THE MONITOR NEWSLETTER OF THE HOOSIER HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY
A non-profit organization dedicated to the education of its membership and the conservation of all amphibians and reptiles.
Volume 31 Number 1 January 2020
Annual Photography Contest January 15th meeting Holliday Park Nature Center
Two adult categories: Wild and Captive Kids Category: kids ages 5-16 All entries must be 8x10 formats. (Framed work is welcome but not necessary) Entry fees are $1.00 per entry. Enter as many times as you wish. Entries must pertain to herpetology. Must be current HHS member(s) to enter contest. Judging will be from your peers (the audience). Prizes Adult winners in each category 1st place $25.00, 2nd place 1-Year HHS membership, 3rd place $15.00
Kids category Grand prizes - $10.00 & $5.00
Afterwards members are welcome to show short video clips of herping in the field. (No prizes will be awarded for this presentation)
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
RENEWAL MEMBERS NEW MEMBERS
John and Linda Jett Will Heckman Janice Kucera Anne Logston Zane Roesch David Ruben Kimberly Scott Robert Wendling
Jerry Zimmerman
Election results
President – Jim Horton Vice-President – Rex Morell Treasurer- Roger Carter Secretary – Holly Carter Sergeant At Arms – Abby Watson
Congratulations to our 2020 board!
by Ed Ferrer
When I do my educational snake programs, I always have a lot of questions. One of my most often questions concerns how I feed my snakes. There are several issues to consider. First, how often do I feed my snakes? It depends on the age of the snake. If it is new born snake, I will feed it a new born pinkie mouse (2 or 3) once a week. As the snake grows, I will gradually increase the size of the prey item to fuzzie then small mice. Depending on the size of the snake I will then gradually increase the size of the prey and also increase the length of time between feeding to 10 days and then two weeks. My adult snakes are normally fed once every two weeks. Sometimes depending on my show schedule, I might stretch the time to three weeks. I try to give my snakes at least two to three days after a meal before taking them to a program.
Regarding the size of the prey item, I normally do not feed my snake any item that is bigger around than the largest girth of my snake. I know some people brag about how large their snake can eat, but I think power feeding a snake can be stressful for a snake. Sometimes owners will try to power feed their snake to get it to breeding size faster. Just think a human shouldn't consume a large size pizza in one sitting. It is the same with snakes. The other question is "Should I feed my snake live items or dead prey?" I have had many people answer that question both ways. I always feed my snakes either frozen thawed or fresh killed rodents. I learned that lesson with my first snake, a small boa constrictor. I originally fed it live mice, letting it hunt it as it wandered around in the enclosure. But I found out that mice would defend when attacked and scratch or bite my snake. Rodents have chisel shaped front teeth that make puncture wounds that could be easily infected. Sure enough that happened to my boa and I had to treat the bite marks with Neosporin daily until I was sure it had healed. So now I feed all my snakes dead. (My only exception is with neonate snakes. I feed them live pinkies or fuzzies since they are not a threat to my snakes.) Not all snakes accept food the same. Some are very aggressive feeders and some are not. My Sinaloan milk snakes usually don't readily strike when first presented with their food. So I normally lay the item in front of their hide box and then come back and check on them when I am done with the rest of my rounds. My green tree pythons sometimes are reluctant to strike so I move the prey along their labial sense pits to get them to strike . Other times I move the prey close to their head and then they will strike it defensively and then they will eat it. If your snake doesn't take the prey at first, check their eyes. If the eyes are grey they are most likely going through the opaque stage before they shed. They often won't eat until they have shed their skin. Some snakes will refuse to eat but I have learned that isn't usually a sign of problems. Some just go off feed, particularly pythons. Sometimes males will go off feed because they are wanting to mate or because they are reacting to weather change or air pressure.
Just because your snake struck your rodent don't assume that it will be eaten. Be sure to check the cage thoroughly. Sometimes they may strike it and then it will leave it inside the hid box or hide it behind some water dish or other item in the enclosure. There is few things worst then coming into your snake room and then have to find out where the smell is coming from!
When feeding your snake always be very cautious because once the snake smells the prey it will normally strike whatever moves. I used to hold the prey by the tail and then drop it as the snake struck it. (I saw a zoo keeper on a television show feed that way. (Monkey see, monkey do!) I found out that just (like lions and tigers who miss their target about 50 percent of the time.) snakes sometimes miss their prey. I found out the hard way as one of my large Burmese pythons missed and struck my hand by mistake in a feeding response strike and wrapped its coils around my arm. It took me about 15 minutes to carefully free my hand and arms from its grip. Did I blame my snake? No! I made the mistake! Now I use an 18 inch hemostat to hold the prey item. So if it misses it will always miss me too. (I have also noticed that when they miss they will normally miss above the target.)
There are many other issues that concern feeding snakes. I have just mentioned some of the more common issues with the hope that some beginning "herper" will learn from my experiences and avoid some of my mistakes.
President’s message
Jim Horton
Happy New Year! We’re now into another decade and our 31st year of being an educational 501c nonprofit organization! Once again, I am humbled to be working again as your president! I look forward to our journey together into this year and years to come. The HHS has a great core group of people! Its stronger than many herp societies around the nation.
We already have an exhibit on the schedule for February 8 at Garfield Park Conservatory. Hope to see you there.
Congratulations to our new board members, Rex Morell (Vice-president), and Abbie Watson (Sergeant At Arms). Thanks to Roger and Holly Carter for upholding their current positions as Treasurer and Secretary.
As always, thank you to our members, board members, members at large, and anyone else I may have forgotten.
Welcome new members! Thank you all re-subscribing members! We’re happy to have you as fellow members!
Special thanks to Lance McCoskey at Harding Poorman for printing the newsletter for us all year!
Our Christmas (holiday) party was held at MCL South. Thanks to Ed Ferrer for securing this site again. A big thank you goes to HHS member, Brenton Reust who graciously offered his home for the after party.
The annual photo contest will be the activity for the meeting this month. Cash prizes for the winners! There’s even a kids category. Can’t wait to see what everyone has been up to and what they’ve photographed last season! HHS donates to USARK The HHS recently donated $300 to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers. USARK is a science, education and conservation-based advocacy for the responsible private ownership of, and trade in reptiles and amphibians. They endorse caging standards, sound husbandry, escape prevention protocols, and an integrated approach to vital conservation issues. Their goal is to facilitate cooperation between government agencies, the scientific community, and the private sector in order to produce policy proposals that will effectively address important husbandry and conservation issues.
Treasurer’s Report – January 2020 Roger Carter Checking - $666.79, Savings - $7,674.41, CD – $5,087.03
Board meetings HHS board meetings are held every 2nd Wednesday of the month at Eagle Library. All members are welcome to attend. In fact, we’d love to hear your suggestions, comments, or concerns.
SEARCHING FOR HIDDEN HERPS-2019 Story and photos by Roger Carter
While using my inspection somewhere mid body also camera in southern Indiana I climbing on the snake. The did not find any herps hiding in following day I was examining any logs or crevices. This was a that same rock cavity and all I big surprise to me. Maybe it’s could find was one newt, see like fishing. Sometimes you just Figure 4. For the two days that don’t catch, or find, anything we were there we saw several even though I found snakes out small newly morphed Eastern in the open or under cover like Newts at the base of the bluffs. old roofing tin or boards. Finding the newts hiding in a Last October Holly and I cavity was exciting because I were on snake road in southern have seen very few amphibians Illinois and at one of my hiding in such a location favorite locations. While there, I found three small newly morphed Eastern Newts, Notophthalmus viridescens, in a rock cavity with a juvenile Northern cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus. One of the newts, see Figure 1, was just under the snake’s head, another one, see Figure 2, was down near the snake’s tail climbing on the snake and the
third one, see Figure 3, was
Zoo in Review By Abbie Watson (photos – Abbie Waston)
I recently got the opportunity to The last stunner was Maximo, visit the St. Augustine Alligator the 15 foot saltwater Crocodile. Farm and Zoological Park on From above, he didn’t look near December 16th. This park is the that big, but I discovered the only place in the world that has underwater viewing area. He and displays every recognized was quite impressive, although species of Crocodilian. There is not full grown yet. His also some other animal predecessor, Gomek, was just displays in the park including over 20 feet when he died. The birds, Galapagos tortoises, zoo has a small building with a Komodo dragons, and sloths. lifesize replica of Gomek. Seeing how big Maximo could potentially get was insane. A small herp building was the last thing I saw before I left the park. Two Komodo dragons were housed separately, one
indoors and one outdoors. A Following through the park, I few snakes were inside as well, came to the swamp and a giant which was nice to break up the area with a boardwalk going monotony of all the though. It is filled with 100+ crocodilians. American Alligators and 2
American Crocodiles. I also got to go to their feeding You first walk in and you see a demonstration that day. They couple small enclosures holding had a couple of rats on sticks to hatchling alligators of different demonstrate how they use their sizes. Once you walk out from tails to come out of water. The the building, you see a lagoon rest were fed buckets of Mazuri of large American Alligators. I Croc diet. honestly couldn’t contain my excitement. I have been obsessed with Alligators for quite some time. There are a couple different ‘loops’ divided by region to walk through. One of the most impressive, in my opinion, being the Indian Gharial. I have Overall the park was amazingly never seen one in person and I clean and the amount of was just in awe. I still cannot conservation the park does is understand how they eat and impressive. It’s a little pricey to control jaws shaped so long get in at $26 a person, but it is and narrow. well worth it. It’s not every day you can see all 24 recognized species of crocodilian AND a couple of sloths.
www.hoosierherpsoc.org 2020 HERPETOLOGICAL EVENTS
January 15, 2020 – HHS meeting, Topic: Annual Photo Contest, prizes in two adult and kids cagetories.
January 12, 2020 - Midwest Reptile Show, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Harvest Pavilion, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Indianapolis. $5.00 admission, reptiles, amphibians, books, cages, feeder animals, and other supplies. Sell your herps and dry goods free of charge at our H.H.S. information booth (HHS members only) www.midwestreptile.com Other dates – Feb.23, March 22, May 31, July 12, August 30
February 8, 2020 – HHS live herp exhibit at Garfield Park Conservatory, 10-2pm. All members are encouraged to display their animals. Please bring healthy, friendly animals in clean, labeled caging.
February 19, 2020 – HHS meeting, Guest speaker – Roger Carter (HHS), Topic: Herping Arizona.
March 27/28, 2020 – Amphibian Outing, McCormick’s Creek State Park, presentations, hikes, kids triathlon, and other activities.
April 17-18, 2020 – Herpetology Weekend, Natural Bridge State Park, Slade, Kentucky. Field trips, presentations, and free entry to the Kentucky Reptile Zoo
HHS Board of Directors - 2020
PRESIDENT Jim Horton (317) 443-4845 [email protected] VICE-PRESIDENT Rex Morell [email protected] SECRETARY Holly Carter (317) 873-6561 [email protected] TREASURER/MEMBERSHIP Roger Carter (317) 873-6561 [email protected] SERGEANT AT ARMS Abbie Watson [email protected]
Appointed Board Members for 2020
EDITOR Jim Horton (317) 443-4845 [email protected] PROGRAM DIRECTOR Ed Ferrer (317) 787-7448 [email protected] WAYS AND MEANS CHAIR Angela Thomas (317) 882-5266 [email protected] WEBSITE COORDINATOR Barbara Filtri [email protected] PUBLICIST/MEDIA DIRECTOR Abbie Watson [email protected]
MEMBERS AT LARGE Pat Hammond (317) 656-9496 [email protected] Rick Marrs [email protected] Mary Hylton (317) 966-4591 [email protected] Heather White (765) 404-2860 [email protected] Kimberly Scott (317) 306-1597 [email protected] Dale Schoentrup [email protected]
The Hoosier Herpetological Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the education of its membership and the conservation of all reptiles and amphibians. General monthly meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at Holliday Park Nature Center. Membership is open to all interested individuals. No venomous animals are allowed at the General Meetings.
Submitted by Jim Horton
Amphibian season is only months or even weeks away. Around the world these anurans are vanishing. In fact, they are the most vulnerable to extinction of all vertebrate animals. You can do your part. Now you can help by contribute in helping these amazing animals. FrogWatchUSA is a citizen science based program where you, the scientist, monitor frogs and other amphibians at your favorite site. It may be a park, woodland, or even your back yard.
FrogwatchUSA is a citizen science program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that allows individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting data on the calls of local frogs and toads. www.aza.org/frogwatch
Volunteers, chapter coordinators, researchers, and anyone with an interest in frogs and toads can explore the data through FrogWatchUSA's innovative online data entry, mapping, and analysis platform, developed by the National Geographic Society. These data are readily available for ongoing analyses to help develop practical strategies for the conservation of these important animals.
Please consider being a part of this worthy cause!
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Smallmouth salamander (Ambystoma texanum) Found 1/5/20 in Marion County – photo Jim Horton