Animals at Home Network

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....

On this episode, Dillon interviews the star of most Snake Discovery videos, Emily. During the interview, Emily tells Dillon, the host, that the channel has completely taken on a life of its own, and its current state is not at all what the original intentions for the channel were. On the podcast, Dillon and Emily also discussed some major issues currently plaguing the hobby. Mainly industrialized...

Marc Ouellette is the founder of Little Res Q, a reptile rescue based out of Ontario, Canada. Little Res Q specializes in Red-eared slider turtles. In the episode, Marc and I discuss the basics of Red-eared slider care, why they make such great pets and also a few of the biggest mistakes new owners make. Red-eared sliders are one of the worst invasive species the reptile hobby is currently having...

Robin Small is the human behind the Instagram account and blog: Ontario Iguanas. In the episode, we discuss Robin's iguana collection, the basics of iguana care as well as some of the biggest mistakes new owners make. Robin's goal with her content is to "Provide a safe and non-judgmental place for people to get any help they may need for their lizard as well as find all the supplies they need to c...

Joey Mullen, aka The king of DIY has joined me for today’s episode! Joey’s life was in a dark place when the fish hobby inspired him to make a drastic, but positive change. In the podcast, we discuss exactly how something like that can occur. In particular, we discuss the responsibility that comes with owning a pet and how important that can be for an individual, especially for an individual who h...

Today's episode is all about environmental enrichment for your reptiles! In the episode I layout the thought process I used when trying to determine if the statement below is true or false. Reptiles require environmental enrichment in order to reach a maximum level of health in captivity. It is our duty as owners to provide that. In the episode, I share plenty of academic sources which support the...

Today, Dr. Jen Moore also known as @DrReptilia on Twitter joined me for a chat! Dr. Moore is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Grand Valley University in Michigan.  The majority of Dr. Moore's research focuses on the conservation of both reptile and amphibian species.  During the episode, Dr. Moore told us about her research in New Zealand studying Tuatara, her study of Lava liza...

Today's episode is with Nancy Miorelli, also known as "SciBugs" on social media. Nancy is an entomologist living in Ecuador and possesses a truly inspirational passion for insects!  In the episode we discuss, insect phobia and where it comes from, tarantulas and other pet trade insects, and Nancy tells me some really mind-blowing insect facts! Show Notes: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/6-sci...

Olympic gold medalist and reptile enthusiast, Kyle Chalmers joined me on the podcast today! Kyle runs the Instagram account @KC_Critters, which showcases daily pictures of his large reptile collection. During our chat, Kyle tells me about his blue tongue skink breeding operation, Australian pet bylaws, and his trip to a Japanese reptile cafe.  SHOW NOTES:  https://www.animalsathome.ca/5-kc-critter...

This episode I am joined by Laerke Rosenberg aka Josser of the popular YouTube channel, JossersJungle! Jossers’ YouTube channel has grown to +40k subscribers in less than 1 year. We discuss her channel’s niche, her large reptile collection and her experience working with elephants in the circus. Josser is a fantastic role model for those who are new to the hobby. She provides clear instructions, s...