Reptiles



		I first got interested in snakes after a visit to Paignton Zoo where we went to one of their regular 'meet a snake' events. Having talked Carol round to owning a snake, a fair bit of research on the internet and talking to a very helpful chap in the only shop in Exeter at the time that dealt with reptiles, I decide that a Bairds Ratsnake would be our first snake.

				This isn't a photo of Buzzette but is a good example of a Bairds showing the overall silver colouration with the black ventral lines and the orange skin which make them quite an attractive animal. Buzzette inherited her name from her propensity when disturbed to vibrate her tail on the bottom of her housing making a vibrating noise. This would be a useful trait to have in the wild as a potential predator would likely be put off from snacking on what sounds like a rattlesnake.

		Unfortunately like most blokes and their hobbies Carol found that for me one of a thing isn't as good as two, and after a good deal of pleading and housework type promises I was given the go-ahead to get another snake. What I really wanted was something that was more relaxed than Buzzette, who was an active hunter always on the move, I wanted more of a lap snake. After more research on the internet etc I settled on a Royal Python. These are ambush feeders, basically waiting for a meal to walk past them, rather than active hunters, so are not particularly lively snakes who are happy to stay in one place. Whilst researching these snakes I quickly learned that at the time the vast majority available in pet shops were caught in large numbers in the wild and shipped over to take their chances of survival in over-cramped unsuitable conditions on cargo boats. Because of this, those that do make it into pet shops are usually stressed and loaded with parasites, both internal and external. Obviously I didn't want to support this unethical trade or end up with a snake that could potentially be dead within weeks, so I was determined to buy a captive bred python. Whilst I knew that snakes had forked tongues I wasn't expecting pet shop staff to be similarly equipped.

				Joka (Swahili - 'Big Snake') was our first Royal Python. Despite being assured by the shop where we bought her from that she was captive bred it became obvious that she wasn't. The best evidence was from the scars on her body which would have been obtained by reluctant prey, evaded predators, the process of being captured & shipped. We also found traces of snake mites which we treated her for and took her to be treated for internal parasites as a precaution. Joka like all of our Pythons had a unique personality, she was very shy although not adverse to being handled and like most wild caught specimens would not always feed readily.

		I soon fell in love with Joka (sorry Carol) she would spend hours wrapped round various limbs (and on occasion my neck) seemingly taking pleasure from the warmth she obtained and occasionally treating me to a massage when she decided to curl up a bit tighter. About this time I joined the local Herpetological Society (South Western Herpetological Society - SWHS) and realised that I wanted to try and aid the plight of these animals as best I could. The much neglected Buzzette had to go and I managed to sell her to someone who worked in the same set of offices as me (step up Jane) who thought that she would be able to give an orphan a home. Far from just giving Buzz a home Jane also found her a mate and has successfully bred Bairds for a number of years since. Much more research later I was able to find out exactly what these snakes needed in terms of housing, climate etc, so that I could build an ideal enclosure for Joka and her soon to be mate. I thought that it would be a shame to waste my research and so put together a care sheet which was published on the internet on my own site, a UK reptile site, the SWHS newsletter, and I was thrilled to receive a request from the Surrey Herpetological Society to publish my work in their newsletter. The plan was to find a mate for Joka with the hope of breeding our own captive bred Royal Pythons to make our own contribution in denting the market for wild caught pet store fare. However once again I fell prey to another pet stores salesman's patter and instead of a captive bred male discovered I had bought another female and one that was more than likely farmed (see the care sheet).

				Despite not being exactly what we wanted Kipenzi (Swahili - 'Pet') was a lovely animal, where Joka was shy and retiring, Kipenzi was boisterous and outgoing. I did a number of 'show and tell' type sessions with the SWHS covering the Dawlish Carnival and other venues and Kipenzi was the one you could rely on to be the star of the show. Joka would become obviously stressed within 10 minutes of being poked and prodded, but Kipenzi would take it all in her stride.

				This is a photo of Joka (front) and Kipenzi on the back of a cane peacock chair. For some reason they really loved to climb on this chair and would actively seek it out if let loose in the living room ignoring all the obvious dark hiding places under the other furniture.

				After a while of being a little more closely involved with the 'reptile circuit' I got to know of reputable breeders and developed contacts around the country which is how the two captive bred males Kipiri and Kianga came to us. This is Kipiri sitting on Carols leg on the way home from collecting him, I caught him mating with Joka once but he wasn't old enough to produce viable sperm at the time so nothing came of it.

		I guess from the above you can tell I was quite passionate about the Pythons. Unfortunately after about 4 years with them I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnoea and related blood pressure problems and no longer felt able to look after them as I wanted to. Once again Jane from work stepped in and re-homed them as by this time she had well and truly caught the reptile bug having more specimens than most semi-specialist shops. I'm happy that they went to a very good home but at times I miss them.

				Another good friend of ours and keen 'misunderstood animal' enthusiast, Shirley, recently emigrated to Australia and asked if we would look after her 2 European Chameleons Micky and Mallory. At first we were a little dubious but after being introduced to them we were enchanted. They were very laid back creatures and would sit on one hand and take waxworms from your other hand by shooting out their tongues. They enjoyed being let out to clamber around our cheeseplant and in summer they spent some time in the garden waiting for butterflies to get in range. Sadly they didn't last too long with us despite our best efforts but whilst we had them they were a real joy to own.