Animals at Home Network

John Kinney discusses his start in reptile keeping in the late 70’s and 80’s, working up to his large snake collection before moving away from the reptile hobby. He shares details of the issues he had during the time of keeping reptiles and the ethics behind it, as well as his experience in the animal testing pharmaceutical world. John shares what his previous duties were in that facility, the ethics behind it, his opinions on animal rights and PETA, and much more. Later on he highlights why he got back into reptile keeping and how he views the community today. We also discuss the snake species he is keeping currently as well as the enclosures he has them set up in. John also discusses his experience in working for Custom Reptile Habitats, experiencing the enclosure build offs with content creators, and his overall view of social media in the reptile community.

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We are joined by herpetologist Tom Major and Ben Marshall from  @herpetologicalhighlights  to discuss how to become a herpetologist and much more!

Ben from Unseen Diversity discusses his tool, “My Vision for The Hobby” that he has created within Notion. This new project’s purpose is to find the “why” in reptile keeping, forming a plan for the future in reptile keeping and in life in general, finding how and what you will do for your goals, and more. He discusses the need in finding why you want to keep reptiles in order to prioritize them, execute your visions for the species you keep, improvements on their enclosures and care, as well as the setups you keep them in. Ben also briefly discusses his experience with various species, including the Slow Loris and other similar species like it.

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Zoe and Jackson of The Anti Venom Support Group discuss their experience in dealing with snake bites and the anti-venom that comes along with it, covering both circumstances surrounding wild/native snake bites versus snakes in private collections. They both share details about the science of anti-venom, the shelf life, where it is made, and the expenses around obtaining anti-venom. Zoe and Jackson have also started their own center and support group that strives to assist venomous snake keepers in obtaining permits, the venom itself, and creating bite protocols to remain safe and keep these species of snakes responsibly. The two of them also share many myths around snake bites, the response to getting bit, and anti-venom, sharing the truth behind some of the fear. Zoe and Jackson also briefly discuss the animals they currently keep, where they were obtained, and how they got their start in reptiles and animals in general.

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Chad Steffen of Golden Coast Exotics discusses his reptile keeping and breeding hobby with a variety of very interesting and rarer snake species, as well as his passion in breeding high-quality, healthy snakes. He shares details of how he first got started in the reptile keeping hobby, starting in keeping Eastern Indigo Snakes, and the enrichment that he provides those species. Chad highlights the other species that he keeps such as bearded dragons, species of tree boas, Dominican Red Boas, Royal Snakes, and more, diving into the behaviors, diets, and breeding of each. He also discusses the interest in these kind of “left-of-center” species in comparison to the Ball python breeding obsession in the last fifteen years, saying that the diversity of the species we keep in the reptile hobby makes it all so much more fun and interesting. Chad also discusses his adventures in herping in Southern California, as well as aspects of loving the mundane chores involved in reptile keeping.

Golden Coast Exotics Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldencoastexotics/?hl=en

Golden Coast Exotics Morph Market: https://www.morphmarket.com/stores/goldencoastexotics/

Golden Coast Exotics YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEM0FGo4IQyTDQ91doyZCNQ

WE DISCUSS:

0:00 Introducing Chad Steffen - Golden Coast Exotics

2:00 Zoo Med Labs

2:25 Welcome Chad + His Start in Reptile Keeping and Breeding

13:18 Getting into Eastern Indigos

15:03 Magic Mind Shot

16:58 Eastern Indigo Enclosures + Enrichment

20:44 Outdoor Bearded Dragon Enclosures + Feeding

24:06 Chad’s Collection Over the Years

27:30 Species of Tree Boa, Sanzinia + Breeding

35:18 Zoo Med Tortoise Diet

36:24 Tree Boa Behaviors and Size

38:27 Diversity in Snake Species + Ball Python Market Crash

46:00 Dominican Red Boas - Diets, Breeding + Colors

57:44 Boa Enclosures + Hides

59:04 Royal Snakes - Behavior, Breeding + Diets

1:05:20 Other Left-of-Center Species

1:08:51 Number of Adult Species + Drive to Keep Snakes

1:11:23 Herping in California

1:14:03 Loving the Process of Keeping Reptiles

1:18:15 Future Species

1:20:48 Closing Thoughts

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Jacop Frank of @northernreptiles joins us as our first Swedish reptile keeping guest, discussing his introductions to reptile keeping, a little bit about the reptile keeping regulations in Sweden, and the species that he keeps currently. He shares details of the Blackheaded python species that he keeps and has plans to breed, going over his interest in the species, their enclosures, scaping the enclosures, and equipment for them. Jacop also goes over his passion in observing his reptile’s behaviors and taking reports rather than depending on internet care guides. Jacob also goes over his Scrub species of snakes, going over their feeding habits, temperatures, behaviors of the specific species, and more. The importance of paying attention to reptiles, monitoring their habits, and creating enclosures that make sense for their wild counterparts is a huge theme in this episode, and something Jacop is extremely passionate and educated on.

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