Eleni the Jungle Girl

So A LOT has changed since our last update. Lets see on September 1st 2009 my wife gave birth to our first baby. A baby girl named Eleni Jean, named after Kelley's sister Ellen and my mom who's middle name is Jean. And. I was so excited about having a baby I went out and got her this onesie made so she would officially be a part of the business (since its gonna be hers someday). Now she was born on Sept 1st., and I have been REALLY good about not making her play with animals. So I waited a WHOLE MONTH before introducing her to the animals. So I figured that since we have big lizards EVERYDAY is some kind of feeding day so she got to help.

Here we are feeding Beast our Big Tegu and Douglas our baby Alligator.

But the REAL fun didn't start until we did some official introductions. First she got to meet her best buddy Hippo and go for a ride.

Then just as proof that she is my child, she got to meet Rosie our Rose hair Tarantula. First I was just gonna put Rosie on Eleni's feet but Rosie felt like walkin and went up to her shoulder where Eleni decided to reach over and.....

*NO babies or animals were harmed in this photo shoot.*

Douglas joins Reptile Adventures!!!

Some people want somethings for their entire life and never get it. Some people want a million dollars, some people want to be president, and some people even want to jump out of a plane. And sadly some people don't get that one thing they want their entire life. Well I can now say that I am NOT one of those people. Because my whole life I have wanted only two things:

1. to start a family and

2. have a pet alligator

And now I can say that I have everything I want. Because three days ago Douglas, a baby American Alligator, came into Reptile Adventures as a rescue. He was rescued from a gentleman who was asked to watch him from a friend and just kinda left Douglas with him. So now he is with us and will be for the rest of his life. His previous name was Link but he is now known as Douglas. He is about two feet long right now including his tail and growing. He is eating a variety of different foods from turkey, chicken, mice, rats, fish, and even some elk that we got from him previous owner. He came to us in a 55 gallon tank, which is barely enough room for him to stretch out in. So we moved him to a gigantic 8 foot long by 5 foot wide by 4 foot tall enclosure. With a basking spot, a giant kiddie pool, and plenty of places for him to hide. We are trying to let him get used to being in a zoo-like enclosure since he will be one of our main animals once we open a larger public location.

Canyon County Fair

Reptile Adventures has been to one of our biggest events yet, the Canyon County Fair. As far as fairs go it was a small one, only 4 days long but we still had a good turn out at our little stage. It was really hot that day so most of the animals were pretty active which made for some interesting moments. Here is the schedule for the Community Stage, as you can see we were on at 3:15.

Here is Tyler telling the crowd what kind of animal he brought to show them.

I guess this mother and daughter didn't know that Pyxie Frogs can get to be about 10" front to back and weight as much as four pounds.

Gilbert is always a little slimy when she comes out of her tub.

Tyler introducing Spike the Bearded Dragon.

Hippo is always a hit with the kids. He's hard to see in the picture but he's the one everyone is trying to touch.

All in all it was a good day. We would like to thank Rico, the guy that contacted us about doing a show, and look forward to going back next year.

Another Tortoise

This is Whitney. She got her name from the tallest mountain in California, Mt. Whitney. She came to us via Craigslist, the owners couldn't care for her anymore and were looking for a home that had experience with large tortoises. As you can see, her shell is very pointy. This is known as "pyramiding". This is caused by, among other things, not having the right kind and/or amount of lighting, not enough calcium in the diet, etc. Whitney is our third tortoise and second Sulcata Tortoise. She is quiet a bit smaller than Hippo, in the previous post, being only 10-15 pounds, but she holds her own. She can almost always be seen following Hippo around the backyard, pushing him if he stops to much on some grass.

Hippo, A Sulcatta Tortoise, Our newest resident

Hippo came to us all the way from California where he was living with a foster parent, who is a part of the Turtle and Tortoise Club of California. He was very well cared for, but he likes to be the big dominant male and the little males were getting in his territory. So his foster mom asked us if we had room for this big boy. So I asked my wonderful sister-in-law and mother-in-law if they could bring Hippo with them when they came to visit, and they said they would. So Hippo, who weighs close to 70 lbs, hitched a ride up to Idaho and has been a great addition ever since.

Our day at Amity Elementary School

On April 14th we took our friends to meet more friends at Amity Elementary School where my sister-in-law just so happens to be one of the best kindergarten teachers they have ever had. One of the reasons that she is one of the best is because she had one of the best reptile presenters come to her class to teach her class about REPTILES. And as always the presentations were Hands On. As usual some of the animals like to get a little more hands on than others. Like Rosie, our Rose Hair Tarantula, who already has more hands than others.

Another one of our more touchy feely animals is Beast, an Argentine Tegu, who has his way with the ladies. She might be shy now but right before that picture Beast planted a big wet lizard kiss right on her cheek.

But of course no presentation is complete until one of our giant pythons makes an appearance. For this show Butterball, our Albino Burmese Python, decided to show the kids just how big a python can be.

Thank you again to the kids at Amity Elementary School, and we hope to see you guys next year.

Our Day at the "Kids Fair"

On February 28th, 2009 Reptile Adventures got a booth at the Kids Fair just to get our name out there that much more. And boy did it help, we were a big hit. Kids were there ALL DAY LONG and the animals were great. But not only did we have a booth we were asked to do presentations on stage. Which was a little out of my element because I am used to being right in front of the audience, not on a stage. But I was told that they were a big hit as well. So all in all if you missed the Kids Fair you missed.......A Star Being Born. But it wasnt me, it was Sugar.

and of course Butterbean wasnt going to be upstaged...

So if you missed us at the Kids Fair, and I know you are beating your yourself up about it, be sure to schedule us for your next birthday party or get together. Again you can contact us via email at reptile_adventures@yahoo.com or call us at 939-6284. Can't wait to hear from you.