Herpetile Blunders
July 13th 2008 13:27
I once was one of those people that was fascinated by exotic and unusual pets. This fascination led me to caring for some really wierd creatures such as birds(raptors to magpies), mammals(hedgehogs to chipmunks) and many reptiles and amphibians(combined are known as herpetiles). In the fish categories, I suppose the wierdest were local bullheads and exotic seahorses. Needless to say, many animals were lost on a trial-and-error basis due to lack of knowledge. Eventually I got good at it and had less losses and a flourishing indoor ecosystem.
My favorites have always been the reptiles. I've kept various snakes and lizards, and with modern technology their husbandry and longetivity in captivity has increased. Years ago my last bearded dragon died at the age of 7, and I decided to get out of the hobby. I began realizing that people were still not educated on herpetiles and were given a loaded gun with no training. Pet shops and herp societies alike are in it more for profits than actual education.
Herpetiles are animals that need to be admired moreso than handled in captivity. This warning goes unheeded, trust me, as everybody needs to touch and feel and cause undue stress to a captive animal.
Many don't know the local, state, and federal laws governing herpetiles in the wild. This may come back to haunt them, especially if they think that their pet is legal. This ignorance often seems to haunt pet shops who are ignorant to the laws, too!
Always wash your hands after handling a herpetile or anything in its terrarium. And if the reptile was allowed to crawl or slither on any part of the body, wash that also. Amphibians are a definite, since most may have skin irritants that secrete a poison.
Make sure the container is escape-proof. This is especially true of snakes that are great escape artists. If there is a way to escape, most herps will find it everytime.
If you keep a giant jungle snake(anacondas, boas, pythons) remember the 3 ft. safe handling rule. One person for every three feet of snake. This should apply to any snake that gets over 5 ft. Snakes are pure muscle and their weight and size reflects that.
Herpetiles NEVER become docile and are prone to parasites and diseases that can be passed to humans. They may associate one with food, but are unpredictable and can turn to bite the hand that feeds them.
I can go on about herpetiles and why I no longer think their husbandry in captivity should be practiced. But I'll let this article speak for itself. Since timber rattlers are protected in that state, the bite will be mild compared to the fines!!!
My favorites have always been the reptiles. I've kept various snakes and lizards, and with modern technology their husbandry and longetivity in captivity has increased. Years ago my last bearded dragon died at the age of 7, and I decided to get out of the hobby. I began realizing that people were still not educated on herpetiles and were given a loaded gun with no training. Pet shops and herp societies alike are in it more for profits than actual education.
Herpetiles are animals that need to be admired moreso than handled in captivity. This warning goes unheeded, trust me, as everybody needs to touch and feel and cause undue stress to a captive animal.
Many don't know the local, state, and federal laws governing herpetiles in the wild. This may come back to haunt them, especially if they think that their pet is legal. This ignorance often seems to haunt pet shops who are ignorant to the laws, too!
Always wash your hands after handling a herpetile or anything in its terrarium. And if the reptile was allowed to crawl or slither on any part of the body, wash that also. Amphibians are a definite, since most may have skin irritants that secrete a poison.
Make sure the container is escape-proof. This is especially true of snakes that are great escape artists. If there is a way to escape, most herps will find it everytime.
If you keep a giant jungle snake(anacondas, boas, pythons) remember the 3 ft. safe handling rule. One person for every three feet of snake. This should apply to any snake that gets over 5 ft. Snakes are pure muscle and their weight and size reflects that.
Herpetiles NEVER become docile and are prone to parasites and diseases that can be passed to humans. They may associate one with food, but are unpredictable and can turn to bite the hand that feeds them.
I can go on about herpetiles and why I no longer think their husbandry in captivity should be practiced. But I'll let this article speak for itself. Since timber rattlers are protected in that state, the bite will be mild compared to the fines!!!
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