Photo by Pete Milligan

Woma Pythons (Aspidites ramsayi), also known as Ramsay’s Python, are now being bred in this country and we are lucky enough to have a pair here. They don’t grow too large compared to many species of python, maybe reaching 5 feet in length.  They eat rodents, birds and other reptiles that they find in burrows under the ground.

As burrows can be too small to coil and constrict prey the Woma Python has adapted to use an unusual way of killing. They can force a loop of their body against their prey and literally crush them against the burrow wall! Our Womas here are fed more conventionally, being offered frozen mice, with long tweezers.

Photo by Pete Milligan

As you can see from the pictures they are a very attractive snake with bands running down the length of their bodies. Unlike other pythons they lack heat sensing pits around the mouth. Due to their natural life underground, they have evolved relatively small heads. Perfect for exploring nooks and crannies in burrows.

Have a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. Do you have room for something a little different in your collection?

]]> http://www.reptilecentre.com/blog/2009/06/rare-woma-pythons-are-here/feed/ 8 http://www.reptilecentre.com/blog/2009/05/have-you-ever-seen-a-monkey-tailed-skink/ http://www.reptilecentre.com/blog/2009/05/have-you-ever-seen-a-monkey-tailed-skink/#comments Fri, 29 May 2009 12:02:35 +0000 Gary Rolfe http://www.reptilecentre.com/blog/?p=482 When we got our Monkey Tailed Skink at Northampton Reptile Centre I became fascinated by it. Although the other guys in the shop have kept them before, I’ll be the first to admit I knew nothing about them. So I’d like to share with you what I found out about these amazing reptiles.

They originate from the Solomon Islands of South East Asia which is why they are also known as the Solomon Islands Tree Skink.  They are a large(ish) arboreal lizard (tree climbing) growing to over 2 feet and spending most of their time just hanging around in the branches. They are exclusively herbivorous and eat a variety of fruit and vegetables.

Yet another name for these guys is the Prehensile Tailed Skinks. This refers to their ability to use their tail for gripping. This is a great advantage when you spend your time climbing trees. It acts as a fifth limb and they would certainly struggle without it.

Like other skinks they give birth to live babies, usually only one or two a year. Because of this low reproduction rate and the deforestation in their native islands they have now become endangered. Exports have been banned, which is good,  and only captive bred specimens are now available.

Like any reptile, the key to keeping a Monkey Tailed Skink at home is to recreate their natural environment as closely as possible. Heat, humidity, UVB all need to be right as well as plenty of places to climb and hide. Anybody interested in keeping Monkey Tailed Skinks can contact the shop any time and we would be happy to advise.

I have included some pictures of our Monkey Tail Skink with this blog so I’d be interested in hearing what you all think of him (or her). I think he is great!

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We love getting new reptiles, amphibians and inverts to care for but this week there were more than usual! New homes have to be stripped down, sterilised and freshly decorated before the new guys can take residence!

Below are some pictures of this weeks new arrivals. As always please feel free to leave comments and ask questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Albino Leopard Geckos

Fire Beauty Tarantula

Yellow Spotted Turtles

Rosy Key Corn Snake

Lavendar Corn Snake

Okeetee Corn Snake

Pueblan Milk Snake

Albino Black Rat Snake

Mexican Black King Snake

Apricot Pueblan Milk Snake

Tiger Rump Tarantula

Chilean Dwarf Yellow Tarantula

Guyana Pink Toe Tarantulas

Trinidad Chevron Tarantula

Brazilian White Striped Birdeater Tarantula

Skeleton Tarantula

Rose Hair Tarantula

Flame Chile Rose Tarantula

Anerthrystic triple het extreme snow Honduran Milk Snake

Giant Island Tree Frogs

Green Tree Frogs

Gargoyle Geckos

Madagascan Ground Geckos

Fat Tail Gecko het Albinos

Albino Fat Tail Geckos

Red Eyes Tree Frogs

Water Dog

Tangerine Honduran Milk Snakes

Blood Red Corn Snake

Anerythristic Corn Snake

Common Corn Snake

Snow Corn Snakes

Ghost Corn Snakes

Albino Pacman Frogs

Green Pacman Frog

Striped Knee Tarantulas

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Several new arriavls this week, unfortunately some of the animals we wanted didn’t arrive but the ones that did are lovely. Some pictures are below and there are more in the gallery. As always, please contact us if you have any questiona about any of them.

Mexican Blonde Tarantula

Depending on your mind set, you may not think of spiders as good looking animals, however these are one of the best looking spiders around. We don’t get these guys in very often so they won’t be around for long. They are easy to look after so make great pets for spider enthusiasts.

German Giant Bearded Dragons

You may remember our blog about these little fellows hatching out. They have been doing so well they have now moved into the main shop area. German Giants do grow larger than normal bearded dragons but their care and requirements are exactly the same. They are still small but growing very fast!

Emperor Scorpion

The largest and most impressive looking of all the scorpions. Don’t be fooled though, in the scorpion world usually the tougher you look, the softer you are!

Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula

You may notice that there is only one photo of this spider. She really didn’t want to have her picture taken! This is an aggressive tarantula and one for more experienced spider keepers. Absolutely beautiful though.

Leopard Geckos

These baby Leopard Geckos are always popular. This particular clutch have brighter colours than usual. Always great as a pet for children or first time reptile keepers.

Long Claw Scorpion

This is a relatively small scorpion species. It does however make up for this with quite a potent sting. Many crickets have already discovered this. Very nice little invertebrate.

Chile Rose Tarantula

Possibly everybody’s favourite tarantula. These females are absolutely beautiful. About as peaceful as a spider can be, the Chile Rose will always be the first choice for beginner spider keepers.

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We’ve always bred our own Yemen Chameleons. The only problem this created was being able to supply customers with unrelated pairs for breeding. Luckily a customer of ours has some adults that are not related to ours and they recently bred. Now we have 2 groups of unrelated babies, so our customers can enjoy breeding them as much as we do.

Crested Geckos have always been a favourite in the reptile world since their rediscovery in 1994. New colour varieties are being created all the time including the beautiful Flame Cresties. Unfortunately these 2 are too young to sex but as you can see they are lovely. The real beauty will come through as they mature and develop the flame pattern

Leopard Geckos are where most people started in the hobby. Tangerine Leopard Geckos have an orange body that will develop as they grow. Hypo Tangerine Leopard Geckos have less black colouration making them even brighter. We only have 2 of these special lizards so don’t expect them to be around for long.

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Gold Dust Motley – This is a really special little snake that is the result of a breeding between an Ultramel Motley and a Butter Motley. Highly sought after, we don’t expect this boy to be around for long.

Amel Stripe het snow/hypo – Amelanistic (Amel) Corn Snakes are lacking the dark pigment possessed by other corn snakes. This has been bred to have a striped pattern instead of the traditional snake markings. Very pretty, these 2 boys carry the genes for the Snow snd Hypo varieties.

Butter Motley – Butter Corn Snakes are, as the name suggests, a buttery colour. They are ‘made’ by crossing an Amel Corn with a Caramel Corn. The motley pattern is an inversion of the common type. One of my personal favourites they are always fast sellers. We have 3 girls and 1 boy in today!

Ultramel Motley het caramel – Possesing even less black pigment than an Amel the Ultramel is a very bright corn snake. They look so good photographs just don’t do them justice. This female also carries the gene for Caramel.

Anery Stripe het snow/hypo – Anerythristic Corn Snakes are lacking in red, orange and yellow pigment. They are classically very good looking snakes. Our new girl carries the genes for Snow and Hypo.

Hypo – Hypomelanistic Corns have less intense black pigmentation. They carry to same pattern as a Common Corn Snake but are much brighter. You can see the difference when you look at these 2 females.

Amel het blood red – This male Amel Corn is absolutely beautiful. He also carries the gene for the Blood Red morph. He really does have fantastic red colouration.

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Whites Tree Frogs are one of the largest tree frogs around. They are relatively easy to care for providing all of their environmental requirements are met. We have 4 new babies in and they are absolutely adorable.

Orange Phillipine Tarantulas are a stunningly beautiful spider. Their bright orange legs and body really makes them stand out. Be careful though, not all that glitters is gold, these are fearless aggressive spiders and are definately not to be handled.

Peninsular Cooters are a species of Terrapin. They might look cute at the moment but our 4 babies will all grow into large adults. They are not difficult to look after but they deserve to be kept where they will have plenty of room.

The Western Hognose Snake is the only venemous snake that we have in our shop. However, as they are rear fanged it’s very unlikely that you would ever get bitten. They can be quite fiesty but it always seems to be a bluff. As adults they are a relatively short, fat snake.

Corn Snakes are the easiest snake for any body to keep. The Carolina Corn Snake is a varient of the common pattern but with lighter patches on it’s body. Our 2 babies really are lovely looking. An excellent first time pet.

The Chile Rose Tarantula is the most commonly kept tarantula in the world. Compared to other spiders it’s relativle peaceful and looks like an 8 legged teddy bear. We already had lots of spiderlings but these 2 adults will no doubt not be here very long.

Our 2 new Yellow and Black Poison Arrow Frogs are absolutely beautiful. In the wild they become poisonous by eating fire ants. As all our animals are captive bred these guys eat crickets and are not toxic. Poison Arrow frogs need a humid jungle environment in order to be happy.