Animals at Home Network

In this special bonus episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with María Elena Barragán of Fundación Herpetólogica Gustavo Orcés and Vivarium de Quito in Ecuador. Discussion topics include María Elena's background as a herpetologist, the complexity of keeping herpetofauna on public display, the issue of snakebite in Ecuador, and more! SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/bonus-maria-el...

This week Phil and Roy have a conversation with Troy Bumgardner ( @zookeeper_troy ) of Denver Zoo. Troy is a longtime zookeeper who also has a collection of herpetofauna at home. Discussion topics include bats (!), advantages and disadvantages of zookeeping and private herpetoculture, enrichment, lighting, and more! SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/5-troy-bumgardner/ Follow Troy on...

Phil and Roy have a conversation with Conner Jones ( philothamnus on instagram ). Conversation topics include Conner's roots in herpetoculture and how aquaculture came first for him, trends in herpetoculture, species of interest to Conner, and much much more! SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/4-conner-jones/

John Courteney-Smith MRSB of Arcadia Reptile joins us on the podcast again to the research and development process that is necessary to develop new reptile products. In his episode, we discuss the current state of herpetoculture (both the positives and negatives), new reptile technology, whether or not you should use a substrate divider in your vivaria, and the benefits and criticisms of the Deep...

Project: Herpetoculture hosts Phil and Roy chop it up with Ron St. Pierre. We talk about Ron's history in the trade, we ask Ron some big broad questions about our industry, and what could change in our field in the future. This is an episode for the ages! SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/3-ron-st-pierre/

Fraser Gilchrist gives us a deep dive into why he's had such success breeding Egyptian tortoises, and what their care entails. Is this the best small pet tortoise that many keepers are undervaluing? Also, Fraser goes over his projects with wide-mouth agamas, Angolan pythons, and more. Enjoy. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/7-fraser-gilchrist/

Phil and Roy have a great conversation with the one and only Eric Haycraft (@ casquehead on Instagram). We talk about similarities between Herpetoculture and martial arts, Eric's setups, his ideas around care and progress, how to build a long-term project of lizards, and more! SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/2-eric-haycraft/  

Roy and Phil discuss the launch of the podcast, the goals of the show, and thoughts about herpetoculture broadly. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/1-why-herpetoculture/

Phillip Lietz of Arid's Only and Roy Arthur Blodgett of Wellspring Herpetoctulture are collaborating on a new venture together called Project: Herpetoculture. In this episode, both Phil and Roy update us on their current projects and then we delve into the philosophical principles that govern reptile-keeping. What is the purpose of keeping reptiles? Is it your God-given right to keep reptiles? How...

Francis Cosquieri gives us a deep dive into hognose bites, their venom, the severity and the reality of the situation and likelihood of a bite. This is a hyper detailed discussion of western hognose snake venom that all owners should take head to. Enjoy.

Zuzana and Matej Dolinay are zoologists, filmmakers, and photographers and are also the creators behind the incredibly popular and impressive YouTube Channel, Living Zoology. In this episode, Matej and Zuzana explain how they got started creating wildlife documentaries, and what the process entails from start to finish, including choosing the locations to film in and the species to target. We disc...

Lori Torrini is an animal behaviorist who specializes in snake cognition and training. In this episode, we focus on ball pythons and dispel some of the myths around the species whilst picking the brain of someone who has unlocked her pythons potential. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/5-lori-torrini/

Rom Gonsalves is a South African reptile keeper and breeder, who is currently shifting his focus toward two concepts: 1) Keeping indigenous species and 2) Keeping outdoors. In this episode, Rom describes what it is like to grow up in one of the wildest places in the world and how that influenced his passion for nature and wildlife. Rom tells us about doing house calls for venomous snake removal in...

Francis Cosquieri is a UK keeper and breeder of niche and nerdy species. In particular the african sand snakes of the genus Psammophis. These are small, active and diurnal. Not to mention social and cohabitable!

A few years ago, Amy Benzi had a powerful vision that drew her to two things, Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boas (Corallus batesii) and the rainforest. Fast forward to the present, she has an incredible snake room including a large free range area, a rain chamber, live plants and ample enrichment all for her group of Corallus batesii and she has also been to the South American rainforest on several oc...

Is it ethical to keep large species of reptiles? Is it possible for a private keeper to properly keep reticulated pythons, Burmese pythons, and Asian water monitors? Dougie Smith is a keeper of large species of reptiles and in this episode, he discusses how he tends to these giants. Dougie explains the importance of offering ample space and how he builds large walk-in enclosures, tips for successf...

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...