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Hello and welcome to an other special of Reptil.TV.
We've been doing this show for 3.5 years now. During that time, we've had 1.6 Million visits.
Everyday we receive many questions via mail, YouTube and Facebook.
We picked the most frequent ones and today we'll do an episode about your frequently asked questions.
You might know us from the web, but a common question is: Where are you located? Where is your store?
We are situated in VS-Weigheim. Weigheim is a district of Villingen-Schwenningen.
We are located right next to the autobahn A81 from Stuttgart to Singen - a 5 minute drive away from the autobahn.
We're on the boarder of the Black Forest. You can visit us anytime you want!
What are your business hours?
We are working every day, for instance to look after our animals or to shoot Reptil.TV.
But we do have opening hours for the public.
Thursday: 3 - 7.30 pm. Friday: 3 - 6.30 pm. Saturday: 9 am - 1 pm.
Apart from that, you can always reach us by telephone. But if you want to visit us, you have to adhere to the opening hours.
What kind of animals do you have?
We've got tarantulas, snakes, saurians and tortoises.
Regarding the snakes, we are very focused on Ball Pythons.
Every two months all our animals are published in our animal stock-list.
You can ask for this list and then we'll send it to you every two months.
We're often asked: Where does your slogan 'check my balls' come from?
'check my balls' as you can see on my t-shirt - The balls are the 'Königspython'. In English, they are called 'Ball Pythons'. And the colloquial form is 'balls'.
When we say 'check my balls!' we just want to tell you to look at our animals.
Have a look at our fantastic animals - you can admire them - and of course you can always buy them.
Do you also sell accessories?
Of course we do. Our catalogue is filled with accessories. You can request the catalogue and we'll send you a copy for free, if you live in Germany.
Alternatively, you can visit our online shop. Go to www.ms-reptilien.de
You can find our accessories online and order the things you need.
Why don't you sell venomous snakes?
My point of view is that I do not want to sell venomous snakes and we will not sell venomous snakes.
In my opinion, keeping venomous snakes is nonsense for 98% of all terrarium owners.
Therefore we do not support this. A venomous snakes is something that shouldn’t be sold through normal channels.
This leads to the next question. Is it forbidden to keep venomous snakes?
There is no law that applies for the whole of Germany. Each German State, or even each administrative region has different laws.
In our Federal State, in Baden-Württemberg, there are no restrictions.
However, that isn't always the case. Some states do have restrictions. In general, it is possible, but as I have stressed before a venomous snake isn't something for the average individual.
How can I order your animals or accessories?
Of course, you can visit our online shop. Go to www.ms-reptilien.de - or you can go to www.reptil.tv and click on the link to the shop.
Our online shop works just as you would expect. Of course, you can also order through our catalogue. An order form is enclosed. Or you can give us a call and place your order.
If you want to give us a call, this is the number you need: 07425 31447. [International customers please call +49 7425 31447]
We'd love to hear from you and we would be pleased to handle your requests during our normal business hours.
Which terms of payment do you accept?
Of course, we accept common payment methods, such as PayPal, cash on delivery, bank collection, credit card and immediate transfer.
In cooperation with Santander bank, you have the option to pay through a 0% interest loan.
You can pay for your order in 12 easy monthly instalments.
We can choose the option that you prefer.
Is it possible to send an animal via mail and how much do I have to pay for this option?
Yes, we do send animals by mail. We can ship them to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux and France.
We have a logistic partner that is specialized on animal transports.
From an ecological point of view, it is reasonable to have you animal send to you - rather then wasting a lot of fuel on your trip.
The animal is picked up at our shop in the afternoon. Next morning it is already at your doorstep.
In advance, we'll call you and schedule the exact date that you animal should arrive on.
I believe that this is a great solution. I can guarantee to 100% that your animal will arrive in a flawless condition.
Do you also mail animals during winter?
We ship almost throughout the year. If temperatures are really low we'll postpone shipping.
Apart from that your animal is shipped in a thermo box and heating pads.
During summer we ship your animal in a styroform box - because we want to prevent your animal from overheating.
Be assured, if we ship an animal it will reach you in sound condition.
Is it possible to return an animal, if I don't like it?
You can return an animal you don't like, at least in theory.
We assume that you have thought your decision, to buy an animal, through. The pictures of the animals are on the internet.
As I said, I promise that you'll receive an animal in sound and healthy condition.
Therefore, it is important for us that the animals aren't send back and forth. That is something we can do with our accessories - If you don't like them you can return them.
Take your time to consider if you want to buy an animal - we are going to ship it to you.
Of course you should be happy and satisfied with your animal - for that reason you should take your time considering your decision.
Do you also sell terrariums?
Of course, we sell terrariums.
We can't ship terrariums made out of glass. Because in the best case all you would receive would be a puzzle.
We can ship terrariums made out of wood and plastic. If you want to buy one made out of glass, you'll have to come to our store and pick it up.
If I encounter some problems, can you help me?
That's a clear yes! About 3/4 of my day I'm doing nothing else ...
... then helping with and resolving problems through personal consultation or via the internet and phone.
You can rely on us, we're there for you!
There are so many opinions on the internet - who's right?
That's a classical question and something we have to learn to deal with in our everyday life - having to judge if you can trust what you read - or if you can't trust it.
Or I have to sort out the good information ...
... and sort out the bad, made up, or only partially true information - which I would assume accounts for 95% of the information published online.
I have to consider who is stating what. Is this person well known? Is it a book author, that already has published something on this topic?
Is it someone who is covering a trip abroad? Just like we did in our special about Ghana. If we can show you that the temperature is 32°C, that's a statement you can trust.
If someone just writes that the temperature should be 37°C, because he knows it and has been keeping such animals for years - he can say anything he wants.
Use your common sense, and decide which statements you trust.
Are there any facts that support someone's statement. You always should be a bit sceptic.
There isn't one day where I'm not asked what size a terrarium should be, if you want to keep a Corn Snake, a Bearded Dragon, a Ball Python or what have you.
There are precise guidelines - minimum standards for keeping reptiles. I think that's what it is called in lingo.
You can find these minimum standards on the following page: www.exotenhaltung.com They are exactly described there.
We covered this topic numerous times in our episodes about the basics.
The figures are something like 0.7 x body length or how many times you have to multiply the body length.
Look it up for your animal and its length, then you have the exact measures as required by the German state.
My tip is: Almost every animal - except from Bearded Dragons ...
... actually all snakes and most saurians like to be alone.
It's better to choose a smaller terrarium and only keep one animal ...
... rather then being generous and buying a huge box - that's twice the width - and then you keep 5 animals inside.
It's not good for the animals if they have many inmates.
Keep a single animal and rather in a smaller environment - and your animals will remain healthy!
A typical question: How much heat does my animal need? Which temperature is best for animal xy?
You have to look it up in a book. The temperatures for day and night are denoted there.
An important aspect is that you can't just turn off everything at night.
There are some animals - Bearded Dragons and Corn Snakes are good examples - that can tolerate room temperature at night.
Tropical animals, such as Pythons, Boas, tropical saurians - they need heating during the night.
Make enquiries about the night and day temperature - and adhere to these specifications.
Of course, this always refers to air temperature. Not the temperature beneath the radiator - inside the terrarium!
You should have those 30°C, 35°C, 25°C as air temperature - or what ever you need.
How much light do the animals need?
A typical question that we've already answered in our basic episodes.
If you need specifics, watch those episodes again.
Some general tips: saurians and tortoises need a very intensive light, a UV light. They need a high light intensity.
Actually snakes don't need any light at all. They don't care if there is lighting inside the terrarium or not.
They do need the temperature, but the light is only for us because we want to have a nice terrarium that looks great and we can see something inside.
There are expensive and cheap UV bulbs. What's the reason for that?
The typical rip-off: There are bulbs that only cost 10€. They say that they have an UV-portion.
In principle, I could write this information on every bulb out there - with UV-portion - because there is always a tiny portion included.
Because in the whole light spectrum, there is a 0.x portion included.
For our purpose, this is of no use for us. if you have saurians or tortoises that need UV-Light, then you have got to have a good bulb that has proper UV-Light.
The important value is UV-B. It is often given as a percentage - 3%, 5%, 08% - it must be somewhere around 5% UV-B.
Everything else - especially slogans such as: resembling sunlight, with UV-portion - are baloney.
Don't be fooled, if you need an UV-lamp, then you have to invest some money.
Prices start at 30€ - and you can be sure that it really produces the UV-light you need.
Do the animals hibernate - how does that work.
There are few animals that hibernate or winter rest - for instance the European Tortoises.
Tejus also belong to that group. European reptiles in general belong to this group.
Corn Snakes keep a light winter rest.
It's a very extensive topic. We'll do an episode of Reptil.TV about this topic in the future - we haven't done one yet.
My tip: When autumn is near and you've got an animal that you know hibernates or rests - if you read about it in a book or on the internet.
You should ask the breeder or an other owner how the process takes place.
Don't ask during summer or even during spring - when the topic isn't up for debate.
Ask just before winter rest is imminent. And adhere to the breeders’' or the experienced owners' advice.
What about the molt with young animals?
It's common knowledge that reptiles molt. They change their scale dress.
Afterwards, they look almost as new.
A main reason that the molt doesn't work out without complications, is the humidity inside the terrarium.
If the animal doesn't molt without complications, then there probably isn't enough humidity inside the terrarium.
You can provide assistance if you put moss inside the terrarium. We talked about this in the episode about substratum.
We talked about how you can apply the moss and keep the substratum humid.
If your animals has problems molting, then first think about the humidity or find out if you've got a damp substratum inside your terrarium.
How often do reptiles molt?
It really depends! Young animals molt more often than adult, huge or old animals.
My tip: Don't squander too many thoughts on this topic. When will it molt? Is it already molting? Does it already have hazy eyes?
All these facts aren't that important. If your animal is kept well and the climate is correct - especially if the humidity is accurate - ...
... then your animal will molt without problems. People used to be afraid to feed their animals during this time.
In the meantime this position is out-dated.
If an animal is in the middle of molting, it will refuse to eat on its own. Therefore you can't be doing something wrong.
You won't harm the animal if you try to feed the animal, even while it is molting.
How do I notice that my animal is sick?
Especially with reptiles, a very good indicator is if you observe how they eat.
If your animal accepts its food right away, and eats well, then as general rule your animal is healthy.
If you notice strange and long periods, where your animal doesn't eat then you have to think about the health of your animal.
With Ball Pythons for instance, you notice periods where they don't eat - throughout the year - even if they are sound and healthy.
If your animal doesn't eat, you shouldn't start to panic right away.
But you have to think about your animal, if its behaviour is normal or if it could be ill.
An other good sign is if you observe the tongue flicking. If you can see the flicking clearly and your animal is flicking actively - of course not if you have a tortoise - ...
... - but it is true with saurians and snakes. If you can see a nice tongue flicking. And if the tongue isn't glued together and it is evenly splayed
These facts are an indicator that your animal is healthy.
If you can't see any tongue flicking or it is glued together then something can be wrong.
In general, observe how active your animal is. If it's lazy all the time and it's head is always hanging low, then that also isn't good.
Reptiles should be exploring their environment during their active phase - diurnal animals at day and nocturnal animals, such as snakes at night.
If that isn't the case and your animal is never active, that is an other indicator that something is wrong.
A first step could be - if you know someone - ask an experienced reptile owner.
If that doesn't help - or if you have reason for serious concern - then you must go and see a veterinarian.
You can't answer these questions via the Internet or some kind of remote diagnosis. You really have to go to the veterinarian with your animal.
My snake tries to bite me. What am I doing wrong?
We talked about this in our episode on how to handle snakes. We showed you some ways how you can calm down your animal and how you can hold it in a calm and easy way.
We showed a trick that was smiled at - sit in front of the TV and let your snake crawl around a bit.
In general, an animal that tries to bit or whom's character is a little bit aggressive, normally is a healthy animal.
They aren't cuddly toys, in a way they are wild animals. And a certain level of aggression is possible.
And as I said, it's rather a sign of good than bad health.
Don't panic right away. In some way, you have to accept and find a way to live with this behaviour.
Can I cuddle with my snake? Can I take it out of the terrarium? How often am I allowed to do so?
Humans definitely have to urge to touch everything. We've got different senses. We got our eyes, our ears and of course we've got our hands.
And of course we want to use them. And when we see the animals, we're curious what the animal feels like - you just have the urge to touch it.
Some people say that you shouldn't touch them and it is not something you should do regularly. For me that is nonsense.
For me, these people live in an ivory tower. It is natural that we have this urge and it is something we should be able to comply with.
You can handle the animal. You can take it out of its terrarium regularly.
I still remember my first snake. I wanted to carry her around with me, everywhere I went. That's the kind of fascination it had on me.
Of course, today, after 20 years, I only touch them if I have a good reason.
But if I have the urge, I don't think there are arguments against this.
Of course, it is important that you have appropriate room climate. There must be no draught in the room, because otherwise the animal could catch a cold.
And of course you don't take out an animal that has just fed - or that is in the most intense phase of molting - I then leave them alone.
In all other cases, from my point of view and conviction, there is nothing to be said against holding your animal on your arms.
What should I feed my snake? And how often should I feed it?
It really depends on your animal. With snakes a good rule of thumb is to feed them once a week.
This will be right for most of the snakes. It is correct for young during development.
The rule applies for adult animals while they are bred. I think you can't be wrong if you adhere to this rule - feeding your animal once a week.
I often hear the same old story. Don't feed too much. You'll overfeed your animal.
That's antiquated. A healthy reptile eats regularly. An animal that was bred has to eat, in order to gain enough fat cells for its body.
In principle you can adhere to the rule 'once a week'. Of course you should ask the breeder or seller in advance. Ask them how often you should feed your animal.
But just as I said before - if you stick to this rule - you can't be wrong.
My snake doesn't eat or it eats poorly.
I am asked this question at least 5 times a day.
Actually, everything has to be all right. You need the appropriate climate. The snake has to be healthy.
And a baby or young animal has to accept his chow.
If you buy a baby or a young animal, pay attention to only buy an animal that has eaten before.
Only buy from someone you can trust and who can guarantee that the snake has already eaten 2-3 times.
This way you won't have to deal with the problem. Especially with snakes there are many babies that, at the beginning, don't accept their chow right away.
Especially if you are a beginner, I wouldn't advise that you keep such an animal.
Apart from that, if the animal is healthy, the climate is correct and the snake looks alright - Snakes sometimes are just not hungry.
I would say that especially Ball Pythons has about 2 periods a year where it doesn't eat at all. These can last for 1-2 or even 3 months.
If your animal is healthy and not too thin, don't go nuts! In this case, your snake just isn't hungry.
My snake has got mites.
Mites are a classical problem with snakes. We talked about it and we did an extra episode of Reptil.TV on this topic how to treat mites [episode 29].
You should watch that episode, because we explained everything in detail there.
Which snake is better? One that was caught in the wild or a snake that was bred in captivity or on a farm?
For me there is only one answer. Buy an animal that was bred in captivity. Don't buy an animal that was caught somewhere in the wild.
In our times, you really don't have to buy these animals.
There are offspring for almost all snake species that are interesting for terrarium owners.
Try to only buy animals that were cultured. Don't just go to your pet shop and buy a cheep animal for 9,90€ - where you don't know if it was captured or cultured.
I clearly do not advocate buying wild animals. Buy cultured ones.
Is a farm bred animal as good as a captive bred one?
From my point of view, I would answer this question with yes, it is.
It really doesn't matter if the animal hatches on a farm in Africa or here in Germany.
We breed over a few thousand Pythons per year. And of course we receive animals from Africa.
Let me be honest with you, from the perspective of an entrepreneur it would be economically be cleverer to say that cultured animals are the better animals - because in the end they are more expensive.
That would be the perspective of a businessperson.
My personal and honest opinion is that a farm bred is as good as a captive bred.
If you think of it logically, it isn't important if the egg hatches in Europe or in Africa.
As long as the animal isn't caught in the wild and taken from there - and maybe because of that even infected - …
… there is no difference between a farm bred and a snake that was captive bred in Germany.
We also have a question on the internet. I'm often asked, why people should still buy books, because nowadays all the information is available online.
Guys, don't stop buying books! If you have a book, you know that there is more to the information published there!
Surely, the book author has years of experience, he found a publisher and was able to write a book. Therefore, he should really know what he is doing.
A book is more trustworthy than any statement on the internet. I deliberately say ‘any’, because of course there are good statements on the net.
But you can really trust a book. The information is presented in a compact yet broad way. It's a great way to get up to speed.
A classic question: I want to breed animals. What rules do I have to adhere to?
The most important thing about breeding is: You have to feed your animal well!
You can try many different things, you can stimulate them, you can try winter rest, you can do a lot of things ...
If the animals - especially the females - if they don't eat well, they don't have enough fat reserves, then they won't breed.
By nature, only healthy and fat animals reproduce.
That's a logical consequence. If there is enough food available and the animal is healthy, it can withstand a fasting period because it's well nurtured - therefore it can breed.
In my opinion, if you feed your animal well, that's 95% of the secret of a successful breeder.
This is a question for insiders - it's something that especially I'm frequently asked. What morph is suited best for breeding?
I really can't answer this question. I've got my priorities, I've got my darlings. For instance the Piedbald, Ultramel, Super Stripe Highway are animals I really like.
Yellow Belly, Ivory, these are all animals that are interesting for me. But everybody has a different taste. Don't ask me what is suited best, you have to develop your own taste.
In addition there really isn't a secret formula. Even I don't have know exactly what animal will sell well.
You really have to develop your own taste.
Can use random hetero morphs and breed them?
Heteros are great if you want to breed a very expensive morph and don't want to pay that price.
People want to start breeding often ask if they can just buy a het Albino, het Pied, het Carmel or het Ultramel ...
... and then I can start breeding Albino Pied and what have you.
Heteros are a great chance! But you have to be aware that you always have to breed het Albino with het Albino, het Carmel with het Carmel, and so on.
You can't try some kind of criss-cross breeding. You won't achieve anything. All you'll get are so-called Possible that won't be of any help.
Heteros are fantastic! But you only can breed the same genes with each other. Or the same morph with each other.
Het Albino with het Albino. Het Pied with het Pied.
And as a result, you've got a 25% chance obtaining the desired morph.
Why are some animals so expensive?
The reptile market also adheres to the law of supply and demand. Everybody likes Piedblads'
Corresponding to that they are very expensive.
There are morphs that are not that spectacular. Therefore they are cheaper. And of course supply and demand is important.
If there are many offerings - for instance Pastels' - compared to the Piebald’s' there are many Pastels' around - that's why they are quite cheep.
If someone breeds a new morph - like the Highway - at the moment there are only two lines of Highway in the world - then your animal is worth over 10,000 € or $.
It really comes down to supply and demand. If you breed something interesting and expensive and you know that somebody will pay you 5,000€ ...
... then you'll sell it for 5,000€ and not 1,000€ because you are a do-gooder. That's a simple consequence.
That doesn't really matter, because sooner or later the prices drop and affordable for most people.
Therefore, you have some kind of ecosystem, and that can be something very interesting.
I often am asked if you are allowed to keep this or that snake in Hamburg, Munich or somewhere else.
For instance a Burmese Python that is 4m long or a Boa with 2m.
At the moment we have a really messy situation here in Germany and Europe.
There are a many laws that apply for everybody, but when it comes to laws about pet keeping every administrative region and state has its own agenda.
There are regions where you aren't allowed to keep a Boa, because with 2m they already are dangerous animals.
In Baden-Württemberg, or the administrative region Freiburg - that's where we are situated in - there are no restrictions.
You really have inform yourself about the laws at your local government and make the enquiries.
What's great about Python Regius and Boa Constrictor, is that you are not obliged to register them anymore in Germany.
Because you don't have to register them, it doesn't concern anyone else if you want to keep them.
With other species, such as the Burmese Pythons, you have to enquire with your lower nature conservation authority if you have to adhere any requirements.
If there are requirements, you have to comply with them.
Is there a website you can recommend?
I can really recommend www.exotenhaltung.com. Each and every one of us should become part of this page.
It's an association for all people that have animals.
It's for all people in Germany and Europe that own animals - I wouldn't call them exotic - and support that cause.
Visit the page and become a member! Be part of the community.
Then there are forums. For Ball Pythons I can recommend www.fantasticballs.com
as well as www.herpculture.com that now is also a great resource for other reptiles.
I try to visit these forums in regular intervals. Also I often post my two cents.
I can really recommend both addresses
Can I ask you for advice, even if I didn't buy my animal from your company?
In general you have to understand that I can't answer a question about an animal I don't even know.
I often receive emails like: This weekend I received a Corn Snake. But there are relics from the molt left.
Or things like, this or that concerns me. I don't know the animal, so I really have a hard time answering questions about it over the internet.
First, you should ask the person you bought the animal from. And it makes sense if this person has a good knowledge about the topic.
Either the breeder or the merchant that knows his animals.
You can ask these people well-directed questions and you'll probably receive a good answer.
If you bought the animal from us, or I was the breeder of your line, I'll provide you with a life long support.
I really can tell you something during the entire lifespan.
For alien animals, it's much harder. Of course I'll try, but the second problem is the time I have available.
Nowadays, with all the different channels such as Facebook, YouTube and email I receive so many requests ...
... I don't want to exaggerate, there are days where I receive 50 mails, and everyone has a question regarding an animal.
I have to admit, I prefer to answer the questions about the animals that I know.
I try to answer all. But at the moment, I'm barely able to manage this. And a time will come where I'm not able to answer all the questions anymore.
So please heed my advice, ask the person from whom you bought the animal.
A very recent question: What about the new t-shirts?
Why am I still wearing the old t-shirt?
I am still wearing the old t-shirt because this is the one it all started with and I really like them.
The other reason is that it's a memory hook for me and I don't forget to answer the question.
The new shirts have arrived and we are going to ship them starting next week - or rather when this episode airs you should have received them already.
We tried really hard. I wanted the t-shirts to be fair trade, which really wasn't easy.
In addition, the theme should look great. And it should fit the different sizes.
Those were the main reasons for the delay.
The t-shirts have arrived and you can order them now. And I really hope you'll enjoy them.
Eric Obrigmann is responsible for the design - he also won the contest. He's done a terrific job!
That's all for this episode about your frequently asked questions.
A very specific question for the end. Especially young people who want to buy their first animal ask me: How can I explain to my parents that I want an animal?
My parents don't approve. I can only say that you can learn the lesson I learned.
When I was young, I wasn't allowed to keep snakes. My parents, especially my father didn't condone my desire. He said that he would move out if bring home a snake.
Therefore, I was never allowed to keep one. The result: In the meantime I've got 3,000 - 4,000 snakes.
If you've got problems with your parents, take me as a bad example. Tell them that one day you'll have 4,000 snakes if they don't approve.
Therefore, they should approve your request.
Until next time. And remember, check my Balls!
Hello and welcome ...
... hmmm ... *** ... wasn't that bad until now.
Should I tell them or not?
A ... a ... common question is - that really sounds stupid.
Hello and ... wait!
A common question is - that's just as long.
I already talked about our opening hours.
Hello and ...
Yes. No. Right, that's what the price list is for.
Doesn't matter. No, I don't want to. Hmm.
Yeah, we'll publish it every two months. Let's do it again.
It's without interest or any other additional charges .. ahh ... let's do it again.
I just wanted to suggest that we better do it again.
That was even better, right?
Camera: Do it again! Stefan: That doesn't matter, that's captious!