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Montrhly newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society
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March 2012 volume 27, issue 3
Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka of Kamaka Exotic Ani-
mal Veterinary Services will be speaking about
the “Lizard Dilemmas in Captivity.”
Next Meeting:
March 11, 2012 Upcoming Events…… 2
General information……. 3
Letter from the
President………………..
4
Outreach Guide-
lines & Expecta-
tions ………….....…...….
6
“Going Green “ in the
Herp Room ………………..
8
The Loneliest Frog
on Earth…………………….
9
Classifieds…………….. 10
Contacts & Vets……….. 11
Membership Application 12
Inside this issue:
April PNHS
Newsletter Deadline:
March 29, 2012
Pacific Northwest
Herpetological Society
Meeting Location:
Highline Community College Board Meeting 4 p.m.
2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA General Meeting: 6 p.m.
Speaker Presentation:
PNHS:
Come hear a
fascinating
presentation!
Left: Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka dem-
onstrates gifted multi-tasking:
PNHS foster chameleon “Missy”
in one hand; completing medical
reports with the other.
Photo by B. Huber
Pa g e 2
Upcoming PNHS Events
March 3, 2012: Leap Year Event at Woodland Park Zoo
“ L eaping Ahead of Extinction: A celebration of good news for amphibi
ans in 2012, ” sponsored by the Amphibian Ark. For more information,
go to www.LeapDay2012.org or www.zoo.org .
March 11, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting
Herp-of-the-Month: “ Green-colored herps ”
Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka of Kamaka Exotic Animal Veterinary Ser-
vices, Topic: “ Lizard Dilemmas in Captivity”
April 15, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting
Meeting moved one week due to the Easter holiday.
Herp-of-the-Month: “ Monitors ” ( Varanus & subspecies )
Speaker: Billy Graham of Glacier Rodents, Topic: “ Important Considera
tions for Moniitors in Captivity. ”
May 20, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting
Meeting moved one week due to Mother ’ s Day.
Herp-of-the-Month: “ Amphibians ”
Speaker: Jennifer B. Pramuk, Ph.D., Curator, Woodland Park Zoo
Page 2
Come be a part
of our biggest
show ever!
Save The Date!
June 2nd—3rd, 2012
Emerald City
Reptile Expo
Seattle Center Exhibition Hall
General Information
The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS) is a non-profit organi-
zation registered with the State of Washington. PNHS is dedicated to the
education of its members and the public, as well as the conservation, ecol-
ogy, 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.
Meeting Information
PNHS 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.
Doors open at 5:30. Other business and socialization occurs between 5:30
and 6; then the General Meeting starts. Meetings are open to the public,
and the society encourages anyone with an interest in herpetology to at-
tend. 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 Adoptions Committee by email at adop-
[email protected], or by voicemail at 206- 583-0686. We will contact you
and make arrangements.
Other Donations
The Adoption Committee receives minimal financial support from the Soci-
ety, so donations of money, food, cages, and equipment are always needed
and appreciated. Please contact the Adoption Chair to make a donation.
Adoptions
To adopt an animal that is in the care of the Committee, you must be pre-
sent 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 PNHS mem-
bership. In order to keep it interesting, we encourage contribution of origi-
nal articles, book reviews, letters, ads, and cartoons for publication.
Items for incorporation into articles are also welcome, though with no guar-
antee 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 submis-
sions including advertisements.
General information &
guidelines
re PNHS’ Monthly Meetings
are a great place to learn
something new, purchase
feeders at a discount, and
meet new people
V o l . 2 7 N o . 2 Pa g e 3
Above: Both Green Tree Python
Photos courtesy of the Adams’
Family.
Page 4
Letter from the President By Brenda Huber Vol. 27, No.3
Continued...
March heralds a new season with the official start of Spring. Brumation ending;
bring on the green. It is also the beginning of a rare urban treasure hunt: amphibian egg
mass spotting.
A new partnership between Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Woodland Park
Zoo, Northwest Trek, and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has launched: “Amphibian
Egg-Mass Monitoring” calls on the participation of volunteer “Citizen Scientists” to
collect data in King and Pierce Counties.
The goal of the project is to conduct visual encounter surveys in stillwater habitats to
inventory the presence of eight specific amphibian species: the Western Toad, the
Northwest Salamander, the Northern Red-legged Frog, the Pacific Tree Frog (a.k.a. Pa-
cific Chorus Frog,) the Oregon Spotted Frog, the Rough-Skinned Newt, the Long-Toed
Salamander, and the American Bullfrog.
Why is this important?
Amphibians are an “Indicator Species.” They are much like the old
adage, “canary in a coal mine,” referring to the old practice of keep-
ing an actual live canary caged inside a coal mine in order to warn
coal miners (by the canary’s death) of the presence of dangerous
gases that could be harmful to humans. The presence of healthy am-
phibians signifies a healthy ecosystem. Healthy ecosystems =
healthy planet. (Only those residing on the planet need be con-
cerned.) Amphibian decline and/or the prevalence of mass amphibian deformities mean
we have a significant environmental problem.
There are 27 amphibian species in Washington, including the endangered Oregon Spot-
ted Frog. The species list includes 13 different salamanders, 11 different frogs, 1 spe-
cies of newt, and 2 non-native invasive frogs. The monitoring project only includes the
eight species listed above.
Canary in a Coal Mine
“It’s not
easy being
green...”
- Kermit
the Frog
V o l . 2 7 , N o . 3 Pa g e 5
Want to help?
If you want to assist trained amphibian monitor-
ing project volunteers, send me an email.
If you’d prefer to stay a little drier, there are
many things you can do to help amphibians:
Protect existing habitat;
Landscape naturally;
Create a pond (see www.nwf.org/ backyard-
pond for details) and either create or purchase a
“toad abode” for the amphibians;
Check out the “Amphibian Ark” (coming to
ECRE 2012) at www.AmphibianArk.org, and FrogwatchUSA at
www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA.
- Brenda Huber, PNHS President
Letter From The President Continued….
Above: Citizen scientist Teresa Ruzzamenti (a.k.a. “Hawkeye”) checks
the identification of the egg mass she discovered, and positively
matches Northwestern Salamander eggs. WPZ/WDFW Training Day,
2.25.12 Photo courtesy of B. Huber.
“One touch of
nature makes
the whole
world kin.”
- William
Shakespeare
Above: Teresa “Hawkeye” Ruzzamenti and Jerry
“The Inventor” Harter looking for amphibian egg
masses at their designated pond in Seattle. 2.25.12
V o l . 2 7 , N o . 3
Outreach Guidelines and Expectations
By Aimee Kenoyer
Hey PNHS – we have picked up a ton of new people since the last time we reviewed and
discussed Outreach Guidelines as a group. For 2012, we have a new Outreach Coordina-
tor, a new ECRE venue, and many new faces … so let’s take a moment to talk about Out-
reach. This set of guidelines was written by our past Outreach Coordinator, Mr. Dave Al-
verson. Every word is still relevant, and this is reproduced here in its entirety:
First and foremost, these are PNWHS events. We attend as representatives of the Society as a whole and
must be a member in good standing at the time of the presentation.
An apprentice/assistant can come to help with handling and presenting animals belonging to the member
but cannot bring their own animals. It is the members’ responsibility to ensure their assistant is providing
correct information
Presenters must sign up, either by Forum post, email, phone, or sign up list; at least 24 hours in advance
for the outreach. We understand that there will be times when someone can’t make it to an outreach they
have signed up for. If not able to attend, please inform the outreach coordinator as soon as possible so
that other arrangements, if needed, can be made.
The Society and its membership attend outreaches by invitation. Any presenter who is asked to leave an
outreach, either by the host or by the senior member in attendance, and not doing so will not be invited to
attend future outreaches and risks their membership in the Society.
We recognize that there is a wealth of knowledge and experience in our younger membership and en-
courage their participation whenever possible. Minors, however, need to be accompanied by adults re-
sponsible for their guardianship. Unless those adults are presenting animals
they need not be members of the Society.
Presenting adults who bring their children are responsible for both their ani-
mals and their children.
The health and safety of our animals, our membership and our community
as a whole are of the utmost importance. Please be considerate of other
members in attendance by not bringing animals with known or suspected
health issues. Animals that are aggressive either by nature or individual
temperament are welcome for display but may not be the best candidates
for direct interaction with the public. Know what your animal is capable of
and how to prevent or protect against biting, clawing or any other aggressive or defensive reactions that
could result in injury to any person or animal in attendance. It is appropriate to be a defender and advo-
cate for your animals by monitoring how it is being treated by anyone you allow to handle them.
Outreaches are an educational opportunity. While it is not expected to be expert on all aspects of your
animal it is important that information, especially where care and husbandry is concerned, is accurate. Be
prepared to talk about how to keep your animals healthy and happy.
Come early enough to set up and stay late enough to clean up. Clean up after your animal. Be respectful
to all those in attendance. Most of all, come out and have fun sharing your passion with others!
(Initially published on PNHS’ forums page and on our main website in 01/2009.)
“Know what your
animal is capable
of…”
Dave Alverson,
PNHS VP 2008-2011
Continued...
Pa g e 7
Outreach Guidelines, Continued...
I would like to add a few things to this most excellent list. Dave’s guidelines primarily cover how to con-
duct yourself at an Outreach, but there are a few other things to consider. In light of our understanding
about reptile diseases and how they’re transmitted, I have a few personal safeguards I implement to main-
tain the health of my collection, and I wanted to share this here. Accidents happen, mistakes are made, and
we can’t often be 100% sure of the health status of our critters. In my opinion, the best way to approach
public events with my reptiles is to assume everyone’s animals are ill and contagious – including my own.
A little extreme? Perhaps – but I have been fortunate enough to not bring anything unwanted home to my
collection. First and foremost, don’t be afraid to speak up on behalf of your animals. If you feel that some-
one else’s animals are crowding yours, or that a member of the public is a little too grabby with your ani-
mal, speak up! If you’re not certain how to do so in a polite and professional manner, ask an outreach vet-
eran for some tips on the best way to handle this smoothly.
How to prep your animals for an outreach:
First, before packing her up, make sure she appears alert and healthy. If this is animal that likes to defecate
when handled, consider a quick soak before packing them up, to get this messy problem taken care of at
home where it’s easy to clean. If it doesn’t happen, that’s OK – there’s always that kid that thinks it’s cool
when a herp poops at an Outreach. Just please do your best to clean it up promptly. Another thing that I like
to do with my snakes, to prevent the spread of mites, is to spray the pillow-case and/or tub I use for trans-
port. Usually I will put the pillowcase(s) in a bin and spray with Prevent-A-Mite (PAM) the night before,
so there is plenty of time for the chemical to dry. This way, if I’m at an Expo or other busy Outreach where
someone may have mites on their clothing from handling an infected snake, it will die before it has time to
lay eggs on my snake, or to crawl under the scales. One thing to consider in the use of PAM is that it is not
appropriate for some species (Hognose, Brazilian Rainbow Boa) but there are other alternatives. Also, PAM
is toxic if not used correctly! Read and follow the instructions for safe usage. Common sense dictates trans-
porting your animal in a container that is secure from escape, in a comfortable temperature range, and safe.
Hand sanitizer – your best friend:
PNHS buys several liters of hand-sanitizer every year for use at Outreaches – use it! Don’t be shy if mem-
bers of the public seem reluctant; if they won’t sanitize, don’t let them touch your animal. We use the spe-
cific type of sanitizer recommended to our group after consulting with Dr. Adolf Maas, after an IBD out-
break the greater Seattle area several years ago. Our sanitizer is easier on reptiles and more effective on vi-
ruses than alcohol-based sanitizers, so it won’t harm your herptile.
Outreach etiquette, take II:
Dave addressed this very well, but I would like to reiterate and reemphasize a few points. Please don’t bring
your animal if it’s sick. Please don’t drape your snake around the neck of a member of the public, ever.
Please don’t bring your animal if it has an uncertain temperament. Also, recognize that even Pig can have a
bad day – that stalwart rockstar wasn’t in the mood for interacting with the public at an Outreach once, so I
put her away and pulled out an alternate. Respect that your animal just might not be
feelin’ it that day, and so whenever possible bring at least one alternative animal. Out-
reaches need to be fun for you, for me, for our animals, and to the attending members of
the public! A handful of easy common-sense measures and a little forethought can ensure
safe and enjoyable Outreaches for everyone. -A.Kenoyer
Vol. 27, No. 3
P a g e 8 Page 8
Vol. 27, No. 3
“Going Green” in the Herp Room
By Nate Swanson, Seattle Reptiles
Reptiles can sense and feel the ambient temps in our Washington atmosphere and are quick to stop feeding, become less active, and maybe even hibernate when they shouldn’t. Many of these issues can be resolved by simply devoting a room, or even enclosing a portion of a room by making a false wall with drop cloth sheeting, or plastic (visqueen, 6 mm and black is best.)
One technique for keeping electricity costs down that many breeders and keepers use is the “Reptile Room.” I have seen many people keep their heat off all year if possible, but they have a leopard gecko in the living room, and tortoises in the den, etc. These lights aren’t always on; and you know what that means: CHILLY!
I have known people to keep reptiles in their garage all year, however, doing so wastes a lot of heat that could instead be directed to your house. Not everyone has an extra room, so I understand this isn’t feasi-ble for everyone. Just imagine if you had about 4/100 watt bulbs going in one room, you can raise the ambient room temperature by as much as 15 degrees.
Get an inexpensive temperature gun, which will save you money and time. These are relatively inexpen-sive (under $30.00) and well worth the investment.
Calculating actual electricity costs:
I had just put a 250 watt red bulb in with the Sulcatas in the greenhouse, and thought to myself, ”Is this going to get expensive?”
Here is the calculation from PUD:
Wattage=250 Daily Usage =24 hours Monthly =30 days multiply all and divide by 1,000 THEN multiply by 8.4 cents per kWh or .084 250 (30x24) /1,000 x.084 =$15.12 Make sense?
Feel free to post comments or questions on our Seattle Reptiles Facebook page.
- Nate Swanson
www.seattlereptiles.com
Find us on Facebook!
WATTS Hours Days Divisor $/kWh ( may vary) Cost to run
450 watts 18 30 1,000 .084 20.41
9, 16 watt UVB Bulbs and 12 30 1,000 .084 6.17
150 watt bulb 12 30 1,000 .084 4.53
Pa g e 9
Loneliest Frog in the World: The Last of his Kind
Rabb’s Fringe-Limbed Tree Frog
Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia:
There were believed to be just two Rabbs' Fringe-Limbed Tree Frogs left on Earth after a fungus killed off their species in the wild. A Rabbs' Fringe-Limbed Tree Frog is the loneliest little amphibian in the world after the only other one of his kind croaked. There were believed to be just two left on Earth after a fungus killed off their species in the wild. But zoo officials in At-lanta, Georgia said they had to put down one frog due to ill health. That leaves just one remaining example of the species, living in the botanical garden in Atlanta. Amphibian populations are declining around the world and some of the last survivors of Central America’s once rich diversity of frogs now exist only in captivity. The species was identified by Zoo Atlanta's herpetology curator Joseph Mendelson during a 2005 trip to Panama. He hopes that they can preserve genetic material from the deceased frog to help to study the species. He said: “Had the frog passed away overnight when no staff members were present, we would have lost any opportunity to preserve pre-cious genetic material.“To lose that chance would have made this extinction an even greater tragedy in terms of conservation, edu-cation and biology.” The Rabbs’ Fringe-Limbed Tree Frog has not been observed in the wild since 2007 and is believed to be extinct. Zoo Atlanta is a leader in the effort to combat the crisis of global amphibian decline.
Vol. 27, No. 3
Reprinted with permission from HerpDigest, Vol. 12 #9, 2/19/12.
Classifieds
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.
Email: [email protected] (503)-436-1064 or www.gekkota.com
Pa g e 1 0
Advertise in the PNHS Newsletter!
Business Card .............................$5
Quarter Page................................$10
Half Page ....................................$15
Full Page .....................................$25
If you would like to place an ad
in the PNHS newsletter, please contact:
GET PUBLICITY FOR YOUR BUSINESS
& SUPPORTING PNHS!
Feeder Insects & Rodents
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 meeting delivery.
Jennifer Sronce (425) 750-0477
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
Email: [email protected]
www.beanfarm.com
For Sale: Radiated Tortoises 3 yearling females (sexed via endoscopy)
Studbook Registered
$2,000.00 each or 3 for $5,500.00
1 large male (weighs 29 lbs.) $4,500.00
1 young adult male $4,000.00
Out-of-state sale only to CBW Permit holder
Contact: (206) 363-0162 [email protected]
Contact Information
PNHS
P.O. Box 27542 Adoptions:206-583-0686
Seattle, WA 98165 Email: [email protected]
www.pnwhs.org General information: 206-628-4740
Area Representatives
N King & Snohomish Brenda Huber 206-334-7168 [email protected]
S King & Pierce Dale Drexler 253-606-4328 [email protected]
Greater Seattle Aimee Kenoyer 206-200-1240 [email protected]
Peninsula, Island Troy Barnhatt
Oregon Elizabeth Freer 503-436-1064 [email protected]
Officers for 2012
President Brenda Huber [email protected]
Vice President Brandon Winter [email protected]
President-Elect Rachel Shirk [email protected]
Treasurer Dale Drexler [email protected]
Secretary Teresa Montoya [email protected]
Membership Secretary Geoff Sweet [email protected]
Members-At-Large Ted Adams [email protected]
David Brunnelle [email protected] Carol Dean [email protected]
Matt Lee [email protected]
Julie Sharkey [email protected]
Adoptions Coordinator Rachel Shirk [email protected]
Event Coordinator Norm Hill [email protected]
Newsletter Editor Marian Huber [email protected]
Webmaster Geoff Sweet [email protected]
Find us on
FACEBOOK!
V o l . 2 7 , N o . 2 Pa g e 1 1
Recommended EXOTIC VETS
Dr. Tracy Bennett
Dr. Daniel Lejnieks
Bird & Exotic Clinic of Seattle
4019 Aurora Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 783-4538
www.birdandexotic.com
Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka
Kamaka Exotic Animal Vet-
erinary Services
23914—56th Ave. W. #3
Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043
(425) 361-2183
www.kamakaexoticvet.com
Dr. Adolf Maas
The Center For Bird & Exotic
Animal Medicine
11401 NE 195th St.
Bothell, WA 98011
(425) 486-9000
www.avianandexoticanimalhospit
al..com
To join PNHS, please print & complete the following application,
enclose your yearly or multi-yearly membership fee and return to:
PNHS Membership Secretary
P.O. Box 27542
Seattle, WA 98165
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 E-Newsletter, access to membership pricing for adoption ani-mals, and the opportunity to participate in the many outreaches and special “Members Only” events held throughout the year.
Please select one of the options below:
Please select your preferred membership category:
Individual Membership Family Membership
(One person) (1-2 parents + Children)
Institutional Membership Correspondence Membership
(Institutions/Organizations) (E-Newsletter Only)
Please select the format in which you would like to receive your newsletter:
Today’s Date: ___________________________________________________________
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Parent or Guardian (if member is a minor): ___________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________________ State: _____ Zip: ______________
Email Address: ________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________________________________
Would you be interested in volunteering for PNHS: YES / NO
Please make checks payable to PNHS. Thank you!
PNHS only: Membership Expiration Date: _______________________ Contacted: ____
Above: Kids are
intent on every-
thing Board Mem-
ber Geoff Sweet
has to say at an
outreach in Duvall,
2005.
