To Herpetology AND BEYOND!

It’s been such a long time since I wrote a blog. This year is going to be a great year. I’ve got my cave gecko projects all going well, and I even acquired some other more-rare-than-crestie geckos. I have new set ups and plans. And everything is just falling PERFECTLY into place for me.
Ah, I don’t think many of you know it yet! I’ve been posting about it to friends and other herp folk, but I plan to get out of crestie breeding nearly 100% after the babies I have available find homes. I’ve had several inquiries about my adult and juvie cresteds I have now that I have purchased in the last couple years. They are indeed not for sale. I don’t plan to breed them is all. Any animals I have for sale will be posted as such, so check that out first before asking if I plan to sell my best-looking female from JB. ;) I’m NOT giving her up. I love her too much. Hehehe. In fact, I love all my cresties I own. And I have reasons for each of them to keep them. Mostly it’s because I love them though hehe. If you recall my last blog, I cry when I pick up most of them.

As for caves, I’ve got some super awesome genetics going for my projects. My Hainan cave gecko (Goniurosaurus hainanensis) girl Ginseng is an F2 beauty to be paired with Tenmoku, my boy from DVReptile. They look so perfect together, and I can’t WAIT for eggs. I’m getting ready to pair them in two weeks here, as soon as Ten is out of quarantine. I also have three awesome aberrant patterned Chinese cave geckos (Goniurosaurus luii). Two from different breeders in Germany, who I purchased from Jon Boone, and one from Gary Hamann over at Ridge Valley Reptiles. I can’t wait to get the one from Gary. My little fingers are itching to finally open the box and take him out to see him. On top of the g. hainanensis and g. luii I’ve acquired, I also hit it with a Vietnamese cave gecko (Goniurosaurus araneus). Hoping that one’s a girl, but either way who cares! It’s one from German breeders as well. One of my goals this year was to get on the Reptile Report. A goal I have already attained. It was so surreal seeing my pictures of the g. luii I had just acquired at the time up on the Reptile Report. I was very proud and excited and can't wait for the next time something I contribute to the reptile community is recognized. I cried. Yep. I'm a big bawler when it comes to stuff like that.
I also have some better rack systems going on for my animals. I got an Animal Plastics 6 shelf economy juvie rack that I’m keeping my desert dwellers in, the leopard geckos, knobtails (Nephrurus wheeleri), the viper gecko and pictus geckos all get to stay in there. SO NICE. I can’t believe how much space those things save me. We are going to also build another rack that has dimensions similar to the one I just got. I won’t need any heat for the rest of the geckos I plan to keep, so I won’t need anything fancy. Just something sealed at least, even if it’s wooden. (My scientific name is Billis cheapskate)
We also have our ball python in a tub. One thing I learned as a new ball python owner is: YOU CANNOT KEEP PROPER HUMIDITY IN A TANK! Period. Just CAN’T. You can get a nice PVC cage, you can use a tub, but you just can’t keep humidity right with a tank. Clawed, by the way, is doing awesome. He’s a hefty eater and eats whenever we offer him food, which is about once or twice a week (every 5 days ish). He’s even on F/T rats, which was easy to do, and easier than feeding live for us since we only have one snake and no suppliers who live readily close to us.
Most of my time has been utilized taking care of reptile business. Brindie did great on her first season, almost all her eggs were viable and hatched. Sallymander laid almost all season AGAIN, so she has nearly had two seasons from being paired and separated for most of both seasons. Crazy girl. Unfortunately her last egg didn’t make it out of the egg. It looked a little bad from the start, anyway and began developing but he didn’t ever finish hatching. :( It’s a sad part of breeding, unfortunately.
When I’m not tending to the farm, I’m tending to that non-profit I mentioned in my last blog moooooooonths ago. Western Oregon Reptile Keepers is doing very well! We still need some sponsors, and accept donations of all kinds, but our hard work is paying off! Like us on Facebook, especially if you’re in Oregon! www.facebook.com/westernoregonreptilekeepers
We’re planning on doing another Snake Awareness Day in the Bay area of Oregon. If you are interested in doing a newsletter article for us, PLEASE let me know!! We would be very grateful! :) We already have a great article from John F. Taylor at the ReptileApartment, and we are MORE than excited about that! Thanks John, again. I couldn’t say it enough to you! :) <<Great guy btw.
Even though I know my goals are being attained, I still am surprised by each one I get. I read back on a few old blogs, and seeing the progress I’ve made as a herp keeper is just mind-blowing. I am very proud of me. I’ve learned so much, acquired some amazing geckos AND friends, and it’s just been an amazing wonderful journey. I’d never give it up for anything. After 21 years of life, I can say that I truly found my passion. (Well, now I’m 25, but I found it when I was 21 hehe.) Here’s to a lifetime of Herpetology!
Until next time!
Rachel