The Farmers Pantry- Wildlife Interactive Nature Center

And now time for a shameless plug! The Farmer’s Pantry is located on a 125 acre apple orchard…and is a place to see reptiles? Indeed! Nestled in between the many different educational activities offered is Wildlife Interactive, a nature center focusing around Ontario wildlife. Exhibits feature a wide variety of species using live animals, taxidermied specimens and odds and ends such as bones and feathers. Although it’s no zoo by any means, you’ll find some legal Canadian colubrids like garter snakes and hognose, as well as some relatives of Canadian species like the corn snakes. Thanks to the Little Res Q, we also have a turtle on display, and we hope to bring her back for every summer and fall season! Come for a guided tour through the nature center and we’ll bring out some of the critters for you to interact with. About three times a year public reptile shows are held featuring both the general occupants of the nature center along with other more exotic species. We also do many shows for different camps, daycares, clubs and school groups. Additionally small groups of people can book presentation for a birthday party or other events.
So in the summer, you can sneak in a visit to see reptiles and maybe add in an archery lesson or a round of mini golf. In the fall check them out then pick your own apples and go on a tractor wagon ride! These guys are a nice treat for the reptile lover in the middle of an overall action packed day!
Check us out at FarmersPantry.com!

What Have You Missed?

Well, the Ectotherm Addiction blog has been active for three months now! Here’s a quick look at the variety of topics that were posted!

Book Review- the New Encyclopedia of Snakes
Great book for those wanting an easy read to gain a ton of knowledge about snakes!
Reptiles Canada Forum
This online forum brings Canadian reptile hobbyists together to share their collective expertise and show off their collections and breeding projects.
Reptilia Zoo
One of the biggest Reptile Specialty zoos in Canada, Reptilia is located in Vaughn and has some amazing animals on display and lots of cool interactive programs.
DeviantHerps Club- Reptile Photography
Love staring at pictures of cool reptiles? This group has some amazing photographers to help wet your appetite.
Documentary Review-Life in Cold Blood
Watch some amazing behavior as it happens, in pure BBC clarity!
Scales Nature Park
This nature center just outside of Orillia has the best collection of Canadian reptile and amphibian species out there!
Pictures Might Be Better Than Words-Bolivian Boas
Bolivian Boas are a beautiful, dwarf boa that are rare but becoming more popular in the pet trade! But why read about them when you can watch instead?
Rare Jewels- Bismarck Ringed Pythons
Spotlighting a beautiful snake that you may not of heard of!
Little RES Q
This turtle rehabilitation center in the GTA takes in unwanted turtles and finds them new homes while educating people about responsible pet care!
Wild Encounters – Dekay’s Brown Snake
Check out this native Canadian species! At his size, it’s no wonder you don’t see them around much!
Reptile Event Watch – CRBE
What better way to enjoy the reptile community than by coming to one of our events? The CRBE is the biggest and best!

Reptile Event Watch – CRBE

This past Saturday was the biggest reptile exposition of the year, the 2nd round of the now annual Canadian Reptiles Breeders Expo.
Along with the CRBE, the GTA region has about five expos per year, with additional expos in central Canada taking place in Ottawa and Montreal. The CRBE is the biggest of them all, taking place at the International Center in Mississauga and drawing vendors and people alike from all across Canada, and even the United States.
One of the best upgrades the CRBE offers is a change in venue. The International Center provides tons of space for both the increased number of vendors as well as the increased number of people who attend. For any person that has been to a standard Mississauga expo, you’ll well understand how crowded things get! The crush of people gets so overbearing that you just want to grab what you came for and get out of there as soon as possible! The International Center gives you room to browse and shop with contentment!
Of course, the CRBE is top notch because it’s more than just animals and supplies! The best part of the whole event is the speakers! On the Saturday Greg Graziani from GrazianiReptiles.com spoke about ball python breeding, lending advice to novices and experts alike! Neil Meister is a Canadian gecko expert and focused his presentation on the husbandry of leaf-tailed geckos. Brian Barczyk of SnakeBytesTV, a greatly revered celebrity in the reptile community provided a laughter filled question and answer period.
Reptile expos are the best place to purchase animals directly from the breeder so you know where your animal is coming from, to get the best selection of different morphs and species, to get care information from people who have made a living raising these animals, as well as finding the best prices.
If you can only choose one expo to attend throughout the year, make it the CRBE, it’s the biggest and the best, and it’s only going to grow over time!

Wild Encounters - Dekay's Brown Snake

I always have my eye low to the ground and on the lookout for native Canadian reptiles. Many times it’s with little reward, but sometimes to get a surprise! After having never stumbled upon a wild DeKay’s snake in my life, I found two within a week of each other (unique individuals). Take a look at this video that was taken before this little guy’s release!

Little Res Q

Do turtles make good pets? Not for everybody.
Is it because they’re mean? No.
Is it because they get too big? Might be larger than some people expect, but many options stay fairly manageable.
No, turtles make bad pets for a lot of people because they live so long. How long is a highly debated topic, but for the red-eared slider, probably close to 50 years. The red-eared slider is the most common turtle found in the pet trade worldwide, but it is also the most abandoned. This turtle, native to the southern United States, is often released into ponds, rivers and lakes in foreign countries, such as here in Canada, and the slider is well adapted to make its home here, competing with the local turtles for food and habitat.
That’s not the only part of it though, just like any other pet, buying a turtle means you’re making a commitment to take care of the animal for life, but when that life is as long as a turtle, a lot of times university, work or family life comes in between that initial responsibility. So there are a lot of turtles out there needing rescue, rehabilitation, and loving homes.

Thank god for the Little RES Q! These volunteers found in several locations throughout Ontario take in unwanted turtles, mainly the popular red-eared slider, and do their best to find loving homes for them. If you’re set on having a turtle as a pet and have done your research on their care requirements, you can help by adopting an adult animal instead of purchasing a baby! Check it out at littleresq.net!

Rare Jewels-Bismark Ringed Python

Rare Jewels is a repeating segment where I spotlight a species of reptile that’s not very common in the pet trade. A lot of attention goes out to animals like corn snakes, ball pythons, leopard geckos and the like (for good reason!), so this is an opportunity to take a peek at some of the more obscure species. Simply because there are so many incredible options to choose from, it’s nice to highlight ones you might not have heard of before.

So the first feature of the column goes to the beautiful Bismark Ringed Python. These beauties from the Bismark archipelago off of Papua New Guinea begin their life bright orange and black, then turn golden as they age. One of the characteristic features is their black head, which has the appearance of a mask with a colored spot around their eye. For these burrowing snakes, the dark head helps absorb sunlight while the rest of their body is concealed underground. They are a medium sized snake, getting about six or seven feet and staying fairly slender. Another neat thing about these pythons is that they like it cooler than most, only needing basking temperatures of about 85 degrees. As a group, the ringed python is known to be a bit of a reluctant feeder when they’re young, but morph into having a ferocious appetite as they get older.
Unfortunately these snakes are not too common in Canada as of yet, though they are seen more frequently in the United States, so are not impossible for a determined collector to get a hold of! Before you purchase one, try to take a look at the parents, since these snakes go through such a massive color change over time. High contrast in between the rings is what is often preferred with these snakes, so look for that in the parents!

* Photo obtained from Google Images, unfortunately I have never had the chance to see one of these in person!

Pictures Might Be Better Than Words-Bolivian Boas

For any of you who have visited my website or seen some of my posts on the forum, you've probably seen my obssession with the short-tailed Bolivian Boa Constrictor. So take a look at this video to hear some cool info about them, and watch one in action! (Yes, that's me!)