Animals at Home Network

In this episode, Phil and Roy welcome Eric Haycraft back for a second round! We get into what's changed in Eric's collection since we last had him on the show, discuss the trajectory of learning a species' needs, the potential benefits of cohabitation and mixed species displays, and much more. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer dire...

Zoo Med Laboratories is one of the most well-known reptile product brands on the market. In 1993, Zoo Med created and launched the first-ever reptile-specific UVB lamp and has since been an industry leader in reptile lighting, enclosures, and more. In this episode, we chat with Zoo Med’s Animal Care and Education Director, Ashley, as well as Andrew who is Zoo Med’s Research and Development – Hardw...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Florian Kopp, a passionate keeper out of Germany who focuses on maintaining a large naturalistic greenhouse for his lizards! We get into his background, how he built the greenhouse, his personal philosophy of keeping, and much more. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer direct suppor...

I was lucky enough to have recently been a guest on Tom’s Big Spiders podcast with Tom Moran. Nearly 4 years ago, Tom was a guest on my show and he told me if I ever found myself wanting to get into tarantula keeping to reach out to him so we could record a “beginner question” focused episode for his show. The time has finally come, I have recently become fascinated with tarantulas. In this episod...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with each other! When we set out with P:H, we initially anticipated having more of these one-on-one conversations, but that’s not exactly how it all panned out. Regardless, we’d like to make these more of a regular part of the podcast. In this one, we each share a bit of our experience so far with the podcast, before diving into some broader critique...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Connor Wardle! As always, we briefly discuss Connor’s origins in herpetoculture, before diving into his passion for underrepresented colubrids of the American southwest. We also talk about Connor’s interest in the outdoors and the book he’s currently working on alongside William Huntsman. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this...

Ryan Martinez is a lifelong reptile enthusiast and a current zookeeper at the Miami Zoo. In the episode, Ryan discusses his early days in the alligator-wrestling industry, how it has changed the trajectory of his life, and how he feels about the practice now. Ryan walks us through a day in the life of a Miami zoo keeper, including working on a breeding project for an endangered species of Cyclura,...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with the one and only, Dr. Zac Loughman of West Liberty University! As always, we briefly discuss Zac’s background in herpetoculture, before getting right into it – exploring the central conflicts and tensions within herpetoculture. We also talk about the value of evidence-based husbandry and printed media in the digital age. In terms of subject matt...

Dr. Kevin Arbuckle joins us to talk about folklore husbandry. How he came up with the term, the issues faced within herpetoculture, and how we can move more towards evidence-based husbandry. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/14-dr-kevin-arbuckle/   LINKS FROM THE EPISODE: Support, Subscribe  & Follow: CHECK OUT Custom Reptile Habitats CLICK HERE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST NETWORK: SPO...

Jessica Fennen is the content creator behind the YouTube channel, Jessica’s Animal Friends . Jessica runs a reptile sanctuary that's catered to reptiles with physical and/or neurological disorders. Jessica cares for 30+ leopard geckos, many with lifelong disabilities, most of which related to morph breeding. We discuss the leopard gecko morphs which cause the most issues (enigma, white & yellow, l...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Chris Sharp of Sharpshooter Reptiles! We briefly discuss Chris’ background in herpetoculture, before discussing his collection of beetles, his thoughts on herpetoculture as a whole, and a lot more. This one is a bit goofier and more lighthearted than usual, but has its fair share of deeper terrain covered! Have a listen! And please like, subscri...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Matt Tietgen of Bloody Goannas and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo! We briefly discuss Matt's origins in herpetoculture, before getting into the nitty gritty of his life and work as a dedicated zookeeper and private herpetoculturist. This one has Inland taipans and perenties - enough said! Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episo...

Jennifer Cook of Snake Arts specializes in hyper-realistic snake and lizard sculptures. She is well known in the industry for producing stunning, life-like sculptures and uses her work to create appreciation, and promote conservation and education for the animals we love. She sculpted the beautiful door handles for both IguanaLand and The Chiricahua Desert Museum and her work has also been feature...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Heather Moye of Fairytail Dragons LLC! We briefly discuss Heather's origins in herpetoculture, before diving into her perspective of customer service, and her methods as a breeder of exceptional bearded dragons and other lizards. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer direct support t...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Dan Mulleary of the DM Exotics! We briefly discuss Dan’s beginnings in the trade, before diving into his role as an importer, exporter, and breeder of obscure Southeast Asian herpetofauna. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer direct support to the show, please consider subscribing t...

In this episode, Rus Wilson of Aquarimax Pets gives us a full masterclass on isopods. We discuss which species would make the best display pets, how to set them up, which species work best in both arid and tropical bio-active setups as well as which species might work best as a feeder. Rus walks us through basic care, how to raise successful colonies and their evolutionary history. We warp the epi...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Kamiel Hamers of the Hammerhead Reptiles! We discuss Kamiel's humble beginnings in the trade, what ignited his passion for Uromastyx, why he focuses on desert species, how he has changed and progressed his husbandry over time, and a lot more. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer dir...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Jeremy Thompson of the Kinixys Cooperative! We discuss Jeremy’s early influences in the trade, how he discovered a passion for the genus Kinixys (hingeback tortoises, the role of herpetoculture in conservation, refining and focusing a collection, and a lot more. Jeremy is truly one of a kind and this is an episode with considerable depth. Have a...

Jonathan Hill is the founder of iPardalis, a chameleon breeding operation out of the USA that specializes in producing yellow and red-bodied Ambilobe panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis). In this episode, Jonathan talks us through some incredibly important topics that are crucial when aiming to ethically produce animals. The topics include selling fertilized chameleon eggs, keeping babies in gro...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Allen Repashy - a man who truly needs no introduction in herpetoculture! We discuss Allen's origins in the trade, how we went from having a modest home scale collection to a large scale reptile breeding facility, the important of community in herpetoculture, how the trade has changed over the years, and a lot more. This discussion is full of gem...

In 1980, a single specimen of a “tree monitor” was recovered from Halmahera, Indonesia. In 2005, it was determined that the specimen had originally been misidentified and the holotype specimen was actually an unidentified species. This newly discovered species was named, Varanus zugorum, common name Zug’s Monitor. This animal has never been rediscovered in the wild and has now been listed as one o...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Colin Marshall! We discuss Colin’s background, his meandering path to becoming a husbandry professional, his personal relationship to keeping at home, how it’s changed for him over time, and a whole lot more. Have a listen! And please like, subscribe, and share this episode, if you feel so inclined. To offer direct support to the show, please co...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Stacy and Dan of Roots, Scoots, & Scales! We discuss their eclectic collection, where their interests overlap and diverge, working with rare and yet-to-be established species, curation and presentation of a collection, and a whole lot more. This was a really enjoyable conversation and we’re inspired by what Dan and Stacy are doing. Have a listen...

Tom Mellor is the creator of Eco-Logic Gecko, a YouTube channel dedicated to documenting the process of recreating the complex wild habitat of leopard geckos.  Tom talks us through how a negative experience he had early on in his reptile-keeping career propelled him to create one of the most appealing leopard gecko setups I have seen. We discuss how Tom collects data and information, including the...

In this episode, Phil and Roy have a discussion with Nathan Carlos Rupley, a forager and earth living devotee with a lifelong interest in herpetoculture! We discuss Nathan's background, upbringing, and winding journey with herpetoculture, his thoughts on designing a holistic collection, the similarities and differences between keeping invertebrates and herpetofauna, and a whole lot more. Have a li...