I need some help w/ idea's for...

I have started a local reptile club in my area. I need some help thinking up topics for the first meeting (tomorrow…yes, I am a little disorganized) and for future meetings.

Here are some I have came up with for the FIRST meeting
Starting with introductions, what do you own, what do you want to own, ect. Names, species, where did you get them, just general chit chat intro’s.
Then about feeding live and what it can do to harm your animals (snakes anyways)
What to look for when obtaining a healthy animal…

What are some more topics AND where are some good resources to look up this information.

THANKS!

www.christinascritterclub.weebly.com

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Originally Posted by SnakeLady1990

I have started a local reptile club in my area. I need some help thinking up topics for the first meeting (tomorrow…yes, I am a little disorganized) and for future meetings.

Here are some I have came up with for the FIRST meeting
Starting with introductions, what do you own, what do you want to own, ect. Names, species, where did you get them, just general chit chat intro’s.
Then about feeding live and what it can do to harm your animals (snakes anyways)
What to look for when obtaining a healthy animal…

What are some more topics AND where are some good resources to look up this information.

THANKS!

www.christinascritterclub.weebly.com

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IMO....it would be good if you familiarized everyone with the USARK and what it does for the herp community :). Never hurts to have guest speakers or a "professional" reptile keeper explaining proper husbandry/handling/feeding methods. You may also want to do some research and find local or regional herp events and find ways of promoting them to your group.

You should talk about both ends of the feeding live subject. if done properly there is very little risk involved. (i.e. being present during the feeding and making sure the rodent is fed and hydrated before placing it in with the snake)

I don't want this to become a live vs ft discussion its just a suggestion for part of your group.

What you thought of is what I was thinking of as a first meeting. As far as feeding live though, it can be done safely as long as it is always supervised. I have fed live for years with never having anything even minor happen. Maybe when bringing up the live prey feeding, ask if they supervise, never leave a live prey item in the cage unsupervised/ overnight, etc.

Yeah because not all snakes will take f/t, so it is important to let people feed their snake how it eats, or even however they see fit.

In future meetings...maybe see if you can get a reputable herp vet to come speak? That could be informative and help people plan for the day that they actually need a good herp vet.

Enclosures. People seem to get the snake and enclosure on the same day that are new and they have no time to have it set up properly. Having an inclosure that suits the reptiles needs, properly set up and temps/humidity set correctly before they bring the reptile home.

Better skip the feeding discussion for succeeding meetings. I don't think it's a good first meeting topic. I think enclosure options should be discussed before feeding. But still not for first meeting.

And when you do discuss feeding, be sure to cover all feeding methods - live feeding has pros and cons, f/t feeding has pros and cons. Don't lead the discussion one way or the other - better to be unbiased on the subject and let the members decide which one works best for their snakes. Same thing with enclosures - cover all enclosure types - tanks, tubs, racks, etc - without bias so the member can decide which one works best for his situation.

But, feeding/enclosure discussions is best when tied to a specific species.

First meeting should be introduction - outlining purpose/vision/mission of the club and member introductions - with a show/tell of what each one owns. Might be great to bring one of your own pets for interest. Then give each one an outline of where you intend to take the club for the next 6 months. If you're not ready to show them a meeting schedule for the next 6 months, at least touch on when you will have a meeting schedule out and ask them for "Requests".

Might want to do "special focus" for succeeding meetings:
e.g. Ball pythons, Turtles, lizards, giants, kid pets, etc.
with subject matter experts presenting. This is the best place to put feeding/enclosure discussions so that it is specific to the species you are talking about. Talk about husbandry requirements of each.

Save one meeting to discuss your State/County's reptile laws including bills that are currently on the congress floor. Could couple this with an intro to USARK, PIJAC, etc.

Then every 3-6 months or so, have a sale/trade/auction in your club.

P.S.
Hold one meeting dedicated to local field herping including a discussion of each local species you can possibly encounter.

ask people about their local public/private herping spots, any herping stories, and such for fututre meeting. also can discuss the pro and cond of the current premit system ( if you have one there) and such. Can also compair anyone posible breeding projects and discuss the needs and cost/ selling possible prices for them .