Animals at Home Network

Tom Moran of Tom’s Big Spiders is today’s guest! Tom’s Big Spiders is a blog, YouTube Channel and Podcast. Tom is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to the tarantula hobby. In this episode, Tom tells us the story of how he initially started in the hobby as an arachnophobe with a single spider and how that snowballed into a 100+ spider collection. We also discuss the reasons behind start...

Dr. Kelsey Chapman brings us stories from her vet clinic in Calgary, Alberta. Dr. Chapman provides advice for those considering a career in the field of veterinary medicine. We also discuss surgical operations on reptiles, her best/worst days in the clinic and common health issues found in the reptile industry. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/34-dr-kelsey-chapman/

Roy Arthur Blodgett was one of the first individuals in the USA to hatch a captive clutch of Amazon Puffing Snake eggs ( Spilotes sulphureus).  In this episode, Roy tells the story of how he acquired his first pair of puffing snakes as a young teenager. We discuss his early days in the hobby, as well as the decade long break he took from it. Roy has re-entered the hobby with a very conscientious m...

Is a career in an animal-focused field still on the table without a university degree? Mallory Lindsay is a conservationist, an educator, and a content producer. In the episode, Mallory tells us how she began on her path to becoming a conservationist and educator. She provides great advice for those of us who want to pursue an animal-related career but don't have university credentials to back it...

Josh Jones is PIJAC's deputy director, government affairs and staff liaison to the Herp Committee. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) is an organization that helps keep the pet industry healthy and functioning. Specifically, PIJAC focuses on animal welfare, responsible pet ownership, environmental stewardship and the protection of our right to own pets. In the episode, Josh and I disc...

Josh Halter is the owner and founder of The BioDude, a company that focuses on bio-activity in the reptile and amphibian hobby. In this episode, we cover the full range of bio-active questions starting with setting up your first bio-active vivarium to more advanced topics such as bio-active for snakes and arid climates. Josh also shares the story of his journey from closing his frog breeding compa...

In this episode, Sam Perrett goes into great detail about lighting and heating. These two related topics are often misunderstood and misused in the reptile hobby. Replicating the sun is an extraordinarily difficult task. However, almost every living thing on the planet uses the sun as an energy source, therefore, it is our duty to continue to advance the hobby towards better use of light and heat....

Ryan McVeigh is the brand manager of Zilla, the popular reptile supply company. However, that is only one of the many hats Ryan wears within the reptile hobby. This episode is a must-listen if you are part of a herpetological society or are planning on founding one. Ryan explains what makes the herp society he founded (Madison Area Herp Society) one of the most successful herp societies in the cou...

In this bonus episode of The Animals at Home Podcast I chat with an individual who left a critical and rude comment on one of my videos. I reached out to her to see if we could work out our differences through verbal conversation rather than a keyboard war in the YouTube comments. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/bonus-rude-commenter/

Can snakes be trained? It is commonly believed that reptiles are not capable of complex learning or behavior.  Peter Amelia is the Director of Training and Media at Reptelligence, an organization that promotes low-stress handling, husbandry, veterinary care, and housing for reptiles living in human care, with a focus on the use of behavioral and environmental enrichment and training through positi...

The reptile industry should be in a consent state of evolution. This week Forrest Fanning and I discuss the current state of the reptile hobby including methods each individual hobbyist can use to level up the reptile industry. Reptek, Forrest's reptile company, features a wide variety of species including tree monitors, crocodile monitors, green tree pythons and abronia lizards. He also runs a ro...

Misinformation and folklore on the internet is a major issue within the reptile hobby. What information should you believe? Who should you trust? Mariah Healey is solving this problem with, ReptiFiles. ReptiFiles is a blog designed to promote proper reptile husbandry. Mariah has gone to extraordinary lengths in order to write and publish extremely thoroughly and informative care guides for reptile...

John Courteney-Smith MRSB is the Head of Science and Innovation at Arcadia Reptile. He is also the author of 4 very popular reptile care books including a guide to MBD, Reptile and Amphibian Nutrition, Bio-Activity and the Theory of Wild Re-Creation and his latest book, Fire: The Sun, Its Use and Replication in Reptile Keeping. Both this conversation and John’s books have been a massive influence...

Jenna Cole is a Biologist working in Invasive Species Management in the Florida Everglades. There is a multitude of invasive reptile species in the Everglades and almost all can be attributed to the pet trade. Jenna discusses her research which focuses on the Argentine Black and White Tegu, an animal with a thriving invasive population in Florida. Jenna tells us about her dietary research, as well...

In this episode, I discuss the method I used to introduce my young (and small) Jungle Carpet Python to his new and very large enclosure. I chat about the common myth we hear in the hobby: "small snakes fail to thrive in large enclosures due to stress." I discuss where I believe this myth stems from and how we can push the hobby away from myth-based care towards fact-based care.  Of course, you can...

Have you ever wondered what it is like to live in Africa? This episode we spoke with Bryce Broom of Righteous Reptiles. Bryce is a young, enthusiastic YouTuber with a passion for sharing footage of the native wildlife in his home country, South Africa. If you have ever wanted to travel to Africa… this episode will only add to your desire to visit this incredible continent. In the episode, we discu...

Today I chatted with Sarah Dunsmore, the co-owner of CDE Cages. CDE Cages is a small, family-owned cage manufacturing company out of Omaha, Nebraska. CDE Cages has been manufacturing animal cages since 1984 and they specialize in high-quality, hand made caging systems.  CDE Cages offer open-air, lightweight, waterproof designs that are easily assembled. The cages can be completely customized for y...

Crosstown Exotics is a reptile and bug show that travels throughout Chicagoland providing hands-on education entertainment and the owner, Colin Langenderfer joins me on this episode. Throughout the episode, we discuss Colin's extensive reptile collection, which includes an alligator, anacondas and a Caiman lizard, we chat about Crosstown Exotics business model including the pros and cons of operat...

Our guest for this episode is Jordan Jones aka @JJsReptileWorld on Instagram. Jordan is a Reptile Educator, Herpetologist & Rehabilitator and she is also the creator of ReptoRub, an all-natural de-shedding agent. In the episode, Jordan tells me about her experience working in vet/ rehabilitation centers, we place specific focus on some of the major problem areas of our hobby as well as chat about...

Kaeli Swift, Ph. D. joins us today to discuss her research on a genus of bird you are certainly familiar with. The genus is Corvus and birds within this genus include, crows, ravens, rooks, and jackdaws. In the episode Dr. Swift tells us about her fascinating research on crow behavior, including how crows respond to dead crows, she explains the concept of “crow funerals”, as well as some of the mo...

Sterrin Smalbrugge is a Dutch ecologist and herpetologist, you may recognize her social media handle @sterrinswildworld. After learning of the death of her hero Steve Irwin as a young child, Sterrin made a promise to Steve and to herself to pursue a life of wildlife conservation. Sterrin has worked in Ivory Coast studying the effects of climate change on crocodilian species, and she has also studi...

This episode we are chatting with Renata Carlseen of Reptile Function. Renata specializes in Cyculra (Rock Iguanas) and Delicatissima (Lesser Antillean Iguana). Iguana delicatissima, in particular, is an endangered species with very low numbers in both the wild and captivity. Renata happens to be one of the only people in North America successfully breeding these animals. Successful captive breedi...

This week our guest is Cory Aymar of Toothless Reptiles! Toothless Reptiles is a Varanus Salvator Water Monitor breeding operation in California specializing in Black Dragons i.e. melanistic water monitors. Cory is an incredibly intelligent and interesting individual and he proves that through his work. Toothless Reptiles is a passion-driven hobby and Cory is constantly pushing the envelope to dis...

Jana Bell is the Founder of the Amazon Rainforest Conservancy (ARC). In 2011, Jana traveled to South America and for the first time, visited the Amazon Rainforest. Her life would forever be changed from this moment onward. Jana tells us the story of the why she felt compelled to start a rainforest conservation charity as well as the struggles experienced along the way. ARC currently has 3500 acres...

This week we are talking venom with the Director of the Kentucky Reptile Zoo, Kristen Wiley! The Kentucky Reptile Zoo is owned and operation by Kristen and her husband, Jim Harrison, and is home to one of the largest venomous reptile collections in North America.  In the episode, Kristen discusses a day in the life at the zoo including the daily maintenance and extractions of the venomous snakes....