Field Herp Forum

You can find timber rattlesnakes in the summer that is not a problem. Try looking in and around rock crevices in suitable habitat. With some creative searching, you can probably find a known locality which will help increase the odds of finding one. Try not to get frustrated, you can spend a lot of ...

I don't know anything about pythons so I cannot comment on the size. For large colubrids, I have purchased cages from animal plastics and boamaster. Animal plastics cages were priced well, light weight, hold up very well. I liked them a lot and they stack well with stacking pins. Boamaster I bought ...

I will be out looking for spring salamanders again this year. The place I go doesn't produce every trip, so it may take more than one try to find one. Let me know if you're interested in joining.

I have been out hiking the last two weekends in Massachusetts. The weather has been really nice. I found some turtles, hawks, owls, and I've seen a few mammals but other than beavers they were gone before I could get any pics. Hope everyone is having a great spring.

I used to be a tub guy and the animals did fine and bred that way, but to be honest I don't want to keep animals that way anymore. It may work for them, but it doesn't work for me. Once they have clean fecals at least twice and exit quarantine, I want to put them in an environment where they can exp...

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Can't help you with table rock specifically but May is usually the best month for me finding colubrids in MO. Looking for flat rocks in open fields or even small opening in forests should be productive. If you're coming later in the summer, it might be better to focus on pit vipers. Late June/July g...

These videos are really good.

I've raised most of the popular ones. I must admit I enjoyed it also. When I was a kid, I did it because I really couldn't afford to pay pet store prices (bait shops were slightly cheaper) but soon learned it was fun and does require a little skill and know how too. I'll give my .02 on culturing var...

I have not looked for ringed salamanders in AR but I have in MO and I imagine their behavior is the same in both states. I found them by looking in and around ponds during the breeding season, especially on rainy nights. You may flip one outside of that flipping in likely areas or sometimes they may...

Unfortunately I do not know Florida very well to help you. However, I've taken a few trips there and depending on your expectations you may be quite happy with what you can find. I mean Florida is really a different kind of place than a lot of the US so much of this depends on your frame of referenc...

Took a drive and stayed the night in Northern New Hampshire and drove around again the next morning. Very good area for mammals in the East. Deer, fox, Moose, black bear were seen.

We need land preservation on a massive scale and it would be a nice touch is people would follow the rules while visiting those places.

You could put up a cheap trail camera and see who it is if truly interested. I've never come across a illegitimate pitfall trap yet and I hope I never do. It is concerning that someone might do such a thing without proper permits and especially that they may just leave such a thing in place once the...

It's too far of a drive for me so I've never been. Hopefully someone PM'd you some suggestions. If not, I can only offer the same advice I use everywhere I go. Google search the various places of interest plus name of target species. Sometimes you may get lucky and get some specific advice or photos...

kingsnakeman You won't have to try very hard to find wildlife in S.Florida. I could hardly believe the amount of animals everywhere from birds to alligators to lizards. Since you're living down there might consider something like snorkeling with the sharks too. The only thing I didn't like was the j...

Stopped by a good place to see manatees the other day. Blue Springs State Park, I think it's about an hour from Orlando.

Ya if legal, you could do the old pool noodles and zip ties to keep the snakes from drowning during heavy rains. You'll also get a lot of amphbians in the traps (sirens, etc) so you'll need to constantly check on them and release the animals and you may have to release a cottonmouth so you might wan...

Hi Bill, I'll be in Miami but I have a car. Not really any target species I don't suppose. Just figured I'd hit a list of interesting sites while I'm there. Curious if anyone has any favorite activities/places/tours for both wild and captive animals in the area. I'm living in the Northeast right now...

Going to be in South Florida for a few days starting Dec 10th. Any good suggestions for animal encounters down there both herps and otherwise? I know there's lots of places one can visit so trying to come up with a few viable choices that I can work in over 3-4 days.

I don't know if I had that one. The first one I remember really reading cover to cover was the audubon one. I actually still have that one.

Never been to Kansas so can't help you there. I have herped all over MO though. July and August are hot and dry generally. Those months I mostly look for pit vipers in rock crevices mid morning or on the crawl around dusk. late april, May and September are good for flipping. June things start to hea...

Came across this guy resting in a tree. I've always thought they are really cool animals and don't seem too bothered by my presence. Quabbin Reservoir in MA

Think someone mentioned gray squirrels can take on a dark appearance. Saw some today.

I had some trips planned this spring which unfortunately were canceled, but at least the weather has been nice for hiking.

I came across a couple of interesting items the past two weeks. A really red redbacked salamander and a spotted turtle.

First one looks like one of the tricolor hognose snakes

I am in MA so probably not that much different than you. The same things will work there. For aquatic turtles, I like to use binoculars so I can see them before they take off. I have seen a lot of watersnakes that way too. For the timbers, check rock crevices, ledges, etc. Literring is illegal so I ...

What are the temps up there in the coldest and hottest times of year?

Mindo is a cool town and the lizard with the long nose is there, but overall I saw more frogs and basilisks than snakes. Amazing birds of course.

Great photos and trip report.

No experience in CA, but in the states I've been herping, Law enforcement has not been bothersome at all. I've had state and local police stop to see why Im along a roadside, but they didn't mind that I was looking for snakes. I've had a game warden check my trunk, glance around, or glove box before...

LEOs wouldn't have any way to tell if you have a snake boxed up for keeping or to turn loose later, I think at that point you're just in possession either way so make sure whatever you have is legal. I actually think turning it loose later might be worse because now you've exposed it to foreign too...

LEOs wouldn't have any way to tell if you have a snake boxed up for keeping or to turn loose later, I think at that point you're just in possession either way so make sure whatever you have is legal. I actually think turning it loose later might be worse because now you've exposed it to foreign tool...

that was awesome

A classic must read. I have a copy I am willing to part with for 25USD shipped in USA, message me for International. I have read it many times so decided to let someone else get a copy at a reasonable price. Shoot me a message if any FHF members want it, otherwise I'll put it up at a slightly higher...

Chris, that is what I am thinking. I should hope our government will not allow the ongoing harvest for export to china without requiring a certain percentage come from legitimate farming operations. Especially since snapping turtles are one of the few species our own citizens utilize and should rece...

I do keep numerous imports but it is usually more work and less certain of the end result than captive bred snakes. I have not noticed any difference being whether they are rear fanged or not other than obviously there is more urgency in removing the snake when a bite occurs. Regardless of origin th...

I wonder how they determined it takes 17 years for a snapping turtle to be sexually mature and how much sooner would they mature say in the southern USA which would seem a much more ideal place to locate farms?

I overheard someone say there is possibly a disease going around effecting humans there? Maybe it's passed on now?

Lots of good herps on both coasts, not to mention I happen to come and look often for Asia and South American posts If I strike out on all of the above, watching the fight club in news and board line are always entertaining. Forums did die but this is one of the best remaining.

Ideally, you wouldn't be alone, however 90% of the time I find I am alone when herping. Ideally, you'd have cell coverage, sadly, I rarely have signal in the places I enjoy herping. So in some cases, the results might be quite bad or at least cause significant panic that something really bad might g...

My post today is directed to Jeff, Richard, Ernie, Sam Sweet, Brian, Jimi, and Gerri (if he still reads this): I graduated less than 20 years ago. I do not know if anyone else reading this knows or cares, so I am directing this to they (those) in particular. When I was given my sheep skin (and not t...

Having met Richard, I can only say that there are few people whom I respect more. Richard does his absolute best to document, document, document, and rely on the facts to guide his decisions even when it does not line up with what his personal feelings. If only more people had that kind of commitmen...

There are different ways to look at public utilization and ensuring continued access, I think. Assuring the populations remains available for personal collection, photography, and ecological services would be included. If commercial collection is compatible with the above, then perhaps it should be ...

I think China is going to see a continued and huge surge in reptile keeping. It will probably get worse before it gets better, but I see more and more keepers there using better husbandry. They are breeding and captive hatching more animals successfully and selectively breeding which could make thos...

I think there is a genuine need for all animal people to come together and realize that some give and take could go a long way toward making sure the future is bright and that we crank out as many people who want to preserve reptiles and other animals for the future as possible exist. I also think e...

To me as a private reptile hobbyist, huge numbers are not too helpful. It's much better to have people collecting and providing high quality care for a more limited quantity of animals that fetch a higher price in my mind. When I am purchasing imported animals, I buy them from guys who bring in regu...

Sorry about the misspelling. I think some kind of a bag limit sounds reasonable to me. As far as I know, it is common to limit the collection of certain sexes during certain times of the year. Bryan, all those measures sound reasonable enough to me and I agree with your concern for deserted drift fe...

Brian, by your standard I shouldn't be able to take your fish, your deer, your oil, your gas, not even a leaf from your public land. To play devil's advocate, the land also belongs to the collectors, so why should you prevent them from using THEIR renewable resource? If you just hate the idea of peo...

Ernie, I agree with you that what their doing isn't doing any good confiscating animals that were likely on deaths doorstep), but ideally China would just allow export so no one needs to risk life searching pringles cans? agree?