Date of Visit: September 16 2021
The Jack Facente Serpentarium/MToxins Venom Lab is a reptile zoo/venom lab in Oshkosh, WI. It opened only last year, on an honestly sketchy looking street corner. I am happy to say that this outside impression does reflect the actual quality of the facility, however.
Note about the name: Jack R. Facente Serpentraium and MToxins Venom Lab are the same facility, and I don't know which name is better to use. Their logo and website use MToxins, but it's listed here on ZooChat under the Setpentarium name. Both names are equally large on the front of the building. For the rest of this this review I will refer to the facility as "MToxins" simply because it is easier to type.
The entire facility is in one large room. Two walls are completely covered in terrariums, and the third wall contains windows looking into the venom lab. There are also some terrariums in the middle of the room. The terrariums at MToxins are all approximately the same size, but each is clearly customized for its inhabitants. Each is naturalistic and resembles the natural environment of the species found inside it. Apparently, each terrarium is also bioactive, meaning it contains an ecosystem of various inverts such as isopods and springtails to clean up the snake's poop and shed skin. These are some of the best reptiles displays I have ever seen, although some of them are perhaps a bit on the small side for some of the larger snakes.
The reptiles collection here is truly impressive as well. I saw 49 species of snakes on display, all venomous, including some extreme rarities. This is among the best, if not the best, collection of venomous snakes in any North American zoo.
There's a few non-reptile exhibits here, too. A small pen on the floor in the middle of the room contained a young Fennec Fox, only a few weeks old. This little guy was extremely playful and was obsessed with this cat toy with a little bell on it. The entire time I was here I could hear the ringing from the Fennec Fox playing with the toy. The other non-reptiles exhibits here included a macaw in a cage and three tethered birds of prey (two owls and a Bald Eagle).
While I was here several animal ambassadors were brought out, and I also got to see some venom extraction in the lab. Here at the Venom Lab they extract venom from various species of spider, snakes, and scorpions in order to make antivenom. I actually got to see venom extraction from three species (Cottonmouth, Spectacled Cobra, Monocled Cobra) while I was here, which is very cool. I also learned from talking with the owner that MToxins is only of only 9 venom labs in the world, one of only two that harvests venom from both vertebrates and invertebrates, and the only to harvest centipede venom. It seems a bit odd it would be located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which has no wild venomous animals.
Overall, I highly recommend a visit. MToxins has one of the greatest venomous snake collections in North America, probably in the world, too. It is easily one of the best zoos in Wisconsin, and probably one of the best specialist collections in the US. This is a must-see if you are in the area!
Species List (Species in italics not seen)
On Display
1. Trans-Pecos Copperhead
2. Cottonmouth
3. Broadband Copperhead
4. Pygmy Rattlesnake
5. Banded Rock Rattlesnake
6. Baja California Rattlesnake
7. Western Diamondback
8. Black-tailed Rattlesnake
9. Mojave Rattlesnake
10. Panamint Rattlesnake
11. Gopher Tortoise, Eastern Diamondback
12. Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
13. Arizona Rattlesnake
14. Central American Rattlesnake
15. South American Rattlesnake
16. Jararaca Viper
17. Desert Lancehead Viper
18. Timber Rattlesnake
19. Common Lancehead Viper
20. Urutu Viper
21. Gumprecht's Green Pit Viper
22. Sri Lankan Pit Viper
23. Hundred-Pace Viper
24. Desert Horned Viper
25. Puff Adder
26. Western Gaboon Viper
27. Gila Monster
28. Eastern Green Mamba
29. Jameson's Green Mamba
30. Western Green Mamba
31. Black Mamba
32. Inland Taipan
33. Collett's Snake
34. Dajarra Death Adder
35. Chinese Cobra
36. Indian Cobra
37. Caspian Cobra
38. Samar Spitting Cobra
39. Rinkhals
40. Cape Cobra
41. Snouted Cobra
42. Brown Forest Cobra
43. Black-necked Spitting Cobra
44. Egyptian Cobra
45. Red Spitting Cobra
46. Sakishima Habu
47. Lansberg's Hognosed Pitviper
48. Alligator Snapping Turtle
49. Common Snapping Turtle
50. Matamata
51. African Side-necked Turtle, American Alligator
52. Mexican Beaded Lizard
53. Mexican Green Rattlesnake
54. King Cobra
55. African Spurred Tortoise, Red-footed Tortoise
56. Blue-and-yellow Macaw
57. Fennec Fox
58. Bald Eagle
59. Great Horned Owl
60. Barred Owl
Animal Ambassadors/Animals Seen in the Venom Lab
-Madagascar Giant Hognose Snake
-Ball Python
-Common Boa
-Reticulated Python
-Burmese Python
-Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula
-Spectacled Cobra
-Monocled Cobra
-Cottonmouth
-Deathstalker Scorpion
The Jack Facente Serpentarium/MToxins Venom Lab is a reptile zoo/venom lab in Oshkosh, WI. It opened only last year, on an honestly sketchy looking street corner. I am happy to say that this outside impression does reflect the actual quality of the facility, however.
Note about the name: Jack R. Facente Serpentraium and MToxins Venom Lab are the same facility, and I don't know which name is better to use. Their logo and website use MToxins, but it's listed here on ZooChat under the Setpentarium name. Both names are equally large on the front of the building. For the rest of this this review I will refer to the facility as "MToxins" simply because it is easier to type.
The entire facility is in one large room. Two walls are completely covered in terrariums, and the third wall contains windows looking into the venom lab. There are also some terrariums in the middle of the room. The terrariums at MToxins are all approximately the same size, but each is clearly customized for its inhabitants. Each is naturalistic and resembles the natural environment of the species found inside it. Apparently, each terrarium is also bioactive, meaning it contains an ecosystem of various inverts such as isopods and springtails to clean up the snake's poop and shed skin. These are some of the best reptiles displays I have ever seen, although some of them are perhaps a bit on the small side for some of the larger snakes.
The reptiles collection here is truly impressive as well. I saw 49 species of snakes on display, all venomous, including some extreme rarities. This is among the best, if not the best, collection of venomous snakes in any North American zoo.
There's a few non-reptile exhibits here, too. A small pen on the floor in the middle of the room contained a young Fennec Fox, only a few weeks old. This little guy was extremely playful and was obsessed with this cat toy with a little bell on it. The entire time I was here I could hear the ringing from the Fennec Fox playing with the toy. The other non-reptiles exhibits here included a macaw in a cage and three tethered birds of prey (two owls and a Bald Eagle).
While I was here several animal ambassadors were brought out, and I also got to see some venom extraction in the lab. Here at the Venom Lab they extract venom from various species of spider, snakes, and scorpions in order to make antivenom. I actually got to see venom extraction from three species (Cottonmouth, Spectacled Cobra, Monocled Cobra) while I was here, which is very cool. I also learned from talking with the owner that MToxins is only of only 9 venom labs in the world, one of only two that harvests venom from both vertebrates and invertebrates, and the only to harvest centipede venom. It seems a bit odd it would be located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, which has no wild venomous animals.
Overall, I highly recommend a visit. MToxins has one of the greatest venomous snake collections in North America, probably in the world, too. It is easily one of the best zoos in Wisconsin, and probably one of the best specialist collections in the US. This is a must-see if you are in the area!
Species List (Species in italics not seen)
On Display
1. Trans-Pecos Copperhead
2. Cottonmouth
3. Broadband Copperhead
4. Pygmy Rattlesnake
5. Banded Rock Rattlesnake
6. Baja California Rattlesnake
7. Western Diamondback
8. Black-tailed Rattlesnake
9. Mojave Rattlesnake
10. Panamint Rattlesnake
11. Gopher Tortoise, Eastern Diamondback
12. Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
13. Arizona Rattlesnake
14. Central American Rattlesnake
15. South American Rattlesnake
16. Jararaca Viper
17. Desert Lancehead Viper
18. Timber Rattlesnake
19. Common Lancehead Viper
20. Urutu Viper
21. Gumprecht's Green Pit Viper
22. Sri Lankan Pit Viper
23. Hundred-Pace Viper
24. Desert Horned Viper
25. Puff Adder
26. Western Gaboon Viper
27. Gila Monster
28. Eastern Green Mamba
29. Jameson's Green Mamba
30. Western Green Mamba
31. Black Mamba
32. Inland Taipan
33. Collett's Snake
34. Dajarra Death Adder
35. Chinese Cobra
36. Indian Cobra
37. Caspian Cobra
38. Samar Spitting Cobra
39. Rinkhals
40. Cape Cobra
41. Snouted Cobra
42. Brown Forest Cobra
43. Black-necked Spitting Cobra
44. Egyptian Cobra
45. Red Spitting Cobra
46. Sakishima Habu
47. Lansberg's Hognosed Pitviper
48. Alligator Snapping Turtle
49. Common Snapping Turtle
50. Matamata
51. African Side-necked Turtle, American Alligator
52. Mexican Beaded Lizard
53. Mexican Green Rattlesnake
54. King Cobra
55. African Spurred Tortoise, Red-footed Tortoise
56. Blue-and-yellow Macaw
57. Fennec Fox
58. Bald Eagle
59. Great Horned Owl
60. Barred Owl
Animal Ambassadors/Animals Seen in the Venom Lab
-Madagascar Giant Hognose Snake
-Ball Python
-Common Boa
-Reticulated Python
-Burmese Python
-Chilean Rose-hair Tarantula
-Spectacled Cobra
-Monocled Cobra
-Cottonmouth
-Deathstalker Scorpion
