Animals at Home Network

Phil Lietz of Arids Only discusses his experiences in breeding his uromastyx and other various species, as well as the future of Arids Only. He shares details on his opinions about established reptiles, farm bred reptiles, and wild caught reptiles and the differences between them, opening up a valuable conversation among breeders and keepers alike. Phil highlights the incorrect ways that keepers can spread half-truths about keeping reptiles, the guilt that we sometimes deal with, and how to think of reptile keeping in a more positive light. Phil also discusses a myriad of trade-off aspects relating to reptile care and animal care in general, bringing up the topic of captive vs wild perspectives.

Show Notes: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/211-arids-only/

0:21 Introducing Phil Lietz

1:43 Welcome Phil & Thoughts on Fatherhood

8:15 Species Phil Works With + Future Of Arids Only

15:55 Volume of Uromastyx Dealt With

17:52 Established Reptiles + Farm Bred vs Wild Caught

22:42 Observing Practices for Education + Herpetoculture 26:51 Half Truths in Herpetoculture + Breeding

31:44 Care and Welfare for Breeding/Pets

34:42 Zoo Med Reptisun T5 UVB

35:48 Tolerance Without Changes in Care + Reproduction

41:55 Negative Framing in Herpetoculture + Trade-Offs

53:38 Negative vs Positive Aspects of Relationships with Animals

56:56 Committing Energy to Pets + Yourself

1:00:20 Companions vs Captive Animal + Benefits of Captivity

1:07:00 Verbiage + Differences in Perspectives

1:12:26 Guilt in Reptile Keeping + Minimalizing a Species

1:21:38 Complexities of Domesticated Animals + Human Goals for Animals

1:31:06 Closing Thoughts

In this video, we discuss building a robust breeding program and the difference between outcrossing, inbreeding, and line-breeding. Rain returns to the podcast to discuss how to build a proper breeding program. In the episode, we discuss the difference between a breeding project and a program, as well as the difference between the term "breed" and "species". Rain walks through outcrossing, inbreeding, and line-breeding, and the importance of culling. If you are interested in starting a reptile breeding project, then this episode is a must-listen.

WE DISCUSS:

Summer Melville of Kinova Reptiles discusses her background in reptile keeping, enrichment knowledge, and her career path that led to working with Kinova, the world’s leading Ball Python breeder. She shares details on how Kinova works as a breeding facility, the size of the facility, and the various goals and transitions of Kinova as a whole. She also talks in-depth about how the transition from a snake living in a tub to being moved into a large PVC display enclosure can be difficult, and how to make that an easier process for your snake. Ball pythons are obviously not meant to live in tubs their whole lives, and Summer discusses how YouTube content with Kinova and the new changes to their systems may help make the transition to larger enclosures and pet homes easier.

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Chuckey of Madbio discusses his experiences with zookeeping, specifically with crocodilians and monitors regarding their husbandry, training, and intelligence. He shares details about his beginnings in observing wildlife, to efforts in breeding, to now where he has a successful career in working hands-on with various species. Chuckey also discusses at length where issues lie with the private keeping of larger reptile species, as well as the common species in the reptile community and how they are treated. Invasive species are also a topic that he dives in with great knowledge, having been living in Florida which has the largest population of invasive species due to the reptile pet trade. Chuckey pushes for the proper keeping of reptiles, respect for their wild counterparts, and the importance of learning, growing, and discussing reptiles in the proper way on social media.

WE DISCUSS:

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Morgan Palmer of Tierra Turtles discusses multiple topics that are of importance to him and his family, as well as relatable to myself. He talks about his fascination with turtles from the beginning to now, where he has built extravagant outdoor enclosures for his over twenty species of turtle. He emphasizes the need for turtles to have access to fresh air and sunshine, highlighting that it had completely changed his turtle’s behavior for the better. Morgan also discusses the need for a social media detox for many like himself, as the platforms that we find ourselves on for hours of the day can be detrimental to our mental health. He gives advice on what he has done to improve his relationship with social media, as well as using that to make more time for the more important aspects of life. Morgan also discusses the relationship that he strives to form with his daughter and the animals around her; highlighting that when kids learn early on how to treat animals, they will continue to do so throughout life.

00:00 Coming Up - ZooMed

In this episode, we discuss how to train and tame your pet lizard or snake to improve their well-being. We discuss establishing trust with lizards and snakes, positive/negative reinforcement, and how to target-train your pet reptile.

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Tanner Serpa of SerpaDesigns and Dayyan Saylany of Reptiliatus discuss the ins and outs of building a paludarium for amphibians, reptiles, and other critters. They each share details of their experiences over the years in building paludariums, their successes and mistakes, as well as the details in building these types of enclosures – step by step. From types of enclosures you can build a paludarium in, filtration systems and equipment, hardscape materials and leaf litter, to managing waste from animals is discussed at length. Tanner and Dayyan also individually offer many different species of plants that can be used in semi-aquatic enclosures like these, from more common houseplants to even plants you can find outside.

SerpaDesign Socials:

Reptiliatus Socials:

Plant Guide for Houseplants in Aquariums by SerpaDesign:

WE DISCUSS:

00:00 Coming Up - ZooMed + The Bio Dude

1:00 Round Table - Building a Paludarium

2:12 Welcome Tanner + Dayyan

3:38 Work-Life Balance in Producing Content

8:36 Experiences in Creating Paludarium

11:25 What is a Paludarium?

13:07 Enclosure Types for Paludariums

18:00 Sections in the Enclosure - Land and Water

21:38 Filtration - Equipment, Drilling Glass, and Waste

33:15 The BioDude Substrates + Bug Grub

34:16 Filtration Continued

35:18 Creating Water Features

43:50 Hardscape Material Recommendations

50:44 Leaf Litters and Botanicals in Water

54:24 Plants for Paludariums

1:02:00 Zoo Med Dragon Food

1:02:55 Paludarium Plants Continued

1:08:14 Aquatic Animal Possibilities for Paludariums

1:15:39 Species with Heated Tanks?

1:16:48 Vampire Crabs

1:18:24 Reptiles + Amphibian Species in Paludariums

1:23:27 Cohabitation in Paludariums

1:28:59 Maintenance Tips and Water Changes for Paludariums

1:36:20 Closing Thoughts

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DESCRIPTION:

In this episode, Phil and Roy welcome Lucas Lee of Centralian Exotics to the show! We hear about his background in herpetoculture, his primary interests in terms of keeping and breeding, his work as a field biologist and how it informs his keeping, his visions for the future, and a whole lot more.

Please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer direct support to the show with a tip or donation, consider subscribing to our Patreon ( www.patreon.com/projectherpetoculture ) and have a look at our generous sponsors at the affiliate links below!

SHOW NOTES:

Follow Lucas on IG: @centralian_exotics

Check out Lucas' podcast, Carpets & Coffee: https://open.spotify.com/show/2gIiyMJQ1cXrVBSvymOTdc?si=2deba55893ce4142MERCH:https://www.projectherp.com/shop

OUR SPONSORS:

Custom Reptile Habitats: https://customreptilehabitats.com/PH

Cold Blooded Caffeine (apply the code 'projectherp' for 10% off): https://coldbloodedcaffeine.com/?ref=PH

FairyTail Dragons: https://fairytaildragons.comExo Terra: https://exo-terra.com

Tamura Designs (apply the code 'Herpetoculture' for 15% off): https://tamura-designs.com

Happy Dragons: https://plus.happydragons.com/home

SOCIAL LINKS:

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/projectherpetoculture

Subscribe on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@projectherpetoculture

Follow P : H on Instagram: @projectherpetoculture

Follow Phil on Instagram: @aridsonly

Follow Roy on Instagram: @wellspringherp

Thomas Griffiths owns Tomaskas Ltd, an animal lighting and husbandry consultancy out of the UK. In this episode, we discuss the ban on halogen & other incandescent heat lamps in the USA. Thomas explains what the ban means for the reptile industry moving forward, how to fight the ban, and also the science behind why we need to use incandescent bulbs for our animals. Thomas also discusses the European ban on T5 fluorescent tubes and some new exciting technology in the UVB lamp space.

3:06 Welcome Thomas - What Is Going On?

12:51 The Halogen Ban

15:51 What is a Black Body Radiator? How Heat Lamps Work

26:18 Accidental Mismarketking - Heat Projectors

34:50 NERD Video - What they got wrong

43:18 NERD Video - What they got right

44:50 125W+ Is the Current Exception

46:02 The Zoo Med Labs Letter Leak

51:05 How To Fight The Halogen Ban

1:03:20 The Fluorescent Lamp Ban

1:05:44 New Exo Terra Bulbs

1:11:50 How Do UVB Fluorescent Tubes Function?

1:18:11 Understanding the Fluorescent Ban

1:30:18 What To Do Next?

1:35:52 Closing Thoughts

Til, Flo, Ben, & Stefan of The European Herpetoculture Podcast discuss the differences between European reptile keeping and American reptile keeping - in the differences in equipment, DIY enclosure builds, viewpoints, and willingness to experiment with enclosures. They each highlight the benefit of experimenting with reptile enclosures outside of social media, in order to develop a thought process on what works best for your individual reptile. Til and Ben dive into topics about native plants and how they can best suit a reptile from that native habitat, emphasizing the need for a naturalistic enclosure that embodies the natural environment of that animal. As they begin their journey with their new podcast, they also gain helpful advice from Dillon about how their podcast can be most successful - from questions to ask, equipment to use, and more.

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