Welcome to Chris Hartmann's Website

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/10/boas-and-hisses.html

After reading this article, I spent the time to write the comment pasted below but then got a message that said "your post is being moderated by the author"... guess it won't be posted after all but since i took the time to write it, I decided to go ahead and paste it here:

This story is grossly exaggerated. Yes, there ARE some people that should not be allowed to keep certain animals but i believe that FL has the best permitting system in the US and that nothing should be changed. Any incident involving a large constrictor has also involved a keeper that did not have the proper permits nor did they have the necessary facilities to legally and safely keep such an animal. It comes down to enforcement of the current laws, not the creation of new ones. How will the FWC be able to enforce such stringent laws that would criminalize thousands of people when they cannot even enforce the permitting systems that are currently in place?

This makes it exceedingly frustrating when the same stories about these irresponsible people are continuously circulated as a means to smear the reptile keeping industry. All of the average herpetologists and reptile keepers that I know of have gone beyond the necessities and are able to provide and care for the animals mentioned in this article as "dangerous snakes" in a way that they are not endangering anyone/thing.

I must say that this article makes my blood boil as I own several large snakes and have invested too much time, effort, and money into them (for both the snakes and the permits required for them) to have my right to own them taken away. I will always support the keeping of exotic animals and snakes so long as there is a safe way to do it. I do not support S. 373 and H.R. 2811 and I beg you to join me in writing your lawmakers AGAINST this atrocity of a bill.

I have known about the green florescent pigment (GFP) gene in jellyfish and mice and medical applications but i did not know that this gene was being used in the pet trade until today. I found a cool video that really shows off what this gene can do and how cool it is when it is inserted into an already cool animal like the axolotl.

Now I want to see this application in something really cool. Glowing ball pythons anyone? what about a leusistic monocled cobra that glows?

Chelus fimbriatus or the mata mata turtle is native to the Amazon and Orinoco river basins and like to remain in slow moving shallow waters with plenty of cover. These are the most bizarre turtles in my opinion because of their distinctive look. Never before have a seen an animal so perfectly mimic its surroundings. Its carapace is jagged and brown with many broken patterns that give it a very interesting look that is quite appealing to many turtle enthusiasts making them grow in popularity over the past few years but these guys are NOT for the beginners and should only be kept by experts. These guys are known to have a painful bite and aggressive temper so they should not be handled often if at all and if they are, extreme caution needs to be used as the carry dangerous bacterias (such as salmonella) that i have experienced first hand and put my in the hospital for a week. These turtles also need to have very specific water conditions as they are sensitive to it like many fish. They should be kept in acidic brackish water and some amount of tannin (or blackwater extract) needs to be added. Mata Mata's also become quite large and need plenty of room in the aquatic part of their environment because they rarely bask (because of this, you may want to skip the basking spot all together). they eat large amounts of fish and need to have several in the tank with them at all times. Mud minnows work great and do any number of other freshwater bait fish. I would advise against using feeder goldfish as they are not the most healthy for your animal and can cause problems with their digestive tract. If proper care is taken though, these animals are very rewarding. I recommend them highly to any advanced keepers.

Last week, i came home to find that Monty my old savannah monitor had passed away. He was a rescue that had a heat light fall and both break and burn his back severely. He seemed to make a good recovery for a while however, a year or so later, he began to have problems with a bad case of scoliosis. He could hardly move and stopped eating on his own. I had to force feed him with the hope of him recovering but he never did, his conditioned worsened and he was found dead in his tank last week. I used Monty as an advocate for responsible pet ownership. his story touched every single person that came into contact with him. I hope that his life was able to save others from his same fate. He is missed greatly.

~Chris~

okay so i have this idea. I will start posting little blurbs full of fun facts and information about a different animal every month. Let me know what you think and if there is an animal you might like to learn about... send me an email: snakeguy101@gmail.com







Romeo- Southern Pine snake ( Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus)
Pine snakes to support the claim that they are not imperiled. These snakes are very reclusive and like to spend a majority of their time in the gopher tortoise burrows in order to escape the heat of the south's scorching sun. for the most part these animals are nocturnal and terrestrial however they seem to be quite apt at climbing when the need to. Pine snakes are also notorious for bluffing. They will hiss very loudly scaring off just about anything but if that does not work, they will shake their tail where they have a modified scale very rapidly, the effect is very much like a rattlesnakes' rattle. they can grow to be seven feet in length and are one of the largest snakes in N.America second only to the indigo snake. These snakes will prey on small mammals like most other snakes but they have also been recorded to eat birds, fish and are said to eat other snakes on occasion. In my opinion, they are one of the most fascinating snakes out there and more research is desperately needed.

The Indigo snake permits finally came in but because they took so long, the snake we had reserved has been sold from under us so I am on the hunt for another Drymarchon. This time we are gonna look within driving distance so that the snake will not have to be shipped (although i personally think that 4 hours in a plane is less stressful than 6 hours in a car but... bosses orders). some changes are happening at the museum, some new people are being hired as others leave. My good friend Leewood was hired on to join the education department so I welcome her to the museum staff.

I went herping not long ago to fill some free time and caught a scarlet snake, a mud snake, a racer, a rough green, and a ribbon snake in just an hour or so of cruising my secret road.

School will be starting soon (Monday) so i have been preparing for that. I will be taking 4 science classes and will be finishing my applications for college.

two large cakes.....$150
balloons............$10
pizza...............$83
2lbs of fish........$5
keeping your fingers and toes through an alligator snapping turtles birthday....priceless

this year he weighed in at 125lbs. we took him out, got some measurements and I drew some blood. but this time, I kept myself out of his mouth.[8-)]

I am waiting on some pictures to turn up in my email, I will post them soon along with a better story, for now, i am exhausted due o the excessive crowd that gathered for the event.

I made my way up to Repticon in South Carolina this past weekend and met with some old friends and some new ones as well. I had never been to a venomous show before so it was really neat to learn about some species I had never even heard of and see some very interesting morphs. I purchased a few snake bags and a matamata turtle (Chelus fimbriatus) for $290. After pulling some strings with another vendor that was a friend of a friend of a friend, I was able to handle and probe an albino monocle cobra that seemed pretty wirey. I was also allowed to work with a large (5.5'), aggressive EDB. All in all it was a great time and I am fixing to do it all again this coming weekend at the Repticon in Jax that i am working for JHS; no hots though.

keep posted for pictures of the matamata, i was not able to take any at the show unfortunately but will get some from the FL show.
~Chris~

On Friday, I was in the middle of my exam for AP Environmental Science (APES) when a teacher knocks on the door, I get up (being that I was nearest the door at the time) and answer the door, a teacher that I did not recognize walked up to our teacher that the front of the room. they whisper some things and I return to my test... at least partially because I was straining to hear what they were discussing. All of a sudden, my teacher points at me and says, "He'll take them, he is the local snake guy." Startled I look up and he asks if I want to take home some king snakes. I was excused from my essay and was told not to worry about it. It was revealed to my by the new teacher that she was retiring and could no longer keep her classes set of California King Snakes. I said that I could take them and later donate them to the museum. I ride with her to a different school her I load up not only 2 snakes but also, two tanks that are in excellent condition worth nearly $300 combined! The snakes are now at the museum in the tanks that I received with them but only temporarily, the snakes will soon be moved into a new tank that will match the rest of the room and I will bring the other tanks back so that I could fill them with whatever I can.

~Chris~

Okay so let's get y'all updated on what has been going on....
The trip with Jax Herp was a lot of fun but did not have much of a turn out, There was one cottonmouth and one water snake but that is about it for legitimate captures. There was a gator that was spotted very close to the camp, it was estimated at about four feet. I went in to try to catch it however, I could not get close enough so I enlisted the help of a jet ski to get to where it was, when I dove in after it, it had vanished and I was stranded in murky water knowing there was a gator somewhere near, talk about eerie!
All in all, it was a fun trip that was more focused around having fun than herping (not necessarily a bad thing). I am planning on doing some more hunting later this week (perhaps in Guana again) but there are no promises as the end of school brings many things to do that are keeping me plenty busy (thus the sporadic posts). The active weather that has been causing so much trouble near here should stir up some of the reptiles so I am eager to check it out. I will keep you as updated as I can.

Enjoy the warmth,
~Chris~

I am about to leave town again, tomorrow after school to go and look for snakes with the Jacksonville Herpetological society. this is prime time to get some snakes so hopefully it will be a good turn out. I have been very busy lately as I am in three plays that perform next week, so please forgive the sporadic updates, they will become more regular as summer approaches.

Be safe, have fun
~Chris~