A groundbreaking new study has revealed that keeping snakes in rack systems may actually stunt their brain development. In this video, we dive into the data, explore the study’s methods, and discuss what it means for reptile care and welfare going forward.

Ralph Till of The Kleinmanni Assurance Project joins the podcast to discuss his new project alongside his team members, working to ensure a future for the Egyptian Tortoise through the establishment of thriving, genetically diverse populations in carefully managed assurance colonies. He discusses his experience with the tortoise species, the issue with them growing in popularity over the last couple of decades, as well as some information on their care standards. Ralph goes over the creation of the program, how it came to be, future goals, as well as a little insight on his experience in working with zoos and other organizations. This episode is not one to be missed if you’re interested in the conservation of wild species in captivity!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/227-kap/SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:The Kleinmanni Assurance Program: https://www.kleinmanniassuranceproject.com/

Our Previous Episode with Ralph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDnks4Emlc
00:00 Introducing Ralph Till

2:02 The Bio Dude Substrates + Dietary Supplements

2:38 Zoo Med ReptiSun LED

2:57 Welcome Ralph - His Experience With Reptiles

6:28 Care Standards + Sizes of Egyptian Tortoises

11:35 Ralph’s Spark in Keeping Egyptian Tortoises

13:47 Egyptian Tortoise Regulations and Conservation Status

21:55 Developing The Kleinmanni Assurance Program

22:27 The Bio Dude Substrates + Bug Grub

23:28 Developing The Kleinmanni Assurance Program

34:02 The Purpose of the Program

39:43 ESA Regulations + Genetics

51:02 Reaching Out To Zoos for the Program

52:22 Stud Book for the Program

53:47 Conservation Goals in the Wild

56:46 Zoo Med ReptiSun LED

58:11 The Members of The Kleinmanni Assurance Program

1:05:58 Ways To Help + Learning The Business

1:11:42 Closing Thoughts

Mark Perpetua of Mark’s Perpetua’s Reptile Encounters discusses his experience in keeping crocodilians, what led him to keeping them, and the logistics of keeping them. He also briefly talks about the New York alligator seizing, discussing the regulations in the area and why it makes sense that the animal was taken from that keeper. Mark discusses how he keeps his crocodilians as well as outlines his advice for any prospective keepers, involving their diets and enclosures. He also goes over his book that he wrote, outlining the basics of crocodilian evolution, biology, natural history and conservation. If you’re at all interested in crocodilians, Mark Perpetua’s various ventures are definitely ones to follow. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/226-croc-chat/SPONSORS: Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:Mark Perpetua’s Reptile Encounters Website: https://www.reptileprograms.com/Mark’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Mark-Perpetuas-Reptile-Encounters-100057236065549/Alligators and Crocodiles: In Nature and In Art: https://www.amazon.com/Alligators-Crocodiles-Nature-Mark-Perpetua/dp/B0DJC43BNBMark’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@reptileencounters25Video Clips and Photos Used in Episode:Mark’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@reptileencounters25Mark’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Mark-Perpetuas-Reptile-Encounters-100057236065549/00:00 Introducing Mark Perpetua1:30 Coming Up: Zoo Med ReptiSun1:49 Welcome Mark - Background and Education in Reptiles6:36 The Crocodilians He Keeps and What Led Him To Keeping11:00 Logistics of Keeping Crocodiles + Regulations19:45 The Story of The Pet Alligator Seize25:18 Mark’s Alligators As Laws Changed31:39 Animals at Home Patreon32:00 Stunted Alligators + Sizes of Morelet’s Crocodile34:24 Advice for Future Crocodile Keepers + Feeding Crocodilians 39:06 Alligators and Crocodiles: In Nature and In Art44:04 Mark’s YouTube Channel47:53 Zoo Med ReptiSun49:19 Mark’s YouTube Channel52:37 Reptile Encounters Presentations58:34 Mark’s Relationships with Crocodiles + Intelligence Levels1:01:05 Mark’s Future Projects - Crocodilian Conservation1:04:11 Closing Thoughts + Meeting Tiki

Zach Porritt of @a.life.exotic discusses his large, tropical greenhouse that houses multiple animal species cohabitating in a beautifully constructed environment. He dives into all of the details of the building process of the greenhouse, the climate he deals with, temperature management and ventilation, as well as the overall investment of the greenhouse. Zach also goes over all of the species that he keeps in the greenhouse and the logistics of keeping them all together in the same space. This episode is an incredibly in depth description of such a well thought out structure, filled with information on how this can be replicated and how he has made this project a huge success. Zach also discusses his recent trip to Suriname, a vast country filled with tropical rainforest and various interesting animal species.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/225-a-life-exotic/#225 #animalsathomepodcastJOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeSPONSOR: https://zoomed.com/LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:https://www.youtube.com/alifeexotichttps://www.instagram.com/a.life.exotic/Video Clips and Photos Used in Episode:https://www.youtube.com/alifeexotichttps://www.instagram.com/a.life.exotic/00:00 Introducing Zach Porritt

1:25 Zoo Med Reptisun LED

1:45 Welcome Zach - What Sparked This Idea?

6:14 The Building Process of The Greenhouse

8:50 The Climate Zach Deals With + Temp Management

17:13 Humidity Management

19:36 Ventilation in The Greenhouse

21:10 Lighting Used

23:07 The View of The Greenhouse

24:40 The Investment

26:09 Replication on a Smaller Scale?27:29 What Climate Is He Replicating?

29:27 Creating The Pond + Soil

31:54 Can Species Escape?

32:49 Species in Greenhouse

34:07 ZooMed Reptisun LED + UVB

35:32 Dart Frogs and Microfauna in Greenhouse

42:12 Tropical Plant Species + Pests

50:30 Monthly Maintenance Costs

52:17 Animals Added To Ecosystem

59:00 Cohabitation in The Greenhouse

1:06:18 Tree Frog Noise

1:07:31 Thoughts About Birds?

1:10:17 Addition of Puffing Snakes

1:10:37 Patreon Animals At Home

1:10:58 Addition of Puffing Snakes

1:18:00 Logistics to Keeping the Snake

1:22:30 Zach’s Trip to Suriname

1:32:44 Closing Thoughts

Myke Clarkson, a television producer, reptile conservationist, and wildlife enthusiast discusses his experiences in his television producing career from the start to now. He talks about the story of a snake bite that turned into a TV show, his experience in producing animal-related shows down the line, including his National Geographic show, Dead By Dawn. Myke also discusses the sensationalism that can occur in the media and how he has managed to steer clear of that when it comes to animals-related media. He also shares details of his passion for aquatic snake keeping, from the ins and outs of keeping them, husbandry, snake fungal disease, and more. He talks about what snakes he would recommend for people wanting to get into aquatic snakes, plant recommendations, feeder fish species, and cleaning waste.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/224-myke-clarkson/#224 #animalsathomepodcastJOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeSPONSOR: https://www.thebiodude.com/LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:Myke’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/mykeclarkson/

Myke’s FB: https://www.facebook.com/myke.clarkson/

Myke’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@myke.clarkson

HCI Website: herpconservation.com

IHS Website: iherpsymp.org00:00 Introducing Myke Clarkson

2:42 The Bio Dude Substrates

3:17 Welcome Myke - His Show on HerpNation + Aquatic Snakes

8:01 The Story of The Bite + TV Shows

13:06 The Beginning of Myke’s Producer Career to Now

21:00 The Animal Related Shows He’s Produced

26:36 The Walking Dead Inspired Nature Doc

31:02 Sensationalism In Media

36:39 Aquatic Snake Keeping

37:01 The Bio Dude Substrates + Bug Grub

38:01 Aquatic Snake Keeping

46:46 Freshwater Adaptations Goals + Fungal Disease

49:49 Reptile Keeping’s Connection to Conservation

50:57 Disposing of Water Positive of SFD

53:25 Semi vs Fully Aquatic Snakes + Recommended Snakes

1:00:50 Need For Stability in Aquatic Snakes

1:04:55 Setting Up An Aquatic Tank, Plants, and Cleaning Crew

1:13:03 Feeder Fish Species

1:19:57 Waste Clean Up

1:21:06 Non-Profits + Aquatic Snake Book

1:32:30 Closing Thoughts

Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. Go to my sponsor https://aura.com/randr to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed. Reptile breeding is taking a new step up with hybrids making healthier pet reptiles! Heather Moye of Fairytail dragons LLC chats to us about she used hybrids to strengthen her lines and make better pet reptiles!JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/ReptilesandResearchPRODUCTS TO USE: https://www.amazon.com/shop/reptilesandresearch

Victoria Teague of PassionateSnakes discusses her experience with various species of snakes, primarily in the colubrid variety when it comes to her specific enclosure design to help snakes feel more comfortable out in the open. Victoria talks about her Mandarin Rate Snake as the motivator for creating an enclosure that she would see the snake more often in, discussing the need for shelving and hiding spaces built within the enclosure. She also briefly discusses her recent health journey, talking about how her recent focus on herself has created more motivation and happiness in keeping her reptile species more effectively. Victoria shares details of her future projects, non-bioactive enclosures, enclosure design advice, and her experience on a husbandry Facebook group as well.SHOW NOTES:https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/223-victoria-teague/JOIN US ON PATREON:https://www.patreon.com/animalsathome

SPONSOR:

https://www.thebiodude.com/LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:Victoria’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionatesnakes/

Victoria’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCShhX-oiKYUXXMIj79v6-3w

Advancing Herpetological Husbandry: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AdvancingHerpHusbandry/Video Clips and Photos Used in Episode:Victoria’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passionatesnakes/

00:00 Introducing Victoria Teague of Passionate Snakes

2:32 The Bio Dude Substrates + Dietary Supplements

3:07 Welcome Victoria + Beginnings in Reptile Keeping

8:04 Victoria’s Boa + The Enclosure

10:14 Colubrids and Boas

13:44 Mandarin Rat Snakes + Behaviors of Snake Species

17:20 Victoria’s Health Journey + That Connection to Animal Keeping

23:55 Choosing Snake Species + Keeping the Interest

30:02 Designing Enclosures for Behaviors

32:53 The Bio Dude Substrates + Bug Grub

33:54 Non-Bioactive Enclosures with Plants

36:24 Shelving Spaces in Snake Enclosures

44:18 Feeding Snakes + Any Issues with Feeding

45:57 Cleaning Challenges with Non-Bioactives

50:42 Enclosure Setups: Heating + Lighting + More

54:47 Tips for Victoria’s Enclosure Replication

55:57 Future Species + Upcoming Projects

58:16 Advancing Herpetological Husbandry Facebook Group

1:00:30 Closing Thoughts

Nathan Carlos Rupley discusses his experience with reptile and invertebrate keeping alongside his passion for nature in the real world; talking about his feelings behind connecting with nature and rewildling, and how that connects with the reptile keeping hobby. He shares details of his upbringing in Africa, then moving on to adapting to life in the United States, primarily discussing his viewpoints on rewildling rather than becoming reliant on the consumer oriented world. Nathan also continues to discuss various aspects of recognizing plants, using plants for medicine, and the toxicity of some plants that we could potentially use in reptile keeping or in our daily lives. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/222-nathan-rupley/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeSPONSOR: https://www.thebiodude.com/LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:https://www.instagram.com/nathan_carlos_rupley/Nathan’s YT: https://www.youtube.com/user/nathanrupleyVideo Clips and Photos Used in Episode:https://www.instagram.com/nathan_carlos_rupley/00:00 Introducing Nathan Rupley2:11 The Bio Dude Substrates + Dietary Supplements2:47 Welcome Nathan + His Connection with Nature6:08 Foundations in Africa, Adapting to Life in the U.S, and Getting Back Into The Hobby13:13 Species Currently Keeping14:12 Rewildling - Reversing Domestication, Hunting, Foraging + Gathering26:49 How Has Rewilding Changed Your Reptile Keeping Perspective?34:06 The Bio Dude Terra Fauna Substrate + Bug Grub35:07 Recognizing + Connecting with Nature42:37 Uromastyx Diets + Facebook Groups + Toxicity of Plants1:00:42 Uromastyx Diets + Plant Medicine1:18:37 The Importance of Research + Conservation1:22:03 Closing Thoughts

Logan Hope of ThatBeardedBugGuy discusses his very popular Mourning gecko room in his home, housing over a hundred geckos, as well as some opinions about keeping tiny reptiles in such large enclosures. He also discusses in depth his Vietnamese Blue Beauty snakes, their enclosure setups, lighting, diets, and their very intelligent behaviors. Logan also talks about how he first got started in the exotic pet keeping world with bugs and tarantulas, leading him to share details of their enclosures, why he keeps them, and the fear surrounding spiders. We also talk about the story of his alligator that he recently nursed back to health and is continuing to rehabilitate at home.

2:39 The Bio Dude

3:14 Welcome Logan + The Mourning Gecko Room + Blue Beauty

11:20 Struggles with Large Enclosures for Tiny Animals

15:24 Feeding The Mourning Geckos

18:45 Logan’s Animal Room + Vietnamese Blue Beauty

28:29 Noticing The Intelligence of Reptiles + The Connection

30:04 Vietnamese Blue Beauty Enclosures + Flying Gecko

41:49 Logan’s Tarantulas + Setups

42:45 The Bio Dude Terra Fauna + Bug Grub

43:46 Logan’s Tarantulas + Setups

59:12 Fear Surrounding Tarantulas + Breeding Baby Tarantulas

1:05:46 Logan’s Alligator + Her Story

1:20:30 Logan Starting a YouTube Channel?

1:26:15 Logan at Expos + Closing Thoughts