Inhaltsverzeichnis für April 2025 in Practical Reptile Keeping

When we picture sea turtles in the wild, it’s easy to envision them as armoured warriors – their hard, resilient shells serving as near-impenetrable shields against oceanic threats like sharks. These sleek, streamlined shells aren’t just defensive: they’re engineered for speed, efficiency and survival. Designed to minimise drag, they allow sea turtles to glide effortlessly through the water, dive to astonishing depths, and handle the immense pressure shifts as they surface. A sea turtle’s shell is a complex structure, made up of two parts: the carapace (top) and the plastron (bottom), both covered in scutes – tough keratin plates tightly attached to the bone. The bone forms a unique “sandwich” of dense outer bone and a lightweight, spongy core, combining strength, buoyancy and protection for the turtle’s muscles, nerves and…

Having been a general herp enthusiast over the course of many years, and today, as the business owner of Designer Ball Pythons, (often abbreviated simply to DBP), breeding and caring for these snakes reflects a lifelong passion for me. My goal is to share my journey, to travel with people already addicted, and to entice newcomers to take the ride with us. How it began My interest in everything reptilian started with flipping logs in search of newts and eastern garter snakes as a youngster, in a game of ‘catch and release’. Not that it was entirely successful. In spite of intensive searching over the years since then, I have only uncovered one ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus) and a single eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis t. triangulum), while the eastern hognose…

It is an interesting fact that the majority of the 3,400 or so species of snake recognised today do not hunt rodents. Instead, this group of reptiles preys on a wide variety of all the major groups of animals on the planet. While some are opportunistic hunters, others are conditioned to seek out particular prey. Most of the snakes in this latter group are not kept in collections in large numbers, simply because of the fact that it is very hard to acquire the prey items which they require. If, however, you are in the fortunate situation of being able to provide a regular supply of food for them, this will unlock the opportunity to keep a greater range of snakes than would otherwise be possible. Invertebrate-eaters Invertebrates are the…

The story begins many years ago, when I was given a single mourning gecko. This little lady shared a vivarium with a group of reed frogs and lived a very long and happy life. However, despite searching for many years, I was never able to find any others to start a small breeding group. Then a couple of years ago, I sadly lost her to old age. However, what surprised me and other reptile-keeping friends was that despite being parthenogenic, she never laid any eggs. At the time, we put this down to being alone. For some reason being a singular animal never trigged breeding behaviour, despite no requirement for a male in order for fertile eggs to be produced. (I will return to this subject later in the article,…

Evolutionary biologists working in the Philippines have long puzzled over a mysterious hard-to-find amphibian: the Leyte chorus frog. It’s a small, ground-dwelling frog from Leyte Island in the Visayan province of the eastern Philippines. The country is an island archipelago once blanketed with dense forests that today exist in small fragments — an unfortunate consequence of intensive logging. The Leyte chorus frog became known to science in 1944 and was noted for its odd toe discs when it was described in an academic paper a decade later, and then it seemingly disappeared despite a concerted hunt by researchers. Now, an investigation by the University of Kansas (KU) confirms that Kaloula conjuncta stickeli (the scientific name of this strange chorus frog) is actually a natural hybrid of two species with overlapping…

The flowerpot snake (Indotyphlops braminus) is one of the world’s smallest snakes, typically averaging between 5-10cm (2-4in) in length. It is found in parts of Africa and Asia, and has also been introduced to various other parts of the world, including the Americas and parts of Europe such as Tenerife and Malta, being thought to have travelled here in the soil of potted plants, which helps to explain one of the snake’s common names. Also known as the Brahminy blind snake, it’s the only known snake species with three sets of chromosomes instead of two—and it can reproduce without a mate. By analysing the flowerpot snake’s unique genome, scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington are uncovering how the tiny reptile repairs its DNA and prevents harmful mutations. The…

Quite frankly, I’m getting appalled at the number of cases of obesity that are evident in adult bearded dragons these days. It’s becoming a huge and increasing problem. I’ve noticed it more so over the past few years, although this is partly due to the fact that we have social media where people are constantly posting pictures of their pets. I also see the same old excuses trotted out, although in fairness, some people may not actually realise their lizards are overweight in every case. The reason that I most commonly hear is “my dragon will only eat morios (super mealworms) and waxworms”, which is absolute rubbish. This simply isn’t true. We have wide range of live foods and greens/vegetables/plants available these days, and increasingly so with the convenience of…

1. Mixing species together The dangers in this case are simply not appreciated within the hobby, and this mistake is made by both novices and experienced keepers alike. The situation arises from random tortoises being kept together or housed in very close proximity to each other. This problem is often then further exacerbated when there is an inadequate disease prevention protocol in place. Let me explain. Tortoises, like all animals, harbour potentially harmful germs such as bacteria and viruses, as well as parasites, which are linked to that particular species, or more accurately, to the localised region of origin of the species. Over the course of many thousands of years of evolution, these reptiles have built up an immune system that will largely protect them from these causes of disease.…

The description “Pachyrrhynchus” does not exactly trip off the tongue! In fact, the vast majority of people on the planet will live long and happy lives without even hearing this name at all; the same goes for those of a lot of other groups of insects. In the case of this particular group of little rainforest beetles, however, this is a particular shame because, of all the hundreds of thousands of beetle species occurring across the planet, those in the genus Pachyrrhynchus are arguably the most beautiful. You might quite justifiably call them a wonder of the natural world! I was lucky enough to spend two years studying a selection of the hundred or so species that make up this genus, so I’m particularly pleased to note that it is…

The ancestors of today’s crocodylians survived two mass extinction events. A study has just uncovered a key secret to their longevity, which could help conservationists better protect our planet’s most vulnerable species. Many people think of crocodylians as living fossils— stubbornly unchanged, prehistoric relics that have ruled the world’s swampiest corners for millions of years. But their evolutionary history tells a different story, according to new research led by the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and the University of Utah. Crocodylians are surviving members of a 230-million-year lineage called crocodylomorphs, a group that includes living crocodylians (comprising crocodiles, alligators and gharials) and their many extinct relatives. The way that the ancestors of crocodylians persisted through two mass extinction events was a feat requiring evolutionary agility, in order to adapt to…

Frogs have thrived for hundreds of millions of years, spreading across virtually every corner of the earth, from tropical jungles to subarctic forests. Throughout their evolution, they have developed remarkable defences — including synthesising previously unreported antibiotics in their bodies — against the hordes of bacteria that thrive in their moist environments. Variants of these compounds may one day protect humans from drug-resistant pathogens. César de la Fuente, Presidential Associate Professor in Bioengineering and in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering), in Psychiatry and Microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), and in Chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences, describes the creation of synthetic peptides, a class of antibiotics, derived from the secretions of a frog…

In vivarium surroundings, female chameleons of this species may become reproductively active from as young as four months old, and lay much larger clutches than they would in the wild. This quickly depletes both their calcium and energy reserves, with Emerald sadly being a classic example of this problem. Having been obtained at three months old, she had grown quickly and initially seemed bright and active. Her owners had set her up in her own vivarium and were careful to keep the temperature and humidity at an appropriate level. She had a UVB light for basking and ate a variety of insects, supplemented with vitamins and minerals. By nine months old, however, her owners began to notice that Emerald’s normally voracious appetite was declining, and she seemed to be spending…

Tokashiki cave gecko (Goniurosaurus orientalis) This particularly striking, red-eyed species originates from small islands located around the main Japanese island of Okinawa. Each individual has very unique markings, and although the intensity of their orange-red colouration may vary somewhat between individuals, this is not a sign of sexual dimorphism. Their patterning can be very variable though, and might reflect separate ancestral island populations. Some tend to display a decidedly striped pattern rather than having a spotted appearance. Tokashiki cave geckos grow to about 16cm (5.5in) long. Just as with other eyelid (or eublepharid) geckos, mature males can be distinguished by hemipenal bulges in the vicinity of the vent, and the presence of femoral pores extending down the upper part of each hind leg. Furthermore, they have tiny claws and no…

Just before writing this article, I read a short item in a local newspaper here in Botswana, regarding a man who killed a black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) which he feared was going attack one of his children. He killed the snake with a big stick, and then promptly went and picked it up. One doesn’t really need telling about the tragic consequences of this action, but the now dead snake bit him instead, and he died as a result. Part of the job which I do here is to run snake education courses for schools, businesses and government agencies. It is very difficult indeed to convince people that a dead venomous snake can still kill you; even if it has been dead for quite some time. Reflex actions, or just…