ColdBlooded

Tragedy in the Grand Caymans -- Guest Chat, and How You Can Help

Kingsnake.com has received news from the Blue Iguana Recovery Program about a horrifying incident that occurred on May 3, 2008, at the QE II Botanic Park in the Cayman Islands:

"Six critically endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas were killed by unknown persons late on Saturday evening, in the QE II Botanic Park. The crime was discovered by volunteers with the National Trust's Blue Iguana Recovery Programme, shortly after 9am on Sunday morning.

"The iguanas appeared to have massive internal injuries, as if they had been stamped on violently and repeatedly. Some were also cut and partially dismembered. Three were found dead inside their breeding pens, two had been carried out of their pens and left in the tour area outside. The body of the sixth is still missing, but entrails on the trail outside his pen are a grim sign of his fate."

Please join us for a special guest chat with John Binns of the International Reptile Conservation Foundation and Fred Burton of the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme will be joining us Saturday May 17, 2008 at 7 pm Eastern TIme (4 PM Pacific Time) to discuss the recent tragedy at the QE II Botonatical Gardens, the latest developments in the investigation, and how you can help BIRP recover from this tragedy and support conservation.

To join us in chat:

http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_id=1011

For more information:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/226-Blue-Iguanas-Violently-Killed-in-Grand-Caymans.html

http://www.blueiguana.ky/bluedeaths.html

To donate to support the recovery, go to:

http://www.ircf.org/donate.php

Under "Direct my donation to," select "Blue Iguana Recovery Program."

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Cold Blooded Chronicles: Legal Alert

Cold Blooded Chronicles
The newsletter of kingsnake.com

________________
From the Editor:

Howdy!

This has been a rough year for us herpers. Fresh on the heels of the Texas change in laws, Florida has enacted some rough ownership and sale laws in regards to invasive species. Now the US Fish and Wildlife is looking for feedback on the possible impact adding species of the Python, Boa and Eunectes to the Injurious Wildlife List of the Lacey Act. What this would basically do is end the import of these animals but also end any interstate travel of these animals. This includes sale and purchases. This would be crippling to our industry as we know it.

If you haven't yet taken the time to read through the information we have gathered, you can find some basics here:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/202-Feds-Move-To-Ban-Pythons-Boas.html

Our Herp Law forum is also hopping with activity these days and you can take the time to visit it:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=13

Around the same time the Inquiry was quietly announced, the United States Geological Survey released a report that sent ripples through the country. This report had people thinking of snakes on a plain, the desert, the mountains and more. This report basically predicted that many of the larger species of snakes would infiltrate middle America. And furthermore that they would be capable of traverse our great land from the Florida Everglades to the California deserts. This mildly dubious map and the report can be found here:

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1875

Dave Barker published a response to this report in the Chicago Herpetological Society's March Bulletin and can be found here:

http://www.vpi.com/sites/vpi.com/files/Tympanum.pdf

So why is all this important to you? This is our hobby and there is a good chance it can be taken away. The ban of sales of some of the most common species, Ball Pythons included, could easily cripple our industry. It will not only impact the breeders of these species but also the cage and supply businesses will lose income as well as the feeder supply companies.

So what can you do?

How to take action here:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1509844,1509844

Read Kingsnake.com's response to the inquiry here:

http://kingsnake.com/USFWSBoaPythonResponse.pdf

When you respond, keep these tips in mind:

-- Take the time to formulate a polite letter.
-- Take the extra time to run it through a spell check.
-- Keep your comments polite. Name calling to either the inquiry or the agencies involved does nothing to project your stance.
-- Address any state laws currently in effect in regards to these species or interstate trade of animals.

I realize this is probably the longest letter from the editor ever written in the history of the Cold Blooded Chronicles, but this appeals to each and every herper. From those owning one reptile pet to the large scale breeders. Everyone's response is needed. This could cripple the industry as we know it and change all the rules without everyone's support.

If you have already submitted your comments, thank you! Our industry needs to band together to prevent this from happening.

Cindy Steinle
Editor, Cold Blooded Chronicles

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Kerry King TONIGHT, 10 PM Eastern/7 PM Pacific, on kingsnake.com!

Our Tenth Annual kingsnake.com Chat Event is closing tonight with a bang, and with a new date and time for Kerry King, guitarist and founding member of seminal thrash metal band Slayer!

Kerry will be our guest tonight, Saturday, March 1, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room:

http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_id=1011

Thanks for making our tenth year presenting these online chats such a huge success, and watch http://www.kingsnake.com/articles/HerpChat10.html for the transcripts of all the chats... they'll be posted in the coming week.

Transcripts of all our chats -- herps, birds, dogs, cats, and exotics -- will be posted here:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/ChatMonth10.html

See you tonight!

All of us at kingsnake.com

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kingsnake.com's 10th Annual Chat MONTH Starts Friday!

Have trouble reading HTML emails? This announcement can be read on the web here: http://www.kingsnake.com/articles/HerpChat10.html

kingsnake.com Chat Month
February 1-March 1, 2008

For the last ten years, kingsnake.com has been presenting an annual online symposium about living with, keeping, raising, breeding, rescuing, and caring for herps. In celebration of this anniversary, together with the rest of the PetHobbyist.com family of websites, we've extended Chat Week into Chat Month. We're opening on the evening of Friday, February 1, with one of the strongest voices in the pet world today, Nathan Winograd, speaking about his controversial book "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Movement in America," and closing with a very special guest on March 1.

With more guests and dates being added every day, our confirmed lineup currently includes:

Friday, February 1

Nathan Winograd
Author of "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America"
Friday, February 1, at 9 PM Eastern, in the Audi torium
Nathan Winograd's 2007 book "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America" set off a firestorm of controversy -- and inspired an army of animal lovers across the country, calling for serious reform of the American shelter system and an end to the use of killing as a tool of animal population control for all species. Winograd expressly includes reptiles, exotic, and farm animals in his movement for shelter reform. If you have an interest in how the myth of "pet overpopulation" is being used to fuel an anti-pet agenda, this chat is for you!
Get more information and sign up for a free email reminder here!

Sunday, February 3

Bill Love
Photography for Herps
Sunday, February 3, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Bill has always enjoyed seeking herps in nature, and recording them on film in their natural haunts is one of his true passions, whether he's in Madagascar, Baja, or just near home in Florida's Everglades. Bill is known for his love of photography. He is passing that love on to others working with photo contests at the NARBC shows. Stop by to get a few tips of the trade from Bill.

Kathy Love
Cornsnakes
Sunday, February 3, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
With husband Bill Love, Kathy began breeding many colubrid snake species, and drifted towards specializing in selective breeding for attractive color and pattern morphs in her favorites, the corn snakes, Elaphe guttata. She co-authored "The Corn Snake Manual," which originally was published in 2000 and a new revised version released in 2005. Join us and the Corn Snake Queen to talk all things colubrid.

Friday, February 8

Blood Python Panel
Kara Glasgow, Ryan Norris, Rich Crowley
Friday, February 8, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Blood Pythons are the new hot python. Still saddled with a history of aggression related to wild caught species, these strong willed snakes hook those who dare keep them. A big snake in a small package, Whether you keep Reds, Blacks or Borneos, we have someone here to answer your questions. Joining us this evening are Kara Glasgow of Bloodpythons.com; Ryan Norris of the Blood Cell; and Rich Crowley to talk short tails. Venture beyond the reputation of these snakes to learn the truth of the Blood Python!

Saturday, February 9

Chris Dieter
Croc Care
Saturday, February 9, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Chris and Bernadette Dieter are the owners and operators of Crocodile Encounter an educational wildlife company in the Houston area. He is the author of "The Ultimate Guide to Crocodilians in Captivity" and is co-author of a forthcoming title from Kreiger publishing on the same topic. He has written over 40 herp related articles for various herpetological publications. He and his wife maintain the largest group of Nile crocodiles(Crocodylus niloticus) in the USA and these animals and their care are the primary herpetological interest. Chris has traveled the USA researching the various methods zoos and private keepers use to maintain crocodilians in captivity. You can learn more about crocodilian care by visiting the Crocodile Experience website.

Sunday, February 10

Dant� Fenolio
The Declining Amphibians
Sunday, February 10, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Dant� Fenolio has always loved field work and particularly has enjoyed amphibians. A Ph.D. Candidate with the University of Miami, Department of Biology - Coral Gables, he holds degrees Environmental Studies, Biology, and Zoology. His studies have ranged from Ozark blind cave salamander ecology to the herpetofauna of termite mounds in Brazil to canopy dwelling amphibians of Madagascar's northeastern rainforests. His primary area of research involves the ecology of challenging microhabitats. Dant� is also a known field photographer having traveled extensively through the Americas working in the field as well as taking some amazing shots. He has also worked in East Africa and Madagascar. Dant� is joining us this evening to discuss amphibians in general, with emphasis on the upper Amazon Basin region.

Friday, February 15

Kevin McCurley
Large Pythons
Friday, February 15, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
NERD's Kevin McCurley first focused his breeding efforts on Pituophis and other large colubrids, and over the course of time the collection grew along with an interest in pythons, particularly retics and ball pythons. During the past ten years, that focus has brought myriad color morphs and combinations to the NERD collection, many of which were first bred at his facility.The EvilMorphGod joins us this even to talk Big Business. This time Kevin will be joining us to talk about the large constrictors. Golden Child fans come forth.

Saturday, February 16

Jim Harrison and Kristen Wiley of the Kentucky Reptile Zoo
Anti-venom Research
Saturday, February 16, at 8 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
The Kentucky Reptile Zoo is a non-profit organization featuring a zoo exhibit, venom extraction lab, and educational outreach programs. Founded in 1990 by director Jim Harrison, the zoo's goals of education, conservation, and venom research are at the foundation of everything KRZ represents. The zoo is less than an hour's drive east of Lexington, KY located near beautiful Natural Bridge State Resort Park in the town of Slade.

Frank Retes
Monitors
Saturday, February 16, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
One of the more common names associated with both field herping and captive monitor keeping is Frank Retes, of the Goanna Ranch. Frank is known for raising monitors in as naturalistic an environment as possible. Frank has also one of the leading breeders of monitor species. Often outspoken and occasionally controversial, Frank will join us this evening to share monitor husbandry and advice.

Sunday, February 17

Jeff Clark
Rainbow Boas
Sunday, February 17, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Jeff Clark of Savannah, Georgia has been hunting and keeping and breeding snakes much of the time since his first pet snake had babies in 1964. He has kept many different species and has captive bred dozens of different ones. He has specialized in Rainbow Boas since 1989. He currently keeps 6 different subspecies of Rainbow Boas and has kept and captive bred one other Rainbow Boa subspecies.

Friday, February 22

Nigel Marvin
Topic to be announced
Friday, February 22, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
From sharks to alligators to anacondas, Nigel has proven he can hold his own in the animal kingdom! You may have seen him hosting Discovery�s "Shark Week," "Nigel�s Wild, Wild World," "Chased by Sea Monsters," or "Prehistoric Park" on Animal Planet. The host, film-maker and author will appear at the second annual North American Reptile Conference and Trade Show on Saturday and Sunday, February 22-23 at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington Texas, but first he will stop by to chat with our members.

Jeff Ronne, Sr.
Boa constrictors
Friday, February 22, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
In Jeff Ronne's own words: "I have been breeding Boa Constrictors since long before Boas were cool. I have bred and produced babies every year since 1986. In fact in the late 80s and early 90s Boas were near the bottom of nearly all herpers' lists of animals that were cool to work with. Anyhow, I hung in there and NOW Boas are among the most popular of all herps kept today! I didn't get into this to get rich. I began breeding Boas because I have always been fascinated with them. I wanted to specialize in one thing and really loved the Boas. In case a visit to my site didn't make you realize it...I don't take myself too seriously. I do take my animals seriously though. I love these kids!"

Saturday, February 23

Tess Cook -- NOTE EARLY TIME!
Box Turtles
Saturday, February 23, at 4 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Tess Cook has been involved with box turtles since 1991 and in 1996 launched an online box turtle care handbook and created a Terrapene discussion group. In 2002, she became a wildlife rehabilitator and has rehabilitated dozens of box turtles, as well as presented educational talks on these animals. She is author of a new book coming soon to a pet store near you, �Box Turtles: A Completed Guide to Terrapene and Cuora.�

Sunday, February 24

Charles "Botar" Black
Inverts
Sunday, February 24, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Botar was born and raised in Springfield, MO. He attended the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. He has kept a wide variety of animals and invertebrates since childhood, and began selling captive bred invertebrates in 2001. Botar has amassed one of the largest collections in the US, producing thousands of captive bred spiderlings per year. He will be joining us tonight, in a joint chat with InsectHobbyist.com, to discuss the care and keeping of invertebrates.

Friday, February 29

Colette Sutherland
Ball Pythons
Friday, February 29, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
TSK,Inc. or The Snake Keepers are the family of the Sutherlands: Dan, Colette and their four children, Joshua, Scott, Summer and Nicole. The love of snakes was in their lives long before Dan and Colette ever met. While kids they kept snakes that they would catch. Colette still has her childhood ball python Kashmire. She bought him when she was only 12 years old. He is a little slower now than he was years ago. Colette had completed her degree in Zoology just a year before she met Dan. When they were married Colette brought three snakes with her, Kashmire and a pair of adult albino corns. They began breeding kingsnakes and milksnakes and a few ball pythons. In 1989 The Snake Keeper was formed. Later in 1995 they sold off everything but the ball pythons and began concentrating only on those snakes. Colette joins us this evening to share her perspective on Ball Pythons.

Saturday, March 1

TBA
A very special guest!
Saturday, March 1, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Watch this space for the announcement of a very special guest who'll be closing out our tenth annual chat event!

How to Attend

These events will be held in the chat room(s) linked from this page. To access the chats:

If you are a registered user of our site, simply follow the direct link to the chat as given above, and log in with your username and password. (Forgot them? Click here!)

If you are not already a registered user of the site, registration is not required - simply go to chat.pethobbyist.com and use the "Guest" log-in option, then select the scheduled chat room for your event.

There is nothing to download or install, but the system does require you to have java enabled in your browser settings. We strongly suggest you access the room before the chat, so you have time to address any difficulties you might have. You might want to drop by one of our regular weekly chats as a test run. If you have trouble, please visit our Chat Help Area.

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Cold Blooded Chronicles Holidays 2007

Cold Blooded Chronicles
News from kingsnake.com

In this issue:

Happy Holidays!
2007 Bestsellers in our Bookstore
Tenth Annual Chat... MONTH?
Videos are Here!

__________
Happy Holidays!

We wish a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year to the users of kingsnake.com! Thank you all for being part of our community.

Happy Holidays!

Jeff Barringer
Clint Gilders
Christie Keith
And all of us at Pethobbhyist.com

__________
2007 Bestsellers in our Bookstore

What were the top-selling herp titles of 2007 in the kingsnake.com bookstore? These are the books you chose:

1. Varanoid Lizards of the World
2. Boas and Pythons of the World
3. Kingsnakes and Milksnakes : Everything About Purchase, Care, Nutrition, Breeding, Behavior, and Training
4. Turtles of the World
5. Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas and Pythons
6. Captive Husbandry and Propagation of the Boa Constrictors and Related Boas
7. Venomous Snakes: Snakes in the Terrarium
8. Vivaria Designs
9. Monitors: The Biology of Varanid Lizards
10. Steve and Me: Life with the Crocodile Hunter

Find new releases, 2008 herp calendars, and books hand-selected by our editors all year round! And there's still time for last minute holiday shopping, too! It's in the kingsnake.com bookstore!

___________________
Tenth Annual Chat... MONTH?

Yes, we've all lost our minds at PetHobbyist.com! In celebration of our tenth annual Chat Week, the web's longest running series of animal-related chat events, we've decided to do it all month long, starting in February 2008. Stay tuned for news of our exciting guests, and as always, if you have guests or topics you'd like to see covered, drop a note to PHFaust.

____________
Videos are Here!

If you haven't checked it out yet, kingsnake.com is building a video archive of herp-related videos. You can check out the videos here, or submit clips from YouTube -- yours, or just great ones you've come across -- here.

___________________
Copyright 2007 by OnlineHobbyist.com, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. --

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Cold Blooded Chronicles May 2007

Cold Blooded Chronicles
May 2007

Letter from the Editor
Guest Chat Announcements
Photo Contest
Crested Gecko Care Sheet

_____________
From the Editor

It's been a crazy spring here at kingsnake. A new look to celebrate our 10th year of just hanging around. A phenomenal chat week. We would just like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been there with us for the wonderful ride.

Spring is just around the corner. Do you have any great field tips you can share with other members? From what I hear, the herps are out early this year and numbers are looking nice. Share your photos from the field in our photo gallery http://gallery.kingsnake.com/?cat=557&thumb=1 or on our forums at http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=149.

As always we do accept submissions for Cold Blooded Chronicles. Would you like to see your work published? Email me for details.

Guest chats are here! Once a month we will have one of our many leaders in the reptile industry here in chat to talk about what interests you. Who do you want to come next month? Email me with your suggestions.

Cindy
PHFaust
phfaust@pethobbyist.com

___________
GUEST CHATS

We have two special guest chats coming up this month. First up is Garrick DeMeyer of www.crestedgeckos.com on Sunday May 5th at 10 pm ET in the Reptile and Amphibian Chat room.

Garrick has had an avid interest in reptiles since childhood. His primary interest is breeding animals that make excellent pets. Geckos fill that spot quite nicely. Leopard, Cresties, Fat Tails, and Gargoyle geckos make up his primary animals, however he has had basically every type of gecko known to man. His newest addition to his gecko breeding project are the Leachies, which he started with about a year ago. Come and ask your Gecko related questions to Garrick in the Reptile and Amphibian chat room.
Learn why these little beauties make great pets for the beginner and the expert. To learn more about Garrick and his breeding projects before chat visit www.crestedgeckos.com. Hope to see you there!

Although not focused on herps, we're having another special chat this week we thought you'd like to know about.

When Menu Foods, back on March 16, announced its first recall of pet foods due to melamine contamination, the mainstream media was only briefly interested.

To a small group of bloggers, it was apparent from the first days that this story was much larger than most people thought. They began compiling data, comparing information, collecting personal stories, and digging for facts. Since then, there have been dozens of additional recalls, threats to the human health supply, a re-evaluation of international food safety standards, and a rising wave of frightened and angry pet owners.

PetHobbyist.com invites you to attend an online panel discussion with the bloggers who have been following the pet food crisis from the beginning, to discuss the story behind the recall, what's likely to happen next, and what pet owners can do to protect their pets now and in the future.

Joining us will be:

Gina Spadafori and Christie Keith of PetConnection.com
Ben Huh of Itchmo.com
Therese Kopiwoda of PetSitUSA.com and ThePetFoodList.com
Kim Duke of petfoodtracker.blogspot.com

(Note: Christie Keith is PetHobbyist.com director of community services, and Therese Kopiwoda heads up PetHobbyist.com's marketing department.)

The chat will be held on Tuesday, May 8 at 10 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium. To receive a free email reminder of the special chat, sign up
here:

http://news.pethobbyist.com/index.cgi/archive/recall/

More information, and complete information on how to attend the chat, is
here:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/50-Online-Panel-about-Pet-Food-Recall-May-8.html

Both our guest chats will be moderated.

_____________
PHOTO CONTEST

We'll be starting a photo contest soon, and this month's topic will be Crested Geckos. We'll let you know the details soon, but in the meantime, we thought we'd share some info on the crested gecko.

________________________
Crested Gecko Care Sheet
Stephanie Beiser
http://www.jsrhacs.com/

Crested Gecko
Rhacodactylus ciliatus

Size: 4-4.5" snout to vent; 7-9" total with tail

Lifespan: 10-15 years avarage

Temperature:
70-80 F (22-27 C) day
60-75 F (18-24 C) night

Humidity:
50-60% day
60-80% night

The crested gecko, a native of New Caledonia, was thought be extinct until it was �rediscovered� in the early 1990�s by two independent research groups. It is a medium sized, stocky gecko species with an average adult size of 7-9 inches in total length (including the tail). Almost all wild adult crested geckos are found without tails, and it is not an unusual occurrence for a captive animal to drop it�s tail seemingly without reason. This fact has no effect on the animals general health or ability to breed.

The crested gecko also belongs to the category of �wall climbing� geckos, having adhesive toe pads as well as a pad on the tip of the tail. They are also able to vocalize, with growls and barks being heard most often out of geckos being kept in groups, not as a single animal. Because of the short amount of time they have been kept as captive animals, an exact lifespan is not know, although most estimates are 15-20 years. They are now being captive bred in a wide array of colors and patterns.

The difference between adult males and females is made obvious by an enlarged hemipenal bulge on the males, and small preanal pores.Crested Geckos usually can not be accurately sexed until at least 4-5 months of age, and some may take much longer.

Basic Care:

Habitat: The cage setup for crested geckos can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Cresteds appreciate tall enclosures over lengthy ones, so 18, 20 tall, and 22 gallon aquariums work well for individual geckos. They can also be kept in secure screen cages of approximately the same dimensions. Pairs or trios of geckos can be kept in larger enclosures...29 and 40 tall gallon tanks work well for this purpose. These geckos are nocturnal, and as such should be provided with plenty of adequate hiding spaces for daytime retreat. Cages can be outfitted with branches, perches, and fake or live foliage. The substrate of choice for a low-maintenance setup is paper towel�.for a more naturalistic cage, coconut fiber can be used (which also makes prime egg-laying material for breeding animals). No wood chips of any sort should ever be used. These geckos can be housed at room temperature unless your house stays fairly cool, in which case they -should be provided with a warmer basking are
a (~75-80 degrees). These geckos should be misted several times daily, and can also be provided with water in a shallow dish.

Diet: Crested geckos are frugivores, meaning they feed on fruits, nectars, and pollen, with the occasional insects. The captive diet should be as varied as possible�.they can be fed calcium-supplemented fruit babyfoods, fresh pureed fruits (not including citrus fruits), as well as several commercial powdered diets (T-Rex/Repashy/Clarks) that are now available that you simply mix with water or fruit juice. Insects in the form of crickets, silkworms, or waxworms can be offered occasionally�.hatchling and young geckos should be offered live prey more frequently than adult geckos.
__________________________________________________________
Cold Blooded Chronicles is copyright 2007 by PetHobbyist.com, unless otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.

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New Version of Kingsnake.com launches! FREE T-Shirts!

New Version of Kingsnake.com launches! FREE T-Shirts!

Today we have launched a newer wider version of kingsnake.com. Since its launch in 1997, kingsnake.com has seen many upgrades, some large, some small, but nothing encompasses the overhaul that we have been making over the past 2 years. Today's site has an internal architecture that will allow us to continue to add on extensively over the coming months and years, with new features and functionality already in research and development. Today is only the beginning - watch for more new stuff soon!

To celebrate the launch of the new web site design, we are giving away FREE "My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake" T-Shirts - WHILE SUPPLIES LAST - at the following reptile retail stores around the country.

Amazon Reptile Center 8851-H Central Ave, Montclair, CA 91763
Amazon Reptile Center 447 S Citrus Ave, Covina, CA 91723
Chicago Reptile House 14416 John Humphrey Dr Orland Park, Illinois 60462
East Bay Vivarium 1827-C 5th Street Berkeley, CA 94710
Exotic Pets 2410 N. Decatur Blvd. Suite 160 Las Vegas, NV 89108
Exotics by Nature 74030 Hwy. 1077 Unit 4 Covington, LA 70435
LLL Reptile & Supply 214 E. Grand Avenue Escondido, CA 92025
LLL Reptile & Supply 609 Mission Avenue Oceanside, CA 92054
Zoo Creatures 149 Plaistow Road (Rt. 125) Plaistow, NH 03865
Zoo Keeper Exotic Pets 9012 Research Blvd Austin, TX 78758

Hurry to these locations, supplies of these shirts are very limited - YOU MUST ASK for a "My Snake is Bigger Than Your Snake" T-Shirt to get one!

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Kingsnake.com's 9th Annual Chat Week Starts Sunday!

Ninth Annual Chat Week at kingsnake.com:
February 25-March 3, 2007

Please join noted herpetologists and herpetoculturists in the world's longest running online reptile symposium.

Sunday February 25

Dant� Fenolio
Amphibians
Sunday, February 26, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Dant� Fenolio has always loved field work and particularly has enjoyed amphibians. A Ph.D. Candidate with the University of Miami, Department of Biology - Coral Gables, he holds degrees Environmental Studies, Biology, and Zoology. His studies have ranged from Ozark blind cave salamander ecology to the herpetofauna of termite mounds in Brazil to canopy dwelling amphibians of Madagascar's northeastern rainforests. His primary area of research involves the ecology of challenging microhabitats. Dante is also a known field photographer having traveled extensively through the Americas working in the field as well as taking some amazing shots. He has also worked in East Africa and Madagascar. Dant� is joining us this evening to discuss amphibians in general, with emphasis on the upper Amazon Basin region.

Charles "Botar" Black
The care and keeping of invertebrates
Sunday, February 25, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Charles "Botar" Black was born and raised in Springfield, MO. He attended the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. He has kept a wide variety of animals and invertebrates since childhood, and began selling captive bred invertebrates in 2001. Botar has amassed one of the largest collections in the US, producing thousands of captive bred spiderlings per year. He will be joining us tonight, in a joint chat with InsectHobbyist.com, to discuss the care and keeping of invertebrates.

Monday February 26

Kevin Mc Curley, Brian Barczyk, Brian Potter
Ball Python Panel
Monday, February 26, 9-11 PM Eastern in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
NERD's Kevin McCurley first focused his breeding efforts on Pituophis and other large colubrids, and over the course of time the collection grew along with an interest in pythons, particularly retics and ball pythons. During the past ten years, that focus has brought myriad color morphs and combinations to the NERD collection, many of which were first bred at his facility. Brian Potter first got heavily involved with reptiles while still a US Marine. Brian began hanging out at Reptile Haven in California and was bitten by the herp bug. Seeing some similarity in running the Chicago Reptile House (with Co-Owner Jeff Lodico)and the Marine Corps, he made his dream a reality. Brian is a well known name to all Chicagoland herpers for his store. It is the "IT" place for area enthusiasts. Now Brian is known nationally for being one of the organizers of the NARBC shows. Brian Barczyk started breeding reptiles when he was fifteen years old. He started with corn snakes, and then Burmese Pythons. In 1989 he became a full time breeder of many species. Brian looks forward to every egg hatching and is excited for what the future holds in this ever expanding hobby.

Tuesday February 27

Bob Clark
Large Pythons
Tuesday, February 27, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Bob Clark has a Bachelors degree in Biology and a Masters in Herpetology, both from the University of Kansas. He has been breeding pythons since 1973 and says, "I think I was the first full time commercial breeder of pythons. I've developed most of the python color and pattern mutations available on the market today. I'm now working with some interesting boa morphs and I've got some interesting python traits coming up as well."

Don Soderberg
Cornsnakes
Tuesday, February 27, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Don Soderberg of South Mountain Reptiles studied biology and herpetology at Austin State University, and is the producer of over 100 different corn and other colubrid snake morphs. Don will be answering questions about all aspects of keeping and breeding corn snakes.

Wednesday February 28

Kara Glasgow
Blood Pythons
Wednesday, February 28, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Kara Glasgow of NERD has been into snakes all her life, and a serious breeder for the last decade. "I was a boa snob until I saw the light with bloods," she says, adding, "Still love my boas though." She is currently working with a selection of blood and short-tail color and pattern morphs, with more on the way. She is currently working with a selection of blood and short-tail color and pattern morphs, with more on the way. So it's no surprise that her topic will be blood pythons. Also, don't miss Kara's chat on "Picking and Caring for Your First Bird" on Thursday at 9 PM ET in The Aviary!

Adam Britton, Senior Researcher, Wildlife Management International
Crocodilians
Wednesday, February 28, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Adam Britton's long-standing interest and research on crocodilians has provided many adventures in the wilds of northern Australia, many of which feature in the numerous documentaries Adam has appeared in over the past decade. Adam now runs a consultancy business specialising on crocodilian research, conservation management and documentary filming. He is also co-authoring a book on crocodilian husbandry (with Chris Dieter). Adam will answer questions on any aspect of crocodilians, whether it's biology and behaviour, keeping crocs in captivity, or working in the field with crocs and film crews. You can visit Adam's website at crocodilian.com.

Dr. Jennifer Periat
Exotic Animal Health
Wednesday, February 28, at 10 PM Eastern, in ExoticHobbyist.com's Chat Room
Dr. Jennifer Periat graduated from MSU (DVM and BS in zoology). Having grown up owning a variety of pets and being quite active in 4-H, she knew she wanted to be a veterinarian from a young age. Dr. Periat enjoys all types of animals and shares her home with many. Dr. Periat is still usually surrounded by animals, spending a lot of time doing public education about the care and conservation of exotic species, taking classes with her dogs and doing rescue work. She has been a very active member of the Michigan Society of Herpetologists, and now serves on the Board of Directors and as secretary.

Thursday March 1

Doug Hotle, General Curator, Abilene ZOOlogical Gardens
Working in a Zoo
Thursday, March 1, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
As General Curator of the Abilene Zoo, Doug has his hands in a variety of wildlife ventures from daily animal care issues to global conservation programs. Doug has a passion for all nature and is at home around his elephants, jaguars, raptors and a host of others that make up his zoo, yet it is the belly-crawlers that are his true infatuation. In 1993, Doug piloted Indiana�s Timber rattlesnake conservation program where he then spent the next number of years studying these remarkable snakes in the deep forests of Southern Indiana. �I�m a fairly old fashioned type of guy. Just give me a snake hook and an audience and we can change some attitudes. I�m certainly not much of the salamander on a treadmill or lab coat kind of curator.�

Peter Brazaitis
Lifetime of Herpetology
Thursday, March 1, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Author of the book, You Belong in a Zoo!: Tales from a Lifetime Spent with Cobras, Crocs, and Other Extraordinary Creatures, Peter Brazaitis was Superintendent of Reptiles at the Bronx Zoo until 1988 and then Curator of Animals at the Central Park Zoo until 1997. Although now retired, he continues to work as a forensic consultant in Herpetology and has an appointment as a Curatorial Affiliate, Dept. of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, CT. Tonight he will talk of his time at the New York zoos, working in the field, and his work as a forensic consultant.

Friday March 2

Rescue Panel
Friday, March 2, from 9-11 PM Eastern, in the Auditorium
A panel discussion with a number of rescue groups for a wide variety of species, including representatives from Small Scale Reptile Rescue and Mid Michigan Herp Rescue. Other guests include those involved in dog, cat, wildlife, bird, horse, and exotic/small pet rescue, including TLC Lab Rescue, Wisconsin Chinchilla Rescue, Adopt a Husky Rescue, and Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue.

Jeff Ronne
Boas
Friday, March 2, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
From the mouth of The Boaphile himself: "I have been breeding Boa Constrictors since long before Boas were cool. I have bred and produced babies every year since 1986. In fact in the late 80's and early 90's Boas were near the bottom of nearly all herpers' lists of animals that were cool to work with. Anyhow, I hung in there and NOW Boas are among the most popular of all herps kept today! I didn't get into this to get rich. I began breeding Boas because I have always been fascinated with them. I wanted to specialize in one thing and really loved the Boas. In case a visit to my site didn't make you realize it...I don't take myself too seriously. I do take my animals seriously though. I love these kids!"

Ron Tremper
Leopard Geckos
Friday, March 2, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Ron Tremper brings to our chatroom his 50 years of experience as private hobbyist, zoo professional and commercial breeder having pioneered the establishment of bearded dragons, argentine horned frogs, veiled and panther chameleons for the hobbyist community and pet trade. He is recognized worldwide as the leading authority on leopard gecko genetics and creation of new morphs.

Saturday March 3

Brian Grieg Frey
Captive management of venomous reptiles
Saturday, March 3, at 8 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Dr. Fry heads a laboratory at the Department of Biochemistry in the Bio21 Institute of the University of Melbourne that specialises in the research of animal venoms. Bryan has been an incredible asset to our venomous community, having been one of our frequent guest chatters. His life in his own words - " My name is Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry and I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people alive. I get to travel the globe catching snakes with my lovely wife Alexia! Ever since I was a small child, all I have ever wanted to do is play with venomous animals for a living. Its quite a satisfying feeling to have this childhood obsession come true. It makes my mum feel a bit better about the myriad of strange, unusual and often dangerous animals that took up residence in our household during my years at home!"

Daniel Bennet
Captive care for monitors
Saturday, March 3, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Daniel Bennett is a conservation biologist with a special interest in monitor lizards. His research interests are focused mainly on developing non-destructive and non-intrusive survey methods for neglected taxa such as reptiles, amphibians and bats in countries that include Turkmenistan, India, Madagascar and the Philippines. His recent work has concentrated on the frugivorous monitor lizards of the Philippines. Daniel is also well known for his work with MAMPAM Conservation (www.mampam.com). He lives with his daughter in the town he was born in and eats enormous quantities of chocolate.

Jeff Barringer, CEO, OnlineHobbyist.com; founder, kingsnake.com
Video and kingsnake.com
Saturday, March 3, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
The founder of kingsnake.com, Jeff Barringer is a former webmaster and international network engineer for Compaq Computers (now H-P) Networking Products Division, where he helped design and develop some of the computer giant's first websites. In 1994, Jeff, an avid field herpetologist, launched an internet technology demonstrator called The Alterna Page, which is recognized today as one of the first pet-oriented websites. Based on the popularity of this test site, in 1997 Jeff left Compaq and with little more than his last paycheck launched what turned out to be one of the first and most successful pet communities on the internet, kingsnake.com. In years to come this expanded to include a family of pet websites under the PetHobbyist.com umbrella, and also in 2006, its alternative music and culture site, Club Kingsnake. Jeff will discuss the future of video on kingsnake.com, including both kingsnake-produced and user-produced video.

How to Attend

To access the chats:

If you are a registered user of our site, simply follow the direct links given above to the chat, and log in with your username and password. (Forgot them? Click here!)

If you are not already a registered user of the site, registration is not required - simply go to chat.pethobbyist.com and use the "Guest" log-in option, then select Reptile & Amphibian Chat as your chat room.

More Information

There is more information about each chat available at the links in the right hand column. Simply click on the species in which you are interested for a more detailed listing. Some of the chats even have free email reminders you can sign up for!

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Cold Blooded Chronicles Holidays 2006

Cold Blooded Chronicles
News from kingsnake.com

In this issue:
Happy Holidays!
Short Tailed Python Care 101
Corn Snakes 101

__________
Happy Holidays!

We wish a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year to the users of Pethobbyist.com! Thank you all for being part of our community.

The staff, volunteers, and patrons of the Pethobbyist.com family of web communities have made a donation of $500 to the Wildlife Warriors Fund, which was established in 2002 by Steve and Terri Irwin to support the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife. This donation was made this holiday season in the memory of Steve, in hopes that it may be put towards the conservation of the animals and habitat that Steve helped us appreciate so much over the years.

Steve's memory will forever live on in the hearts and minds of those that he inspired. The world has lost a spokesman for the animals.

Happy Holidays!

Jeff Barringer
Clint Gilders
Christie Keith
And all of us at Pethobbhyist.com

__________
Short Tailed Python Care 101
By Rich Crowley
Chicago Herpetological Society
http://www.chicagoherp.org

The caging I find most successful for hatchlings are rack style setups. The hatchlings are housed in shoebox size tubs 6x14in until they are around 250-300g. At about this size they are too big for your typically shoebox style plastic container. At around the 250g mark, I upgrade them to the next size container referred to as a sweater box, a plastic container measuring 9x16in. The setup is the same either way just increase the bowl and hide accordingly. The heat tape in the rack is set at around 95-98F, which provides a slight thermal difference of 82F in the front and 85F in the back over the heat tape. The internal temperatures will vary based on the ambient temperatures and the amount of airflow around and under the container. I melt lots of holes in the sides of the box using a soldering iron to keep a good balance of humidity and fresh air. This slows the growth of mold, which will accumulate quickly in the damp substrate without good airflow. I use aspen chips
, but must replace them weekly or as soiled. I have also used newspaper with crumpled sheets to allow the snake to hide in and others have used Carefresh brand bedding with equal results.

For adults, there is a little more flexibility. I house adults individually (as with all non-breeding snakes) in either 36x28in or 48x28in cages with newspaper as a substrate. I use Vision brand cages, but Neodesha and others also work as long as the basics are met. I stay away from using substrates that hide feces and urine stains such as cypress and other wood chip substrates. As with the juvenile housing, I provide a proportionately sized hide box for security, a large water basin with fresh water and supplemental heat to provide a proper thermal gradient. I find the heat source is very important in many ways. For one, I have not had good feeding response from the snakes when I used a lighted basking spot for heat. Instead, I heat using an 11" heat tape running the length of one side of the cage to provide the same thermal as with hatchlings or an overhead radiant heat panel (my preferred heat source). I have used ceramic emitters, but they get real hot and tend to
dry the cage out too much. In the Midwest where I live, it is very dry especially during the winter months. To increase humidity I place a large water basin under/over the heat source and soak the snakes periodically in lukewarm water for 30 minutes or so. Prior and during shed cycles, I will saturate the enclosure to increase the humidity. Many times the snake knocks over the water bowl and when this happens, I leave the cage wet and refill the water container. However, I keep an eye (and nose) on the cage for urine, which tends to smell when using undertank heating. In those cases, cleaning the cage and replacing the substrate is needed and a quick spray of water to further assist with the imminent shed.

Back to the heat tape, be very careful with using undertank heating. Short-tailed pythons will camp out on the heat tape for days if the air temps are too cool. If your heat tape is set too high, you will get nasty thermal burns. They don't sense the pain from this or at least don't associate the pain with the source of heat. So keep the heat tapes controlled with a reliable proportional thermostat. Rheostat controllers in my experience have too wide of a temperature fluctuation to use with heat tape. I have registered temperatures from 95 to 125F without adjusting the temperature. To minimize problems associated with thermal burns, periodically use an infrared temp gun on the surface to determine the actual surface temperature. Also, inspect the belly of the snake and look for any signs of burning such as rippled belly scales or blistering.

The information documented above works for me and is not the only solution to housing Short-tailed pythons. Variations to this �recipe� are dependent on your ambient room temps, quality of caging, health of the animal, etc. So do your homework. I have been keeping Short-tailed pythons since around 1996 and continue to learn each day as I do with all my animals. I recommend short-tails to anyone wanting a �big� snake in a smaller package that has already had experience with other herps.

(Copyright Rich Crowley. Used with permission.)

__________
Corn Snakes 101
Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps

I was contemplating writing a post about this very subject over the last couple of days, but having written similar ones so often over the last several years on this site and others, I just didn't find the proper motivation to do so. Since the motivation has now been supplied, let me offer a few other thoughts to the newer corn enthusiasts among us:

I. There is only ONE hard and fast rule about cornsnakes, and that is that there are NO hard and fast rules about cornsnakes!

I have seen more things being done in "corn-dom" that SHOULD NOT be able to happen...and yet, they happen ALL the time! So, for every "Thou shalt not..." you hear about corns, I can probably show three or four successful keepers doing just that, which was forbidden. Some of my favorite "Rules" are:

You must never handle your cornsnake for 24hrs (or 48, 72, or whatever...) after it has eaten!

You must ONLY use aspen as bedding material!

You must ONLY feed mice to your corns!

You can NEVER breed a female corn that is less than 250g (or 36" long, or three years old, or whatever)!

The list could go on and on...

I am not saying that these "rules" do not provide good guidelines to follow. In fact, for the novice keeper, these probably ought to be seen more as "rules" until they are sophisticated enough in their understanding of corn husbandry to begin to experiment a little outside of the box.

Where I have my problems with the "rules" has to do as much as with those who are spouting them as with the "rules" themselves. More on that in a minute!

II. RESEARCH IS YOUR FRIEND!!!!!!!!!

It has been said by more than one person here that there is conflicting information being given in answer to several questions on the board. Part of that is because of the reality of the first part of this post, and part of it is because of what I am getting to in a bit. However, conflicting information is ONLY a problem if you RELY upon it!!!

It is the job of every keeper of animals to be as informed and educated on the husbandry of those animals as is humanly possible. That includes...but is certainly not limited to...asking questions on this site! Read a book, go to a keeper's home to see first hand what is being done, GOOGLE up some information sheets...do almost ANYTHING to find out how to take care of an animal (preferably BEFORE, but certainly AFTER its purchase), since it will be in YOUR care!

If you rely ONLY on this site's forum, you WILL be unprepared for your animal's needs. That is because this forum is not set up to be the single source of cornsnake information, and even though lots of good things can be found here, those valuable posts are not pinned to the top of the forum for your use. Even if they were, you'd still need help from SOME source to learn how to customize what you read to your own situation.

Research, research, research!

III. The definition of a cornsnake "expert" is: Someone, who has been posting on this forum for more than two weeks longer than YOU have!

Too many people here think that just because someone answers a question being asked, that this means the person offering the answer has any clue at all as to what he/she is talking about, when that is certainly NOT a guaranteed truth!

Here's the basic cycle of posters, folks:

Newbie: New owner, usually (but not always!) someone who has no idea about corns, but thought they'd be "cool" and bought one without any research whatsoever. These guys ask anything and everything CONSTANTLY!

Newbie-plus-two-weeks: These guys are the ones who were asking the questions two weeks ago, but are now endowed with the "rules" they had quoted to them (by previous "newbie-plus-two-weeks" people!). These folks LOVE to answer all of the newbies questions with the "FACTS" they have absorbed through their extensive education on this site.

Newbie-plus-one-year: These people are starting to learn how the system works, and have actually began to think outside of the box. They have gotten past the "newbie-plus-two-weeks" period and are now tired of answering the same questions over and over. They are actually now thankful for the "newbie-plus-two-weeks" people, because they answer most of the questions on this site so the "newbie-plus-one-year" people don't have to!

Newbie-plus-two-years: These are the folks who are breeding for the first time, and have an entirely new set of questions to ask. The difference is that now they ask questions of substance, and they know to whom the questions ought to be directed. Lots of genetics questions involving how it all works, rather then just "what do I get if I cross..." type questions, from these folks.

Newbie-plus-several-years: These are the folks who post the least and have the most to say. They are the ones that usually stay out of the fray unless 1) There is something blatantly wrong being passed off as a "rule" by an "expert" of two weeks, or 2) There is a question asked that really needs a specific answer from someone who has "been there" and "done that." These people tend to fade on and off of this site (and others), because they get a belly-full of all the back and forth that goes on between people in this business/hobby/passion, and may appear to be a "newbie" when they come back after a long absence. One of the most fun things on these sites is to see a "newbie-plus-two-weeks" person trying to correct the writings of a recently returned "newbie-plus-several-years" person!

Newbie-plus-several-decades: These are the only real experts among us. They hardly ever post, unless they are addressed by name. While they are truly busy trying to make money for their families, they usually take the time to answer questions from people here on this site, because they truly care about the animals and those who keep them. While enough good cannot be said about these folks...they are not infallible, and whatever they say does not become the new sets of "rules" to start the process all over again...though that is exactly how some folks here take them. Sad, really...

OK. Notice that everyone listed is a "newbie" of some sort?!? That's because there is ALWAYS something to learn, ALWAYS somewhere to go to for help, ALWAYS some way to become better at keeping these animals we all love! NO ONE has it all down pat, folks...least of all those who have only been keeping these animals for a very brief period of time, and so it is up to YOU to figure out what YOU need to do in YOUR situation with YOUR cornsnakes!

There's lots of people here to help, but that's all it is. YOU still have to wade through all of the posts, all of the books, and all of the "experts" to determine what is best for YOU.

Then...

Come back and tell us what you did, and we'll try not to make more "rules" out of the experience!

(Copyright Darren Chappell. Used with permission.)

___________________
Copyright 2006 by OnlineHobbyist.com, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

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Special Guest Chat Sunday 10 PM ET: Rich Ihle on Boas

It started with one. An unusual colored sub-adult boa came into Rich Ihle's hands back in 1991, and gave birth to some of the most unusual color babies. These were the founding stock of the Salmon Boas. Rich specializes in boas with some very interesting results. The Bloody Salmon Project and The Boa Constrictor Sabogae happen to be two such projects.

Falling in love with boa constrictors back in the late 1960s, there was no turning back for Rich. He purchased his first boa then and there at a pet shop in Des Moines, IA. An entire business now goes back to these two events in his life. Rich has been involved in this business for 40 years, he has contributed to numerous articles and has sent many boas to their new homes igniting that same spark he had in the late 60s for countless numbers of other owners. To learn a bit more about Rich and his program visit his website:

http://www.kingsnake.com/salmonboa/

Come and visit with us and Rich as he answers question on care, morphs and his projects with the boas.

Chat is Sunday December 10 at 10 PM ET

http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_name=Reptile+&+Amphibian

Cindy/PHFaust

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Thanksgiving Night Guest Chat!

After you have given thanks and just need to sit back and talk about your herps, join us for our November Guest Chat with Mark Mandic of Markus Jayne Ball Pythons out of Canada. Mark is a relative newcomer to our industry but has proven that with perseverance and a strong set of ethics, you can go far in the land of the ball pythons. Located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, Mark is one of the leaders in the Canadian Ball Python scene. And after several weekends in Tinley Park with him, one helluva decent guy.

Join us Thursday November 23, 2006 at 9-10 pm ET in the Reptile Chat Room to talk with Mark about his ball python program.

To learn a bit about Mark before the chat visit Markus Jayne Ball Pythons at:

http://www.ballpython.ca/

Join us for the chat at:

http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_name=Reptile%20&%20Amphibian

PHFaust

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Special Chat: Sting Rays and their Toxins with Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry

In light of the recent passing of Steve Irwin, we have invited Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry, Deputy Director of the Australian Venom Research Unit of the University of Melbourne, to speak with us in depth about Sting Rays and their Toxins. Please Join us Saturday September 16th at 9 PM ET in the Reptile and Amphibian Chat room.

To learn more about Bryan Grieg Fry, visit http://www.venomdoc.com

To access the chat:
http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_name=Reptile+%26+Amphibian

Hope to see you there.

Cindy Steinle
PHFaust

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Cold Blooded Chronicles May 2006

Cold Blooded Chronicles
News from kingsnake.com

In this issue:
Letter from the Editor
club.kingsnake.com
Upcoming Events
Follow-up Winter preparedness
Testosterone In Iguanas

__________
Letter From the Editor

It's spring time. People are getting the urge to hunt the field. Do you have any great tips on finding herps? If so email us. We will share in next issue.

Things are starting to get regular. With all the great feedback from our members on the Eighth Annual Chat week, we have taken the move to begin monthly guest chats. Once a month we will bring to our members a chat from someone in the herp iIdustry. As we do for chat week, we are accepting requests. So if there is someone you would like to see here, email us a request. This doesn't mean chat week is going away, we are just adding more opportunities for our members to meet the best and brightest. And speaking of chat week, in case you have not seen it, our transcripts can be found here:
http://www.kingsnake.com/HerpChat8.html.

I would like to offer a HUGE public thank you to all of our guest for making this another successful week!

The chat guest for May is Allen Repashy. Allen Repashy has had a lifelong passion for reptiles and amphibians. He has primarily focused on keeping and breeding lizards. He first kept Rhacodactylus in the late 1980s (R. auriculatus) and has for the last ten years focused his work on this genus. He keeps the largest and most diverse collection of Rhacodactylus in the world, and is responsible for introducing R. ciliatus into the pet trade. He has also developed a complete diet for Rhacodactylus, which is readily available in the trade. Allen is co-author of the book Rhacodactylus: The complete guide to their selection and care. His current project has been building the Interactive Gecko Resource Database

Allen is currently in preparation for the New Caledonian Gecko Symposium which will occur in partnership with the NARBC Tinley event. You can learn more about the Symposium at New Caledonian Gecko Symposium(http://www.geckosymposium.org/cms/). You can learn more about Allen at Repashy Reptiles:
http://www.reptiles.repashy.com/

The chat is scheduled for Friday May 26, 2006 at 9 PM ET. We hope to see you there. To enter the chat room go to:
http://chat.pethobbyist.com/login.php?room_name=Reptile+&+Amphibian

Along with monthly guest chats, Cold Blooded Chronicles is also going monthly. We will be able to let you know of the chats coming your way, herp events for the month, and new changes to the site much easier if we do this monthly. We do accept article submissions from members. When emailing remember to include what name you want the submission credited to. Remember some servers are now blocking emails from businesses. If you have one of those servers, please add this email address to your address book.

We have included a follow-up article submitted by one of our members for this issue on winter preparedness. The cold weather may be passing, however you now have time to prepare for next year. Power outages in the dead of winter can be fatal to our collections. Now is the time to start planning.

We have also included a short article on testosterone in iguanas. Male breeding season is one of the biggest reasons people call me to surrender their healthy adult iguanas. If you have iguanas or interest in iguanas, take a moment to read the article.

Thanks for being a part of kingsnake.com and keep watching for some great upcoming changes.

Cindy Steinle
PHFaust

_________________
New! clubkingsnake.com

What goes better with snakes than Rock N Roll? In our second largest chat ever ,Kerry King of Slayer talked about music and snake ownership. Alice Cooper on Podcast is just too cool for School. Come check out our cooler sides at http://club.kingsnake.com/ where you will find a variety of music (and reptile) related news.

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June Events

Reptile Show,Landgraaf, Holland,-May 25, 2006

16th annual Ziva Ex�tica,Chech republic, Prague,-May 27, 2006

Exotic Animal, Reptile, & Bird Swap/Sale,Valparaiso,IN-May 27, 2006

Reptile Show,Leiden, Holland,-May 28, 2006

Flamingo Gardens Reptile Expo/Alternati,Davie,FL-June 3, 2006

Kentucky Reptile Expo,Shelbyville,KY-June 3, 2006

Next Generation Exotic Pet Expo,Tunica,MS-June 3-4, 2006

Northwestern Berks Reptile Show & Sale,Hamburg,PA-June 3, 2006

Reptile Swap,Streamwood,IL-June 3, 2006

St. Louis Reptile Breeders Expo & Sale,St. Louis,MO-June 4, 2006

West Michigan Reptile Expo,Grand Rapids,MI-June 4, 2006

Western Pennsylvania Reptile Expo,Butler,PA-June 4, 2006

The Geckophile Gathering 2006,Austin,TX-June 9-11, 2006

16th annual Ziva Ex�tica,Chech republic, Prague,-June 10, 2006

All Maryland Reptile Show,Havre de Grace,MD-June 10, 2006

All Ohio Reptile Show,Columbus,OH-June 10, 2006

Michigan Reptile Show,Taylor,MI-June 10, 2006

Ontario Reptile Expo,Mississauga,ON-June 10-11, 2006

Repticon,Jacksonville,FL-June 10, 2006

River City Reptile Show,Peoria,IL-June 10, 2006

TARAS Spring Show and Sale,Ogden Legion, Alberta,-June 10-11, 2006

"R-A-B"-Sommer-Terraristikb�rse,Mendrisio, Switzerland,-June 11, 2006

All Cleveland Reptile Show & Sale,Fairview Park,OH-June 11, 2006

St. Louis Reptile Show,St. Louis,MO-June 11, 2006

Terraria-Houten,Houten, Holland,-June 11, 2006

International Reptile Breeders Assn.,Pomona,CA-June 15-16, 2006

1st Cold Blooded Emporium,Northglenn,CO-June 17, 2006

Dixie Reptile Show,Birmingham,AL-June 17, 2006

Florida Reptile & Alternative Pet Show &,West Palm Beach,FL-June 17, 2006

Kalamazoo Reptile and Exotic Animal Show,Kalamazoo,MI-June 17, 2006

Oklahoma Reptile Expo,Broken Arrow,OK-June 17-18, 2006

Portland Metro Reptile Expo,Wilsonville,OR-June 17, 2006

Pittsburgh Reptile & Bird, Show & Sale,Cheswick,PA-June 18, 2006

Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale,Cheswick,PA-June 18, 2006

Reptile Swap,Streamwood,IL-June 18, 2006

Exotic Animal, Reptile, & Bird Swap/Sale,Valparaiso,IN-June 24, 2006

Texas Reptile Expo,San Antonio,TX-June 24-25, 2006

Midwest Reptile Shows,Indianapolis,IN-June 25, 2006

For more information on events go to http://www.kingsnake.com/events.html

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Heat During the Cold Snap
Wes von Papine�u
President 2004/5, Ottawa Amphibian & Reptile Assn

During the ole 'Great Winter Storm of 98,' a lot of Quebec and Ontario lost power for about three days, and in some places for longer.

Unfortunately, most of our herps are warm, if not actually hot, weather friends, and unlike us, cannot bundle up in extra layers for warmth. They rely on external heat, warmth that during a power failure, may be hard to come by in the big city.

Your first priority is to preserve and best utilize the heat already in your home to care for your scaled kids. The hope at this time is that the loss of electricity is only for a couple of hours, maybe a day at most. For short periods, you don't have to buy any special equipment, but you should know where your herp 'first-aid' heating items are.

Your first option for temperate animals could be to pop them into pillow slips/canvas snake bags (depending on their size) and slip them into the water bed under the coverlet . the heat there is good for a day or two. You sleep on the floor.

Second. You have a days worth of hot water in your hot-water tank in the basement of your home or apartment complex. Fill hot water bottles or food jars (with good seals) with hot/warm water of the appropriate temperature. Wrap the bottles in a towel (not too thick or the heat won't get out), and tuck them into a small box along side your herp. You can pack the box with extra clothes to give appropriate padding and insulation. Change the bottles as necessary as hot water is available. (If you have gas/propane-heated water tanks, you'll be fine for days).

Third, and a bit more extreme. Tuck the kids into smaller, padded boxes, and set them next to the car heater as close as you're comfortable with. This option is more difficult to monitor temperature-wise and you'll have to keep a sharp eye out for 'hotspots' developing, but if you're desperate, it'll keep the kids warm for at least a while.

Last, a short-term solution for one or two smaller snakes is for you to wear a thick, preferably long sweater (or maybe even a jacket) that you can tuck into your pants or secure with a tight belt. Place your slithery one into a pillow slip/canvas bag, tuck in your sweater, and then drop the pillowslip down your front! Your herp will slither about for a while, but will settle down warm against your belly. Your only problem is to remember that they're there after a couple of hours. For the ladies, go for the 'very' pregnant look and play the sympathy card - let people feel your little one 'kick'! Then ask for sheets and more hot water!

If the worst happens and the outage goes on for any length of time, use your outdoor BBQ/camp stove/hibachi stove to heat water while you're cooking meals on the back deck ... or on your apartment patio . and use this water in your herp hot water bottles. If you have an indoor fireplace, you should think now of what metal pot you're going to sacrifice to heat water in .. it will probably end up sooty and charred for a while (Don't waste water trying to wash pots between heatings.)

The best bet as long-term heating insurance is to purchase a small propane heater ($60 at Canadian Tire) and a couple of those small camp stove propane tanks (two for $7). Set the heater in the smallest room possible so that you're not heating 'wasted space'; the bathroom might be best, and stack your kids in smaller boxes away from the heaters' radiant faceplate. There may be some 'fume' and fresh air circulation issues, so you'll have to check the warm room from time-to-time to ensure that fumes don't build up. A small room will warm up quickly, and if you keep the door closed, it will stay that way for a while after the propane heater is shut off.

To sum up. Get your herps into smaller, more easily heated/or heat-retentive containers, and keep those containers in the warmest room in the house. Remember, your priority is to heat your 'herp' during this emergency, not the herp's room or environment. Last, don't keep opening the containers to check on the kids . you're losing heat every time you do. Even if they 'mess', it's only for a (hopefully) short while . and it will be a warm 'mess'. For small collections 'you' can be the source of heat . not quite tropical, but at least liveable for a day or so. And besides, it could be a real bonding process between you and your snake!

I encourage you to get up right now and walk around your place and identify the box you'll need (it can be full of other stuff, you're just looking for options right now), the padding/insulation, possible hot water bottles and pots that will be needed and where you put that horrible thick purple sweater that Aunt Bethula knit you four years ago. You don't have to set anything aside right now, just know where everything is. It's important to know where things are now; you might not be home when the emergency hits and you'll have to talk someone else in the house through the 'save Snuffy the snake' process.

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Hormone Abnormalities as a Factor in Male Green Iguana Aggression
by Melissa Kaplan

Some ideas to consider, based on what we know about hormone production, regulation and dysregulation in humans and other animals

After responding yesterday to an e-mail list post about the breeding season-related aggressive behaviors of a particular 4 year old male iguana, I woke up this morning thinking about those male iguanas who are extremely aggressive during breeding season, and those who are very aggressive all year round, and what it is that makes them different from the far greater number of males who are sociable and agreeable outside of breeding season, and whose behaviors during their breeding season range from comical to annoying, rather than outright dangerous to others.

Being in captivity is part of the problem with some of these iguanas--being forced to live in an enclosure that is significantly smaller than their territory in the wild. Even if the enclosure is a 2000 square foot house in which the iguana free-roams, it is still smaller than a wild iguana's territory, especially since the captive one includes at least one human, probably more, and a parade of visitors and possibly even some other resident animals.

Some of you may have read the account of Bon's iguana, iZ, who became fiercely aggressive as a result, it was later found out, of pain caused by a tumor (see Tough Love, or Attigtude Adjustment). So, assuming routine veterinary exams have ruled out impactions and tumors and other illness, might there be a physiological or biochemical reason for some of the cases of extreme breeding aggression seen in some male iguanas?

Some of you through the years may have wandered through my Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases website and come across my article on Estrogen Dominance. The quick overview (see my Glucuronidation article for more complete information): the body produces an acid that binds with the body's used estrogen, keeping control of it as it is escorted out of the body. Thus, the body keeps producing estrogen, but also gets rid of the estrogen previously produced.

However, an enzyme may be created by, it is believed, one of the 500 or so cousins of E. coli that live quietly (and benignly or commensally) in our gut, that breaks this bond or otherwise prevents it from being formed. When that happens, the bound and should-have-been-bound estrogen is free to keep circulating through the body, wrecking havoc as it goes.

Could this same thing happen with testosterone? Is there something that is supposed to be binding the 'used' testosterone? If so, could something cause this bond to be broken, or kept from being made in the first place?

Another possibility: Could some part of the conversion cascade that results in testosterone and its metabolites be faulty, thus increasing total testosterone (higher up the conversion cascade) or free testosterone (that which circulates in the blood at any given time)?

In doing some general searching on the Web, using "binds testosterone" and, later, "excess testosterone", I found that, indeed, there are similar processes going on in males that can go wrong, just as they can in females. In fact, women will recognize many of the hormones, since they play roles in our own monthly cycling and cause problems as we deal with fertility problems and progress through perimenopause.

The following is from a Hormone.org booklet on low testosterone, but it simply and clearly describes how things work properly and why they might become dysfunctional:

Testosterone Production (page 4)
The body carefully controls the production of testosterone. Chemical signals from two locations - the pituitary gland at the base of the brain, and a part of the brain called the hypothalamus - tell the testes how much testosterone to produce.

The hypothalamus controls hormone production in the pituitary gland by means of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone tells the pituitary gland to make follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). LH signals the testes to produce testosterone. If the testes begin producing too much testosterone, this is sensed by the brain which sends signals to the pituitary to make less LH. This, in turn, slows the production of testosterone. If the testes begin producing too little testosterone, the brain senses this and sends signals to the pituitary gland telling it to make more LH, which stimulates the testes to make more testosterone.

The role of binding testosterone in males and females is played by a hormone cleverly called sex-binding hormone protein (SBHP). Needless to say, SBHP binds more testosterone in females than it does in males, once they reach puberty. Since both males and females produce testosterone and estrogens, it isn't surprising the SBHP production and function is a complicated one, resulting from the amounts of free estrogen and testosterone, which affect the body's production of SBHP--or lack of it.

A research paper, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin and the Assessment of Androgen Status, goes into this rather densely but might be useful in talking to your vet about getting your iguana's hormones tested.

Now, true, this paper is written more from the perspective of women's diagnosis and health issues arising from increased levels of testosterone, but the male is the flip side of the female (physiologically if not socioemotionally) and so, where there are dysfunctions and dysregulations that can cause a decrease in total and free testosterone in males and females, and increases in females, there are going to be things that cause testosterone increases in males.

(Here's another easier-to-read discussion of the free and bound testosterone, at Diagnose-me.com.)

Excess testosterone can cause irritability, even rage. The steroids abused by body builders and athletes are synthetic testosterone; regular long-term use leads both to the irritability and rage (as well as severe acne and impotence, which probably does little to ameliorate the irritability and rage.).

The impotence, by the way, is caused by the fact that excess testosterone is converted into estrogen, with the result that males become feminized, leading to weight gain and reproductive problems (which leads us back to Environmental Estrogens, for those who want to look at the long term effects of male feminization of a species and the sources of environmental--xeno--estrogens).

What I am wondering is this: Could there be an excess testosterone situation occurring in breeding season male iguanas, perhaps due to a pituitary, hypothalamus, or adrenal problem, or a problem with the liver detoxification pathway associated with SHBP production/function, that is not leading to feminization because breeding season--and the cyclical increase in testosterone--occurs for only a relatively short period of time each year?

Remember: in the wild, males are in season for only 28-30 days, not months, as they are in captivity. A wild male iguana may have this type of problem, but he lives in a much bigger area and is only dealing with testosterone overdose for a month, if that, out of the entire year. In captivity, where breeding season for males lasts much longer (and may be triggered twice in one year), this could be a significant problem for an iguana with a genetic or acquired dysfunction in their hormone production or regulatory system.

So, perhaps a talk with the vet about testing to check out the androgen/testosterone cascade, including free and total testosterone and SHBP, might start yielding clues. The same for checking out the pituitary, hypothalamus, adrenals, and liver structure and function.

The problem with liver function tests (LFTs) is that they really don't tell you much - just whether enzymes are elevated or not, or whether the liver is cirrhotic or nearing failure. They don't tell you anything about what detox pathways are impaired. There is such a test for humans, but it involves ingesting caffeine and aspirin before the 24 hour saliva and urine collection, so I'm thinking it won't be particularly usable with iguanas. But perhaps there are analogs that can be used to start gathering data needed to start making assessments and comparisons.

Another way avenue to use to compare and contrast 'normal' male green iguanas to those who are extremely aggressive during breeding season only, and those who are extremely aggressive all year round, would be to do MRIs (fMRIs would be even better but the challenging would be to figure out 'tasks' for iguanas to engage in while being scanned), PET, and SPECT scans to look at brain structures, activity and perfusion.

Other hormones worth reviewing are the neurotransmitters that can affect behavior, especially serotonin. Less widely known is that thyroid hormone imbalance can result in psychosis and rage in some individuals, as can infection by various parasites not normally tested for or for which there are no definitive (100% accurate) laboratory tests. Microbial organisms are increasingly being associated with schizophrenia, autism and other neurological or mental/behavioral disorders that were once thought to be "all in the head."

Copyright 2006 by Melissa Kaplan. Used with permission.

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Cold Blooded Chronicles: Chat Week Special Edition!

Eighth Annual Chat Week at kingsnake.com:
February 26-March 4, 2006

Below you will find the current lineup for the Eight Annual Chat Week at kingsnake.com, where our users meet with a variety of noted herpetologists and herpetoculturists in the world's longest running online reptile symposium. Watch this space for last minute announcements - you never know who will show up at kingsnake.com's Chat Week!

Sunday February 26

Kevin McCurley, New England Reptile Distributors (NERD)
Ball Pythons and Their Morphs
Sunday, February 26, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
NERD began the same way that many reptile breeders did: a hobbyist maintaining a collection of animals that eventually paid for themselves, allowing that hobbyist to pursue a variety of species & expand his collection. In this case "that hobbyist" was Kevin McCurley, a herp enthusiast since early childhood. His breeding efforts initially focused on Pituophis and other large colubrids, and over the course of time the collection grew along with an interest in pythons, particularly those with which fewer keepers were working at the time namely retics and ball pythons. During the past ten years, that focus on retics and ball pythons has brought myriad color morphs and combinations to the NERD collection, many of which were first bred at his facility.

Chris Dieter
Crocodilian Care
Sunday, February 26, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Chris and Bernadette Dieter are the owners and operators of Crocodile Encounter an educational wildlife company in the Houston area. He is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Crocodilians in Captivity and is coauthor of a forthcoming title from Kreiger publishing on the same topic. He has written over 40 herp related articles for various herptelogical publications. He and his wife maintain a group of Nile crocodiles(Crocodylus niloticus) and these animals and their care are the primary herptelogical interest. Chris has traveled the USA researching the various methods zoos and private keepers use to maintain crocodilians in captivity. You can learn more about crocodilian care by visiting Chris's website http://www.thecrocodileexperience.com.

Monday February 27

Chad Brown
Asian Rat Snakes
Monday, February 27, at 9 PM Eastern in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Chad is the owner of ProExotics and a football player for the New England Patriots. He says, "I started Pro Exotics in my mind in 1988 when I got my first snake, a boa my freshman year at CU. It wasn't until I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993 that I had a little money in my pocket and started to really put this business together." On top of all that, Chad describes himself as a "full time husband and dad." Chad is a much-requested return guest, and his topic this year will be Asian rat snakes.

Mike Wilbanks of Constrictors Unlimited and constrictors.com
Burmese and Reticulated Pythons
Monday, February 27, at 10 PM Eastern in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Constrictors Unlimited grew out of Mike's love for and obsession with pythons and boa constrictors. He maintains a large collection of reticulated pythons, Burmese pythons, ball pythons and boa constrictors.

Tuesday February 28

Sean P. Bush, MD, FACEP of Animal Planet's Venom ER
Venom Treatment and Field Research
Tuesday, February 28, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Best known from Animal Planet's Venom ER, Dr. Bush is an associate professor of emergency medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, where he is also on staff in the ER as an emergency physician and envenomation (venomous animal) specialist. He has had a lifelong interest in reptiles and venomous creatures. Dr. Bush has authored over 50 publications on the treatment of bites and stings and has lectured on the local, national, and international level. He has been featured in dozens of television documentary productions on several cable networks in addition to Animal Planet.

Kevin Dunne
Bearded Dragons
Tuesday, February 28, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Kevin Dunne is the owner of Dragon's Den Herpeteculture, one of the leaders of the bearded dragon industry. Dragon's Den Herpetoculture was started in 1993, and is located in a 3,000 square foot, state-of-the-art breeding facility in Los Angeles.

Wednesday March 1

Bill Love
Hisstory of the Reptile Industry
Wednesday, March 1, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Bill has always enjoyed seeking herps in nature, and recording them on film in their natural haunts is one of his true passions, whether he's in Madagascar, Baja, or just near home in Florida's Everglades. Join him for his personal take on the "hisstory" of the reptile industry.

Kathy Love
Cornsnakes
Wednesday, March 1, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
With husband Bill Love, Kathy began breeding many colubrid snake species, and drifted towards specializing in selective breeding for attractive color and pattern morphs in her favorites, the corn snakes, Elaphe guttata. She co-authored The Corn Snake Manual, which was published in February 2000.

Thursday March 2

Liddy and Ed Kammer
Chameleon Care
Thursday, March 2, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Ed and Liddy are professional breeders of True Old World Chameleons and the owners of Kammerflage Kreations, Inc. With over 26 years of reptile experience, their chameleon business has been build on their mutual passion . . . a love and fascination for these magnificent creatures!

Robyn Markland of Pro Exotics
Monitors
Thursday, March 2, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Robyn Markland has been with Pro Exotics from the beginning in 1993. He supervises the breeding facility, customer service, and animal sales.

Friday March 3

Herps in Rescue: Avoiding Being a Statistic
A panel discussion with Small Scale Reptile Rescue and Mid Michigan Herp Rescue
Friday, March 3, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Speak with reptile rescue workers on ways to best prevent your animals ending up on their doorsteps. Everyday traumas to household can effect the future of your pets. Speak with members of Small Scale Reptile Rescue based in Wisconsin, in operation for 10 years and Mid Michigan Herp Rescue located in Bay City, Michigan, in operation for 9 years. They have seen it all.

Saturday March 4

Anthony Caponetto
Crested Geckos and Carpet Pythons
Saturday, March 4, at 9 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Anthony Caponetto keeps what he describes as "a modestly sized collection of Pythons and Geckos. Currently, my primary focus is on Carpet Pythons and Crested Geckos. I also have a great deal of interest in many other Morelia Pythons, including Green Tree Pythons and Scrub Pythons and other Rhacodactylus Geckos including Gargoyle Geckos and Rhacodactylus Chahoua." He is an active member of the Kansas City Herpetological Society and currently on the board of directors. You can learn more about Anthony and his animals on the AC Reptiles website.

NEW DAY! Kara Glasgow of NERD and bloodpythons.com
Blood and Short Tailed Pythons
Saturday, March 4, at 10 PM Eastern, in kingsnake.com's Chat Room
Kara Glasgow of NERD has been into snakes all her life, and a serious breeder for the last decade. "I was a boa snob until I saw the light with bloods," she says, adding, "Still love my boas though." She is currently working with a selection of blood and short-tail color and pattern morphs, with more on the way.

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