That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

I’ve found the Penn Plax Turtle Pier to be one of the most useful of all basking platforms.  In addition to providing a haul-out site that does not take away from the swimming area, it can be used by reptiles and amphibians in a variety of other ways.  Today I’d like to describe two “fine points” that are sometimes over-looked when semi-aquatic terrariums are designed.

Sub-Surface Resting and Basking Spots

Many semi-aquatic turtles do not often fully emerge from the water, but rather rely upon resting sites that are just below the surface.  Included among these are Mud, Musk, Snapping and Chinese Big-Headed Turtles.  In the wild, these turtles, as well as Green Frogs, Ribbed Newts and many other amphibians, rest upon submerged logs, branches and rocks that almost, but not quite, reach the water’s surface.  From such locations, they can watch for predators and prey and, possibly, obtain some UVB exposure (UVB rays do not penetrate very far into water).  In aquariums, driftwood is also useful in this regard…please see the article below. Read More »

Many turtle keepers here in the USA can recall seeing hatchling Red-Eared Sliders with gaily-painted shells being offered for sale at pet stores and carnivals.  Thankfully, through education and the passage of legislation, that practice, which killed thousands if not millions of turtles, is no longer with us.  Unfortunately, an equally-horrific new fad has recently popped up in China, where millions of young African Clawed Frogs are being colored with industrial dyes and sold as short-lived “novelties”.

Torturing Sensitive Creatures

A thin, sensitive skin pre-disposes frogs to a variety of environmental hazards, and may be one of the factors behind the recent extinctions of hundreds of species worldwide.  Permeable to water, oxygen and chemicals, frog skin is marvelous yet delicate, and easily irritated by any exposure to less-than-ideal environments.

So just imagine the effect of injections of industrial dyes!  Actually, any animal would be horribly injured or killed by such a practice…in fact, the dyes being used on the frogs are reportedly dangerous for people to handle.

As you can see from article linked below, the frogs take on neon hues of pink, yellow, green and other colors, and appear more like plastic toys than live animals – a situation that makes it more likely they will be treated as objects and not living creatures in need of care.

Larger Issues: Animals as Objects

In addition to the outright killing of frogs, the practice of dyeing them raises the larger issue of how they are perceived.  In this article, for example, the author has not even bothered to identify the type of frogs that are being sold, and even makes light of the situation – suggesting that the frogs sell-out so fast that prospective owners may need to dye their own!  The author callously goes on to note that the dyes should last 3-4 years “…by which time the frogs will probably be long dead anyway”.

As you can see by the video linked below, sellers also show little regard for the doomed creatures’ needs – the dyed frogs pictured there are held in a bare tank of filthy water in which float dead fishes.

A Life-Saving Frog

Ironically, so much of interest could have been written about African Clawed Frogs.  Once used as the basis for pregnancy tests (the Hogben Test), these frogs have been used in medical research for decades, and have saved countless human lives.  Captives become quite responsive and have lived for nearly 30 years, and educational kits featuring Clawed Frog tadpoles have introduced millions of school children to the wonders of metamorphosis.  I could go on…please see the article below for more on this most unique amphibian.

“Tiger Dogs” and other Odd Fads

Apparently, “plain” animals are not interesting enough for many modern-day consumers in China and elsewhere these days.  Fishes confined to lockets are still being sold, and in the past few years the practice of coloring dogs to resemble tigers, pandas and other creatures has become fashionable (please see article below).

Reporting Animal Abuse

Please read my article on Reporting Animal Abuse (USA), and of course feel free to write in for advice; in most cases I’ll be able to direct you to an appropriate local authority if you have witnessed animal cruelty or abuse.

 

Further Reading

Video of Dyed Frogs Held under Terrible Conditions

African Clawed Frog Behavior

 
White clawed frog image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Museoftheviolets

A decade or so ago, Cryptosporidiosis became recognized as a major concern in captive snake and lizard collections.  Caused by a one-celled parasite known as Cryptosporidium varanii, the disease remains incurable to this day.  At the Bronx Zoo, where I worked at the time, tests showed that many snakes already in our collection, along with wild and pet reptiles, might be harboring Cryptosporidium.  But diagnosis was difficult and errors were common, resulting in the institution of expensive and time-consuming isolation protocols for new and sick animals.  So I was happy to learn of a newly devised test that ensures early, accurate diagnosis of Cryptosporidium…it will surely prove useful to pet keepers and zoos alike.

Crypto and the Pet Trade

A number of factors render Cryptosporidiosis as a major concern, including the popularity of reptile pets and the fact that the parasite can be transferred to people.  While not often of major concern to healthy adults, Crypto, as it came to be known, is a danger to immune-compromised individuals (please see article below).  A recent survey of 672 pets revealed that 1 in 6 of the Corn Snakes and 1 in 12 of the Leopard Geckos tested harbored Crypto in one form or another.  Read More »

The Burmese or Asian Rock Python, Python molurus bivittatus (or Python bivittatus, see below) is one the world’s longest snakes, and vies with the Green Anaconda for the title of heaviest. Florida’s introduced Burmese Pythons are often in the news these days for causing ecological havoc and occasional human fatalities.  However, not much attention is given to this massive serpent’s life in its natural habitat.

Description

Matched in size only by the Reticulated Python and Green Anaconda (the heaviest of which I’ve encountered tipped the scales at 215 lbs.), this stoutly-built snake may reach 25 feet in length, although animals of 18-20 feet are considered large.

“Baby”, a huge female in residence at Illinois’ Serpent Safari Park, is said to measure 27 feet in length and weigh 403 pounds (please check out this video).  A specimen under my care at the Bronx Zoo exceeded 300 pounds in weight and consumed 30-40 pound pigs with little difficulty.  The large albino python has been on exhibit at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum for over 20 years.

The ground color is yellowish-buff or tan fading to cream along the flanks, with large chestnut-brown blotches throughout.  There is an arrow-shaped mark on top of the head.  A variety of color morphs are common in the pet trade.

Most taxonomists now classify this snake as a distinct species, rather than as a subspecies of the Indian Python.

Range

The Burmese Python ranges widely throughout South and Southeast Asia, including northeastern India, Myanmar, southern Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and southern China (including Hainan and Hong Kong).  Introduced populations are established in Florida and Puerto Rico.  Records from Sumatra and Borneo are likely misidentifications.

The closely-related Indian Python, Python molurus, is found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Habitat

This snake is extremely adaptable, but requires the presence of a permanent water source.  It inhabits wooded grasslands, swamps, open forests, river valleys and rocky foothills.  Farms, suburbs and the fringes of urban areas are frequently colonized.

Natural Diet

All pythons have thermo-receptive sensory pits along the upper jaw that assist in locating warm-blooded animals at night.  Prey is killed by constriction, with death resulting due to compression of the lungs and heart failure (via pressure on the heart and blood vessels).

The range of animals taken is vast.  Adults usually concentrate on monkeys, deer (Muntjac, Chital, Hog Deer, Sambar Fawns) wild pigs, Peafowl, Red Jungle Fowl, small cats and other carnivores, and large rodents.  Toads, fishes, porcupines, pangolins and monitor lizards are listed as prey in several older field reports.

In his classic book The Giant Snakes (a “must read” for all snake fans!), Clifford Pope reports that a Leopard measuring 4’ 2” long was taken by an 18 foot Burmese Python and that a young captive consumed 61 pounds of rats in one year, thereby adding 34.5 pounds to her weight.  The largest meal of which I’m personally aware is a 50 pound pig taken by a captive in theUSA.

Humans and Domestic Animals as Prey

Burmese Pythons, Reticulated Pythons, Green Anacondas and African Rock Pythons are the only constrictors known to have killed people.  The reported cases concerning Burmese Pythons involved large pets attacking their owners; in several cases, escapees have attempted to consume children.  The other species mentioned have, on rare occasions, preyed upon people in natural (free-living) situations.

In addition to such tragic encounters, pythons also run afoul of people by feeding upon domestic animals.  I was once called to Prospect Park, Brooklyn to deal with an escaped pet snake that had consumed a cat (much to the horror of a large crowd of onlookers!).  Some years ago, an article in Herpetological Review recounted the story of a python that ate 2 chickens on a farm in China.  Upon capture, the snake regurgitated the chickens, which were promptly carted off by their rightful owner.  Domestic geese, ducks, goats, sheep, pigs and dogs are also taken on farms and in suburban areas.

Burmese Pythons in Florida are known to take endangered species such as Key Largo Wood Rats.  One now famous photo taken in the Everglades depicts a massive individual trying to swallow a large alligator.  In Puerto Rico, it is feared that introduced Burmese Pythons will out-compete and prey upon the endangered Puerto Rican Boa.

Please see my article Giant Snake Meals http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2008/04/11/big-snake-meals/ for some personal and recorded observations on this topic (130 pound Impala, Siamese cat belonging to king of former Siam, etc.)

Status

Despite its wide range and adaptability, the Burmese Python is threatened in some regions by habitat loss and by over-collection for the leather and traditional medicine trades. Huge numbers were collected for sale as pets in years past, but most are now captive-born.

Burmese Pythons are bred in Vietnam for release as rodent control agents, but are killed for preying on domestic animals in other countries.  The species is listed on Appendix II of CITES and protected by the government ofIndia.

Longevity

Captives have lived for over 34 years; unknown in the wild.

Reproduction

Pythons possess a pair of vestigial legs (“spurs”) alongside the cloaca.  These are larger in males, and are rubbed along the female’s body during courtship.  Mating occurs from January through March, during periods of slightly reduced temperature.

In common with all pythons, the female protects and incubates her eggs.  Females engage in a “shivering” motion that can raise their own core temperatures and that of the egg clutch.

Female Burmese Pythons lay 18-100 eggs after a gestation period of 60-150 days.  The eggs hatch in 55-75 days.  The hatchlings are 18-24 inches long (large enough to consume adult mice) and become sexually mature at a length of approximately 10 feet (males) to 13 feet (females).  Under captive conditions, sexual maturity can be attained in 3 years.

 

 

Further Reading

Giant Snake Meals

Video: capture of huge python in Florida

The Giant Snakes (Clifford Pope, 1965); don’t miss this classic!

The Green Anaconda: Natural History of the World’s Largest Snake

Range information for all Pythons (40 species)

 

Burmese Python image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Mariluna
Albino Burmese Python image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Mike Murphy

Reptile and amphibian keepers know how hard it is to find veterinary care for their pets, but those who keep scorpions  face even greater difficulties.  I found one or two vets willing to experiment while working at the Bronx Zoo, but in private practice your options are just about non-existent.  What little we do know has resulted from trial and error, and is constantly evolving.

Pre-dating the dinosaurs, scorpions are a hardy lot, and rarely present us with health problems (at least any that we can identify). Spiders are a bit more prone to illness and injury, and some fine work has been done by private keepers (virtually none by vets, however).  Much of what follows is drawn from conversations with spider keepers, and from my own and others experiments in scorpion health care.  In this regard, Sam Marshall’s chapter on spider first aid in his fine book Tarantulas and Other Arachnids is a must read for scorpion fans. Read More »