Volume 25, Issue 12
Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society
December 2010
Next Meeting Sunday, December 19th, 2010 Highline Community College 2400 S. 240th St, Des Moines, Wa. Building 12, Room 101
IN THIS ISSUE
Board Meeting: 4:00 pm General Meeting: 6:00 pm (doors open @ 5:30 pm)
Herp of the Month
Patrick Viehoever
Fossorial Herps
Rocky, Piebald Ball Python (Python Regius), Fossorial Herp
2
Letter from the President
3
Adventures with Stevie
5
Upcoming Outreaches
8
Animals For Adoption
9
Suggested Vet List
10
Coming Events
10
Classified Ads
11
General Information & Guidelines 12 PNHS Contacts
13
JANUARY NEWSLETTER DEADLINE: Noon, Saturday, January 1st
Meeting Presentation Jerry Novak, of Pacific Northwest Turtleworks, will speak about the Western Pond Turtle Project.
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Announcements
Drop your submission off with a member of the newsletter committee, or email them to:
PNHS NEWSLETTER
newsletter.editor@PNWHS.org
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Announcements Vote For Your 2011 Executive Board Check your snail-mail boxes for your 2011 Executive Board Election Ballots! Ballots must be postmarked no later than January 10th to be valid. For Secretary: Melissa Kreachbaum or Vivian Smith For Membership Secretary: Saille Schumacher or Vivian Smith For Members at Large (only five people will be called): Rachel Shirk, Amanda Perez, Geoff Sweet, Julie Sharkey, Chris Flanders or Heather Shipway All other positions had only 1 candidate nominated, therefore are not listed here. Check your ballots for the full listing!
Emerald City Reptile Expo 2011 Hey PNHS, this year's Emerald City Reptile Expo will be bigger and badder than ever! We have Robert Applegate coming up as our keynote speaker this year and we couldn't be more excited! This gentlemen is an expert on King and Milk Snakes, as well as an absolute authority on Gila Monsters and Beaded Lizards. You can find some background at www.applegatereptiles.com. Mr Applegate has recently authored a keeper's reference guide to Kings and Milks, available on Amazon.com. His work with Gilas and Beaded Lizards was featured in a www.reptilechannel.com blog in October, written by Russ Case and available here. Mr Applegate will be giving one talk on Milks and Kings, and another on Gilas and Beaded Lizards at our expo this year. Thanks, Norm Hill, for setting this up! Speaking of the Expo, March is approaching fast! Right now the majority of our efforts are going into spreading the word through the reptile community and advertising on reptile sites. Stay tuned for the launch of this year's ECRE website, coming very soon and definitely a classy piece of work by Geoff Sweet. Would you like to get involved? We can always use more volunteers to help coordinate events behind the scenes; please contact Aimee if you're interested at aimee.kenoyer@pnwhs.org or 206-200-1240.
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Letter From the President Jennifer Sronce PNHS 2010 President I would like to say "thank you" to everyone who attended our annual Auction and Potluck in November. Thanks to you, we set a new record (again!) for funds raised to support PNHS! The live auction raised $1742 and the silent auction raised $575.50. This couldn't have happened without the hard work of our members. I would like to thank Brenda Huber for putting so much of her time and effort into setting up the auctions. Brenda, you're amazing!! Scott Frayo returned as auctioneer and kept the live auction fun and lively, all while encouraging us to reach deeper into our pocketbooks. (We had some fun bidding wars thanks to Scott!) Dale kept careful track of winning bidders and had all the totals ready at the end so everything moved smoothly. We had a number of helpers with setting up and organizing the auction items. I apologize for not being able to name everyone, I had a baby and a husband to keep track of... a good bit of the night is a blur in my memory, along with most of the last four months! Also, I want to thank all of our members for bringing in the donated items. We couldn't hold an auction without you! We had a great selection, everything from cell phones and a zoo tour to beautiful handcrafted pottery and artwork. In particular, I want to thank Rosa Westnedge for her generous donation of items from the estate of Shari Anderson. Keep an eye out for the 2011 PNHS Board Election ballot in your mailbox. Ballots must be returned by January 10th to be valid. The new Board will be announced at the January meeting.
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Design by Amanda Bloom
The new website for the Emerald City Reptile Expo has been launched! Check it out at www.emeraldcityreptileexpo.com. As it gets closer to show time (March 5th & 6th), confirmed speakers and vendors will be added to the site. If you are interested in buying a table at the show, contact Giovanni at the Bean Farm. If you would like to be a speaker or work the show, contact Aimee Kenoyer. We also
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I know the holidays are coming up fast and we've all got a ton of preparation to do, but don't miss our next meeting on December 19th! Jerry The Western pond turtle, Actinemys marmorata, the subject of Decemberʼs speaker, Novak from Pacific Jerry Novak, of Pacific Northwest Turtleworks. Northwest Turtleworks is giving a presentation on his work with the Western Pond Turtle Project. Jerry has an amazing wealth of knowledge about turtles and tortoises and is actively involved in turtle conservation.
Chris Brown, via USGS, via Wikipedia
need PNHS members to volunteer in the Outreach room. Last year's room was a hit, we even had baby pythons hatching during the show!
Scott Frayo
December's Herp of the Month is the last in the habitat series. This month will cover fossorial herps. Fossorial herps are burrowers. This includes a wide range of animals, such as desert and sulcata tortoises, sand boas, ball pythons, leopard geckos, and sandfish. Some of these animals, such as sand boas and sandfish, spend almost all of their time underground, but a many are active above ground and retreat to burrows for shelter and brumation. If you have a healthy herp that is fossorial in its native habitat, bring it to the meeting and tell us all about it! I hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday season! Jennifer Sronce
Donatello the sulcata tortoise, Geochelone sulcata, Fossorial Herp.
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Adventures with Stevie Text & Photos by Brenda Huber 2010 PNHS Member at Large Snugglebugs & St. Bernards For nearly a decade I watched the incredible Shari Anderson snuggle and cuddle with many different Savannah Monitors. Shari, as the expert on all things monitor, was the “go to” person whenever PNHS had a monitor situation. Her compassion was unparalleled. She had taken each neglected and/or abused Savannah Monitor rescue that came to PNHS; and magically turned them into Snuggle Buddies. They would melt into her arms as she held them like a baby; and let her coo at them & give them kisses. I swear they even smiled. Shari also had St. Bernards, the world’s most docile & sweet dog, in her household. And at every outreach she brought pictures of the Savannahs and the St. Bernards happily roaming together freely in her home.
Shari Anderson works her “Monitor Magic”, Pac-Sci Show, 2006.
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Stevie the Savannah.
Rachel to the Rescue Then “Stevie” came to PNHS. Our phenomenal Adoptions Coordinator, Rachel Shirk, took in t h i s r e s c u e d S a v a n n a h M o n i t o r, a n d immediately did all of the care instruction research on him. He had had two previous owners, was about 2 years old, and just shy of 2’ long. Someone had to step up to the plate & foster this monitor. Perhaps that “someone” should be me…they were so snuggly, after all…. And I even had a female St. Bernard years ago… How Hard Could It Really Be? Rachel assured me that after talking to him in a soothing voice, he would allow her to pet him on the back of his head and neck, and was willing to be lifted out of his tub, held & allowed to explore in a safe environment. He was being contained in a big blue Rubbermaid tub. Perhaps that tub would be fine in my downstairs playroom… Continued.....
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Up to the Challenge? I knew any change in environment would be stressful for Stevie, and kept things as low key & quiet as I could the first few days. No other pets. No unattended children. Several times a day I went in & just talked to Stevie in a “calm, soothing voice.” He hissed at me, puffed up his body, and wriggled himself into Strike Position. “This is going to take awhile,” I thought to myself. I decided to leave the tub only partially covered, since it had no airholes & surely there was no way he could manage a vertical 2’ jump without room for a running start… You know what comes next. Welcome to “Savannah Hide & Seek”
squeezed in between the K’Nex & Legos. It reminded me of E.T. hiding in the toy closet amongst the stuffed animals… I was going to have to do some serious childproofing in that playroom… A Stench Beyond Compare I came home from work the next day, only to be literally blasted at the front door by a stench so hideous, so vile, so nauseating, that surely only Mike Rowe could aptly describe it. Entire TV shows had been created around lesser stinks. How could one little lizard create a mutant stench so monstrous as to contaminate an entire house? I had to drop everything & deal with it immediately. After removing the “source” of the stench, I was dumbfounded to realize that he had somehow also putrified and contaminated his entire body. It was a smell you couldn’t share a room with. “Shari’s monitors never smelled like that,” I thought to myself. Something had to be wrong with Stevie. Still reeling from the stench, I tried to finish up as quickly as I could, and dropped one sheet of Bounty “Select-A-Size” paper towels into his tub, which led to a loud tail-whipping “THWACK!” on the side of the tub. His efforts at intimidation were impressive. But first, something had to be done about that smell…
Can you find Stevie? Hint: Heʼs right here
The next day I went into the playroom & immediately started talking to Stevie, since it was feeding time. “Look, Stevie! I have a nice little yummy rat for you,” and peered into his tub. Empty. (Gasp!) One hour later I found him, on the toy shelf, V O LU M E 2 5 , I S S U E 12
Eggs. Why’d it have to be eggs? A s t o o l s a m p l e c a m e b a ck negative. Then the real truth came out: apparently his previous owner had fed him eggs. Only eggs. Thankfully, with an improved diet, many baths & perhaps a shed Continued.....
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or two, Stevie may eventually be able to completely get rid of “The Stink.” After a week or so, the house started to smell better…
head: “EXIT.” Stevie’s intelligence was formidable. You have to be “on alert” otherwise a Savannah will outsmart you…
A Return to the “Lowering of the Cow” Scene…. A few days later I was following Stevie on one of his exploring adventures in the playroom. He required constant supervision since discovering that: 1) he fits under the treadmill, and 2) the Bowflex came missing an end cap. (Luckily he extricated himself on that last one.)
Knowledge & Experience, the Rewards of Fostering Keeping a Savannah Monitor not only requires book knowledge of the species. For safety’s sake, you need an ability to accurately read Savannah body language, nerves of steel (those teeth easily crunch through flesh & bone,) a ton of space, DefCon-Level-One childproofing, and most of all: a truckload of patience. My adventures with Stevie have given me even greater respect for Shari Anderson’s many accomplishments over the years. She surely had “Monitor Magic” to be able to bring out the very best in every Savannah that crossed her path. Her contributions will never be forgotten. May we all continue to honor Shari’s legacy by changing the world for the better, one herp at a time.
Probably not what Bowflex intended to be used as a “replacement endcap”.
“They show extreme intelligence. Even problem-solving intelligence… That one, when she looks at you, you can see she’s working things out….” - R.M., Jurassic Park The hallway light was shining through the crack beneath the playroom door. Stevie paused, looked at the light and flicked his tongue. I knew I had just seen the light bulb go off in his V O LU M E 2 5 , I S S U E 12
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Upcoming Outreaches If you're interested in participating in outreaches, it's fast, easy, and painless - contact Dave for more information. Thanks to everyone who volunteers for PNHS! We'd never be able to do it without you....
For information on specific outreaches, please refer to the “Outreaches” subforum on the PNHS forums: http://forums.pnwhs.org/ , or email Dave: outreachcoordinator@pnwhs.org .
Location
Dave Alverson
For information on outreaches, please refer to the PNHS website: http://www.pnwhs.org/ OutreachGuidelines
PNHS member Tom shows off a red tailed boa at the Mill Creek Science Night Outreach.
Date
Time
PetCo Kirkland, Wa.
Saturday, December 11th
10:00 am - 2:00 pm Contact the Adoptions Coordinator* for Details
Emerald City Reptile Expo Seattle (Lake City), Wa.
Saturday & Sunday March 5th & 6th, 2011
All Day Event, Contact the Outreach Coordinator, Adoptions Coordinator, or President* to volunteer
* Contact information for the Adoptions Coordinator and/or President can be found on page 13 of this Newsletter.
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Animals for Adoption Click the animals’ name to go to their Petfinder page, or go to www.petfinder.com
#186, Slim, Ball Python
#10-0827-01, Henry, Ball Python
#258 Indiana, Ball Python
#10-0901-0, Max, Ball Python
#289 Spark, Ball Python
#??? Roussea, Collard Lizard
#??? Steve, Savannah Monitor #323, Dima, Ball Python #??? Igor, Ball Python #10-0121-02 Daisy, Ball Python #??? Monte, Boa Constrictor
Inclusion on this list does not guarantee that the animal will be available this month. Rules governing animal adoptions can be found here: http://www.pnwhs.org/HowToAdoption For Turtles & Tortoises, contact Jerry & Julie via email pnwturtleworks@gmail.com Information regarding Iguanas can be found here: http://www.pnwhs.org/index.php?page=iguanarescue
Are you interested in halfway housing animals or adopting an animal? Contact our adoption chair at the adoption table at the next meeting from 5:30pm to 6:00pm. The application process ends when the main speaker begins!
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P N H S S u g g e s t e d Ve t L i s t The following vets generously discount their services for the Adoption Committee. We would like to thank them for their support and recommend them to our members: A Pet Care Clinic
Eastside Avian & Exotic
Dr. Chris Cannon 23502 56th Ave West Mountlake Terrace, Wa. 98043 425-775-0121 www.apetcareclinic.com
Dr. Johnson-Delaney 13603 100th Ave NE Kirkland, Wa. 98304 425-821-6165 or 888-821-6165 www.eastsideavianandexotic.com
Browns Point Veterinary Clinic
Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle
Dr. Liane Sperlich 6720 Eastside Dr. NE #4 Tacoma, Wa. 98422 253-927-1323
Drs. Bennett & Lejnieks 4019 Aurora Avenue Seattle, Wa. 98107 206-783-4538 http://www.birdandexotic.com
Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital Dr. Adolf Maas 10137 Main Street #6 Bothell, Wa. 98011 425-486-9000 http://www.avianexoticanimalhospital.com
Kamaka Exotic Animal Veterinary Services Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka 23914 56th Ave W #3 Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 425-361-2183 http://www.kamakaexoticvet.com/
Coming Events PNWHS Meetings: 1/16/2011, Speaker: Dr. Tracy Bennet, Respiratory Infections in Chelonians; Herp of the Month: Herps of Africa 2/20/2011, Speaker: Patrick Viehoever, Field Herping; Herp of the Month: Herps of Asia
Upcoming Shows: Portland Metro Reptile Expo: 1/22/2011, Wilsonville, Or. Emerald City Reptile Expo: 3/5 & 3/6/2011, Seattle, Wa. Seattle Metro Reptile Expo: 4/30/2011, Renton, Wa. V O LU M E 2 5 , I S S U E 12
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Classified Ads Join the Global Gecko Association Today! The GGA is a six year old international organization dedicated to the needs of all people interested in geckos. Members receive the twice-yearly, full-color journal, “Gekko”, plus “Chit-Chat”, our quarterly newsletter. Annual Membership is $32 US, $34 Canada/ Mexico, $36 Overseas.
Bean Farm’s Creative Habitats Slide-Top Aquariums Various sizes available. We can deliver the cages to the meetings, as well as any other item from the Bean Farm catalogue. Please contact us by the Friday before the meeting in order for items to be delivered. Thank you! Paula & Giovani Fagioli 877-708-5882
ElizabethFreer@aol.com 503-436-1064 or www.gekkota.com
beanfarm@beanfarm.com
Feeder Insects & Rodents
How can your everyday shopping benefit PNHS?
I have superworms, giant mealworms, and lots more! Plus, I now carry frozen rodents. Order in advance - special pricing for PNHS members, as well as quantity discounts. For pick up and PNHS meetings. Jennifer Sronce 425-750-0477 seattlefeeders@gmail.com
Advertise in the PNHS Newsletter!
www.beanfarm.com
Who hasn't uttered the words, "I wish there was something I could do to help"? Now you can. Start shopping! At www.iGive.com/PNWHS, you can buy the items you've always wanted– like that DVD box set, expensive cologne, or the wall- mounted flat-panel TV you’ve had your eyes on - only without the guilt. It’s FREE, no invisible costs or tricky obligations. Shop for everyday items at the over 650 stores at the Mall at iGive.com, like Barnes & Noble, Lands' End, Best Buy, and Neiman Marcus. Up to 26% or more of each purchase is donated to PNHS.
Business Card .............................$5 Quarter Page................................$10 Half Page ....................................$15 Full Page .....................................$25 If you would like to place an ad in the PNHWS newsletter, please contact: newsletter.editor@pnwhs.org
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Join now at www.iGive.com/PNWHS Information is subject to change. Visit www.iGive.com for current details. iGive.com Holdings, LLC
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General Information & Guidelines General Information
Other Donations
The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS) is a non-profit organization registered with the State of Washington. PNHS is dedicated to the education of its members and the public, as well as the conservation, ecology, and captive care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians. The society also takes an active role in legislative and environmental issues affecting these animals and their habitats.
The Adoption Committee receives minimal financial support from the Society, so donations of money, food, cages, and equipment are always needed and appreciated. Please contact the Adoption Chair to make a donation.
Meeting Information PNWHS holds its general meeting on the third Sunday of every month (with exceptions for holidays) at 6:00pm at Highline Community College in Des Moines, Building 12 Room 101. The Board meeting begins at 4:00pm with the Newsletter Committee meeting following at 5:00. Meetings are open to the public, and the society encourages anyone with an interest in herpetology to attend. Please purchase a membership to show your support for the society.
Animal Donations Looking to adopt, release an animal or donate cages and equipment? Please contact the Adoption Committee by e-mail at adoptions@pnwhs.org or leave a voicemail at 206- 583-0686. We will contact you and make arrangements.
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Adoptions To adopt an animal that is in the care of the Committee, you must be present at the meeting, be a current member (of at least one month), and be over 18 years of age or have parental consent. For more details see the web site or contact the Adoption Chair.
Newsletter Information A monthly newsletter absorbs the lion’s share of the price of a PNWHS membership. In order to keep it interesting, we encourage contribution of original articles, book reviews, letters, ads, and cartoons for publication. Items for incorporation into articles are also welcome, though with no guarantee of their use. Submissions may be sent to the Newsletter Committee or to the Society through the contacts listed on the following page.
Editorial Policy The views expressed in this publication are solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the Society, its members, or the Newsletter Committee. The Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit all submissions including advertisements.
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Contact Information Mail Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society PO Box 66147 Burien, Wa. 98166
Website
Voicemail
Adoptions
www.pnwhs.org
206-628-4740
206-583-0686
Area Representatives by Region Greater Seattle
Need a Volunteer
North King & Snohomish
Deb Alverson
Peninsula
Need a Volunteer
Skagit, Whatcom & Island
Need a Volunteer
South King & Pierce
206-601-1723
deb.alverson@pnwhs.org
Dale Drexler
253-606-4328
dale.drexler@pnwhs.org
Thurston, Mason, Lewis
Ann Waldo
866-440-9222
Spokane
Need a Volunteer
Oregon
Elizabeth Freer
503-436-1064
elizabethfreer@aol.com
Officers for 2010 President
Jennifer Sronce
425-750-0477
president@pnwhs.org
President Elect
Aimee Kenoyer
206-200-1240
aimee.kenoyer@pnwhs.org
Vice President
Dave Alverson
206-601-9547
vice.president@pnwhs.org
Treasurer
Dale Drexler
253-606-4328
dale.drexler@pnwhs.org
Secretary
Jamie Dome
secretary@pnwhs.org
Membership Secretary
Melissa Kreachbaum
membership.secretary@pnwhs.org
Newsletter Editor
Emily Johnson
newsletter.editor@pnwhs.org
Adoptions Chair
Rachel Shirk
adoptionscoordinator@pnwhs.org
Outreach Chair
Dave Alverson
Members At Large
Brenda Huber
brenda.huber@pnwhs.org
Emily Johnson
emily.johnson@pnwhs.org
Heather Rabago
heather.rabago@pnwhs.org
Saille Schumacher
saille.schumacher@pnwhs.org
Webmaster
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Geoff Sweet
206-601-9547
425-205-0258
PNHS NEWSLETTER
outreachcoordinator@pnwhs.org
webmaster@pnwhs.org
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PNHS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION To join PNHS, please print & complete the following application, enclose your yearly or multi-yearly membership fee and return to: PNHS Membership Secretary PO Box 66147 Burien, Wa. 98166 Membership applications and fees may also be received at the monthly meetings by the Membership Secretary. With your yearly or multi-year membership fee you will receive the monthly PNHS newsletter, access to membership pricing for adoption animals, and the opportunity to participate in the many outreaches and events held throughout the year. Please select one of the options below:
Applying to become a new member Renewing my current membership Changing my name or address
Select your desired membership type: Individual Membership (One person) 1 year $20.00 3 year $50.00
Family Membership (2 parents + Children) 1 year $30.00 3 year $75.00
Institutional Membership (Institutions/Organizations) 1 year $40.00 3 year $100.00
Correspondence Membership (Newsletter Only) 1 year $15.00 3 year $37.50
Please select the format in which you would like to receive your newsletter: Email (free) Snail Mail (additional $5) Name(s) (please print clearly): Parent or Guardian (if member is a minor): Address: City: Email Address:
State:
Zip: Phone: