A few years ago, Amy Benzi had a powerful vision that drew her to two things, Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boas (Corallus batesii) and the rainforest. Fast forward to the present, she has an incredible snake room including a large free range area, a rain chamber, live plants and ample enrichment all for her group of Corallus batesii and she has also been to the South American rainforest on several occasions with the specific goal of finding Corallus batesii in the wild and learning about their natural habitat in person. In the episode, Amy tells us the story of what drew her to the jungle, she walks us through her snake room and we discuss Emerald Tree Boa husbandry and the common mistakes many keepers make.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/135-amy-benzi/

Is it ethical to keep large species of reptiles? Is it possible for a private keeper to properly keep reticulated pythons, Burmese pythons, and Asian water monitors? Dougie Smith is a keeper of large species of reptiles and in this episode, he discusses how he tends to these giants. Dougie explains the importance of offering ample space and how he builds large walk-in enclosures, tips for successfully keeping large species, and common mistakes that are made. We also cover how to follow a proper feeding regime, if large species should even be kept in private collections, and more!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/134-dougie-smith/

What would happen if you converted an underground cistern into a giant aquarium for a group of American Eels (Anguilla rostrata)? Nick Tobler is a long-time fish and reptile keeper out of Kentucky, USA, and has recently gone viral on TikTok with videos showing him converting an old water cistern into a functioning "eel pit". In this episode, Nick discusses how he built the eel pit, his fascination with exploring underground caves, eel biology, and evolution, his future plans as well as the reptiles he currently keeps and breeds.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/133-eel-pit/

Adam Trimmings is a UK zookeeper and breeder of rare and expensive forest dragons such as Boyd's forest dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) and the Indonesian forest dragon (Lophosaurus dilophus). He also breeds Abronia, green tree pythons and blue tree monitors! In this episode we dive into their peculiar care requirements and discuss thermoregulation vs thermoconforming. We also cover the troubles with breeding some niche and nerdy species within the UK reptile hobby and the challenges that brings.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/3-adam-trimmings/

Oleksii Marushchak is the Head of Research & Development at BION Terrarium Center in Kyiv, Ukraine. BION Center started in 1993 as a commercial import-export operation but has since pivoted its focus to captive breeding and prorogation with emphasis on rare and endangered species. In this episode, Oleksii discusses BION's philosophy, how they keep and breed their reptiles, and also their Responsible Herpetoculture initiative that aims to steer reptile-keeping in the right direction. We of course also discuss the heartbreaking events that have taken place in Kyiv this year and the damage and loss BION has suffered as a result. Oleksii leaves everyone with a simple call-to-action for how we can help!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/132-bion/

Why do we need species diversity in the reptile hobby? Why did species diversity suffer in the reptile hobby? How can we focus on regaining diversity in a hobby dominated by ball pythons and leopard geckos? Why are beginner species important? This episode has so much to unpack! Please welcome Charles Thompson from Snakes 'N' Adders.

Gut Loading at its basic level is feeding feeder insects to benefit your reptile nutritionally. But 9/10 reptile keepers miss the finer details that would enable their success. What nutrient profiles do we prioritize? Does the way we house insects influence their nutrition? Are we making mistakes with hydrating our feeders? Does where we place food in the container influence how much they eat? What are the best feeder insects? Is there one? Should we be feeding wild-caught feeder insects? As you can tell there's is an art to gut loading, as you are about to find out!

Show Notes: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/1-art-of-gut-loading/

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we have the pleasure of welcoming a brand new podcast on the Animals at Home Network! Liam Sinclair and Ellie Hills are the hosts of the Reptiles and Research Podcast which will be available on both the Animals at Home Network (audio-only) and the Reptiles and Research YouTube Channel (video-only). In this episode, Ellie and Liam introduce themselves and let us know what we can expect from their podcast which is primarily focused on increasing species diversity in herpetoctulure.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/bonus-rr-podcast/

Why isn't there a professional registry for reptiles? Have you ever thought about insuring your group of animals but been denied by insurance companies? Why is indiscriminate inbreeding so popular in herpetoculture and how does this relate to the downfall of many popular dog breeds? All of this and more are discussed in this episode of the podcast! Rain is a long-time reptile keeper, breeder, and importer and also has extensive experience in the canine world. We discuss the importance of following breed standards, tracking bloodlines, and the power of animal registries.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/131-rain/

Ben Owens is a reptile keeper and Ph.D. student out of the UK. and is also the founder and director of Captive and Field Herpetology, an initiative focused on bridging the knowledge gap between herpetofauna in captivity and the wild. In this episode, we discuss how C&FH began as well as how the peer-reviewed journal aspect of the business works, we cover what Ben has learned from time spent in the field, especially misunderstands of humidity and temperature. Ben warns the listeners about the dangers of observer bias when observing wild specimens, how he is using CF&H to help combat incidents of snakebite, and more!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/130-ben-owens/