Reptile Outreach Ideas??

Keep in mind that if you do a joint show, you need to be very comfortable with the other people's quarantine procedures and care of their collection. When I vend at Expos, I get very nervous if someone brings a reptile near my table that they got from another vendor.

Erg. Didn't think about that!

Years ago i used to do a few classrooms, the kids and teachers loved it. It started as just one classroom and quickly turned into four about twice a year. Id bring a few balls, a millipede, a tarantula, and a few other things. Id also bring a milksnake and a rubber coral snake so kids could see the difference. I also let one of the kids help me with a snake hook demo. And at the end, we had a meet n greet with my biggest snake, and id give prizes of little plastic reptiles to correctly answered questions. Id really like to get back into it. I started doin bday parties too awhile back, but havent in some years. I consider these kids are our future opinion leaders, and that a huge positive experience with reptiles is key. To quote Steve Irwin.."I let people touch these animals so that these animals can touch people".

sent from my incubator

Slightly on topic...another "community outreach" I would like input on...


The family run petshop in town now has 2 little BPs...they look like they are from this years clutches. They currently are housing 2 of them together, without a UTH, with only a heat lamp for warmth. There is no water bowl in the tank, it's full of crap, and the heat lamp is focused on the large piece of driftwood in the center of the tank, so the substrate isn't really getting the heat it needs. Both of them have stuck shed, and have no hides either.


Are there any suggestions on how I could attempt to educate them on proper housing for them??

As Education/events coordinator for one of the most active herp societies in the country (Madison area Herpetological Society, check us out ;) ), I can say there are TONS of ideas you can come up with and things that you can do to educate and spread the word. One of the first things we did in our startup year was we met with the department of Biology education for the University of WI-Madison, which coordinates after school science fairs and events for local elementary and middle schools on evenings and weekends. We coordinated and signed up as a contact on a Google drive list the University maintained of presention needs and requests, which has been extremely sucessful for us. We were ending up being contacted to dp at least 2-3 school shows/presentations a week during some of our busier times. I'm not sure how many other schools/universities offer something like this, but that would definatly be worth looking into.

We tapped into our own contacts and networks as well for many of the shows we do regularly now, a few of of which led to us becoming a part of campus (and city wide) Science Fair/Festivals held each spring and fall. As for topics you can do, in the early stages, we compiled a list of the top 10 beginner reptiles and amphibians and made a presentation out of that, as well as many others we have developed such as reptile inspired engineering, scientific/medical/societal benefits of reptiles, native species to your state/area, reptile handling and restraint techniques for everything from salamanders and frogs on up to large constrictors and crocodilians, basic husbandry and education in general, and specific presentations of frogs/toads, lizards, turtles, and snakes. We have done some or all of these presentations for local schools, nature centers, local Kiwanis and cub/boy scout groups, veterinary Tech programs for two local community colleges, local humane societies, area museums, and more! We also partner with and do "Snake Awareness days" and similar events at area pet stores as well.

This is a list of events we have done in 2012, which is only a *TINY* fraction of everything we have done to date. We expect to updated this list soon :)
http://madisonherps.org/events/

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Are there any species in particular that you think should be included in school presentations??

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I suppose my answer would be it doesn't really matter (to a large extent anyway) what species you use or bring. It is largely up to you to know your animals, their disposition, and whether you would be comfortable/confident in allowing others to touch or handle them. Any time we bring any animals to a show or event, there is always the risk that they can become stressed and bite, and if its your personal animal, it would be your responsibility. That is why you will always want control of the head whenever younger kids want to touch or hold the tail end of an animal. Whenever someone older wishes to hold an animal, explain that there is potential for these animals to bite, and that anything that has a mouth can do so.