Red-foot article in Reptiles USA 2011 Annual issue

[Madkins007]

Dave Fogel wrote a nice beginner's article in "Reptiles USA 2011 Annual" with Reptile's typical nice photography.

He makes some interesting comments- some of which are quotes from other sources but the article does not list any sources or references.

It is generally a good article- short and tightly written. A few things raised blips in my mind- stating that 'cherryheads' come from Paraguay, frequent forced soaks, 6'x4' for a pair or two of adults, 95 degree hotspot, 'dense jungle' as primary habitat, newspaper and hay substrates, etc.

He makes some interesting points as well- a movable outdoor pen, his doubt that pyramiding is due to either proteins or humidity based on his on experiences, and ponderings on why some get abnormal scute development.

I could wish for more info on diet- his is rather brief and simple, although he seems to be in the 'variety' camp with spinach and kale on his list.

He includes a photo of some hatchlings of his which look cute and smooth, and thus fulfill any 'show me the photos' criteria people might have.

By the way- there is also a list of herp vets by state, herp societies, and a short article on overall vet care ideas from Douglas Mader, DVM. Not a bad deal for $7.99.

 

[cdmay]

Well, that was nice to say Mark...
Dave Fogel sure is a nice guy and he has many years of experience, and he and I are pretty good friends. But I thought the article was rather dated as you illustrated with the blurb about cherry heads being from Paraguay and all. Some of this may be due to the editors of REPTILES though.
But on the other hand you have to give Dave credit in that he has bred red foots for well over 20 years while living in the Amish region of Ohio where the winters are brutal. His animals are kept in his basement and he has a heck of a time keeping them humid for most of the year. The article is OK but I wish it could have been more comprehensive and up to date.

 

[Madkins007]

Ya got me. I tried really hard to find nice things to say about it other than 'nice photos'.

Knowing he is in Ohio makes me wish he discussed the challenges of cold climate cares more- it puts some context to his difficulties fighting pyramiding. I am getting really tired of people (other than you ) in warm humid states saying 'fighting pyramiding/humidity is easy!"

 

[HarleyK]

i read the article today and i thought it was a nice read. i really enjoyed the photos also i thought the most interesting part was when the author talked about pyramiding and attributed that to overfeeding/rapid growth in captivity. i like how he brought up his humidity hypothesis too.

 

[Madkins007]

i read the article today and i thought it was a nice read. i really enjoyed the photos also i thought the most interesting part was when the author talked about pyramiding and attributed that to overfeeding/rapid growth in captivity. i like how he brought up his humidity hypothesis too.

Yeah. I had mixed feelings about that. He lives in Ohio, according to Carl, which means he MAY still not be offering enough humidity.

I would like to see more research and information from those of us living in drier climes on heating, lighting and UVB, and humidity. It is frustrating to see articles on how easy Red-foots are to raise smooth from people who live in more Red-foot friendly locales.