ColdBlooded

Chat month: Blood pythons, year of the turtle

It's the final weekend of our Thirteenth Annual Chat Month!

Friday, March 25, 10:15 PM ET

Back by popular request, The Blood Python Panel makes its return to kingsnake.com for our final week of chat month.

Blood Pythons are a group of three snakes that all have a bad reputation for being aggressive. For those of us who keep them, however, they are the perfect large snake in a small package. Join us tonight as Kara Glasgow and Ryan Norris from The Blood Cell-Bloodpythons.com and Rich Crowley discuss the latest in breeding, morphs, care and temperament.

Saturday, March 26, 9 PM ET

Wrapping up our final night of chat month we are giving a nod to the Year of the Turtle with Tyler Stewart from the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group (TTPG), who will be joining us on Saturday, March 26 at 9 PM ET.

The mission of the TTPG is to ensure survival of the world�s turtles and tortoises through captive breeding. The TTPG supports the private ownership of chelonians and recognizes the substantial role that the private sector has played in the captive breeding and conservation of turtles and tortoises.

Tyler Stewart is one of those working to captive breed a variety of desert tortoises to ensure wild populations are not touched by the pet trade.

Originally known for his chameleons, a change of life had Tyler switch gears to tortoises. Tyler started his breeding with African Spur thigh Tortoises and today he works with a wide variety of desert species that thrive in the Las Vegas climate. He has also developed a raise-up "tortoise table" that works great for young animals.

How to listen and participate

This year, like last, we'll be bringing you our guests in live streaming audio, with a text-based chat room running simultaneously so you can ask questions and discuss the interview with other listeners.

New this year, we'll be streaming over the Animal Wise Network, a popular, successful 24/7 channel featuring original content and interviews about animals and animal issues.

To listen and participate, just log into the kingsnake.com chat room, then click "Listen now" in the upper left-hand corner.

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Tonight 8 PM Eastern: TOM CRUTCHFIELD!

Tom Crutchfield has been a name in the reptile community for the past 40 years. Good and bad, ups and downs, Tom has shown resiliency while still holding his love for what started him first: the reptiles.

From his beginnings owning and operating Herpetofauna, Inc., to his current reptile farm in Homestead, Florida, he has seen the changes in industry as well as the community as a whole. A very prolific breeder, Tom has bred more firsts than most people touch. Today Tom and his girlfriend Patty have a special focus on unique color morphs of a large variety of species. A quick rundown of his landmark breedings:

11 species of crocodilians
Over 40 species of Boids
Numerous Colubrids
4 species of Cyclura, including the first to captively breed Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas (Cyclura lewisii)
First breeder of a variety of albino species including Iguanas and Alligators
3 species of Varanids
Multiple Chelonians including Radiated Tortoises and the first to breed Sri Lankan Star Tortoises
Several venomous species

Tom has traveled the world in search of the next great reptile and sometimes he has paid the price. On Friday, March 11 at 8 PM Eastern in the kingsnake.com chat room, he will be joining us to candidly share his experiences; the good, the bad and the ugly; and openly answer any questions.

New this year, we'll be streaming over the Animal Wise Network, a popular, successful 24/7 channel featuring original content and interviews about animals and animal issues.

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Chat Month Starts This Weekend!

On Saturday, March 5, our Thirteenth Annual Chat Month will kick off with guest Jennie Erin Smith, author of "Stolen World: A Tale of Reptiles, Smugglers and Skullduggery." Jennie will be joining us live from Germany in the Kingsnake.com chat room at 5 PM Eastern Time (note early time!).

This controversial 2010 book investigates the beginnings of the modern reptile community at a time when laws where not strictly enforced and conservation was not a watchword. From Jeff Barringer's review of the book here at kingsnake.com:

Jennie Erin Smith's "Stolen World: A Tale Of Reptile, Smugglers, and Skulduggery" is a fascinating read that I found both hard to put down, and hard to pick back up again when I did. I can't put it down because it reads like a Ludlum novel, but I am afraid to pick it back up again because many of the stories she relates make me cringe.
Back in the days before the internet, before captive breeding, before the word "herpetoculture" existed, and before most of the laws and regulations about reptiles and amphibians were even proposals, there were the snake men. Reptile cowboys who strapped on the boots, jumped in the swamp and wrestled the python into a bag, or a cobra, or a krait, or a mamba.
Those men would fly around the world, collect the animals, box them up, put them on a plane, and the animals they acquired would show up at the world's biggest zoos, or in the hands of the few private collectors of the time. It was a loose group of people who maintained their own "internet" based on phone calls, letters, and the occasional mailed price list. There were no reptile expos, no magazines, no clubs, and few organizations open to non-academics.

Want to see our full pethobbyist.com line up for the weekend? Click here.

New this year, we'll be streaming over the Animal Wise Network, a popular, successful 24/7 channel featuring original content and interviews about animals and animal issues.

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Tonight! The captivating chameleon with Mike Monge

Gone are the Budweiser chameleons, but they live on in the memory of reptile keepers. So we've invited one of the country's leading chameleon experts to a special interview and guest chat this evening, Tuesday, April 27.

Chameleons are gaining popularity as pets these days because of folks like Mike Monge of FL Chams. His goal of captive breeding the more common species that are currently imported has increased the survival rates of these animals. Cutting back on the imported species means thriving animals for captive keepers and a better all over keeping experience. Chams get the short end of the stick when it comes to reputations. The feeling is that they are very hard keepers for only advanced herpers, and Mike will help guide even the beginner cham fan.

Mike has been keeping Chams since he was 8 years old and as a child ran a successful "business" catching local wild species for sale with a local distributor. From his website on the species he currently works with:

I have been seriously keeping chameleons for approximately four years now. Stemming from a collection of a few veiled and panther chameleons, I have worked with a number of species, including Ch. quadricornis, Ch. deremensis, Ch. jacksonii merumontanus, Ch. jacksonii xantholophus, Ch. cristatus, Ch. wiedersheimi, Ch. montium, Ch. rudis, Ch. biaeniatus, B. fischeri fischeri, B. fischeri multituberculatum, B. tavetanum, F. Cephalolepis, C. parsonii parsonii, R. spectrum, R. temporalis, R. nchisiensis, R. brevicaudatus, B. superciliaris and B. thieli. I'm thrilled to have successfully hatched many of these species.

We will hit on everything and anything chameleon related! We hope to see you this evening, Tuesday, April 27, at 9 pm ET in the Reptile and Amphibian Chat room!

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Liveblog and streaming audio interviews from PIJAC/USARK Reptile Summit

Friday, February 12:

PIJAC/USARK Reptile Summit
7-11 PM Eastern Time in the kingsnake.com chat room and on the kingsnake.com blog.

kingsnake.com's Cindy Steinle will begin the evening with a liveblog from the PIJAC/USARK Reptile Summit in Tinley Park, and follow it up with live streaming interviews of attendees.

The summit will focus on the future of the reptile hobby in the face of mounting legislative threats. We'll be interviewing Kevin McCurley and Ralph Davis, and may also be speaking with PIJAC's Jamie Reasor, Brian Potter, Jeff Ronne, Rob Carmichael, Garric Demeyer, Ken Foose and Robbie Kez, as well as other advocates, activists, and herpers present at the event.

To listen to the interviews, just drop into the the kingsnake.com chat room anytime after 8 PM Eastern Time. If the stream window says "on air," it means we're streaming! If not, check back later, or drop in at the liveblog and see if we're still updating there.

Saturday, February 13:

Liz Palika: Disaster Preparedness for ALL Pets!
9 PM Eastern Time in the Auditorium
Best-selling and award-winning pet author Liz Palika will be talking to us about one of the most important of all topics, "Preparing Your Pets for Disasters".

In addition to her work as a dog trainer, Palika works with and keeps reptiles as well as cats, dogs, birds, amphibians and many other animals, and will focus on the special considersations of more exotic pets as well as dogs and cats.

Liz shared her expertise with PetHobbyist.com during one of the Southern California's recent wildfires, and helped horse, dog, reptile and bird owners' get their pets to safety during mandatory evacuations.

Bring your questions, concerns, and experiences, as you'll be able to share them in our chat room while listening to the streaming audio interview! --

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Cold-blooded Chronicles - Winter 2009

Cold-blooded Chronicles
The Newsletter of kingsnake.com
Winter 2009

Hey, herpers! Are you ready to show the world that it takes more than little fluffy puppies in Santa hats and kittens entangled with ribbons to make a holiday bright?

Enter your reptile and amphibian photos in kingsnake.com's Holiday Herp Photo Contest, and win Petsmart gift cards. It's easy... just go to the brand new photo gallery created for just that purpose, and pick any or all of the three categories:

1. Holiday Herps
You know... iguanas in Santa hats. Snakes coiled around Xmas trees. Any winter holiday is fair game: Christmas, Saturnalia, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve or Day, Festivus, Solstice, Kwanzaa... any excuse for a party is fine with us!
2. Herps in Nature
Your best photos of herps in situ in the field.
3. Herps at Home
Your reptiles and amphibians photographed in your home.

We're giving away $10 Petsmart gift cards to the winners, and the photos with the most comments win, so get your buddies, your mom, and hey, your pets, to come tell you how great your herp shots are. Ties will be broken by Jeff Barringer, who will be led blindfolded into a darkened room and shown the images without any identifying information like which of his biggest advertisers (or user who has been skirting a lifetime ban for the last six years) took the photos.

Are there rules? Please. This is the Internet. Of course there are rules... you can find them and all additional info about the contest at http://www.kingsnake.com/holidayherp!

We also know that the holidays can be a rough time for some of us, especially if we've suffered the illness of loss of a beloved pet recently. That's why the Support Chats on our PetSupport.net site happen every single night of the year, including Christmas Eve, Christmas night, New Year's Eve, and New Year's night. The complete schedule is here, and absolutely no registration is required. Everyone who loves animals is welcome.

We hope that all our friends and your families of all species will have a great holiday season and new year, and that we'll be seeing you around on kingsnake.com! Happy Holidays to you all, from all of us at kingsnake.com!

The 2009 Top Ten Best-sellers in the kingsnake.com Bookstore

Visit our bookstore, featuring herp books hand-selected by our editors!

The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge

The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers

Giant Lizards: The Definitive Guide to the Natural History, Care, and Breeding of Monitors, Iguanas, Tegus, and Other Large Lizards

Natural Terrariums (Complete Herp Care)

Rosy, Rubber, and Sand Boas (Reptile and Amphibian Keeper's Guide)

Stalking the Plumed Serpent and Other Adventures in Herpetology

The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos

Understanding Reptile Parasites (Advanced Vivarium Systems)

Leopard and Fat-Tailed Geckos

Crested Geckos: From the Experts at Advanced Vivarium Systems

Protecting our animals and our hobby

As everyone knows by now, S373, the national python ban, has left committee and moved on to the Senate for vote. The fight is not done yet. Please take a few moments to read "Ain't over til it's over" for some great ideas from site coordinator Cindy Steinle on how to forge ahead and fight S373.

We've received a lot of letters from folks that they sent in to their congressional representatives, and people are sharing their letters on the website. Share your experiences meeting with your senators, and share your letters, on our Herp Law and CITES forum.

Both USARK and PIJAC are working to expand the efforts to fight this fight. Bob Ashley and Brian Potter scheduled a special Tinley Park NARBC for February. While this will be a normal trade show, it is also a fundraiser for USARK and PIJAC. They will be hosting an industry summit meeting Friday, February 12, at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Kingsnake.com will be there and we hope you will, too. The weekend speakers will center around the issues at hand as well. Consider adding this show to your 2010 schedule.

One of our users, Jonathon Brady, put together a wonderful video with his thoughts and advice on this issue. This is the kind of thing we all can do to spread awareness -- check it out!

And to get inspired to write your own letter to your Senator or Congressperson, check out these missives from short tail python breeder Rich Crowley and Kevin McCurley of NERD.

Remember, the fight isn't over. We all need to take a few minutes to step up and take action today.

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The newsletter of kingsnake.com - December 2009

Cold-blooded Chronicles
The Newsletter of kingsnake.com
December 2009

Kingsnake is ever expanding. We recently launched our new car communities! Are you into cars? It's amazing the number of herpers who are just as crazy about their cars! Check out our new car forums -- and you may win a t-shirt!.

Are you following us on Twitter and Facebook? Why not? Get site updates and featured posts as well as chat reminders in real time! Stop by and join us today. Kingsnake.com on Twitter!

Chat month is around the corner. While we are already compiling a list of names, who would YOU like to see? Drop us an email and let us know.

Last month, we completed a move of our classified advertising services to a brand new server, resulting in improved performance times.

Last week, we launched a revised version of our Classifieds Terms of Service that now allows our account holders to post six, rather than three, ads per day per section, and other changes. Catch up on the changes, all designed to make the classifieds easier to use as well as more useful for our advertisers and their customers.

Herp Legal Alerts and Issues

The legislative and regulatory challenges facing our hobby as the year draws to an end. We have an overview of the three major federal laws that could affect the reptile industry on our blog, a well as commentary on this week's hearing here.

As we move forward with this fight, you can be sure Kingsnake.com will keep you informed. Watch the splash at the top of the page, scan the Herp Law and Cities forum regularly, and also subscribe to our Facebook and Twitter pages.

With this in mind, Rich Crowley has tips to avoide problems when handling large constricting snakes.

Big Snakes and Big Mistakes:
Rules to live by when keeping large constricting snakes
By Rich Crowley

1. Avoid handling any constrictor over eight feet in length without assistance.

2. Use snake hooks and tongs to move the snake and cage furniture around in the enclosure or shield the head to block potential strikes by the snake.

3. Never rush into a cage without alerting the snake, use a gentle stroke with the snake hook on the body. A reassuring hand on the lower part of the body well away from the head can also be used, but stay out of the striking range of the snake�s head.

4. Be alert for warning signals such as huffing, hissing, gaping of the mouth, tail wagging or circling of the cage. These are all signs that the snake would rather be left alone and is in a defensive mode.

5. Never wear the snake around the neck or waste without sufficient people to pull it off.

Damage Control � What to do if you make a mistake

1. Remain calm. Sometimes the snake will release if there is no struggle.

2. If you have others with you, keep them calm by talking to them, let them know your status and instruct them on what to do.

3. If you are wrapped up begin by uncoiling beginning with either the head or the tail. If you have help spin away to help uncoil and straighten the snake out to avoid follow-up strikes.

4. If you cannot unwrap the snake using the head or tail because the snake has bitten and is hanging on, try flushing vinegar into the mouth. If the snake does not let go or cannot dislodge its teeth, use a large wood or plastic spoon and slide between the jaw and bite area, sliding the head forward slightly to dislodge the teeth.

5. Immediately place the snake in a secured cage or compartment. A strike is stressful for you and the snake so leave them be and get assistance if necessary to return the snake to its enclosure.

6. If any teeth are lodged in the skin, remove them with tweezers, wash with water, apply antiseptic and wrap with gauze. Seek medical attention for treatment of possible secondary infection and internal tissue damage.

7. Learn from your mistake and identify what you did wrong.

a. Did you smell like food?

b. Did you act like food entering the cage?

c. Did you startle the snake or invade its territory?

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Action needed on national python ban

On December 3, 3009, the Senate committee on Environment and Public Works will hear Senate Bill S373. The bill, sponsored by Senator Bill Nelson of Florida was initially introduced in February 2009. It is a bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to include constrictor snakes of the species Python genera as an injurious animal.

What does this mean? This means that the bill itself is going to place all species of Pythons on the Injurious Animal list of the Lacey Act, thus preventing import, export and interstate transport. That means all pythons from Children's Pythons to Reticulated Pythons will be considered injurious.

At this point the bill is at the second stage, which is to be referred to Committee. The committee will hear one witness for this bill and determine if any revisions are needed, if there is need to move ahead to Senate vote, or if it is to be dismissed. According to govtrack.us, most bills that make it this far never make it out of committee. This is no assurance that we are out of the woods, however. This is the best time to take action and influence Committee members with a grassroots effort.

Kingsnake.com would like to once again ask that you take time over the next several days to make calls and send faxes to members of the Committee to let them know you are not in favor of this bill. USARK has provided a good sample statement for you to use when you call in:

My name is _____. I oppose S373. Although I support and appreciate efforts to preserve the Everglades, this bill will hurt American families while doing little to benefit conservation. This bill would ban the captive bred trade in 40 species of pythons. It would destroy thousands of jobs in our state and across the country. Scientists have questioned the USGS report being used to justify this extreme proposal. Science should trump political expediency. Please oppose S373.

A list of the full EPW committee, with complete contact info, is below. In addition we suggest you also contact your senator. You can find out who your senator is, and get their contact info, here.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), (Sponsor S373) Phone: 202-224-5274 Fax: 202-228-2183

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), (Chair EPW) Phone: 202-224-3553 Fax: 202-224-0454

Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), (Ranking Member EPW) Phone: 202-224-4721 Fax: 202-228-0380

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), (Chair Water & Wildlife) Phone: 202-224-4524 Fax: 202-224-1651

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), (Ranking Member Water & Wildlife) Phone: 202-224-6142 Fax: 202-228-1375

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Phone: 202-224-4944 Fax: 202-228-3398

Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) Phone: 202-224-6441 Fax: 202-224-1724

Sen. Max Baucus [D-MT] Phone: 202-224-2651 Fax: 202-224-9412

Sen. Christopher (Kit) Bond [R-MO] Phone: 202-224-5721

Sen. Thomas Carper [D-DE] Phone: 202-224-2441 Fax: 202-228-2190

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand [D-NY] Phone: 202-224-4451 Fax: 202-228-0282

Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN] Phone: 202-224-3244 fax: 202-228-2186

Sen. Frank Lautenberg [D-NJ] Phone: 202-224-3224 Fax: 202-228-4054

Sen. Jeff Merkley [D-OR] Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997

Sen. Bernard (Bernie) Sanders [I-VT] Phone: 202-224-5141 Fax: 202-228-0776

Sen. Arlen Specter [D-PA] Phone: 202-224-4254 Fax: 202-228-1229

Sen. Tom Udall [D-NM] Phone: 202-224-6621

Sen. David Vitter [R-LA] Phone: 202-224-4623 Fax: 202-228-5061

Sen. George Voinovich [R-OH] Phone: 202-224-3353

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI] Phone: 202-224-2921 Fax: 202-228-6362

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Protecting our right to our herps: Take action against HR 2811

Are you doing your part to protect the right to keep herps?

This past year has been hard on our industry. From one battle to the next we're inundated with requests to speak out against proposed legislation. HR 669 wore us out, but the fight goes on � this week, we need to start another wave of grassroots action against a proposed ban.

On November 5 there will be a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Sub Committee for Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security on HR 2811. This bill amends the federal criminal code to add the constrictor snake of the species Python genera (later amended to limit only Burmese and African rock pythons) to the list of injurious species that are prohibited from being shipped or imported into the United States.

It doesn�t matter if you keep one corn snake or several hundred ball pythons. Legislation like this will have a major impact on our industry. Opening the door to banning one or two species of snakes completely can make it much easier to add more. We are a major part of the multi-billion pet industry and the loss of even a portion of the reptile community could damage the pet industry as a whole.

USARK's science experts have done a cursory analysis of the USGS report and characterize it as "loose with numerous mistakes and inaccuracies. It is an oversimplification of a very complicated topic." The bottom line is it is not the solid piece of science our opponents wanted to use as a tool to break the back of our community. However, that has not stopped it from being mischaracterized as just that.

What can you do?

***November 2,3 & 4

Call and fax the Subcommittee and voice your opposition to HR2811. Be polite and professional!

Script:

My name is____. I oppose HR2811. It is overly simplistic and politically driven. It is poorly thought out and sacrifices good science for political expediency. The negative economic impact for my family and business would be significant. Please oppose HR2811. Thank you for your consideration.

Also please feel free to share your experiences making these calls in our Herp Law and Cities forum at http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=13#1755768.

Names and numbers to call below...
Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Sponsor
Washington DC: phone 202-225-4506; fax 202-226-0777
Miami: phone 305-690-5905; fax 305-690-5951

Cosponsors:

Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-1313; fax 202-225-8398
Ft. Lauderdale: phone 954-733-2800

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-3801; fax 202-225-0351
Atlanta: phone 404-659-0116

Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-3001; fax 202-225-5974
Boca Raton: phone 561-988-6302; fax 561-988-6423

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (HI-2)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-4906; fax 202-225-4987
Honolulu: phone 808-541-1986

Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-5792; fax 202-225-3132
Punta Gorda: phone 941-575-9101; fax 941-575-9103

Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security:

Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-8351; fax 202-225-8354
Richmond: phone 804-644-4845

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-3072; fax 202-225-3336
San Jose: phone 408-271-8700

Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-3816; fax 202-225-3317
Houston: phone 713-691-4882

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-2201; fax 202-225-7854
Los Angeles: phone 323-757-8900

Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-3265; fax 202-225-5663
Memphis: phone 901-544-4131

Congressman Pedro Pierluisi (D-PR)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-2615; fax 202-225-2154
San Juan: phone 787-723-6333

Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-5431; fax 202-225-9681
Roanoke: phone 540-857-2672

Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-5716; fax 202-226-1298
Gold River: phone 916-859-9906

Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-3035; fax 202-226-1230
Tyler: phone 903-561-6349

Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-6565; fax 202-225-5547
Beaumont: phone 409-212-1997

Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-6365; fax 202-226-1170
Chesapeake: 757-382-0080; fax 757-382-0780

Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-5635
New York: phone 212-367-7350

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-7931; fax 202-226-2052
Pembroke Pines: phone 954-437-3936; fax 954-437-4776

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-6616
Brooklyn: phone 718-743-0441

Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL)
Washington DC: phone 202-225-4061; fax 202-225-5603
Chicago: phone 773-267-5926; fax 773-267-6583

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Throw softballs at kingsnake.com's Jeff Barringer!

Throw Softballs at kingsnake.com's Jeff Barringer!

Saturday, August 22nd - TIME SLOT 1 3:30pm ~ 3:40pm

If kingsnake.com's Jeff Barringer doesn't look happy, its because he knows he is about to get dunked. Cheer up Jeff, it's all for a good cause!

How much would you be willing to bid to win ten minutes of trying to dunk kingsnake.com founder Jeff Barringer? We imagine there are LOTS of people who would like to see Jeff get dunked, but few will get the chance to toss the balls that do it.

Only three people will win a chance to dunk Jeff Barringer at this year's kingsnake.com Dunk Tank at the National Reptile Breeders Expo in Daytona Beach Florida, and this auction is for the first of 3 available coveted time spots

Three balls, thirty balls, 300 balls -- we don't know how many throws you'll get in your 10 minutes, but we do know that all the proceeds are going to a good cause, the International Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF).

Here's your chance to give back to the reptile community and take a shot at Jeff Barringer at the same time.

Rules are as follows:

You have 10 minutes to throw softballs at a target. Striking the target will cause Jeff Barringer to be dropped into a large tank of water
There is no limit to the number of balls you may throw during your 10 minutes, however, you must wait until Jeff is seated and prepared before you throw.
Payment by Paypal is due within 24 hours of auction close.
Winning bidder must be actual thrower (i.e. no surrogate throwers, stand-ins, ringers or walk-ons).
Winning bidder must be present in Daytona Beach Florida at the National Reptile Breeders Expo to claim auction winnings.
We are NOT RESPONSIBLE if weather and/or other Acts of God cause the dunk tank event to be canceled or ended early.
This is a charity auction and as such no refunds for any reason will be available.

Other Reptile Celebrities have also volunteered to be dunked for a good cause including Wayne Hill, Desiree Wong, Tommy Crutchfield, Kim Bell and more!
For more info, check out: http://kingsnake.com/daytona2009.html

About the IRCF

The IRCF is a Not-For-Profit California Corporation and is a member-based organization that actively pursues the conservation of reptiles and amphibians and the natural habitat and ecosystems that support them in a variety of capacities depending on the project or program. IRCF support may include funding, mobilization of volunteers, and/or logistical assistance.

IRCF members receive the quarterly journal Reptiles & Amphibians, Conservation and Natural History.

The journal is distributed also to IRCF contributors, reference libraries and other institutions. Join now to receive this informative and beautiful publication! The IRCF is a Not-For-Profit California Corporation. For more information on the IRCF pleae visit our web site at http://IRCF.ORG

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HR 2811 is bad science: Please act now

Congressman Kendrick Meek of Floriday has authored a bill, HR 2811, that would ban the "species genera Python" from being imported or sold across state lines. While in response to the recent Florida death of an infant by her parents' Burmese python, the law is written such that it appears to also ban snakes such as the ball python -- an animal usually included on zoo, herp society, and pet information resources as a good snake for first time pet owners.

This morning, Rep. Meek's office confirmed for PetHobbyist.com that HR 2811 will be heard by the full House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, Tuesday, July 28. Other sources have suggested it will only be heard by a sub-committee, but if that's the case, the assignment has not yet been made.

Time is critical, so please take the time to contact the following Congresspeople and ask them -- POLITELY -- to send this bill back to be amended to use the scientific names of the specific animals they're seeking to restrict, and not include common housepets along with animals of concern.

Chair:

John Conyers, Jr., (D) Michigan, 14th, email: john.conyers@mail.house.gov, phone: 202-225-5126, fax: 202-225-0072

Ranking member:

Lamar Smith, (R) Texas, 21st: phone: 202-225-4236, fax: 202-225-8628

Key members for this bill:

Tom Rooney, (R) Florida, 16th: phone: 202-225-5792, fax: 202-225-3132 (co-sponsor)

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, (D) Florida, 20th: Phone: 202-225-7931, fax: 202-226-2052

Robert Wexler, (D) Florida, 19th: phone: phone: 202-225-3001, fax: 202-225-5974 (co-sponsor)

The bill's author; he is not on this committee, but contact his office also:

Congressman Kendrick Meek (D) Florida; phone 202-225-4506; fax 202-226-0777

Below, you'll find the remaining members of the Judiciary Committee. If you have time to contact them as well, that would be helpful, but at the very least scan the list and see if your represenative is there, and contact him or her.

Other members � if your representative is on this list, contact him or her and mention that you are a constituent:

* Tammy Baldwin, (D) Wisconsin, 2nd: phone: 202-225-2906, fax: 202-225-6942

* Howard Berman, (D) California, 28th: phone: 202-225-4695, fax: 202-225-3196

* Rick Boucher, (D) Virginia, 9th: phone: 202-225-3861, fax: 202-225-0442

* Jason Chaffetz, (R) Utah, 3rd: phone: 202-225-7751, fax: (202) 225-5629

* Howard Coble, (R) North Carolina, 6th: howard.coble@mail.house.gov, 202-225-3065, fax: 202-225-8611

* Steve Cohen, (D) Tennessee, 9th: phone: 202-225-3265, fax: 202-225-5663

* Bill Delahunt, (D) Massachusetts, 10th: William.Delahunt@mail.house.gov, 202-225-3111, fax: 202-225-5658

* Randy Forbes, (R) Virginia, 4th: Phone: 202-225-6365, fax: 202-226-1170

* Trent Franks, (R) Arizona, 2nd: phone: 202-225-4576, fax: 202-225-6328

* Elton Gallegly, (R) California, 24th: Phone: 202-225-5811, fax: 202-225-1100

* Louie Gohmert, (R) Texas, 1st: phone: 202-225-3035, 202-226-1230 fax

* Charles Gonzalez, (D) Texas, 20th: phone: 202-225-3236, fax: 202-225-1915

* Bob Goodlatte, (R) Virginia, 6th: phone: 202-225-5431, fax: 202-225-9681

* Luis Gutierrez, (D) Illinois, 4th: phone: 202-225-8203, fax: 202-225-7810

* Gregg Harper, (R) Mississippi, 3rd: phone: 202-225-5031, fax: 202-225-5797

* Darrell Issa, (R) California, 49th: phone: 202-225-3906, fax: 202-225-3303

* Henry "Hank" Johnson, Jr., (D) Georgia, 4th: phone: 202-225-1605, fax: 202-226-0691

* Jim Jordan, (R) Ohio, 4th: phone: 202-225-2676, fax: 202-226-0577

* Steve King, (R) Iowa, 5th: phone: 202-225-4426, fax: 202-225-3193

* Sheila Jackson Lee, (D) Texas, 18th: phone: 202-225-3816, fax: 202-225-3317

* Zoe Lofgren, (D) California, 16th: phone: 202-225-3072

* Dan Lungren, (R) California, 3rd: phone: 202-225-5716, fax: 202-226-1298

* Dan Maffei, (D) New York, 25th: phone: 202-225-3701, fax: 202-225-4042

* Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York, 8th: phone: 202-225-5635, fax: 202-225-6923

* Pedro Pierluisi, (D) Puerto Rico, Resident Commissioner: phone: (202) 225-2615

* Ted Poe, (R) Texas, 2nd: phone: 202-225-6565, fax: 202-225-5547

* Linda Sanchez, (D) California, 39th: The Hill form 202-225-6676, fax: 202-226-1012

* Adam B. Schiff, (D) California, 29th: e-mail form 202-225-4176, fax: 202-225-5828

* Bobby Scott, Virginia, 3rd: Phone: 202-225-8351, fax:202-225-8354

* F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., (R) Wisconsin, 5th: phone: 202-225-5101, fax: (202) 225-3190

* Brad Sherman, (D) California, 27: phone: 202-225-5911, fax:202-225-5879

* Maxine Waters, (D) California, 35th: phone: 202-225-2201, fax: 202-225-7854

* Melvin L. Watt ("Mel"), (D) North Carolina, 12th: phone: 202-225-1510, fax: 202-25-1512

* Anthony D. Weiner, (D) New York, 9th: phone: 202-225-6616, fax: 202-226-7253

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Burmese Python Study

We at kingsnake.com have a great opportunity to learn more about the Burmese Python Study currently being conducted at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Researchers John (J.D.) Wilson, Michael Dorcas and Whit Gibbons have offered to take questions from our members in reference to this study.

For those who are not aware, the purpose of this study is to assess the survivability of the Burmese Pythons that are currently thriving in the Everglades at a more northern location. You can learn more about this study here (PDF).

What we are asking from our members is that you take the time to formulate respectful questions for the three researchers involved in this project. They will graciously give us their time and answer to the best of their abilities. We at kingsnake will keep close contact and work to arrange a chat as the research continues. We will also continue to update you with the progress.

If you would like to pose a question, there are two ways. Respond to this thread on the Burmese Python Forum, or email me at phfaust@pethobbyist.com.

I will collect questions until July 15, 2009 and then send them off to the research team.

Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
kingsnake.com --

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In CA? Help us stop a bad animal law TODAY!

When hearings were being held on HR 669, even though dogs and cats were expempt from its provisions, thousands of dog and cat owners across the country, including those who participate in the many communities on PetHobbyist.com, rallied against this bad bill.

They are now asking the herp community in California to take just a few moments today to pick up the telephone and call the handful of Senators currently abstaining from a particularly sneaky and dangerous mandatory spay/neuter bill, SB 250.

If you are in California, please call the following Senators, thank them for abstaining from the vote on SB 250 so far, and ask them to continue to do so. Via Save Our Dogs, their numbers and some ideas for exactly what to say:

>>>>
Correa (916) 651-4034
Moreno Ducheny (916) 651-4040
Pavley (916) 651-4023
Wolk: (916) 651-4005
Wright (916) 651-4025
Yee: (916) 651-4008
Negrete-McLeod (916) 651-4032
Simitian (916) 651-4011

The above senators will be getting a LOT of pressure from Sen. Florez � SB 250 author and Senate Majority Leader � to change to a Yes.

If you haven�t already called, call the offices above and say:

�Hello, my name is [your name]. I live in [your city�s name] California. I�m calling to thank the Senator for abstaining on SB 250, mandatory spay/neuter for dogs and cats. I�m asking the senator to continue abstaining when it comes up for a reconsideration vote later this week.�
>>>>>>>

It will only take a moment. If you're still not sure why this bill is bad for animals and for pet owners -- and why Alley Cat Allies, the AVMA, the CVMA, and the ASPCA have all come out against mandatory spay/neuter, and why not even HSUS has come out in support of this bill -- we have more info here:

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/index.php?/archives/347-Call-TODAY-to-stop-SB-250-in-California!.html

If that URL breaks, you can read it here, too:

http://tinyurl.com/r5lfbt

Please help your fellow pet owners and hobbyists! Call right now!

All of us at PetHobbyist.com

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Take five minutes to protect your right to own herps

If you're reading this, you probably own some kind of reptile or amphibian. And you may know there's a law currently being proposed to Congress that would seriously threaten your right to do that in the future, or even take your current pets to another state or breed them -- even common pets owned by generations of American kids like hamsters and aquarium fish are under the gun, all in the name of protecting America from "invasive non-native species."

The bill, HR 669, will be heard in committee on Wednesday, April 23 -- just three days from now!

Right now, this very minute, you need to take action. Go to:

http://www.stop669.org/

Read about the bill, what it would do, and who else is opposing it.

Then click on the link to send a message to the committe members who will be hearing the bill this week. Then use another link to let your own congressional represenative know that this bill is a mistake.

You can also sign up to follow our Facebook and Twitter feeds, where we'll be updating with information on the hearing and this proposed legislation every day.

PetHobbyist on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PetHobbyistcom/73969250776

PetHobbyist on Twitter
http://twitter.com/pethobbyist

Tell congress to leave our pets alone!

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11th Annual Chat Month Starts Sunday!

Eleventh Annual Chat Month on PetHobbyist.com
February 1-28, 2009
New guests are being added every day!
To keep up with last minute changes and additions, follow us on:
Facebook - MySpace - Twitter

Check out our complete schedule for all species -- herps, dogs, cats, exotics, birds, and more!

Herp Chats

Sunday, February 1

John Binns
International Reptile Conservation Foundation
Sunday, February 1, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
John Binns, one half of the driving force behind the International Reptile Conservation Foundation, will be joining us to talk on past and current projects, ways you can get involved, ways you can help endangered species and more.

Friday, February 6

Dr Bryan Grieg Fry
All Things Venomous
Friday, February 6, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Venom researcher Dr Bryan Grieg Fry will be joining Kingsnake to discuss all things venomous. His experience in the field with a wide variety of animals is second to none -- and he's one of our most popular repeat guests!

Saturday, February 7

Michael Shrom
Amphibians
Saturday, February 7, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Michael Shrom has been keeping amphibians for 30 years. He is currently dealing specifically with newts and salamanders, but has worked with various species of frogs in the past as well. He has also supplied c.b. ribbed newts to NASA for some work they are doing on research the Russian space program started.

Sunday, February 8

Yasser Moustafa
Pythons, Morelia and Beyond
Sunday, February 8, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Yasser Moustafa of Spitfire Reptiles has great experience with a variety of carpet species, GTP, scrubs, and barneck, as well as having worked with morelia hybrids. Get in on the ground floor and learn more about these stunning snakes.

Jeff Clark
Rainbow Boas
Sunday, February 8, at 10 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com 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.

Friday, February 13

Jeff Ronne
Boa Constrictors
Friday, February 13, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Jeff Ronne is an expert in the breeding of Boa Constrictors, and his writings have detailed nearly every aspect of the entire boa breeding process. His "tunnel vision" efforts enabled him to observe the many previously undocumented little nuances that are unique to boa constrictors -- the "pre-ovulation swell," the "post-ovulation shed," the "heat conservation position," "slow motion ovulation," "yolk solidification syndrome" -- Jeff reveals all!

Ron Tremper
Geckos
Friday, February 13, at 10 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com 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, February 14

Bill Love
Field Herping in your own backyard, and beyond
Saturday, February 14, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Bill Love, one of our most popular return guests, 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 and his wife Kathy have traveled the world and can help you plan your next Eco-Venture.

Sunday, February 15

Don Soderberg
Keeping and Breeding Corn Snakes
Sunday, February 15, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com 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.

Friday, February 20

Panel Discussion:
Blood Pythons
Friday, February 20, 9-11 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Kara Glasgow (www.bloodpythons.com) Rich Crowley (www.richcrowleyreptiles.com) and Ryan Norris (The Blood Cell) will delve into the three species of snakes that are referred to as Blood Pythons. Care, husbandry, reproduction and all things surrounding sharing your life with these wonderful snakes will be discussed.

Saturday, February 21

Robyn Markland
Monitors
Saturday, February 21, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Robyn Markland started with Pro Exotics in 1993, and will be joining us to talk about the business and monitors.

Sunday, February 22

Doug Mader, DVM
Reptile Medicine
Sunday, February 22, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Best known as the vet from Reptiles Magazine, Dr. Mader is considered by experienced keepers as the person who wrote the book on reptile medicine. He'll join us to discuss topics in herp health as well as his work with the sea turtle hospital.

Bobby Hill
Topic
Sunday, February 22, at 10 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Bobby has over 30 years in the keeping and breeding of reptiles. Currently focusing on Tegus, he has over 80 adults and a bunch of holdback babies, including his Extreme Giant program. Upcoming projects for Bobby included the Jewelled Lacertas. He lives in the great state of Florida, where he runs his business Varnyard Herps Inc.

Friday, February 27

Kevin Mc Curley
The ethics of breeding and selling large constrictors
Friday, February 27, from 9-11 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Kevin Mc Curley, the mastermind behind the morphs that NERD creates, is going to join us for a 2 hour chat discussing judging your clientele, sale responsibility to areas where you may not know the laws, possible environmental impact of released animals, support post-sale, and what your rights are a breeder/seller to deny sale if you see fit -- topics that hit home for many owners and keepers as we face possible federal restrictions on our ownership.

Saturday, February 28

Ralph Davis
Ball Pythons
Saturday, February 28, at 9 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Kicking off our final night will be none other than Ralph Davis, one of the leading ball python breeders. He deals in high-end morphs and is known for his playful personality both behind the table and keyboard. Ralph loves to play in the "mutations" available in the land of the ball pythons. Join us for our final night of guests chats! Lets do it "Ralphie Style"!

Chris Allen
Bearded Dragons
Saturday, February 28, at 10 PM Eastern, in the kingsnake.com chat room
Chris Allen is an acknowledged expert in the care of bearded dragons, and the Chris Allen Reds remain popular even though he took a short break from breeding beardeds. He'll talk to us tonight about everything from basic care to breeding to color morphs.

Date and Time TBA

Adam Britton
TBA
Date and time TBA in the kingsnake.com chat room
Topic TBA.

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Cold-blooded Chronicles: January 2009

Cold-blooded Chronicles
The newsletter of Kingsnake.com
January 2009

Chat Month is Coming!

Last year for the first time, kingsnake.com and pethobbyist.com expanded our annual Chat Week to Chat Month. It was such a huge success, we're doing it again! This will be our eleventh annual symposium of the best of animal breeders, keepers, rescuers, and scientists, researchers, and other experts.

Of course we'll be posting schedules and information on kingsnake.com and all our pethobbyist.com sites, but now you can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace! Friend Chat Month on any or all those sites for up to the minute schedule announcements, confirmed guests, and changes to the line-up!

Chat Month on Facebook
Chat Month on Twitter
Chat Month on MySpace

Chad Brown to host kingsnake.com web radio show:
First guest is Slayer's Kerry King

Pro football player Chad Brown will make his internet broadcast debut as the host of kingsnake.com's long running web radio series for reptile hobbyists. The announcement was made in a broadcast in December when the then current web radio host, kingsnake.com founder Jeff Barringer, unexpectedly switched places during an interview with Brown on air, letting Brown interview him.

Chad Brown, a former all-pro linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, is a long time reptile breeder and operates Pro Exotics, a reptile breeding business in Littleton, Colo. A long time member of the kingsnake.com community, Chad takes over the reins of a web radio program kingsnake.com founder Jeff Barringer started in 1999.

"Choosing Chad to be the new host was a natural," said Barringer. "He's one of our site's most popular chat guests, and consistently turns out a huge crowd at our annual Chat Month."

Barringer said that the only guest to consistently draw as well as Brown is Kerry King of the band Slayer. "Having Chad interview Kerry seems like it will be a great way to start off the new year, and something our users will enjoy."

Kerry King, guitarist and one of the founding members of the metal band Slayer, is also a long time reptile breeder and is often seen at reptile related events in Southern California when he's not touring. King is known for his blazing fast guitar licks as well as his carpet pythons, which he will be showing at his booth during this weekends Reptile Super Show in Pomona. He's been a two-time guest at the symposiums during Chat Month, but this will be his first guest appearance on kingsnake.com's web radio show.

Chad Brown's interview with Kerry King is scheduled to be go live on Jan 7th on kingsnake.com as a downloadable podcast as well as being released on Apple's iTunes as a free download. More info here.

Kingsnake.com and the IRCF Trade T-Shirts for Donations at this Weekend's Reptile Super Show

Kingsnake.com and the International Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF) are partnering for this weekend's Reptile Super Show at the LA County Fairgrounds to raise public awareness of the IRCF Blue Iguana Recovery Program and it's many other conservation efforts. The first 250 people to stop by each day at the Super Show's IRCF booth and donate a dollar ($1.00 or more) toward IRCF conservation programs will get a brand spanking new "My Snake Is Bigger Than Your Snake" T-Shirt from Kingsnake.com.

"Usually we give out T-Shirts for free, but this year we decided to do a mash up of sorts with the IRCF," said Kingsnake.com founder Jeff Barringer. "The IRCF is a great group doing good work. We hope to do more of this sort of thing in the future with the IRCF and other reptile conservation organizations as well."

"We are pleased to join with Kingsnake.com to help promote awareness of endangered reptile species and assist in their conservation through the many programs we support," said John Binns, CEO of the IRCF.

The Reptile Super Show will be held at the FairPlex/L.A. County Fairgorunds in Pomona California this weekend, January 3-4, 2009. Sponsored by Zoo Med, kingsnake.com, and Reptiles Magazine. The show is open to the public and will have over 300 tables of rare and unique animals for sale as well as supplies and caging. Don't miss this huge event. Admission for adults is $8.00 and $5.00 for children 12 and under. Children under 3 are free.

Reptile Super Show
Pomona Fairplex
LA County Fairgrounds
1101 W. McKinley Ave.
Pomona, Ca. 91768
http://www.reptilesupershow.com/

The International Reptile Conservation Foundation, Inc. works to conserve reptiles and the natural habitats and ecosystems that support them. The IRCF contributes support in a variety of capacities to conservation and research programs worldwide, and promotes conservation awareness in schools, at special events, conventions, on television, in publication, and through several websites.

The Blue Iguana Recovery Program is a partnership of local and international conservation groups that share a commitment to ensure the survival of the critically endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguana and includes the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, the International Reptile Conservation Foundation, Inc., the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and The Cayman Islands Department of Environment.

The IRCF supports other international programs for the conservation of endangered animals including the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard and the Guatemalan Spiny-tailed Iguana, the Argentine Sand Dune Lizard, the Gharial in India, and Ricord's Iguana in the Dominican Republic.

The IRCF is a member-based organization that actively pursues the conservation of reptiles and the natural habitats and ecosystems that support them in a variety of capacities depending on the project or program. IRCF support may include funding, mobilization of volunteers, and/or logistical assistance. As a component of our support services, the IRCF communications team develops, hosts, and maintains a variety of websites, promoting conservation programs, building international awareness, and campaigning for funds and other support.

The IRCF is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible in the USA. Further, the Foundation serves as a conduit and facilitates donations and grants to programs which themselves are unable to offer U.S. tax deductions. IRCF support is applied where it is most effective and operates under a policy of accountability to its donors.

The IRCF publishes the quarterly journal Iguana: Conservation, Natural History and Husbandry of Reptiles. The journal is distributed to its membership and contributors, reference libraries, and other institutions. Individual copies of the journal are for sale by request at the current cover price plus shipping.

INTERNATIONAL REPTILE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION, INC. (IRCF)
3010 Magnum Drive
San Jose, CA 95135 USA
Toll free: 1.877.472 - 3674 (US only)
Fax: 1.408.270.5006
http://www.ircf.org

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Cold-blooded Chronicles: Holidays 2008

Cold-blooded Chronicles
The Newsletter of kingsnake.com
Winter 2008

This year is over, and that's probably a relief for a lot of us. We hope that all our friends and your families of all species will have a much brighter new year, and that we'll be seeing you around on kingsnake.com! Happy Holidays to you all!

The 2008 Top Ten Best-sellers in the kingsnake.com Bookstore

There will be lots of great changes in the kingsnake.com Bookstore in 2009 -- watch for them here!

1. The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers
2. Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo
3. The Snake Charmer: A Life and Death in Pursuit of Knowledge
4. Snake Hunting on the Devil's Highway
5. King & Milk Snakes (Complete Herp Care)
6. Kingsnakes & Milksnakes in Captivity (Professional Breeders Series)
7. The New Encyclopedia of Snakes
8. Boas and Pythons of the World
9. Gray-Banded Kingsnakes: Identification, Care and Breeding (Herpetology series)
10. The Boa Constrictor Manual (Advanced Vivarium Systems)

Herps for the Holiday
By PHEve

First, a poem:

Winter is approaching and the holidays are here,
full of love and laughter, and lots of fun and cheer.
A lot of us are shopping for that special gift,
a cool new cell phone for Sue,
and a bearded dragon or snake for Billy and Lou.

A reptile is a wonderful and exciting creature,
with many needs and unique features.
Tanks, and lights,
medicine for mites,
rocks, and bugs,
and bowls,and trees,
some eat crickets, never feed bees.

Temp guns, and sand,
some swim in water,
some live on land.
Some lay eggs, others give birth,
some are gentle, some fight for turf.

All need to be cared for everyday,
no matter what you do, or what you say.

In all seriousness folks, we are hooked on these incredible lizards, snakes, and frogs and most who have kept them know how difficult it can be to keep them healthy and thriving, not to mention the expense. So remember if giving one of these treasures to a child or inexperienced person for the holiday, first make sure you have permission to do so, there should be no surprises with an animal in case it is unwanted. And always make sure your able to help with any questions the person may have about his or her new scaly member of the family. What would be nice , if if you can print up a nice caresheet and put it in a pretty holiday decorated folder and give it along with the new reptile.

A thriving lizard, turtle, snake or frog because of the care it is receiving in captivity, PRICELESS, not to mention rewarding.

Happy Herpidays!

Finding a Good Herp Veterinarian

Your iguana is gray and cold, and isn't moving much, who do you call? If you haven't already found your closest best reptile veterinarian, you (and your pet) may have a problem. Depending on where you live, help may be as close as around the corner, or it may be several hours away. That can be even more complicated around the holidays. Find your herp vet now, and you'll perhaps be saving your scaly friend from needless suffering, as well as saving yourself a big headache when you need it the least. More information here!

Winter Safety for Herpers

Do you use heaters and equpiment to keep your herps warm in the fall and winter months? Check out this cautionary tale!

A Day in the Life of a Herp Rescuer

What if someone wasn�t there to take those calls to herp rescue? Would they ever find a safe place? PHFaust may be exhausted from all the cage cleanings and feeding schedules, but at least she knows the herps in her care are safe. Find out more.

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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.

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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

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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.)

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