Animals at Home Network

Latest Episodes:

130: AAH Bridging the Knowledge Gap between the Wild and Captivity | Ben Owens Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

Ben Owens is a reptile keeper and Ph.D. student out of the UK. and is also the founder and director of Captive and Field Herpetology, an initiative focused on bridging the knowledge gap between herpetofauna in captivity and the wild. In this episode, we discuss how C&FH began as well as how the peer-reviewed journal aspect of the business works, we cover what Ben has learned from time spent in the field, especially misunderstands of humidity and temperature. Ben warns the listeners about the dangers of observer bias when observing wild specimens, how he is using CF&H to help combat incidents of snakebite, and more!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/130-ben-owens/

129: AAH What Primatology Says About Gender Differences | Dr. Frans de Waal May 30, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Frans de Waal is a world-renowned primatologist, most known for his work on the behavior and social intelligence of primates. Dr. de Waal's first book, "Chimpanzee Politics" is considered one of the most influential works on the topic, and has since authored many other equally important books. He is really one of the great scientists of our time. In this episode, Dr. de Waal discusses his latest book, "Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist" including defining the difference between "sex and "gender", if the toys children play with are socially constructed or biological determined, Donna the transgender chimp, alpha leadership and more!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/129-frans-de-waal/

128: AAH Can Reptiles Bond with their Keepers? | Rex Colubra May 23, 2022

Show notes

Rex Colubra is a long-time reptile keeper and the creator of the YouTube Channel, Rex Colurba’s All-Animal Channel. In this episode, Rex walks us through how to bond and connect with your reptiles, including how to tame an aggressive snake. Rex treats each animal as an individual, sentient being, which is the key to building trusting relationships with the animals you interact with. We discuss reptile intelligence and how underestimated reptile cognitive function is, even within groups of advanced keepers. Rex also tells us about a large co-hab set up with Boa imperator (Hog Island boas) and Epicrates cenchria cenchria (Brazilian Rainbow Boa). We wrap up the episode by discussing building DIY enclosures.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/128-rex-colubra/

127: AAH Why we DESPERATELY need MORE Herpetological Societies | Brandon Millichamp May 12, 2022

Show notes

Brandon Millichamp is the currently President of The Alberta Reptile and Amphibian Society (TARAS). In this episode, Brandon tells us about his collection including an interesting breeding project he is working on with the 3 species in the Leioheterodon genus (Madagascar hognose). The majority of this conversation is focused on the importance of having a well-function herpetological society in your community. Brandon talks about how TARAS has been successful in, helping government bodies reverse anti-reptile keeping bylaws, raising large grants for reptile conservation research, creating emergency action plans, and more. This episode will motivate you to get involved with your local herp society today!

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/127-brandon-millichamp/

126: AAH How to Breed Hermit Crabs at Home | Crab Central Station May 02, 2022

Show notes

Darcy Madsen of Crab Central Station returns to the podcast to discuss her incredible and compelling journey attempting to do something that has only been done a handful of times in history, breed hermit crabs in captivity! Darcy explains the life cycle of hermit crabs which start out in a microscopic planktonic larval stage and walks us through previous failed breeding attempts. Of course, we also discuss the recent successful breeding that saw Darcy and her two daughters, Brooke and Faith, bring more than 30 captive breed crabs to land.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/126-ccs-2/

125: AAH Challenging Herpetoculture's Status Quo | Justin Julander PhD. Apr 23, 2022

Show notes

Justin Julander PhD. is a reptile keeper and breeder out of Utah. He is also one of the authors of a few popular reptile books including The Complete Carpet Python and the Complete Children’s Python and is a co-host on the Reptile Fight Club Podcast. In this episode, we discuss reptile viruses, the importance of books in herpetoculture, Justin fills us in on some exciting details of the soon to be released 2nd Edition of The Complete Carpet Python, and we also chat about some of the interesting topics he has covered on his podcast including power-feeding and species classification.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/125-justin-julander-phd/

124: AAH The Most Underrated Reptile Species | Frank Payne Apr 03, 2022

Show notes

Frank Payne is a biology teacher, former AZA herpetology zookeeper, and the founder of the reptile breeding operation, Living Art by Frank Payne. In this episode, we discuss the importance of both, keeping a wide variety of species and narrowing your focus to a select few. Frank explains why he has decided to focus on small species and the main differences he sees between keepers and breeders. We also discuss some incredibly underrated species in herpetoculture, the ethical issues with keeping medium to large species, and we learn specifics about a few of his breeding projects, including the genus Draco, i.e. flying lizards. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/124-frank-payne/

123: AAH Do Reptiles have Emotional Intelligence? | Ricky Johnson Mar 19, 2022

Show notes

Ricky Johnson is a reptile keeper out of the UK, an admin on the Facebook group, Advancing Herpetological Husbandry, and a content creator for the HerpHQ YouTube Channel. In this episode, Ricky breaks down two of his recent educational videos that were released on HerpHQ. The first video explores the complexities of the reptile mind including, emotional intelligence and problem-solving abilities. The second video investigates the true natural habitat of leopard geckos and how wrong many of the common assumptions about their native range are. We wrap the discussion up with a quick review of the 2022 Advancing Herpetological Husbandry Conference.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/123-ricky-johnson/

122: AAH Optimizing Your Reptile's Diet | Dr. Chapman DVM Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Dr. Kelsey Chapman returns to the podcast to discuss reptile nutrition! In this episode, Dr. Chapman explains how to properly supplement Vitamin A to avoid deficiency and what to look for on your container of "reptile multi-vitamin" prior to using it. She also describes the dangers of over-using grocery store "greens" for herbivorous reptiles, specifically land tortoises, whether or not water should be offered to arid species and if spinach is safe to feed to your reptile or feeder insects. We wrap up the episode with rapid-fire questions that were submitted via Instagram.

SHOW NOTES: hhttps://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/122-dr-chapman/

121: Don't Let Your Pet Loose | Invasive Species Centre Feb 27, 2022

Show notes

Colin Cassin and Jenna White are two team members of the Invasive Species Centre out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In this episode, we discuss the type of work done by the ISC, and the magnitude of the invasive species problem in Canada including specific examples. Colin and Jenna also discuss the ISC's "Don't Let It Loose" campaign which aims to help educate pet owners on the dangers of releasing pets into the wild.

SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/121-invasive-species-centre/

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected