Vol. 12 (1992), No. 5

NEWSLETTER

CIETY

1992

VOLUME

BELL 11USEUI\1 OF NATURAL HISTORY

10 CHURCH ST. S.E.

NUMBER 5 NHNNEAPOLIS, MN

55455-0104

CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 25-28, 1992 Iternational Herpetological Symposium, St. Louis, MO August 2-6, 1992 Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles University of Texas-El Paso.

October, 1992 Midwest Herpetological Symposium Milwaukee, WI

~ I

~

I I I

I I II

The purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is: to further the education of the I II membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphiII --------~n----bians;to-ooucate1:henrembership--andi:he-general_pubticin the ecological~------- H. _ II and amphibians; and to promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

II

II

I I

II

I

II

II II II II II

/I

II

~

MHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY RECORDING SECRETARY TREASURER NEWSLETIER EDITOR MEMBER-AT-LARGE MEMBER-AT-LARGE MEMBER-AT-LARGE MEMBER-AT-LARGE IMMEDIATE PAST PRES.

Glen Jacobsen Bill Moss Connie Delles Michele Stillinger Marilyn Brooks Julie Cherveny Randy Blasus Dennis Daly NancyHaig Greg Kvanbek lohnMeltzer

II

(612) 757-8268 (612) 488-1383 (612) 374-5422 (612) 588-4613 (612) 939-0276 (612) 774-6786 (612) 688-7709 (612) 633-8370 (612) 789-4637 (612) 533-7723 (612) 263-7880

Š Copyright Minnesota Herpetological Society. The contents of this newsletter may be reproduced for inclusion in the newslettG~s of other herpetological societies provided that the material is reproduced without change and proper credits are given to the MRS Newsletter citing volume number and date.

I I II

I II

II II II II \I /I

II

~

Next. Meet.iDg Date: Friday, June 5, 1992 Time: 7:00 PM

Place: Borlaug Hall St. Paul Campus U of M

PROGRAM: Lire on t.he road wit.h a t.ruck rull or rept.iles.

SPEAKER: Mont.y Krizan Monty Krizan is the owner of 'Montys' Traveling Reptile Show Inc.' If you are a Minnesota State Fair attendee, you have probably seen Monty and his forty foot tractor trailer as well as the wide array of reptiles he travels the country with. Monty, who describes himself as a Ecologist/Naturalist/Herpetologist has been on the road promoting the positive role of reptiles in the balance of nature for over eighteen years In more the thirty states and throughout Canada. He has presented over ten-thousand school assembly programs as well as fairs, malls and other special events. In addition, Monty has had a television program airing in Canada for the past three years. Monty will be talking about his show, his experiences on the road and his strong feelings ab9ut the reptiles keepers responsibilities and husbandry practices.

1

1

May Meeting Summary The May 1st meeting was called to order at 7:10 p.m.

104 people attended.

The speaker was Dr. Michael W. Klemens, Director of the Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Recovery PrQgram.

Michael highlighted some of the twenty-eight projects that are funded by this program. Of the 250 species of tortoises and turtles, more than half are now at risk,¡ facing habitat destruction, human exploitation, and population declines.

One of the tortoises featured in his presentation was the Madagascar Plowshare Tortoise. The program enlisted the help of NASA with Space Shuttle photography to identify areas of the bamboo forests in Northwestern Madagascar containing this endangered tortoise.

Scientists and local inhabitants work closely together to preserve this animal and its native habitat.

Currently, there are over 150 people, such as scientists, conservationists, volunteers, etc. working on this and other projec:t.s.

Reminder:

Rat Sales Are Back"

MHS will now provide the convenience of rat sales at Terry Scheiber onlyl and must be made at least one week before the meeting. Phone: (612) 440-7482.

Prices Rats

Mice Pinkles----$6.00 doz.

Fuzzies----$6.00 doz.

Adults-----$9.00 doz.

Pups-----$10.00 doz.

Adults---$12.00 for six $24.00 doz.

Mice and rats must be purchased by the dozen, except for adult rats, which can be purchased 1n allotments of six.

Rat pinkies are unavailable at this time.

Hands-On Projects Volunteers are needed for various upcoming Hands-On projects. HELP WANTEDt' I Bill would like someone to be a "Co-Cha i rperson" to he 1p wi.th organ i zing and sett i ng up hands-on events.

AlHS ;VeH!siettct. Vol. XII,

lVO •

.5

Upcoming Meetings July: IHS Rap-up August: ???

September: ???

Help a Hapless Herp Animals that went up for adoption last month were: a Bullsnake, that went to Nancy Haig and a Black Racer that was taken home by Todd Cherveny.

Anyone with animals to go up for adoption should contact Glen Jacobsen at (612) 757-8268 prior to the meeting.

Critter of the Month The critter of the month was "Turtles and Tortoises".

The critters and their keepers were: Michael Howard - Eastern Box Brian Grussing - Stinkpot Bill Ness - Red-footed Tortoise ~-~~----"fodd -eherveny~-Herma~

TofLt,04 ~~-1 ~--Snapper~--~

Gloria Anton - Spiny Hill Turtle John Meltzer - Argentine Snakeneck Glen Jacobsen - Leopard Tortoise Raffle Results Thanks to RJ Reptiles, James Rea, Eric Thiss, Jim Adams, and John Levell for donating raffle items. The, winners are' listed below: Aaron Radanke Mike Hunter Ted Meissner Lori Fischer Mike Howard Mary Gruman

Gloria Anton Ma rIa Wi I be r Ruth Meltzer Nancy Hatg Dan Kallof

Thank to all that purchased tickets.

EXTRA t I EXTRA I , I The MHS just received an AT&T XT Computer & keyboard with 20MB hard drive, 640 RAM, and an AT&T color monitor & EGA card. Thanks! I to NSP. If anyone else knows of anyone who would like to d~nate a printer or mouse ( or anything else, for that matter) let someone on the Board know.

It would be greatly appreciated.

AllIS l'Ver,,;vsietter. V'ol.,rIl. No . .5

.

~~-~-~-- ~.

Book

R~vi~w

by John P. Leve 1 1 Title: Landscape with Reptile - Rattlesnakes in an Urban World Author: Thomas Palmer Publisher: Ticker & Fields $19.95 clothbound

Thomas Palmer has succeeded in not only writing an authoritative account of a very ticklish subject but In producing a book unique among other herpetological literature. This book reads like a novel rather than like some exhaustive monograph filled with graphs, statistics and other research results.

Landscape with Reptile documents the history of the inter-relationship of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horrJdus) and man in the Blue Hills Reservation and other areas near Boston, Massachusetts from the time of the first European settlements (early 1600's) to the present.

After a brief introduction, early chapters cover historical accounts of the inhabitants' encounters with rattlers and their highly successful (unfortunately for _~ __ ~~~ ____ ~ __~rCJ_tfJJ us) efforts to erad i cate them.

These chapters are part i cu 1 ar ly interest i ng and conta i n many~quotat i onstrom~ such notable Americans as John Adams, Cotton Mather and Benjamin Franklin, among others. These chapters also provide a wealth of geological and historical information on the area, as well as providing a concise. overview of the decline of rattlesnake populations and the attitude of local inhabitants towards snakes.

Later chapters deal with subjects ranging from the evolution of rattlesnakes, snakebite incidents in the area (very few in 300 + years), and snakebite treatments, from folk medicine remedies up to present-day medical procedures.

Chapter 16 "Worst Case Scenario" describes an imaginary case of death due to envemonmation. The author draws much of this material from sources such as Ca~t G~ans, Bayard H. Brattstrom, Laurence Klauber, F.A. Shannon, Findlay Russell and Hinton and Hinton.

The last chapte~s are perhaps the most enlightlng of all, detailing such diverse subjects as Policemen killing protected rattlesnakes, rattlesnakes stopping multimillion dollar development projects, and the prospects for the continued survival of Crotalus horridus in eastern Massachusetts.

Here I think Thomas Palmer has presented a view of conservation from a perspective most readers will find different from what they are used to.

An Appendix on snakebites in the Blue Hills and a section of notes on individual chapters round out the book.

All in all this is a most enjoyable book and where it succeeds most is in the author's ability to present all

!v1liS Newsletter, Vol. ,\11,

1\[0.

.5

4

this information in a way that even the most casual reader can easily understand and digest.

The information Is well researched and accurate and about the only thing lacking are photographs.

Anyone interested in rattlesnakes, reptile conservation, or conservation of wildlife in general should find it most interesting.

Thomas Palmer writes with humor and in a style that makes you want to continue reading.

I highly recommend Landscape with Rept i 1e.

1v111S lve'Yllsletter, Fo1. XII, 1"';0. .5

I:

J

Tortoise Feeding Guidlines: part 1 by Wi l l i am Ne s s Tortoises have dietary requirements that differ sIgnificantly from many of the other herps we maintain in captivity.

Whole rodents can provide a balanced diet for most snakes, and many lizards can get a balanced diet from a mixture of various insect species (many do fine on just crickets dusted with a quality reptile supplement).

Tortoises, however, are primarily vegetarian and require the proper mix of fruits and vegetables to provide their nutritional requirements.

Feeding improper types of foods, even with the addtion of vitamin/mineral supplements, can cause severe nutritional disorders that may result in such things as improper shell growth, kidney and liver disease, or even the death of the tortoise.

One of the problems in delevoping a proper diet for tortoises is the fact that many deficiency dieases can take a long time for symptoms to appear, and by the time they are noticed there may already be permanent damage.

A tortoise may live for quite some time on a diet of canned dog or cat food before dieing nfrom kidney failure.

Tortoises seem to be able to survive for long periods of time on improper diets before showing symptoms, and in some-ca-ses~the keeper is not aware-t-hat-an improper diet is the cause of the problem.

Most of us have seen turtles and tortoises that have lived a long time on a diet of raw hamburger.

We hear things like "Oh, he is real easy to feed, I just give him raw hamburger. Yeah, I did notice he's pretty fat and his shell is kind of soft, but other than that he is doing great".

We have all seen tortoises with shells that look like the pyramids of ancient Egypt and usually explain the condition by saying lilt must have been a little too much protein in the diet", but do we realize that the tortoise is probably suffering from osteo-porosis and may be suffering kidney damage from high blood urea levels from too much protein?

As in many other disorders, it is a lot easier to prevent dietary disorders, than it is to treat them once symptoms do occur.

There are some basic guidlines that can help you provide an adequate diet for your tortoise and avoid most dietary disorders.

These are general guidelines, but you should research your particular species' specific dietary idiosyncrasies and make adjustments.

Some tortoises eat a fair amount of carrion while others are strictly herbivorous.

Strict herbicvores have digestive tracts. that differ significantly from carnivores, and meat may actually putrify in their gut before passing through.

In addition, as mentioned earlier, too much protein can interfere with calcium metabolism and lead to kidney damage.

In general, the tortoise diet should be low in fats, oils, and protein; rich in vitamins and minerals; and high in fiber.

The ideal diet would include all the food types AllIS .blcl"ls]elter Vol. .>(II. J

iVO.

5

,

()

available in the tortoise's natural habitat.

Unfortunately,.many of those food items are not available to us.

There are, however, a number of foods readily available that we can substitute.

There are a number of people experimenting with different diet regimes and we can learn from their experiences.

The MN Zoo has been working on a diet that provides all the necessary nutrients in the right proportion without supplements.

This diet was published in a previous MHS newsletter.

Tortoises fed daily on the old diet developed bumpy shells, which would seem to路 indicate too much protein.

This diet was then offered only three times a week with kale on alternate days, which resulted in more normal growth.

The zoo staff has modified the tortoise diet somewhat and now includes vitamin and mineral supplements.

They feed this diet three times a week and on alternate days feed kale or endive.

The current diet is as follows: 600 450 225 300 150 150 150 150_ 3 3

grams grams grams grams grams grams grams

Rabbit pellets soaked in water Kale Raw Carrots Green Beans Banana without the peel Apple Orange with the peel gTClm~c::~n_ned_ primj:lt,e di (3t_ (source of D3) tablespoons Bone meal tablespoons Vionate

The Burmese brown tortoises (Geochelone emys) at the zoo seem to be doing well on the current diet, although some beak malformations have been noted.

It is not certain if this is dietary in origin.

For strictly herbivorous tortoises the canned primate food (about 16% protein) may increase the protein level too much.

Without the primate ingredient, this diet is about 3 or 4% protein, which is about right for tortoises.

If the primary purpose of the primate ingredient is Vitiamin D3, then increasing the vitiamin dosage a little and using full spectrum lights, should serve the same purpose.

A diet recommended by A.C Highfield in KEEPING AND BREEDING TORTOISES IN CAPTIVITY consists of a mixed leafy green base consisting of dandelion greens, cabbage, c~over, kale, lettuce, parsley, carrot tops, and lawn clippings.

To this is added a variety of fruits, including watermelon, oranges, tomatoes, pineapple, apples, pears, cucumber, etc.

Apply liberal amounts of a quality mineral/vitamin supplement such as 'Vionate' or 'Reptovite' and some raw calcium.

My elongated and red-footed tortoises seem to be doing well on a diet that is basically green beans, carrots, rabbit pellets, apples, oranges, and sometimes banana, mixed about half and half with dark greens (frequently kale, but I use endive, parsley, cabbage, and others) sprinkled with vitamins.

I feed this diet several times a :\fIIS iVevvs1etter, 1/oi. .\J1, No. S

"7

I

week and alternate it with plain dark greens.

In the summer I feed a lot of dandelions and plantain.

There are, undoubtably, lots of variations in diets that have worked for various species.

If you have a recipe that works well for your species, I would encourage you to publ ish it so others can benefit from your experience.

In future articles, I will discuss in more depths such topics as Calcium/Phosphorus, Vltiamins, Protein, and Roughage as part of the overall tortoise diet plan.

ill}IS lVewsieltel; Fol. )tIJ,

lVO•

.5

8

Illustrating the White Pages

by James H. Rea Have you ever wished that ~he Society's directory showed photos of the members? As greatly as this would facilitate interaction, the cost of printing photos is prohibitive.

As an alternative, the Board has authorized the librarians and myself to collect data for an illustrated reference titled.A Field Guide to MHS Herpers.

There will be only one copy; it will not circulate, but w111 be available during the meetings.

The cost will be the donation of a snapshot by each member wishing to participate, and whatever information is volunteered.

Please bring in a snapshot of yourself, or of your family, any size 4 K 6 or smaller, color or black and white.

The idea is photo identification; any photo Is better than none at all.

Forms to yourself will be available at the library.

Vou can disclose what you choose about your history in the Society, husbandry experience, or related interests.

Photos will be attached to the forms with rubber cement, easily replaced later if you come up with a picture that you like better.

There is no deadline; pictures of new members will be added as donated.

Your early participation will encourage others.

Here is an opportunity for each of us, especially Herp Assistance People, to advertise that we are open to sharing our knowledge.

Let's illustrate those路 White Pages'

an

]\.11-[S Newsletter. \/01.,\'11, iVa. .5

ed

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE

SIZE: up to

Shell length 3 feet long.

WEIGHT: 'Adults up to 450 pounds.

COL OR: Red dis h.brown shell with lighter yellow underside.

SEA TURTLE FACTS: Loggerheads are the most common of the five sea turtles found in the oceans around the U.S. The other four are the Green turtle, Kemps ridley, Hawksbill, and the Leatherback.

As many as

55,000 Loggerheads drown in shrimp nets

About 28,000 female to路 lay their eggs.

Loggerheads

come up

on to U.S.

every year. shores

every year

When the baby turtles hatch, they follow the light .of the moon shining on the ocean.

Sometimes they go the wrong way toward street lights and are hit by cars.

Some coastal cities have passe~ laws banning the use of house and s~reet lights during hatching time~ The largest sea turtle ever found was a Leatherback that weighed 2,016 pounds!

It had drowned in a fish net and washed up on shore.

10

1.0.0 = male; 0.1.0 = female; 0.0.1 = unknown WANTED: Fund-raising ideas for the Herp society.

I'd also like to hear any other ideas you might haVe to make the Herp society better. Give me your ideas and I'll submit them to the board. You can remain anonymous if you want.

Call Greg at 533-7723 or 560-2718.

FAUNA CLASSIFIEDS. Monthly classified publication: for reptiles, amphibi~ns, food items & supplies, literature and more. Excellent information source and worldwide circulation.

Subscription $14.00 a year. Free sample & info. Write: FAUNA, 2379 Maggio Circle Unit C, Lodi, CA 95240.

1992 HERPETOLOGICAL DIRECTORY.

A valuable information source containing private and commercial breeders, foreign exporters, U.S. and foreign herp societies, wholesalers, sources for rodent & other foods items, supplies & equipment, and publications. Send $15.00 to. FAUNA, 2379 maggio Circle Unit C, Lodi, CA '95240. _II1II_111liliiii

4056 Central Avenue N. E Columbia Heights, MN 55421

Largest Selection of Reptiles & Amphibians in Minnesota Cages, Books, Feed & Supplies

PETS & SUPPLIES Tropical and Marine Aquaria Garden pools and Aviaries Food and Supplies for all Pets

PHIL PALAN

(612) 781-0805

540 Winnetka Ave. No. Golden Valley, Mn 55427

Bruce Delles

(612)593-0298

IN~IRUCTIONS:

Ads are run as a free service to paid members. Ads for venomous species, illegal species, or sick animals will not be run. MHS takes no responsibility for legality or health of any aniinal advertised here. Ads may be run for three consecutive months at which time ads may be re-su bmitted. The editor reserves the right to omit ads when space is limited so as to allow all members a chance to advertise. Size of ads is limited to 4 typed lines or 1 standard size business card. D~adline for all newsletter items is the date of the general meeting. Send all newsletter items to : ATIN: Newsletter Editor, Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104.

1 1

11

~

HERP ASSISTANCE PEOPLE

I I Ii Do you ever have a question about one of your herps and wonder who might be able to provide an I I answer? Most people who keep pets of any kind have been in this situation at one time or another. /I I A group of MHS members has volunteered to provide assistance. listed below are the people and I I their specialties. Please be reasonable about the time of day and how frequently you call.

I

I I

Large pythons

constrictors

Other Snakes

Glen (Jake) Jacobsen 757-8268 Vence Jimerson 869-8547

I I II I

1/

Del Jones 938-8555 John Meltzer 263-7880

Amphibians

I II

Nancy Haig 789-4637 Bill Moss 488-1383

John Meltzer 263-7880 Greg Kvanbek 533-7723

1\

I II I

turtles and tortoises

Aquatic Turtles

John Moriarty 647-1334 Ann POlWoll 489-7853

I

I I I

Michele Stillinger 588-4613 Dennis Daly 633-8370

I I I I

II II

I I I II

II II

II II

Greg Kvanbek 533-7723 John Moriarty 647-1334

I II

II

II II

Minnesota Herps

1/

I

I

II

~

~

AND T-SHIRT ORDER FORM MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY NAME(S) ADDRESS CITY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

STATE _ __

PHONE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

ZIP CODE _ _ _ _ __

LIST IN MHS DIRECTORY? YBS__

NO_ _

HERP-RELATED INTERESTS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP?

NEW__

RENEWEL_ _

_ _ SUSTAINING ........ $60.00

U of MN STUDENT _ _ (check if yes)

_ _ INSTITUTION ...... $25 .00

_ _ CONTRIBUTING ..... $30.00

BASIC ............... $15.00

OFFICIAL (ORIGINAl.) MHS T-SHIRT - $7.00 includes postage (indicate how many of each) Adult:

small _ _

medium__

large__

x-large _ _

Kids: 6-8__

10-12_ _

Please enclose payment. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Membership is for 12 months from date of joining. A membership card will be sent by return mail. A receipt will be sent only on request. Allow 6-8 weeks for proceBsing. MAIL TO: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. S.B., Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104

Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID MpIs. MN

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY

Permit No.227 5

BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET S.E .• MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

+

+

+

+

RECYCLED PAPER ~OurR~