Issue #13 - Nov. 2020

Herpetoculturemagazine.com

erpetoculture agazine Issue #13 - November 2020

Percentages in Morelia Explained

Malagasy Cat-Eyed Snakes Plated Lizards & Other Gerrhosaurus

The East Indian Leopard Gecko Meet Matt Most of Sarpamitra

Product Review: Reptile Basics Rodent Tubs

And More!

Palmetto Coast

Exotics

-- On the Cover --

Photo By JohannesQuality Knierer Unquestionable of Hardwickii Hamburg Colubrids - Chondros - & More

This Issue...

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Page 32 Page 21 Page 27

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Copyright Š 2020 by Herpetoculture Magazine all rights reserved.

This publication or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Thirteenth Edition www.herpetoculturemagazine.com

Contributors Justin Smith - Publisher -

Billy Hunt - Publisher -

Phil Wolf - Executive Contributor -

Nipper Read - Executive Contributor -

Johannes Knierer - Contributor -

Paul Donovan - Contributor -

Matt Most - Contributor -

Kai Kolodziej - Contributor -

Michael Pennell - Contributor -

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Roger Pewtress - Contributor -

From The Publishers’ Desk Here we are. It has, officially, been a year since Billy and I decided to start this publication and what a year it has been! When we started this we really weren’t sure exactly how it would all work out, how long it would last (we still don’t) or if it would be something people continued to read from month to month. I can confidently say that after a year, we have a pretty solid rhythm with each issue and a great team that helps make all of this possible. It’s not just a great crew and great contributors that have helped make this publication happen each month, it is also (and most importantly) you, the reader! My motto since day one with HM has been “whether it’s 10 people or 10,000 people, we’re going to bring the best magazine we can each month.”

We look forward to continuing to see the magazine grow and help bring the best articles from the best folks to help make herpetoculture better!

So if you’re a reader, a contributor, a partner, we really cannot thank you all enough for a great first year of Herpetoculture Magazine.

Justin Smith & Billy Hunt -Publishers-

Celebrating

1 Year of

Herpetoculture Magazine

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Product Review

Reptile Basics Rodent Cages Review By Justin Smith

Breeding rodents on any scale is time consuming. Having my own colony of mice meant that I was looking for ways to make cleaning days and rotation of breeders and grow outs more streamlined. I have two racks for mice and up until recently had a single, large tub for growing out younger mice until they hit the size I needed. After several weeks of wishing I could split the large group into two smaller groups, I stumbled across a Youtube video by Cloud Colubrids that showed some rodent caging sold by Reptile Basics. It was exactly what I was looking for so I quickly hopped onto their website and looked at their options. Now I spend a lot of time on the RBI site because they almost always have something I need but for some reason I never thought to check what their rodent caging options were. If you are breeding rodents on a smaller scale then these cages are worth looking into.

Obviously if you are breeding rats and mice on a larger scale then these caging options probably aren’t any cheaper or better than the racks made for large productions. However, if you’re dealing with smaller groups like myself then these are a great option! Currently RBI offers 3 size options: a mouse breeding cage, a rat breeding cage, and an extra large rat breeding cage. Since I was dealing with a large group of grow outs I opted for two of the XL cages which measure 21.5” x 15.5” x 8.5”. With these I also ordered two 500 ml water bottles. One of these XL bins will run you $39.99 and a water bottle is an additional $7.99.

bottles I noticed there wasn’t anything in the nozzle of them. I dug around in the box a bit wondering if I had missed something but found nothing so I dropped RBI and email asking about it. As it turns out these water bottles operate via a vacuum there the nozzle needs to be touched to allow water to come out. They do drip a bit when you initially turn them upside down or when placing them into the slot where they rest on the cage but surprisingly they don’t leak everywhere. They have a heavy duty rubber stopper with the nozzle attached which makes refills easy and quick. I added some copper into the bottles to help keep the water fresher for longer which is completely optional and just a personal preference.

All in all, I’m very happy with these rodent cages! The price seems fair, the quality is great, and I don’t have a bunch of young mice all crammed into one larger bin.

This product is a fantastic option for herpetoculturists who only want a handful of mice to breed or for someone like myself who just wants some bin to grow out younger mice.

These cages are outfitted with a wire stainless steel top with a deep V on one end where food and the water bottle sit. The tops are snug and attach via hooks on one end and a latch on the other. My mice are in an outdoor shed/barn which has been known to have some uninvited guests (ratsnakes, copperheads, etc. looking for a free meal) and it wasn’t until I had ordered my cages that I realized the wire lid might not keep these guests out of my groups! Fortunately the gap between these wires is only a ¼” with no room for just about any snake to get in. Since I’m using these with mice I did have to use a little more bedding than I normally would just to make sure they could reach food and water. The tub itself is made from a hard HDPE plastic that has little give and makes the product feel very sturdy.

One thing that I was a little confused about was the water bottles.

Most rodent watering systems have some form of ball or seal that the mice push up on to allow water out. Upon unpacking these

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Other

The Leopard Gecko

Keeping Eublepharis hardwickii The East Indian Leopard Gecko By Johannes Knierer

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“ wish my baby Leopard Gecko would keep its banded pattern into adulthood” - a thought that has probably crossed the minds of many Leopard Gecko keepers over the years. What if I told you such a Leopard Gecko exists and it’s actually the founding species of the Eublepharis genus?

In this article I want to provide some basic information about Eublepharis hardwickii - the East Indian Leopard Gecko.

This species was first described by Gray in 1827 and was long considered the holy grail of Leopard Geckos as many people have only known it from a few drawings and photos that were circulating of this species. It wasn’t until around 2007/2008 that the first animals of this species made their way into private collections and only recently have gained popularity as they become more and more affordable.

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Description At first glance Eublepharis hardwickii might get mistaken for the African Fat-Tailed Gecko (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) but the experienced eye will soon realize it’s a Leopard Gecko - and maybe the most beautiful of them all.

Eublepharis hardwickii has the typical white neck band like all the other Eublepharis species but keeps it into adult colouration.

They only have two wide, dark bands on their body and the lighter bands in-between have a creamy yellow colour. Even as adults they will not develop spots between the two dark bands on the back. Going through their colour change, the dark head as well as the bands on the body and tail will lighten up, developing some spots that make this species a real Leopard Gecko. The dark and white banding on the tail remains nearly the same but will develop some pattern and even some spots over time. So, the East Indian Leopard Gecko still goes through a colour change as it grows but of all the Eublepharis species it is less dramatic.

As adults each individual has a unique head and body pattern. In comparison to Eublepharis macularius, Eublepharis hardwickii has a lot more of the large dorsal tubercle scales. The space between the tubercles is smaller than the tubercles themselves as they are sitting right next to each other. Tubercles on Eublepharis macularius are further apart with numerous smaller scales between them.

E. hardwickii body size is similar to Eublepharis macularius with a length of about 20-22 cm and 50-60g in weight, although I have seen pictures of animals at 90+ grams.

As adults they have a compact robust body structure. Like all Eublepharidae, the Eublepharis species have movable eyelids. Eublepharis hardwickii has the darkest eyes of all the species in the genus. On their feet they have no adhesive toe pads but use their claws to climb rough surfaces.

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A skin comparison between E. hardwickii (left) & E. macularius (right)

The habitat of E. hardwickii Photo >> Wolfgang Dörr

Hardwickii Habitat In the wild, Eublepharis hardwickii can be found in the lowermontane regions of East-India and Bangladesh. All animals in captivity originally derive from wild caught animals that were collected in the Odisha region in India. They live in forests at 500-800 meters in altitude. Adults are mainly active during rainy seasons from June to September when humidity can reach 80-100%. Temperatures during their main activity months in the wild are rarely above 30°C and drop to 22-24°C at night.

This species is strictly nocturnal with main activity from 7pm-10 pm especially during rain showers. They are primarily found in the woods but several reports have documented them on open areas after a rainfall. As shy as this species is, you will not find it near roads or in cities. From December to March, Eublepharis hardwickii are not active as the climate is more dry and temperatures significantly drop to around 13°C at night and 20°C during the day.

Behaviour

In my experience Eublepharis hardwickii are strictly more active at night than Eublepharis macularius. They are more timid and placid and do not show that almost “dog-like behaviour“ you often see with Eublepharis macularius, who will come to the front of their enclosure begging for food even during the day.

The East-Indian Leopard Gecko prefers to come out of their hides when the light in their enclosure is turned off and lights in the room are dimmed. You can watch them slowly roaming their enclosure looking for food. I always describe them as a Leopard Gecko at half speed. But, as soon as you put the food in they will speed up to hunt and gobble down food.

Housing & Feeding I’ve always kept my geckos in naturalistic enclosures. But with Eublepharis hardwickii in particular, I would not recommend keeping them in a rack system. People keep and breed them successfully in such setups but you will probably never see them as they will hide as soon as you open the tub.

Eublepharis hardwickii is the only Leopard Gecko species that prefer a humid and cooler climate (although too little is known about how Eublepharis macularius live in the wild, giving their wide distribution one could imagine that they could be found in more humid areas as well). Husbandry is more similar to Hemitheconyx caudicinctus or Goniurosaurus species. As a substrate I use a mix of earth and coconut humus with natural plants planted directly in the substrate as well as dry leaves on the ground. Additionally, I cover the substrate on some areas with moss. Watering the moss and the plants ensures for a good humidity. I typically spray the enclosure in the morning and in the evening. These animals like to drink the water drops from leaves and other surfaces but one should additionally offer a water dish next to a dish with calcium. UVB lighting is not essential as Eublepharis hardwickii hide during the day but the natural plants in their enclosure will thrive better if you are able to offer it.

As the main heat source, I use a heating mat under one side of the enclosure generating a maximum of 30°C (86F) on the warm side of the enclosure and around 25°C (77F) in the cooler parts. A temperature drop of 2-4°C at night is preferred. Apart from the obligatory wet box for the females to lay their eggs I offer different stone and wood hides with varying humidity. This way the animal can decide if it prefers a humid or dry hide for the day.

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Below: Color & pattern progression from hatchling to 9 months old to adult. The adult pictured is a lighter colored male

I always tend to give my Leopard Geckos a long period of hibernation, especially the adult animals. Usually about 2-3 months from December until February. I have mine go through a preparation time of about two weeks without offering any food to make sure no undigested food stays in the gastrointestinal tract. I reduce the light and heating hours to eventually turn off all heating sources. Temperatures during hibernation drop to about 15°C and I reduce spraying the enclosure. I only water the plants and keep the laybox wet just in case the animals want to use a more humid hiding spot.

As soon as hibernation is over and the temperatures are back up I start to regularly spray the enclosure again and offer food.

Eublepharis hardwickii are strictly insectivorous and will eat any type of insect they can swallow (crickets, roaches, mealworms, superworms and the occasional silkworm and wax worm as a treat). In the end these are Leopard Geckos and are not very picky eaters. I use crickets as the main food source which should be dusted with Calcium and Vitamin D3. A lot of keepers tend to overfeed their reptiles. During breeding time, I feed the adult females every second day but quickly extend the interval when they are done laying. Babies are fed about 4-5 times a week.

Breeding The debate of keeping Leopard Geckos in groups or separately has always been a hot topic. Personally, I never had any issues keeping my Eublepharis hardwickii in groups or even pairs year round. This is a pretty calm and relaxed species and as long as you offer them enough space and retreats they do fine in groups. But this should not be taken as a general advice to keep this species in groups. A Leopard Gecko won’t die from loneliness but it will not thrive if it is suppressed or stressed by others in their group. For an experienced keeper, keeping and breeding this species communally can work fine as long as you are able to read your animals and detect abnormal behavior.

A beginner might be better off choosing the safe route of individual housing.

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Eublepharis hardwickii reach sexual maturity at around 12-18 months of age. Depending on how often and what you feed them dictates if they grow and reproduce faster. Females should at least be at 35-40 grams to be bred safely. They lay up to 6 clutches of two eggs per year from April until June. Like most geckos, Eublepharis hardwickii females will stop eating a few days before laying the eggs. That’s why it is critical that females have a good weight and are well fed between clutches.

Once laid, the eggs should be taken out of the parents’ enclosure to prevent the babies from hatching in the enclosure and ending up as a snack for the adults!

Eggs can be incubated on all established mediums like Vermiculite, HatchRite or even just coconut humus. There is a common debate as to how temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) works with Eublepharis hardwickii.

Some breeders say TSD doesn’t work at all or not as well as with Eublepharis macularius. A lot of breeders seem to have problems hatching out males which is the reason they are harder to come by and more expensive than females. The general advice is to incubate at 26-28°C to obtain females and at 32°C to hatch males. Anecdotally, I’ve heard of a French breeder that had an adult female in her collection that exclusively produced male offspring. So a lot more research on this topic is necessary.

Depending on the incubation temperature the babies hatch after 50-70 days. Decor of their enclosures resembles that of the adults. They will take food 3-5 days after hatching or after their first shed. Juveniles can be sexed at about 3 months of age. Males can easily be identified by their pre-anal pores and hemipenal bulges.

The Future The East Indian Leopard Gecko will probably never be as popular as Eublepharis macularius, but its best years in the hobby are still to come. When they first came into the hobby prices were as high as 2,500€ for a pair. Nowadays their fanbase is steadily growing as they are more affordable at around 200250€ for a female and a little more for males. Every Eublepharis enthusiast who wants to try something a little different should consider this beautiful species. A lot of Leopard Gecko people are all about morphs. So far no morphs of this species exist and I honestly think it’s not necessary for their success as they are beautiful as they are. But one could only imagine how good a bold striped or jungle phase of this species would look. Follow the Hardwickii Hamburg Facebook Page for more photos of this beautiful species!

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Herpetoculturemagazine.com

Industry Spotlight Matt Most of

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Matt Most of Sarpamitra specializes in old world colubrids and is known for keeping many obscure species.

We were very excited to get to hear his story of how he came to be at the forefront of amazing and unknown colubrids!

HM: How did you get into the hobby?

MM: As a child, my family was very supportive of my interests in reptiles and amphibians, especially my grandmother. We would frequently visit The Chicago Reptile House (CRH) in Orland Park, IL, to look at the different species that they would have on display and for sale. At that point in time, the hobby was still gaining momentum and growing fast. In the early ’90s, several countries, including Madagascar, were still regularly exporting new species, and going to the shop was better than going to the zoo! New species were becoming available, and many did not have any available guidance on husbandry, including the now very common Crested Gecko (Correlophus ciliatus).

This prompted my interest in reading of which my grandmother also encouraged, and when I had raised enough money by doing chores to purchase a new critter, she would readily purchase the book about their natural history. Reading publications on reptiles and amphibians also prompted another hobby… collecting antique and current publications relating to herpetoculture and herpetology. During the early 90’s, we did not have the internet to readily google and search websites and classifieds; rather, many hobbyists had to rely on publications and field guides related to the species, which often were very generic. Philippe de Vosjoli’s publications were really pushing the limits on the care and husbandry of many species, and those “white” book publications were always a staple purchase during the many visits to The Chicago Reptile House. The support of family, friends, and the employees of CRH provided me with the foundation to grow my passion for the care and reproduction of many reptiles and amphibians over the years.

HM: You specialize in old world rat snakes. What made you gravitate to that group of snakes?

MM: What prompted me to gravitate towards old world rat snakes was their small commercial offering—having kept many species over the years and attended many reptile expositions in the U.S. I only observed a small offering of the species. Having read many articles and publications on their care and husbandry, I thought they would be the perfect captive specimen as a result of their small to medium size, room temperature gradient, and striking natural beauty. The first of the old world rat snakes ventures were the Oreocrytophis porphyracea coxi. My interest in this species and others started back in the ’90s when captive

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born and bred specimens were just starting to make their appearance in the U.S. in part to the captive husbandry success of Klaus-Dieter Schulz and importation by Bushmaster Reptiles Inc. This also coincided with Klaus’ publication “A monograph of the colubrid snakes of the genus Elaphe, Fitzinger,” which is considered by many the bible for rat snake enthusiasts. Upon purchase and receipt of the publication, my eye gleamed at the natural and wild beauty of many of these species. This coincided with the first of the Oreocryptophis offered in the U.S. the O.p.coxi! At their pinnacle offering in the hobby, they were solely offered in a reverse trio with a price tag of $3500 for captive-born hatchlings! Their natural bright orange/red and dorsal metallic black stripes were extremely eye-catching, and many breeders, including Pro Exotics, saw the potential for herpetoculture in these rat snakes. Following their first offering, Robyn Markland and the staff of Pro Exotics Reptiles were publishing their successes with the species and sharing their experiences in popular magazines such as Reptiles Magazine.

Interestingly enough, in conversations with Klaus, all of the commercially offered coxi came from 5 individual specimens. As time proceeded, more Asian rat snakes started to trickle into the hobby, and those that invested in these species also came to find the struggles with the WC specimens. Most, if not all, of these specimens, were heavily parasitized, dehydrated, emaciated, and stressed beyond recovery. In conversations with Karl Krumke, a former Asian rat snake breeder, he invested thousands of dollars in having one pair of O.p.vaillanti survive long enough to reproduce in captivity. As with many field-collected specimens, there is an aspect of gambling, and many keepers purchased all of the available specimens hoping for one pair to reproduce in captivity. Those that made those initial investments seeded the foundation in many of the commercially available Asian rat snakes, including O.p.coxi. Stan Grumbeck and I have personally experienced gambling with field-collected specimens, as we’ve partnered on many of the new and uncommon species of colubrids and rat snakes. However, we share a similar interest in all of these species, and one of my personal goals, before I pass away, is to produce each and every species of Asian rat snakes at least once.

O. p. laticinctus

Bothrophthalmus lineatus HM: You have some pretty obscure species in your collection, Red striped snakes (Bothrophthalmus lineatus) being one of the least commonly known species. How did you find them, and what were your challenges establishing them?

MM: The Red-Black Striped snakes, Bothrophthalmus lineatus, had been an interest of mine for many years before they became publicly available. I had come across their genus when reviewing field guides of Africa and researching African File Snakes. Their neonate coloration was extremely different from anything else available in the hobby. The striking bone white colored head that slowly changed into an entirely orange/red snake with black dorsal stripes resembling O.p.coxi was something that I thought would be very interesting to try and establish in the hobby. They had been imported a few times, and I personally passed at the initial offering, as I did not have space to properly quarantine the specimens. The people that purchased those animals also seemed to have poor success with the species, which, as indicated earlier, is gambling when it comes to field-collected specimens and is a numbers game to try and establish the species. When they became available again, I jumped on the species and purchased as many specimens as fiscally feasible and brought them straight to my veterinarian, who came to find out a few very interesting things.

As with any field-collected specimen, they should be checked by a qualified veterinarian and treated appropriately to avoid parasitism in an established collection. Needless to say of this purchased group, a number of the specimens quickly perished due to a high parasite load both in both their respiratory

The specimens that were treated and reevaluated took a bit of time to establish in captivity and became a bit of a learning curve when trying to uncover the secrets of the species and digestive systems. The specimens that were treated and reevaluated took a bit of time to establish in captivity and became a bit of a learning curve when trying to uncover the secrets of the species. In combination with the cost of the individual specimens, the veterinary bills were substantial to properly evaluate and treat the individuals. However, several years later and we have hatched out several clutches of this species and have been able to share a few of the progeny with experienced hobbyists and friends. In conversation with those keepers, the captive specimens are night and day to the fieldcollected individuals and do make great captive animals. We’re excited to bring this species to herpetoculture, but there is still a lot more work to be done to make it a commercially available species. I’m always up for a challenge, though!

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HM: Another species you are known for are your Vietnamese mandarin rat snakes. What makes that locale different from the usual mandarins we see in the hobby, and what made you want to focus on that locality?

MM: What prompted my focus on the Hong Valley Sapa Lao Cai, Vietnam specimens was their impressive size and coloration in comparison to the Chinese localities. Today, for example, I have several specimens that are over 6’ in length! Further, I saw potential in selectively breeding this species for distinctive yellow coloration and creating some of the best Mandarin Rat Snakes available. I am still dabbling in several of the mandarin morphs, including Xanthic, Axanthic, and Aberrant patterns, and crossing several of these to further the species in herpetoculture.

The Vietnamese Mandarin Rat Snakes, in my opinion, are more than a locality of Mandarins; I believe that they may, in fact, be a subspecies of E. mandarinus.

I’ve been working with Kevin Messenger on a publication concerning Asian Rat Snakes, and based on their geographic range, it would be interesting for someone to study and determine if there is, in fact, subspecies status amongst the localities. Several localities (e.g., Sichuan, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Vietnam) have been reproduced in herpetoculture, and they do have different phenotypes/morphology. There is still much more to be added to the herpetoculture of E. mandarinus, and I believe in the next few years, we might start to see other morphs, including amelanistic and patterned morphs being offered.

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HM: We all have people we look up to in the hobby. Who was someone that you looked up to or taught you a lot about keeping?

MM: This is definitely one of the most challenging questions to answer, as, over the years, I’ve been blessed to meet many people across this hobby. Each of these people played a large role in contributing to my knowledge and helped me to understand the ethics and responsibility of breeding and to keep reptiles in captivity. One person that I was blessed to meet in my life is Rob Carmichael of the Wildlife Discovery Center in 2010.

At this point in my life, I was put with the task of building a committee to serve as my advisory board for my research project concerning the habitat selection of Thamnophis. Rob did not hesitate to agree and provided a pivotal understanding in both researching species at a scientific level and husbandry.

Volunteering time at the center allowed me to interact with many children and adults visiting the center, and being able to see a child’s face the first time they interact with a reptile or amphibian is priceless!

would have a backup, as there is no guarantee with life. Dick Bartlett said it best, “When you work with life… You work with death.” Over the years, Stan and I have become very close friends, and while we are several states away, we keep in contact weekly, and it has made it very fun to share notes and explore new species in the hobby with someone as experienced as Stan.

Rob not only volunteered his time for my graduate degree but also provided education for best practices with handling venomous species. This was foundational training for my Ph.D. program at UMass, where I studied under Bruce Young and would be exposed to a number of venomous species and would be required to handle and milk venomous species. During graduate school is also when I was exposed to Old World Rat Snakes and contacted two people that have made many strides in the industry, Karl Krumke, and Stan Grumbeck. Karl was in the process of moving and retiring both from the hobby and his professional career and offered me a number of his breeders.

Karl sought the best for his specimens and helped me to build my initial collection of Old World species, and gave me a head start in the keeping and breeding of several species, including 100 Flower Rat Snakes (Othriophis moellendorffi) (pics on right) It was at the same time of conversation with Karl that I was introduced to Stan Grumbeck, who would become a role model in the hobby. Stan and I shared a similar interest in Old World Rat Snakes, and we began having weekly conversations sharing interests and breeding notes. It was during these conversations that Kamuran of Bushmaster Reptiles imported a group of David’s Rat Snakes and Stan, and I decided to split the project.

This initial project would become the beginning of a long term relationship in the hobby, as while we had ups and downs with the project, there was never any negative conversation. We both knew the risks with a new species, and from that project, we opened up our collections to each other and started a tradition of sending each other a yearly box of new species. We felt that should something ever happen to one another’s collections, we

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HM: Besides old world rat snakes, what else do you work with?

HM: Where did you come up with Sarpamitra for your business name, and what does it mean?

MM: Jeez… I can’t give you all the secrets! Joking, we have a few MM: Sarpamitra has a very interesting beginning, and to be projects that are behind closed doors, which may be longer-term projects for the hobby. Some are also new species to the hobby, and time will tell how adequate they are for the hobby. However, within the collection, I keep species that are well… interesting!

When I start researching species, I look at what is uncommon in the hobby, and by uncommon, I am referring to being uncommonly produced in captivity. Over the past few years, I’ve picked up a few commonly imported species, including the African Forest File Snakes, which are heavily imported, but not commonly bred in captivity. This has prompted me to wonder why no one is working with them and creates a challenge that I often accept and try to figure out these species in captivity.

Within the past five years, I’ve expanded my collection to working with the following species: Mehelya capensis and crossi, Bothrochilus boa and albertisii, Loxocemus bicolor, Dinodon rufozonatum, Pantherophis obsoletus, Pantherophis obsoleta lindheimeri, Calabaria reinhardtii, and Pantherophis guttatus.

frank, I wouldn’t have come across the terminology, or the name had it not been socializing with some fellow graduate students from India. While attending graduate school at the University of Massachusetts, I was very fortunate to meet a gentleman by the name of Parag, who was in several of my courses. He gained an interest in my research with Bruce Young, Ph.D., and was fascinated with snakes. One evening I invited him over to view my collection and have some pizza and beer, a Friday night staple in graduate school. It was then when I pulled out several species, including O. p. coxi, that he stated, “You’re like a Sarpamitra.” I looked at him with a blank face trying to understand the context of the term. To my shock and dismay, he was comparing me to a sarpamitra from his village, which is a “friend of a snake” and protects and safeguards snake species. They also demonstrate to villagers how to deal with various aspects of snake bites, including precaution and first aid care. They also provide education to villagers on classifying snakes as either venomous and nonvenomous. There are a number of YouTube videos on this subject matter that I would recommend watching, as it’s very interesting to watch the passion of these educators.

<< Gonyosoma frenatum pictured

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“... he stated, “You’re like a Sarpamitra.” I looked at him with a blank face trying to understand the context of the term. To my shock and dismay, he was comparing me to a sarpamitra from his village, which is a “friend of a snake” and protects and safeguards snake species.”

Observing animals in captivity is often something we overlook and rely upon a care sheet. Care sheets are something I discourage, and when people ask me for information of the sort, I will typically provide links to books and scientific papers. Too often, we stick to these key points and forget that there is so much more to be MM: I get asked this question a lot more frequently than I have in the past. I think a lot of the questioning has to do with researched, and while a care sheet might be the minimal care requirements to keep an animal alive, it’s not the whole story of an the growth of the hobby and many new keepers coming to animal’s natural history. the scene. Fortunately, a lot of the information is at the tips of our fingers now. In the past, I had to rely on my library of reptile and amphibian books and magazine articles. However, HM: Why should the hobby put more focus on the obscure species? in the past 20 years, the internet has been a great research tool. Learning about the natural history of different species prompts many questions specific to their native habitat, which MM: 2020 was an interesting year, and I think COVID-19 as is interesting to me as the more locality information available a whole has shown what can happen with the import/export of animals. In 2020 import/export permits were approved in lower on a species, the better research can be conducted. numbers, which was a direct result of offices being closed and airlines decreased the number of flights to certain areas of the I use locality information to search websites like weather. world. The main point is that we should treat all of these species com or plug it into the weather app on my phone to inquire as if it were the last time we would be able to acquire them. about seasonal patterns (e.g., rain seasons). This information The world has and is changing very rapidly. The topography of can provide a lot of information on the care and captive countries that regularly export is changing, bringing challenges to reproduction of field-collected specimens but often provides the home range of many species. Laws concerning the legality of cues as to why animals go off of feed during certain times of certain species is providing more hurdles for agencies and groups the year. YouTube has also prompted a lot of interest in the that defend our rights as keepers. However, there is never a true past few years as keepers have started to provide care videos timeline for when species will stop being exported. In this hobby, on species, which is something we are working on doing many of us, including myself, have neglected to think about what with R & B Reptiles to put proper care information out there if (insert species here) is no longer available to acquire? Will it for viewers. However, all of this is just the starting point in still be available for those of us that wish to work with them in research. the future? Will that species be lost to the hobby forever? Many species, especially the obscure and commonly imported species, A lot of information about animals is found or sought by watching species in captive conditions. Watching and keeping have been treated as expendable animals. I’ll use Prehensile Tailed Skinks as an example here as they were one of the first species I records of where animals are found can provide insight into bred in captivity as a child. In the 90’s they were cheap… $20-25 the proper temperature, humidity, and feeding patterns.

HM: With having so many uncommon species, how did you find information on those species that don’t have a lot of information out there on them?

Herpetoculture Magazine 18

each and were very common in a number of pet stores… and then suddenly Madagascar closed, and they were nowhere to be found. In the 90’s, I was breeding them as a colony of animals and couldn’t sell them for more than $5 ea. as CB animals until the importation stopped. Now it’s not uncommon to see them available for several hundred dollars and are imported in much lower numbers now. Everyone assumed they would always be available, and that’s something we should be ready to accept in the future. Field collected animals have their challenges, but can be very rewarding to the keeper that is dedicated to a certain species or genus.

HM: Last question, what advice do you have for anyone that is just getting started in the hobby/breeding scene?

MM: Follow your heart! When people contact me inquiring about species, I often come to find that the long term goal is to reproduce the species and sell them. It’s typically 50/50 why those customers want to produce the species in captivity, and about half of them want to make money on the species. I typically have to remind many people that if you don’t genuinely have an interest in the species, then it is not a species that should be pursued. You can make a market out of the animals that you keep and breed, but if you do not share the same level of interest in the animals, then you should really not keep or try to produce the species in captivity.

The stunning Archelaphe bella chapaensis

Hunan locale Elaphe davidi

A hatching O. moellendorffi Lao Cai Sapa Vietam locale A. b. chapaensis

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Herpetoculturemagazine.com

Specializing in Morelia & Old World Ratsnakes.

uwabamireptiles.com @uwabamireptiles

The African Plated LizardsBy

Paul Donovan

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T

he family Gerrhosauridae encompasses six known genera. Four of these occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and make up the subfamily Gerrhosaurinae: - Angolosaurus (one species- Angolosaurus skoogi)

- Cordylosaurus (one species- Cordylosaurus subtessellatus) - Gerrhosaurus (six species - Gerrhosaurus flavigularis, G. major, G. multilineatus, G. nigrolineatus, G. typicus, G. validus) - Tetradactylus (six species- Tetradactylus africanus, T. breyeri, T. eastwoodi, T. ellenbergeri, T. seps, T. tetradactylus).

Two further genera Tracheloptychus (two species) Tracheloptychus madagascariensis, T. petersi, and Zonosaurus (18 species) Zonosaurus aeneus, Z. anelanelang, Z. bemaraha, Z. boettgeri, Z. brygooi, Z. flavescens, Z. haraldmeieri, Z. karsteni, Z. laticaudatus, Z. madagascariensis, Z. maramaintso, Z. maximus, Z. ornatus, Z. quadrilineatus, Z. rufipes, Z. subunicolor, Z. trilineatus, Z. tsingy), are restricted to Madagascar and make up the subfamily Zonosaurinae.

If you trace their ancestry back, it appears that the family almost certainly evolved as one, before Madagascar split from the African continent during the Cretaceous period, 145 to 65 million years ago. This is how the two Madagascan genera then evolved independently. Thanks to their similarity in appearance, Gerrhosauridae was initially classified as being a subfamily of Cordylidae, but a taxonomic review some years back, meant that lizards in this group are now regarded as full species.

Herpetoculture Magazine 22

Once Common When I first became interested in herpetology some 40 years ago, plated lizards were well represented by quite a number of species; the species that introduced me to the family was the Giant Plated Lizard, Gerrhosaurus validus, which you are lucky if you see nowadays. The mantle of ‘commonness’ if you will, has now been taken over by the ever popular Gerrhosaurus major; an appealing, hardy and adaptable lizard with some character.

Another species that has become quite common over the years, is the Yellow-Throated Plated Lizard, Gerrhosaurus flavigularis.

Again, it is a hardy species, lending itself well to the beginner as a reasonably sized, and competitively priced lizard.

I have had the pleasure of finding both Gerrhosaurus validus while on a trip to the Limpopo region in South Africa many years ago, and nowadays live with Gerrhosaurus flavigularis literally in my backyard. When you find species that you have looked after in captivity in the wild, it almost takes you back in time, and you have this joyous feeling of “wow, I kept this species 40 odd years ago, and now I’ve found it in the wild”. Trust me, there is no better experience than catching a snake or lizard in the wild that you have kept in captivity – even common species take on a completely new dimension.

The Yellow-Throated Plated Lizard, G. flavigularis is the most common of the five Gerrhosaurus species (G. major, G. multilineatus, G. nigrolineatus, G. validus) I find here in Botswana. The others have quite a sporadic distribution in the county, with G. validus only just creeping into the North-eastern region on the Zimbabwean side. I have searched for this species in this region, and have never come up trumps, so I suspect it is at the very limit of its distribution. I do have a friend in Zimbabwe who reports them to be quite widespread throughout his country.

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The individuals offered for sale in captivity are generally exported from South Africa or Kenya, as Botswana does not issue permits to export any reptile species; or even invertebrates, come to that.

In fact, you can’t even get a licence to keep them as ‘pets’. I know someone who was hauled up in front of a magistrate, and fined for keeping two leopard tortoises in his garden – they had the freedom to roam, and were not caged. He was told by an officer from the Department of Wildlife “had he been keeping them to eat, that would have been ok, but he couldn’t keep them as pets”.

Please tell me where the reasoning is in that!

Anyway, back to the lizard in question. Gerrhosaurus flavigularis has quite a wide distribution, occurring in the Central and eastern parts of Africa, radiating out into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and up the Eastern regions into Kenya and Sudan. It is quite an adaptable lizard, inhabiting just about any type of environment, from dry savannah, through to the urban garden.

As reptiles go, this is one species that has found favour with the green-fingered brigade, for they polish off many species of insect pests. They are typically burrowing lizards, excavating a burrow at the base of a tree or rock although, as is so often the case with individuals I find, are equally at home living amongst a pile of leaves or garden rubbish. They may also take up residence in disused termite mounds.

Despite all the superstitions mumbo jumbo surrounding snakes and lizards here in Botswana, this is one lizard that seems to have endeared itself to kids who take great delight in trying to catch them; which they seldom do. They are extremely agile and nimble lizards, that quickly disappear amongst the undergrowth, or wedge themselves amongst the crevices of rocks, for which no prodding or poking will get them out.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve lost count of the number of times Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve stumbled through the bush like a native whose had too much of the local brew, only to end up with blooded knees and a handful of painful thorns trying to catch a single lizard. As with so many lizard species, this one is quick to drop its tail. Very few individuals I find, are ever in full ownership of this extremity. Somewhere along the line, they have had a run-in with something or other, and dropped their tail. The tail does regenerate, but tends to be much duller in colour. In many individuals it may also remain black. When first captured, these lizards wriggle and writhe like an animal possessed, but with some gentle handling gradually calm down.

This trait may also be exhibited in captive individuals, but is soon lost, and they quickly settle down to make good captive animals.

Gerrhosaurus flavigularis is a fairly robust, medium sized lizard with a typical snout to vent length of around 14cm; one could easily double that if you add on the tail - providing it has one of course. Both sexes are of similar size, with males being identified by the presence of 11-17 femoral pores that are lacking in females. It is possibly one of the more attractive members of the Gerrhosauridae, being a reddish brown on the back, with a pair of prominent black edged yellow dorso-lateral stripes running the length of the body. The sides are similar to the back, often exhibiting yellow flecks, and the belly creamy white. The Yellow-throated plated lizard bears a superficial resemblance to the Black-lined plated lizard Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus, though the latter tends to be lighter in colour and is slightly larger. It also does not have as wide-a-distribution in Botswana.

The quickness with which this lizard shows in escaping an adversary, also plays in its favour when catching prey. It is a very nimble lizard, skilled in chasing down the quickest of prey that includes a variety of insects, ranging from fast running beetles to grasshoppers/locust, crickets, small baboon spiders, camel spiders, through to the more dawdling millipedes. Given the chance, if they enter an occupied rodent burrow they will also take pinkies and fuzzies. Juveniles contend themselves with a diet of fat juicy termites and ants, and are probably more common around termite mounds than the adults; adults tend to make use of them more for shelter and possibly egg laying, than a food larder.

Captive Care Housing requirements are pretty basic in their needs and this is one of the reasons why they have found favour as a good first time lizard, particularly for children. In the wild both sexes live a solitary life, and while they can be kept like this in captivity, they will also fare well when maintained in small groups consisting of a male and two or three females. Do not be tempted to keep males together. Not only do they establish territories, but will fight like sumo wrestlers during the breeding season, when they become totally intolerant to one another. This can lead to stress in the submissive individual who will hide away, and be unable to compete for food, eventually wasting away.

This is typical plated lizard habitat.

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A good amount of floor space will be required for a group as they are active lizards, so one should consider nothing less than a 4’ cage as being the absolute minimum. They are not climbing lizards, so cage height is not as important as floor area.

As they occur in quite dry regions, the substrate should reflect this. One can either use sand, bark chip, large grade vermiculite, or one of the other commercially available substrates. Some cork bark, broken plant pots, and a few branches placed on the floor will provide shelter. Freshwater should be made available at all times, although much of their water requirements will be met through the food they eat. In some regions of their range (particularly here in Botswana), they may not see rainfall for months on end.

Temperature wise, these are warmth-loving lizards. In the wild, I often encounter them out and about when the sun is at its hottest during the summer months. I would suggest keeping them at a daytime temperature of 29–33C (84–91F) dropping to around 25–27C (77- 80F) at night. A good thermal gradient across the cage will enable you to determine what optimum temperature they prefer, and adjust it accordingly.

As quite shy lizards, you very rarely see them in the open basking on rocks as other lizards do. They tend to thermoregulate in warm patches of sun in small protective clearings, where they lie flat on their belly with the legs spread wide, as though mimicking an aeroplane. In captivity, a small heat lamp suspended at one end of the cage, where the temperature reaches in the mid 90’s, will provide a suitable basking spot. Lighting should be full-spectrum UVB. During the summer months a 12-hour day/night cycle should be offered, while in winter this should drop to 10/14 day/ night.

Diet Dietary requirements are simple in their needs, and you seldom encounter a problem feeder. A varied assortment of insects should be offered that have been dusted with a calcium/vitamin/ mineral supplement. Some fruit and vegetable matter can also be offered once or twice a week as a supplement to the insect diet, again sprinkled with a good supplement. Pinkies will also be taken, though these should always be used in moderation, as it is easy for an individual to quickly become obese.

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Termite mounds are a favoured haunt of juveniles.

Gerrhosaurus major has become a common captive species

Breeding During early summer, the male undergoes quite a dramatic change in colouration, signalling his coming into breeding condition. The underside of his chin, throat, as well as the chest region, turn bright red or yellow. During this time of the season, males will see-off potential rivals in the vicinity by biting and relentlessly chasing them away. I suspect this is one of the reasons why so many individuals lose their tails along the way.

Males relentlessly pursue females into mating submission.

During copulation the male will often hold onto the female by the front leg, or hold her neck region in his mouth. Once mating has finished, both parties go their separate ways.

Sometime after mating, the female will begin looking for a suitable spot to lay her eggs. This is usually an excavated hole beneath a rock or fallen tree, or amongst leaf-litter, into which she will lay up to four eggs. Incubation times vary marginally, depending on the lizardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distribution, and can extend anywhere between 90 and 120 days. When incubated artificially at 30C (86F), a typical incubation period is around 90 days. In the wild, hatching usually coincides with mid to late summer when food is in abundance. Hatchlings measure 10cm (+/-).

In some parts of their range, the lizard may experience a drop in temperature during the winter season. If you experience difficulty in breeding your lizards, it may be worth while dropping the temperature a few degrees for four to six weeks prior to the onset of summer.

Tail-End

Femoral Pores

If you are after a good sized lizard that is both adaptable, feeds well and places few challenges on you, then you can do no better than look towards the plated lizards. In my experience, most of the Gerrhosaurus are hardy, and can be given the same parameters as this species in captivity.

Follow Paul for more cool African species at @wildlifeincloseup

Herpetoculture Magazine

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: t h g i l l a t t s o a p o C S e a n i i l L e n r n o e P M e M ennell

Thith Michael P W

For those new to the hobby or new to the Morelia genus, the Coastal Carpet Python is one of the largest subspecies of the carpet python family. Coastals range in color according to locale with those from the north having more gray and black in the pattern to those from the central region that are more earth-toned and brown and to those from the southern extent showing more red.

So a brief history on the origins of the MPenn line. I acquired a trio of adults from my friend, Rick Rollings, in 2000. He bought them directly from VPI. All three animals had the typical coastal banding. One female was right at the 10 foot mark and dark with heavy banding. The smaller female was close to 8.5 feet and it is her and the male that are the founders of the MPenn line as we know it today. I first bred them in 2002 and produced a clutch of 19 eggs with all 19 hatching. I chose to maternally incubate the clutch and hatched several striped animals much to my surprise.

I was very active on the Moreliapythons forum at the time and became good friends with Nick Mutton. He was looking for more genetic diversity to add to his coastal group. At the time, it was rare to find any pure specimens with any certainty. He was interested in what I was working with and it was Nick that was responsible for digging up the deeper history on this line of coastals. It seems that VPI had acquired the line from Amy Zerkle who had acquired them from Lloyd Lemke. This line has also been referred to as Lemke line coastals.

The MPenn coastal carpets are derived from animals consistent with those of the central area of their range and are one of the most recognized lines of coastal due to their bright contrast saddle (banding) color to the interstitial color, a greenish tint or hue and often striped.

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With Billy Hunt

Billy Hunt breaks down W how percentages work in Morelia with jag crosses and more!

hen I discovered carpet pythons back in 2006, the one animal that drew me to them, was the infamous 50% Irian Jaya Jaguar “Bullwinkle”.

At that time, I had no idea what “50% I.J.J.” meant. Carpet pythons can be a confusing group for a new keeper to try to learn. There are several subspecies and color morphs so when you add the percentage aspect to the equation, you have a recipe for a confused keeper. I know I was.

The first question I had when I saw Bullwinkle’s description was, “What does 50% mean?” As I dug deeper, I started seeing animals like SOB (75% irian jaya jaguar) and Riddler (75% jungle jaguar). These animals were 75% or 88% animals. At this point I knew I had to learn these percentages.

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The first thing a new carpet keeper needs to learn are the subspecies. A lot of people think that a carpet python is a carpet python. As with most reptiles, it’s not always that simple. When I first started with carpets, the main three that were available in the USA were Irian Jayas or “Papuan carpets” (Morelia spilota harrisoni), Jungles (Morelia spilota cheynei), and Coastals (Morelia spilota mcdowelli). Since then, more subspecies have become readily available. To keep things simple, we will focus on these three (IJs, Jungles, & Coastals) for this article.

The second thing that we must keep track of, is which morph comes from which subspecies. Jaguars come from coastals, granites from irian jayas, and zebras from jungles, to name a few. Therefore, it’s important to keep track of lineage in carpet pythons. The breeder/keeper should know if what they have is a pure example of a subspecies or if they are starting with a cross.

At first glance, this can be a lot for someone new to try to keep track of, that isn’t familiar with carpets. But it comes with time.

The first example I will use is a 50% Irian Jaya Jaguar or IJJ. To get that animal, you would have to breed a pure irian jaya carpet to a pure coastal jaguar carpet. With a pairing like this, odds are, 50% of the clutch will appear to be normal and 50% of the clutch will show the jaguar gene. All of the offspring (the normals and jaguars) will be 50% irian jaya and 50% coastal (host to the jaguar gene). So, the visual jaguars being 50% irian jaya blood, makes them 50% Irian Jaya Jaguars. The normals are also 50% irian jaya/50% coastals, but don’t express the jaguar gene.

Now we can take the 50% irian jaya jaguar and breed it back to a pure irian jaya to create 75% irian jaya jaguars. How we get these percentages is, we take the 50% irian jaya blood from the jaguar and add it to the 100% irian jaya and then divide it by two. With this, 50 plus 100 equals 150. 150 divided by 2 is 75, which gives us the 75% that the animals will be. This also means that the normals from this pairing would also be 75% irian jaya and 25% coastal. If we breed one of the 75% IJJ to one of the 75% normals, you will produce animals that are still 75% irian jaya and 25% coastal.

You can continue this type of breeding until you get into the high percentages like 88%, 94%, etc. This plays a part as well in knowing how long it took for that animal to be produced.

A 50% animal is most likely a first-generation animal. Then the 75% animals were the second generation. 88% animals were three generations in and so on, as you reach the higher percentages. That is also why you will most likely see a higher price tag on a higher percentage animal because it took multiple generations for the breeder to get that 88% animal as opposed to

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the 50% animal. This percentage concept can be applied to any crossing of subspecies or hybrids. It was seen a lot with diamond jungle crosses that we use to see a lot about a decade or so ago.

The most important part of doing this is to start with pure examples of whatever you are crossing or know what your animals are to begin with. Percentages are also being used to show how outcrossed an animal is as well. This is seen a lot in granite carpet pythons since that particular gene is known to have inbreeding depression if you don’t outcross. Outcrossing is something that should be considered for any recessive mutation.

It only helps that long-term viability of those recessive projects.

Especially with irian jaya or Papuan carpets that are still imported as wild caught or farm bred animals.

We still have a huge opportunity to outcross the irian jaya mutations. Another place you can see the percentages being used is in bredli, more specifically hypo bredli. A hypo bredli bred to a non-hypo bredli will yield 50% hypo blood animals. This helps because then you know exactly how much hypo blood is in your animals. We can apply this to many species, carpets are a lot more likely to be crossed as far as subspecies go. This is a good way to keep track of what you have.

As a breeder myself, I can’t stress this enough. Represent your animals correctly when you can, and get as much information as you can. The percentage practice was used a lot more in the past and has fallen to the wayside over the past 5-10 years. If we have the ability to know and use genetic percentages to better identify our animals, we need to share this knowledge with one another.

We as keepers should document our breeding lines to further our hobby and enhance community.

50% IJ jag

75% IJ jag

75% IJ jag

Coastal Jag Hatchling 75% IJ jag

Farm bred Irian Jaya (Papuan)

Herpetoculture Magazine 30

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Paper Breakdown: Social Snakes

By Kai Kolodziej The garter snakes of the genus Thamnophis are quite often in focus of various scientific research. Even though they are one of the most researched groups of snakes and thousands are kept by private keepers, there is still much to be learned. Thamnophis species are often kept in groups and even in nature these snakes can be found in large groups or one might even say, masses, in certain times of the year.

One of the best-known examples is the mass brumation of garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) which is well documented in northern parts of their range. Furthermore, we know that garter snakes have a highly developed communication mechanism based on pheromones, some males of red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) release a pheromone to attract other males. Odd as it may seem, they use these pheromones to distract other males and mate more successfully with the females. In addition to that the males, which release the femalelike pheromones also show heat kleptoparasitism. This means that they use the already heated up males to warm up faster than other males emerging at the same time. This form of femalemimicry is unique in nature.

If this werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, garter snakes are one of the first genera of snakes where scientists believe that they have some sort of sociality, or if you would like to anthropomorphize this behaviour: they have friends. Taken into account that most reptiles, particularly snakes, are believed to be solitary animals this new study shows them in a totally different light. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a deeper look into this study: The scientists used 40 snakes, thirty juvenile wild caught females and ten captive bred juveniles of the same age. The snakes were housed in groups of ten individuals, the test enclosures were designed with four hiding places, each one placed in the middle of every wall of the enclosure. Water was available in each corner of the enclosure and the snakes were monitored with a DSLR camera during the daytime. So, the snakes had to form groups to hide with no hiding place offering better conditions in terms of temperature or humidity, even the water bowls were evenly distributed.

The survey was done over the course of eight days and each individual was marked with a coloured dot on the head to allow individual recognition. Two times a day the setup was cleaned and the hiding snake groups were photographed. When the enclosure was cleaned, each hiding place and the whole enclosure was disinfected to eliminate smell and pheromones, in addition

to that the hiding places were placed on different sides of the tank than previously. The interesting thing was that the snakes were more likely to enter a hiding place with more snakes in it and they stayed longer in hiding places with more animals already resting in them. Even more is the fact that they formed the same groups most of the time, even when they were shuffled in the process of the study. That meant that these snakes could identify each other and choose with whom they wanted to stay in a hiding place.

This hidden social life of reptiles (and especially snakes) is a topic of ongoing research and within the last few years more and more sides of their social interactions are being discovered. The thing is, reptiles were considered asocial for such a long time that nobody really looked into this topic, especially in snakes.

Moreover, most of the social interaction is hidden, due to their secretive

lifestyle and most of their communication is mostly invisible to us as they use chemical cues.

Along with this study, much research has been done to reveal the mystery about the cryptic social life of snakes. For example, parental care in pit vipers and African pythons (Python natalensis) and social grouping in sea snakes was observed. Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) showed familial recognition inside their dens. Arizona black rattlesnakes (Crotalus cerberus) demonstrated more interaction than could be explained just by coincidence and preferred certain individuals. Our perception on the social life of snakes is slowly changing.

Literature: Morgan Skinner and Noam Miller (2020): Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 74(5).

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Keeping the Malagasy Cat-Eyed Snake

Photo>> Roger Pewtress

By Nipper Read & Roger Pewtress Madagascar is, by the nature of its geography, a paradise for insular island endemic species, and as such is a herpers dream. Iconic species such as Sanzinia, the Madagascar Tree boas, Acrantophis, the ground boas, a raft of chameleons, Uroplatus, the cryptic geckos, Langaha, the amazing Leaf-Nosed Snakes (seen in previous issues of this fine publication) and one of my personal favourites the Malagasy Cat-Eyed Snake.

The genus Madagascarophis comprises five species. Ranging from colubrinus discovered in 1877, to the recently discovered lolo in 2016. Only two species, colubrinus and meridionalis are commonly available in the hobby. The local Malagasy name for this genus is Marolambo, meaning “many in the hole” in reference to the snake’s habit of resting during the day in holes of ant nests.

Madagascarophis are opisthoglyphous, meaning they are The Malagasy Cat-Eyed snakes, or Madagascarophis, are a venomous, with a rear fanged venom delivery system. great love of mine. I recently had the opportunity to discuss Care should be taken with all venomous snakes, no matter the various species and captive care of this interesting genus how “mild” the venom, in case of anaphylactic shock. with Roger Pewtress, one of the leading breeders of these Envenomation, even without an allergic reaction, may cause snakes in Europe. Roger was a fount of info regarding the severe localised symptoms such as pain, swelling, blistering and biology, care and breeding of Madagascarophis and I can now necrosis. hopefully pass some of this on in this article.

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The species: The Madagascarophis colubrinus group, Boettger 1877 These colubrids are small snakes, maxing out around one meter.

There are differing , distinct colour forms, yellow, silver, khaki and brown. The colour is always interspersed with darker blotches. They are slim bodied with a distinct head. The most notable characteristic is the large, vertical pupils that give these snakes their common name.

There are six sub-species of colubrinus: colubrinus citrinus, colubrinus colubrinus, colubrinus insularis, colubrinus occidentalis, colubrinus pastoriensis and colubrinus septentrionalis. Only colubrinus colubrinus, colubrinus occidentalis, colubrinus insularis and colubrinus citrinus are available in the hobby.

M. c. citrinus adult (above) and neonate (below)

Madagascarophis colubrinus is a snake of opportunistic habitatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, they are encountered in secondary forest, open grassland and disturbed habitat, often found in gardens and outbuildings. This genus is nocturnal in habit, and hunts a variety of small prey such as small mammals, lizards, notably chameleons, frogs and hatchling birds. The snakes show a strong arboreal nature, but can be seen hunting on the ground.

Madagascarophis colubrinus is a very widespread snake on Madagascar, and the various sub-species are found in all but the South of the island.

Madagascarophis ocellatus, Domergue 1987 This species is rarely available in the hobby. Morphologically, ocellatus are very similar to colubrinus however the colour tends to be a brown background with heavy darker blotches.

Ocellatus are found in the extreme Southern region of Madagascar, and again this species is tolerant of various habit types.

This species is available to the hobbyist, and is visually indistinct from colubrinus. In fact, scale counts and DNA testing are often required to separate it. This snake is known only from the arid forests of south western Madagascar.

The vegetation here is predominantly thorn bushes. This species is another opportunistic feeder, often seen preying on amphibians.

M. meridionalis

All Photos>> Roger Pewtress

Madagascarophis meridionalis, Domergue 1987

M. ocellatus

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Madagascarophis fuchsi, Glaw et al 2013 This species is not available to the general hobbyist. A stunning and small colubrid, similar in morphology to the other Madagascarophis, however this particular species displays a tan to reddish background colour and more delicate blotching.

Fuchsi is found only in the limestone Karst habitat of the Montagne des Francis region.

Madagascarophis lolo, Ruane et al 2016

M. fuchsi

This snake is the newest snake in this genus that was discovered in the Karst areas of Analamera and Ankarana in the extreme North of the island. This snake is known as the ghost cat snake, in reference to its white translucent appearance and the fact it is only rarely seen at night. The snake differs from other Madagascarophis in that its body is a very light almost white grey, with a dark vertebral stripe and paler grey blotching. This snake is a karst specialist, feeding predominantly on geckos.

Madagascarophis distribution

All Photos>> Roger Pewtress

M. lolo

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M. meridionalis

Cat-Eyeds As Captives Madagascarophis make excellent captive subjects. Their habitat adaptiveness means that they can thrive even when the husbandry is suboptimal. Madagascarophis will do well in a rack system, sterile vivarium or naturalistic, bioactive set up.

Both Roger and I prefer to keep in vivariums rather than tubs. I like to observe my snakes as much as possible, and I think a lot of behaviour is missed when tubs are used.

Adult specimens require at least a 90cm x 45cm vivarium.

Height should allow some climbing as these snakes display a great deal of arboreal activity. I use a fine orchid bark as substrate, but Lignosol or a similar wood based substrate would work equally well. The vivarium is furnished with branches, cork bark hides and humid hides of sphagnum moss. Clean water is always available in a large bowl.

Summer temperatures are 84F (28C) in the daytime and 76F (24C) at night. In winter, I let the night temps drop to 70F (21C). A UV light is placed in one area of the viv. These are nocturnal snakes, but they do rest in positions where they will absorb UV light. Juveniles are kept in smaller plastic tubs, with a similar set up to adults.

These snakes are voracious feeders, and care should be taken not to over feed. I feed a variety of prey items of appropriate size. Day old quail, small mice, house geckos and rat pinks.

Juveniles can be difficult feeders, but will normally take small geckos, pinks or frogs.

Madagascar has a subtropical seasonal climate with a hot and rainy season between November and March and a cooler dry season from May to October. I try to replicate these temperature and humidity changes in the vivarium.

Increasing light hours and spraying more during the â&#x20AC;&#x153;summerâ&#x20AC;? period. Madagascarophis will actively drink from water bowls, however I do spray daily to ensure the snakes are properly hydrated.

Housing neonates is simple and fairly standard

Above & Below: examples of adult caging

All Photos>> Roger Pewtress

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Breeding Madagascarophis As with all my snakes, I believe food, light and temperature cycling is the key to success in breeding. Prior to the breeding season, I will increase the food availability dramatically. I will continue this increase until a few weeks after the snakes have been paired off. I will then reduce the prey availability for the males, but keep the females on a slightly more frequent food regime for another three weeks. After that I will reduce the food availability to normal levels. For the males I will cease feeding in the coolest months, the females I feed sparingly, but most will refuse food if gravid.

Lighting is cycled to mimic the summer and winter seasons, with the humidity and temperatures altered accordingly. In the wild, Madagascarophis are seasonal breeders influenced by temperatures and humidity towards the end of the dry season, the beginning of the rainy season, oviposition and neonate birth which coincides with maximum prey availability.

Gravid females will lay a clutch of 3 to 8 eggs in humid hide boxes. The eggs are removed and placed in SIM style plastic containers. I prefer the raised tray over water method, but old school perlite or vermiculite is equally suitable. Eggs will start to pip at around 75 to 80 days at a temp of 78 degrees. Neonates are housed in small hatchling tubs in a hatchling rack. I keep the neonates on paper towels, with a small hide and water bowl.

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Conclusion Both Roger and I would recommend this genus as great snakes to keep and breed. The hardiness, small size, range of colour and feeding response, all make the Madagascarophis clade a great group to work with. In these times of global lock down, changing politics and laws, I would strongly recommend getting a group of these snakes now. Wild caught imports may disappear overnight if Madagascar closes its wildlife trade quotas. We have seen similar things happen in Tanzania for example. At present there are not that many breeders of these snakes, so any opportunity to get some should be taken.

MY P TO 1

3

with Justin Smith

- HM Publisher

Bose Soundsport Headphones These are my number one pick because when I’m doing a serious clean on all my cages, I’ll be in my room for a few hours.

I’m a huge music nerd and almost always have to have something playing while I’m working!

2

m o o R p Her s e v a H Must-

- Palmetto Coast Exotics

4

JOBY HandyPod Mobile Tripod I’m lazy when it comes shooting videos for Youtube. Breaking out the DSLR and then going through and editing 30 minutes of video is exhausting so most of the time I just record videos on my phone and upload directly. This JOBY tripod has helped a ton with shooting those videos and not having to awkwardly find something to prop my phone onto while shooting, spazzy snake in hand.

Rubber Finger Tips We’ve all dealt with stuck shed. There’s nothing more frustrating than having stuck eye caps and tail tips on snakes that don’t like to be touched to begin with. My buddy Harlin Wall turned me onto this little “hack” and it really works!

You can find these at any office supply store and they serve as a cheap option to help get the stuck shed off freakishly well!

5

Twist Ties The things that keep your bread sealed and fresh? Yep. I find myself hoarding twist ties all the time as I find myself using them to hang thermostats (like hobbystats) as well as having them as a good option to attach probes to perches. This makes having to remove the perch with the probe on it easy to remove and put back as opposed to using a zip tie that has to be cut off.

PVC Cutter I can’t tell you enough how much easier life is because of PVC cutters. If you’re keeping arboreals then these should be in your tool bag!

Pretty much any hardware store will have them and they aren’t very expensive. No longer will I have to saw, measure, and saw some more. Now I just measure, cut, and move on.

Got your own top 5 must haves? Email your picks with a short description of each to herpetoculturemagazine@gmail.com.com!

Herpetoculture Magazine

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In The Incubator...

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