Animals at Home Network

Thomas Marriott, General Manager of Exotics Keeper breaks down what he observed during his second trip to New Caledonia — this time during the dry season. Many keepers picture New Caledonia as consistently humid and tropical year-round, but Thomas shares the surprising environmental shifts that occur during the dry season and how those shifts directly impact wild Crested Gecko behavior and habitat use. Thomas also shares insights from a recent stint in Australia studying wild Bearded Dragon habitats and how field data can challenge some of the assumptions we make in captivity. If you care about aligning captive care more closely with natural history, this episode is packed with practical takeaways.SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/245-exotic-keeper/SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:https://exoticskeeper.com/https://www.instagram.com/exoticskeeper/Photos and Video in Episode:Provided by Thomas Marriott0:00 Intro2:49 Welcome Thomas - New Caladonia Overview15:05 Crested Gecko Behavior in Dry Season19:25 How to Replicate Crested Gecko Habitat21:47 Wild Crested Gecko Diet (wet vs dry season)25:27 Zoo Med Creatures Roly-Poly Kit26:40 Why Crested Geckos do well in Captivity36:34 Environmental Readings - When are Crested Geckos Active in the Wild?38:11 Replicating Environmental Cues 42:30 Other Species found on New Caladonia 55:36 BioDude TerraFanua Substrate56:38 Bearded Dragons in the Wild - impaction & body condition1:17:40 Leopard Geckos - the plan to find wild specimens 1:21:55 Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Projet: Herpetoculture, Phil speaks with Tyler France of the Chameleon Collective. Don't miss it!

Josue Gimbernard of miniBIOTA discusses his various tank builds that links with each other, interconnecting energy, water, and nutrients that circulate on their own. We also talk about the story of how he got started into this project and the inspiration behind the different ecosystems. Josue goes into detail on his miniBiota tanks including the Freshwater Lake, The Shoreline, The Coastal, and The Seagrass Meadow Biomes, including their atmospheres, reservoirs, balance in moisture, and temperature/humidity setups. These tanks are incredibly in-depth and detailed in their construction to be as close to outdoor nature as possible and is an episode to tune into if you’re curious about the science behind an ecosystem like these!SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/244-minibiota/SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:MiniBiota Website: https://www.minibiota.com/MiniBiota YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@minibiota MiniBiota Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minibiotaMiniBiota Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miniBIOTAPhotos and Video in Episode:MiniBiota YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@miniBIOTA⁩ 
We Discuss:

0:00 Introducing Josue Gimberard of MiniBiota
1:05 Coming Up: The Bio Dude
1:41 Coming Up: Zoo Med
2:01 Welcome Josue + His Career Path
7:11 Josue’s Motivations for His Enclosures
10:52 Layout and Components of Josue’s Tanks
14:59 Replicating Ecosystems
16:28 Atmosphere + Reservoir Constructions in the Tanks
21:30 Size of Atmosphere Thoughts
23:18 Cooling or Heating the Atmosphere
29:33 Creating The Rain Effect
32:23 Avoiding Slime Bacteria
33:29 The Bio Dude Substrates + Bug Grub
34:30 The Lake Biome
43:18 The Shoreline Biome
49:30 Balance in Moisture for Terrestrial Biomes
51:31 Soil Depth in Grassland + The Mangrove Forest Biome
59:52 Managing Temperature/Humidity Probes
1:09:48 Potential Salt Problems + Salt Obstacle Course Plans
1:15:22 The Coastal Biome
1:19:13 The Seagrass Meadow Biome
1:23:59 Risk of Salinity Problems + Maintaining Balance
1:25:55 Lighting Systems + Future Lighting Plans
1:30:56 Will The Tanks Ever Be “Finished”?
1:35:15 Zoo Med Jumping Spider Kit
1:36:21 Inspirations + Mental Load of Josue’s Projects
1:45:39 3D Printing Uses
1:50:13 Closing Thoughts

In this episode, I’m joined by Mariah Healey from ReptiFiles to break down how to properly calculate reptile enclosure size, and we also discuss how to provide proper heating for your reptiles. We discuss how to move beyond outdated “minimums,” focusing instead on usable space, thermal gradients, and species-appropriate behavior. Topics include:
How to calculate the minimum enclosure size
Why enclosure dimensions matter for heat gradients
Common heating and enclosure mistakes
How size impacts thermoregulation and welfare
🎧 Listen to the full episode on YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/243-reptifiles/SPONSORS: Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/ Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:https://reptifiles.com/https://www.instagram.com/reptifiles/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/reptifiles/https://www.youtube.com/@UCwWGfVChrix8yuL0BmMjxSw Photos and Video in Episode:https://www.instagram.com/reptifiles/?hl=en0:00 Intro
2:50 Welcome Mariah
8:46 Reptile Room Update
22:58 ReptiFiles - What is it? & Update
34:53 Zoo Med - Jumping Spider Kit
36:00 Where next for ReptiFiles?
1:01:51 Calculating Reptile Minimum Enclosure Size
1:54:40 Reptile Heating - How to heat a reptile tank?
2:27:23 Best Reptile Basking Surface?
2:47:40 Creating a perfect warm hide
2:51:27 Closing Thoughts

Indo joins in this episode to talk all about his various species of crustaceans, including the incredibly interesting Coconut Crab species. Indo dives into al of the care requirements on Coconut Crabs and Vampire Crabs specifically, while also talking about naturalistic enclosures, cohabitation, and various diet needs of crustaceans. We also discuss Indo’s upcoming plans to begin breeding Coconut Crabs, something that nobody thus far has been able to do in captivity. He shares details of his extensive knowledge of the breeding process, the various growth stages of crustaceans, and how he plans on replicating the ocean in order for the breeding project to succeed.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/242-coconut-crabs/
SPONSORS:
Visit The BioDude: https://www.thebiodude.com/
Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/JOIN US ON
PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS
FROM THE EPISODE:
Indo’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indo_and_plants
Indo’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@indoplants7040
00:00 Introducing Indo
1:23 Coming Up: The Bio Dude
1:58 Coming Up: Zoo Med Jumping Spider Kit
2:19 Welcome Indo + Starting Out With Exotic Animals and Crabs
6:46 Animal Keeping Community in Italy
19:19 What Indo Is Keeping Currently
12:45 Indo’s Passion for Crustaceans
15:00 Recommended and Types of Crab Species
17:00 Basic Vampire Crab Care Requirements
19:10 Scavenger Crabs + Naturalistic Enclosures
22:00 Terrestrial Crabs and Water Needs
23:27 Cohabitation With Other Crabs or Species
24:30 The Bio Dude Substrates + Bug Grub
25:31 Discovering Coconut Crabs
31:07 What Is A Coconut Crab?
34:59 Keeping Coconut Crabs
41:45 Enclosure Needs For Adults + More Care Requirements
46:13 Coconut Crab Diets
47:53 Zoo Med Jumping Spider Kit
48:58 Breeding Coconut Crabs
1:02:18 Replicating Flow of The Ocean + Filters
1:05:08 Growing Phases
1:07:27 Indo’s Future Plans for Breeding Crabs
1:12:13 Future Projects + Closing Thoughts