Practical Reptile Keeping Magazine No.61 Australian snakes Edizione posteriore

With so much concern about chytrid fungus, and its deadly eff ects on many amphibian populations, it is great to be able to report that at least one species may have cheated extinction, and could be on the verge of a truly remarkable comeback. In anticipation of such events, there’s now even a term that has been coined by scientists for bringing extinct species back to life – it’s called de-extinction.
The onset of spring here in the UK means that Mediterranean-type tortoises are now out of hibernation and hopefully enjoying the increasingly warm and hopefully sunny days that lie ahead. We have therefore decided to tackle one of the most controversial issues surrounding their care in this issue. What should they be fed to keep them healthy, and are formulated tortoise foods bad for them? As in all things, it turns out that variety is the spice of life, and signifi cantly, not all prepared foods are the same.
Diet is something that can be a pitfall for many lizard keepers too, with nutritional problems topping the list of reasons that owners take their pets to the vet, based on the experience of specialist vet and reptile keeper Sean McCormack. What many breeders may not have considered, though, is how easy it is to end up inadvertently acquiring and pairing related animals together. Sean reveals how this state of aff airs can arise.
Keeping reptiles has become a global hobby, and it was was fascinating to hear recently from Chris Williams of Australia’s Snake Ranch, which is one of the major breeding operations, particularly of snakes, in that part of the world. As you can see from his article in this issue, there are some remarkable morphs now being created out there.
When I visited Australia for the fi rst time in the 1980s, no-one kept reptiles, and yet now, larger herp events there can draw approaching 5,000 visitors, prepared to travel huge distances to meet fellow enthusiasts and see the latest developments in the hobby. This can only be good, encouraging peop