Gray-Banded Kingsnake

The article I read was "Royal Reptiles" by Gerold and Cindy Merker in the REPTILES Magazine of April 2008. I chose this reptile article because the only thing I knew about the Gray-Banded Kingsnake was that they have gray bands, so I wanted to learn more about them. I liked that this article told almost evrything you would need to know about Gray-Banded Kingsnakes if you were to own or breed them. The article told good tips if I ever felt like getting one or breeding gray-banded kingsnakes. I also liked the pictures the article provided for me so I know what the two morphs are of this snake. I learned a lot reading this article, for example I learned they are found in New Mexico, Texas, and Northern Mexico. The Gray-Banded Kingsnake in pet trades are from Texas because their protected from collection in New Mexico and Mexico. With proper care, they canl ive up to 20 years! I also learned that putting a damp paper towel on top of the eggs one or two weeks before they are due will soften the eggs before hatching. So the hatchling has btter success cutting through the egg shell with their egg tooth. I deffinetely would want to purchase one because they are cool looking and hold an almost mythical appeal to countless herpetoculturists for the past 30 years. You can buy a hatchling for $100 at www.Exoticpetslv.com, and captive bred hatchlings for $119 at http://www.backwaterreptiles.com/kingsnakes/gray-banded-king-snake-for-sale.html. This snake has two color morphs, the "blairi phase" pattern and the "alterna phase".

 "Blairi Phase"

 "Alterna Phase"
They are not endangered in the wild, and not too hard to take care of. What I found interesting about these snakes are their color morphs.

'HBC' No More

The article I read was 'HBC' No More by Victoria C. Marmelstein. The article came from REPTILES Magazine of April 2008. I chose this article because I was looking around in the magazine and saw a picture of an Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) and it looked interesting to me, so I read the article that followed. The article was about Victoria Marmelstein finding a beasutiful eastern box turtle cowering against the six-lane raod's curb. She was going to carry him across but noticed that the right side of his head was bloody, and the eye was flattened. She took him home and tried to take care of it so that it would recover. She named the turtle 'HBC', short for 'hit by car'. The turtle showed no interest in food, so she assist-fed him, and eventually turned her backyard sandbox into the perfect turtle enclosure. After a few months of not moving, Victoria heard the turtle chewing some cooked chicken she left in front of him. Since then the turtle has eaten from her fingers upon smelling the food. She renamed him Padfoot and he hibernates in a soil-filled box in her basement, walking around like a healthy turtle in the summer. I liked this article because it showers there are still kind and helpful people out there. This article proves that with some care, you can help hurt animals beat the odds. Victoria found the turtle when it was blind and bloody on the street, and she still took it home to feed it and nourish it back to health. The turtle would go for weeks without moving, yet she still fed it and washed it. Another thing I like about this article is that most people wouldn't take time out of their day to take care of an injured turtle they found on the street, but Victoria is one of the few that cares. Reading this article, I learned a couple things. I learned with care and determination, an animal thats severely injured can survive. While most animals rely on sight and smell to find food, they can survive on smell with a little help, Padfoot now swivels his head seachingly as if sniffing his way along. I also learned that eastern box turtle are common in northern Virginia. Although I do have one question, if Padfoot was hit by a car and found bloody and with one blind eye, how could it have possibly survived a hit by a car?
I could not find any pictures of the eastern box turtle from Victoria Marmelstein online, but the picture above and below are pictures of Eastern Box Turtles that look similar to 'Padfoot'.

(http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/turtles/pics/tercar5.jpg)

Turning a Negative into a Positive

I read "A Hobby That Fit" by Joshua Comer in Reptiles magazine of March 2008. I chose this article because the beginning looked interesting to me, and I wanted to read more. In this article, Joshua tells us about how his fascination with reptiles began in October of 2002 when he was diagnosed with lupus. He was told to stay out of the sun by a doctor, so Joshua had to find a hobby that he could do indoors. He started to read anything he could find about reptiles, and not too long after that his mom came home with his first snake, a male ball python. Joshua then bought a Florida kingsnake with his own money, and went to a family trip. When he returned, the snake had escaped and was gone. A year later his dad found a baby red corn snake and brought it home. About two months after getting the first red corn snake, Joshua and his dad were on the way to the store to get another red corn snake, but found one in the road, and brought it home.  A little while after that, Joshua got his first agama, a green water dragon. Joshua ends the article asking "Who would've thought so many great things would come out of being told not to go in the sun?" I liked this article a lot because Joshua didn't get upset about being diagnosed with lupus, he found a hobby he could do indoors. I found this very inspirational, because I learned that you can always look to the brighter side of any situation. A question I still have even after reading the article is how one is diagnosed with lupus. I researched it, an learned that lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect various parts of the body, especially the skin, joints, blood, and kidneys. It says that those even without a family history of lupus can be diagnosed. Although this article had no pictures of the animals Joshua owns, here are some I found online of the animals he has.


Ball Python


Red Rat Snake


Green Water Dragon

Green Tree Pythons

Ontogenic Blue Color Morph

The article I read was "Going GREEN" found in the March 2008 Reptiles magazine. I chose this article because green tree pythons are the most interesting looking snakes I have ever seen. I liked this article because it included so many color morphs, it told me a lot about green tree pythons. The article also taught me a lot of their care requirements, so if I decide to buy one later on I will be prepared. Also, the article showed me more morphs of colors than I already knew. Reading this article, I learned that green tree pythons are getting easier to take care of over time. Green tree pythons also are less frightened to people than many terrestrial snakes. Taxonomists recognize just one species of green tree python, but there are several geographic races. I also learned that wild chondros do not eat all that often. Questions that I have even after reading this article are how they manage to pull off such amazing color morphs. The green tree python has many color morphs. Some color morphs more expensive than another, depending on the morph. Collectors and breeders spend a lot of money finding these rare morphs, such as the Ontogenic Blue shown above. I would want to purchase a green tree python without a doubt, because they're so amazing to look at and getting easier to take care of. At http://www.bigappleherp.com/Green-Tree-Pythons-Captive-Bred-Babies you can buy captive bred babies for $449.95 each. You can also buy a blueline male at http://www.blackhillspythons.com/offspring/?level=album&id=36 for $1000. Note that not all green tree pythons will cost this much. The reason this one is so expensive is because it as an adult and a certain color morph, and Terry Phillip keeps all offspring in professional conditions and are all firmly established before being offered for sale. Green tree pythons are considered endangered in the wild currently, and it is required that you have a class 2 license to keep one. Green tree pythons also thrive in captivity, so there is no controversy surrounding this animal being kept in captivity. Although, these snakes do have certain care requirements. The best green tree python enclosure is one constructed of waterproof materials and oriented horizontally rather than vertically. Daily misting with a pump sprayer filled with clean, drinkable water provides adequate humidity. Cages that dry too fast after spraying produce dry sheds that are hard to remove. A dark interior color in the cage is highly preferable to white, and makes the chondro feel secure. Also make sure to give a photo-period of 12 hours. What I find most interesting about the green tree python is the color morphs produced by owners, they can end up with really cool colors.