SOME NEW ENCLOSURES

I was called in to be an extra pair of hands last week for the delivery of some new enclosures from Animal Plastics.  Why was the help needed you ask?  These babies were being delivered from a semi truck!

We have a very long winding driveway with some sharp curves up a hill here at Reptiles Alive.  There was no way, no how that semi was going to make it up that driveway.

We had three ways of getting this very large and heavy package up that driveway.

1. Slide the whole thing into Caroline’s Van and drive it up the hill
2. Strap that bad boy on to my wheeled cart and pull it like a couple of mules up the driveway.
3. Take out the knifes and cut the package open and carry it up piece by piece. (My least favorite option.)

The van was driven down the hill for plan #1. The side doors were slid open and… That was SO not going to happen!  The box was enormous! Ok, how about the back door?  HA!  Are you kidding me?

Ok… now what?  I was getting psyched up for plan #2 when who happens to be walking by with his dog?  Jeff our neighborhood life saver!  This good Samaritan offers his work truck to haul our dilemma up the hill for us.  Hooray!

Jeff, my man, if it were not for you we would have been schlepping that thing up the hill all afternoon.  My legs would have fallen off!  Many thanks.

We had no problem transferring the cages into the building from the smaller truck.  As soon as we have some time to do some massive rearranging in the reptile room, we will be tackling the assembly of these beasts.  I have to say, even in pieces the cages sure look like beauties.  Thank you Animal Plastics!

Look for a future posting with assembly and drama when we construct new homes for an iguana and water monitor!

Kenyan Sand Boa

Eryx colubrinus loveridgei

Reptiles Alive Name: “Tremors”

Hissstory: A friend of Caroline’s donated Tremors to Reptiles Alive in March of 1997.

RA Diet: Defrosted frozen mice.

Natural Diet: Sand boas eat small mammals and lizards.  When food is scarce, sand boas may live over a year without any food at all.

Range: Kenyan sand boas are found in Northeast Africa.

Habitat: Sand boas are found in hot, dry deserts.

Size: Sand boas are some of the smallest boa species on Earth.  They typically grow only 1-2 feet long.

Reproduction: Sand boas give live birth to 7-10 young after a gestation period of about four months.

Lifespan: Sand boas can live over 15 years.  Tremors was born in 1997 – and he is still in great shape!

Cool Facts: The eyes and nostrils of the sand boa are on the top of the head so they can breath and search the surface for prey while the rest of their body lies hidden beneath the sand.

Mexican Blood Leg Tarantula

Aphonopelma bicolouratum

Reptiles Alive Name: “Chewbacca”

Hissstory: Chewie was one of 8 tarantulas, one scorpion, and one savannah monitor lizard that were rescued from a house fire by Fairfax County Animal Control in April of 2006.  Due to zoning laws, the owner was not allowed to have his animals returned to him, so we were given custody of all of the rescued animals.

RA Diet: Chewie’s favorite food are crickets.

Natural Diet: Tarantulas will eat insects, birds, lizards, and even small mammals.

Range: Mexican blood leg tarantulas are native to Mexico and South Texas.

Habitat: Blood leg tarantulas are found in deserts where they spend most of their time hiding in burrows.

Size: Blood legs are a relatively small tarantula, growing to about 3 1/2 to 5 inches

Lifespan: Female tarantulas can live over 30 years – males do not live nearly as long.

Reproduction: Tarantulas construct a golf ball sized egg sac out of silk. The female tarantula will care for her eggs by turning the egg sac on a regular basis. One egg sac may contain over two thousand eggs.

Conservation: Tarantulas form a vital part of the desert’s food web.   They control insect populations by eating them, and then, tarantulas are eaten by other animals such as lizards, birds, and mammals.

Cool Facts: Tarantulas rarely harm humans. They prefer to use the itchy hairs on their abdomen to irritate any animal that bothers them. The venom from tarantulas found in North America is not any more dangerous to people than bee venom.  The best thing to do whenever you see an animal is to just leave it alone.

Nelson’s Milk Snake

Lampropeltis triangulum nelsoni

Milkshake the Milk Snake

Reptiles Alive Name: “Milkshake”

Hissstory: We received Milkshake from a reptile rescue group in 2004.

RA Diet: Milkshake does not actually drink milkshakes.  He much prefers defrosted frozen mice.

Natural Diet: Milk snakes have a varied diet including birds, small mammals, lizards, and other snakes – even venomous snakes!

Range: Nelson’s milk snakes are found in Mexico and Central America.

Habitat: Nelson’s milk snakes live in dry woodlands and rocky areas.  They spend most of their time hiding underground in burrows or rock crevices.

Size: Nelson’s milk snakes can grow 14-18 inches long.

Life Span: Milk snakes can live 15 years or more.

Reproduction: Female milk snakes lay 3-8 eggs in July.  The eggs typically begin hatching in September.

Cool Facts: Only mammals drink milk, so why name a snake a “milk snake?”  No one knows for sure how the milk snake got its name, but some people believe that when the first Europeans began settling in the eastern United States a farmer saw a snake biting the udder of a cow.  It is physically impossible for a snake to milk a cow. Perhaps the cow had stepped on the snake and the snake was trying to get the cow to move.

The milk snakes include species and sub-species living throughout North, Central, and South America.  They range in color, but most have a “tri-color” pattern of red, black, and yellow or white bands around their body.  Although this pattern makes them similar in appearance to the venomous coral snakes, milk snakes are completely harmless to humans.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

Gromphadorhina portentosa

Reptiles Alive Name: Too many to name

Hissstory: Our first few hissing roaches were donated to us by Long Branch Nature Center in Arlington, VA.  Within a few months, we had lots, lots more.

RA Diet: Chopped leafy greens, vegetables, monkey chow, dogfood, fruit, leftovers. (Hey, they are roaches they like leftovers!)

Natural Diet: Roaches are scavengers – they will eat dead and decaying plants and animals laying on the forest floor.

Range: Madagascar

Habitat: Hissing roaches live in the tropical rain forests of Madagascar.

Size: Hissing roaches are a relatively a large roach, growing to about 3 inches.

Lifespan: Hissing roaches live for about two years.

Reproduction: Male hissing roaches have two large bumps on the tops of their heads. They use them to battle for females just like goats do. After mating, females will keep the eggs inside her body until they hatch. Gestation is 60-70 days. Females have about 30 young

Conservation: Cockroaches are one of the most important species on our planet!  As decomposers, they create soil by eating decaying plants and animals.  Without decomposers like cockroaches, plants and trees could not grow.  Without plants and trees, animals and humans could not survive.  So, you might not want to live with, hug, or kiss a cockroach, but cockroaches are a super important animal.

Cool Facts: Hissing roaches produce a hissing noise by pushing air through holes in their abdomen. There are at least five different hisses.  Different hisses are used in courtship, to defend territory, and warn of danger.

Haitian Roach or Death’s Head Roach

Reptiles Alive Name: We have too many to name!

Hissstory: Our colony came from a few roaches given to us by a zoo.   They multiplied quickly!

Reptiles Alive Diet: Greens, monkey food, vegetables, dog food, fruit, leftovers. (Hey, they are roaches they like leftovers!)

Natural Diet: Just about ANYTHING! Roaches are scavengers living off of dead and decaying plants and animals. Hungry?

Range: Florida, the Caribbean,  and Central America

Habitat: Roaches can survive pretty much anywhere within their range.

Size: Haitian  roaches are relatively large as roaches go – they can grow to about 3 inches.

Lifespan: Haitian roaches can live for about two years.

Reproduction: Roaches breed constantly. Females will lay an egg sac which looks like stacks of CD’s.   She will then suck them back up into her body in order to incubate them.  Totally weird!

Conservation: Roaches play an important role in the natural world.  As scavengers, they work as a kind of “clean up crew.”  They are also an extremely important food source for tons of other animals, including birds, frogs, and even baby crocodiles!

Cool Facts: Roaches are sometimes used by engineers  building robots.  The engineers study how the roaches move and try to build robots and computers that can imitate the roaches’ behavior.

Posting by Caroline Seitz

I would like to give thanks today for all the people who have helped Reptiles Alive this year.

Virginia Olin, Brenda Parker, Jack House and all the others who have graciously saved and donated newspapers to us all year – you help form the base of our animal collection.

Dr. Anne Hiss, Dr. Emily Hoppmann, and Dr. David Crum – thank you for helping us treat sick and injured reptiles here at Reptiles Alive.  We could not do it without your expertise in reptile and wildlife medicine.

Suzanne D’Alonzo  and the staff of the Alexandria Animal Welfare League- you work so hard to save injured, stray, and abandoned animals of all species, including reptiles.  Truly, I appreciate your being there for reptiles.

Bonnie Keller  – thank you for caring for so many of the confiscated and abandoned reptiles that have no where else to go.

Janis Geritts  and Reade Harbitter – thank you for taking time out of your busy Keeper schedule at the National Zoo to give us “behind the scene” tours.  Great Fun!

Aaron Pennington – I could not be writing this right now without all the help you give us in the computer and technology department.  You are SO KIND to help us when our computers and related equipment stop working.  We are completely dependent on you.  We are at your mercy.

Jennifer Rafter – we miss you!  Thank you for being a part of the Reptiles Alive team for so long, you were here almost from the very beginning.  We will visit you often at your new Delmarva Discovery Center.  We can’t wait to see the sturgeon, gar and all the reptiles and amphibians you will exhibit.  Turn the DDC into the Reptiles Alive Discovery Center

Tony Bulmer – whew, thank goodness you are willing to work so tirelessly almost every weekend! Your skills and professionalism as a wildlife educator help to make Reptiles Alive a success.  You have been with us now for almost 8 years!  And we don’t know what we would do without you.  Thank You.

Rachel Walker – You are an integral part of our team.  Night shows, weekend shows, summer shows.  Big shows, little shows.  Cub scouts, schools, birthdays – you do them all!  You are a talented wildlife educator -  I know because I read all of the fantastic and amazing evaluations all of our clients send in.  And even though it is not your favorite, you are willing to help out in the Keeper department.  You have even spent time entering the data for our Wildlife Exhibitor Permit reports.  I REALLY appreciate that!  Thank you Rachel!

Jennifer Pennington – I can’t even begin to thank you properly for everything you have done for Reptiles Alive.  You help in So Many Ways.  Our website – yep, that is all you.  Our blog – started by you.  Facebook – you again!  Graphic design for just about everything?  Oh, Jen again!  How about your work as a wildlife educator?  Lets see, you spend tons of time preparing for and teaching a ton of after school classes.  That is hard work!  In addition, you perform shows far away, nearby, early in the morning, late at night (including New Years Eve! THANKS!!!!)  You are an amazing and talented wildlife educator, our shows would not be the same with out you.  (We wouldn’t even have Ecosystems Alive – one of our most popular shows!)  And, of  course, you help with everything else.  Keeper Work?  check.  Answer phones? check.  Taking care of the entire organization when I’m away on vacation?  Oh yeah – that too!

One last thank you – To All of our Clients and Fans – we would not be here at all without you!  Thank you all so much.

Happy Holidayssssssssssssss to Everyone from Reptiles Alive

Haitian Brown Tarantula

Phormictopus cancerides

Show Name: ”Charlotte”

Hissstory: Charlotte was transferred to us from another wildlife education organization in 2004.

Zoo Diet: Charlotte eats 1 or 2 crickets every couple of days.

Natural Diet: Tarantulas will eat insects, birds, lizards, and even small mammals.

Touchable: No.

Range: Haitian brown tarantulas naturally occur in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and other parts of the Caribbean .

Habitat: Haitian brown tarantulas enjoy hiding under rocks, in burrows,  and under debris.

Size: Haitian brown tarantulas are big spiders – they sometimes grow 7 to 9 inches in diameter!

Lifespan: Male tarantulas may only live 18-24 months, but females can live much longer,  sometimes, over 20 years.

Reproduction: Tarantulas construct a golf ball sized egg sac out of silk. The female tarantula will care for her eggs by turning the egg sac on a regular basis. One egg sac may contain over two thousand eggs.

Conservation: Tarantulas biggest threat is habitat destruction.  Human fear is also a danger to tarantulas, however, tarantulas rarely harm humans.  Like most wild animals, tarantulas actually fear humans, and will only bite as a defense.  Most species of tarantulas have venom that is no worse than bee venom, so, most tarantulas are harmless to people.

Cool Facts: Spider silk (the stuff spiders make into webs) is stronger than steel.  No, really, it’s true!  Scientists have been trying for years to manufacture enough spider silk to manufacture items such diverse items as clothing and cable to make bridges out of.    So far, no one has figured out how make enough spider silk to make anything other than a really expensive scarf.  But maybe someday you could be wearing spider clothes while driving over a spider bridge!

Giant Madagascar Hognose Snake

Leioheterodon madagascariensis

Mr. Leo Heterodon the Giant Madagascar Hognose Snake

Show Name: “Mr. Leo Heterodon”

Hissstory: Mr. Leo was a pet in Chincoteague, VA until his owner did not want him anymore.  He was sent to a reptile rescue group in western Virginia where, in 2002, we adopted him.

Touchable in our shows: YES.

Zoo Diet: Mr. Leo loves to dine on frozen and then defrosted medium to large sized rats.  Delicioussssssssssss!

Natural Diet: Madagascar hognose  snakes in the wild will eat small mammals, amphibians, and possibly small birds.

Range: Madagascar

Habitat: Madagascar hognose snakes are found in mountain forests at low altitudes, coastal areas, and grasslands often near water and human habitation.  They spend most of their time hiding in shallow burrows or rocky crevices.

Size: Madagascar hognose snakes can grow over 5 feet long and are very heavy-bodied.

Life Span: Madagascar hognose snakes can live over 20 years.

Reproduction: The females snakes lay 6-12 eggs.  The young hatch in 60-80 days and are about 12 inches long.

Conservation: Habitat loss is a major threat to most animals found in Madagascar.

Cool Facts: Giant Madagascar hognose snakes are opistoglyphous, which means they have fangs in the back of their mouth.  Their mild venom is not dangerous to humans, but it helps them catch their prey.  When Madagascar hognose snakes are threatened, they hiss loudly and can flatten their neck – like a cobra!

Desert Kingsnake

Lampropeltis getula californiae

Show Name: “Reno” and “Tahoe”

Hissstory: Reno was found slithering down a street in Annandale, VA – not his natural habitat!  He was either an escaped or abandoned pet, so we gave him a home.  Our albino desert kingsnake Tahoe was an unwanted pet that we adopted.

Touchable in our Shows? Yes.

Reno the Desert Kingsnake

Zoo Diet: We feed our kingsnakes delicious and nutritious frozen and defrosted mice.

Natural Diet: Kingsnakes eat snakes, lizards, birds, eggs and rodents.

Range: Desert kingsnakes are found in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Oregon.

Habitat: Desert kingsnakes may be found in rocky outcrops and clumps of vegetation in chaparral or desert environments.

Size: Desert kingsnakes grow 24-60 inches long.

Tahoe, the Albino Desert Kingsnake

Lifespan: Kingsnakes can live to be over 20 years old.

Reproduction: Females lays 2-24 eggs which hatch in about 2 months.

Cool Facts: The kingsnake is the “king of snakes” because it will eat other snakes – even venomous rattlesnakes! Scientists believe kingsnakes have immunity to the venom of the rattlesnakes found in their own home range,  so the kingsnake can be bitten and envenomated with no ill effects.