Vol. 29 (2009), No. 5

MI ESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCI TY NEWSLETTER

PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS! ~:r~~~~~~~;t!~cave State Park MHS Survey June 12 -14,2009

Recognizing and Preventing MBD

By Dr. Amy Kizer

Finding Herps Where You Least Expect Them

By Terry Odegaard

Take the MHS Questionaire

Info on MHS Spring Grant Proposals

Press Release for Herper's Movie

May 2009

Volume 29

NumberS

MHS Board of Directors /President / Jennifer Hensley ('" Starbrst72@mns.com

Minnesota Herpetological Society ""'\,

763.862.8966 )

May 2009

651.983.8272

MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065

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Vice President David Dewitt Ddewitt777@comcast.net

Group Email: HTTP://WWW.GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/ MNHERPSOC

The purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to: 763.593.5414

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Treasurer Nancy Haig nanchaig@citilink.com

763.434.8684

Newsletter Editor Kathy Claugherty iwannaiguana@gmail.com

651.771.2267

411

411

Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians; Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians; Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.

Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles.

The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society's activities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources.

Members at Large Heather Clayton heethuh@netzero.com Jeff LeClere Reptilia74@aol.com

Number 5

MHS Web Page: HTTP://WWW.MNHERPSOC .ORG

Recording Sectretary Jenna Rypka-Hauer Justna_na@yahoo.com Membership Secretary Ellen Heck Inheck@msn.com

Volume 29

651.488.6388

Chris Smith Chris.smith .mhs@gmaiLcom

General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday conflict). The meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the website for changes in schedules or cancellations.

Jared Rypka-Hauer

Submissions to the Newsletter Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronic file format if possible.

See inside back cover for ad rates.

Committees Adoption Chair Sarah Richard realsarah@aol.com

612.781.9544

Education Chair Jan Larson Jan.skunkhollow@juno.com

507.263.4391

Web Master Anke Reinders theMHSwebmaster@yahoo.com Library Carmelita Pfar

Submissions may be sent to: The Minnesota Herpetological Society Attn: Newsletter Editor Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St. SE. Minneapolis, MN 55455.0104 Please send email toiwannaiguana@gmail.com

Š Copyright Minnesota Herpetological Society 2009. Contents may be reproduced for non-profit use provided that all material is reproduced without change and proper credit is given authors and the MHS Newsletter citing; volume, number, and date.

Cover Photo: Sonja Koolmo

Snake Bite Emergency Hennepin Regional Poison Center 800.764.7661

Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society May 2009 Volume 29 Number 5

Coming up in future issues: Cool Links: Online resources for herp related info Juvie Page: Yes, we will continue having it!

Roving Reporter: Fun factoids and member bios Articles, Reviews, Blurbs and Stuff,

By MHS Members!

Barbara Buzicky 1949 - 2009 The MHS lost a dear friend on Sunday, March 8. Barb Buzicky was an enthusiastic member from 1992 to 2006, contributing all the time and energy she could to the society. As was her style; once she committed, she committed 100% .. ,Spe served Qearly to years. on . the Board of Directors, beginning 1994 as a Memberat- Large. Although she did not run again in '95 or '96 she stepped in to fill vacated positions both years. She was Vice-President in 1997 and 1998 and, after a short break, returned as a Member-at-Large in 2002. In 2003, 2004 and 2005, she served as Recording Secretary.

Barb volunteered with the Hands-On programs and was a regular at the Renaissance Festival; she chaired the White Snake Sale and many other committees and helped out during the Holiday Banquets. When the MHS hosted the 1997 and 2005 Midwest Herpetological Symposiums, she served on the organizing committees.

Willing to help out where ever she could, Barb had a great love of adventure and a wicked sense of humor.

Working with her has been a privilege that many of us will miss.

In addition to her considerable contributions to the MHS, Barb was a woman of many other interests and talents. She earned several degrees, including a PhD in Art History. Barb was involved with a variety of projects including running her own antique business, working for Wells Fargo, and volunteering in several community programs.

MHS Grants in Herpetological Conservation and Research Spring Proposals due on May 1, 2009 The Minnesota Herpetological Society (MHS) has consistently supported individuals, groups, and projects through grants. Each request is carefully ieviewed by the Board of Directors and is judged for fit with the Societies mission and goals as well as alignment with the MHS budget. Grants are given for supplies, technical support, matching funds (for a portion of a larger project), and other uses. MHS gives priority to requests for local and regional herpetological projects. Grants are competitive and the amount will vary by project. A minimum of $3,000 is dispersed annually. Proposal instructions can be found at: http://www.bellmuseum.org/herpetology/grants.html Proposals should be sent electronically to John Moriarty at frogs@umn.edu.

submitted by N aney Haig 3

Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

May 2009 Volume 29 Number 5

For Immediate Release: May pf, 2009

"Herpers", the First Feature Length Documentary on the Great Reptile Culture wins bi~ with Independent Film Competitions and Fans alike!

When Dav Kaufman, a multiple award winning filmmaker whose previous film, 13 Hours in a Warehouse broke records and won national awards, decided to take a break from the more mainstream forms of filmmaking, and make a documentary on a subject he himself has a deep passion for, the result is a funny, informative, and entertaining film that celebrates our reptile culture and the passion people have for it. Turned off by the "shock effect" used in most media that deals with reptiles, Kaufman was meticulous in doing the opposite, showing Herpers and our culture as a real, diverse and intelligible group of people. In a recent interview, Kaufman said "I wanted to make a film'that was not only fun 'a'nd engaging fOr herpers-from novices to professionals, from kids to adults-but also to answer the most common question I got asked from all the non-herpers in my life; 'why do you love reptiles so much?' What came out of that idea was something that I think is as entertaining for Herpers as it is important for non-herpers."

The 94-minute movie was shot on HD 1DaDi and literally covers the entire country. The film's segments feature Field Herpers on Snake Road in southern Illinois, Famous Herpers featuring Slash, Chad Brown and Henry Lizardlover, Herpetological Societies featuring the Minnesota Herpetological Society with guest speaker Kathy Love, and a section on Breeders featuring Brian Sharp, Brian Barczyk, Marc Bailey and others. Not only do we get to know the breeders as never before but we venture deep into their breeding facilities where not a lot of people get to go. The movie concludes with one of the nation's top reptile shows, the N.A.R.B.C. in Tinley Park, Illinois. The segment features the song "I'm a Herper" written by Dav Kaufman and performed by Shawn Armenta and former members of No Doubt. The DVD is presented in 16X9 Anamorphic Widescreen, and is loaded with extra interviews and deleted scenes.

The industry buzz surrounding this project prompted invites to submit the movie to several national film competitions where it was nominated for nine awards in three competitions including the prestigious Telly Awards, which are the non-broadcast division of the Emmy Awards. Those nominations resulted in the film winning top honors with Platinum-Best of Show in the Documentary-Culture category of the Aurora Film and Video Competition, and winner of the Award of Merit in the Accolade Film and Video Competition, and an astounding 4 wins in the Telly Awards Competition!

The DVD is available by direct order through www.herpersmovie.com Specialty shops and pet stores can email herpersmovie@gmail.com for more information on carrying the DVD in your stores. Dav Kaufman will be touring with the film, and DVDs will be available at select shows and expos across the country over the next year including the NRBE in Daytona, Florida, and of course the N.A.R.B.C. shows. Visit the website to order the DVD and to see a schedule of show appearances.

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Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society May 2009 Volume 29 Number 5 Find 'Em Where They Ain't! By Terry Odegaard

After reading everything regarding herps, and having been mentored by Dr. Walter Breckenridge, the 1944 author of Reptiles and Amphibians of Minnesota, I thought, "If it's out there, I'll find it!" But I was humbled back into reality one day many years ago when my daughter, Laura, and I went down to our local herp heaven, Fort Snelling, not yet a state park, to trek the marshes in search of the revered fox snake.

I had read in every publication regarding rat snakes, that the fox snake was the least likely species to be found in trees, being more terrestrial and fossorial than corn snakes and black rat snakes. And I had always found fox snakes on the ground.

It was one of those early May days when, after an extremely long spell of colder than normal temperatures and rainy cloudy weather, finally sunshine! And 65 degrees! A perfect day!

So we went down to and followed, the old railroad bed where we had always seen fox snakes on these perfect spring days, and looked beside the numerous discarded railroad ties in patches of sunshine with no luck. After an hour or so, I said, "I don't understand it. No fox snakes". But in her seven-year-old wisdom, she said, "Let's look up in the trees, instead of on the ground".

Of course I replied, "No no, fox snakes sun themselves in the spring when they come out of hibernation on the sun-warmed, half hidden basking spots like we found them last year and the years before.

She replied, "That's not working, so let's look in the trees".

"All right, we'll look in the trees". We both squinted up into the sun at the 30 to 40 foot spindly trees and there, directly overhead was an adult fox snake stretched out along a horizontal branch about 20 feet off the ground. Of course she said, "See!" And did I ever see. Scanning the surrounding trees, we spotted several others in similar poses. We stood there as I excitedly told her how incredible this was, and as I did we both saw a fox snake head appear out of the ground as the base of one of these scrawny, leafless trees, and as we watched, motionless, it crawled up the trunk to take a position just like the others. "WOW"! What's going on?

The realization hit me like a bonk on the head, and I said, "These snakes have been down in the soggy ground just aching for a chance to sit in the sun, warm up, and dry off. But the only place to do this was up in the trees". It all made sense.

In the many years since I have never seen such as extended wet weather condition here in Minnesota, and have never seen the fox snakes in the trees, at Fort Snelling, or ~nywhere else.

I have, however, seen situations where a fox snake population ~as shown a tendency to all act the same way as the same time. One late spring day near Hastings, Minnesota, several colleagues and I visited a grassy field, once again next to the good old railroad track, to see what we could find. The day had been very warm, so the ground temperature was hotter than where any snake wanted to spend time. But the fox snakes still wanted to be above ground for some reason and not under the railroad ties and logs where we found numerous garter snakes. The fox snakes were ALL in Wood. By this I mean that more than two dozen of last year's hatch were found in cracks in the old discardeq railroap ties, the snakes.,being about 20 inches long, and fitting nicely, wedged tightly in . the many cracks, the way fox snakes like to do~.

But the adult snakes were too big to fit in the railroad tie cracks, so they chose hollow logs and stumps. But once again zero on the hot ground. And apparently for some reason they chose not to retreat to the ground burrows where they normally seek shelter from uncomfortable temperatures.

And on two occasions in two locations the fox snakes were in discarded iron along the railroad tracks. These days were sunny, but wet and cool, and the warmest, driest place was in holes in pieces of iron. The railroad discarded lots of junk along the tracks in the old days, but unfortunately for us herpers, they are much more environmentally correct these days and don't litter along the tracks as much. It's probably also unfortunate for all the snakes that benefited by the railroads old method of discarding old equipment. Oh well, that's progress. I guess!

I love old railroad tracks. Well not the tracks specifically, but the wonderful habitat they often create along the surrounding area.

Walking along the side of a railroad bed in a swamp will usually offer more opportunities to view herps and other wildlife, than actually walking in the swamp. And fewer mosquitoes! A win, win situation!

And in arid habitats, often the only shade and cool is in the culverts and under the occasional drainage bridges that deal with the flash floods that occur in the desert. So it is a real good place to find herps. Love those railroads!

And as a bonus, get this! A snake, turtle, or toad, crossing a little dirt road or a big highway, is vulnerable for a long time, to being hit by a car. But these herps don't dawdle on the railroad tracks. They crawl under, hop over, or pace along the side of the rail.

We find very few, train hit herp casualties compared to auto and truck numbers. Love those railroads!

~ ~~ I'(~. .....................

.......

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5

Newsletter of the Minnestoa Herpetological Society

May 2009 Volume 29

Number 5

The MHS Newsletter is pleased to present a series of articles by Dr. Amy Kizer. This month is about recognizing and preventing nutritional diseases in captive herps.

I recently had a client come in to the clinic with a veiled chameleon exhibiting weakness of i-year duration. I could see right away that the little guy was suffering from chronic, severe, metabolic bone disease (MBD). His owner was very sad and thought that they were doing everything "right". His husbandry and diet were inadequate which led to weakening of the bones and muscle. He had multiple fractures and was unable to open his mouth appropriately. Unfortunately, we had to euthanize him because his prognosis was so poor. MBD is one of the more common problems we see in lizards and turtles so I thought it would be beneficial to review.

MBO is actually a collection of disorders that causes bone and muscle weakening. MBO is either caused by nutritional inadequacies or renal (kidney) disease. Nutritional MBO is the most common type we see. It is usually due to chronic deficiency of dietary calcium and/or vitamin O. Other factors include a diet with too much phosphorus or inadequate exposure to UV light. The most common types of reptiles affected by MBO are chameleons, iguanas, turtles, and tortoises. Because snakes are carnivores they usually receive adequate calcium and vitamin 0 from their prey and are not susceptible to MBO. UV light is necessary in some reptiles for the body to convert vitamin 0 to an active hormone that allows calcium to be absorbed from the intestinal tract. Natural sunlight is the best source for UV light, but there a numberof UV bulbs available to simulate the appropriate UV spectrum. Be aware that not all bulbs are equal, and no bulb is a replacement for natural sunlight. For the maximum effect, bulbs should be placed within 16-24 inches of the animal. The bulbs should also be changed at least every 6 months, as they will lose effectiveness over time.

Signs of MBO can vary based on the severity of the disease. These include muscle tremors, swelling of the long bones, misshapen mandible (rubber jaw), fractures, cloacal prolapse, stunted growth, paralyzed tongue in iguanas and chameleons, and soft shell in turtles and tortoises.

Treatment for nutritional MBO consists of correcting underlying husbandry and nutritional problems. In many cases oral calcium and/or vitamin 0 supplementation is required. Injectable calcium is usually not recommended as it can cause kidney damage and affect the normal parathyroid hormone feedback mechanism. Sometimes calcitonin is used to stimulate new bone production, but is only used when blood calcium levels are normal or high. Treatment for renal (kidney) MBO consists of treating the underlying renal disease.

Prognosis for MBO is usually guarded. Often by the time deficiencies are addressed the animal has had chronic problems that are difficult to correct. Supportive care typically lasts for 4-6 months.

Because this disease can be so difficult to manage prevention is the key. Providing adequate UV light and feeding a well balanced diet is necessary to ensure the health of your lizard or turtle.

Dr. Amy Kizer is a veterinarian practicing at Lexington Pet Clinic in Eagan. She is also the veterinarian for Underwater Adventures at Mall of America. If you have any questions about your reptile pet she can be reached at 651-452-5450 or dr.kizer@lexingtonpet c1inic.com

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Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

May 2009

Volume 29

Number 5

Sheila and Sierra Williams Ridge adopted a ball Python Daiv Freeman adopted the Black Racer

Another successful month! I do find "only" 11 animals a bit amusing but that's what we had. We brought in and placed 11 animals, 4 Ball Pythons 2 King Snakes 1 Common Boa 1 Black Racer who was a Florida refugee. He hitched a ride up in a Bachman's truck and was lucky enough to live as well as make it to someone who could care for him.

2 Red Eared Sliders and 1 Three Toed Box Turtle rounded out the month.

We also had a non adoption placement. A young lady came to the Bell Museum with her Mother looking for a Leopard Gecko. Her research was impressive if only a little off.

Paul and Harrison Marchio adopted a ball Python Fortunately, the people at the Bell directed her to me. I convinced Mom not to spend $80 on a LG set up (which wasn't hard). They came to the WSS, joined, and found a A big thanks to everyone who adopts. member who was willing to part with a Leo. They seemed very happy when they left and I hope we will see them at future meetings.

Sarah Richard Adoption Chair Minnesota Herpetological Society http://www.. bellmuseum.org/herpetology/Main.html

It's our members who make the adoption program a success. Well, ok, Sarah is a big help too ;)

7

Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society

May 2009

Volume 29

Number 5

Congratulations to the 2009 MHS Photo Contest Winners!

Herps in the Wild 1st place: Sonja Koolmo 2nd place: Sonja Koolmo 3rd place: Laurie Grassle Herps with People 1st place: Craig Ranier 2nd place: Craig Ranier Mixed Media 1st place: Brad Bassinger 2 nd place: Liam Bonk 3rd place: Laurie Grassle Kids 1st place: Amanda Grassle 2nd place: Vincent Lockwood

Herps in the Wild First Place and People's Choice

People's Choice: Sonja Koolmo

Photo by Sonja Koolmo

Kids First Place, Amanda Grassle

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Herps with People First Place, Craig Ranier

Bottom two photos by Pete Kazeck

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application New

Name

Renewal

Others on membership

Membership #

Address

Type

City, State, Zip

Check #

Phone # List in directory?

Email Yes

No

Herp related interests

Active Memberships: Sustaining ($60/year) Contributing ($40/year) Basic ($20/year) Corresponding Memberships: Commercial ($25/year, 2 business card ads/year) Required check info. Drivers Lic#

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Please enclose the proper payment with your application.

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Membership is for 12 months from the date of approval, a receipt will be sent only upon request.

MAIL TO: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church st. SE Minneapolis, MN 55455. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

Advertising Policies MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY regarding the health or legality of any animal, or the quality or legality of any product or service advertised in the MHS Newsletter. Any ad may be rejected at the discretion of the Newsletter Editor.

Due to space limitations, unpaid and complimentary advertisements are subject to occasional omission.

Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be run (3) consecutive months, afterwhich time they may be resubmitted.

Display Ad Rates: Ad Size per Month % page $10.00 ~ page $20.00 Full page $40.00 Business card advertisements may be purchased at $5.00 per ad, per month.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Editor, Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of the General Meeting for inclusion in the next newsletter. Make checks payable to: Minnesota Herpetological Society

Rats!

MHS Rodent Orders Mice Pinkies: Fuzzies: Hoppers: Adults:

$7/dz $7/dz $8/dz $10/dz

Rats VVeaned: $ 17/dz Sm. Adults: $18/dz Med Adults:$24/dz Lg Adults: $30/dz Jumbo: $36/dz

For pick-up at monthly meetings only! Orders must be placed 10 days in advance of the meeting in order to guarantee availability-Orders may be placed at the meeting for the following months order, or by emailing your request to: rodentorders@yahoo.com

Non-Profit Organization U.s. Postage PAID Mpls,MN Permit No. 2275

Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104

. Address Service Requested Mem# 152 Exp: 11/1/2009 Sally Brewer-Lawrence 1990 Iglehart Ave. St. Paut MN 55104

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Friday May 1, 2009 Room 335 Borlaug Hall, U ofM St. Paul Campus

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MHS Voice Mail: 612.624.7065

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MHS Web Page: www.mnherpsoc.org

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Printed on Recyled Paper.