Daffy's Round Table

Episode #160 of Daffy’s Round Table!

On this episode, I’m joined by Yannis from Ophidian Labs to take a deep dive into the Ectoscale 6 and rethink one of the most important pieces of equipment in a reptile enclosure: the thermostat.

A thermostat might not be the most exciting piece of reptile equipment to talk about, but when you’re trusting one to control a heat source around animals that could be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, safety and reliability become pretty important.

Yannis gives us a full walkthrough of how the Ectoscale 6 works and shows us the Ophidian Labs software live. We get into the different safety systems built into the unit, how it is designed to respond to potential problems, and how Yannis approached building a thermostat differently from many of the options reptile keepers have traditionally used.

We also get into some of the more advanced features, including AI Climate, Live Climate Sync and Breeder Mode, and how the system can create changing environmental conditions rather than simply maintaining one temperature 24 hours a day.

We talk about using environmental data to create more natural temperature cycles, how changing conditions could potentially be incorporated into breeding programs, and where Yannis sees this technology going next.

We finish by talking about some of his future projects and where reptile equipment could be heading as better sensors, software and smarter safety systems become available to keepers.

If you keep reptiles, use thermostatically controlled heating, breed animals, or manage a larger collection, this is a really interesting look at a piece of equipment most of us rely on every single day but probably do not spend enough time thinking about.

Ophidian Labs:

ophidianlabs.com

https://www.instagram.com/ophidianlabs/

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Want to watch your reptiles when you're not home? This is the camera I use in my reptile room: https://amzn.to/4hgzmiU

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services:

Swiftail Exotic Vet Services

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IncogInverts Canada

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Port Credit Pets

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Episode #159 of Daffy’s Round Table!

On this episode, I’m joined by Adam De Freitas, with David from Clubtail Exotics joining me as co-host.

Adam has a pretty unique background. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a former MMA fighter, currently competes in bare-knuckle boxing, and has also been keeping and breeding reptiles for the last 20 to 25 years.

Over that time, Adam has worked with a huge variety of reptiles, including a number of different day gecko species, but these days he’s probably best known in Canada for his work with garter snakes.

We spend a lot of this episode talking about garters, but the conversation goes way beyond one species. We get into how your taste in reptiles changes over time, how your husbandry and techniques evolve as you gain experience, and how the reptile hobby can very quickly become a bit of an addiction.

We also talk about how reptile keepers can become completely unreasonable without even realizing it. The number of animals, the space, the money, the time, and how sometimes you do not really notice how far it has gone until you step back and look at it from the outside.

Adam and David also share some great stories about what it was like working in reptile stores years ago, and we compare the reptile hobby today to what it looked like 20 years ago. We talk about what has improved, what has changed, and some of the things that were completely normal back then that would probably seem crazy now.

If you’re into garter snakes, old-school reptile stories, the evolution of the hobby, or just want to hear three reptile keepers talk about how far this obsession can go, there’s a lot of great stuff in this one.

Follow Adam De Freitas:

https://www.instagram.com/adamdef/

Follow Clubtail Exotics:

https://www.instagram.com/clubtailexotics/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services:

https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10:

https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets:

https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here:

https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel:

youtube.com/@daffysreptiles

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Twitter: @Daffysreptiles

Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

TikTok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]

Episode #158 of Daffy’s Round Table. On this episode, I’m joined by Cristian from The Gecko Druid, with David from Clubtail Exotics joining me as co-host.

Cristian is a reptile keeper from Italy who works with some really cool and often overlooked micro gecko species, including Tropiocolotes, Stenodactylus, Saurodactylus, Trachydactylus, Pachydactylus, and more.

We get into Cristian’s collection and his approach to keeping these tiny geckos, including the differences between keeping animals individually versus in colonies. We also have a really interesting conversation about cohabbing, both keeping multiple animals of the same species together and, in certain situations, keeping different species together in the same enclosure.

A big theme throughout the episode is simply learning to slow down and actually observe your animals. Cristian talks about how spending more time watching them can reveal behaviours and interactions that you might completely miss otherwise, and how those observations can eventually change the way you approach their husbandry.

We also talk about microfeeders, why establishing sustainable feeder colonies is so important before you start breeding tiny geckos, and why choosing species that naturally work well with the climate inside your home can make keeping and breeding them much easier.

We also get into naturalistic setups, biotopes, breeding, and what can happen when we give animals enough space and complexity to actually show us more of their natural behaviour.

If you’re into micro geckos, obscure species, colony keeping, naturalistic husbandry, or just want to hear three reptile nerds get way too deep into tiny geckos, there’s a ton of great information in this one.

Follow The Gecko Druid:

https://www.instagram.com/geckodruid/

Follow Clubtail Exotics:

https://www.instagram.com/clubtailexotics/

The Reptile Database:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/

This is the wishlist Cristian talks about toward the end of the episode:

Agamura

• Agamura cruralis
• Agamura kermanensis
• Agamura persica

Alsophylax

Bunopus

• Bunopus crassicauda
• Bunopus orientalis

Calodactylodes

Crossobamon

• Crossobamon eversmanni

Cryptactites

• Cryptactites peringueyi

Cyrtopodion

• Cyrtopodion agamuroides
• Cyrtopodion gastrophole
• Cyrtopodion brevipes
• Cyrtopodion golubevi
• Cyrtopodion kiabii

Haemodracon

• Haemodracon trachyrhinus

Kolekanos

• Kolekanos plumicaudus
• Kolekanos spinicaudus

Mediodactylus

• Mediodactylus heterocercus
• Mediodactylus heteropholis
• Mediodactylus ilamensis
• Mediodactylus naryensis
• Mediodactylus sagittifer
• Mediodactylus spinicauda

Microgecko

Pachydactylus

• Pachydactylus amoenus
• Pachydactylus austeni
• Pachydactylus barnardi
• Pachydactylus geitje
• Pachydactylus latirostris
• Pachydactylus macrolepis
• Pachydactylus maculatus
• Pachydactylus mariquensis
• Pachydactylus oculatus
• Pachydactylus vanzyli
• Pachydactylus wahlbergii

Pseudoceramodactylus

• Pseudoceramodactylus khobarensis

Ptenopus

Rhinogekko

Saurodactylus

• Saurodactylus elmoudenii
• Saurodactylus fasciatus
• Saurodactylus mauritanicus
• Saurodactylus slimanii
• Saurodactylus splendidus
• Saurodactylus alphus

Stenodactylus

• Stenodactylus affinis
• Stenodactylus grandiceps
• Stenodactylus mauritanicus
• Stenodactylus slevini
• Stenodactylus stenurus
• Stenodactylus yemenensis

Tropiocolotes

Trigonodactylus

Tenuidactylus

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services:

https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10:

https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets:

https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here:

https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel:

youtube.com/@daffysreptiles

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Twitter: @Daffysreptiles

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Business: [email protected]

Episode #157 of Daffy’s Round Table!

On this episode, I’m joined by Poramad Trivalairat and Chris to talk about the discovery and description of one of the newest species of mountain horned dragon, Acanthosaura syrax.

Por has now been involved in describing three different species of Acanthosaura, including Acanthosaura aurantiacrista in 2020, Acanthosaura meridiona in 2022, and Acanthosaura syrax in 2026.

The story behind syrax is especially cool because Por and Chris were not originally out looking for a new lizard species. Chris researches leeches and parasites associated with reptiles, and the two of them were actually out searching for leeches when they came across the animals that would eventually be described as Acanthosaura syrax.

We talk about how researchers decide that an animal may represent a new species, what happens after that initial suspicion, and the steps involved in formally describing and naming a species.

We also get into Acanthosaura in Thailand more broadly, including where these animals are living, the temperatures and habitats they experience in the wild, what they are actually eating, and what field observations can teach us about the way we understand mountain horned dragons in captivity.

Por also gives us a little hint that syrax may not be the last new Acanthosaura species we hear about, with a few more potentially being worked on right now.

Acanthosaura people, you're going to love this episode!

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Join the Mountain Horned Dragon Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17bz2HLAfR/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel: youtube.com/ ⁨@daffysreptiles⁩

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Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

Tiktok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]

Episode #156 of Daffy’s Round Table!

On this episode, I’m joined by Robert Balan from Farmhouse Reptiles, with Adam Wickens from Wickens Wicked Reptiles joining me as co-host.

Robert works with some seriously impressive large lizards, including Varanus cumingi, Croc Monitors, White Throat Monitors, and Asian Water Monitors, so naturally this episode turned into a full monitor nerd-out between Robert and Adam while I mostly sat back and enjoyed the conversation.

We get into Robert’s experiences keeping and breeding these animals, how the different monitor species compare in terms of behavior and intelligence, enclosure design, building trust with large monitors, diet, nesting, incubation, raising babies, and some of the challenges that come with working with powerful, highly intelligent lizards.

We also talk about what it actually takes to keep large monitors properly, some of the lessons Robert has learned through breeding them, and how monitor husbandry has continued to evolve as keepers learn more about their behavior and environmental needs.

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Follow Farmhouse Reptiles on IG:

1: https://www.instagram.com/bullydestoeyer1/

2: https://www.instagram.com/farmhouse_reptiles/

Follow Adam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/wickenswickedreptiles/

Subscribe to Adam on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/wickenswickedreptiles

Follow Adam on FB: https://www.facebook.com/wickenswickedreptiles

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-sp...

Check out my other channel: / @daffysreptiles

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Business: [email protected]

Episode #155 of Daffy’s Round Table. On this episode, I’m joined by Nicole from Nikki’s Nataliae, along with returning guests Eyal and Rebecca from Responsible Reptile and JF from Beauregard Reptiles, for Acanthosaura Round Table Part 4.

Nicole joins us for the first time and we get into her collection, her experiences keeping Acanthosaura nataliae, some really interesting growth charts she put together, and her trip to see nataliae in person.

We also catch up with Eyal, Rebecca, and JF and talk about what everyone has learned since the last round table. We get into Acanthosaura in the wild, mountain horned dragon diets, breeding, husbandry, growth, and some of the changes everyone has made based on their own experiences keeping these animals.

One of the things I always enjoy about these round table episodes is getting several experienced keepers together and comparing what is working, what has changed, and what we are still trying to figure out.

If you keep mountain horned dragons, are thinking about getting into Acanthosaura, or just want to learn more about these incredible lizards, there is a ton of great information in this one.

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Follow Responsible Reptile: https://www.instagram.com/responsible_reptile/

Follow Beauregard Reptiles: https://www.instagram.com/beauregard.reptiles/

Follow Nikki's Nataliae: https://www.instagram.com/nikkisnataliae/

Join the Mountain Horned Dragon Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1J5gbUndjd/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel: youtube.com/ ⁨@daffysreptiles⁩

Instagram: @Daffysreptiles

Twitter: @Daffysreptiles

Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

Tiktok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]

Episode #154 of Daffy’s Round Table!

On this episode, I’m joined by Rachael and Leigha for Skink-A-Palooza, a full deep dive into keeping and breeding skinks.Between the two of them, they’ve worked with a huge variety of species, so we get into sandfish, ocellated skinks, zebra skinks, Schneider’s skinks, Greer’s earless skinks, wedge-snouted skinks, rainbow skinks, and more.

A big part of the conversation is comparing these different species: how their behaviour, enclosure setups, breeding strategies, and overall husbandry can differ even though they’re all skinks. We talk about heating, UVB, diet, supplementation, substrates, microclimates, enclosure design, incubation, raising babies, and some of the lessons Rachael and Leigha have learned from working with so many different species.

We also get into what makes certain skinks underrated in the hobby and why there’s way more diversity within this group than a lot of reptile keepers realize.

If you already keep skinks, you’re thinking about getting your first species, or you just want to learn more about some incredibly cool and overlooked lizards, there’s a ton of great information in this one.

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Follow Rachael on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jabbasreptileroom/

Subscribe to Rachael on YT: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@JabbasReptileRoom⁩

Follow Leigha on IG: https://www.instagram.com/divergent.exotics.herps/

Check out Leigha's website: https://www.divergentexoticsherps.com/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel: youtube.com/ ⁨@daffysreptiles⁩

Instagram: @Daffysreptiles

Twitter: @Daffysreptiles

Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

Tiktok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]

Episode #153 of Daffy’s Round Table.

On this episode, I’m joined by Frank Payne of Living Art by Frank Payne, with David Beetham from Clubtail Exotics joining me as co-host, and we’re talking all about how to turn your reptile hobby into a sustainable business.

Frank has successfully taken his passion for keeping and breeding reptiles and turned it into a successful business, so we get into what that transition actually looked like and what it takes to make a reptile business work long term.

We talk about how Frank selects the species he works with, balancing passion projects with animals that make sense financially, recognizing trends versus species with long-term demand, pricing animals, building a reputation, and some of the mistakes breeders make when they start trying to turn their hobby into a business.

With David joining us as another breeder and business owner, we get a really interesting conversation about the realities of making money with reptiles while still keeping the passion for the animals at the center of what you do.

If you’ve ever thought about taking your reptile hobby full-time, starting a breeding business, or you’re just curious about how successful reptile breeders build businesses that can actually last, this episode is for you!

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Follow Frank on IG: https://www.instagram.com/livingartbyfrankpayne/

Subscribe to Frank on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@LivingArtbyFrankPayne⁩

Check out Frank's website here: https://www.livingartbyfrankpayne.com/

Follow David on IG: https://www.instagram.com/clubtailexotics/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel: youtube.com/ ⁨@daffysreptiles⁩ Instagram: @DaffysreptilesTwitter: @Daffysreptiles

Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

Tiktok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]

Episode #52 of Daffy's Round Table!

On this episode, I’m joined by Bree from Breeze Exotics for a deep dive into hognose snakes and what it actually takes to breed and raise them successfully.

We talk about Bree’s approach to breeding hognoses, from pairing and producing clutches to hatching babies, getting them established, and dealing with some of the feeding challenges that can come with young hognose snakes. We also get into some of the projects she’s working with and what she’s learned from breeding and raising these awesome little snakes.

Then we switch gears and talk about something you don’t see nearly as often in the hobby: shovel-nosed sand snakes. Bree is currently working with three different species, so we get into how she keeps them, what makes them so unique, and why she decided to work with such uncommon snakes.

Lots of awesome information on this one enjoy! Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home!

Follow Bree on IG: https://www.instagram.com/breezexotics/

Follow The Jungle Vault on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thejunglevault/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel: Youtube.com/ ⁨@daffysreptiles⁩

Instagram: @Daffysreptiles

Twitter: @Daffysreptiles

Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

Tiktok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]

Episode #151 of Daffy's Round Table!

In this episode, I sit down with Daniel from CritterCAD to explore his innovative software that lets keepers virtually design and score terrariums before they buy. We discuss how CritterCAD helps hobbyists fine-tune their setups, ensure species-appropriate designs, and visualize their dream enclosures. We even got a live demo during the episode so listeners can get a glimpse of how it works in real-time.

If you’re ready to rethink how you plan for your animals, make sure you check out the CritterCAD software!

Check out CritterCAD here: https://www.crittercad.com/

Huge thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home.

Follow CritterCAD on IG: https://www.instagram.com/crittercad/

Get 15% off your first appointment with Swiftail Exotic Vet Services: https://www.swiftailvet.com/

Get 10% off the IncogInverts website with code Daffy10: https://incoginvertscanada.com/

Use the code Daffy10 for 10% off at Port Credit Pets: https://portcreditpets.com/

Check out our reptile keeper shirts here: https://daffys-reptiles-co.creator-spring.com/

Check out my other channel: Youtube.com/ ⁨@daffysreptiles⁩

Instagram: @Daffysreptiles

Twitter: @Daffysreptiles

Facebook: Facebook.com/Daffysreptiles

Tiktok: @Daffysreptiles

Business: [email protected]