News

March 2012 Swap Meet !!!

Come on and get ready for the next Reptile & Plant Swap Meet on 04-03-2012, If you want to be a seller then gather up all your 2nd hand bits and pieces from anything reptile, pet to assorted plants and turn it into cash, or if you want to buy then this is definitely the day to come to the Reptile Trader and the Reptile & Grow Store and pick up a bargain.

On this day Reptile and Grow Store will be offering  minimum 20%. on all Reptile and Hydroponic Products store wide !!!

it is usualy busiest early between 9.00am and 11.00am for the swap meet so get in early and dont miss out !!! 

Remermber if you have bred offspring and you want to sell or transfer it to another keeper you are welcome to bring your stock down and we will do the paper work for a small fee.  

Karen from Radical Reptiles will be here  with her scaly mates for you to hold and she will also be providing a free information seminar offering expert advice on keeping your reptiles.  So bring your questions along!! For a fun morning from 9.00am - 12.00 noon.

For more information feel free to call Ken on 08 9527 2245 or drop into the store for a detailed flyer.

Cheers

Rockingham's Original Snake Whisperer 

Ken Thompson

 How Often Do I Feed My Python?

Please refer as a guide:

Generally speaking young pythons should be fed every 4-5 days.
Juvenile pythons should be fed once a week.
Adults one feed every 10 days depending on the size of the meal. 
The two beginner pythons available in WA are the Stimson’s Python and the South West Carpet Python.  As there is a big difference in the size of these species it’s also important to consider the size of the food that you offer them.
Pinky mice are 1-2cm long with no fur – ideal for hatchling and small (50cm) Stimson’s Pythons.
Fuzzy mice 2-3cm fur just started growing – for small Stimson’s Pythons.
Weaner mice 3-4 cm long – for juvenile to adult Stimson’s Pythons or small Carpet Pythons.
Adult mice – for adult Stimson’s Pythons and small Carpet Pythons.
Pinky rats are suitable for small Carpet Pythons and juvenile to adult Stimson’s Pythons.
Fuzzy rats are suitable for juvenile Carpet Pythons (approx 1m) and adult Stimson’s Pythons.
Juvenile rats and adult rats are suitable for older Carpet Pythons and are considered too big for even an adult Stimson’s Python.

It is considered better to feed several small sized rodents instead of one larger one.  For example feed one adult mouse and two weaner mice instead of a medium sized rat OR two weaner mice instead of an adult mouse.  Increase the meal size as the snake grows.  Avoid over-feeding your python.  They develop the same health issues as humans if they become overweight, including heart disease.

Many people often mistakenly think that the mouse is too big for their pet python to eat.  A snake can open its mouth as wide as 150 degrees!  Not only can snakes dislocate the top jaw from the bottom jaw, the bottom jaw can split in half and the skin stretches to accommodate the size of the food.

Frozen mice and rats can be bought at reputable, specialised pet shops.  Leave covered on the kitchen bench until it has thawed to room temperature before offering it to your snake. 

You can either offer the food to your snake by hand or just leave it in the enclosure for him to find.  To offer by hand hold the rodent by the tail (using long tweezers) and offer it directly to your snake nose-first.  Don’t hold the food with your fingers. Pythons have heat sensing pits on the sides of their jaw which will pick up the heat from your hand instead of the mouse and you will also smell like mouse – FOOD!  You will most likely receive a bite from a hungry snake!  If you choose to leave the food in the enclosure overnight (remembering snakes are nocturnal and therefore more active at night), make sure you place it on a feed dish away from the heat source.  As with all meat, bacteria will start to grow when it warms up and bacteria can cause food poisoning.  Don’t place food on a sandy surface as a defrosted mouse is damp and will stick to sand.  Sand doesn’t digest and can cause “compaction” (constipation) requiring surgery.  Some keepers won’t use sand as a substrate for this reason.  There is no reason not to if you can feed the snake while it’s on a branch or even take it out and put it in a tub to feed.  
Only leave the food in overnight – if it has not been eaten, throw it in the bin.


It is recommended that you do not handle your snake for 24-48 hours after it has fed.  Handling may cause the animal to regurgitate its food.  Snakes have incredibly strong stomach acid to help break down the bones and claws, etc of its prey and this stomach acid can cause serious damage on its way up when food is regurgitated.

Cheers

Ken Thompson - Your Friendly Snake Whisperer !!

Make sure you try out the NEW Search Button on the top right side of our page.

If your looking for anything specific this will assist you if it's on our site, 

Happy Herping 

Regards

Rockingham's Original Snake Whisperer

Ken Thompson 

Please be advised for the freshest bugs in town these are our delivery days !!

1. We place our orders fresh on Mondays for delivery to our store on Tuesdays, Stock arrives about 10.00am.

2. We then place our second weekly order on a Thursday for delivery to our store on a Friday, Stock arrives approx 12.00pm  fresh for Saturdays trading.

Note* We also change the carrot in our containers daily so you get the best quality bugs for your herps.

Our great price for bugs is only $7.50 ea per Box ( check out our reptile food under the for sale section )

Also we stock the best quality and priced frozen rodents in town . 

Mice sizes available, pinkys, velvets, fuzzys, weaners, adults

Rats sizes available, pinkys, fuzzys, weaners, juveniles, adults

Feel Free to call us on (08) 9527 2245

Regards

Ken Thompson

Microchipping a must for the serious collector !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards

Rockingham's Original Snake Whisperer

Ken Thompson

Aussie Pythons has asked all reptile keepers and lovers to help lobby the Minister for Environment and Water for an expansion to our keepers list. Please put your name to this and forward it to the Minister and to your relevant contacts to enable these changes to happen in W.A.

Please check out this link! What’s in it for the other States?
When reptile keeping became legal in WA nearly 10 years ago a large number of animals were able to be exported to the other states of Australia.

Animals such as:

• Pilbara Stimson Pythons
• Wheatbelt Stimson Pythons
• Pilbara Woma’s
• Pilbara BHP’s
• Kimberley BHP’s
• Pilbara Knob tailed Gecko’s
• South West Carpet Pythons.
• etc etc etc

By expanding the WA keepers list you will have access to even more WA animals, some that you already have access to, but like the wheatbelt locale stimi’s perhaps some different forms.

You will also have a place to off load some of your animals at a decent price. Opening up the WA market (for more species) to the other states will work both ways. We only have a ban on importing Pythons. So if you breed gecko’s, colubrids, monitors, lizards etc and they are on our keepers list you can export them to WA.

At present we are lobbying the government for an expansion to our keepers list. We are asking for help in the form of people sending in an email to the Minister for Environment and Water.

Simply click the link below, write your name at the bottom, date it and send it!

Minister.Marmion@dpc.wa.gov.au

Hello everyone and welcome to the Reptile Trader we are now conveniently situated in the Reptile and Grow Store at Unit 7-117 Dixon Road Rockingham WA 6168 !!!

We are now hosting a PET & PLANT SWAP MEET car boot sale!!!

The next one is on SUNDAY 04-12-2010

We will be repeating this awesome new event on the first sunday of every third month so keep your eye on the Reptile trader and/or Reptile and Grow Store Facebook Page for dates and details!!

This event has been designed for all our clients, So bring along your second hand enclosures, reptile and gardening equipment and even your potted plants to sell to other enthusiasts, the shop will also be open on the day with some serious specials on selected reptile and gardening shop stock, and second hand equipment!! These crazy shop specials are FOR THIS DAY ONLY - DONT MISS OUT!!

Karen from Radical Reptiles will be here with all her scaly mates to admire and even hold as well as providing an educational experience for all levels reptile enthusiasts !! 

As always, we will be offering expert advice on reptile keeping and indoor gardening so come along and sell your goods or grab a bargain! SEE YOU THERE

Bruce Moore from Warnbro Vet will be here again doing micro chipping of animals, Please note that if your getting your snake chipped it has to be at least 1 meter in total length, Micro Chipping Times are from 1.00pm to 2.00pm ONLY, Cost is only $35.00 per animal.

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ABOUT OTHER ACTIVITIES EVENTS FOR THE DAY, we have more in progress and the event will be updated as it happens!!

Thanks
 

Rockingham's Original Snake Whisperer

Ken Thompson

Hi All Don't forget we are now offering special prices on reptile transfers, so if you have any licensed reptiles you want to either transfer or sell to a friend then bring them in to the Reptile Trader with both parties current licences and take advantage of this great transfer price!

Cat #2 only $20
Cat #3 only $50
Cat #4 & #5 only $100

Regards

Rockingham's Original Snake Whisperer

Ken Thompson