People Wonder Why I Like Tortoises & Turtles So Much

 

Not wondering any more are ya!

By the way, that is either a Yellowfoot or Redfoot Tortoise also known as a chick magnet. Live and learn.

All the best,
GB

NY Metro Reptile Show - Report

If you are interested in reading my report on the NY Metro Reptile Show of September 13th - go here.

All the best,
Glenn B

Alone In Tucson Again...

...but while Brendan was here we had a few good times together despite the fact that I was under the weather.

The high point of his trip may have been when he looked down while in Pima Canyon. He looked down, exclaimed something to the effect of "Oh golly shit", prodded around with the end of my walking stick in the then dry sand of the wash, and came up with a Cold Steel brand machete still in its case. Granted it was pretty rusted being that he found it in the middle of the wash in an area that had water in it (not water in that exact spot but water only feet away from it and upstream at that, so the sand there was probably damp a lot) on each of my previous visits, but it was a pretty neat find. Of course he could not take it home with him on the plane since he only had a carry-on bag but I figure I'll find someplace for it in my checked luggage when I return home. Once home I think we will have to see if we can restore it some by getting the rust off of it. Strange thing is that even though badly rusted, even pitted in some places, it still held a very sharp edge and my guess would be that it would still have been effective used for its intended purpose despite the time, the ling time, it probably spent in the wash.

Of course we also found some other things on the Pima Canyon Trail and those included a lot of lizards and some good views. In the lizard department we were hoping to get to see a Gila Monster repeating my luck of a previous hike there. While we did not duplicate that bit of good fortune we did see something that neither of us had seen in the area before and we saw it quite possibly because of good trail manners we had just exercised. You see, we were hiking back down out of the canyon. At the same time as us, there was a group of three other guys hiking down who were behind us a bit. They were walking at a pace just above ours and after a while of hearing them chatting behind us it was time for us to move to the side and let them pass and they politely thanked us. Well after a short while we decided to take a break to drink some water and to give me a rest. I was pooped, shame on me for hiking while having the flu, but it was Brendan's last full day here and I was going to make sure he did something fun. As it turned out, the three guys we had let pass us only minutes before were up ahead all bent over looking at something on the ground. Brendan asked if i wanted to stop where we stood, a place I had actually had in mind to stop at, but when I saw those three so intensely peering at something I said 'let's move on a bit'. The three guys soon straightened up and continued their hike and we soon got to the spot where they had been peering at something. I sat down, as did Brendan, and almost no sooner than we sat he blurted out something like 'check it out'. There was a Collared Lizard, a male in full breeding colors, that had just run up the trail directly at us. It stopped only a few feet away, watched us a moment or two as I took some pics of it over Brendan's shoulder (all blurry at that), ran off the trail a few feet, stopped at a rock with an obvious hollow under it, peered into the hole and then disappeared into it. We decided to try to catch it. Brendan lifted the rock and before I could even think about making a grab the little guy ran back onto the trail. The thing is another collared lizard, apparently a female, also took off from under the same rock.

These lizards are normally very wary of their surroundings and any potential threats like hawks, roadrunners, coyotes and herpers (they would have been us). This guy was very bold indeed staying pretty close, and the reason he was staying close was obvious - he was horny! Typical guy I suppose, a pretty female nearby makes us all brazen. Brendan got a shot or two of the female (the one on the rocks at left), and he and I both got some shots of the male (the one in the pic above next to the backpack). While she ran under some bushes and was harder to photograph, he stayed out in the open for over 5 minutes, moving back and forth along the trail. He even posed next to my backpack. When you look at the pic of him, click on it to enlarge it then look at the yellow spots. While the pic may not do them justice you can get some sense of just how luminescent were those spots in the daylight (and it was light overcast). That was a great find made by my son's sharp eyes and in part at least based upon our good fortune due to us having had good trail manners earlier. If we hadn't had perfect timing we would never have seen it, and that perfect timing was due to our having moved aside on the trail. Coincidence? Maybe you think so but as for me I'll just take it as a rare instance of a good deed being rewarded for us instead of the typical "No good deed goes unpunished" sort of a thing.

It was a fine last day for his trip to Tucson, better than most that preceded it if not the best of all. As for me, I am here till the end of June, maybe even until the end of July since they asked me to extend. Sometimes it seems as if I just cannot get enough of this place.

All the best,

Glenn B

Sometimes It Pays To Have A Sharp Eye In The Desert

For instance, if you take a look at the first picture I am posting in this blog, you will probably see what looks like a view off to the side of a mountain trail were run off has cleared the larger debris from around some boulders. If that is what you think you see, well click on the photo to enlarge it and look at it again. Do you see anything else?

What do you mean you don't see anything different? Look closer and focus on the center of the picture. Yes there is a good sized flat rock right about at the center, but don't look at the rock - look on it. You should just about be able to make it out, much as I did while I was passing by along the trail on which I was hiking. Have you spotted it yet. It is a Yarrow's Spiny Lizard - one of the most beautiful lizards in the USA. They have an amazing amount of blue/green in their scales and when the sun shines on an adult male it looks almost like some sort of exotic jewel. Still though, they are not all that easy to see at any distance, heck they are only about 6 inches long - and this was was not highlighted by the sun. I saw it though, and so can you if you peer long enough, or if you look at the next pic.

Yeah, I know, the picture kind of sucks; but the thing is at least now you can see it if you were not able to see it before. When you hike trails here in Arizona, whether they be up in the mountains - like where I took this photo at just above 7,000 feet - or at lower elevations in the desert. it pays to keep a sharp lookout as you walk along. because you can never be quite sure of what you might come upon. Same goes when you are driving.

For instance I was driving down a road out in the middle of nowhere, when I stopped to avoid crushing this creature. Yeah - you have to see yet another of my crappy photos to see what I mean. This time it is not as easy as seeing the lizard was in the first pic above is it! What do you mean you don't see anything but roadway. Yeah that's right it is tough to see, and I was driving at about 35 mph when I saw it, and it was not moving. Not that my eyes are any better than yours but I have sort of trained myself to keep at least one eye on the roadway for such critters. Click on the pic to enlarge it and look closely, you will see the little booger near the center of the pic (hopefully it will enlarge enough). That one is a Tucson Banded Gecko. It's a creature of the night, they come out and hang out on roads to warm up at night since the blacktop retains heat longer than the surrounding ground. Look at it again, then compare its size to the gravel in the blacktop and ask yourself if you would have seen it at that speed. It blends in pretty well when viewed from above like in this photo, but truth be told it kind of stands out when you know what to look for.

Of course there are some other creatures out there in the desert that you do not necessarily need to see first to know that they are there if only because they give you a warning of their presence, well sometimes anyhow. If one of them decides to remain quiet, well then you had best hope that you notice it by way of a sharp eye, otherwise you might feel something else sharp - as in a venom filled fang. This one is a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. You definitely want to know that this guy is nearby before you get too close. While most of them will retreat at your approach, some will not, and you definitely do not want to get tagged by one of them. Their bite can be fatal to an adult human in excellent health let alone someone who has medical problems of any sort. Even if not fatal the bite causes extreme pain, terrible necrosis of the flesh in the bitten area, and can lead to amputation if envenomation occurs. I say IF because not all bites by rattlesnakes envenomate; they can control whether or not they release their venom and dry bites are not all that uncommon. Still though, I would rather keep my eyes open and avoid a bite in the first place. By the way, this one was abut 3 feet, and it did not rattle as I walked over to it to take the picture. It did rattle a little bit when I got closer and prodded it lightly with my walking stick. In fact it made the infamous S-curve with its fore body, rattling and retreating as it did so. Smart snake not wanting to waste venom on a defensive bite when such is much more useful to it to capture dinner.

I would have liked to have been able to have cropped these to better highlight the animals but as things would have it the computer at my hotel does not have photo editing software - neither does the one in my office out here (go figure). So much for not owning my own laptop for travel.

All the best,
Glenn B

Hellbent On Hellbenders

It's not the best picture, but it was the only one I could find in the public domain. What is it a picture of, why it is a Hellbender - of course! Or if you prefer the scientific lingo, it is Cryptobranchus alleganiensis - the largest salamander in the United States, heck the largest amphibian in the United States. It is native to NY, PA, WV, VA, NC, SC, TN, GA, OH, KY, IN, IL, MO, AR, MI, AL (hope I got the abbreviations correct). Sadly their numbers have been reduced; and although the causes are not known for certain it is believed that loss primarily has been due to pollution, and siltation. Its last strongholds are in PA, WV, VA, TN, NC and GA.

Brendan and I are hellbent on observing and photographing at least one of these creatures while on our road trip to VA. Of course that will mean a side trip to WV and the Monongahela National Forest, but it would be worth it for us to find just one of them. We have searched for these guys over several years in the Susquehanna River system near Windsor, NY and Binghamton, NY but have never see one even though the streams seemed well suited to them. All of the rivers and streams that we searched had large populations of crayfish - one of the favorite dietary items of the helbender. Still though no hellbenders, and I suppose because of an overabundance of silt in the water from runoff originating on farms and dirt roads.

If you would like to learn more about this amazing creatures, visit this site:

http://hellbenders.org/index.html

There are some really great photographs of hellbenders on that site; and instead of swiping them for use on my site (I could not get through to the owner of them via email to ask permission) I figured I would link to the site and let you explore it at your leisure. Check out the second picture on the photos page, it will give you a good idea of just how big these critters get.

Now back to refinishing the bedroom floor for me!

All the best,
Glenn B

New Addition - A Face Not Even A Mother Could Love...

...but somehow a lizard lover certainly could become enamored over this mug. This my friends is the latest addition to my herp collection, albeit only a temporary guest among the many critters that inhabit or stopover at my home. I picked it up from someone who could no longer give it the care it needed, and promised to find it a good home and care for it until I did so. Well I have already found it a good person to care for it, in a home it will share with two others of its kind, but just have not had the chance to deliver it yet.

I guess that by now you must be wondering exactly what kind of lizard it is, that is if you don't know already. My guess is that some few of you may know, and others like Jungle Mom are sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to find out, yet being grossed out every moment you spend staring at it. It is a Sudan Plated Lizard, or in the scientific lingo: Gerrhosaurus major.

They come from eastern and southeastern Africa (like The Sudan) and live in semi-arid grasslands, deserts, and rocky areas. Despite this one mugging it up for the camera, in nature they are quite shy and often spend great parts of a day hidden in termite mounds and animal burrows. They are fond of a variety of insects, bugs (like millipedes), fruits and some other vegetable manner. In general they are opportunistic omnivorous feeders. My guess is they would eat anything that crawled small enough for them to easily overcome, and also add whatever fruits they can devour to their diets in nature. They are not an endangered species, and are readily available in the pet trade. Most are wild caught individuals, and while usually easily acclimated to captivity - captive bred specimens would be the preferred type to keep. Most tame very easily, and become regular family type pets. Brief but specific care requirements can be found here: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/basic-spl-cs.htm.

Now I almost cannot wait for the next additions due on this Thursday - 33 Ball Pythons! I guess that is another story in the making.

All the best,

Glenn B

New Addition - California Kingsnake

Well I have not talked about guns in a while, and I guess I'll skip them today too if only because my other passion took hold today. This afternoon I went to the monthly meeting of the Long Island Herpetological Society . Almost as soon as I walked in the door, Dave F. asked me if I was still looking for a female California Kingsnake. In fact I was, and had been looking earlier today when I had been in touch with someone who had one advertised on CraigList. That person wanted $60, a reasonable deal for a healthy and breedable female. Dave though had a better offer. He had a very nice looking morph of the Cal. King called a 'washboard' It is a banded variety, white/black that has a mottling of white specks throughout the black bands along her sides. Not only did I like the look of her, but I also liked the fact that she is between 2-3 years old (young and probably ready to breed) but she is close in size to my male. Not that size difference is a problem, but they will be less likely to eat one another. Yes kingsnakes are sometimes cannibalistic of their own species; heck they got the name kingsnake because of the fact they routinely eat other snakes - even rattlesnakes.

I'd write more about her now, but I am anxious to introduce her to the male I have on hand, a black and white striped Cal. King. Hopefully the chemistry will be right, and they will hit it off right away instead of trying to eat one another. I'll keep you posted.

By the way, the LIHS meeting was a good one today. Bill Love a renowned herpetologist, animal breeder, photographer, world traveler, and adventurer was there to do a presentation on the herpetofauna of Mauritius and Round island. Bill was one of the few lucky folks - not a scientist - who has ever visited Round Island in the past 15 years since it was granted heavily protected status as a nature preserve. Very good and interesting show with lots of nice pics. He also gave a talk about herp photography on Friday night at the annual LIHS dinner. I'd include a pic of him here from today's event except I would be embarrassed to show it to him after the talk he gave on Friday. Seems everyone else forgot their cameras so I tried to snap one with my cell phone and it was just way to dim in the theater. Oh well, next time I guess I'll remember my camera.

All the best,
Glenn B

Woma Python

The latest acquisition in my collection of herps (reptiles and amphibians) is a Woma Python. It is a striking beautiful snake, and its kind comes from Australia. The one I have, and that is pictured here, is an average looking specimen. There are some that look much more striking in that their heads are more yellow, and their bands more contrasting with reddish color in the darker bands. This one even though being an average looking specimen is still spectacular to behold. You may not realize it from the picture, but this guy (I think it is a male) is about 4.5 to 5 feet long. Its body at the widest point is thicker than my wrist. It is a powerful beast, that in its wild habitat eats small to medium rodent sized mammals, birds, lizards, and other snakes. It kills its prey by constriction, and those coils are strong, my hand was feeling the squeeze as I took some pictures. If you don't believe that then carefully look at the color difference between my forearm and my hand, the hand is a bit on the red side. This one will probably not get much bigger as it has hit the average size for the species, but some have been known to grow to longer than 7 feet, and I have heard they can reach about 8 feet (I sure hope not).

I still have to check it to determine if it male or female by probing it (you probably don't want to know). If it is a male, I'll either keep it for a while and sell it, or pick up a female and try to breed them. That is if I can find a female at a reasonable price, and assuming mine is a male. Heck if it is a female, I may just get stud service for it, usually at the cost of the pick of the litter. This one cost me $300. That was a deal. They usually go for between about $500 and $800 each. Prices are coming down though since some people are breeding them regularly. Still though, the investment in a female would be a good one if the male and female wind up being fertile. Babies easily go for $400 to $500 apiece now, and will still be in the hundreds for at least the next few years. I would not be quite that money hungry, and would sell them at a lower price, but not too low (mama may not have raised the brightest kid at school, but mama did not raise a fool).

I know for sure that my new Woma Python has been eating. The lady from whom I bought it said it was eating frozen/thawed rats. (Yes we buy em frozen because they are cheaper in bulk and snakes will eat dead prey as long as it is thawed fully. Always fun when my wife asks what is in the bag in the back of the freezer.) I know mine was eating well because once I got it home and set it up in a tank, one of the first things it did was to answer nature's call. A nice big healthy answer at that. Nuff said, it seems healthy.

Hopefully when I try to feed it, it will eat. I like to let new snakes in my collection settle in before trying to feed them. This particular snake is a bit on the nervous side when in its tank and someone walks by. It has not tried to biter me or even strike at me when I have opened its tank, that is very good because some snakes strike like crazy when something enters their tank. Once you pick it up it is very easy going. I think it will take to the change of homes pretty well, but I still want to give it about 5 to 7 days before I try feeding it. I am hoping it is not sort of addicted to rats and that it will take large mice and other small rodents. I prefer my snakes to eat a variety of prey for health reasons (sort of like a balanced diet, they get different nutrients in different percentages, from varying prey; and in the event I can not get one type of prey item for awhile.

One other thing I have to do now, is figure out how to recoup the $300 I paid for this guy. That chunk of change will take a big bite out of my hunting budget for this year; and it may mean camping out as opposed to staying in a motel for a few nights on this year's hunting trip. Oh well, if I keep it to breed it, it will be worth the expense in the long run.

All the best,

Glenn B

New Stuff...

...that I have gotten recently and that has me a happy camper is something I figured I would share with all of you in a post with pics. As most of my readers probably know by now I am into herps (reptiles and amphibians), and into guns (shooting and self defense wise, not gunsmithing or tinkering), and hunting & fishing. My recent acquisitions have to do with all of those interests.

The first thing I want to show you is a knife I bought recently. I was not too sure if I would keep it for myself, or if I was going to give it to my son on his birthday, but I have decided this one is a keeper for me, and probably eventually will become his. Who knows, I may yet get him another for his birthday, but I think I have a better present in mind right now.

As for the knife, it is a Spyderco, Bill Moran model. I had wanted one with a drop point blade but that was not available, so I got this one. Now that I have it I like this blade more than the drop point with its more classical lines. That is about all that is classical on this knife though. The polymer handle (or whatever it is) is pretty decent in the hand. The sheath is molded plastic (or again whatever), and the knife fits into it snugly. The sheath is adjustable to be carried in several positions. Not a bad investment, I think, at only about $55. Now I have a nice accompaniment for my pistol as it sits on my belt with the knife. The blade will come in handy on hunting and fishing trips, and I hope i never need it for self defense; but in that last regard I follow the motto of the Boy Scouts: "Be Prepared".

My next acquisition was free. I got it tonight (Sunday night, it is now Monday morning by 5 minutes or so). It is a Thayer's Kingsnake. Well truth be told, I sold or gave this snake to someone about 4 years ago. I may have bred the parents to produce this one, I cannot recall right now. I know I had some that were jet black, and yes they can produce young that look like this. My friend Bill V dropped it off with me tonight. He liked this snake a lot. So much so that he actually saved this snake from death's doorstep one day a couple of, or a few, years back when another kingsnake he kept it with began to constrict and eat it (that is why they call them kingsnakes, they eat other snakes). The way he brought it back was by placing a straw into its windpipe and giving it artificial respiration. Bill is a NYC Fireman and knows how to save lives, even an animal's life. He recently started school for a second career, and has little time left to do anything else. So he has cut back on his snake collection. It was difficult for him to give this one up. Nice snake, to bad he did not get it to me on Friday, I could have taken it to Saturday's LIHS Reptile Expo and probably made him some money with it. If you are not into snakes you probably cannot figure how someone would want to pay money for one, but this one is worth at least $150, maybe $250 in this one's condition. These kingsnakes are also known as the variable Kingsnake because that when they are born they can be one of several color and pattern variations from jet black to orange with saddles to the one shown, to a tri-colored phase, and others in between. This phase is one of my favorites.

My other acquisitions, 5 of them, all came to me Saturday at the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. I was so busy while there that I did not even realize, until someone just about knocked me on the head, that one of my animals displayed in the judged show had won a first place ribbon in its category (tortoises), a first place trophy in the more general category of Turtles/Tortoises, and the Best of Show trophy for all the animals in the judged show. I have been an LIHS member for about 17 or 18 years now, and while my animals, and Brendan's animals, have sometimes won best in a specific category, or best in a more general category, we have never won the Best of Show before. If indeed I have been an LIHS member for 18 years now, what a nice coincidence that I won the Best of Show for the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. The sad thing is that I fell asleep early tonight, a long nap, and only woke up after my chance of playing the pick 3 number for the NY Lotto was over for tonight. I would have played 018. Maybe tomorrow. The man whose name shown is on the plaque on the trophy was a past president of the society, and a friend. A great guy, and a man who knew how to keep people interested in the LIHS. It was under him that our membership reached into the hundreds.

Oh yeah, the trophy was for my female Hermann's Tortoise. I have had it about 3 or 4 years now. Got it as a little one from another society member. It sure has grown up to be one good looking tortoise. I must admit while I am thrilled to have won, it is also humbling. You had to see the competition; and you have to realize that the guy who has won for the last few years in a row decided to drop out of the competition to give some of us other members a chance. I owe a lot to him, to the guy from who I got the tortoise, and to the tortoise and Mother Nature. Without all of them doing their parts, then maybe there would have been no trophy for me.

All the best,

Glenn B

18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo

Now here is a subject dear to my heart, the annual Long Island Herpetological Society Reptile (and amphibian) Expo. In fact this will be the 18th annual show that the society has had. It s dear to my heart because I have been a member of the society for 17 years, maybe even all 18, during which the show has gone off. I know its been at least 17 years because the first time I went to a society event, it was a show they held at the Copiague Memorial Library, and if I got it right they only had two shows there, numbers 1 &2. By the second show, I was exhibiting animals; don't you know I have been into keeping reptiles and amphibians for well over 40 years now. I have kept em, collected em, and even bred them (no not with them, but as in animal husbandry). Brendan, my son, is a chip off of the old block, he has been to most of the events, if not most of the shows, since he was about 5 or 6; and he has been to an awful lot of the shows.

Nothing awful about the shows themselves. They are a good thing for people who like to keep reptiles and amphibians, a good thing for those curious enough to see a large variety of herps (reptiles & amphibians), a good thing for the dealers, a good thing for the exhibitors, and a good thing for the herps themselves. Each show is set up with vendors' tables, and the vendors do what they do best - they sell things. The selling pretty much is limited to live reptiles and amphibians (captive bred much preferred, and are the great part of what animals are sold), and to herp keeping supplies and equipment. We also have exhibitors' tables set up, and we run a judged show. Anyone, not just society members, can enter herps into the show. Prizes (trophies and ribbons) are awarded for best herps in several categories, and one really nice trophy is awarded for the best overall herp of the show. Of course you do not have to buy anything to attend, but if you are into herps, this is a good show to attend if you want to find quality herps and products usually below, well below, pet shop prices.

Now you may think I forgot to follow up on why I think the show is good for the herps too. I have not, it just deserves its own paragraph. These types of shows are good for reptiles and amphibians because they promote proper care of herps, good conservation of natural populations, and reasonable laws concerning the keeping and breeding of herps. Our show also helps support the LIHS itself, it is our biggest money maker, and that in ripple effect helps support the above causes already mentioned. You may be wondering how does a show, in which people sell herps actually support these things. Well here goes:

The shows promote proper care of pet reptile and amphibians. Why - well because it makes sense to do so. if reptiles and amphibians were not understood enough to be fairly easily kept in captivity, dealers would not be selling them in fairly large numbers as they do. Of course dealers could still sell them, they could die, and you might come back to buy another; but if they sell them, tell you how to care for them, provide such support when you need it through a society like the LIHS, then keeping them becomes more of a pleasure, and you are more likely to want to get into the herp hobby with a ore vigorous and long lasting interest. The shows also promote good conservation. If you attend one you will probably see that most dealers are selling what are labelled as C/B or C/B/B this or that with regards to live animals. The C/B stand for Captive Born or Captive Bred (there is a difference, as not all captive born animals were the product of parent animals that mated in captivity - the mother could have been wild caught while gravid). It usually stands for Captive bred, and C/H is used for Captive hatched meaning the mother was caught and then laid eggs in captivity before the next breeding season while in captivity. C/B/B means Captive bred & Born, in other words the parents mated while in captivity, and the young were then produced as a product of this captive mating. This is a good thing. Why? because it cuts down on the number of animals that come into the pet trade from the wild. If there is a large supply of captive bred animals, there is much less of a demand on wild populations. This is very advantageous for dealers and buyers. It helps assure that young herps which are sold are healthy, and come from healthy stock. it also allows for selective breeding so that breeders/dealers can select traits that they think will sell. Therefore color morphs like albinos are often produced. A large interest in animals of various color morphs also helps reduce the desire for naturally colored animals, thereby again reducing the need or desire for wild caught animals. Of course every now and then, wild caught animals are a good thing as they reintroduce genetic variety into captive bred populations, but the need is reduced with captive breeding to a much lower level than it would have been without captive breeding programs.

These shows are a further boon to wild animal populations because they support conservation in other ways. For example, the LIHS bring in most of its annual funding through this show. You may wonder how this promotes wildlife conservation. It does so because the LIHS is usually involved in a good number of live animal presentations throughout the year during which members exhibit animals to audiences from pre-schoolers up through college level students up through moms and dads who pay for that education, up through grand-dad and grand-ma. Our audiences are sometimes specific to students in classrooms, and at other times are open to the public in places like parks or science halls. We teach about herp keeping, about herp conservation, and about the natural history of many types of reptiles and amphibians. We also attend, as a society, other reptile expos where some of our members man an LIHS table. There we give out information free to the public on the same topics mentioned above. One of our main functions has been to educate the public on these topics. In addition, the LIHS and its members are usually often involved in actual conservation programs such as: scientific population counts of wild animals, rescue of stressed wild herps (such as stranded sea turtles, or turtles that have been hit by cars), and capture/release scientific programs during which herps are caught and examined by researchers in their herpetological studies. This is all of benefit to wild populations.

We have also supported reasonable legislation regarding the keeping and breeding of herps. For example when NY State was about to enact legislation, a few years back, that would have outlawed all boas and pythons from being legally kept in captivity, we protested. Not only did we protest enactment of such a broad reaching law, but we explained to our state legislators why we did not support such a law; and furthermore we explained what type of ban we would see as reasonable to some extent. We did not say that NYS should totally ignore some problems, or potential dangers of keeping captive herps- specifically boas and pythons, monitor lizards, and venomous species; but we certainly let the officials know that they were painting these types herps with the same brush when indeed thy should not have done so. So we explained our stance about why we thought the ban should not be as far reaching as they had written it - for example that not all boas or pythons pose a threat to humans as they had thought. Why not, well because many species remain very small in comparison to Anacondas and Burmese Pythons. Some such as the Ball Python usually reach about 4 1/2 feet, others such as the rubber Boa reach about 2 feet maximum. Yet legislators were quite ready, and imminently about to ban all boas and pythons as being dangerous to humans because of the fact that some of the bigger types had constricted and killed foolish owners (foolish because of how they handled them, not necessarily because they kept them). The legislation then greatly modified the law before it was enacted, and pretty much only those species seen as a real threat to human life, or limb, were restricted. Of course we were not the only herp society to do so in NY, but our collective voice was heard.

Back to the show itself - if you are in NY state, anywhere near Long Island this coming weekend; and if you have an interest in reptiles and amphibians - whether a keeper or just out of curiosity - why not stop by the show. It will be held at SUNY (State University of New York) Farmingdale just off of route 110. It is easy to access from the three major highways than run east/west on the island. For more info on the show go to this link: http://www.lihs.org/files/events.htm. By the way, if you think you saw a lot of variety in the pics above, you have not seen almost anything yet, stop by the show and have your eyes opened. I'll be there. I'll have a table or two, usualy directly across the hall from the main entrance. Hope to see one or two of my readers there.

All the best,

Glenn B

A Beautiful Gal...

...or at least a beautiful female Corn Snake, is something that I was lucky enough to get hold of today. I spent most of the morning and afternoon at the New York metro reptile Expo in White Plains, NY today. Yes that means I am feeling somewhat better than I have been, still not 100%; and sitting there most of the day manning the Long Island Herpetological Society and giving out info about the care of reptiles and amphibians was not all that taxing on my system. Not eating while there helped me stay, shall I say, okay.

I digress, so back to the Corn Snake. I guess most of my readers know one of my hobbies is guns and shooting. Another of my hobbies, one I am just as passionate about, is the collecting, keeping and breeding of herps (reptiles and amphibians). I have been into slimy and scaly creatures as pets since I was a young child. no dogs, cats were allowed in our apartment. An uncle who bought me a turtle got me started, then 5 years at summer camp had my interest in such critters really blossom. Now I am an addict so to speak. So when I got a free male corn snake today I was quite the happy camper. Then when one of the other LIHS members at the show asked me if I wanted to buy a female corn snake to go with my new male I said sure. It wound up I actually traded a Ball Python for the female Corn Snake, and I wound up thrilled.

Now you may not think much of Corn Snakes, and less of snakes in general, but just let me say this gal is a real looker. I know, you are probably thinking that sometimes even a grump like me would be easy to please in my own kooky sort of a way, and you would be right; but I'll let you judge for yourselves. Just take a look at this beauty, and if you are not phobic about snakes, tell me is she a looker or what! One of the nicer of all North American snakes. She is pretty much a normal colored corn snake, though I have to point out that there are many color phases of normal colored corn snakes. There are also many, many, selectively bred color phases of corn snakes that do not appear in the wild, but as I said this one is a natural phase in appearance.

I say she is a natural phase in appearance because she is the product of selective breeding. She laid 12 eggs this year, and I saw her 12 offspring today. They do not resemble her; and the group of them is made up of three different color phases. The male I got today is also normal in appearance, and I am curious to see what their offspring will look like, but I'll have to wait until late spring or early summer for that. First I have to fatten this gal up a bit. Then she will go into brumation for the winter (sort of like hibernation, but the snake does not sleep through the winter or most of it as would a mammal that hibernates, rather it becomes very inactive, but still active to a slight degree). Once out of hibernation, she will feed and put on some weight, then when the male is ready they likely will breed. After the breeding she will carry the eggs internally for some time, then lay the eggs, which will take about 2 months before they hatch. Hopefully they will produce some nice babies.

Well maybe you think me a nut, or maybe you agree and find her to be spectacular to behold as I find her to be. Mother nature sure has a way of making some things really nice to look at, even some things that most people seem to shy away from. I am kind of happy I find them as interesting as I do, and i guess I can thank my mom for putting up with my keeping them when I was younger. She never liked them, I can say that with certainty, but she loved me enough to tolerate them. I can also thank my wife likewise, as she puts up with my keeping them now. I guess that also means I can thank both of them because I share my interest and passion with my son; and that is a good thing indeed. If the ladies never let me get away with having these things in the house, my son probably would be keeping goldfish if he kept any animals at all!

All the best,

Glenn B

Gun Shows and Herps Shows - a Commonality?

Gun Shows are neat, well that is, they used to be neat, and loads of fun too. They were neat because they brought together a whole bunch of people with the same interests, that being firearms, and that had lots of firearms on display and for sale. I still like going to gun shows but they are nowhere nearly as fun as they once were if only because they have been targeted by the gun hating ultra leftists, and thereby by many ridiculous government regulations that are just so much going overboard. The result has been that gun shows now have vendors who sell less guns, lots of books, and beef jerky. Not fun. Enough for gun shows though, this post is not about them, not really.

Yesterday I went to another type of show: The New York Metro Reptile Expo. It was, as usual, held in White Plains New York at the Convention Center. Like a gun show, a reptile & amphibian show (herp show) brings together a large number of enthusiasts who like the same or similar things. In this case that would be reptiles and amphibians (herps). I go to the WP show at about every chance I get, which is almost every show they have had over the past few years. I help man the Long Island Herpetological Society (LIHS) table, and I also go to maybe sell or trade a herp that I have in order to get something else. I have been keeping reptiles and amphibians for well over 40 years now. I guess I have been an LIHS member for at least about 15 years, maybe a couple more.

It used to be that herp shows were much like gun shows. Lots of fun, lots of availability of various herps, well regulated by way of federal and state laws regarding herps and so on. Then the ultra leftist loonies started to get involved.For instance they tried to ban keeping all boas and pythons about 2 years ago in new York State. The bill was a shoe in, it was going to pass easily, because the animal rights loonies, and the so called pet advocates, told the state legislation these were all dangerous snakes because they all could kill people. Well, it was then that herp societies like the LIHS stepped up to the plate, and the members and executive board began a letter writing campaign. We had the bill changed, that is once we explained that there are boas that reach only about 18 inches in length, and there are many small pythons too, all of which pose no threat of loss of life to people. Yes some snakes, and other herps, were banned as pets, such as Burmese Pythons and Anaconda. Still though, efforts of herp societies like the LIHS prevented all such snakes from being banned as pets. Of course, the loonies persist and try to over regulate these shows and the pet industry on the whole, and they have successfully kept the 4 inch turtle law on the books. It is a pretty silly law that says you cannot sell turtles under 4" long because kids could put them into their mouths and get salmonella. I don't see anyone restricting sale of chickens, eggs, or dairy products, both the causes of the largest outbreaks of salmonella, and anyhow a kid could always lick a bigger turtle. Truth be told, turtles can get salmonella but when kept properly are not likely to be effected by it; then again, your pet dogs and cats can get it too but wouldn't it be much more difficult for these wackos to ban keeping dogs and cats. Just so much ludicrous leftist loony legislation, for the kooks to try to control our lives by micro management, that is all , plain and simple.

So while you may think this was a victory for the herp hobbyists, I think it actually was a victory for the loonies who want to stop herps from being kept as pets. They work the same way as do the anti-gun crowd, they chip away at our rights and liberties a little bit at a time over the years, until our liberties and rights are just a faint shadow of what they used to be. Why do they do this, for control, and I believe for nothing more. The thing is though, many people have pets, many people watch nature shows, many folks love(d) guys like Steve Irwin, Jeff Corbin, and so on. People are familiar in some ways with these wonderful animals; and the herp keeping hobby is growing by leaps and bounds. People are also beginning to realize that the kooks who would control all aspects of pet keeping, even of reptiles and amphibians, are just that - kooks. It is apparent that in many states the normal citizens are realizing the same about those who would abolish our right to keep and bear arms. You see all these control freaks want to do is control our lives, to micro manage you and me. They are not truly concerned about whether of not there is gun violence, or people being killed by snakes, or too many fast cars, or too much god in school, or too little freedom in expression, they are only using those things to exert and extend their influence over the public as radically as they can because by presenting things falsely in the extreme, they can suck more politicians, and easily hoodwinked people, over to their side; thereby they accomplish something else: more control over us. Rationality however seems to be prevailing in many areas, and the truth is that these folks often are being seen for what they are - charlatans, and little more. That is a good thing, and the fun may yet someday return to gun shows and the like because we keep showing these kooks for exactly that - kooks, and little more.

All the best,
Glenn B