Superworms (aka Darkling Beetles)

Zophobas morio

Yummy, delicious Superworms!

Reptiles Alive Name: Too many to name!

Hissstory: We purchase our superworms from an insect “farm” that caters to zoos and other animal related organizations.

RA Diet: Our superworms dine on oatmeal, whole wheat bread, greens and other veggies.

Natural Diet: Superworms will eat just about anything.

Range: Zophobas beetles are found in Tropical Central & South America.  (Beetles are found in every continent except Antarctica)

Habitat: They love to hide in rotting logs and leaves.

Size: Superworms can grow to 2 inches long and can be as thick as a pencil.

Lifespan: From egg to beetle, superworms have a total lifespan of about 1 year.

Reproduction: Female darkling beetles lay eggs, which hatch out into tiny, baby superworms. The superworms will molt many times as they grow.  After a few months of growing, they morph into a pupae form, (what I like to call the “alien stage”) and emerge as a black beetle called the darkling beetle.  Superworms will only morph into a pupae form if they are “stressed” such as lacking food and water. The larvae will turn into a pupae when food and water are scarce; a perfect time because pupae do not need to eat or drink. Then, the superworms emerge as beetles at a time when food and water are plentiful.

Conservation: As decomposers, superworms are extremely beneficial recyclers of organic material.   They are also a tasty treat for many animals and, even some humans!

Cool Facts: In many countries, superworms and mealworms are cooked and eaten by humans. They are healthy and a valuable source of protein. Taste a little like almonds. (No really, they are delicious.)

Boa Constrictor

Boa constrictor

Reptiles Alive Name: “Dennis & Sunflower (the albino)”

Hisssstory: Dennis was an unwanted pet left with reptile rescue organization that adopted him to us in October of 2003.   Sunflower came from a special boa constrictor breeding facility in April of 2009.

RA Diet: Frozen, defrosted and then warmed up jumbo sized dead rats.  Yummmmmmmmmmm.

Range: Boa constrictors have an enormous range from Mexico to Argentina.

Habitat: Boa constrictors  live in many habitats:  rain forests, dry tropical woodlands, grasslands, farms, and even urban regions.

Natural Diet: Boa constrictors will consume birds,  small mammals, and occasionally reptiles.

Size: The boa constrictor grows to an average length of 9 feet. Record length was 13 feet 1 inch. (The biggest snake, the anaconda, is a type of boa.)

Reproduction: Females give live birth of up to 50 babies at a time.

Lifespan: Boa constrictors are  long living snakes and can live for 40 years.

Conservation: Threats include:  human predation, roads, habitat loss and the pet trade. This is one of  the most commonly abandoned pet snakes.   Boa constrictors  get large, requiring custom built reptile enclosures, high heat and humidity, and food is not often found at the local grocery store!  Not a good pet choice for most people.

Cool Facts: Boa constrictors are the kings and queens of the jungle.  Most rain forest animals are adapted to live in a specific layer of the forest.  For example:  Amazon river turtles live in the river, giant toads live on the forest floor,  and iguanas live in the canopy.  Boa constrictors, however, are adapted for living in all the layers of the jungle.  Like all snakes, they swim, so you can find them in the river.  Their beautiful colors give them camouflage that makes them almost invisible while resting quietly on the forest floor.  And, boa constrictors love to hang out in the canopy!  The boa constrictor is the master of the rain forest.

Its hard to believe, but Reptiles Alive has been around for over 15 years.  Even before then, Caroline Seitz was presenting shows as “The Reptile Lady.”  That was well before there was an “Animal Planet” and before there was a huge industry selling reptile products.

In the  early 90′s, Caroline was on the cutting edge of reptile husbandry (the care of captive reptiles) when she hired a cabinet maker to build her some “snake racks.”  Before then, most people kept small or medium size snakes in glass fish aquariums.  Fish aquariums are perfect for fish, but not so good for snakes.  Snakes can easily escape by popping of the top, snakes can injure themselves rubbing on the screen lid, and the aquariums are very heavy and hard to keep clean.

Snake racks, on the other hand, are designed with snakes in mind.  Plastic tubs with holes drilled into the side slide in and out of slots in the rack.  The plastic “drawers” fit perfectly into the slot so there is no way the snake can escape.  The racks are super easy to clean and heat and most snakes and snake keepers love them. (Snakes spend most of their time curled up under a log or down in a nice dark burrow where predators cannot get to them.)  Snake racks provide a perfect hideout for our small ground dwelling serpents, where they snooze or take a  dip in their big water bowls after working a long day of shows.  AHHHH.

The snake rack at Reptiles Alive, however, was now almost 20 years old – and it was driving the RA team crazy!  Back in the 90′s, there were no companies building snake racks – most people had never heard of such a thing.  So the cabinet maker Caroline hired used melamine (particle board sandwiched between sheets of plastic.)  It was a great idea – and really the only material available at the time.  But after 20 years of hard use, the melamine started cracking and the particle board inside swelled.  This caused A LOT of frustration when opening and closing the drawers.

Arrrgh! These drawers are driving me nuts!

We decided it was about time for a brand new snake rack.  So it was OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW!  We ordered a new rack from Animal Plastics and eagerly awaited its arrival.

Ooooh – we were so excited to open these boxes.  Jen started putting the rack together, while Caroline continued to clean and feed all the RA animals.

Jennifer - putting it all together

Later that same day Jen had to present two Ecosystems Alive assembly shows at an elementary school.  She packed up the animals and left.  Luckily, the rack was pretty easy to put together and Rachel came in that afternoon to help out.

Between Caroline, Jennifer and Rachel, all the animals were taken care of, phone calls and emails were answered, school assemblies were performed, an old snake rack was destroyed, and a new snake rack was put together.  WHEW!  What a day!!  It was TOTALLY worth it.

To see a video of our new snake rack, visit the Reptiles Alive Facebook Page.

Russian Tortoise

Testudo horsfieldii

Reptiles Alive Name: “Russiano”

Hissstory: Russiano came to Reptiles Alive in May 2001 when his owner decided tortoises do not make good pets.

RA Diet: Grasses, leafy greens, veggies, and commercial zoo tortoise food pellets.

Natural Diet: Grasses, plants, and flowers.

Range: Central Asia:  Russian Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Western China, and Iran.

Habitat: These hardy tortoises dwell in deserts and dry grasslands with sparse vegetation.

Size: Russian tortoises are relatively small tortoises.  They can grow up to about 8  inches long.

Lifespan: As with many tortoises these can live over 50 years.

Reproduction: Russian tortoises breed soon after they emerge from hibernation. They lay 1-5 large eggs which hatch in 8-12 weeks.

Conservation: Most Russian tortoises sold as pets in the United States have been captured in the wild by commercial animal collectors and then sold into the pet trade.  Due to improper care, most pet tortoises suffer from a variety of diseases, bone deformities,  and many die from lack of care.

Cool Facts: Russian tortoises are great at tunneling and digging.  With their powerful arms and long, tough claws, they are able to dig burrows long enough and deep enough to survive the extreme heat and cold of the dry grasslands and deserts where they live.

Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

Reptiles Alive Name: “Turtle Rex, aka T Rex”

Hissstory: T Rex was abandoned at the Fairfax County animal shelter and was sent to us in 1998.  He was an unwanted pet that grew too big. Even though he is a native reptile, he cannot be released into the wild because we have no information about where he came from or whether he was exposed to exotic turtles or not.

Reptiles Alive Diet: Dead mice, roaches, and crickets.

Natural Diet: Snapping turtles eat nearly anything that makes the mistake of getting close to their powerful jaws: insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, insects, and any kind of carrion.

Range: Snapping turtles have an enormous range.  They can be found from eastern Canada south through most of the central and eastern United States and down through Mexico into Central America.  They are native to the Washington DC area.

Habitat: Snapping turtles will take up residence in almost any body of freshwater including:  ponds, lakes, slow moving rivers, and will even live in artificial water features.  Some populations of snapping turtles also can be found in brackish water including salt marshes.

Size: Common snapping turtles typically grow 8-14 inches, rarely to 19 inches.  They can weigh 10 to 75 pounds.

Lifespan: Snapping turtles can live over 40 years.

Reproduction: Snapping turtles breed from April-November. They typically lay up to 80 eggs in June in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. They will venture far from the water to lay their eggs in a safe, dry place. Eggs hatch in 9-18 weeks depending on the weather. Females have the ability to retain sperm internally and fertilize eggs as needed.

Conservation: Snapping turtles and their eggs are harvested commercially in many parts of the United States as food for humans.  Scientists are currently studying the effects of this harvest on the turtle population.  Due to their high juvenile mortality rate, snapping turtles are not able to reproduce quickly enough to recover from over-harvesting.

Scientists have discovered that snapping turtles in certain areas, like many fish, have high levels of PCB chemicals in their flesh and eggs.  These stored chemicals can be hazardous to humans who eat contaminated turtles and the chemicals will eventually reduce the overall population of turtles.

Cool Facts: While submerged under the water, snapping turtles are not aggressive toward humans.  In fact, they will retreat if they sense a human nearby.  On land, however, they feel vulnerable.  Their shell does not fully protect them, so they “snap” and bite to scare away any threatening figure.  Just remember, they are “scaredy turtles” – if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.  Please don’t try to bother them – how would you feel if a turtle poked a stick at you?  They don’t like it either!