Radical Reptiles - W.A.

Well hello again, spring is well and truly here and with that brings a very busy time for us herp lovers.

With lizards, turtles and pythons laying at this time of year it certainly keeps my daughter Lozzie (who i couldnt do without) and i run off our feet.

I have been hearing some very sad stories of peoples pythons suddenly dying, this causes me a considerable amount of distress, considering most keepers only have one or two snakes to care for.

I have been wondering what is the main cause and most people just dont know, bowel blockages and septiceamia caused by cooling down with food in the stomach have been a couple of reasons, but the most saddening one of all is the snake just dying for no reason?? On  pondering some more, I wonder if one of the main reasons our pythons are dying is because of poor hygiene.  No disrepect to keepers out there, but our python is 100% reliant on us for its care, so when it poops it has to be cleaned up straight away, not next week or the next time you do a substrate change, STRAIGHT AWAY!!!  It takes a long time for a python to show it is unwell and then usually it is too late to do anything, so prevention is the best cure.

The mantra i live by for all my reptiles is CLEANLINESS, HYGIENE, HEALTH!

Keeping them clean, means good hygiene, great health.

I have over 150 pythons and they are cleaned 3 times a week, given fresh water bowls once a week, twice in summer and their enclosures are disinfected once a week.  By following this practice, i have extremely healthy pythons and never do i lose one due to septicaemia from a filthy enclosure.

I know that bark, sand and other substrates look great, but ultimately they are not good for your python, unless you keep their enclosure scrupulously clean, I use butcher paper and newspaper, not as aesthetically pleasing but cheap and easy to clean.

Really this is just something for you as a keeper to think about, it saddens me to walk into someones house and see that their python has a wonderful habitat but there are poops on the floor, NOT ACCEPTABLE!! Ok had my rant!!

Another issue that crops us and disturbs me just as much as dirty enclosures is the fact that some people find it highly amusing to handle their pythons when they are intoxicated...once again...NOT ACCEPTABLE.  People forget to lock the enclosure or close the door properly and wonder why their python escaped.

Our pythons know we are intoxicated and dont like it, i have seen pythons totally stressed because their keeper thought it was fun to get them out when they were rolling drunk to show their mates who were equally drunk, the python kept trying to get away and the keeper was baffled as to why his python was not happy...DER it can smell the alcohol on you and doesnt like it...all it wants is for you to do is put it back in its enclosure and leave it alone...remembering to lock the enclosure when you have.

The rule in my house is: If we have been drinking, the snakes don't come out...no exceptions!!

These are a couple of issues i feel really strongly about and hope that you as a responsible keeper will take them on board...

Other than that, i will keep you posted as i have more news to report.

Have a wonderful Xmas and New Year, stay safe, drive safe and Happy Herping!!!

Hi all,

Well i have been extremely busy getting all of this years hatchlings fed and ready for sale. My continuing desire to produce, healthy, friendly and awesome hatchlings is certainly proving to be very rewarding.

With spring on its way, it is time to start moving my snakies around, getting laying tanks ready for the lizards and make sure my incubators are all in working order.

I have been privileged this year to observe many of my pythons mating already, which i hope means that they will produce for me.

I went into the Python palace (thats what i call my python shed) and lo and behold my two favorite blackheaded pythons were on the job...woohoo...lets hope that they do produce....no one has been successful breeding BHPs  in WA, yet!! Note that i say yet!!!

With breeding pythons we have several if's do deal with:

IF they are compatible

IF they mate

IF they lay

IF they hatch

So, with any luck the first two if's have been taken care of its just the next two that are the hard ones...

On the subject of mating, i also caught what i thought was 2 male stimsons mating, i now know that Stimpy is a female (i had never sexed her), she is my first captive bred stimsons, so i will be really chuffed if she produces this season. 

It seems that the stimsons, Womas and BHPs all like to mate this time of year...lets hope it is successful.

Although i had a stimsons lay in April this year and a SW Carpet lay in March, i am beginning to understand that they will mate and lay when they want...in the right conditions.

Hopefully my dragons, ridgeys and geckos will be as productive, so i guess i will be in for another busy year.

Will keep you posted

Take care all and happy herping

Karen

Well its time to get back on track!  Emma Lee was born on 18.08.08 weighing in at 7lb 12oz and i must say she is an absolute joy.  She sleeps all night and smiles all day, i must be the luckiest mum in the world.

I am taking bookings again and am in for a busy time leading up to xmas.  In the New Year i am going to be at the Kwinana Hub again and hopefully i can catch up with some of the  keen reptile enthusiasts I know are out there and help some people get over their fears and phobias regarding reptiles.

So in short i'm going to be out doing what I love to do and that is share my passion for all things scaley and share my scaley mates with everyone too!!

With any luck Angel might be gravid, i keep hoping, but i think her boyfriend is a Dud not a stud....

Will keep you posted.

Well sorry about taking so long to post another entry but i have been extremely busy with making sure all is well with my beautiful animals and getting them to breed. And breed they have!!!

So far I have 60 baby beardies, 20 baby netteds, 35 hatchling stimmies with more to hatch, over 50 SW Carpets to hatch and some Womas too!  As well as some really fat female bobtails.  So at the moment my time is taken up with looking after all my new additions and getting ready for the ones to come.

My biggest surprise was when i found out I am pregnant, due on August 13th.  I already have a  20 yr old and 17 yr old and this came as a wonderful surprise.  Ken is over the moon and so am I.

With the prospect of a new little one on the horizon it is time to sort out my priorities.  No. 1 is to make sure that I dont over do it, little hard with all my babies to look after, but with careful time management and lots of little rests all is proceeding well.

I will be having a rest from the beginning of July to October to look after myself and my new little bundle of joy.

I will be selling my hatchling carpets at the end of June, the Stimmies will be ready for sale in April/May, the beardies are ready from 5th March onwards and so will the netteds.

I will try to post more entries but cant promise anything cos i am really busy at the moment..... loving every minute though...

Take care all and happy herping

Karen

Well if you have ever seen a lizard drinking you will know what I mean.

I have been extremely busy, down at the Peel Zoo in Pinjarra helping the team to promote the Zoo with my scaley mates. 

I recently spent a week at the Kwinana Hub shopping centre and had a fantastic time.  Although one gentleman was quite irate that i should be letting children hold my very friendly critters, and that I shouldnt have them in cages, would he prefer that the poor things are killed when the bulldozers destroy their home. Keeping reptiles in captivity or any animal is a touchy subject, but with the rate of habitat destruction moving as it is, these animals are being diplaced and it seems that none of the developers have any idea or even care of the damage they are doing to our native flora and fauna.  Very few developers even consider relocating the fauna, there are few that do care, I just wish that all developers stopped a minute to think of the life they are about to destroy, when they send the bulldozers in, how can you possibly see a bobby underneath a bush, or a bearded dragon on a branch or even a monitor hiding in its hole from the top of the bulldozer?? I'll get down off my soapbox now....

Another point this elderly gentleman made, was how can a child tell the difference between a venomous snake and a python, i replied "Do you really think i would be standing here holding a venomous snake?  Part of my program is to educate the children on our venomous snakes and I always tell the kiddies that it is ok to hold my snakes but never to pick up one in the bush".  He was not satisfied with my answer. You cant please everyone!  So sad, but true.

One of the highlights of my time in Kwinana was when a young indigenous Australian boy came up to me and was terrified of my Pythons, by the end of the week he was holding them and thanking me for letting him, and said that he never thought that they were such beautiful creatures, another convert!!!

I visited North Dandalup PS and helped some of the students overcome their fear of snakes and was absolutely blown away by the knowledge of the children about reptiles.  Many of the city schools I have visited are quite ignorant about our native reptiles and it is great to be able to share my scaley mates with them, to see the wonder on their faces and know that I left them with a lot more respect for our reptiles.  My favorite saying is that without lizards we would have bugs everywhere and the girls all go eeeeeek, the boys giggle, and without snakes imagine the rodents everywhere.  Kids are amazing, they are willing to learn and hopefully they go home and tell their mum and dad, "dont put snail pellets down it will kill the Bobbies, dont use insectisides they will kill the lizards and the bugs", and how to make their yard safe from our venomous friends.

I am waiting patiently for some SW Carpets to hatch and am enjoying all the baby beardies that have hatched so far this year.  They are so cute and real little piggies.

I love my job and love to share my friends with you all, catch you soon at my next Radical Reptiles show.