Exotic reptiles seized in yet another drug bust

Thanks for the kind words guys

Steve has the first one right as a Murray-Darling Carpet, the second one is a pure native Tully locale Jungle Python but it does have greatly reduced pattern similar to a JAG (i think it has more reduced pattern than the low end JAGS) but there is no genetic connection. Chlidonias had the GTS and the BHP with Nanoboy.

Hix beat me to it :)

There are quite a number of keepers who free handle vens, but one of the unwritten laws is to never touch an Adder. They can strike their body length at any angle (including directly back over their body) and they are one of the quickest strikers. Some people still do it and that has more to do with adders being more reluctant to strike defensively, and when they do it is sometimes a dry bite.

Cheers
Daniel
 
crocodile_dan said:
one of the unwritten laws is to never touch an Adder. They can strike their body length at any angle (including directly back over their body) and they are one of the quickest strikers. /QUOTE] I almost did my honours thesis on adders but chickened out for this reason (and did it on lizards instead!...although the lizards probably went to bite me more often than the adders would have). I was going to study the adders's unique 'sit-and-wait' metabolism.
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What did your lizard study look into? Was that under Richard Shine?

I get a few tales of adder encounters where people touch them and they do nothing, during my uni ecology field trip to Fraser Island one student found an adder in the camp shower block, so he picked it up with his hands and put it into a cardboard box like it was a piece of rope... No matter how many stories I hear it is a risk that you have no control over if the worst should happen because you are in range and the strike is quicker than human reaction time.

Sorry Nanoboy, us herp keepers are a cynical bunch when it comes to the security of what we keep so telling people what we have is avoided, when there are too many people who too often like to steal reptiles. I can say I have carpet pythons, two beardies and a monitor plus others but that is as good as I can give unfortunately. wish I didn't have to be so secretive but I rent so I can't exactly install the necessary security system to give me the peace of mind, I don't have anything too special anyway.
 
crocodile_dan said:
There are quite a number of keepers who free handle vens, but one of the unwritten laws is to never touch an Adder. They can strike their body length at any angle (including directly back over their body) and they are one of the quickest strikers. Some people still do it and that has more to do with adders being more reluctant to strike defensively, and when they do it is sometimes a dry bite.
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okay mental note, never try to touch a death adder!!

I've seen a few green tree snakes in Queensland, very nice wee snakes, but none of the ones I've seen have been green!! Are they ever all green? Or is it just a name?
 
crocodile_dan said:
What did your lizard study look into? Was that under Richard Shine?
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No I didn't do it with Rick but he marked my thesis. It was on thermoregulation and metabolism of eastern water dragons (Sydney populations) and how these physiological mechanisms may influence their choice of sleeping site and vice versa (e.g. branch overhanging water; burrow or even water). I found that they might actually choose some nights to sleep in water (rather than just go in there to escape predators) as on cool nights the water stays more consistently warm, hence they can come out of the water in the morning (after a nice sleep-in perhaps;)) and not have to spend as long basking. They also possibly can save energy while in the water through lowering their heart rate etc. Needed some more data though....
 
Some have a greenish colouration coming through (predominantly around the head region) but it is a far cry to say they are a green snake if you compare it to a green tree python. The olive/grey with yellow underside and flecks of blue are the more commonly encountered in SEQ, if you travel north you can find jet black, yellow/gold, or even a bright blue coloured green tree snakes. They have a very diverse range of colour forms, so I wouldn't say absolutely there are no green ones but I have not seen any that come close to a GTP for green colouration. They are also quite regularly called the common tree snake which is probably the more accurate common name.

Jet, I think it is very likely we used your study as a reference for one of our field prac write ups in 2nd yr zoology at UQ, the whole course had to do either toads or EWD around campus using radio telemetry and thermoregulation was our project along with most of the course. Funny how things link :) Your study sounds very familiar I think I have read it.

Cheers
Daniel
 
crocodile_dan said:
Some have a greenish colouration coming through (predominantly around the head region) but it is a far cry to say they are a green snake if you compare it to a green tree python. The olive/grey with yellow underside and flecks of blue are the more commonly encountered in SEQ, if you travel north you can find jet black, yellow/gold, or even a bright blue coloured green tree snakes. They have a very diverse range of colour forms, so I wouldn't say absolutely there are no green ones but I have not seen any that come close to a GTP for green colouration. They are also quite regularly called the common tree snake which is probably the more accurate common name.
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the ones I've seen have been black with yellow belly and (once, in the Atherton Tablelands) black with blue belly.
 
The ones I've seen in Sydney have been green with yellow belly. Not as bright as GTP, but close to it.

:p

Hix
 
crocodile_dan said:
I think it is very likely we used your study as a reference for one of our field prac write ups in 2nd yr zoology at UQ
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That's good to know. Were those lessons with Gordon Grigg? I worked in the same lab he worked in US before he moved to UQ and I used some of his metabolism equipment that he'd used on juvenile crocs. Cheers.
 
Chlidonias, the black variations are really nice, I think the blue would be my personal favourite.

Hix, that's good to know Sydney has green ones, I haven't had a chance to go looking around the sydney area.

Jet, Gordon Grigg was no longer at UQ (for teaching purposes at least) when I went through, I only graduated last year. Some courses still contained material from Grigg though so I have read some of his material. Most of my courses were under Craig Franklin who was excellent.

Nanoboy, not quite compared to most people in the hobby :) I was meant to go to the US for 12 months but can't seem to sort my visa out which is why I have only bought one new addition in 2 years, if I can't get a visa I have a big wishlist of herps I'll start going through :)
 
Hix, care to list your collection, or even give a generalized description?

Crocodile Dan, what's the holdup with the visa? Not a criminal record I hope. :P You look a bit too pale to be on a terrorist watch list.
 
It has been a massive ordeal, but I don't have a criminal record and no one is going to give me a job as spokesman for a tanning product anytime soon :)

I applied and got accepted to Cat Tales Zoological Training School in Washington at the start of the year. I was rejected twice trying to get a B1/B2 visa because the course is for 12 months and visa length of stay is maximum 6 months, I also had issues because I recently graduated uni. So then I had to apply for a student exchange visa which Cat Tales aren't a registered school for so I jumped through all the hoops getting a sponsor but then they terminated my application because of lack of communication with Cat Tales. So now I contacted a previous Aussie student at Cat Tales and they are advising me on the steps they took to go there under a B1 visa. FOURTH TIME LUCKY HOPEFULLY :) haha they don't make it too easy
 
All pythons. Used to have some lizards, but that became problematic when I wanted to go on holidays. The pythons are Diamonds, Coastal Carpets, an Inland Carpet, a pair of Waters and a breeding pair of Spotteds.

:p

Hix
 
That's a nice mix of species, I understand the lizards my two beardies take the same amount of care as the rest of my collection combined almost.
 
I've been wanting to get back into reptiles for a while. Currently having the snakes vs lizards debate with my not overly enthused other half. She doesn't accept the argument that keeping snakes makes going on holiday easy, whereas lizards makes it a pain in the backside. How long do you feel able to leave your snakes unattended, Hix?
 
So far (just the last few years) the longest I've been away is for about a month. But I wouldn't be concerned if I was away for up to two months, especially at this time of year.

:p

Hix
 
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