to the Nevada baby boy. Now my objective here is not to advocate for anti-dog laws. Quite the contrary. I don’t care for dogs much but I firmly believe in the right of the individual to lead his or her life as he or she sees fit: not as some meddling, self-righteous legislator see fit. But, just look at the facts that I present and hold them up next to the justification for all of these “exotic animal” regulations and prohibitions. It doesn’t add up! Throw some of this information at YOUR local, state or federal legislators when they try to chew away at YOUR rights to keep whatever captive animals you choose.

We’re going to look at information from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report regarding dogs.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/

A published CDC report estimates that in 1994, there were 4.7 million people bitten by dogs in the United States. Almost 800,000 required medical treatment, and 333,700 required emergency room treatment. In 2001, 368,245 people went to emergency rooms for dog bite injuries. The CDC cites statistics from 1992 - 1994 estimating 334,000 dog attacks (requiring hospital treatment) annually. Assuming that these numbers continue to be fairly consistent, we have between 330 and 370 thousand dog attacks, severe enough to require emergency medical treatment, annually. Close to half of these (about 42%) involved children younger than age 14.
And these numbers do not include fatalities!
Read the report here:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5226a1.htm

The fatalities are even more alarming. The study I cite examined data from 1979 – 1996. During this 20 year period, more than 300 people were documented being fatally attacked by dogs. That’s an average of 15 per year, an average of one approximately every four weeks. Available information indicates that this average is even higher for the years 1996 to present. Imagine the public outcry and legislative response if pet pythons and boas were directly responsible for a human death consistently every four weeks for twenty years. Wow.
You can read that report here:
http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf

And more dog attack resources can be found here:
http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Dog-Bites/dogbite-pubs.html

I did a search on the CDC website using “python”, “boa constrictor” and then just “constrictor” as search terms. No reports are available on attacks or hospitalizations, just salmonella, which is why we all wash our hands after handling reptiles. Clearly it’s not a big problem.

So we must logically ask why no state or federal lawmakers, looking out for our best interests of course, are banning dogs! The facts plainly prove that dogs are a menace to public safety. Numbers don’t lie. You can be sure that if pythons or iguanas or hedgehogs or lemurs or something were causing this much trouble, politicians would be in a frenzy to impose new laws to save us all.

And what of the financial burden on society? The media frequently reports on the “cost” of obesity, smoking, or whatever the “scourge du jour” may be. What is the cost that dogs impose on American society and the health care system from all of these injuries, hospitalizations, and deaths? I don’t have a dollar amount, but going in for repairs from a good mauling can’t be cheap.

So, what’s the conclusion here? We all know that there is inherent risk in keeping animals. We can pick up pathogens or parasites, and we can be bitten, kicked, mauled, or possibly worse. It’s a risk we take, knowingly, when we work with animals of any kind. In fairness, no one kind of animal deserves to be vilified, and it’s fanciers prohibited from working with it, because it is not in the “protected class”. Particularly this is true when the facts prove that our beloved dogs have a proven record of dishing out a great deal of mischief and mayhem. The CDC stresses the importance of education to prevent problems with dogs. For exotics in general and snakes in particular, however, legislators go directly to bans and prohibitions. It’s dramatically inconsistent, and it’s discriminatory toward us non-politically correct animal keepers.

As exotic animal keepers, you have a responsibility to stand up to local, state and federal lawmakers as they chip away at our hobbies and businesses! Find out who they are (just search for them on line - its easy) and then call them, write them, email them. Feel free to use any information contained herein in correspondence.

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Thursday, May 3 2012

kingsnake Connect launches "public streams" feature

By Jeff Barringer
Thu, May 3 2012 at 09:54

Today we have officially launched a new feature on kingsnake Connect called "public streams", which allows kingsnake.com users to post either to their own private feeds, seen only by your private connections, or to the new public streams which can be seen by everyone. This makes kingsnake Connect a hybrid between the old technology of public forums, and the new technology of social networking with private feeds. For now we have launched four public streams that you can post in. We will add more streams as needed.

The General Reptile & Amphibian stream is for posts about anything having to do with reptiles and amphibians, whether its pictures you want to show off, a YouTube video, links to a news article or web site. Just about everything can be posted there, except commercial advertising of course.

The Ball Python stream is, as the name implies, for posts about the highly variable, and highly prized, Ball Python, and it's innumerable morphs. Post about your collection, or your hatchlings, or just show us what your snakes look like!

The Reptile & Amphibian Law stream is for people wanting to converse, proselytize, or just keep up to date with what is happening with herp laws in the United States, and around the world.

Finally the Field Notes and Observations stream is for people who like to see snakes, lizards, frogs, and turtles in the wild and want to keep informed and current on what is happening out in the fields, swamps and deserts, or to share their latest discoveries and field notes.

To check out all of kingsnake Connects public streams, please visit http://www.kingsnake.com/connect/streams

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Tuesday, May 1 2012

New local classified ads for Canada!

By Jeff Barringer
Tue, May 1 2012 at 09:44

kingsnake.com advertisers in Canada can now reach both a national and a local market with the same advertisement, just like their compatriots in the US. There is no extra charge, and no separate account is required to post local and provincial classifieds.

Province-by-province Canadian ads are now available at http://market.kingsnake.com/indexcanada.html, with a postal code-based local search launching soon.

To make sure your ads show up in the local ad system, simply include the province and postal code in the appropriate advertising fields in the classified ad posting form.

If you already have advertisements posted, you do not have to re-post them to take advantage of this new functionality. To update your existing ads, log into the My Ads section of your classified account, enter your province and postal code in the appropriate form fields, fill in the check box that says "update all my ads," and then click submit. The system will automatically update all your existing ads!

To check out the new Canadian reptile and amphibian classifieds, go to http://market.kingsnake.com/indexcanada.html.

To update your existing classified ads, please log into http://market.kingsnake.com/account.php?page=manage.

To purchase a classified account please, go to http://www.kingsnake.com/shared/services/classified.php.

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Friday, April 27 2012

Gila Monsters

By tvmodel
Fri, April 27 2012 at 14:19

I am currently working with four yearling Reticulated Gila Monsters. I purchased them from Dr. Mark Seward in Colorado. They are wonderful animals and every one of them has a different personality. I try to handle them often (usually during feeding). The first two have become very docile and are very easy to handle. The other two are still a little defensive so, they are handled with a welding glove. It took me a while to get used to the handling technique. I received two small bites since January. Even though they were very small, short, nips, the pain was out of this world. It lasted for a good 6 hours. None the less, I really love these animals, bite or no bite. I am getting the funds together now to purchase an adult pair. I am very much looking forward to next years breeding season. I seriously doubt I will sell any of the hatchlings this first go around.

Mark's animals are spectacular. Check out his website www.docseward.com

I will be working on a YouTube video of my animals soon.

I found my first Gila Monster in May of 2000, road cruising a 4 wheel trail in the Organ Pipe National Monument. It was about 8:30 PM and about 85 degrees F. I managed to get three shots off using my old Nikon FM, a flash and some good slide film. After that minute and a half of excitement, I was hooked! I was so excited, I got lost on the way down the mountain trail only to get stopped by 4 Boarder Patrol cars. They were friendly and were only interested if I had any illegals hiding in the Chevy Blazer. When I explained what I was doing and told them what I found, they asked if they could "see" my new found Gila. I don't think they had any idea that they were protected. If it would have been DNR, it would have been another story...........

I sure would be interested in some more Gila stories......this is my first blog,,,hope I did OK???

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Saturday, April 21 2012

Living Gems 2011 Babies

By Snakesitter
Sat, April 21 2012 at 00:01

Living Gems 2011 Babies

At long last, Living Gems Reptiles is thrilled to profile the babies from its 2011 breeding year. The 17 youngsters in this litter, our first ever, were born on September 14, the result of a pairing between Hills, a brilliant orange male estimated to be born in late 2006:

And Alexandrite, a pretty October 2007 female:

Alex was named, as with all Living Gems females, for a pretty gemstone. She is alive and well. Hills was named for the legendary New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary (1919-2008), in honor of this snake’s love of climbing: Hills would always break for my head the first chance he got, and end up wrapped around the top of it. He unfortunately passed away in August of last year, just before the litter was born, and slightly before we went on a sales hold to resolve the events described in the “Beating a Misdiagnosis” thread.

The litter contains nine males and eight females. Initial sexing was done by me, and then confirmed by a local professional.

Behavior-wise, this litter is full of personality. We’ve done dozens of handling sessions for each baby, part of our commitment to start acclimating them to humans, and -- as with most baby Brazilians -- they missed no chances in the first few sessions to show their outsized bravery. There’s something both impressive and funny about watching 33 grams of fury trying to tell your hand who is boss.

As time has passed, every one has calmed to the point where I get no more than one nip per session across all 17 -- from whomever is feeling cranky that particular day. All of them have learned to tolerate a camera, and if they react at all, regard it as a climbing aide.

Physically, I’m very happy with the litter. For color, their father Hills definitely left his mark: the entire set is above average, with many well above, and an unusually high percentage of potential stunners. Their dorsal ovals all have a slight “blushing” effect where the color gets slightly darker in the center. For pattern, they all have at least one linked dorsal, where one spot has “joined” with its neighbor to form a longer chain. Their side circles are almost exclusively traditional crescents -- nothing like a clean classic look! -- with from zero to three solid black (“eclipse”) and up to three merged spots per baby. Several babies have no departures at all. On about half of the litter, there are small black markings on the back -- another legacy from their father, almost like an official “trademark” pattern for the line that hints of aberrancy -- and/or some faint “bonus black dots” showing among the side crescents.

Health-wise, all have now shed five or six times, eaten at least twenty times, and had multiple “confirmations” their digestion is properly working. They have been growing like little weeds: according to my monthly weigh-ins, their last check showed the average baby had tripled its weight in the seven months since their birth, and is running about a month ahead of the average growth rate for baby Brazilians…all of which proves that a small, high-quality collection focused on top care has its benefits for customers.

As has been outlined in previous posts, all of these babies come from a disease-tested facility, and Mom’s test results are available upon request.

Over the following posts, I will share a description and several pictures of each baby in the litter in order to give you an idea how they act and look, as well as any behavioral or physical quirks.

So grab a cup of your favorite brew, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

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B-01 (Male)

This little guy is a calm but highly attentive fellow, who closely follows your every movement when held. He was very placid the last time I handled him for any length, even though he was in shed.

Physically, he has several unique traits. On his back, he has three linked chains of two to four spots. He also has a small black dot in his neck area. On his sides, he has a 100% crescent pattern -- a clean, classic look all the way -- and the crescents are thick and distinctive, which should make for an impressive adult.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 34 grams to 99 grams.

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B-02 (Male)

During his final inspection to round out these notes, this little guy was not the model of baby patience: he got very annoyed at me peering at him, and took a baby-defiant swipe or two at me to prove his independence. That said, he’s usually pretty mellow. He may also be a pretty sharp one (for a snake): when I had the local breeder come over to verify gender, B-02 took a swipe at me as I was putting him back in his drawer. I protested to the baby he was targeting the wrong guy, and my friend noted that he yeah, I was just the guy who had hired the guy who examined his junk. Like I said…this little one may be sharper than we think.

Physically, he has several unique traits. On his back, he has one linked chain of two spots, and one longer set that should be breedable into a chain: four of his dorsals are closely touching but still have thin borders separating them. On his right side, he has two departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern: one eclipse and one merged dot. On his left side, he has four departures: three eclipses and one merged dot.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 32 grams to 90 grams.

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B-03 (Female)

This little lady tried to make the litter’s first escape attempt the day she was born, worming out the top center of the door from her Mom’s hide right as I was closing it, and nearly getting herself clipped in the process (my hands were full with two other babies at the time). She had an almost “raisiney” appearance before her first shed, which cleared right up when she cast off her old skin. During the handling session where I mapped out her patterns, she was very on guard and wary of this unusual inspection, but held her peace the entire time. She can be a bit nervous as well; during the December weigh-in she was very clingy.

This little girl has several unique traits. On her back, she has two linked chains of two spots. On her left side, she has a 100% crescent pattern. On her right side, she has two departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern: one eclipse and one merged dot. Finally, she has a small distinctive black “bar” towards her tail along her center line.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes two top shots, one taken just after she shed, and one a day later (a better photo I thought).

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front/side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 34 grams to 85 grams.

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B-04 (Male)

This little guy was in full spirit during his pattern inspection: he got really annoyed with my physical review, and decided to let my thumb know exactly how he felt about it (which was more cute than damaging -- he didn’t even break the skin). While he eats with clockwork reliability, he does tend to like his meal abandoned in his drawer with him before he’ll deign to eat it. Either that, or he thinks my “cooking” stinks.

Physically, he has several unique traits. On his back, he has an impressive five linked chains, one of three spots and four of two. On his left side, he has a 100% crescent pattern. On his right side, he has only one or two departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, both eclipses.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, while he was still with Mom. Not surprisingly, he looked a little rough around the edges.

The second is a (slightly) later shot of him, after he was placed in his own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 32 grams to 101 grams.

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B-05 (Female)

This little gem is my lead female holdback candidate. She’s fairly placid now, but early on in our “friendship” she was so eager to get at me she actually bit herself in her rush to connect! During a recent handling session, she was very calm but highly energetic, exploring my arm as we worked and finally wrapping herself around left wrist like a small colorful bracelet. Coolest of all, out of all the litter, she is one that inherited her sire’s love of climbing -- she heads right for my glasses and the top of my head like a human jungle gym every chance she gets.

Physically, she has several unique traits. On her back, she has two linked chains of two spots, and another long row of seven touching dots that could be moldable into a chain with breeding. On her right side, she has a 100% crescent pattern. On her left side, she has one departure from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, a merged spot. Finally, she an interesting little black “eight” pattern on her back.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front/side shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 33 grams to 105 grams.

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B-06 (Male)

This fellow was one of the more placid members of his litter…right up until sexing day, the idea of which thrilled him not at all. Let’s just say he made up for lost time that evening. Sine then he’s settled back into his usual placid little self.

Physically, he has several unique traits. On his back, he has two linked chains of two spots. On his right side, he has two departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, one eclipse and one merged dot, both in his neck area. On his left side, he also has two departures, one eclipse near his neck and one merged dot farther back. Finally, he has an interesting light patch on his lower right head, and a small black dot on his neck.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
This shot was taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and presents an updated view of the baby after the delay.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 33 grams to 85 grams.

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B-07 (Female)

A perfectly normal, curious little female, this little lady has not revealed any personality quirks so far…though I’m sure she, as all baby Brazilians, has some just waiting to be discovered!

Physically, she has several unique traits. On her back, she has two linked chains of three and two spots, respectively. On her left side, she has a 100% crescent pattern. On her right side, she has two departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern: one merged dot and a series of three “bonus” black dots. Finally, she has an intriguing small black patch on her center line.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 31 grams to 87 grams.

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B-08 (Male)

This little fellow is my lead male holdback candidate. He is one of the most calm and inquisitive babies in the litter. He was one of the first to move from “discovering” his meal to figuring out striking is good, and is now always front and center on feeding day!

Physically, he has several unique traits. On his back, he has mad linking going on: one chain of three spots, five chains of two spots, and a massive line of touching spots that should merge with breeding. On his sides, he has a 100% crescent pattern -- a clean, classic look all the way -- with the single exception of a small Nike-ish “swoosh” on his right side. (Hmm, marketing deal?)

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 34 grams to 92 grams.

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B-09 (Female)

Like her brother #08, this little one is both calm and inquisitive. She was also one of the first to move from “discovering” her meal to figuring out striking is good!

Physically, this little one has several unique traits. On her back, she has five linked chains of two spots, and eight or nine touching dots that could be moldable into a chain with breeding. On her left side, she has a 100% crescent pattern. On her right side, she has three departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, all merged dots. Finally, she has a small black dot on her neck.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set, taken in the scale because she was being squirmy, includes a top shot and paired head/body shots.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot, a top shot, and a head/upper body shot. Note the first shot came out oddly dark.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 33 grams to 87 grams.

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B-10 (Female)

This little girl was both amazingly calm and amazingly active during the pattern inspection -- constantly curious and on the move while I looked her over. She also holds the “bathroom mess” award of her litter, once managing to sully her entire drawer within 24 hours of its being cleaned.

Finally, she is the screen-tested model of the litter, having starred in the recent Easter Feeding thread.

Physically, she has several unique traits. Her dorsal borders lines are rather broken and irregular, especially in her neck area, which make counting difficult. Nevertheless, she has two linked chains of three and two spots, respectively. On her left side, she has a 100% crescent pattern, and the black portion of one of these travels down to fuse with the nearby bottom half-spot. On her right side, she has one departure from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, a merged dot. Finally, she has a medium black triangle on her lower back, a mark taken straight from her sire.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, and captured her practicing her gymnastics skills.

The second is a (slightly) later shot of her, after she was placed in her own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Four-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 33 grams to 87 grams.

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B-11 (Male)

This little guy is another of the calm but active ones, who would not sit still during the pattern inspection, or many cleaning sessions.

Physically, he has several unique traits. He has a lighter-colored head, which can be an indicator of good things to come On his back, he has a whopping five linked chains of four spots (once), three spots (once), and two spots (thrice), respectively. On his right side, he has a 100% crescent pattern (though three of them arguably lean eclipse). On his left side, he has three departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, all eclipses.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, and captured him practicing even more impressive gymnastics skills than his sister.

The second is a (slightly) later shot, after he was placed in his own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Four-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front/side shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 34 grams to 90 grams.

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B-12 (Female)

This little lady was one of the spunkiest of her litter for a long time, all wriggle and teeth. With time and care, however, she has calmed down nicely. She is also the pickiest feeder of her litter. Since we started the litter on rats at birth, rats are what she has decided she will eat: I can leave a mouse in there all day, and she will turn her nose up at it; but if I switch it for a rat, the meal is in her belly right away! She will also pass on meals due to impending shed -- perfectly normal, but the only one in her litter to regularly do so. (She has happily accepted “proper” makeup meals in most of these cases, meaning if I follow her very specific “instructions” on prey type.)

Physically, she has several unique traits. On her back, she has three to five linked chains of two spots (two are highly probable, depending on how the viewer judges these things). On her sides, she has a 100% crescent pattern -- a clean, classic look all the way. Finally, she has three small black spots on her back (one small on her neck, one small on her back, and one medium on her back), all derived from her sire’s branch of the family tree.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. It’s a pretty cute she as she checks out the camera for the first time. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Four-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 31 grams to 78 grams.

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B-13 (Female)

This girl was probably the calmest member of her litter for a long time, not biting me a single time, even on sexing day…right up until the night I typed this sentence. Since then, she has shown more attitude -- she wins the litter’s “most likely to nip when being picked up” award -- but is still a total sweetheart once you do.

Physically, she has several unique traits. On her back, she has thick border lines compared to her littermates, and a single linked chain of two (almost three) spots. On her right side, she has one departure from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, an eclipse. On her left side, she has one departure from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, again an eclipse.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, and captured her exploring the viv with Mom. The second is a (slightly) later shot, after she was placed in her own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Four-Month Update
This shot was taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and presents an updated view of the baby after the delay.

Seven-Month Update
These shots were taken in April 2012 (she was the only baby not to shed in March), and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front/side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 33 grams to 90 grams.

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B-14 (Female)

This was one of the last few babies I found. She was coiled off to the side, right on the heat, wedged between the now-empty hide and the wall. She seemed rather surprised when I moved the hide to grab her. (“Wait, you can move that thing?”) Over time, she has shown herself to be a real sweetheart, and is one of the calmest babies in this litter.

Physically, she has several unique traits. She has a lighter-colored head, which can be an indicator of good things to come. On her back, she has two linked chains of two spots. On her sides, she has a 100% crescent pattern -- a clean, classic look all the way. Finally, she has a bonus black dot on her right side around mid-body.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, and was shot just after her Mom's hide was moved away from the wall, thus exposing her chosen hiding place. The second is a (slightly) later shot, after she was placed in her own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Formal Photo Session
This series of shots was taken in early October 2011. Originally, these were to be the sale shots, but circumstances forced a long delay. This mini-set includes a right/rear shot, a left/rear shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot (after she finally turned around for me).

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a raised/side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 34 grams to 86 grams.

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B-15 (Male)

This little dude is the spunkiest member of his litter, and apparently the athlete of the group, too. I found him near the end of initial sorting, swimming merrily away in the almost-empty water bowl long after everyone else had moved on. He rewarded his rescuer by promptly sinking his baby teeth into the nearest finger. He is also the only member who ever successfully “escaped,” by deciding to make a mad dash for freedom -- he boiled up and out of drawer and to the floor three feet below before I could react. (It was the world’s shortest jailbreak.) These days, he is much calmer but still roguish: he tried another dash for freedom the night of the pattern inspection, but got caught en route; during the December weigh-in, he tried a nip, and used his tail to grab the counter-top in another attempt at escape; during several recent cleaning sessions, his baby vision locked in on my quick-moving cleaning fingers, and attempted baby wrath followed. His attitude is very much “why be held when you can explore?”

Physically, he has several unique traits. He has a light-colored head, which can be an indicator of good things to come. On his back, he has four linked chains of two spots. On his left side, he has a 100% crescent pattern. On his right side, he has one departure from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, an eclipse.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, and caught him swimming away in Mom’s water bowl. The second is a (slightly) later shot, after he was placed in his own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 33 grams to 96 grams.

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B-16 (Male)

This guy was one of two final babies I found after everyone else was long put away, carefully hiding under the newspaper. He is a very active snake, and would not sit still during the pattern inspection.

Physically, this little one has several unique traits. On his back, he has three linked chains: one three spots, one two or three spots (depending how you count), and one two spots. On his left side, he has a 100% crescent pattern. On his right side, he has three departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, one merged dot and two tiny bonus pearls (the only ones in the litter). His crescents, I should add, are some of the boldest in the litter.

At Birth
This shot was taken in mid-September 2011.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Three-Month Update
These shots were taken in late December 2011 to late January 2012, and present an updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a front shot and a top shot.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a side shot and a top shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 32 grams to 89 grams.

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B-17 (Male)

This guy was one of two final babies I found after everyone else was long put away, carefully hiding under the newspaper. Even then, he was fairly mellow, and that has not changed as he aged. Interestingly, he is the only baby in the litter that likes to hang out at the very front of his drawer, something he does almost all the time (and it is not due to temps -- I’ve checked!).

Physically, this little one has several unique traits. On his back, he has two linked chains of two spots. On his right side, he has three departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, all eclipses (one is an “almost”). On his left side, he also has three departures from an otherwise solid crescent pattern, two eclipses and one merged dot.

At Birth
These shots were taken in mid-September 2011. The first shot was taken shortly after birth, just after I discovered him as the last holdout hidden away under the newspaper in Mom's viv. The second is a (slightly) later shot, after he was placed in his own drawer-home.

Post Shed
This shot was taken in late September 2011. Apologies for the bad lighting; it was taken without formal prep.

Formal Photo Session
This series of shots was taken in early October 2011. Originally, these were to be the sale shots, but circumstances forced a long delay. This mini-set includes a front/side shot, a rear/side shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot. His neck is craned up in most of them because I had just removed the photo bowl, and he froze to “hide” from me.

Six-Month Update
These shots were taken in March 2012, and present a further updated view of the baby after the delay. This mini-set includes a raised/front shot, a top shot, and a close-up head shot.

As of March 31, this little one had increased from a birth weight of 31 grams to 90 grams.

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Partly because last year was a tough one, and partly because this litter turned out so well, I will be holding back four babies in total. Two are more or less decided, and the second two are proving to be tough calls. Suggestions are welcome.

Please note that as Hills passed way earlier this year, these 17 little ones will be the sole genetic legacy to his gorgeous color and unusual black back patterning. Rest in peace, buddy -- you done good, and through these little ones your legacy will live on.

Thank you, as always, for reading.

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Thursday, April 19 2012

Ashok Captain, Herp Photography, & his Love for India

By
Thu, April 19 2012 at 17:07

Ashok Captain is a world renowned herp photographer and Indian snake enthusiast. Read on to learn about some of favorite spots, hear some photography advice, and get a peek into his favorite herping trips.
Mojave Rattlesnake

How did you first become interested in reptiles/amphibians (particularly snakes) and photography?

A. Captain: In the 90's, we used to go on a lot of jungle trips - initially in the Western Ghats - places close to Pune (where I live). Most trips were during the monsoons (our rainy season) and we'd see a lotta creepies. Initially I tried to 'study' everything - monsoon plants, spiders, solifuges, amblypygids, scorpions, frogs, caecilians, lizards and snakes. I photographed all of these and needed captions for my slides (now digital images)! I soon gave up trying to 'id' everything and drifted towards snakes 'cos it was possible to do a lot (but not all) of the identification without killing 'em/ collecting 'em/ dissecting bits and pieces. This wasn't possible with several of the other animals.

Was anyone influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession?

Umm, nope. Snake taxonomy isn't a profession for me. Pros get funded to do this kinda thing. I spend most of my own money doing this stuff! Three guys who were extremely helpful (when I was a newbie) were Anil and Neelimkumar Khaire (brothers who run both the snake parks in Pune) and Rom Whitaker (he needs no introduction)! (Drum roll as Rom takes a bow). Neotropical Rattlesnake

Where is your favorite herping spot in the world?

Pretty much anywhere in India (I have a distinct Indian bias) though I have spent most of my 'field time' in the northern Western Ghats and eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
Sharp-nosed Viper

Do you have any favorite herps to find in the wild? Anything that still gets you excited to find?

No favorite spots as such. Finding any herp is exciting for me!

Do you have a life list? If so, what herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild?

No life list as such, but I would love to see Indian Trimeresurus (Peltopelor) macrolepis; the Sri Lankan Trimeresurus (Craspedocephalus) trigonocephalus and the African Bitis gabonica (all in the wild).

Is there any country/area that is at the top of your list to visit still?

Injun bias again! In India, there are still so many places left to visit - the deserts, southern Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, the Andamans, Nicobar Islands . . .

The full Q&A can be viewed here: Ashok Captain, India, & Herp Photography

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Wednesday, April 18 2012

War on Snakes

By
Wed, April 18 2012 at 21:54

Anthony Hensley, 37, of Villa Park, Illinois drowned after he was attacked in his kayak by a mute swan, Cygnus olor. I did some research on this animal and learned a few things. The mute swan is an introduced exotic species, universally considered to be an invasive species. A quick Internet search shows many state departments of natural resources expressing disdain for the negative impact of this exotic animal. It is destructive to the environment by consuming huge quantities of submerged aquatic vegetation, thus destroying critical fish and aquatic wildlife habitat. In addition, the highly aggressive and territorial mute swan out-competes native waterfowl and shore birds for habitat, actively destroys eggs and chicks, and attacks and kills adult birds. It is directly responsible for wiping out native nesting populations of endangered black skimmers and least terns in Maryland, and is responsible for reductions in other waterfowl populations. As we see from the attack and tragic drowning of the man in Illinois, it is highly aggressive toward people: clearly its large size and belligerent disposition make this a dangerous animal.

All of this is strikingly similar to the information used to justify the recent Lacey Act listing of the Burmese python as an "injurious" species. One would assume that mute swans, with a proven record of causing the same problems (actually worse), are similarly listed, but they are not. In fact, they are a protected species by the same USDI/USFWS who “banned” the Burmese python, African rock python, and yellow anaconda. The conclusions are inescapable and undisputable: a widely held fear of snakes, fueled by the media’s lust for sensationalism, along with the strong influence of animal rights interests, have resulted in one animal being persecuted by the federal government, while another “disagreeable” species receives protection and is “managed”. Orwell was correct in that “some animals are more equal than others.” And I had always interpreted Animal Farm as being symbolic.

Make no mistake about it, politicians currently see a “war on snakes” as a politically profitable enterprise, an opportunity to garner the adoration of fearful constituents and emotional animal rights advocates. Do not doubt that more efforts are underway on all levels of government to regulate or eliminate your right to keep reptiles, especially large and/or exotic species. HR511 is currently alive and well in Congress. Snake keepers, you absolutely must speak up to your representatives or you are going to lose more of your freedoms. Tell them you are against HR511. Politicians react well to the fear of losing popularity.
Contact your Congressman and voice opposition to HR511 as biased, unnecessary legislation.
Write or email, or both.

You can locate your Congressman here:
http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Mute swan references, if you are interested:
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/issues/restoration/non-natives/workshop/mute_swan.html
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=973&fr=1&sts=sss
http://www.pserie.psu.edu/seagrant/ais/watershed/swan.htm
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/dnrnews/infocus/muteswanfacts.html
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/muteswan/index.html

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Tuesday, April 17 2012

kingsnake.com launches new state/local classified ads!

By Jeff Barringer
Tue, April 17 2012 at 10:39

kingsnake.com advertisers can now reach both a national and a local market with the same advertisement. There is no extra charge, and no separate account is required to post local and state classifieds.

State-by-state ads are now available at http://market.kingsnake.com/indexlocal.html, with a zip code-based/regional search launching soon.

To make sure your ads show up in the state and local ad system, simply include the state and zip code in the appropriate advertising fields in the classified ad posting form.

If you already have advertisements posted, you do not have to re-post them to take advantage of this new functionality. To update your existing ads, log into the My Ads section of your classified account, enter your state and zip in the appropriate form fields, fill in the check box that says "update all my ads," and then click submit. The system will update all your existing ads! Easy!

To check out the new state and local reptile classifieds, go to http://market.kingsnake.com/indexlocal.html.

To update your existing classified ads, please log into http://market.kingsnake.com/account.php?page=manage.

To purchase a classified account please, go to http://www.kingsnake.com/shared/services/classified.php.

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Monday, April 16 2012

Natural History and Husbandry of Candoia

By
Mon, April 16 2012 at 10:16

The Pacific Boas

There are no other boas within thousands of miles. They most likely had to raft across the Pacific to get to where they now reside. Triangular shaped viper heads, up-turned snouts, no heat sensitive pits, and thick-keeled scales with flattened bodies separate them in structure. Some are semi-fossorial and some have prehensile tails.

Adult sizes range from a diminutive pencil-thin 16 inches to over 7 feet with girth. They survive in the typical rainforest that most other boas do: dense undergrowth, high humidity, and lots of rain and prey. However these boas thrive equally well in dry grasslands, woodlands, plantations, and around human dwellings. The Candoia genus is like no other genus in the Boidae family. They are unique in their locality and appearance, but are overlooked in the herpetological hobby world.

Candoia are one of five Boidae genera that include the Eunectes, Epicrates, and Corallus of the Americas and the Boa that range from the Americas to Madagascar. Candoia do not possess the size of Eunectes, the iridescence of Epicrates, the bright Technicolor coloration of some Corallus, nor the popularity of the Boa genus though. Jerry Conway, one of the first hobbyist to give Candoia a real chance and the first innovator of their care, said it best; “[Candoia] are naturally beautiful…there are no ‘morphs’…no man made nonsense involved with Candoia at all…they are underdogs of the snake world…true, primitive wonders of the wild.” These boas are the hidden gems that have been sitting out in the open. They are easy to care for, the easiest to sex properly, naturally calmer than their relatives, naturally variable, and beautifully unique in the Boidae family.

Species and Subspecies

Candoia aspera
Viper boas, aka New Guinea ground boas, are the most well known species of Candoia in the herpetological world and are commonly found throughout their range. They are found on their namesake island, New Guinea, on Irian Jaya, and on hundreds of islands off the shore of Indonesia. Viper boas are short and stocky, resembling death adders, and display a lot of variation in their coloring. They run the gambit of colors and patterns including black, brown, orange, yellow, and gold, and can be blotched or banded. The most impressive individuals are fire engine red with red ventral scales. These snakes have the thickest keeled scales of all Candoia, are between 22 and 36 inches long as adults, and spend a lot of their time in their water bowls. They are also completely terrestrial and even semi-fossorial. Two subspecies are recognized: C. a. aspera (Bismarck Ground boa) and C. a. schmidti (New Guinea Ground boa).

Candoia bibroni
Two subspecies are recognized:
C. b. australis
Solomon Islands tree boas are probably the second most well known species of Candoia, although not nearly as well known as C. aspera. Solomon Islands tree boas can be found throughout the islands and will usually be found in coastal mangrove or cultivated areas. They can be quite variable in color and pattern, colored in reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, browns, grays and black. They may have blotched or splotchy patterning, uniform color, or have an almost zig-zag dorsal stripe. Along with their great display of colors and patterns, C. b. australis also have the ability to lighten and darken in color and patterning throughout the day. I’ve seen individuals change from a dark brownish-red with heavy patterning to a light pinkish-tan with faint patterning, over the course of a few hours. This species’ habits are almost completely opposite of the Viper boas’ habits. They are arboreal 90% of the time, sometimes even perched in the classic fashion of a Green Tree python. Their thin bodies lend themselves nicely to an arboreal lifestyle, where they can stretch across and move between branches with ease. Rarely you’ll spot individuals hanging out and coiled up on the ground. Males of this species range from 3 to 4 feet in length, while females rarely exceed 6 feet.

The full-article, as well as more posts, photos, and snake care tips from Chris Carille can be seen on his personal blog here:
http://nyexotics.blogspot.com/

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Saturday, April 14 2012

Red Ear Slider Eggs

By
Sat, April 14 2012 at 01:29

My 6" female red ear laid an egg about a week ago while she was in the water, and then she laid another one today. (A week later.) I now have her separated in her own area where she is able to lay/burry the rest, out of the water, but I am not sure how long I can/should keep her there. Can anyone tell me how long it takes to lay all the eggs, however many there may be? I am not sure if it's a week, two weeks, a month, etc. Any info would be helpful. Thanks! Julie

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Friday, April 13 2012

Educating the Masses: Chicago Herp Society's ReptileFest

By Cindy Steinle
Fri, April 13 2012 at 12:24

Educational outreach is the key to changing people's perceptions about reptiles, PERIOD. It creates a personal connection to reptile ownership that will override misconceptions put out there by the media and others.

With that thought in mind, I am locked and loaded for this year's ReptileFest, an event hosted and organized by the Chicago Herpetologial Society. I will be both exhibiting and covering the event for kingsnake.com. Coverage will be a bit sporadic however, as I will be staffing 12 tables with my slave labor and good friend Chris Law. My exhibit combines my beautiful beloved morelia, my reptile rescue group. and the International Reptile Conservation Foundation. Keep an eye here or on our Facebook page for fun stuff!

It is a very unusual event in that it will have no live animal sales, but that isn't all that makes it special. The fact that there will be around 400 animals and 200 species on display is pretty special. The really cool part is that 99 percent of these animals are privately owned. These are people's pets, and they can share the day to day joy on a far different level than, say, a zoo keeper would.

Our exhibits will range from a 5-year-old darling girl and her corn snake display, to professionals like Rob Carmichael from the Wildlife Discovery Center showing off Illinois native venomous and doing proper public education without sensationalism.

As I get ready to turn the house over to my husband and pick up my trailer of supplies before I head down to Chi-Town, I hope that this weekend will serve as an inspiration to others. Remember, Snake Day is May 14!

Photo courtesy of Mike Heinrich - ReptileFest 2011

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Monday, April 9 2012

Snakes worldwide developing increasing resistance to neurotoxin

By Cindy Steinle
Mon, April 9 2012 at 10:47

Neurotoxin compositions may vary worldwide, snakes on four continents are demonstrating remarkably similar evolutionary responses enabling them to combat the toxins.

(University of Notre Dame biologist Michael) Pfrender and colleagues found species of snakes in North, Central and South Americas and Asia that are able to feed on amphibians that secrete a deadly neurotoxic poison, tetrodotoxin or TTX. These snakes have similar mutations in a key sodium-channel gene that makes them highly resistant to TTX. These mutations prevent TTX from blocking the sodium channels in muscle, which would otherwise immobilize the snakes by paralyzing nervous and muscle tissue.

"The key finding is that adaptive evolution is constrained by the functional properties of the genes involved in these evolutionary responses," Pfrender said. "While there are many possible mutations that can improve fitness, in this case resistance to the neurotoxin TTX, many of these mutations have a cost because they change the normal function of the genes. So, when we look at multiple species that have independently adapted to TTX, we see a very similar, and limited, set of mutations involved. The story is one of repeated evolutionary change that occurs through a limited set of changes at the molecular level."

To read the full article, click here.

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Sunday, April 8 2012

HSUS offers reward for capture of python mutilator in one state, while their policies lead to python abuse in others

By Jeff Barringer
Sun, April 8 2012 at 11:14

These are the cases of two Burmese pythons, both mutilated. One case is a crime, the other a state job.

In bitterly ironic twist, the Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the mutilation, neglect, and abandonment of an emaciated 7-foot male Burmese python who was stabbed twice, shot, and released in York Haven, Pa.

"Snakes require specialized expertise and care and deserve the same humane treatment as all other animals,” said Sarah Speed, Pennsylvania state director for the HSUS.

Sadly the Humane Society of the United States has said nothing about the recent mutilation and slaughter of a similar, yet larger, Burmese python by Florida Forest Service Rangers, killed by being beaten to death by rakes:

Tarrete held the tail, and Chaney grabbed the head. The two killed it with a rake rangers usually use to set fire breaks during controlled burns, Tarrete said.

Perhaps Sarah Speed can speak to her compatriots at HSUS in Florida about offering a similar reward and prosecute the Florida Forest Rangers with the same enthusiasm. Unfortunately her compatriots at HSUS, both in Florida and at the national level, were among the main proponents of the new federal regulations, and state regulations, that allow a duality in laws to occur. Where in one state mutilating a python is a crime, and in another it is a state-funded job opportunity.

Perhaps she can also ask why her organization is paying thousands of dollars to prosecute someone for mutilating a python in Pennsylvania, and has simultaneously spent hundreds of thousands of dollars convincing the State of Florida and the USFWS to essentially mutilate these animals on an industrial scale.

In the meantime this is yet another example of Burmese pythons being "dumped" by irresponsible owners, after the species was recently listed by the USFWS as "injurious," preventing import and interstate transport. This despite USFWS assurance that this would not happen as owners would have local outlets to place their animals.

Unfortunately this is just the beginning, and these numbers will continue to rise as more Burmese python owners find fewer and fewer people and organizations willing to accept their animals.

And sadly, one wonders if the snakes would have both met the same ends in shelters, had neither been mutilated, just surrendered.

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Friday, April 6 2012

Of pythons and pit bulls: Pushing back against media bias

By Cindy Steinle
Fri, April 6 2012 at 10:39

People used to say "Euuuw!" when they heard I had pythons, and shiver in fear at my pit bulls. Now, those reactions are reversed.

Over the years, the pit bull community has taken a very proactive role in fighting false negative stereotypes about our dogs. For longer than I have owned dogs, people in the community have stepped out, created educational days, spent time talking about our dogs to anyone who will listen. It's time for the python community to adopt what has been an extremely successful program for getting out the truth about our pets.

Consider the headline on an article on ctpost.com:
DEEP collects 5 illegal pets, one vicious python, at Beardsley Zoo

The article goes on to explain the surrender of a Burmese python in lurid detail:

The most exciting moment of the day occurred behind closed doors.

Overturf and EnCon officer Todd Chemacki recalled it in the back of the room.

The other Burmese python was about 13 feet -- and deemed too dangerous to show the public.

When Ralbovsky tried putting it into one of his bins, it struck its head at him several times, reaching waist-high. He had to pin it with a catch pole; then it took two people to get it in the bin.

Of course, the animal isn't poisonous, Overturf granted.

"But when a snake with the head of a small dog hits you, and bites, you'll feel it," he said.

"And then when it wraps around you ..." Chemacki said.

That is the scene people who have never met a python will always remember. They'll get the idea pythons are dangerous beasts who will strike at you and wrap around you and, presumably, send you to your scaly doom -- something those of us who keep them know is a distorted and false view of our pets.

Distorted or not, stories like this fill the newscasts, papers, and websites non-snake owning people read every day. It's time we learned from the pit bull people and started pushing back. We need to attend Snake Day and herp society events that are occurring this spring nationwide. Offer to do presentations at local schools, camps, and community groups. Set up a booth at festivals and street fairs. We need to talk about our pets to other pet people, whenever and wherever we can. This is our opportunity to reach out and change minds.

It worked with pit bulls. It will work with pythons -- if we do the work to get our voices heard. Will you start speaking out this spring?

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Sunday, April 1 2012

Escaped pythons linked to secret U.S. Army project from 1960s

By Jeff Barringer
Sun, April 1 2012 at 11:58

According to documents and interviews obtained for his book, Vietnam's Underground War: Snakes, Rats and Boonie Hats, Icelandic author Uno Imnottyourdottr makes the shocking revelation that the python and boa problem in the Florida Everglades was the result of the purposeful release of animals used in a secret U.S. Army/CIA sponsored project to develop large constrictor snakes as weapons to fight in the extensive Vietnamese tunnel network.

Dubbed Operation: Blue River in official documents, and gaining the unofficial name Operation: TubeSnake by wags assigned to the project, thousands of boa constrictors, pythons, and anacondas were surreptitiously purchased by the military from Florida wildlife importers in the late 1960s and early 70s and brought to MacDill AFB in Tampa for processing, before being sent to a secure containment facility deep in the Everglades. Once there, the snakes were evaluated for their ability to be trained and suitability for mission, and were given basic mission testing by species.

Snakes were equipped with a variety of equipment depending on mission assignment. Sensor and camera platforms, including infra-red and millimeter band and side-looking radar, as well as UHF/VHF communications equipment were utilized in the reconnaissance role, as well as a variety of weapons to be used literally as a hunter-killer platform. Weaponized snakes included a variety of munitions including everything from small explosive charges to large anti-tank mines. Chemical weapons such as CS gas and pepper spray were also evaluated, difficulties arising in finding applicable gas mask solutions for the constrictors.

Testing of the animals revealed issues with trainability as well as limited load carrying capabilities. According to Army documents Burmese Pythons were found to be the species most suitable to the mission profile, and after late 1971 only Burmese Pythons were used although weapons and sensor platforms had been developed and successfully tested on snakes as small as 2 feet long and as large as 18 feet long.

According to Imnottyourdottr's book, Operation Blue River was quietly discontinued in 1974 before being tested in combat, and all the constrictor snakes remaining in the project were demilitarized and then released outside of the facility into the surrounding swampland, after Congressional investigations were opened into the CIA's failed attempts to train King Cobras as assassins. It was hope that the highly trained constrictors could be recovered should the project be revived, but military priorities by then had shifted to the Middle East.

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Million Snake March hits Washington D.C.

By Jeff Barringer
Sun, April 1 2012 at 08:58

Millions of undocumented boas and pythons descended on the National Mall in Washington D.C. today demanding that Congress afford them the protections that others have received, and to demand that Congress stop the building of a wall between Louisiana and Texas to prevent the snakes further migration westward. Acting as their spokesman Norville T. Bass, President of the American Snakehandlers Association, said, "These snakes have come here and are doing jobs that American snakes by and large don't want, and now with no due process the government wants to stop them from traveling between states. Some of these snakes have family in other states. What happens to them?"

Watching the slithery procession of participants while providing crowd control on foot, Sergeant Eric Witherspoon of the Metro D.C. Police Department offered, "We haven't seen this many snakes since the last time Congress was in session." Asked about the lack of mounted patrols at the event, Witherspoon said, "The horses don't like snakes, and some of the officers aren't too keen either," as a reticulated python slithered across his boots.

Bystanders at the event, Cecil and Trudy Horsfeldii from Rockford Illinois, were caught up by the day, but a little confused as to what was going on. "Is this the Rick Astley flash mob? We were all supposed to meet at 3 pm and go to the Air and Space Museum."

It was difficult to tell just how many of the reptiles packed the Mall, their squirming, writhing mass being difficult to calculate with any accuracy. By dusk, however, the snakes, their representatives, and the media had vanished, leaving cleaning crews to clear D.C.s Mall area of debris that always accompanies an event like this, like cups, signs and thousands of shed skins. But the snakes shall return soon when the Senate convenes again.

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Obama okays use of drones in fight against invasive pythons

By Jeff Barringer
Sun, April 1 2012 at 00:01

Multiple White House sources have confirmed that the Obama administration has approved the use of armed drones in the fight against the invasive Burmese python, pending clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration. While the use of armed drones to eliminate threats outside U.S. borders has become rather commonplace, this is the first time that the weapons have been approved for use inside the United States.

"This is an escalation that we don't think the pythons are prepared for. We hope the technology will give us an edge." said one unnamed official. When asked about the $1,200,000 per missile/python cost he replied, "They're eating endangered wood rats. And they are putting American snakes out of work. They have to be stopped before they make the I-10 corridor. Once that happens, we'll start finding em in El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle...then it's game over. The Canadians are even less prepared than we are."

Both Lockheed-Martin and Northrop-Grumman are said to be preparing drone-based python remediation programs, as are European defense contractors SAAB and MBB. Brazil's Embraer is said to have a head start after developing a similar drone based Anaconda remediation program for it's neighbor Venezuela, but faces challenges selling in the U.S. market after it's Super Tucano deal got hung up in congressional red-tape. "We are the only ones that have actual field experience using laser guided weapons from high altitude to remove yellow Anacondas, the Israelis have only gotten theirs to work with Sand Vipers, and then only with the nominate species Vipera ammodytes" said Embraer's Python Project Manager Pedro Borbón."The Israelis have no jungles to test in as well, all of their work has been in the desert. That might be fine once the pythons reach New Mexico and Arizona, but that cedes the pythons the entire gulf coast."

Other American defense contractors are hard at work on their own remediation products, services and proposals, some less high-tech than others. World Ultradyne Security Systems, formerly a division of Blackwater Associates, is putting its former special forces operatives to work training "A Teams", or action teams, of specially trained mongoose, to hunt out the pythons on the ground. "We' have 100,000 of these rodents ready and trained so far, we are just waiting on the go ahead from the Park Service and USF&W to insert them into the Everglades with a large scale airdrop from C-130 transport aircraft. We're not going to win this until we put boots on the ground, four tiny jump boots at a time" Said Earl Wycleff, former Army Ranger and program manager. When asked about the possibility that the mongoose themselves may not return, and in turn become established Ultradyne has already considered that and is preparing "B Teams" of cougars to release and remediate any mongoose that fail to return. And if the cougars become established? "Bears. Bears are cougars' natural enemy, so we are working with bears. The Russian bears seem easiest to train, probably due to their extensive circus background."

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Friday, March 30 2012

Beating a Misdiagnosis

By Snakesitter
Fri, March 30 2012 at 12:05

Every once in a great while, an event changes your perception of both your pets and the larger hobby around you. The event can be big, such as the discovery of a game-changing morph; or it can be small, such as the unexpected death of a favorite herp -- but whatever that trigger is, it redefines your comfort and practices forever. The post that follows relates such an event. It is, I suspect -- given the tendency of people to skim long posts and thus miss facts -- a risky move. However, I think the lessons it teaches on the importance of measured reactions, strict procedures, and only using the best “exotic” specialists in the industry are crucial for any keeper; and the events described were not only clearly someone else’s fault, but we took extreme measures to fix them. In the end, everything turned out alright -- but it came tragically close to not being that way.

By way of background, Living Gems Reptiles had lost three animals at the time these events unfolded: Topaz, a stunning orange-red female we had for four years, who passed away from advanced pneumonia in October 2011 (she is the primary animal mentioned below, and her story can be found here); Vlad, an above-average orange male we had since June 2010, who was recovering from an odd infection then suddenly passed away after a difficult tube feeding in October 2011 (his necropsy picked up fluid in his lungs and a strange liver condition); and Hills, a gorgeous high-orange male we had since June 2010 who passed in August 2011 from a simple respiratory infection we accidentally caused (his necropsy turned up nothing unusual). Topaz and Vlad were mates from the 2011 breeding season. Hills was not connected to them in any way. All three animals had been on strict quarantine for some time before passing, the last one starting at the end of August. We also had two August 2009 juveniles that had developed odd scale blemishes, Lancelot and Tigers Eye, both of whom were also on quarantine, and one of whom plays a role in this story. Other a single death back in 2009, these were the first health issues our main collection had ever experienced.

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Living Gems Reptiles has always prided itself on its thorough care and procedures. We buy 95% of our animals only as babies from top breeders of our species, and carefully screen the (very) few exceptions to learn both past ownership of the specific animal and the general history of its bloodline -- and we ask a lot of questions about those animals. If we cannot find enough information, we will simply walk away from a deal. Regardless of origin, we put all new animals through a strict, no-exceptions quarantine in enclosures that have been pre-treated for mites. We set that quarantine to the maximum length of the advised range, a full six months. And during this quarantine, we subject all acquisitions to careful weekly inspections, so that we can catch and eliminate any threat as soon as possible.

While our front-end procedures catch 99% of problems, we also have recurring and back-end procedures that form additional safety nets. On a weekly basis, for example, all members of the collection are carefully inspected, and records are periodically reviewed for any unusual patterns such as weight loss or skipped sheds. On the back end, in the rare event that an animal in our collection unexpectedly passes away, we have a necropsy performed to learn the cause -- as opposed to just trashing the body like so many vendors do.

The combination of all these precautions means that real problems are very, very rare.

Which is why it was such a surprise when a necropsy came back on Topaz, a prize female that had been in our care for almost four years under excellent care, noting the cause of death as severe pneumonia caused by an unusual strain of bacteria.

That diagnosis, though controllable, was troubling enough. However, the pathologist took it a step farther by reporting not only bacteria, but also IBD and possible PMV -- both of the worst possible reptile illnesses, together in one animal.

What makes this such a complete tragedy and vivid lesson is that, while we did not know it at the time, those last two diagnoses were totally and completely false.

For those unfamiliar with the illnesses listed above, the first abbreviation, IBD, stands for inclusion body disease, one of the disease nightmares of the snake world. While a definitive cause is unknown, it is highly contagious across many species of boas and pythons. Symptoms include neurological (the classic head tremors and star gazing), digestive, and secondary infections. There is no known cure, and it is always (eventually) fatal. The second abbreviation, PMV, stands for paramyxovirus, and is also about as bad as you can get. While a diagnosis in boas would be shockingly rare -- it is a disease of the viper world -- there have been a bare handful of cases reported in boas, about one a decade since the disease was first identified 35 years ago, and usually in mixed viper-boa collections. Symptoms range from respiratory to neurological to digestive and more. While unlike IBD there have been reports of recovery, with this disease too there seems to be no known cure.

So what do you do when you get a diagnosis of IBD? (PMV, due to the “possible” flag, was secondary at this early point.) The usual suggestion, as relayed by several “concerned” keepers I know, is to destroy every single animal in your collection, toss all your equipment, wait a year, and then start over.

Keep in mind our collection did not have either disease when we were being told this.

Thankfully, I’m a stubborn guy who insists on a scientific approach. The deceased animals had displayed none of the classic front-line symptoms of either dread illness. None of my other animals were showing signs of either highly contagious disease. And the idea that one animal who had been with me for so long could have magically developed all three diseases made me wary to start. Either there had been a misdiagnosis, or -- as was whispered in my ear by reptile friends, but I did not want to believe -- someone had deliberately dealt me a bad card.

So, since I had major doubts, I set out to get second opinions.

The first thing I did was write the experts. Dr. Edward Wozniak, who did a pioneering IBD study in the late 1990s, was the first to reply, and his advice was both absolute and a first hint: “I wouldn’t do anything just yet…. [Dr. Elliott Jacobson and I] have had a full time graduate student working on [IBD] since 2008 and she has greatly advanced the understanding of the disease but even with that, many questions remain. We have still yet to confirm the source of the protein that accumulates in the structures (inclusions) for which the disease was originally named…. While this may seem trivial, it means a lot about the actual cause of the disease and the diagnostic value of simply seeing inclusion bodies in tissue specimens.… It should also be mentioned that many ‘types of inclusions’ can look the same and just seeing such structures on a slide really don’t mean that you have IBD. The true IBD inclusion contains a very unique protein and are classified as non-viral inclusions. Just seeing a red staining body inside a cell really doesn’t mean that the snake has the disease we now call IBD. Without going to electron microscopy and/or other advanced methodologies, its virtually impossible to definitively identify a given inclusion body as an IBD inclusion.”

The emphasis is mine -- but the fact that inclusions could be present but not IBD was new information to me. Dr. Wozniak also told me a new blood test had been developed for the disease that was much less invasive than the biopsy method, and that he felt provided definitive results: “Two of the big accomplishments that were recently achieved in our IBD research were 1) the re-creation of a highly specific monoclonal antibody that can be used to specifically stain and identify inclusion bodies as IBD inclusions and 2) the ability to use this antibody on blood rather than tissue samples. With those developments we can now simply draw a blood specimen and use it in much the same way that I used liver biopsy specimens in my original research. This is a huge leap forward because you can easily test a given animal with a simple blood draw and classify it as IBD positive or IBD free.”

I next spoke with Dr. Rita (Li-Wen) Chang, a PhD student under Dr. Jacobson (the same doctor as above, and one of the leading authorities on IBD). In a very generous phone conversation, she confirmed what I had learned so far, and also elaborated a bit further on the new test, saying that while it was still not 100% definitive, it was the best way to screen large numbers of animals. Another key fact was that, despite what everyone reads on the web, a viral cause of IBD had not yet been proven -- which was important because it quickly showed me that most of the conventional web advice on IBD, much of it littered with official-sounding references to viruses, is based on unproven assumptions.

I next spoke with Dr. Doug Mader, who should be familiar to many readers of this post as the author/editor of the Saunder’s authoritative “Reptile Medicine and Surgery” publication. Possibly the best-known reptile vet in the business, we spoke on the phone for over 30 minutes, and kept in touch afterwards.

Dr. Mader, in turn, put me in touch with Dr. Thomas H. Boyer. A local California vet, Dr. Boyer specializes in the veterinary care of reptiles and amphibians. He was a co-founder of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians, has published two books on reptile medicine, and is only one of only five Diplomates of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Reptile and Amphibian Practice. He and his associate Dr. Zachary J. Steffes -- who has the best "bedside manner" I've ever experienced from a vet -- were the expert “boots on the ground” for this project, though they kept in touch with Dr. Mader throughout. As their names will probably be unfamiliar to readers, full biographies for both men can be found here: [url]http://www.pethospitalpq.com/site/view/186194_MeetourDoctors.pml[/url].

As a result of the last two conversations, two decisions were made. In the first, the lab that had diagnosed Topaz would run some (generously free) tests on Vlad to see what he tested positive for. In the second, I made the difficult choice to put down Lancelot, one of the juveniles with the odd scale problem, in order to give us a more comprehensive set of tissues (the two deceased snakes had only limited and now dated samples available). It was suggested I just send Lance down via overnight mail…but that did not sit right with me. Part of owning a pet is taking responsibility for the hard parts, and I felt the least I could do is drive him down in comfort myself. So, the next Saturday, I did. I was not there for the actual procedure, but was told by the euthanizing vet that Lance was “a good snake” all the way to the end.

As opposed to the first animals, Lancelot’s tissue samples would be tested for IBD and PMV by none other than ZooPath. The lead pathologist there, Dr. Michael M. Garner, is widely quoted one of the top two names in exotic animal pathology.

(I know some of these names may be unfamiliar to newer keepers, so I would appreciate it if some of the more experienced readers could weigh in on the caliber of these names to clarify why they mean something.)

But lab tests take time, so while they worked, I was stuck in wait mode.

I don’t know if it’s possible to describe the paranoia and dread you feel when managing a possible triple outbreak in what many have acknowledged is a top-notch collection. It’s a truly horrible experience. Every single action has to be performed in a manner that minimizes the possible transmission of disease. In my case, from the time I received that first report, I implemented a draconian quarantine: I handled all animals using not only latex gloves, but disinfected both hands and tools with bleach between each and every snake. As a further precaution, I divided my vivs into small quadrants based on risk, and between every quadrant performed additional disinfecting. That level of caution imposes a terrible toll, because every possible source of contamination -- be it a stray piece of moss, a falling drop of water, or a snake simply touching your arm -- has to be immediately and thoroughly sanitized. Your time commitment goes up by a factor of four or five. Weekly cleaning, which used to take two to three hours, now took ten. Monthly weigh-ins, which used to take three hours, now took a full fifteen. I showered right after every cleaning session…just in case. A new weekly activity involved disinfecting all handles and knobs in the house…just in case. You go through endless supplies of bleach and paper towels and gloves. Your free time and social life both go to hell/heck.

As anyone in this situation should, I also suspended all sales and canceled all acquisitions. I gave up a lot of business and passed on two great animals during that time. I also avoided any and all reptile shows -- which I love -- just in case my hunches were wrong.

All, to repeat, for two diseases we did not have.

The labs, both busy places, took a long time to get back to me. Vlad’s samples were submitted on October 11, and Lancelot’s on October 24. It was November before I started getting answers.

In the meantime, it was more agonizing cleaning and worry. You start jumping at ghosts that aren't there. One night, one of my top females scared me by regurgitating a meal she had swallowed just moments before. Was it a sign related to digestive issues? I watched her, and realized she was acting like I’d startled her. I froze, and she started nosing her meal, then latched on to it again. I slowly turned out the lights and slunk from the room. When I came back 30 minutes later, the rat was gone. A week later, she had kept it down and was acting as healthy as ever.

On November 1, the original lab came back with a final report on Vlad. His cause of death was noted as “disseminated hepatic heterophilic granulomas with intralesional acid-fast positive bacilli, and with variably proliferative pneumonia.” This was “consistent with a bacterial infection.” However, the summary cause of death did not mention IBD. It was only in reading the extended print that the pathologist mentioned “rare discernable…inclusions.” That surprised me: as Vlad had lived with Topaz for four months, and with IBD as contagious as it is said to be, why wasn’t it listed as a primary cause of death, just as it had been for her? And why were the inclusions, when in this case they would have been specifically looking for them, only noted as “rare”? Most significant of all, as he was the “noob” in the collection and therefore the presumable carrier, why no diagnosis?

That same afternoon, the preliminary results came back from ZooPath on Lancelot. He did indeed have the bacterial infection, presumably passed from Topaz or Vlad. But he, as verified by both Garner and a second pathologist at the firm, did not show any signs of the far more communicable IBD or PMV. (In the report’s very definitive wording, “this snake does not have inclusion body disease or paramyxovirus infection.”)

Those reports were my second big hint that something was very wrong with the original results.

After discussing with the various vets, we decided to wait until the final results came back on Lancelot before making any further testing decisions. Again, that took weeks.

More bleach, unhappy girlfriend. I saw more “ghosts.” Another one of my snakes scared me with a bad shed -- it was patchy, though she managed to get everything off except her chin. Was it a sign related to a secondary symptom, shedding issues? It was only after I thought about it that I realized we’d just entered the winter season, which -- combined with less spraying of the cages to lessen risk -- meant lower humidity. She continued to act fine, and ate a full-sized meal with gusto two days later. A few days past that, I soaked her for two hours and then tried gently rubbing it off. As with all our long-term boas, she was a total sweetheart about being poked and prodded, and I worked a bit off. Unfortunately, I also discovered that trying to assist-shed a friendly but squirmy adult snake while preventing too much contact and wearing latex gloves is impossible. Thus, after reducing the area a bit, I surrendered her back to her viv to let her work the patch off over time, and instead just made sure to keep her humidity high.

I also began to dig for additional information on the bacteria. Things began to fall into place when I discovered that members of this particular bacterial genus, the “mycobacteria,” can generate surface and secreted proteins -- in other words, inclusions. (A great example of this phenomenon, which is apparently common to many types of bacteria, is this article: .) Given that Topaz had died from the most advanced case of pneumonia the necropsying vet had ever seen, the pieces now fit.

On November 15, the final results came back for Lancelot. Findings were as before: no IBD, no PMV, just bacteria.

At this point, the vets were all suspecting the first results were wrong. We decided to take two more actions: one, have Dr. Garner re-examine the original two samples to see if there had indeed been a misdiagnosis; and two, test the bacteria to determine which strain it was -- thus giving us a more definitive lead on how to proceed. Due to some confusion at the original lab, samples were delayed by a full week, and only sent out on November 23.

My downstairs neighbor now got into the act by accidentally setting his apartment on fire. Badly. Have you ever planned for an evacuation of 30+ reptiles in five minutes under quarantine conditions in cold winter weather? Neither have I. Instead I grabbed a fire extinguisher and waded into the firefight. I played only a minor role before the fire department arrived, but we won, burns and all. It did not, however, help my stress level.

As was the now-familiar pattern, the analysis took weeks. While the makers of Clorox and Bounty got rich, my world continued to go to hell/heck. I saw more “ghosts.” A third snake started getting food-fussy. She refused one meal on November 8, the next on November 22, and a third after that. Was it a sign of some other horrible problem? Then I looked over her care history and recalled she had done this periodically since she was a young adult -- always with reason, such as food that had been in the freezer too long for her taste, or she was in shed, or it was winter and therefore breeding season. Each time, she would refuse meals until bribed with a few live mice, after which she would return to regular feeding. I even recalled a conversation about it on the Kingsnake forum from last year, where it had been pegged as completely normal. So I finally offered those mice, and she downed four in one sitting, then looked around for more.

On December 7, the long-awaited re-test results finally came in.

The official diagnostic report for Topaz, the original and main IBD/PMV suspect, listed the cause of death as (primary) “severe granulomatous bronchointestinal pneumonia with intralesional bacteria” and (secondary) “atrophy, edema, microgranulomatosis, mild fatty change, and pigment deposition, liver.” It ended with the words “I saw no evidence of paramyxovirus or inclusion body disease in the examined sections.”

Diagnosis reversed.

The official diagnostic report for Vlad listed the cause of death as (primary) “severe granulomatous necrotizing hepatitis with intralesional bacteria” and (secondary) “moderate interstitial pneumonia.” It ended with the words “lesions characteristic of inclusion body disease are not represented in the examined sections.” For paramyxovirus, although the pathologist found evidence against, he lacked the full tissue samples needed to render a final opinion. He did, however, come pretty close for a scientist who has to watch his legal back: “paramyxovirus or other viral infection is considered unlikely.”

While I suppose that will worry some people, let me put it in perspective, and in three ways.

One, only a possible diagnosis had been made…of an obscenely unlikely disease in boas…based on incomplete samples…by a pathologist with a terrible track record on this case…who missed significant evidence against found by one of the best reptile pathologists in the business.

Two, Dr. Boyer is one of the few top reptile vets with hands-on experience with a PMV case in non-vipers, and he -- who has now held every snake in my collection -- said its symptoms absolutely do not match what I had experienced.

Finally, and most damning of all, while mycobacteria can be serious, it is far less contagious than PMV, which can sweep through a collection in weeks. It is unlikely that a snake with both illnesses would manage to pass only the less virulent one along. Yet Vlad did this once. In fact, Vlad did this twice. And one of those cases was to an animal that lived in the same viv as him for a whopping 17 weeks. That just does not happen.

Based on the combined results, the consulting vets -- again, top experts in the industry -- both felt that PMV was not a real issue. I raised the idea of having additional animals screened anyway, but was told it was a waste due to the reasons above.

So, again, diagnosis reversed. We were clear of the Dread Two.

That left just the bacterial infection. Mycobacteria, for those unfamiliar, is an unpleasant little corner of the bacterial world that contains a few nasty bugs. Several of those have slow reproductive cycles, which means an animal can be infected for a long time before it shows symptoms. One of those in particular is reptilian tuberculosis -- the vet’s first suspect in this case (at the risk of spoiling the story, it was not this, either). It’s an unpleasant malady, though not nearly as bad as the Dread Two. The real problem, however, is not the disease itself, but its treatment -- which often requires more than six months and multiple medications. Because of this, standard practice is to have infected reptiles euthanized to protect the broader collection.

After more consultation, it was decided to screen my collection for this final affliction through what is called a “PCR” test. PCR, short for “polymerase chain reaction,” is described by Wikipedia as “a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence.” It is an extremely sensitive test, capable of detecting minute amounts of a pathogen, and thus the gold standard for this situation. If any of our reptiles had it, PCR would find it.

The first step was sample prioritization. I sorted my reptiles by risk, ranging from four animals at the highest level who had any possible link to the deceased snakes, to medium-risk animals who were fed on the same night as and lived near the decreased, to animals at the lowest level who were fed on a different night and lived farther away (thankfully, the largest group by far). For the babies, who had been born into a sanitized vivarium, maintained on bleach-level quarantine since birth, kept away from the adults, and were growing like weeds, I felt little risk…but just to be safe, I included a random sample with the last group anyway.

The second step was sample collection. Dr. Boyer performed this part with impressive skill. The first set of snakes went down on December 13. This group included Tigers Eye, the only remaining animal with minor scale issues, and I spent a long time pondering whether to test her or simply put her down for safety. In the end, however, the facts that she acted healthy, was eating fine, and the vets did not think the scales looked indicative of the disease -- as well as the fact I could never forgive myself for putting down an innocent animal -- convinced me to test her instead. It also contained Alexandrite, the sole remaining breeder from last year, who though she showed no signs of illness, I needed to clear for her babies. (The other two animals in the high-risk bucket also showed no red flags.) The second set went down on December 16. I had planned to wait until results for these first two sets came back to take the third set down, but after two weeks realized that plan would put me at risk if there were any delays. Thus, the third set, which included all remaining animals from the collection and the random sample of babies, went down on January 2 -- even though it meant I had to test in smaller and therefore more expensive groups.

At the vets’, to make sure the test caught any trace of disease, we collected not one, or even two, but four samples from each snake: one from the lung, one from the stomach, one from the cloaca, and a bit of blood. It was a long process, taking an entire day for each set of animals.

The third step was testing. As with the pathology work, we again went with one of the best facilities in the industry: the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. A highly regarded program whose faculty includes some of the top names in the industry, their lab estimated it would take two weeks to run each test. Each test would cover from one (the highest risk levels) to three (the lowest risk levels) animals.

While I was advised that I could drop the draconian quarantine, I believe in a zero-risk policy -- especially given the luck I’d been having lately. So I maintained the gloves-bleach-quadrants approach while the tests ran.

Fairly soon, I was told it would take not two weeks, but three.

And those weeks, as before, were hell/heck -- especially as they erased all free (read: social) time during a holiday season I could have really used.

While I waited, I learned that the initial mycobacteria test -- the one we’d ordered six weeks ago through ZooPath to determine which strain it was -- had failed due to the age and processing of the initial samples. It would not affect the current tests, which were screening for any form of the bacteria using fresh samples, but it was still a disappointment.

Soon, three weeks stretched into four with no word. My hands, best efforts aside, were getting chemical burns. As the vet noted, university labs are great resources…but have no sense of urgency.

That was the same week my girlfriend broke up with me, because -- in her words, and seeming to entirely miss the “six months from hell/heck” angle -- “all I wanted to do was ‘play’ with my snakes.” While admittedly not a disease item, I include this to drive home the real-world cost of a reptile health crisis -- even in cases of a (mostly) false alarm like this.

At the end of the fourth week, I finally got impatient and called the vet. He contacted the lab, who informed us that the tests were set up and ready for the final step, which would run next Tuesday. That meant results would be delivered Wednesday -- five long weeks since the first samples had been sent in. Surprisingly, all three sets would come back at once -- despite the fact the first and last sets had been taken three weeks apart.

Next Thursday morning, I waited as long as my patience would allow, finally phoning the vet at 10:30AM.

But the lab, it turns out, had yet again missed the deadline.

The vet had already e-mailed them, but the lab had now delayed so long that I was running into my own deadlines -- one of them being the looming 2012 breeding season, which I refused to start until all breeders were cleared. I asked him to please phone the lab, too, which after some persuading he did.

However, he did not get a response to either message that day.

The next day, I waited until noon and called again. The vet was in surgery, but a receptionist said the lab had finally replied to them, and was “awaiting results.” There was no explanation of delivery time provided. Towards the end of the day, I added a polite but firm phone call of my own to the lab to add urgency, but we heard no more that day.

That pushed me into the weekend. More bleach, more towels, more stress. Let me tell you, nothing rankles like being forced to waste time due to someone else’s silence. The snakes seemed impatient to be done with quarantine, too: one of our two new adult males, who up until this weekend had always calmly hung out in his quarantine drawer while I cleaned it, decided to explore for the first time while I was in the bathroom emptying his water. I came back to find he’d crawled all over the top of the rack, and was sitting there with the equivalent of a big snake grin, as if to say “Hey look, I found the penthouse!” Half an hour of disinfecting later….

Preliminary results finally came in on Monday, January 23. And the lab tests said…

…it was not mycobacteria after all.

Rather, it was a completely different genus, the tsukumurella. No one seemed to know much about it, so I did some digging. Tsukumurella, I found, was first identified in 1971 and formally reclassified in 1988. It is comprised of around a half-dozen species of bacteria noted for their distinctively long carbon chains, and they operate as opportunistic infectious agents. They are fairly uncommon, and as such, are often misdiagnosed as mycobacteria or another genus within the scientific order they all share.

However, we were still early in the testing process: only four of the twenty test sets we had submitted were done. The other 16 were promised for the end of that week.

On Saturday, January 28, almost seven weeks into the initial “two-week” cycle, the lab finally delivered. Out of the twenty test sets we had submitted, only one came back positive. And that one set was not even part of our main collection. Rather, it was a group of four new(ish) acquisitions that had been on quarantine since their arrival last year.

The results told me several important facts.

The first was that the entrance vector was almost certainly Vlad. It explained perfectly the pattern of the outbreak: Vlad the newish arrival as carrier, the long-tenured and previously healthy Topaz by living and breeding with him for four months, and the medium-tenured and previously healthy Lancelot by a re-feed from one of them. (There is sad irony in the last case: after holding out for years against the all-too-common practice of re-feeding, we had begun practicing it regularly only in May -- one short month before the first vague symptoms broke -- and Lancelot had the misfortune to be the big juvenile who would eat anything, and thus “won” the regular re-feed slot during the exact same period the breeders were refusing meals. The practice has since been discontinued.)

The second fact was that this pathogen was lousy at spreading. It did not seem to spread by air, as otherwise the entire collection would have been sick given the long delay before testing. It did not seem to spread by proximity, as the snakes that lived between Topaz and Vlad or near Lancelot had all tested clean. It did not even seem to spread reliably though re-feeding, as two other re-fed animals had tested clean a full seven months after that potential exposure. (I note, however, they were re-fed only once each, as opposed to Lancelot, and at a different point in the year. The lack of spread may also have been aided by good procedures on our end, as well as the limited ventilation Brazilians require.)

The third and most important fact was that even my high-risk animals were clean. Tigers’ Eye had the scale issue. Alexandrite had no symptoms, but was the last of my 2011 breeders, and the fact she was clean also cleared both her deceased mate Hills and their very lively babies. The other two, as noted, also never showed any symptoms.

At this point, Dr. James Wellehan, a prominent specialist in bacteriology/mycology and virology at the University (whose impressive bio can be found here ), generously agreed to review a list of questions about this newish bacteria. His response mentioned a previous outbreak in Southern Florida (though I have no idea of its timing, I do know that Vlad came from that area), verified the potential confusion between mycobacteria and tsukumurella, and clarified which chemicals might be effective at cleaning up either one. Otherwise, however -- from infectiousness to reproduction speed to survivability – his answers confirmed that even the experts did not know much about tsukumurella. Given this, and the low number of sick animals, I was leaning towards the vet’s recommendation of euthanizing whoever among those last four snakes was sick.

Another round of testing within that last group -- which the University conducted with stunning speed this time, completing two rounds in three weeks -- narrowed it down to just two animals. They had arrived just after the earliest symptoms broke, and must have been just unlucky to catch it. (In fact, looking at the arrival dates, I can guess why: they were the earliest arriving of the new acquisitions, before I even suspected an illness was afoot, and as the new arrivals were handled last -- even after snakes that later proved to be sick.)

I also received further proof that the illness was lousy at spreading. When I had set up the second round of PCRs, I had requested we re-test all six animals in the new arrival rack, just to make absolutely sure we were rooting out this illness for once and all. The vet, however, said he would not recommend it. I asked again later, and was told the same thing. So we re-tested just those four. I later found out that the University had (very kindly) tested the animals in two groups of two, not one group of four -- and that one of those pairs had originally tested clean. As we had not requested it, the vet had not noticed this fact at the time. That oversight, however, served its purpose for me: those same animals stayed clean on the re-test, even though they lived right next to a sick snake.

On February 23, we learned the sick snakes’ identities; and on February 24, specific details. As seems par for this experience, the results again contained a twist: the bacteria was mycobacteria after all, just two different strains. Although the PCR test had accurately detected the infection, this had caused it to misreport the specific strain on the first round as the closely-related tsukumurella. The second-round individual testing had reported the exact strains correctly. Reassuringly, neither was reptilian tuberculosis. Even more reassuringly, neither was even a slow-growing type. Of the two, multiple sources described the pathogenic one as a very low risk of transmission (thus supporting my observations), and the other as non-pathogenic at all. Given the fact neither snake showed any sign of illness, either to me or to the vet, I further suspect that both cases were inactive, and thus not infectious, lowering the risk even further. Thinking through those two snakes’ histories again, one of them had come to me from a top breeder, but after being rehabilitated from a pet store where she had not done well. I now wonder if that snake came in with an independent but ironically related issue that we were just lucky to catch in our sweep.

But these are final minutia in a long and tiring ordeal. The semi-serious case was transported to a local vet with 24 hours, during which his drawer was not even opened, and put to sleep on the morning of February 25. The other animal, due to a technical holdup, was my guest for a bit longer; she was put to sleep on February 28. Those gentle ends, far nicer than the freezer some owners use, was the last kindness I could offer two innocent victims of a random world. Their spots in the new arrival rack were immediately bleached. And then bleached again.

Following that, the entire facility was given a thorough cleaning…just to be sure.

Finally, we were clear.

When all was said and done, we had lost only three animals from the main collection -- and they were the exact same ones we had already self-identified and self-quarantined months ago -- plus two new arrivals who never left quarantine at all.

I only wish it had not cost me five months of my life and thousands on thousands of dollars to validate our firm’s own procedures.

------

Before I sign off, let me turn this from pure tragedy into (somewhat of) a triumph.

So long as I was only performing defensive testing in this crisis, I was playing the role of victim.

I hate being a victim.

So, having been through the grind already, I decided to be proactive, and turn this into an opportunity.

While the collection was now deemed clear of both IBD (a real-world threat) and PMV (a somewhat puzzling diagnosis in a boid-only collection), I never wanted to go through a major health scare again. To make sure of this, I had every new arrival from the past year screened for IBD using the new blood test described near the start of this piece. These tests -- which were run over the surprising objections of my vet, who felt we were already clear of this issue and who I had to prod to cooperate -- were conducted at the same time as the PCR tests, and conveniently meant that Dr. Jacobson, a noted specialist in IBD, was performing a secondary sweep of my collection after Dr. Garner. All six animals passed.

I also decided to go one step further still by vetting our entire 2011 and 2012 breeder lineups, and again had every member screened for IBD using that same test. Again, all six animals passed -- including the babies’ Mom, which (again) clears both Hills and them.

For those who doubted the original reversal, another 12 negatives should bury any and all doubt.

As every animal in the Living Gems collection has now had both an inspection by one of the top reptiles vets in the country and a PCR test by a leading research lab; and as the overall collection has been extensively probed for IBD by the two of the top specialists in the world, I believe that this incident has -- ironically -- made us one of the best-tested, and therefore safest, reptile facilities in the United States. That means buyers do not need to take the “leap of faith” about health that reptile transactions have traditionally required in this business: you can see hard evidence, in advance of spending your money. As proof, test results for parent animals will be made available to customers of their litters upon request. While no one can ever claim a 100% certainty of being disease free, I feel this gives us a unique and significant competitive edge.

Sadly, however, this experience has fundamentally changed how I view our industry. I will never take for granted that the cute little boa being offered to me, no matter how high-end the genes or well-regarded the breeder, even might be healthy. Too many sellers these days fail to necropsy -- much less announce -- their dead, and even some of the best have admitted serious quarantine lapses in the past year. Then there are the countless horror stories I’ve heard over the past six months from specialists of all stripes on just how much stays buried in our industry, such as vendors who receive a diagnosis of IBD and do no more than put down the single sick animal. A secure facility -- or, at least as close as our industry can come to that holiest of grails -- is a tested facility.

I will also never again believe an institution's promise about a deadline. While the final test results are a vindication of the Living Gems collection, they were painful to obtain. I've already described the long delay with the University of Florida. That delay, while vexing, was at least a one-time hiccup, and the University performed subsequent PCR and IBD tests with stunning skill and speed. What was more agonizing were the endless bad luck and communication glitches plaguing other parts of this process. For example, when we had to re-run one set of tests, half of the replacement samples froze on the way, and the vet did not bother to tell me for eight days -- adding another weeks’ delay to the overall process. In a small but necessary criticism, while I respect both Dr. Boyer and University of Florida as premier institutions with highly talented professionals and staff, the lack of immediate communication about such delays worries me. If this had actually been a severe and contagious viral disease rather than the simple and low-contagion bacterial incursion it was, all sorts of mayhem could have happened during these delays. (That said, I strongly urge people to support and use both facilities. This odd experience aside, they are amazing resources, and their skills and tests can help make this a safer industry.)

And I will never, ever again take the word of the first “expert” to weigh in.

Going forward, I intend to maintain Living Gems’ new edge by instituting several new policies. We have already instituted the first of these, eliminating re-feeding. While I know many top breeders engage in it, Living Gems will never do so again. Two, I am vastly curtailing purchases of adult animals. Given how often they can change hands -- and the fact that a Tier 1 male is rarely sold anyway, and a Tier 1 female almost never -- I feel it is no longer worth the extra risk to our collection. Three, as the “six-month quarantine” theory has proven woefully incomplete by itself, all new arrivals from here on will also undergo a vet inspection the day of arrival, disease testing (to include IBD, PCR, and a fecal at a minimum) during quarantine, and a final vet inspection at the end of quarantine. I feel these new steps raise our already thorough procedures to the best in the Brazilian industry.

As a final silver lining to this situation, I now have a very good grasp on major reptile diseases, available medical tests, and quarantine best practices, as well as connections with several leading specialists -- all of which provide a nice bonus in addressing the future needs and questions of our customers.

------

Which brings us, in the end, full circle to the snakes where this all began.

To “Vlad,” what can I say? You were confrontational from the start, but maybe you were, in your own snake way, trying to warn me off. It was not your fault, and I hope that you no longer suffer.

To “Lancelot,” there’s something oddly fitting about a snake of that name giving his life in a quest to save his people. Lance, rest in peace knowing your sacrifice saved over 30 friends from an undeserved end, and that your brother Galahad will carry on in your name.

To our new arrivals, I’m sorry you got caught in the crossfire of a cleanup. In better circumstances -- not at the end of a marathon testing regimen, not in a time crunch due to breeding and sales, but mostly not in a facility with limited space -- you would have been strong candidates for treatment.

To “Topaz,” last in this sad list and my favorite snake, I’m again so sorry that three different consultations with two different vets could not determine what ailed you. Your mate never gave a single sign that he was sick until I’d had him for 14 months. At least you were redeemed of worse accusations in the end, and through that redemption have painted a vivid warning for other keepers. Your legacy is now clear.

To our customers, I would like to thank you yet again for your patience throughout this trial. My first and foremost concern as a breeder is to never ship a sick reptile, and I’m proud to say we met that goal. I apologize for not sharing the specifics sooner, but I knew something was terribly wrong with that original diagnosis, and wanted to make sure I had incontestable proof in hand before I posted this.

To doctors Boyer, Garner, Jacobson (and his amazingly helpful graduate student Rita), Mader, Steffes, Wellehan, Wozniak, and all their wonderful staffs, thank you for your help and assistance throughout a long process. Your expertise saved a lot of amazing pets.

The rest of our snakes continue to act fine…even puzzled by all the fuss. Tigers Eye, the second snake with a minor scale issue, has since shed it out and looks much better. Perhaps fittingly, she is a younger half-sister to Topaz, and looks it. The snake who regurgitated due to being startled continues to feed fine to this day. The snake who refused rats downed four sessions of live mice, and recently took her first frozen/thawed meals again. The big male who went exploring has passed the most thorough sets of tests I’ve ever performed on a new arrival, and will take his place in our 2012 breeder lineup.

It is only the carpeting between the snake room and the bathroom that bears scars: the former stylish green weave is littered with dozens on dozens of tiny white dots, vivid testament to five months of living with bleach. But if the worst fallout I have to deal with from this mess is a few stains, I count myself a lucky man. Had I not noticed early inconsistencies and insisted on a second opinion, this could have ended far worse -- all due to a simple illness distorted by a horribly errant diagnosis, further compounded by repeated delays. To repeat: this post serves as a public warning of the importance of measured reactions, strict procedures, and only using the best “exotic” specialists in the industry.

If a customer or reader has any questions or concerns, please let me know. Although all is well at Living Gems, I’ve taken a considerable risk in sharing this story to make sure no one ever destroys an innocent collection like I almost did, and would rather address any concerns upfront than allow the rumor mill to churn bad info.

As always, thank you for reading.

Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles: premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility

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Venom research wrap-up: Catching smugglers in India with DNA

By Cindy Steinle
Fri, March 30 2012 at 09:27

DNA is being recovered from the smuggled venom of Indian Cobras in an attempt to nab the smugglers.

Smuggling dried cobra venom has its challenges. First there’s the difficulty of milking these highly venomous snakes; it takes time, patience and skill. (It took the legendary snake wrangler Bill Haast three years and 69,000 milkings to produce one pint of coral snake venom, for example.)

Then the smugglers have to furtively transport the stuff and find a buyer with deep pockets. Trepidation is warranted: the authorities in Kerala, India, have made a number of arrests in recent years for venom trafficking, an activity they say is on the rise. It’s illegal to trade in venom from any snake species protected under the country’s Wildlife Act, including the Indian cobra. But how to prove that the substance came from an endangered cobra?

Now scientists have a way. After a recent raid on a hotel room in Kerala, the local magistrate sent venom samples to the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad. For the first time, scientists were able to analyze DNA within the venom to prove that it came from the Indian cobra, or Naja naja.

The smugglers were charged with illegal hunting and trafficking of a protected animal, both of which are punishable by a prison sentence up to three years and/or a fine of 25,000 rupees (about $500). The case is still pending

To read the full article, click here. In an attempt to find the next greatest high, some Indian drug dealers are now making a drug derived from Cobra Venom.

Delhi Police on Monday night seized half-a-litre of venom extracted from cobras and other reptiles, which are classified as highly endangered species under the Wildlife Act.

The raid, at Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminus in east Delhi, was conducted following a tip-off from People for Animals (PFA), an animal welfare organisation.

"Police seized five cobras just two days before Valentine's Day," Sourabh Gupta, a wildlife activist with PFA, said.
"Similar seizures were conducted before Diwali and New Year. The drugs are commonly used in Delhi and NCR; many are commonly called K-72 and K-76."

He added that half-a-litre of venom costs millions of rupees in the international market.

To read the full article, click here.

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Wednesday, March 28 2012

NRAAC re-forms, announces annual reptile law symposium

By Jeff Barringer
Wed, March 28 2012 at 08:54

http://nraac.org

The National Reptile and Amphibian Advisory Council has been re-born to run an annual symposium on reptiles, amphibians, and the law.

In 1997, John Cherry of Cherryville Farms, Stephen Hammack from the Fort Worth Zoo and HISS, and I had dinner after a Texas Reptile Expo in Arlington. By the time our dinner ended, we had convinced ourselves that the reptile community needed a lobbying organization and we were the only three idiots silly enough to take on such a task.

We had decided to use the then-new power of the Internet to start, manage, market and run the organization. Thus the original incarnation of NRAAC was born.

When we put the organization to bed in late 2001 it had been quite successful for what it was, with a membership in excess of 17,000 and active "cells" in 20 or more states across the U.S., working primarily on state laws and regulations. We had some success in Texas, California and a few other states, but by the time we ended it, the need for the organization had lessened significantly. Additionally, kingsnake.com had overwhelmed my schedule. We had learned much about what to do and not to do when running a lobbying organization, and we all swore never to do anything like that again.

Continue reading "NRAAC re-forms, announces annual reptile law symposium"

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Monday, March 26 2012

Conservation center reintroduces Indigo Snakes

By Cindy Steinle
Mon, March 26 2012 at 11:30

The Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation hopes to save one of Florida's native snakes through their reintroduction efforts.

Courtney Russo studies the lustrous black-colored snake loosely coiled in a glass enclosure at a new reptile-conservation facility in northeast Lake County. The rare 5-pound reptile soon will require more food and nutrients, like any expectant mother.

"We'll probably start to see changes come April. She'll start eating more," said Russo, a herpetology technician. "She'll need some kind of calcium supplement. And she'll start gaining weight like any good pregnant mama."

The nonvenomous snake is playing an important role in saving her species, the endangered Eastern indigo snake. Once commonly found throughout Florida and the Southeast but quietly disappearing for years because of development, the Eastern indigo is considered important to the region's ecosystem as it feasts on rattlesnakes and other venomous serpents.

As always, the reason for these animals' disappearance can be traced back to human encroachment. To read the full article, click here.

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Tuesday, March 20 2012

Tinley Summit sparks idea for legal symposium

By Jeff Barringer
Tue, March 20 2012 at 21:34

After this weekend's summit, a number of people in the community -- those who could and those who couldn't attend the summit meeting in Chicago -- and I are exploring the idea of a Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium that would be 3-4 days of panels, workshops and seminars on federal, state, and international laws and regulations and the people and organizations they impact.

While the summit itself is a good place to receive a "State of the Union" address, the limited time allowed and the distractions of an attached reptile expo limit the amount of real work and networking that might be accomplished.

As we hope to extend an invitation to virtually everyone with an interest in reptile laws, we have created an open group on Facebook, "neutral ground", that will allow anyone to submit their ideas and input. The group description says it best:

"I am looking for people who would like to discuss the proposal/idea of a reptile and amphibian laws and regulations symposium, to be 3-4 days of workshops and talks with all parties with a vested interest, including zoos, universities, all state FW & DNR, USFW, USDA and other interested parties. No reptile expo, no banquet, no auction, completely un-commercial and neutral - just work - if you are interested in participating in this discussion, or possibly assisting/volunteering/participating in this symposium please reply to this thread, or/and send me an email. "

Almost 100 people have already joined the group and are offering input, including Marshall Meyers of PIJAC who posted the following in support:

"PIJAC, in conjunction with several other national organizations representing zoos, marine parks/aquariums, sport fishing and hunting, food aquaculture, etc., plan on hosting a summit meeting to review problems encountered related to possession, trading, importing, exporting, captive breeding, etc. of non-native species...

Your idea of holding a symposium to pull together thoughts, problems, etc within the reptile/amphibian community that could be synthesized and submitted at the overall summit meeting would be most beneficial. In fact this could set the stage for other taxa...."

There is more to Marshall's post, where he reveals more about PIJAC's summit, as well as a new injurious Risk Screening methodology being tested by USFWS that will screen 1,400 species this year and may be one of a number of solutions to our issues with injurious and invasive species. But to read it and to participate in planning the reptile and amphibian law symposium, you will need to join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/344339472269726/

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Monday, March 19 2012

Report from Tinley

By Cindy Steinle
Mon, March 19 2012 at 12:30

It has been a very long time since Jeff and I were in the same show together but this year, we were both at NARBC in Tinley.

This was the first time I have ever worked a retail booth at a show. When kingsnake.com used to have booths, it was a hour or so of free shirts and we were off to play. After spending a long time convincing kingsnake.com BFF Kerry King to bring his carpets to Chicago, he ended up a little short-handed at times, so I ended up helping all weekend. Of course that was also where our banner was positioned with our free stickers, so it made sense that I stuck around.

I really gained a lot of respect for some of the work our advertisers put into their weekends. It is rough to get up at the crack of dawn and set things up. This, however, is something I am pretty familiar with from my long educational weekends. However, most of my animals that are on display are able to be touched and petted by each and every person who asks. Not knowing the Psychotic Exotic animals well, there was no way I was pulling things out for people to play with.

Thankfully, right around the corner from our booth were two great educational groups, The Chicago Herpetological Society and Windy City Reptiles, with animals to play with. Having them present allowed me to kindly brush off the people wanting to pet their first snake to somewhere more appropriate. And can anyone tell me why it is always the snake with the highest price tag people want to put in their 3-year-old child's hand? Fortuntely, just because someone can't touch doesn't mean they can't learn.

It was nice learning a new aspect of the community. After being with kingsnake for over 10 years, I sometimes think I have done it all. This made me think I should swing by more booths and help out down the road. And quite honestly, I really did learn that if you all need to find me, you will. Thanks to everyone who brought concerns and questions to me.

If you haven't already checked 'em out, Jeff took a ton of photos of the show. To see the full album, click here.

Top photo - Todd and me working the booth. I am checking ks.com emails.
Bottom Photo - Team Psychotic kingsnake, the name JeffB gave us.

Kerry pre-occupied meeting fans and signing autographs

Me taking a rare chance to sit and chat with my husband who popped in for a visit.

A sampling of the snakes we were selling.

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Sunday, March 18 2012

Expo attendees get their Irish on for St. Patricks Day

By Jeff Barringer
Sun, March 18 2012 at 16:06

It was perhaps more than a wee bit ironic that St. Patrick famously "drove" the snakes from Ireland, and on the day celebrating him the reptile community would be gathered in Chicago, where they turn the river green in his honor, to discuss a possible similar fate. Nonetheless there were plenty of reptile and amphibian hobbyists that turned out for Saturdays herp law summit and expo decked in green to celebrate, in a town that apparently has more Irishman than County Cork. There were perhaps more than a few herpers Sunday morning regretting their Irish blood.

While I was unable to stay for Sundays show due to an early flight out (I got to spend time waiting at the airport with Kevin McCurley from NERD so it wasn't all bad), Saturday's foot traffic was heavy all day, with lots of buyers leaving with full shopping bags, which was bound to make the vendors happy. And there were dozens of vendors from across the country including the Discovery Channel's Swamp Brothers, longtime herpers Stephen and Robbie Keszey at their Glade's Herp Booth, taking pictures with kids and selling reptiles at the same time. Also taking a lot of pictures was Slayer's Kerry King at his Psychotic Exotics booth, who took time out from selling T-shirts and carpet pythons to sign autographs and pose with fans, signing a guitar for the USARK/PIJAC benefit auction later on. His first trip to the Chicago Expo, he is already making plans to return for the fall show, if his tour schedule allows. The Boaphile Jeff Ronne also made an appearance, with both cages and boas, providing a refreshing break in what appeared to be a sea of ball pyon color morphs, and crushing rumors he himself had started regarding the death of his famous beard.

Jim Nesci with Cold Blooded Creatures and Bubba his alligator were there too, out in the lobby, giving kids and adults alike an opportunity to get a hands on educational experience with one of natures oldest reptiles. Cold Blooded Creatures was but one of the many educational groups and organizations with booths at this weekends expo, and Saturday was filled with reptile talks by people like the Swamp Brothers, Brian Barczyk and kingsnake.com's own Cindy Steinle.

To check out over 200 pictures from yesterdays events head over to our Reptile Summit Photo Gallery.

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SICK SOFTSHELL TURTLE NEED HELP

By
Sun, March 18 2012 at 14:19

My spiny softshell turtle is 24+ years old. Her shell is 10" long. Recently, she is acting ill. She has been biting and killing goldfish but not eating them or anything else. She has developed a black blotch on the back of her neck.

At a reptile store, the manager thought the blotch to be more of an abrasion than a fungus. He also noticed that her back 'toes' had some abrasions. She has been in the same water filled aquarium for many years with no problems. My turtle is now lethargic and barely moves in or out of the aquarium. She used to walk around in the backyard but now hardly any motion.

Does anyone have any thoughts on helping my turtle, Myrtle?

Thank you

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