Animals at Home Network

Are you ready for a new reptile? In this episode, Lori of Behavior Education, Mariah from Reptifiles, and Tyson from Habitats at Home discuss key considerations for keepers to contemplate prior to bringing home a new reptile. This episode is perfect for both new and experienced keepers. We discuss mistakes we've made in the past and provide advice on how to keep reptiles successfully.  DOWNLOAD PD...

Eric Burke is the most recognizable voice in the reptile podcasting niche. Eric has been the host of Morelia Python Radio for nearly a decade and has recorded 100’s of episodes. In this episode, we chat about his early days keeping reptiles, why he started MPR, and how his hobby has evolved over time. We also discuss how a herping trip to Australia in 2018 caused Eric’s perspective to shift away f...

Nick Mark aka Mr. Vivarium joins us on today's episode to discuss plants! Nick recommends plant species for both tropical and arid vivs, he lays out common mistakes made, how to quarantine and treat plants for pests, substrate mixes, and more! Nick also discusses a Central American Biotope that he has in the works as well as a new reptile-related business he is launching. SHOW NOTES: https://www.a...

In the bonus episode, I chat with Roy Camacho who is both a new ball python keeper and a listener of the podcast. Roy tells us how he got into keeping ball pythons, and how YouTube has influenced his care. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/bonus-roy-camacho/

Ashley Dezan is the founder and owner of Northern Lights Reptile Imports. In this episode, Ashley tells us the story of how she started her business and gives us the “day-in-the-life” of a reptile importer. She also explains what CITES is, how it impacts herpetoculture, and what she has to do to ensure she complies with the regulations. We also discuss the ethics of importing WC reptiles. SHOW NOT...

I have finally finished creating my Patreon Page. In this short bonus episode of the podcast, I briefly lay out who the Patreon page will work and what that means for the future of the podcast! JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathome

Dr. Tariq Abou-Zahr MRCVS is an exotic vet and long-time reptile keeper out of the UK. In this episode, we discuss when our reptiles should be taken to the clinic, how often they should have health check-ups and common health issues seen in herpetoculture. We also chat about Tariq's collection, breeding projects, as well as his opinion on minimum snake enclosure size and morphs.  SHOW NOTES: https...

Tyson is the creator of the popular Instagram account @Doc. Merten and the owner of the custom reptile enclosure business, Habitats at Home. In this episode, we discuss Tyson's history with reptiles and enclosure construction, how to use natural history as a framework for enclosure design, and current issues with the way herpetoculture approaches bioactivity.  SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathome...

Chain pet stores typically have a bad reputation within the reptile hobby. In this episode, I chat with an employee of a chain pet store to discuss what working there is like from the perspective of a hobbyist. We discuss the many mistakes chain pet stores make that lead to misinformation and my guest provides solutions that retailers could implement to improve. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsatho...

Is rack keeping ethical? On today's bonus episode of the podcast, Liam Sinclair of Reptiles & Research and long time keeper/breeder Michelle Verheyden debate this question. Does rack keeping sacrifice reptile welfare? Is rack keeping ever okay? Is rack keeping gold standard husbandry for some species? Is it a necessary evil in order to produce reptiles at a competitive price? Listen now to hear ho...

Cooper  Van Der Wal is a biologist, zookeeper, and the creator behind the popular YouTube Channel, Coop's Reptiles. In this episode, we discuss his role at the Australian Reptile Park and University lizard lab. Cooper also discusses the strict rules that regulate the Australian reptile hobby and whether or not they are effective. Plus we chat about his private collection, breeding projects, and Yo...

Tom Crutchfield is undoubtedly one of the most well-known names in American Herpetoculture. As one of my previous guests put it, "what Tom hasn't done in the hobby, isn't worth doing". The most fascinating thing about Tom is despite his vast amount of experience in the hobby, he still continues to remain open-minded and allow the reptiles to teach him new things daily. In the episode, we discuss h...

Cory Aymar of Toothless Reptiles is back! In this episode, Cory fills us in on the massive monitor breeding facility he built in his front yard. He discusses the challenges and successes he has had with the building and of course, we chat about his success breeding various (Lace), salvator (Water), and the elusive salvadorii (Crocodile). SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/74-cory-aym...

In this short bonus episode,  I discuss the hedonic treadmill, how it negatively impacts keepers, and how we can overcome it. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/bonus-hedonic-treadmill/

Zac Loughman, Ph. D. is a professor of biology at West Liberty University. In this episode, Zac breaks down his most recent paper: "Utilization of Natural History Information in Evidence based Herpetoculture". We discuss how reptile natural history can be used to develop husbandry practices, where folklore husbandry came from as well as how to bridge the gap between academics and hobbyists.  SHOW...

In this Round Table discussion, we cover the topic of accessing natural reptile behavior in captivity. Of course, seeing our captive reptiles display natural behavior is the foundation of good husbandry, but the question is which behaviors do we want to see? Surely we do not want every possible natural behavior to be present in a captive setting. Wild-type behaviors do not always equal to higher w...

In this episode of the podcast, I chat with Nick Bella a private anaconda keeper, as well as Troy Bumgardner a Zookeeper out of the Denver Zoo. The main focus of our discussion is two-fold: 1) appropriate enclosure size for large constrictors and 2) appropriate feeding, including fasting and food cycling for large constrictors. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/72-anaconda/

Sam Perrett of Herp HQ returns to the podcast to discuss the development of an advanced lighting system that he has been working on for the past several months. This system allows for a completely automated light cycle including sunrise/sunset, day length, solar noon, light intensity and temperature, and more! It is an incredible device, Sam walks us through how it works and how he developed it! S...

Anthony Pierlioni is the Senior Director and Vice President of the TurtleRoom, as well as the host of The Pondcast and Turtley Devoted. In this episode, we discuss turtle conservation including the work done at the TurtleRoom, we cover the importance of communicating effectively with each other through online discourse, and finally, Anthony provides some advice for maintaining a healthy relationsh...

Francis Cosquieri is a reptile keeper out of the UK and is a literal reptile encyclopedia! He maintains a collection of 170+ reptiles and does so with some very impressive self-imposed rules. Most notably, every snake must be kept in an enclosure at least as long as their body, and all animals must have access to UVB. If you believe the only way to keep a large collection is by racking & stacking,...

On today's Roast Session we discuss our progression as reptile keepers and YouTube creators, we cover if keeping venomous snakes in racks is ethical, and we also discuss the concept of setting goals for yourself in the hobby! How much should a snake cost? We also discuss the implications that inexpensive snakes have on animal (and human) welfare. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/2-...

Are you aware of the Ball Python epidemic that currently plagues the hobby? Today’s guest, Elijah Snyder breaks down everything we need to know about the ball python nidovirus. Nidovirus is a highly contagious family of viruses that affects many of the common snake species kept in the hobby, especially pythons. Elijah discusses methods of managing the virus, testing, quarantining procedures, and m...

Is Bio-active husbandry the gold standard of reptile care? Are there cons to going bio-active? What responsibility do Pet & Reptile content creators on YouTube have to ensure they are providing good information? Welcome to the first episode of the new series: Round Table Discussions! On Today’s episode, we are joined by Liam Sinclair of Reptiles and Research, Joseph Brabin of JTB Reptiles, and Har...

In this episode, my great uncle (Ken Broom) tells us the stories of growing up and catching snakes in Africa, these will be some of the most insane stories you’ll EVER hear. From catching snakes in mid-air while they flee from fruit trees to catching some of the fastest striking snakes mid-strike. Uncle Ken has lived an adventurous life throughout Africa and has had some hair raising stories to go...

As Mike Tytula drove his way across Canada to move to his new home in Ontario he made a quick stop in Winnipeg to record an impromptu episode of the podcast! In this episode, we discuss Mike's history with YouTube, how he got started in the hobby, his herping experience in Costa Rica, the best plants to use for your vivariums, and much more! SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/67-mike...