I have been keeping and breeding a wide range of exotic animals since 1992 when I bought my first snake, a baby Boa Constrictor. I quickly became fascinated by a number of animals that includes many of the most commonly kept snakes, lizards, chelonia and invertebrates available in the UK over the last 19 years. My exotic animal keeping experience has taken in a number of species including Boas, Pythons, King Snakes, Milk Snakes, Rat Snakes, Corn Snakes, Garter Snakes, Hognose Snakes, Geckos, Iguanas, Euromastyx, Tortoises, Spiders, Scorpions and Mantids, many of which I have bred.
Having spent a number of years away from the hobby, I was amazed how things had progresssed upon my return, not just from an equipment perspective and the availability of animals previously considered rare in the UK but also as a result of the wide range of colour and pattern mutations being produced from a number of commonly kept species. I decided to concentrate on smaller pythons and I eventually sucumbed to the infectious disease that is keeping and breeding Royal Python morphs so that has become my main focus for the last few years.
Royal Pythons (or Ball Pythons as they're more commonly known in the US) offer the reptile keeper a number of benefits as a species, not least that they don't grow too big, they are generally very docile so are great for households with children, they are relatively easy to keep and they do not require a huge amount of space. There are also hundreds of different colour and pattern morphs available, more than any other species of reptile which means that there's bound to be one you'll like the look of.
The other change I quickly discovered was the amount of information now available on the internet, especially on various reptile focused and Royal Python specific forums. My personal favourite websites are:
www.reptileradio.net - a US forum with lots of news on the latest and greatest achievements in Royal Python world.
www.reptileforums.co.uk - a UK forum with lots of information on anything to do with keeping reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
There are many other great websites where you can find a wealth of information on all aspects of keeping exotic animals, isn't the internet a wonderful thing....?!
Although my current collection is mostly based around Royal Pythons, I also keep a number of other species including Macklot's Pythons, Spotted Pythons, Childrens' Pythons, Boa Constrictors, Corn Snakes and Leopard Geckos. Whilst I don't claim to be a complete expert in the husbandry and reproduction of any of these species, my extensive experience has taught me many lessons that I'm more than happy to share with other reptile keepers, both new and not so new alike.
I am currently based halfway between Southampton and Portsmouth in Hampshire, Southern England but I go to many of the major reptile shows in the UK and Europe, both as a visitor and occasionally as an exhibitor too. Please check my News section for details of upcoming shows I'm planning to attend and to find out the latest on developments here at CB Reps.
Super Pastel:
|
About CB Reps
