Animals at Home Network

What would happen if you converted an underground cistern into a giant aquarium for a group of American Eels (Anguilla rostrata)? Nick Tobler is a long-time fish and reptile keeper out of Kentucky, USA, and has recently gone viral on TikTok with videos showing him converting an old water cistern into a functioning "eel pit". In this episode, Nick discusses how he built the eel pit, his fascination...

Adam Trimmings is a UK zookeeper and breeder of rare and expensive forest dragons such as Boyd's forest dragon (Lophosaurus boydii) and the Indonesian forest dragon (Lophosaurus dilophus). He also breeds Abronia, green tree pythons and blue tree monitors! In this episode we dive into their peculiar care requirements and discuss thermoregulation vs thermoconforming. We also cover the troubles with...

Oleksii Marushchak is the Head of Research & Development at BION Terrarium Center in Kyiv, Ukraine. BION Center started in 1993 as a commercial import-export operation but has since pivoted its focus to captive breeding and prorogation with emphasis on rare and endangered species. In this episode, Oleksii discusses BION's philosophy, how they keep and breed their reptiles, and also their Responsib...

Why do we need species diversity in the reptile hobby? Why did species diversity suffer in the reptile hobby? How can we focus on regaining diversity in a hobby dominated by ball pythons and leopard geckos? Why are beginner species important? This episode has so much to unpack! Please welcome Charles Thompson from Snakes 'N' Adders.    

Gut Loading at its basic level is feeding feeder insects to benefit your reptile nutritionally. But 9/10 reptile keepers miss the finer details that would enable their success. What nutrient profiles do we prioritize? Does the way we house insects influence their nutrition? Are we making mistakes with hydrating our feeders? Does where we place food in the container influence how much they eat? Wha...

In this bonus episode of the podcast, we have the pleasure of welcoming a brand new podcast on the Animals at Home Network! Liam Sinclair and Ellie Hills are the hosts of the Reptiles and Research Podcast which will be available on both the Animals at Home Network (audio-only) and the Reptiles and Research YouTube Channel (video-only). In this episode, Ellie and Liam introduce themselves and let u...

Why isn't there a professional registry for reptiles? Have you ever thought about insuring your group of animals but been denied by insurance companies? Why is indiscriminate inbreeding so popular in herpetoculture and how does this relate to the downfall of many popular dog breeds? All of this and more are discussed in this episode of the podcast! Rain is a long-time reptile keeper, breeder, and...

Ben Owens is a reptile keeper and Ph. D. student out of the UK. and is also the founder and director of Captive and Field Herpetology, an initiative focused on bridging the knowledge gap between herpetofauna in captivity and the wild. In this episode, we discuss how C&FH began as well as how the peer-reviewed journal aspect of the business works, we cover what Ben has learned from time spent in th...

Dr. Frans de Waal is a world-renowned primatologist, most known for his work on the behavior and social intelligence of primates.  Dr. de Waal's first book, "Chimpanzee Politics" is considered one of the most influential works on the topic, and has since authored many other equally important books. He is really one of the great scientists of our time. In this episode, Dr. de Waal discusses his lat...

Rex Colubra is a long-time reptile keeper and the creator of the YouTube Channel, Rex Colurba’s All-Animal Channel. In this episode, Rex walks us through how to bond and connect with your reptiles, including how to tame an aggressive snake. Rex treats each animal as an individual, sentient being, which is the key to building trusting relationships with the animals you interact with. We discuss rep...

Brandon Millichamp is the currently President of The Alberta Reptile and Amphibian Society (TARAS). In this episode, Brandon tells us about his collection including an interesting breeding project he is working on with the 3 species in the Leioheterodon genus (Madagascar hognose). The majority of this conversation is focused on the importance of having a well-function herpetological society in you...

Darcy Madsen of Crab Central Station returns to the podcast to discuss her incredible and compelling journey attempting to do something that has only been done a handful of times in history, breed hermit crabs in captivity! Darcy explains the life cycle of hermit crabs which start out in a microscopic planktonic larval stage and walks us through previous failed breeding attempts. Of course, we als...

Justin Julander PhD. is a reptile keeper and breeder out of Utah. He is also one of the authors of a few popular reptile books including The Complete Carpet Python and the Complete Children’s Python and is a co-host on the Reptile Fight Club Podcast. In this episode, we discuss reptile viruses, the importance of books in herpetoculture, Justin fills us in on some exciting details of the soon to be...

Frank Payne is a biology teacher, former AZA herpetology zookeeper, and the founder of the reptile breeding operation, Living Art by Frank Payne. In this episode, we discuss the importance of both, keeping a wide variety of species and narrowing your focus to a select few. Frank explains why he has decided to focus on small species and the main differences he sees between keepers and breeders. We...

Ricky Johnson is a reptile keeper out of the UK, an admin on the Facebook group, Advancing Herpetological Husbandry, and a content creator for the HerpHQ YouTube Channel. In this episode, Ricky breaks down two of his recent educational videos that were released on HerpHQ. The first video explores the complexities of the reptile mind including, emotional intelligence and problem-solving abilities....

Dr. Kelsey Chapman returns to the podcast to discuss reptile nutrition! In this episode, Dr. Chapman explains how to properly supplement Vitamin A to avoid deficiency and what to look for on your container of "reptile multi-vitamin" prior to using it. She also describes the dangers of over-using grocery store "greens" for herbivorous reptiles, specifically land tortoises, whether or not water shou...

Colin Cassin and Jenna White are two team members of the Invasive Species Centre out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In this episode, we discuss the type of work done by the ISC, and the magnitude of the invasive species problem in Canada including specific examples. Colin and Jenna also discuss the ISC's "Don't Let It Loose" campaign which aims to help educate pet owners on the dangers of releasing...

Mat Van Geothem is an absolute legend, he's a guy who spends his life looking for reptiles in the wild all over the world. Today we get to hear some of the incredible adventures Mat has been been on and we can live vicariously through him. How can we do better and increase the level of care for our animals, this episode might just give you an idea of the answer.

Marley Peifer stopped by the podcast to discuss the practice of nature journaling. Nature journaling is a unique and profound way to interact with both the natural world and the captive animals you keep at home. In this episode, Marley explains how he discovered natural journaling, how he uses it and provides tips and advice for beginners looking to start journaling themselves. SHOW NOTES: https:/...

Tyler Rugge is a popular YouTube creator and one of the early so-called "PetTubers". In this episode, we discuss how Tyler found himself in the PetTube world, we discuss the pressures of having a large audience, dealing with internet negativity, and the dangers of getting into a cycle of buying new animals to fuel content. Tyler tells us about his large group of animals, the breeding projects he a...

​ Mike Tytula of Alpha Reptile returns to the podcast to share incredible stories from his herping trip to Costa Rica with Adam Wickens from  Wickens Wicked Reptiles , Dayyan Saylany of  Reptiliatus , and videographer, Nadim. Mike tells us about their journey through the various rainforest ecosystems of Costa Rica on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides of the country as well as a short trip into...

Dr. Connor Long is a veterinarian and long-time reptile keeper out if California. In this episode, we discuss how going through vet school changed the way Connor practices herpetoculture, including how to avoid one of the most common reasons for death in captive reptiles. Dr. Long also talks about an incredible arid bioactive setup he created for his leopard gecko. He tells us about the aspects of...

Chris Leone founded Garden State Tortoise in 2011 with his wife Casey. Garden State Tortoise is a breeding facility, a rescue, and a permanent home for many different species of turtle and tortoise. In this episode, Chris discusses how GST started and the type of work they do today. He tells us about Otis, the incredible Eastern Box Turtle that recently went viral on YouTube as well as a mysteriou...

Jeff and Maddox Stewart are a father and son duo who share a passion for herpetoculture. In this episode, we discuss the powerful bond that can be established between family members through herpetoculture. Jeff tells us how important it was for him to foster Maddox's interests and Maddox explains the pros and cons of sharing the hobby with his dad. of course, we also discuss how they got into rept...

Scott and Tie Eipper are a husband and wife team who run the wildlife-based business, Nature 4 You out of Queensland, Australia. Scott and Tie are also authors having written husbandry guides for keeping amphibians and venomous snakes as well as several naturalist guides for the reptile and amphibian species of Australia. In the episode we discuss, protocols for keeping venomous snakes including f...