Breeding Plans

I've finally acquired a breeding pair of Corn Snakes (Pantherophis Guttatus Guttatus) to facilitate my long-term goal of breeding snakes. A running fascination of mine, I've long wanted to profit from my herpetoculture hobby, while at the same time doing something I love. Corn Snakes are a docile, easy-to-care-for species that are extremely common in the pet trade, so unfortunately the market is saturated with them. However, in my area (Southern Oregon) I have the unique situation of being on good terms with two pet shop owners, and being employed by one. I've already come to an agreement with each of them, offering a discounted price for sales of the hatchlings, which should allow me to profit considerably from the two specimens I currently own.

Another long absence and I'm back. Sorry it's been so long since my last post (over a year). Rest assured I'm still active in the herp trade. Since my last post I've sadly lost my Schneider's Skink, Nuzzle. I've acquired a Sudan Plated Lizard though, Nubbinz, and he's proven a hardy and trouble-free reptile to care for. I've set up my Bearded Dragon, Sola, with a massive 5'x3'x2' cage that he seems to enjoy. I'll be posting more pics and info in the very near future, now that I'm back on the blog.

The Acquisition List

Below is a list of my top ten reptiles that I plan to acquire within the next 5 years or so, along with short descriptions of why I want them or what they are.

1. American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis)- I already talked about this one when I first started this blog, but I would love to try and raise a baby alligator, taking full precautions and being completely prepared in my approach. This one, while at the top of my list, will almost certainly be acquired much later on in my life when I have the space to accomodate it.

2. Gila Monster/ Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma Horridum/Subrufa- I very much want one of the heloderma species, venomous though they may be. I'd get one now if I could afford it, but as it stands I'm simply waiting it out on the price

3. Frilled Lizard (Chlamydosaurus Kingii)- I have had a few opportunities to interact with these beautiful, large agamids, and although often times tempermental, I have always enjoyed their personalities and would love to add one to my collection.

4. Blue Tongued Skink (Genus Tiliqua)- It's a Skink, with a blue tongue! What more need be said?

5. Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana)- I know I've owned one once before, which died tragically and suddenly, but I intend to get another one someday, and do it proper.

6. Savannah Monitor (Varanus Exanthematicus)- Much like the green iguana above, I regrettably have yet to succeed with this beautiful and intelligent monitor species, and wish to give it another go now that I've had some time to step back and look at what went wrong.

7. Kenyan Sand Boa (Gongylophis Colubrinus)- Not particularly hard to find or keep, I just want one.

8. False Water Cobra (Hydrodynastus Gigas)- another venomous herp, but a relatively harmless one as far as they go. I've always been intrigued by this large, elaphid cobra-wannabe.

9. Horned Lizard (Genus Phyrnosoma)- as soon as I find a way to get feeder ants...

10. Rubber Boa (Charina Botae)- Much like the Kenyan Sand Boa, I simply want one of these delightfully docile little snakes, mostly to have a pet snake that is already tame as can be.

The Plan

Consider this my New Year's Resolution for 2011...before we all die horribly in 2012 :P

1) Get settled in Ashland, Oregon, establishing a permanent (for the next two years at least) residence down there where my reptiles are welcome.

2)Have all three of my current herps checked out by veterinary services, complete workup.

3) New cages for all three of them. I now have a sufficiently sized cage for each animal. I have a 30 gallon Vision cage for my Bearded Dragon, a 20 Gallon for the Uromastyx (specifically 20 gallon rather than 20-long, to provide more depth and range of height, more on that later), and a 20-long for my Schneider's Skink.

4) Work on improving the general health and longevity of my main three reptiles BEFORE considering adding new animals from my acquisition list, which will be discussed come my next post.

Back In The Saddle

After a lengthy absence, I have returned. It took over half a year after the death of my savannah monitor, Basil (see last post), to regain my confidence. I'm back in Bend for a scant few days to visit my family and friends before heading back to school in January. So let's see, what do I have for updates?

As of May I was working for Pacific Coast Fruit Company in Portland, Oregon, one of the most god-awful, bleak, depressing, and oppressive establishments I've ever come across. No care for their employees at all. Anywho, I worked there for the last 6 or 7 months, and got fired last Monday for a reason which falls into the sketchy, fuzzy grey area between legal and illegal- after having just suffered a rather painful fall at work due to a foot-bath mat slipping out from under my feet, I proceeded to clean myself up and continue work. I apparently (but to no memory of my own, I only have my Boss's word on this since she supposedly saw it through the security camera) forgot to wash two cases of broccoli before pouring them into a bucket for use in our products. My supervisor, a great Cuban guy named Manuelo who I greatly respect and look up to, after checking to see if I was okay and not injured, did the exact same thing. Now, this is where the situation gets dicey. At PCF, most vegetables are required by GMP (don't ask me what that stands for, we've never been told at our GMP training meetings) standards to be soaked in "perasan," a solution made of heavily diluted Peroxyacetic Acid and water. This is a general, consumable-safe cleaning agent that we dip most vegetables in(though a fair few are not dipped ever, such as snow peas, green beans, peppers, etc.). Normally, our cases of Broccoli are supposed to be dumped into a bath of perasan and then dried and emptied into a barrel. Obviously, having just fallen, this slipped my mind. And having been worried about me because I had fallen, it slipped my supervisor's mind as well. So, upon checking her security cameras when the report of my having fallen was filed (no doubt to ensure that I didn't file for worker's comp), my boss noticed our indiscretion. We were immediately suspended for three days, every product that had used broccoli from that day was recalled, costing the company a few thousand dollars, and my boss would use our days suspended to decide whether or not to fire us. Well, long story short, she did.

So yeah, that's the story. Now, free of job, I'm heading back to school at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, to major in Journalism and use the next two years down there to set up shop and take care of my lizards, the right way. All that's beginning as of January 1st, and I will update you all then, with full measurements and updates on my animals.

Life Gets You Down...

This has been a terrible year for me and my pets...I feel really negelctful. First my Iguana and both corn snakes die because they were under the care of my friend in Bend- because I was staying with my family and my mother refuses to allow reptiles in her house. I'm not honestly sure of the cause of death on those, although I'd guess the standard high mortality rate that goes with young reptiles (particularly snakes and farmed iguanas). Furthermore, today my savannah monitor, a recent acquisition, died horribly....busted the lock on her cage to escape. My apartment I'm staying in is on the 15th floor, and all there is for an "outdoors" is my balcony. I leave the door to the balcony cracked open so the cat can reach its litter box out there. So...basically the Sav escaped her cage, got outside (which I didn't think it would do, because it's nearly 30 degrees here at night), and fell off....15 floors to the street below.

I feel terrible, and helpless, and like a bad pet owner....perhaps now isn't the right time to be keeping herps, given where I am in life....

Always Hard to Deal With...

Alas....today my Green Iguana (Iguana Iguana), Rigel, died. As is typical with many mass-imported reptiles, especially iguanas, the stress, parasite load, and poor farm conditions within which the iguanas are initially raised before being shipped to the U.S. takes its toll on their health, and can cause premature death and other issues. Indeed, many young Green Iguanas don't make it past their first year, as is the case with Rigel. Although he seemed perfectly healthy and active when I got him, and I (admittedly) foolishly didn't take him to a vet, his health had been declining for the last two days or so, with rapid weight loss and less-than-healthy colouration, despite having ideal captive conditions for him, and he expired in the night, only to be found still and lifeless within his cage this morning. I will miss him greatly. I'll treat this as a good life-lesson, and in the next few weeks will have a full check-up done on all of my remaining reptiles, and make sure to redouble my efforts in keeping them happy and healthy.

To the readers out there, let this be a lesson to you, never get a Green Iguana as a pet unless you're experienced and fully prepared to care for one in its fullest.