Meet Our Collection

I have spent many years building my collection by hand picking the top bloodlines in the world. With my many connections as a professional herpetologist, I have been able to assemble an incredible collection representing the best of the best. Since breeding is not something I rely on financially, I am able to keep my prices well below the market because this is a hobby and I enjoy supporting conservation.You get the best bloodlines at the lowest cost and, perhaps best of all, when you do purchase a reptile from me, you can feel good in knowing that a portion of your money being spent for your reptile will be donated to help support various herp conservation efforts!

Eastern Indigo Snakes, Drymarchon couperi

Baby Eastern Indigo My favorite all time snake!…okay, my favorite non-venomous snake (my favorite all time herp has to be the King Cobra and I have the privilege of working with “Thai” the 14′ King Cobra that I am honored to keep at my wildlife center). I have been keeping and breeding eastern indigo snakes for the past 16 years and I absolutely love them (see my article on their husbandry and breeding at this site that was published in the International Herp Symposia Proceedings!). Once common throughout the entire southeastern portions of the U.S., they are now relegated to a few cluster populations in Georgia and Florida. Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and over collecting, has led to their widespread demise. Thankfully, there are some aggressive conservation programs underway to ensure that this species survives. These are diurnal creatures that rely on gopher tortoise burrows to rest in (and hunt in). They are very alert with excellent eye sight. Once they locate prey (ANYTHING….mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles including venomous species), they rush it and grab it and shake the prey like a dog shaking a bone. It’s gruesome but effective and their powerful jaws quickly dispatches the prey animal. These are egg layers and an average clutch is between 5-12…

Eastern Indigo Copulation I keep my adults in 4′ and 6′ Visions. Due to their high metabolisms (they crap a lot!), I go with a simple set up: newspaper substrate, large water bowl, hide box and humidity box. Heat is provided by Pro Product Radiant heat panels connected to a Spyder Robotics thermostat that provides a night time drop. Temperatures should range from 70 degrees F. on the cool end to the upper 70’s/low 80’s on the warm end. These snakes do NOT do well if kept too warm! We do provide a small, localized area where temps reach 90 degrees F but this is only in a very small portion of the cage and for only 3-4 hours each day; they must be able to cool down. Night temps can range from the 60’s to 70 degrees F. During the winter, you can decrease temps by 5-10 degrees F. Keep it simple with these snakes! I do add new objects in their cage on a regular basis to add some enrichment such as a pile of dead leaves, some freshly “picked” dead tree limbs, etc. They really enjoy sniffing and checking out new objects. In terms of feeding, we feel that providing variety is important to their overall health. Although some breeders have been successful feeding just one prey item (rats), or, much worse, chicken by products such as chicken necks with vitamins (this is NOT an acceptable diet), we recommend providing variety. Although rats form the foundation for our dietary program, we supplement with the following: quail, mice, catfish chunks and sometimes even freshwater shrimp. They really enjoy these periodic changes and we feel it keeps them mentally stimulated. We do provide periodic vitamin supplementation (once a month).

Availability - This year, I am hopeful to have two clutches. I have been putting together one of the top colonies in the U.S. This year, I only expect the classic “jet black” phase.
Price: $800-$1,200

Black Headed Pythons, Aspidites melanocephalus

Black Headed Python This is my all time favorite python. Ever since I first saw a picture of one in a book when I was a young boy, I knew I wanted to keep them (back then, they cost $10,000 each!). They remind me of my eastern indigo snakes in that they are very inquisitive, alert, docile and unique with their pitch black colored head! Native to Australia, where they are nicknamed “Tommy Tar Pots”, this python lacks labial pits making it very primitive. They are a fairly large and husky snake and some individuals have reached 11-12′ but most average 8-10′. In their native homeland, they prey on lizards, snakes (including venomous species), mammals and birds. They use powerful constriction to subdue their prey. There is an eastern and western morph. Our colony currently consists of 2.3 animals. A trio came from Split Rock Reptiles. The sire of one pair (this pair was captive born on May 16, 2004) , named “Granger”, is a Coral Pink Hypo Male from Swiss Stock purchased from Rare Earth, Inc. and subsequently purchased by Split Rock Reptiles, Texas. The dam of this same pair, “Olivia” is from Swiss stock.

These are very hardy and easy to keep pythons. With regular handling, they become very tame and have an acute awareness around their owners. We keep our adults in Vision cages. Our set up is very simple: newspaper substrate, large heavy crock water dish, humidity box for hiding in (although they do spend a lot of time hiding between the layers of newspaper). Each cage is heated by a Pro Product Radiant Heat Panel connected to a Spyder Robotics thermostat. No special lighting is provided, however, the room does receive a lot of ambient, indirect light from North and West facing windows so the room is bright during the day but without direct sunlight. Thermal gradients during the day range from the low to mid 70’s on the cool end to the mid 80’s on the warm end with a basking area that reaches 92-95 degrees F. Summer temps can sometimes go a bit higher. Night temps drop approximately 5-10 degrees F. Winter temperatures drop approximately 15 degrees F. (ambient), however, we always provide a warm basking area at all times via the radiant heat panels. Our Spyder Robotic thermostat automatically reduce night temps by 5 degrees F. Hatchlings can be started off on baby rats and once full grown, can take medium sized rats. Due to their small head size, they have difficult woofing down large or jumbo rats despite their size. We recommend feeding 1-3 small or medium rats every 14-20 days (and, if they get too heavy – fat – reduce to one feeding per month).

Availability - I am hopeful to have one clutch available this year. My male is a stunning yellow/gold deeply banded individual from Cypress Creek Reptiles (Florida) while the female is a classic looking black head (Split Rock Reptiles, Tx).
Price: $850-$1,300

Baron’s Green Racers (aka Green Pampas Snake), Philodryas baroni

Barons Racer These South American, rear fanged colubrids are some of the most stunning, bizarre and just all around cool herps I have ever worked with. Although they are rear fanged, they primarily use constriction to subdue their prey. They make great exhibit animals due to their diurnal and arboreal tendencies which is why I am so drawn to them. They quickly learn to recognize their owner and as soon as you enter the room, they are usually right at the front of their cage and will watch your every movement. Although they are not aggressive and fairly docile, they are pretty flighty and you have to have your wits about you when taking them out; they are super fast! Male reach approximately 3′ and females can reach close to 5′.

Caring for them is a bit trickier than most colubrids but still certainly within the reaches of most hobbyists. Although they can be kept in large plastic tubs in a rack style system, they are best shown off in a naturalistic set up. We keep them in both rack systems and in large arboreal vivariums. If you prefer a simple set up: large sterilite or similar blanket box, newspaper substrate, low lying hide box (we use the plastic plant saucers and cut an entry in the side….even heavy duty paper plates with some depth work great), several branches or dowel rods for low lying climbing opportunities and a water bowl. Boxes are misted with lukewarm water every two days to keep ambient humidity levels moderately high (80%). Temperatures are kept stable day and night: 72-74 degrees F. on the cool side and 86 on the warm side. The room that the rack is kept in receives bright but indirect light. If you prefer to go “au naturale” (which is what we recommend as it greatly enhances the enjoyment of keeping them), here’s how to keep them: Tall arboreal cage (Vision, Habitat Systems, etc.) that is approximately 36″ wide x 18″ deep x 24 to 36″ high, sand/dirt/leaf mulch substrate with additional dead leaves sprinkled on surface, potted plants and lots of vertical, horizontal and diagonal branches, full spectrum fluorescent with radiant heat panel (connected to a thermostat), and large, shallow water dish. If you want to go all out, cover the back of the cage with slabs of cork; looks real nice. Cages are misted every other day. In the wild, these snakes consume lizards, frogs and other small animals. In captivity, they can be easily weaned onto mice. Some will accept frozen/thawed mice off of tongs while others prefer that you just leave a dead mouse in a quiet part of their cage and they’ll consume it when they feel safe. Once a month we supplement their dead rodents with vitamins by placing a small pinch of RepCal and Herptivite on the rump of a dead mouse.

Availability - I have an exceptional colony and hope to have one pair going this year.
Price: $350-$650