Apr292019 by KevinNo Comments

Emerald Swifts (Sceloporus malachitus)

Care Sheets, Information Guides, Latest Posts
When I was a child, over forty years ago I kept wild caught Sceloporus lizard species. They were commonly offered for sale, and were more often than not the spiny desert species originating from the USA. They were often sold as Fence lizards, and almost always kept as a desert species, no matter what their requirements consisted of. I cannot remember if this central American species was available, I don’t think it was, but certainly it’s reputation of being a difficult captive will likely originate from keeping them too dry and hot. Emerald swifts (Sceloporus malachitus) come from Mexico and further into Central America. Their habitat is quite specific, they occur in high elevation cloud forest – it’s quite cool and humid. Keeping them hot, as for example a Bearded…
Read More
Apr292019 by KevinNo Comments

Aquarium of Genoa

Information Guides, Latest Posts
Whilst visiting the area, I thought I’d have a look at the aquarium in the historic old port of Genoa, Italy. The area has been developed into a series of attractions, and also includes a Biosphere and a Maritime museum. The aquarium itself boasts it is the largest aquarium in Europe and was opened in 1992 as part of celebrations of Christopher Columbus finding the New World – the whole area is very proud of their connection with Columbus.   For the marine and freshwater vertebrate / invertebrate lover, the aquarium boasts 33,000 square feet of large and small aquaria. Larger species includes manatees, various sharks, dolphins, turtles and Rays. There is a vast array of smaller aquaria with seahorses, fish, jellyfish, crabs and various others.   The reptile and…
Read More
Mar252019 by KevinNo Comments

Burgers Zoo – Netherlands

Information Guides, Latest Posts, Uncategorized
Burgers Zoo – Netherlands Burgers Zoo, named after the original owners, opened in 1913 and I one of the largest zoos in the Netherlands. It is a mix of old and new, like many old European zoos, but does not have many of the original buildings. There are several themed areas, when I visited I enjoyed many of the sections including the oceans, bush, desert, mangrove. Safari and the newest, Rimba (South Eastern Asian Rainforest). Much of the signage is supplemented in English too. The ocean section has two large tanks, each 3000000 litres, and in total there is 8000000 litres – sharks, state of the art coral and tropical fish. My least favourite exhibits were the gorillas and chimpanzee enclosure - this has altered little since it was built…
Read More
Mar252019 by KevinNo Comments

Taiwan beauty snakes – Orthriophis taeniura friesei

Care Sheets, Latest Posts
Taiwan beauty snakes - Orthriophis taeniura friesei   A large colourful Colubrid snake species that occurs  almost completely in Taiwan . A sub-species, other similar looking sub-species and the nominate occur throughout a wide range of South Eastern Asia. This sub-species can be a large snake, but slender, at a maximum of nearly 3 metres long – most grow to around 2 metres in captivity. When I first bred this species, from wild caught stock, in the 90’s large specimens were quite common, but most seem to be smaller nowadays. Their natural habitat varies, unlike several of the sub-species who mainly occur in caves – this sub-species can be found in wooded, agricultural, human residential and other areas. Often found climbing in trees, under debris and generally active (in the hot…
Read More
Mar252019 by KevinNo Comments

Fan Foot Geckos – Ptyodactylus guttatus

Care Sheets, Latest Posts
Fan Foot Geckos - Ptyodactylus guttatus (some imports are hasselquistii) A small to medium sized gecko species that commonly occurs in North Africa and western Asia.They are very adaptable as a species, and are found in a variety of habitats including around human habitation, wooded areas, stone walls, agricultural and many others. They can be found in relatively dry terrain, and also in more humid areas. In captivity they are easy to maintain. A vivarium measuring a minimum of 3x2x2 is fine, three feet tall would be better. Daytime temperatures should be in the region of around 30-32C, dropping by a few degrees at night – perhaps to around 22-25C. Lighting for species like this is a debatable topic, the more recent school of thought is to provide a “scattered”…
Read More
Jan92019 by KevinNo Comments

Australian Outback

Information Guides, Latest Posts
    This part of the field trip to Australia takes us to the more exciting and herpetologically interesting red centre – Alice Springs and Uluru. Last months instalment brought some interesting reptiles, but of course the further north you go in Oz, the more reptiles there are to wet our appetite! I stayed in a small holding just outside of Alice springs, around 40 miles away down a sand road, out there it is very remote and even the main roads are very sporadically paved or tarmacked. The little hut I had managed to track down was perfect for anybody hunting reptiles and amphibians, remote and pretty much undisturbed (although a local rubbish dump proved very favourable hunting!). On the first morning it had been raining, and one of…
Read More
Nov132018 by KevinNo Comments

DivideBuy Interest Free Credit

Information Guides, Latest Posts
Spread the Cost of your purchases Interest-Free Reasons to use DivideBuy No hidden fees and 0{cb5d0a8cf0c44aef2db327d9ab0dba08dd09aed1126b509e5fa01d3aaa87fe47} interest APR Spreading the Cost of your purchase using Interest-Free Credit does not cost any more than paying upfront. 96{cb5d0a8cf0c44aef2db327d9ab0dba08dd09aed1126b509e5fa01d3aaa87fe47} approval rate Our unique lending model allows us to offer Interest-Free Credit to more people. Quick application Complete the 60 second application and receive an instant decision. No paperwork required All documents are in digital format and signed using e-signature. DivideBuy is an Interest-Free Credit provider. In partnership with our retailers, we bring you 0{cb5d0a8cf0c44aef2db327d9ab0dba08dd09aed1126b509e5fa01d3aaa87fe47} APR credit for selected products online, in-store or over the phone. You can Spread the Cost on one or multiple qualifying items simply by calling the DivideBuy Team on 0800 085 0885. You can choose instalment options from 3…
Read More
Nov72018 by KevinNo Comments

Australia Fieldwork Trip – Part One

Latest Posts
On my way to Australia I stayed in Singapore for a few days. Singapore is known as an urban jungle, it is very green with lots of lush vegetation – not just parks and open spaces but also on top and sides of the buildings. I visited Singapore Botanical Gardens, a large park like expanse of trees and tropical plants. The first reptile I saw in Singapore was……. Wait for it………….. the Red Eared terrapin (Trachemys scripta elegans) – a once common pet species in the UK that originates from the Southern states of North America. Presumably they were, and maybe still are, a popular pet in Singapore and like the UK many have been released into the lakes in parks. The big difference is the climate allows this species…
Read More