"Scaled"

This is just a heads-up for a new (tv) series on the Animal Planet channel called "Scaled" (about our scaly friends & their care); it starts Aug.24th @ 9 pm,
and the preview I've seen looks like it might be worth checking out, & if it's not, at least we'll know what they're putting out there? I hope they do justice...:please:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

This is just a heads-up for a new (tv) series on the Animal Planet channel called "Scaled" (about our scaly friends & their care); it starts Aug.24th @ 9 pm,
and the preview I've seen looks like it might be worth checking out, & if it's not, at least we'll know what they're putting out there? I hope they do justice...:please:

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Wonder wether they'll go with knowledgeable presenters or down the Sky route and use sexy ones to get the viewers ?

I vote 'B' :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0a887571d.jpeghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...027b42ce0.jpeghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5ec65c871.jpeghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9316289fc.jpeghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0c7e36db7.jpeg


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My guess is it will prolly get canceled... and replaced with "how I survived my deadly encounter with a python"

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Originally Posted by Alter-Echo

My guess is it will prolly get canceled... and replaced with "how I survived my deadly encounter with a python"

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Will there be pretty ladies .. is what we need to know :)


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:hijackd: Focus, people....:D That's a whole different channel you're wanting...

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Will there be pretty ladies .. is what we need to know :)


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One-track mind, Zinc! LOL. If they show a bunch of scaled beauties, isn't that enough??

Given that it's the Discovery Channel I suspect most of the show will be fiction, and the rest info-tainment.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Given that it's the Discovery Channel I suspect most of the show will be fiction, and the rest info-tainment.

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No, it's on "Animal Planet", not "Discovery" channel. (I'll admit to being a fan of "Pitbulls & Parolees" & "Animal Cops")

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Wonder wether they'll go with knowledgeable presenters or down the Sky route and use sexy ones to get the viewers ?

I vote 'B' :)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...0a887571d.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...027b42ce0.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...5ec65c871.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9316289fc.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...0c7e36db7.jpeg


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If it's the last girl, I would end up watching and probably not even remember what the show was about.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

This is just a heads-up for a new (tv) series on the Animal Planet channel called "Scaled" (about our scaly friends & their care); it starts Aug.24th @ 9 pm,
and the preview I've seen looks like it might be worth checking out, & if it's not, at least we'll know what they're putting out there? I hope they do justice...:please:

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I'll definitely be giving it a look, hopefully it portrays our scaly friends in a positive light. They get so much negative media attention, our hobby doesnt need more.

Thanks for sharing!

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I'll definitely be giving it a look, hopefully it portrays our scaly friends in a positive light. They get so much negative media attention, our hobby doesnt need more.

Thanks for sharing!

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I'm encouraged by their commercial, something to the effect that "these pets don't need to live in a box, we can re-create their world." So maybe some great ideas?

From the looks of the setups they are showing it looks like a habitat makeover show, al la “Tanked”. I am hoping it will be good.


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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I'm encouraged by their commercial, something to the effect that "these pets don't need to live in a box, we can re-create their world." So maybe some great ideas?

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Originally Posted by reptilemom25

From the looks of the setups they are showing it looks like a habitat makeover show, al la “Tanked”. I am hoping it will be good.


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I haven't seen the ads yet, now I'm even more intrigued :)

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Originally Posted by reptilemom25

From the looks of the setups they are showing it looks like a habitat makeover show, al la “Tanked”. I am hoping it will be good.


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I kinda enjoy parts of Tanked but it's just so scripted it spoils it ..


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Well, I actually missed it tonight! :oops: I had it down as being on at 9 pm but apparently that was Eastern time. Oops!

I caught the very end and apparently this first episode was about poison dart frogs, which (cough cough) don't even HAVE scales!? So I have to wonder just
how much accuracy we can expect...? :sigh2:

Well, at least their finished enclosures looked cool...but someone should tell them that frogs have skin, not scales!

Hey, you can still watch the first episode if, like me, you missed it earlier this evening, and they do make some enclosures to drool over! Ribbit!

https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-show...rt-frog-family

I was watching out for this but forgot you guys are in the States :)

It's not being shown over here as yet ...


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I got rid of cable a while back, but if you download The Animal Planet Go app (free) you can watch Scaled on demand!

Recorded on the DVR.

Katie is in CA for the weekend for a wedding though.

Cannot watch until she is back on Monday.

I’ll advise. First episode is about an enclosure for dart frogs.

My post (#16 above) has a link to watch online...and yes, already noted that dart frogs are NOT scaled...:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

My post (#16 above) has a link to watch online...and yes, already noted that dart frogs are NOT scaled...:rolleyes:

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Sadly. I am not sure the average viewer will know the difference.

Although. I showed someone Solana, who is scaleless (corn), and their head exploded.

So, who knows. :)

My impression after watching the first episode is that they're "easing the average [non-herp-keeping] viewers" into the world of keeping snakes & lizards
& all as pets. They have one requisite staff member who expressed her fear of snakes -she's the carpenter & she "doesn't mind them when they're in the
enclosures" but a staff member held a snake during their meeting & at one point she predictably fled...:rolleyes: This episode had other brief interludes with
scaly pets, but I'm convinced they started off with tiny colorful frogs intentionally, despite their lack of scales.

They did do some beautiful work & had some good decor ideas, & discussed the care of species shown, so IMO it's worth further checking it out.

I haven't watched yet, but I already know that I could look at pretty enclosures all day. So as long as that's a major aspect of the show and there isn't any obvious anti-reptile BS, I'm sure I'll enjoy.

I watched the first episode end enjoyed it. It really is a carbon copy of "Tanked" as far as format goes. Just swap out aquariums for terrariums.

Enclosure company owner/staff goes on consult with client, has staff meeting, builds enclosure, installs enclosure, finish with dramatic reveal to client.

I personally enjoyed it and will continue watching. Hopefully it educates some people and shines a positive light on our hobby.

I am very curious about the next episode. The episode description says it's a build for 3 BPs. I'm hoping they're housed separately. Otherwise something tells me we'll be hearing "I saw on t.v. you can put 3 BPs in one tank"....

I think that it might raise some more interesting discussion about racks vs. naturalistic environments, but it also might create a whole new breed of ‘zoological institution level enclosures or bust’ mentality.

In my opinion, shows that hold these creatures in a positive light are always welcome. All it takes is one person to turn one person. I turned a couple people into ‘keepers’ or the ‘interested-but-researching’ folks, as was done for me. I was scared of snakes until 31 and now I have a herd and am turning it into a career — so it’s not impossible to change perceptions!

They also talked about bio-active enclosures & that's what they did for those frogs in episode one. I agree with you Craig (as usual, lol) that this show
is very much like "Tanked" and they have a chance to enlighten many hesitant viewers about reptiles, who may be drawn in initially just by the beautiful
enclosures they're building.

Katie and I watched "Scaled" last night. The first episode, on dart frogs.

Initial Reactions:

1. Overall, I think the show is fun and a positive for the reptile community.

2. More behind the scenes drama/reality than educational by any stretch. Being the the reptile geek I am, I want to know about temps, how they are achieving them, what thermostats, what heating devices, what humidity and how they regulated, etc. They did talk about who manufactured the misting system they are using, and it's the one they sell on their website, but did not talk about how it was monitored, etc.

3. Much over-dramatization; almost feels scripted. However, still fun to watch and good for the reptile community.

4. Clear oversights. For example, the father of the dart frog family talked about syphoning water out of his tanks and starting the syphon with his mouth, as if that's the only way. Aside from being disgusting, you can use a hand pump, water pressure, etc. to syphon effectively. Yes, Cornel's World did set up a self draining system that works with gravity, which is better, but is anyone going to tell the father you don't have to put frog waste in your mouth to syphon a dart frog tank?

5. Not enough information on relevant topics: What was Cornel's World's time frame? What was their budget? Things like that would have made the whole episode a lot clearer. They set up the dart frog tanks as bioactive, however, they acted like that's an easy thing to do and you can just throw some bugs in there. As we all know, it's not that simple and more information would have been helpful and informative.


Final Word:

Katie and I will watch a few more episodes and see if we like the gang enough to follow them. We may tune in just to see what they came up with. 40 minutes when you fast forward through commercials. Not too bad to see some killer custom enclosures.

Final Rating:

6.8

dakski, I SO agree about the "siphoning" bit the guy had been doing...he seemed much smarter than that, so it really makes me wonder if they thought
others watching might not be, & so they added that to the "story" for effect and humor?

I think they have plenty of room to improve also...more tech. details for sure & less side-show, but as you said, at least it reflects well on our community.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

dakski, I SO agree about the "siphoning" bit the guy had been doing...he seemed much smarter than that, so it really makes me wonder if they thought
others watching might not be, & so they added that to the "story" for effect and humor?

I think they have plenty of room to improve also...more tech. details for sure & less side-show, but as you said, at least it reflects well on our community.

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Amen to that!

I totally agree it reflects well on the reptile community. Plus, at least they talk about humidity and temp requirements even if they don't go into them. Many people just throw a snake, lizard, tortoise, etc. of any kind, into a glass aquarium and call it a day! This show at least shows that there is more to reptile keeping than that, in multiple ways.

Regarding the syphoning; people will do anything to be on TV, even look like a total moron! Case and point.

Well, I just watched the 2nd episode of Scaled- at least this time the creatures featured HAVE scales.

https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-show...and-the-python

A few random thoughts about it: I love the idea of heated branches- not a new idea, but a good idea to revisit, depending on what you keep, very do-able.

The cages they designed are long on "attractiveness" but I question "practicality"- for the 3 ball pythons, they only did one hide each & never mentioned if
they were heated or not. To be fair, the owner only had one hide apiece for them in her old rack system, but for me, the health considerations far outweigh
the superficial appearance. Not only that but the 3 separate compartments emphasized vertical space, whereas BP's are mostly "horizontal" snakes, and the
one that "likes to climb", there's no way he'll be able to climb the narrow & mostly vertical "vines" they installed? Like, what were they thinking? All for looks.

They showed a beautiful Honduran milk snake & fed it a f/t rat, but called it a "mouse"?

In building these enclosures out of wood they never mention waterproofing, & they are busy painting the interiors but say nothing about the hazards of many
kinds of paint for reptiles...I fear that some people may try to emulate what they see them doing (it's very abbreviated to fit the time allotted) without realizing
what is & what is not safe to use. And while these enclosures are gorgeous (like what they did for the basilisk lizard), what a nightmare to clean them, not to
mention disinfect. Again, I can picture people copying what they show, while not having all the facts...what do you all think?

And Kevin, the bearded dragon, needs heat...but he's just laying around their room as a prop...again with no mention of his actual needs or care. :(

Anyone else watch this episode?

I have not seen a full episode yet, but did watch some clips, and I definitely get the "tanked" feel for the show. I'm glad they are using peoples existing (hopefully healthy) pets it seems though. I was not overly surprised that many of the "tanked" fish did not last 6 months :/ esp the more fragile saltwater species. I do like the fact that the animals seem shown in a good light - I get tired of the "I survived an almost not really deadly encounter with x" type shows where really human stupidity is the cause of any issues...

end rant - had a long day full of stupid questions lol

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Originally Posted by Crowfingers

I have not seen a full episode yet, but did watch some clips, and I definitely get the "tanked" feel for the show. I'm glad they are using peoples existing (hopefully healthy) pets it seems though. I was not overly surprised that many of the "tanked" fish did not last 6 months :/ esp the more fragile saltwater species. I do like the fact that the animals seem shown in a good light - I get tired of the "I survived an almost not really deadly encounter with x" type shows where really human stupidity is the cause of any issues...

end rant - had a long day full of stupid questions lol

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I couldn't tune in TV to the regular broadcast time either, but watched later when I had time. (link in previous post) It's far from perfect but as you said, it's progress.

I watched both episodes online. I like some of what they said, and it's nice to see these animals portrayed in a positive light. I have to say though, I was really disappointed in the ball python enclosure. They went to all that trouble to make it look like Disney Princesses lived there, but they did so little with it that will actually benefit the snakes. As far as they're concerned, they have one hide and a water bowl and barely more floor space than they had in the rack. They have more head room, but the vertical space isn't even used in ways that will particularly benefit them. With that height, they could at least have had a couple of platforms with hides, which would be at different temperatures because they'd be different distances from heating elements. They could have more branches and leaves (make them look like palace staircases and balconies if you have to match it to the princess theme?), places for the snakes to actually go. The finished product basically looks like ye olde barren tank, with a lot of window dressing.

I wish they'd be more specific about what the animals need and I wish they'd cut some of the vacuous chatter and replace it with specifics about what they're doing (and definitely address stuff like letting paints and sealants and everything dry and outgas for long enough before putting animals in, etc), but sadly this type of show never gets into the actual meat of a topic. If you're not expecting any in-depth treatment of any topic whatsoever, I suppose it's entertaining enough.

Just watched episode 2. Not impressed at all. Pretty disappointed, actually.

That "Princess" themed BP build was HORRIBLE!!! It looked like a poorly made, homemade dollhouse that was terribly repurposed into 3 BP enclosures with no practicality.
There was more height than floor space, that "mirror" would probably drive a BP nuts and that water feature is definitely going to stress that snake. There's no place for a temp gradient, one hide, and a bunch of wasted space above. It would have made so much more sense to stack the 3 enclosures, rather than build 3 vertical enclosures.
Clearly, these people are NOT reptile experts.

I'll try episode 3, but it might be the last episode I watch...

I didn't catch episode 3 yet either...and like you, not sure that I care. I agree totally that what they did for the 3 BPs was ridiculous & belongs in a theme-
park for robot-creatures, not living BPs. I'm very disappointed...even with a positive spin for reptiles, it's still just more bad information. They really should
be called out for all they did wrong...I hate to think of anyone copying their stupidity.

I guess the most offensive thing to me about what they're doing is that it all comes down to "reptile bling"...not about what the animals actually need, but
about how to make them look cool for their owners to show off. Sadly, there's too many pet-owners (of all kinds, not only reptiles) for whom this is the main attraction of keeping them.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Just watched episode 2. Not impressed at all. Pretty disappointed, actually.

That "Princess" themed BP build was HORRIBLE!!! It looked like a poorly made, homemade dollhouse that was terribly repurposed into 3 BP enclosures with no practicality.
There was more height than floor space, that "mirror" would probably drive a BP nuts and that water feature is definitely going to stress that snake. There's no place for a temp gradient, one hide, and a bunch of wasted space above. It would have made so much more sense to stack the 3 enclosures, rather than build 3 vertical enclosures.
Clearly, these people are NOT reptile experts.

I'll try episode 3, but it might be the last episode I watch...

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I just watched a bunch of the episodes I had recorded. Overall not a bad show, but some of the "experts" need to get on google and study up a bit on some of the species they are building enclosures for. The "doll house" Disney build for ball pythons was horrible. A clear hide for the one ball python. Vines in the Jungle Book themed enclosure. So the ball python could feel like its in its natural habitat to climb on. Im far from a reptile expert. Ive kept mostly ball pythons since 1993 or so. Some corns, boas, geckos, tortoises, and a burm or two. Again I far from being an expert on all things reptile. But some of the enclousers are just insane. One episode had a Bill and Teds themed enclosure. It was a pretty much an all glass phone booth.

I'd say the first few episodes were somewhat entertaining. But after that, I started to catch all the mistakes. Some of them were pretty basic common sense things. The problem with that, like with most tv shows. They are putting out the bad information to possibly millions of viewers. People that may get X reptile and then build an improper enclosure. All because they seen it on a tv show. As we learned with Venom hunters. Just becuase they are on tv. That doesnt mean they are experts.

In one episode they did a Bonny and Clyde themed set of enclosures for some ball pythons. It was cool looking, but not suitable for ball pythons.

Hopefully, there is a season two and they get some better "experts". Or do a bit better research before spewing a bunch of crap on TV.

Also in the intro to the show, they kinda take a jab at people that keep reptiles in tubs.