Vol. 36 (2016), No. 5

The newsletter of the

Minnesota Herpetological Society

May Meeting Notice General Meeting May 6th May Speaker - John Moriarty—Reptiles and Amphibians of the Twin Cities Letter from the President page 4 Kid’s Korner pp 11-12

May 2016

Volume 36

Number 5

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Misi Stine 952.217.1267 President@mnherpsoc.org Vice President Jim Soos 612.382.1920 VicePresident@MnHerpSoc.org

C/O Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church Street Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-0104

Recording Secretary Nancy Haig 763.434.8684 RecSecretary@MnHerpSoc.org

Or you can still leave us a Voice Mail: 612.326.6516

Membership Secretary Lavania Beguhl 651.274.8511 MemSecretary@MnHerpSoc.org Treasurer Rae Jacobs Ruber 612.366.9337 Treasurer@MnHerpSoc.org Newsletter Editor Ellen Heck 612.750.1649 NewsletterEditor@MnHerpSoc.org Lois Hall 612.824.1447 MemberAtLarge4@MnHerpSoc.org Rebecca Markowitz 409.740.0235 MemberAtLarge1@MnHerpSoc.org Members at Large Casey Sievert 651.338.3244 MemberAtLarge3@MnHerpSoc.org

Stay informed! Join us on our forums!

The purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to: • 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.

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 MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.

Submissions to the Newsletter

Chris Smith 612.275.9737 MemberAtLarge2@MnHerpSoc.org

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.

COMMITTEES

See inside back cover for ad rates. Submissions may be sent to:

Adoption Beth Girard 612.326.6516 Adoptions@MnHerpSoc.org Education Jan Larson 507.263.4391 Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com Fostering Rebecca Markwitz 612.326.6516 Fosters@MnHerpSoc.org WebMaster WebMaster@MnHerpSoc.org Cover by Tom Junek; all rights reserved Cartoons by Fran Frisch

The Minnesota Herpetological Society Attn: Newsletter Editor C/O Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104 NewsletterEditor@MnHerpSoc.org

SNAKE BITE EMERGENCY HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER 800-222-1222

© Copyright 2015, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, non-commercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.

General Meeting — John Moriarty—Reptiles and Amphibians in the Twin Cities May 6th, 7:00pm; 6:30pm Social Hour Social hour begins at 6:30pm. This is a time for people to catch up before the meeting starts.

John Moriarty has been involved in Reptile and Amphibian Conservation in Minnesota for over 30 years. He has worked for regional park districts conducting the habitat management and restoration in many areas of the Twin Cities. John is also the author or two editions of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Minnesota, as well as other books.

John will be talking about the common and rare species of amphibians and reptiles that are found in and around the Twin Cities, from inner suburbs to the rural edges. He will also highlight several new and ongoing herp projects at Three Rivers Park District.

Just for once, our loverly Minnesota weather cooperated and did not dump a foot or two of snow on us for the sale. Usually we are fighting the elements to get here, despite having moved the sale to April some years ago.

We had only 163 items given to us for auction and all but 3 sold. However, the bulk of the items came from generous donations by Zilla and ZooMed and included a variety of cages, cage accessories and feed. These items were all pre-entered prior to the sale by myself, Misi and Rebecca. Very little came in on the night, so in addition to we volunteers having an almost leisurely evening, MHS also set a record of $1943 taken in.

For comparison, last year we had 360 items donated for the auction; 60 of these went unsold. Our total income was $1828.

Many thanks to our volunteers: Josh Mahlow, Marie Hulslander, Rae Rueber, Rose Maunu, Linn Clarizio, Kristen Capen, Fred Bosman, Liz Bosman, Jeff LeClere and Rebecca Markowitz. And of course our intrepid auctioneer John Moriarty. And to all who donated and bid.

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Letter from the President I am starting to see an increasing number of posts on different Facebook groups showing reptiles and amphibians on the move. The frogs are starting to call, despite the fluctuation in temperature and snowflakes that continue to appear in the sky from time to time throughout the month of April, as well as turtles, snakes and salamanders starting to stir from a winters sleep. Although some of the posts are from the southern US it still gets me all excited to pull out my field herping gear and head out the door.

We have some stellar professionals in our group that work with reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife, but we all have the ability to contribute to the work that is done to conserve reptiles and amphibians through citizen science.

Citizen science is everyday people volunteering their time to assist scientist in doing research. This provides value by providing a larger pool of data for the scientist to work with. Often they don’t have the resources (time, money, or staff) to collect the amount of data that can be collected without the help of volunteers.

In the last few years MHS has contributed to road projects where the municipalities were interested in studying turtle road mortalities to determine the best place to add turtle tunnels or other structures to mitigate mortality of wildlife that would cross those roads. We contributed to this project by having our members volunteer to monitor the roads and report findings through HerpMapper.

HerpMapper (HerpMapper.org) is an web and mobile app that allows you to document any reptile or amphibian you find by taking a photo and attaching it to a record (a GPS location of where you found it) and upload it to a central database. The scientists involved in the project can then generate reports on that information to help them determine the best spot to place those tunnels or culverts.

We will continue to participate in an ongoing citizen science project called the Minnesota Turtle Crossing Tally and Count using HerpMapper. Please click on the link below for more information on the project, and to learn how to set up an account with HerpMapper: http://www.herpmapper.org/content/pdf/mn-turtles-and-roads-project.pdf HerpMapper is a great app to contribute data on reptiles and amphibians to other research projects.

The data is only shared with certified partners for research purposes, so we know those animals’ locations are protected. I personally use the app to keep my life list and to track all the great finds I make in the course of a field season.

MHS is also proud to have been able to provide grants to help in the development of HerpMapper as tool for the scientific community. We hope to be able to continue to partner with them in the future.

Thank you for your commitment and passion for MHS and herps--today and as we move towards the future!

Misi Stine President

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Looking for Herp Assistance Volunteers!

Are you an experienced keeper of a particular type of herp? Are you willing and able to provide answers to others? We are looking to re-introduce the herp assistance program and need people willing to offer advice for all types of reptiles and amphibians. We are also looking for people who specialize in breeding (herps, that is) cage building, etc. Volunteers will be listed in the newsletter and on the website with a phone number and/or email address that people seeking advice can call you on. Please contact Ellen NewsletterEditor@mnherpsoc.org if you are interested in helping.

Snake Sheds Wanted Eden Bio-Creations (https://edenbiocreations.com/ ) has asked if MHS members would be willing to give snake sheds of all sizes, and species to them to produce their shed textile products, like cell phone covers. In return MHS would receive a donation for each product sold using our members snake sheds. Here is a video on the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J59mMc92xZU#t=119 For those of you willing to share your sheds with MHS for this program a box will be made available at the monthly meetings, starting in January, to collect them for this group. Here is what we need when you bring in your sheds: 1. each shed is placed in it's own Ziploc baggie, and labeled with the species 2. be sure that the shed is does not have any large chunks of feces on it 3. All sizes of sheds are accepted, 4. Please feel free to submit even if torn (include all the pieces), as they can be put back together.

If you have any questions about this please direct them to Lois Hall at MemberAtLarge4@MnHerpSoc.org

New Bylaws Approved!

After over a year of research and rewriting, the MHS Bylaws were updated and placed before the membership for a vote of approval. On April 1 2016, the vote by the MHS membership to approve the proposed Bylaw Revision went as follows.

Number of votes cast: 52 Number of votes necessary to pass: 27 Votes for approval: 51 votes against approval: 1 Illegal votes (blank/illegible): 0 The MHS membership approved the revised Bylaws with a majority vote of 51 on April 1, 2016.

The new Bylaws are now in effect.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote on this important item.

For Sale Chest Freezer- 48” x 22” x 14”, year 2002, electrical usage not known, Used to store MHS rodents prior to meetings. For pick up only, location 30 minutes north of 694 and central Ave. (HWY 65). Available until June 1,2016. Payment due at time of pick-up; all proceeds go to MHS. Starting price $50.00 contact Nancy Haig recsecretary@mnherpsoc.org May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Howdy all!

I am an Assistant Professor in Genomics, Evolution, and Bioinformatics at Arizona State University collaborating with Dr. Dale DeNardo to sequence the genome of the Gila monster using crowdfunding: experiment.com/gilamonster).

We just made our first goal, which is about 1/3 of what we need for a full high quality reference genome for the Gila monster. Partially we set a lower goal because the genome project can be broken up into smaller pieces, and partially because crowd-funding works on an all (yay) or nothing (if you don't make you goal you get nothing) basis. But, now that we've made our original goal, all additional funds raised will go to the project, regardless of whether we make our stretch goal.

You can follow along with our project: RNA versus DNA Why don't we already have a Gila genome?

Why crowdfunding?

Gila monster sex chromosomes The Gila monster, with its ability to store fat in its tail, water in its bladder, and the utility of exendin -4 from its saliva in inspiring both diabetes treatments and now in clinical trials for Alzheimer's is a wonderful beast worth studying!

I'm writing to ask if you will please share our crowdfunding effort with your members. Every dollar earned with this project will support Gila monster research, and we are absolutely transparent with the whole process, so backers can stay up-to-date on what we are doing, why, and talk with us about the process. experiment.com/gilamonster Thank you very much!

Sincerely, Melissa and the Gila monster genome team Melissa A. Wilson Sayres, PhD Assistant Professor Genomics, Evolution, and Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences Center for Evolution and Medicine, The Biodesign Institute Arizona State University May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Leo Harwood turned seven years old recently and instead of gifts he ask for people to give donations to MHS. At the April meeting he presented $40 in donations to the organization. Leo has wanted to be a Herpetologist since he was 3 1/2 years old and he has his a corn snake at home.

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule Family Science Night—Friday May 13th 5-7pm. Glacier Hills Elementary School. 3825 Glaciers Hills, Eagan, MN Chuck & Don’s—Mahtomedi, MN Saturday May 14th and Saturday June 4th 12noon-2pm Waterfest—Saturday June 4th 11am-4pm. Lake Phalen Park, St Paul, MN Chuck & Don’s—Mahtomedi, MN Saturday June 4th 12noon-2pm Minnetonka Native Plant Sale—Wednesday June 8th 3-7pm Minnetonka City Hall parking lot Lark Toys—Kellogg, MN Saturday June 11h 1-3pm Pet-A-Palooza—St. Paul, MN Saturday June 27th 9am-4pm. State Fairgrounds Kidfest Carnival and Environmental Fair—Friday July 29th 6-9pm. Hilde Performance Center, Plymouth, MN Sherburne Nature Center—Saturday August 13th 10am-2pm.

Here’s the deal- Bring your herp(s) to one of the shows listed above, and talk about them. That’s it! You don’t have to be an expert, you’re not giving speeches. Most of the time you will find that people are more than open to hearing about our misrepresented critters.

Contact Jan at Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com for details or if interested in signing up. Or sign up on the website.

Announcing a new Minnesota Amphibian & Reptile Survey webpage!

The Minnesota Amphibian & Reptile Survey was created with three primary objectives in mind.

1. Increase citizen participation in amphibian and reptile data collection throughout Minnesota.

2. Document turtle-road crossing and mortality hotspots through the Minnesota Turtle Crossing Tally and County Project, with an emphasis on Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) and Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta).

3. Make data available to conservation and research organizations.

In addition to these objectives, the Minnesota Amphibian and Reptile Survey website serves as a source of information on Minnesota's amphibians, reptiles, and their distribution in the state. www.mnherps.com

Bell Museum to Break Ground on New Museum and Planetarium Building

After more than 75 years at the heart of the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus, the Bell Museum of Natural History is moving on. It will officially break ground Friday for a new $79.2 million complex near the State Fairgrounds that will be a northern gateway to the U’s St. Paul campus. http://www.startribune.com/bell-museum-to-break-ground-fridayon-new-museum-and-planetarium-building/376650241/

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

MHS Reports and Announcements March 2016 Treasurer’s Report Submitted by Rae Rueber

Beginning Balance

$25,694.01

Income: Raffle Donations-Public Donations To Turtle Conservation Fund Donation-Hands-On Membership Rodent Sales Interest on Savings Total Income

$44.00 $25.00 $346.27 $22.00 $265.00 $501.00 $0.15 $1,203.42

Expense: Program Paypal fees Postage Volunteer food for WSS Website Total Expense Cash Increase/Decrease Ending Balance

$112.00 $6.44 $9.80 $70.22 $43.85 $242.31 $961.11 $26,655.12

Placement of Cash Holdings Checking Savings Paypal Cash on Hand

$7,580.17 $17,488.09 $1,396.86 $190.00

Total

$26,655.12

Board Meeting The board meeting will be held 6pm May 6th at the St Louis Park Byerly’s Community Room.

Everyone is welcome to attend the board meeting. We encourage you to come check it out.

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

MHS Reports and Announcements Minutes of the February 6, 2016, MHS Board of Directors Meeting Room

Como Dockside Community

Attending: Misi Stine, Jim Soos, Nancy Haig, Lavania Beguhl, Rae Rueber, Ellen Heck, Lois Hall, Chris Smith, Casey Sievert, Rebecca Markowitz Visitors attending: Jeff LeClere, Meeting was called to order at 6:14pm Opening remarks by President Jan General Meeting Attendance: 110 @ 20 kids Committee Reports: Membership report. Chris will update from Lavania’s notes. Current membership lists will be needed for the WSS and for membership voting registrations before the April meeting.

Adoption report: voicemail and emails.

Misi will monitor the general emails and agency calls, Ellen will continue to monitor the general voicemails.

Because of the White Snake sale there will be no intake night or adoptions for the April meeting. Beth and Rebecca will work on adoption calls.

Argosy –Lois will coordinate a meeting with Argosy to see what options we may have with them.

MACC- Misi will clarify how we fit into their new system and how they will handle their intakes and referrals.

Chris will look into alternative reptile rescues around the Twin Cities area to see if we can network.

Old Business: Website: Misi – Brad has completed a core transfer for the main part of the site. The website should be working in the next two weeks. Emily will continue with the facebook page, Chris and Ellen will work on updating the newsletter section for Issue. Misi will be responsible for updating the calendar section.

Annual committee reports and hours.- Misi- Not all reports are in, Misi will contact chairs with reminders.

White Snake Sale updates. Ellen, Rebecca and Misi have been logging in donations. We have received a large pallet load of new items from Zilla for the sale. Rebecca will be in charge of the volunteers and would like people to show up around 5:00 for pre-training. The room is confirmed from 5-10pm. John Moriarty will do the live action. Jim Soos will do the photo contest. Nancy will handle the voting process for the Bylaw change.

New Business: Conflict of Interest Disclosure forms. Motion : to accept the revised( March 5, 2016) form for 2016 disclosures. Seconded, passed. Signed forms were collected at the meeting.

35th Anniversary: Technically the MHS 35th anniversary was the March 2016 meeting. Discussion on how to celebrate ended with possibly adding the 35th anniversary to the volunteer award logo and having a special cupcake or cookie snake at the holiday banquet.

Volunteer awards- We are figuring on about 100. Ideas were ranging from pet bowls, bowling towels, bandanas, hide boxes, or visors. Price comparisons will be needed to consider items.

Field Survey- Jeff- The survey will be June 10-12, 2016 at Whitewater State Park.

Grants- there were no grant requests to review.

Document Storage:- Misi and Brad are looking into the types of structures available.

Action items: Misi will check with our librarian- Audra, and Rae will check with Chris Rueber to see if they have any suggestions.

Storage: Casey- Her research found basic climate controlled storage units are around $80 - $120 per month.

We will need to determine the size of the space we need and what locations would be best. Prices are usually less the further you go out from the cities.

Motion: to pay Nancy Haig $221.90 to cover the vet costs for a foster animal. Seconded, passed. volunteered .

Meeting adjourned at 8:28pm There was a motion on the forum.

3/24/201 I move we donate $250 to sponsor the Lonestar Rattlesnake Festival, seconded , passed 7 votes in favor tallied on 3/29/2016 Approved date: 4-2-2016 May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Kid’s Korner

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Kid’s Korner

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

QUARANTINE PROCEDURES One of the snakes from this month’s adoption was found to have mites. Although we do keep contact to a minimum between animals and enclosures, we want to remind everyone to follow proper quarantine procedures!!! DO NOT put new animals in the same space, or share enclosures or cage furnishings, with your collection! MHS has included a page of Quarantine Suggestions for several months now. Unfortunately it was written 20 years ago for zoos and other groups with large collections and the equipment and knowledge necessary for evaluating fecal exams. The one I like can be found at http://www.herpcenter.com/reptilearticles/quarantining-reptiles/ QUARANTINING REPTILES Quarantining your new acquisitions is done so that you can monitor the animals behavior, appetite, stool, and activity. It is also done to protect the animals you currently own. This is a step that can actually save your entire colony of animals, save you money, and save you time. Quarantining new animals should become an instinctive behavior by both new and experienced enthusiasts, though it is often overlooked at one time or another by all. It is a crucial step in the prevention of colony infection. Diseases like Cryptosporidium can destroy an entire collection if introduced to your reptiles.

WHAT IS QUARANTINING Quarantining is the process in which you isolate the reptile you are bringing home. This is the time period in which you monitor the animal and note or treat the animal for any illness or injury that it has. Quarantining ensures that you will not spread any contagious illness or parasites to your current collection.

REPTILE QUARANTINE BASICS Keep the set-up simple Keep the set-up clean Keep the setup isolated Monitor the reptile Save it for last TIME FRAME Your new reptile should be quarantined for a minimum of 30 days. Ideally, 60-90 days would be better. Once a reptile has finished the quarantine period and is deemed fit, they can be introduced into their permanent enclosure in the proximity of other reptiles.

QUARANTINE SET-UP A setup designed as a quarantine tank should be very simple in design and extremely easy to clean.

The goal is to use the quarantine tank as an observational area. For reptiles, the quarantine tank should consist of the bare essentials. The enclosure itself should be made of solid plastic or glass. Old fish tanks are great quarantine tanks. Avoid wooden enclosures as quarantine tanks as they are difficult to clean.

QUARANTINE TANK The best substrate to use for a quarantine tank is either no substrate, or paper towel. This makes cleaning a breeze, allows complete visibility to monitor the reptiles feces, and is a complete risk free substrate from impaction.

The rest of the enclosure should be limited to a hide, a water bowl, and feeder dish (If required.) A calcium dish should be part of a leopard geckos quarantine tank. Climbing branches and other decor should not be in the quarantine tank.

Continued next page May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

The tank above is an example quarantine setup for a leopard gecko. The tank is a 32 quart Sterilite tub heated with a human heat pad. It contains a hide directly over the heat source, a moist hide/cool hide, a calcium dish, a mealworm dish, a disposable water dish, and paper towel as a substrate.

The example shows how simple the enclosure can be for the quarantine period. This setup is easy to clean and maintain. Holes have been drilled into the sides of the Sterilite for air circulation, and the cover also has holes drilled into it.

CLEANLINESS Your quarantine tank should be cleaned daily. Remove any feces (after looking it over) from the enclosure, change the water, remove any dead insects, and make sure the tank itself is clean. You want to be able to monitor the animal as closely as possible. The cleaner the tank is, the easier it will be to monitor the reptile.

ISOLATION It is best to isolate the reptile from the rest of your collection. This is best done by placing the quarantine tank in a separate room from where you house your other reptiles. It doesn't stop there however. You should also be isolating what items come into contact with the quarantine tank. You should never use the same cleaning materials between a quarantine tank and those that house the rest of your collection. The same is true for water and feeding dishes. This could result in indirect contact with a parasite or illness.

MONITORING Make sure you spend some time watching the reptile in quarantine. Watch how he hunts/eats, make sure he isn't lethargic, and ensure that he is alert when you disturb him. Reptiles in general are experts at hiding illness. This is how they survive in the wild. Make it a point to ensure that the animal is behaving normally and that its stool appears "normal".

THE LAST STOP When cleaning your enclosures, save the quarantine tank for last. This will help reduce the chance of indirect contact. Also save the quarantined animal for last when you are working with your collection.

You want to limit any possible exposure between the new reptile and your current collection. By making the quarantined reptile the last stop, you are placing distance between any accidental exposure.

PERSONAL HYGIENE It is always a good practice to use an antibacterial soap to wash your hands after every handling session you have with a reptile or its enclosure. It is especially important to maintain proper hygiene protocol when dealing with an animal in quarantine. The accidental spreading of a disease or parasite could come from direct or indirect contact with another animal, or its supplies in your collection. Avoid this by washing your hands every time you leave the quarantine area.

It is crucial that you maintain strict protocol when quarantining. A single parasite that has been introduce to your collection could cost you extreme amounts of money in vet bills, delayed breeding programs, and could even result in the death of one or more animals in your collection.

Quarantining is very simple to do and can save you a great deal of headaches. Be vigilant and quarantine all new reptiles!

If you do find mites, take the proper steps to avoid having it move to other animals. Many of us use Provent-a-mite if we believe an animal may be infested. It can be purchased many places, such as at LLL Reptiles on-line. They have a video which describes the process at http:// www.lllreptile.com/products/391-provent-a-mite Proper quarantine procedures should ALWAYS be used when introducing a new animal into your collection! This includes enclosures, furnishings, substrate, cleaning materials, feeding tools, and YOU!

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Quarantine Suggestions (Editor’s Note—this was run last month as well, but we consider this to be such an important topic we are running it again) Miller, R.E. 1996. Quarantine protocols and preventive medicine procedures for reptiles, birds and mammals in zoos.

Rev. Sci. Tech 15(1): 183-189 QUARANTINE PERSONNEL Ideally, a keeper should be designated to care only for quarantined animals; otherwise, a keeper should attend quarantined animals only after fulfilling responsibilities for resident species. Equipment used to feed and clean animals in quarantine should be used only with these animals. If this is not possible, then equipment must be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant (as designated by the veterinarian supervising quarantine) before use with post-quarantine animals. Institutions must take precautions to minimize the risk of exposure of animal handling personnel to zoonotic diseases which may be present in newly-acquired animals. These precautions should include the use of disinfectant footbaths, the wearing of appropriate protective clothing and masks (in some cases), and minimizing physical exposure in some species (e.g. with primates, by the use of chemical rather than physical restraint). A programme of tuberculin testing and surveillance must be established for zoo/aquarium employees, to ensure the health of both the employees and the animal collection.

QUARANTINE PROTOCOL During the quarantine period, certain prophylactic measures should be instituted. Individual faecal samples, or representative samples from large numbers of individuals housed in a limited area (e.g. birds of the same species in an aviary or frogs in a terrarium), should be collected, on at least two occasions, and examined for gastrointestinal parasites.

Treatment should be prescribed by the attending veterinarian. Ideally, release from quarantine should be dependent on obtaining two negative faecal results at a minimum interval of two weeks, either initially or after parasiticide treatment.

In addition, all animals should be evaluated for ectoparasites and should receive appropriate treatment, if necessary.

Vaccinations should be updated as appropriate for each species (1). If the animal arrives without a vaccination history, it should be treated as being immunologically naive and should be given an appropriate series of vaccinations. Whenever possible, blood should be collected and sera stored in a freezer (not frost-free) at either - 70ÅãC or - 20ÅãC. Such sera could provide an important resource for retrospective disease evaluation. The quarantine period also presents an opportunity to identify permanently all unmarked animals, when anaesthetized or restrained (e.g. tattoo, ear notch, ear tag).

Also, whenever animals are restrained or immobilized, a complete physical examination, including dental examination, should be performed. Complete medical records of all animals should be kept, and should be available for consultation during the quarantine period. Necropsy should be performed, under the supervision of a veterinarian, on all animals which die during quarantine; representative tissues should be submitted for histopathological examination.

QUARANTINE PROCEDURES Evaluation of faecal samples for parasites is required for each species. Ideally, at least two negative results should be obtained from samples taken with a minimum 14-day interval, although other protocols are necessary for some parasite infestations. As noted above, all appropriate vaccinations should be performed. Recommendations and suggestions for appropriate quarantine procedures for several animal groups are presented below.

This is extremely important. ALWAYS work with newly acquired animals last.

Rubber gloves are cheap! Discard between use (don’t try to re-use them).

May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Online Classifieds In addition to ads in the newsletter, MHS provides online classifieds via the forums. A valid login (provided to current members) is required to both post and read ads. http://www.mnherpsoc.org/forums/members/classifieds May 2016

Volume 36 Number 5

Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application New

Name

Renewal

Address

Membership #

City, State, Zip

Type

Phone

Email

List in MHS Directory? Yes No

Check # 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 #

State

DOB

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, C/O BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

Rodents!

Order your MHS Rodents today!

Ordering by phone? See the new phone number below.

Mice Pinkies Fuzzies Hoppers Adult

Weight 2-3 grams 5-7 grams 8-11 grams 25-30 grams

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

Rats Small Adult Med. Adults Large Adult Jumbo

Weight 50-60 grams 125-150 grams 200-240 grams 250-350 grams

Price $18/dz $22/ 10 rats $17/ 6 rats $16/ 5 rats

For pickup at monthly meetings only. Orders may be placed via: 1. At the meeting for the following month 2. Online at www.MnHerpSoc.org

Orders MUST be placed 10 days in advance of the meeting to guarantee availability. We no longer keep an inventory of rodents on hand, so if you attempt to place an order after the deadline, there is no way to fill it.

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 three (3) consecutive months, after which time they may be resubmitted.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Membership Secretary at the general meeting or mailed to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, C/O 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.

Advertising Costs Size Cost Business Card Sized $5/month or $55/year* 1/4 Page $10/month or $110/year* 1/2 Page $20/month or $220/year* Full Page $40/month or $440/year*

MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY C/O BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET SE MINNNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104

Next Meeting:

Save the dates!

Friday March 4th - 7:00 pm Room 335 Borlaug Hall U of M St. Paul Campus

Friday May 6th—General Meeting Friday June 3rd—General Meeting June 10-12—Annual Field Survey

MHS Voice Mail:

MHS Web Page:

612.326.6516

www.MnHerpSoc.org

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1991+Upper+Buford+Cir+Borlaug+Hall,+St+Paul,+MN+55108/data=!4m2!3m1!

1s0x52b32c825aed970b:0x4b735a53f8224939?sa=X&ei=5r2mVMGtF8SsyATrmoGgAw&ved=0CGgQ8gEwCg