Canadian Reptile Hobbyist Sample Pages

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 SEP 2016

DEPARTMENT

CAPTIVE CARE, BREEDING & NATUR AL HISTORY

Beardie Diet

Gargoyles Galore!

Spring Herping

C A N A D I A N R E P T I L E H O B BY I S T • i

FROM THE PUBLISHER SEPTEMBER 2016

I

hope you enjoy this first issue of Canadian Reptile Hobbyist. The fact that you’re reading this means that my mission was a success. I have been encouraged by the positive feedback and suggestions from the reptile and amphibian community to see this through. Our first issue has a great lineup of experienced authors. It’s continued success will depend on the contri­butions of our country’s professionals and passionate hobbyists.

The main purpose of CRH is to promote, examine and inform herpetoculturists about our hobby, with a focus on being a herper in Canada. Articles by, for and about Canadian breeders, businesses, con­ servationists and researchers will be given preference in these pages.

Submissions from international authors are always welcome, but the focus will be on Canadian content. If you have something to contribute, or some news or event to share, I’d love to hear from you!

Advertising is open to any breeder or business that provides or is able to provide animals, goods, information or services to the Cana­dian market. Most reptile publications advertise animals or products that are difficult, impractical or impossible to ship here, CRH aims to be different! I’m counting on support from our breeders and businesses to make the long-term success of this publication possible. We have a good thing going Canada — Let’s make it great!

— Neil Meister

ABOUT OUR AUTHORS Darren Boyd is a professional herpe­ toculturist, musician, and writer. He owns and operates Reptile Rainforest in Kemptville, Ontario, Canada.

He has been working with reptiles for close to 30 years.

Pete Hawkins of Peterborough, England, UK, has kept pretty much everything in the way of reptiles over the past 29 years, mainly bearded dragons, chameleons and snakes. He has had several articles published in Practical Reptile Keeping magazine in the UK, and is an associate editor for Reptile Apartment website.

Niko Lorkovich from Windsor, Ontario has been collecting geckos since he was 13, and started breeding them when he was 15. He specializes in Rhacodactylus, Nephrurus and other rare species.

Neil Meister is a graphic designer and gecko breeder with over 25 years experience in both careers, specializing in Uroplatus and other rare geckos.

John F Taylor is an internationally published author on reptiles with magazine articles, a book and ebooks to his credit as well as an online presence in several pet-related areas.

He is the owner of Reptile Apartment.

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Canadian Reptile Hobbyist Magazine is published quarterly. Available via subscription and at finer reptile shops across Canada.

An ebook version is available for Apple iBooks.

ISSN request pending PUBLISHER

MeisterWorks Graphic Design EDITOR

Neil Meister ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Deanna Ryan-Meister GRAPHIC DESIGN

MeisterWorks Graphic Design CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Darren Boyd, Niko Lorko, Neil Meister and John F. Taylor CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Clint Hill, Russ Jones, Skylar Lawrence, Gary Leverton, Niko Lorko, Neil Meister, Justin Morash, Nicolás Samaniego, Tiffany Slaunwhite, Ryan Vince, Brian.gratwicke (license CC-BY-SA-3.0) CONTACT

For submissions or advertising please contact: MeisterWorks Graphic Design 3129 St. Margaret’s Bay Road Timberlea, NS Canada B3T 1H5 902.489.2692 meisterworks@eastlink.ca www.facebook.com/ CanadianReptileHobbyist/

CONTENTS From the Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 News & Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Spring Herping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Captive Care: Pacific Island Boas (Candoia ssp.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Spotlight: Gorgeous Gargoyles (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Keeping & Breeding Gargoyle Geckos (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Feeder’s Corner: The Lowly Waxworm (Galleria mellonella) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Does my Dragon Look Fat? . . . . . . . . . . . 23 In Memorium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Native Species Account: Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Canadian Business Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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CAPTIVE CARE

JOHN F TAYLOR, OWNER OF REPTILE APARTMENT

T

HE PACIFIC ISLAND BOAS (Candoia ssp.) are both my nemeses and my love. I enjoy everything about these boas and once had an opportunity to obtain some at incredible price. Sadly, being a broke writer I was unable to get them. Since then, they have come and gone as I have watched and listened to stories of keepers’ successes. I’ve yet to keep these myself as pets, but I was able to work with them at a couple of the shops where I worked.

Natural History Johann Gottlo Schneider originally described Boa carinata in 1801, and in 1842 thanks to John Edward Gray become Candoia carinata. Four more snakes were later added to the same genus. Candoia bibroni bibroni was described as Enygrus bibroni by Dumeril & Bibron in 1844.

There’s also another subspecies of Candoia bibroni known as C. b. australis.

In 1863 Albert Guenther described another Paci­ fic boa as Enygrus superciliosus, presumably refer­ ring to the snake’s enlarged supraocular scales. In 2001 Hobart Smith and David Chiszar renamed the species as Candoia superciliosa which is now known by the common name Belau Bevel­ nosed Boa. Smith and Chiszar

PHOTO: RUSS JONES

went on to describe a subspecies as well C. s. crombiei which is known as the Ngeaur Bevelnosed Boa. In 1877 Guenther again described a boa species as Erebophis aspera which Forcart elevated to full species in 1951. Forcart also described the subspecies C. a. schmidti. These are commonly known in the trade as New Guinea Ground Boas or New Guinea Viper Boas.

In 2001 our friends Smith and Chiszar made additional taxonomic changes. They took Olive Stull’s Enygrus carinatas paulsoni and elevated it to Candoia paulsoni and then added on 5 subspecies (C. p. paulsoni, C. p. vindumi, C. p. mcdowelli, C. p. sadlieri, and C. p. rosadoi). This species is commonly known as Solomon Island Ground Boa. The genus Candoia ranges over a large portion of the Pacific Islands and Papua New Guinea.

THIS TIME IN ENGLISH Currently recognized Candoia species and subspecies are: • New Guinea Ground Boa: Candoia aspera aspera, C. a. schmidti • Pacific Boa: Candoia bibroni bibroni) and Fiji Island Boa: (C. b. australis) • Pacific Boa: Candoia carinata carinata and New Guinea Tree Boa: C. c. tepedeleni • Solomon Island Ground Boa: Candoia paulsoni paulsoni, C. p. vindumi, C. p. mcdowelli, C. p. sadlieri, and C. p. rosadoi • Belau Bevelnosed Boa: Candoia superciliosa superciliosa and Ngeaur Bevelnosed Boa: C. s. crombiei

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PHOTO: © CAN STOCK PHOTO INC. / FEATHERCOLLECTOR

CAPTIVE CARE

New Guinea Ground Boa, Candoia aspera

To say that Candoia are odd ducks when it comes to the boid family is an understatement. The visible characteristics of these boas would likely tell us, and it’s accepted in most circles, that this genus is using Batesian mimicry of the venomous Death Adders (Acanthophis ssp.) with which it is sympatric (living in habitat which overlaps). Viper Boa is another common name for Candoia aspera. Most Candoia are some shade of brown and/or black. Of note is the dorsal (back) pattern, which I can only equate to a zig-zag pattern like a Ziggurat. In Candoia carinata paulsoni the ground (meaning the overall or base) color of the snake is cream–white and the zig-zags are a dark chocolate brown which makes for an incredibly stunning snake. There are also some red specimens which I have seen where the ground colour is a deep red and the pattern is a dark brown­ ish colour. Unfortunately I was unable to obtain permission from the source to use the photos so I cannot share the red species I saw.

Males are generally smaller than females. Cloacal spurs on males are larger than in females and is a good way to sex these snakes. Pacific Island Boas, depending on subspecies, range in size from two feet to just under six feet.

PHOTO: NICOLÁS SAMANIEGO

Zig-Zags & More

From this angle it’s easy to see why they’re called Viper Boas

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W

ith the wild popularity of the crested gecko as a pet species, the previously overlooked gargoyle gecko is getting more mainstream attention.

Selective breeding has resulted in some colourful morphs undreamed of 20 years ago. The gargoyle is hardly the new kid on the block—it’s actually been in the reptile hobby longer than its crested cousin. In fact, gargoyle geckos were being bred back when crested geckos were thought to be extinct. Better understand­ ing of New Caledonian gecko species and advances in herpetoculture, including commercial diets, has helped to firmly place these species in herpetoculture. There are some truly spetacular animals being produced

by Canadian breeders. Here’s a sampling from a few collections.

For care and breeding information, see the article following this photo feature.

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• Gargoyle Geckos are native to New Caledonia, an island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia and New Zealand • There are no commercial exports of gargoyles from the wild • They are omnivores, mainly feeding on arthropods and fruit. As pets, they can be fed commercial diets as well as insects • Lifespan is 15–20 years in captivity • Unlike Crested Geckos, Gargoyle Geckos can regrow lost tails

PHOTO: RYAN VINCE

A showcase of beautiful Gargoyle Geckos from Canadian breeders

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT Collection of Ryan Vince

Collection of Tiffany Slaunwhite

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CARE & BREEDING

BY NIKO LORKOVICH

General information In my opinion, gargoyle geckos (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) are one of the most underrated geckos in the industry. With their robust builds, horned head struc­ tures, colour and pattern variations, they quickly became one of my favourite spe­ cies to work with. At first I hopped right onto the crested gecko bandwagon like everyone else but never made a connec­ tion with the species at all, I walked into the local reptile shop in my area and my attention was quickly caught by this tiny black and grey gecko with big blue eyes.

Immediately I started doing as much research on my new found obsession— the gargoyle gecko.

Size

Red striped is a popular morph amongst gargoyle gecko breeders

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Gargoyle geckos, cared for under proper conditions, have the potential to grow into thick beautiful geckos with long, heavy bodies, wide heads and big horns. At the same time, if overfed or not given enough space to properly move around, they can become extremely fat and lazy, which can lead to health issues and what I’ve noticed most—bad fertility rates. Adults will typi­ cally reach a weight of 55–65 grams, with

CARE & BREEDING a length of 3.5–4.5 inches. From per­ sonal experience I have always paired my larger males and females together, giving me noticeably larger babies out of the egg.

Husbandry Enclosures The size of enclosure will differ from the size and age of the specific gargoyle you are housing. I always raise hatchlings in plastic shoe bins with plenty of air holes for proper air circulation and to allow humidity to escape. Depending on the size of the hatchling, by 6 months I will either keep them in the plastic bin or move them to an Exo Terra® 12"x12"x18" which I keep them in for another 6 to 8 months. Some breed­ ers believe in keeping their gargoyles in plastic shoe bins from hatchling to adult, just moving them into larger and larger bins as they grow. I am against this. I think it looks cheap, and I believe the animals themselves deserve better than this. All of my breeders are kept in Exo Terra® 18"x18"x18", with 3 to 4 inches of plantation soil and cork bark scattered all over the tank, angled every which way. I want my females to feel comfortable with where they are laying their eggs. I want every­ thing to be as natural as possible. You will never see me use paper towel at the bottom of the enclosure with a laying bin: it may work for some, but it’s not something I practice and my technique has not let me down yet. Many breeders say you will lose too many eggs because they will never lay in the same spot, but if you truly know your animals and

Basic setup for adult gargoyle geckos.

observe them daily, you will know all the signs to look for where they are ready to lay, and you will find the eggs every time even if you have to dig around in the dirt a bit.

Lighting I keep a 25 watt bulb on my gargoyle geckos almost all year round, using an 8-hour light cycle in the winter and 12-hour light cycle in the summer.

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