The newsletter of the
Minnesota Herpetological Society
November Meeting Notice General Meeting November 4th November Speaker No speaker this month—Elections and informational handsons. Kid’s Korner pp 12-13
November 2016
Volume 36
Number 11
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Misi Stine 952.217.1267 President@mnherpsoc.org Vice President Jim Soos 612.382.1920 VicePresident@MnHerpSoc.org
C/O Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church Street Southeast Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455-0104
Recording Secretary Nancy Haig 763.434.8684 RecSecretary@MnHerpSoc.org
Or you can still leave us a Voice Mail: 612.326.6516
Membership Secretary Lavania Beguhl 651.274.8511 MemSecretary@MnHerpSoc.org Treasurer Rae Jacobs Ruber 612.366.9337 Treasurer@MnHerpSoc.org Newsletter Editor Ellen Heck 612.750.1649 NewsletterEditor@MnHerpSoc.org Lois Hall 612.824.1447 MemberAtLarge4@MnHerpSoc.org Rebecca Markowitz 409.740.0235 MemberAtLarge1@MnHerpSoc.org Members at Large Tony Beguhl MemberAtLarge3@MnHerpSoc.org
Stay informed! Join us on our forums!
The purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to: • Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captive propagation of reptiles and amphibians; • Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles and amphibians; • Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians. The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. The Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its members with information concerning the society’s activities and a media for exchanging information, opinions and resources. General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holiday conflict). The meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check the MHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations. Submissions to the Newsletter
Chris Smith 612.275.9737 MemberAtLarge2@MnHerpSoc.org
Ads or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to be included in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows and should be in electronic file format if possible.
COMMITTEES
See inside back cover for ad rates. Submissions may be sent to:
Adoption Beth Girard 612.326.6516 Adoptions@MnHerpSoc.org Education Jan Larson 507.263.4391 Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com Fostering Rebecca Markwitz 612.326.6516 Fosters@MnHerpSoc.org WebMaster WebMaster@MnHerpSoc.org Cover by Cartoons by Fran Frisch
The Minnesota Herpetological Society Attn: Newsletter Editor C/O Bell Museum of Natural History 10 Church St SE Minneapolis, MN 55455-0104 NewsletterEditor@MnHerpSoc.org
SNAKE BITE EMERGENCY HENNEPIN REGIONAL POISON CENTER 800-222-1222
© Copyright 2015, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, non-commercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the author/photographer and the Minnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.
General Meeting — Elections—Mini-Hands-on November 4th, 7:00pm; 6:30pm Social Hour Social hour begins at 6:30pm. This is a time for people to catch up before the meeting starts. The November meeting will be a mini hands on event as well as our elections for next year's board. We will have the second room that is used for the White Snake Sale. This is where the volunteers and animals will be. We will have a question wheel with candy prizes. We will have a beardie display as well as great information on adoption and foster and why this is so important. We will have information on Ren Fest and why this is a great opportunity and important to the society. Just to name a few of our exciting stations. If anyone would like to attend in costume as this is so close to Halloween you are welcome to do so.
Jeremy Hance—The Great Herp Extinction: What We Know (And What We Can Do) About the World's Vanishing Herps Submitted by Nancy Haig
Jeremy Hance is an environmental journalist for mongobay.com and The Guardian and a strong believer in the power of social media. He has been writing about the challenge of mass extinctions and the different ways conservationists are trying to meet it. His talk Friday night was centered around what is happening with Herps around the world.
changing and some are going extinct. But a mass extinction is a cataclysmic event, where something changes in the environment and you lose a lot of species (about 75%). The end of the dinosaur age was a mass extinction caused by a comet. There have been five major mass extinctions described so far: 450 million years ago at the end of the Ordovician; 375 million years Jeremy started off right ago in the late Devonian; away with the warning: 250 million years ago “This will get depressing” when 95% of the worlds but promised he would try animals were wiped out and end with some happy at the end of the Permian news and what we can do (but the reptiles and amto help change things. phibians survived); 200 Taking a time travel trip million years ago at the into the past, past the diend of the Triassic; and nosaurs to the Devonian 65 million years ago at age 360 million years ago, the end of the Cretaceous the age of fishes, Jeremy and the end of the dinointroduced the first known saurs. Scientists now beamphibian like animal and lieve we are on the cusp 312 million years ago the first reptiles (a lizard) of the start of the sixth mass extinction. showed up. By contrast, humans have only been around for 250 thousand years. The amphibians This is not a sudden extinction like the comet hithave survived four mass extinctions, reptiles ting the earth, but rather a slow extinction going have survived three and humans zero. back 11,000 years ago to when humans began What is a mass extinction? Extinctions are always migrating across the planet wiping out very large animals. happening, animals are always evolving and Continued next page
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The MOA (a very large bird) in New Zealand was extinct within 100 years after humans arrived. Also hunted to extinction was the wooly rhino and wooly mammoth. This continued with the Dodo Bird; the Tasmanian devil and most recently the Yangtze River dolphin in 2008. Herps are not immune from humans either. The Golden Toad from Costa Rica is now extinct in the wild since 1989; the Kawekaweau one of the worlds’ largest geckos found in New Zealand is now extinct and the Rodrigues saddle-backed giant tortoise was also hunted to extinction. The Rabb’s Fringe-limbed Treefrog from Panama went extinct the last week in September 2016. How bad is it? The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is monitoring the species of our world. They estimate that since 1500 we have lost 33 amphibian species and 24 reptile species. But the IUCN is very conservative and takes a long time to survey species and declare them extinct. More recent opinions (2008) estimate the numbers to be 159 amphibians, add reptiles and the number is closer to 200. The IUCN has evaluated 100% of the mammals, 100% of the birds, 87% of the Amphibians and 49% of the reptiles. Only 0.6% of insects and 0.079% of mushrooms have been evaluated. When there isn’t enough data on an assessed species to make a declaration the species is classified as Data Deficient, using this category Jeremy estimates 56% of the known amphibians and 44% of the known reptiles should be considered threatened. Going a step further, if you add in Near-threatened, species that are on a watch list and still need studying, the numbers increase to 62% for amphibians and to 51% or over half of the worlds reptiles. What is causing this? There are six major threats: 1- Chytrid fungus- the worst infectious disease ever recorded among invertebrates, possibly responsible for over 100 extinctions; 2-Climate Change - since 1980 the global temperature has risen creating wide spread droughts and changing reproductive habits and balances; 3- Pollution- industrial expansion and use of chemicals destroying habitats; 4-Invasives- introduction of species that invade habitat and wipe out native species, such as rats, fire ants and cats; 5-Overexploitation- wildlife trade for food and pets; and the biggest threat6- Habitat Destruction- including deforestation for agriculture and loss of wetlands. The last two unspoken causes are Overpopulation and Overconsumption. The world population is increasing and it needs to be fed and housed. In terms of overconsumption, 12% of the world (North America and Europe) account for 60% of consumer spending. We need to be aware of how our life style habits can affect the rest of the world. There are reasons for hope. First of all the mass extinction hasn’t happened yet. We still have most of the species and conservation programs work. There are things we can still do. You can support Herp conservation, with money, volunteer time and spreading the word by public media. You can vote for greener practices and check out the conservation policies of the candidates. And finally, you can decrease your own carbon footprint and overall consumption. Jeremy is also the author of “ Life is Good: Conservation in an Age of Mass Extinction”, 2011 mongabay.com For more information about Jeremy Hance and his observations on conservation check out. www.jeremyhance.com, www.theguardian.com, twitter @jeremy_hance November 2016
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Looking for Herp Assistance Volunteers! Are you an experienced keeper of a particular type of herp? Are you willing and able to provide answers to others? We are looking to re-introduce the herp assistance program and need people willing to offer advice for all types of reptiles and amphibians. We are also looking for people who specialize in breeding (herps, that is) cage building, etc. Volunteers will be listed in the newsletter and on the website with a phone number and/or email address that people seeking advice can call you on. Please contact Ellen NewsletterEditor@mnherpsoc.org if you are interested in helping. For assistance with turtles/tortoises and crocodilians. Contact info: Mike Rohweder birdgitter@yahoo.com
Official Notice of Elections The November Meeting of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is also the Annual Membership Meeting and the Election of the Board of Directors for 2017. All current members are eligible to vote on election night. The process will involve confirming your current status and being given a ballot as you arrive at the meeting. The ballot will be read, nominations will be accepted from the floor and changes to the ballot noted. Only members that are present at the Annual Meeting may vote. The election committee will collect the completed ballots and count the totals. The Recording Secretary will then announce the final results at the meeting. The election committee consists of the Recording Secretary and at least two MHS members that are not running for office. I am looking for volunteers to assist in confirming voters and handing out the ballots, collecting the ballots and counting them. The current ballot is: President – Chris Rueber Vice – President –open Recording Secretary- Nancy Haig Membership Secretary- Ellen Heck Treasurer – Rae Rueber Newsletter Editor- open Member at Large (4 openings) Rebecca Markowitz Lavania Beguhl Colleen Engelmann Anna Toenjes If you would like to run for a Board position or be part of the election committee, please contact me at RecSecretary@MnHerpSoc.org before the November General Meeting. Since there are still open positions, I will be calling for nominations from the floor, to be on the ballot the person nominated must be present at the meeting to accept the nomination. Thanks -Nancy
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Elections and Annual Meeting The MHS elections will be held at the annual meeting November 4th, 2015 in Borlaug Hall on the U of M Campus. In order to vote, you must be a member in good standing and present at the meeting. No proxy votes will be accepted. In order to run for a board position, you must be a member in good standing and at least 18 years of age at the start of the term—January 1, 2016. The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN organization that only exists because of the commitment of its members. I strongly encourage you to consider taking an active role in keeping MHS the vital organization it has been for last 32 years. If you are interested in running for an office, or if you know someone who may be, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience by phone (763-434-8684 ) or email (recsecreatry@mnherpsoc.org). This year’s elections will be held on Friday, November 4th. Want to know more? According to the Minnesota Herpetological Society By-Laws … MHS Administration. MHS shall be administered by a Board of Directors comprised of the elected officers, and four active members at large, all of whom are eighteen (18) years of age or older and whom shall be members of MHS in good standing. Officers. The officers of MHS shall be President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor, all of whom shall be members of MHS in good standing. Term of Office. The officers and members-at-large elected at the Annual Meeting of MHS as hereafter provided, shall serve for a period of one (1) year commencing January 1. Board of Directors may serve only four (4) terms consecutively. President. The President shall perform the duties of such office including chairing monthly membership meetings and Board of Directors. The President shall appoint all special and standing committee chairs subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. Also, the President may establish such ad hoc, standing and special committees as may be required to further the work of MHS. Vice President. The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President, serve as program coordinator, and perform such duties as designated by the President. Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the proceedings of all the meetings of the members in appropriate books. Membership Secretary. The Membership Secretary shall give and serve all notices of MHS, shall keep the names and residences of the members, and maintain membership notices. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds and assets of MHS, payment of authorized accounts, present financial reports at Board of Directors meetings and the Annual Meeting, and submit the records for audit. Newsletter Editor. The Newsletter Editor shall edit and produce the Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society on a monthly basis. If you are interested in running for any position, contact Nancy Haig RecSecretary@MnHerpSoc.org or any board member. If you have questions regarding a particular position, feel free to contact the current MHS member who holds that position or join us at a board meeting. See page 11 for time and location.
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
MHS Photo Contest If you missed out on the Photo Contest held at the April meeting, fret no more!! MHS will be “testing the waters” to see if hosting the photo contest later in the year may encourage greater participation. All of those amazing photos you are taking this summer could win you a blue (or red or white) ribbon!!!! We are also introducing a NEW CATEGORY … SELFIES!!! Thank you Angie Cairl for suggesting it! Take your photos to the November meeting and join the fun! The People’s Choice photograph (or a photo of it if it is a Mixed Media entry) will be the cover photo on a MHS newsletter!! Photo Contest Rules: You must be a member of the MHS and be the one that took the photograph. However, you do not need to own the amphibian or reptile in the photo. All items need to show herps or be herp related. Color and / or black and white photographs are acceptable. Artwork is defined as sculptures, drawings, paintings, etc. Photos should be no smaller than 5 x 7 and no larger than 11x 14 (outside dimension). Mounting or matting of photos / art is recommended but not necessary. Members are allowed to submit up to 2 photos / items in each category. On the back of the photo, please include your name and the category you want your picture to compete in. Categories: Herps in the Wild / In a Natural Setting: Photographs of animal(s) taken outside and / or in a natural setting. A natural setting that has been staged is also permitted. Herps and Humans / Non-Wild Setting: Subject(s) should be in a non-wild setting – i.e. photographs taken around your home, on or with something that is manmade. Some examples of this are: Herps in their cages, people holding their pets and photographs of animals taken at a zoo. Kid Submission: Any photo / artwork submission by a member who is 16 years of age or younger. Selfies: A selfie of you and a herp, or a selfie from the herps perspective! Have fun with this new category! Mixed Media: Herp related artwork by a member or photographs taken by a member that have been altered / enhanced using photo editing software in any matter other than cropping. There will also be an award issued for the “People’s Choice”: Members will also vote for one submission from the above categories that they feel is the best overall photograph / piece of artwork. The submission that receives the most votes is the winner of this category.
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
Holiday Banquet The holiday banquet will be held at the VFW in Cottage Grove on December 3rd from 6pm to 10pm. It is potluck style with the board providing chicken, smoked pulled pork, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and a cupcake cake to celebrate the anniversary of our society. Tickets are ten dollars per person with kids five and under free. There will be sign ups at the next two meetings as well as available on PayPal. When you sign up you will be asked what kind of dish you will be bringing. There are limited dessert slots so if you are set on that sign up early, on that point there is no dessert option when signing up on PayPal. We limited the amount of desserts so there is a good variety and enough side options. There is one drink ticket included in the price as well as a door prize ticket. Beyond that there will be a cash bar available. We look forward to seeing you there. The address is 9260 E Point Douglas Rd, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 https://www.google.com/maps/place/VFW+Post+8752/@44.7956681,-92.913691,13.5z/data=! 4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x93555143d2cf7fc6!8m2!3d44.810091!4d-92.9206368
Massasauga Listed as Threatened The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is protecting the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. We also determined that designating critical habitat for the eastern massasauga is not prudent due to an increased risk of collection and persecution. The final rule published in the Federal Register on September 30, 2016, with an effective date of October 31, 2016. Eastern massasaugas live in an area that extends from western New York and southern Ontario to southern Iowa. Historically, the snake's range covered generally this same area, but the number of populations and the number of snakes within populations have steadily declined. For the most part, the eastern massasauga is found in small, isolated populations throughout its range. All states and provinces in its existing range have already listed it as endangered, threatened or a species of concern. Ongoing threats to the eastern massasauga include land management activities, such as prescribed burns and mowing, that can kill individual snakes. Adjustments in the timing of these activities can help protect and conserve this imperiled reptile. We urge land managers with properties that support eastern massasaugas to check out “The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: A Handbook for Land Managers,� available at www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/reptiles/pdf/eama-mgmtguide.pdf for more information on the eastern massasauaga and land management activities. Please see the following links below for additional information: News Release: https://www.fws.gov/midwest/news/850.html FAQs: https://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/reptiles/eama/faqFinalListEMR.html General Information: https://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/reptiles/eama/index.html November 2016
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Upcoming Hands-on Event Schedule Home Depot—Plymouth Home Depot, November 5th 11am-2pm. No snakes!
Here’s the deal- Bring your herp(s) to one of the shows listed above, and talk about them. That’s it! You don’t have to be an expert, you’re not giving speeches. Most of the time you will find that people are more than open to hearing about our misrepresented critters.
Contact Jan at Jan.SkunkHollow@Juno.com for details or if interested in signing up. Or sign up on the website.
Herp First Aid Emergency kits, whether they be for earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods or fires, share a lot of commonalities. The basics, of course, such as food and water, are mandatory. A close third is an adequately supplied first aid kit. (yes this is a repeat but important) http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptiles-Magazine/The-Vet-Report-Herp-First-Aid-Kit-Checklist/
Endangered Frogs Die There’s something strange going on near Lake Titicaca with its scrotum frogs . At least 10,000 of these fat, wrinkly, and very rare frogs have mysteriously died in Peru. Thousands of the frogs were discovered floating in the river Coata by members of the Committee Against the Pollution of the Coata River. http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/10000-endangered-scrotum-frogs-have-died-nearlake-titicaca/
Temporary extinction reprieve for some frogs Australian scientists have good news for frog conservation: there may be longer than expected time to intervene before climate change causes extinction of some species. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161012102700.htm
Frog Embryos Speed-Hatch to Escape Danger A developing frog embryo in its jelly-like egg mass can be quite the escape artist: When predators come calling, the red-eyed tree frog embryo can detect the threat and drop out of its egg to safety in a matter of seconds, even though it normally wouldn't be ready to hatch for several more days. http://www.livescience.com/55093-frog-embryo-escape-artist.html
Climate change driving toad disease from fungus in Pyrenees At high altitudes, frogs and toads are being infected by a deadly chytrid fungus at increasingly high rates in the Pyrenees Aspe Valley, France. The spike in mortality of these toads is blamed on warming in these mountains, which drives fungal infection in frogs and toads, and is expected to get worse. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161023190558.htm November 2016
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MHS Reports and Announcements September 2016 Treasurer’s Report Submitted by Rae Rueber
Beginning Balance Income Raffle Donation-Public-Turtle Fund Donation-Public-General Donations-RenFest Income-Renfest Income-Field Survey Membership Rodent Sales Clothing Sales Interest on Savings Total Income
$23,633.97 $143.00 $30.00 $163.00 $1,433.28 $1,375.00 $400.00 $720.00 $338.00 $450.00 $0.14 $5,052.42
Expense Program Adoption Clothing Ren Fest Supplies Paypal Fees Square Fees Website Service Charge Total Expense Cash Increase/Decrease Ending Balance
$510.49 $140.00 $692.71 $40.00 $13.92 $12.47 $14.95 $20.00 $1,444.54 $3,607.88 $27,241.85
Placement of Cash Holdings Checking Savings Paypal Cash on Hand Total
$8,399.57 $17,488.96 $1,163.32 $190.00 $27,241.85
November 2016
Meeting Dates for Next Year Jan 6th Feb 3rd March 3rd April 7th May 5th June 2nd
July 7th August 4th September 8th October 6th November 3rd December 1st
Notice to All Committee Chairs 2016 volunteer hours are due January 2017. Please start gathering your data and compiling your year-end report!
Board Meeting The board meeting will be held 6pm November 5th at the Golden Valley Byerly’s Community Room. Everyone is welcome to attend the board meeting. We encourage you to come check it out. Volume 36 Number 11
MHS Reports and Announcements Minutes of the Sept 13, 2016 MHS Board of Directors Meeting
Lois Hall’s House, Minneapolis, MN
Attending: Misi Stine, Jim Soos, Nancy Haig, Chris Smith, Rae Rueber, Ellen Heck (phone in), Lavania Beguhl, Tony Beghul, Rebecca Markowitz, Lois Hall. Visitors attending: Bruce Haig, Liz Bosman, Fred Bosman, Laura Windels Meeting was called to order at 6:27pm Presiding Officer: Misi Stine, Recorded by Nancy Haig Opening remarks by President Sept General Meeting Attendance_123 Order of Business changed for visitor schedule. Midwest committee: The last meeting was in March 2016, at the Como Dockside restaurant. In Sept. Bruce Haig conducted a survey of possible venues. The Board chose the Best Western Bloomington for the venue. Bruce was approved by the Board as Midwest Chair and given the authority to proceed with signing a contract with Best Western and printing announcement flyers in time for the 2016 Midwest in Oct 2016. Bruce will work out the financial arrangements with Rae and begin recruiting more committee members. The 2017 Midwest will be Oct 6-8, 2017; the MHS general meeting will be the Friday night icebreaker at the hotel, speakers on Sat, and possible zoo trips on Sun. There will be a vendor show on Sun at the Old Business Insurance Issues. After some discussion Misi sent the following email to the agent: The MHS board wishes to verify the policy covers the MHS and its’ volunteers while on official MHS business when we are allowing the public to interact with privately owned animals. Motion: Assuming we receive an affirmative response from the agent, we move forward with this insurance policy. Seconded and passed. Email reply from agent confirms the coverage for Hands-Ons. Misi will post messages in board forum. Address change: Update- the new address is not a PO box number. Ellen will post the address when we get it. Holiday Banquet- Lavania will post the address of the VFW Hall in the forum. Discussion on arrangements will also be on the forum. She would like to coordinate what the MHS is providing and will pay for. Tony could provide pork, Beau Larson –potatoes or chicken, Misi will arrange for the buns. Members can provide desserts, salads or appetizers. We will be charging $10.00 to cover the main courses. A Cupcake cake for the 35 th anniversary was suggested. Documentation set-ups- tabled Clothing Order- Lavania- there are 43 orders for @ $900.00 Delivery should be at the next (Oct) meeting. Website Updates -Misi-The website appears to be up and running and Brad has met the RPF. The new rodent order form is up. There is a new test forum up. Misi will post instructions on how to log in to the new site. Clean up is required for the new membership user names. Chris is having trouble accessing the new database and will work with Misi and Brad. Policy Updates- The governance committee did not meet prior to the board meeting. Rodent Supply- Lavania- Rodent supplier has been unable to fill all orders. Tony is reviewing alternative suppliers. New Business: No new business- see adoption report. Lavania-See forum postings for Nov meeting. Voting will take @1/2 hour at beginning. Small programs and adoptions-1 hour. Misi- Shed skins are accumulating but there is no response from the company. If she cannot reach them the skins will be thrown away. Nancy- Reminder for everyone to work on their job duties write up for the newsletter and to review the policies for updates and changes needed. Would like to see the MNHerps link returned to the website. Chris – the original link is no longer current, he will try to add a new link to our new site. Meeting adjourned 10:00pm Other motions or actions from the forum: There were no motions in the forum Approved date_____10-8-2016____
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
Kid’s Korner
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
Kid’s Korner
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
MHS Reports and Announcements
MHS Foster Agreement Thank you for volunteering to foster animals for the Minneapolis Herpetological Society. While fostering an animal you will be expected to provide a temporary home for the animal until the next MHS general meeting. During that time, you agree to: Provide proper housing, food, lighting and temperature requirements for the species, and if needed, provide health care for those with special needs. House the animal in a quarantined area to protect both your personal collection and the fostered animal. Inform the Adoption Chair adoptions@mnherpsoc.org if you have any questions or concerns in regards to the health of the animal. If you decide to adopt an animal, or have found an alternative home for it, please let us know as soon as possible. Please contact the Adoption Chair 3-5 days prior to each general meeting as to the status of the animal/s you are fostering. (Health, status, and whether you will or will not be returning it at the general meeting.) ___________________________________ Name & Date (Please print)
___________________________________ Signature
Contact information: Name: ________________________ Member #: _________ Exp. Date: ____________ Address: ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________________ If I am not at the meeting, you may contact me about housing the following species: ________________________________________________________________________ __________ Initial here if we may call you midmonth for help transporting an animal. __________ Initial here if we may contact you about transporting intake items.
When an animal is taken home to be fostered, its travel enclosure and the paperwork (label and attached 3�x5� card) should be kept intact so they can be returned with the animal. This helps the Adoption Committee maintain accuracy with its paperwork. The animal should be housed in a quarantined area to protect you, your family, your personal collection and the fostered animal. These animals should not be used for educational purposes as their health status and temperament are questionable. If a situation should arise and the animal you are fostering needs medical care, please contact the Adoption Chair. MHS reimburses for medical care on a very limited case-by-case basis. Please send an email to adoptions@mnherpsoc.org 3-5 days before each meeting to let us know your intentions. Do you intend to bring the animal back to the meeting? Have you, or someone else, adopted it? Do you intend to keep fostering it, but are unable to attend the meeting? If we do not hear from you in 60 days (two meetings), the animal will be considered to be adopted by you. When returning a foster animal to a meeting, please make every attempt to do so before 6:40pm. We would like all members to have the opportunity to view the animals prior to the start of the meeting. Thank you again for agreeing to foster animals for the Minnesota Herpetological Society! We could not continue the adoption program without members willing and able to care for those waiting to be adopted. Beth Girard MHS Adoption Chair Email: adoptions@mnherpsoc.org Cell# 612/616-8431 November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
MHS Reports and Announcements IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ANYONE FOSTERING AN MHS ANIMAL Due to the requirements of the new MHS insurance policy, more complete records need to be maintained concerning the animals “owned” by MHS. This refers to those taken in at Intake and not outsourced or adopted. To this end, we are updating our paperwork and have created a new FOSTER AGREEMENT. If you are currently fostering an animal and have not turned in the new form, please complete the one in the newsletter and email it to adoptions@mnherpsoc.org or return it at the August meeting. If you are currently fostering animals for MHS, please send a list of the animals you are currently fostering and the date you began doing so. The list can be sent to adoptions@mnherpsoc.org Any animals not reported by the AUGUST MEETING (August 5th) will be marked as “adopted” by you. You may still surrender those animals to the adoption program at a later date. Only animals that have been reported to us by August 6th as “fostered” will be covered under the MHS insurance policy. Animals fostered at the July meeting are already listed. The two-page FOSTER AGREEMENT includes the following restrictions. When an animal is taken home to be fostered, its travel enclosure and the paperwork (label and attached 3”x5” card) should be kept intact so they can be returned with the animal. This helps the Adoption Committee maintain accuracy with its paperwork. The animal should be housed in a quarantined area to protect you, your family, your personal collection and the fostered animal. These animals should not be used for educational purposes as their health status and temperament are questionable. If a situation should arise and the animal you are fostering needs medical care, please contact the Adoption Chair. MHS is reimburses for medical care on a very limited case-by-case basis. Please send an email to adoptions@mnherpsoc.org 3-5 days before each meeting to let us know your intentions. Do you intend to bring the animal back to the meeting? Have you, or someone else, adopted it? Do you intend to keep fostering it, but are unable to attend the meeting? If we do not hear from you within 60 days (two meetings), the animal will be considered to be adopted. When returning a foster animal to a meeting, please make every attempt to do so before 6:40pm. We would like all members to have the opportunity to view the animals prior to the start of the meeting. The form also has a place for you to note if you may be available to transport and/or house animals and/or husbandry items that are surrendered between meetings. When a need arises, an email will be sent to all fosters residing in the area where assistance is needed. You are under no obligation to respond. Thank you for your willingness to be part of the MHS Adoption Program. If it were not for our amazing fosters (LIKE YOU!) we would not be able to help over three hundred animals find forever homes each year!!!
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
QUARANTINE PROCEDURES One of the snakes from this month’s adoption was found to have mites. Although we do keep contact to a minimum between animals and enclosures, we want to remind everyone to follow proper quarantine procedures!!! DO NOT put new animals in the same space, or share enclosures or cage furnishings, with your collection! MHS has included a page of Quarantine Suggestions for several months now. Unfortunately it was written 20 years ago for zoos and other groups with large collections and the equipment and knowledge necessary for evaluating fecal exams. The one I like can be found at http://www.herpcenter.com/reptilearticles/quarantining-reptiles/ QUARANTINING REPTILES Quarantining your new acquisitions is done so that you can monitor the animals behavior, appetite, stool, and activity. It is also done to protect the animals you currently own. This is a step that can actually save your entire colony of animals, save you money, and save you time. Quarantining new animals should become an instinctive behavior by both new and experienced enthusiasts, though it is often overlooked at one time or another by all. It is a crucial step in the prevention of colony infection. Diseases like Cryptosporidium can destroy an entire collection if introduced to your reptiles. WHAT IS QUARANTINING Quarantining is the process in which you isolate the reptile you are bringing home. This is the time period in which you monitor the animal and note or treat the animal for any illness or injury that it has. Quarantining ensures that you will not spread any contagious illness or parasites to your current collection. REPTILE QUARANTINE BASICS Keep the set-up simple Keep the set-up clean Keep the setup isolated Monitor the reptile Save it for last TIME FRAME Your new reptile should be quarantined for a minimum of 30 days. Ideally, 60-90 days would be better. Once a reptile has finished the quarantine period and is deemed fit, they can be introduced into their permanent enclosure in the proximity of other reptiles. QUARANTINE SET-UP A setup designed as a quarantine tank should be very simple in design and extremely easy to clean. The goal is to use the quarantine tank as an observational area. For reptiles, the quarantine tank should consist of the bare essentials. The enclosure itself should be made of solid plastic or glass. Old fish tanks are great quarantine tanks. Avoid wooden enclosures as quarantine tanks as they are difficult to clean. QUARANTINE TANK The best substrate to use for a quarantine tank is either no substrate, or paper towel. This makes cleaning a breeze, allows complete visibility to monitor the reptiles feces, and is a complete risk free substrate from impaction. The rest of the enclosure should be limited to a hide, a water bowl, and feeder dish (If required.) A calcium dish should be part of a leopard geckos quarantine tank. Climbing branches and other decor should not be in the quarantine tank. Continued next page November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
The tank above is an example quarantine setup for a leopard gecko. The tank is a 32 quart Sterilite tub heated with a human heat pad. It contains a hide directly over the heat source, a moist hide/cool hide, a calcium dish, a mealworm dish, a disposable water dish, and paper towel as a substrate. The example shows how simple the enclosure can be for the quarantine period. This setup is easy to clean and maintain. Holes have been drilled into the sides of the Sterilite for air circulation, and the cover also has holes drilled into it. CLEANLINESS Your quarantine tank should be cleaned daily. Remove any feces (after looking it over) from the enclosure, change the water, remove any dead insects, and make sure the tank itself is clean. You want to be able to monitor the animal as closely as possible. The cleaner the tank is, the easier it will be to monitor the reptile. ISOLATION It is best to isolate the reptile from the rest of your collection. This is best done by placing the quarantine tank in a separate room from where you house your other reptiles. It doesn't stop there however. You should also be isolating what items come into contact with the quarantine tank. You should never use the same cleaning materials between a quarantine tank and those that house the rest of your collection. The same is true for water and feeding dishes. This could result in indirect contact with a parasite or illness. MONITORING Make sure you spend some time watching the reptile in quarantine. Watch how he hunts/eats, make sure he isn't lethargic, and ensure that he is alert when you disturb him. Reptiles in general are experts at hiding illness. This is how they survive in the wild. Make it a point to ensure that the animal is behaving normally and that its stool appears "normal". THE LAST STOP When cleaning your enclosures, save the quarantine tank for last. This will help reduce the chance of indirect contact. Also save the quarantined animal for last when you are working with your collection. You want to limit any possible exposure between the new reptile and your current collection. By making the quarantined reptile the last stop, you are placing distance between any accidental exposure. PERSONAL HYGIENE It is always a good practice to use an antibacterial soap to wash your hands after every handling session you have with a reptile or its enclosure. It is especially important to maintain proper hygiene protocol when dealing with an animal in quarantine. The accidental spreading of a disease or parasite could come from direct or indirect contact with another animal, or its supplies in your collection. Avoid this by washing your hands every time you leave the quarantine area. It is crucial that you maintain strict protocol when quarantining. A single parasite that has been introduce to your collection could cost you extreme amounts of money in vet bills, delayed breeding programs, and could even result in the death of one or more animals in your collection. Quarantining is very simple to do and can save you a great deal of headaches. Be vigilant and quarantine all new reptiles!
If you do find mites, take the proper steps to avoid having it move to other animals. Many of us use Provent-a-mite if we believe an animal may be infested. It can be purchased many places, such as at LLL Reptiles on-line. They have a video which describes the process at http:// www.lllreptile.com/products/391-provent-a-mite Proper quarantine procedures should ALWAYS be used when introducing a new animal into your collection! This includes enclosures, furnishings, substrate, cleaning materials, feeding tools, and YOU!
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
Quarantine Suggestions (Editor’s Note—this was run last month as well, but we consider this to be such an important topic we are running it again) Miller, R.E. 1996. Quarantine protocols and preventive medicine procedures for reptiles, birds and mammals in zoos. Rev. Sci. Tech 15(1): 183-189 QUARANTINE PERSONNEL Ideally, a keeper should be designated to care only for quarantined animals; otherwise, a keeper should attend quarantined animals only after fulfilling responsibilities for resident species. Equipment used to feed and clean animals in quarantine should be used only with these animals. If this is not possible, then equipment must be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant (as designated by the veterinarian supervising quarantine) before use with post-quarantine animals. Institutions must take precautions to minimize the risk of exposure of animal handling personnel to zoonotic diseases which may be present in newly-acquired animals. These precautions should include the use of disinfectant footbaths, the wearing of appropriate protective clothing and masks (in some cases), and minimizing physical exposure in some species (e.g. with primates, by the use of chemical rather than physical restraint). A programme of tuberculin testing and surveillance must be established for zoo/aquarium employees, to ensure the health of both the employees and the animal collection. QUARANTINE PROTOCOL During the quarantine period, certain prophylactic measures should be instituted. Individual faecal samples, or representative samples from large numbers of individuals housed in a limited area (e.g. birds of the same species in an aviary or frogs in a terrarium), should be collected, on at least two occasions, and examined for gastrointestinal parasites. Treatment should be prescribed by the attending veterinarian. Ideally, release from quarantine should be dependent on obtaining two negative faecal results at a minimum interval of two weeks, either initially or after parasiticide treatment. In addition, all animals should be evaluated for ectoparasites and should receive appropriate treatment, if necessary. Vaccinations should be updated as appropriate for each species (1). If the animal arrives without a vaccination history, it should be treated as being immunologically naive and should be given an appropriate series of vaccinations. Whenever possible, blood should be collected and sera stored in a freezer (not frost-free) at either - 70ÅãC or - 20ÅãC. Such sera could provide an important resource for retrospective disease evaluation. The quarantine period also presents an opportunity to identify permanently all unmarked animals, when anaesthetized or restrained (e.g. tattoo, ear notch, ear tag). Also, whenever animals are restrained or immobilized, a complete physical examination, including dental examination, should be performed. Complete medical records of all animals should be kept, and should be available for consultation during the quarantine period. Necropsy should be performed, under the supervision of a veterinarian, on all animals which die during quarantine; representative tissues should be submitted for histopathological examination. QUARANTINE PROCEDURES Evaluation of faecal samples for parasites is required for each species. Ideally, at least two negative results should be obtained from samples taken with a minimum 14-day interval, although other protocols are necessary for some parasite infestations. As noted above, all appropriate vaccinations should be performed. Recommendations and suggestions for appropriate quarantine procedures for several animal groups are presented below. This is extremely important. ALWAYS work with newly acquired animals last. Rubber gloves are cheap! Discard between use (don’t try to re-use them).
November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
Online Classifieds In addition to ads in the newsletter, MHS provides online classifieds via the forums. A valid login (provided to current members) is required to both post and read ads. http://www.mnherpsoc.org/forums/members/classifieds November 2016
Volume 36 Number 11
Minnesota Herpetological Society Membership Application New
Name
Renewal
Address
Membership #
City, State, Zip
Type
Phone
List in MHS Directory? Yes No Contact information only? Yes No
Check # Herp related interests
Active Memberships: Sustaining ($60/year)
Contributing ($40/year) Basic ($20/year)
Corresponding Memberships: Commercial ($25/year, 2 business card ads/year) Required check info. Drivers Lic #
State
DOB
Please enclose the proper payment with your application. Make checks payable to MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Membership is for 12 months from the date of approval. A receipt will be sent only upon request. Mail To: Minnesota Herpetological Society, C/O BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.
Rodents! Order your MHS Rodents today! Ordering by phone? See the new phone number below. Mice Pinkies Fuzzies Hoppers Adult
Weight 2-3 grams 5-7 grams 8-11 grams 25-30 grams
Price $7/dz $7/dz $8/dz $10/dz
Rats Small Adult Med. Adults Large Adult Jumbo
Weight 50-60 grams 125-150 grams 200-240 grams 250-350 grams
Price $18/dz $22/ 10 rats $17/ 6 rats $16/ 5 rats
For pickup at monthly meetings only. Orders may be placed via: 1. At the meeting for the following month 2. Online at www.MnHerpSoc.org
Orders MUST be placed 10 days in advance of the meeting to guarantee availability. We no longer keep an inventory of rodents on hand, so if you attempt to place an order after the deadline, there is no way to fill it.
Advertising Policies MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY regarding the health or legality of any animal, or the quality or legality of any product or service advertised in the MHS Newsletter. Any ad may be rejected at the discretion of the Newsletter Editor. Due to space limitations, unpaid and complimentary advertisements are subject to occasional omission. Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as space permits. Ads may be run three (3) consecutive months, after which time they may be resubmitted. Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Membership Secretary at the general meeting or mailed to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, C/O Bell Museum of Natural History. 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of the General Meeting for inclusion in the next newsletter. Make checks payable to: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Advertising Costs Size Cost Business Card Sized $5/month or $55/year* 1/4 Page $10/month or $110/year* 1/2 Page $20/month or $220/year* Full Page $40/month or $440/year*
MINNESOTA HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY C/O BELL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 10 CHURCH STREET SE MINNNEAPOLIS, MN 55455-0104
Next Meeting:
Save the dates!
Friday November 4th - 7:00 pm Room 335 Borlaug Hall U of M St. Paul Campus
Friday December 2nd—General Meeting Saturday December 3rd—Holiday Banquet
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