Snakes Alive

07/08/2024

Hey Everyone,

As you (might) know, I am a wheelchair user... which comes with its own challenges...

I have also had a disability from birth, that being Spina Bifida... which has come with a lifetime of challenges, mostly health related... 46yrs (47 in Dec) and 53 surgeries later, I'M STILL HERE!!!

Getting old and having a disability is not for sissies! I have currently been on bedrest for a month with my Dr's recommending a further 2 months bedrest...

The last few years, my life has been turned upside down, inside out and torched for good measure!🙈🙈🙈 These health setbacks along with a number of personal setbacks and even a setback with my collection has taken its toll on me....

However, a few friends have helped me to "stay in the game" which I appreciate immensely...

I have learnt over the years to trust the process and path. My path has to slow down, do less and put most of my focus on ME, I.e. REST... A LOT... My Neuro surgeon reminded me 3 times in my last consult a few weeks ago, that I am his OLDEST surviving patient with SB... I know he had good reason for that...

SO.... I have decided to breed much less than usual and to just slow down in participation and lessen the frequency of Expos I attend etc ... I am going to monitor and see what I can manage and go with that...

I LOVE THE HOBBY! I have loved all things "creepy crawly" since I could crawl (much to my mother's horror! 🤣). I got really serious into scorpions and spiders in std 4 (1994) which I still enjoy to this day. My love for snakes followed soon after but got really serious about breeding in 1996...

Anyway, I just wanted to update you all and perhaps explain my "absence".... and also to thank you all for your continued business, support, friendship and kindness... it NEVER goes unnoticed and unappreciated! 👊👊👊

I have worn many hats and done many things... at the moment on some serious nerve pain meds and muscle pain meds... along with all my regular daily meds... it's a full meal!!! 🤣🙈 see attached evidence...I have also attached a series of pics to give you a glimpse into my journey.... hope you enjoy!

I am blessed and protected by the most high... 👊👊👊

Greetings from my bed! 😜

For the Love of Reptiles!
👊👊👊

24/07/2024

Does anyone know why FB and Insta don't want to accept # when uploading new content??? 😳😳😳🙈🙈🙈

04/05/2024

Join! Join! Join! 👊👊👊👊

19/04/2024

So this post may shock some and anger others…

The below is a nightmare that I may or may not have experienced… over a year in the making…maybe longer...

I have been in two minds for a long time as to whether I should share this fiction which could be real …

What is important is the warnings, the lessons learnt and the various hypothetical or maybe even real scenarios in the below…

The events below may be complete fiction or a crazy reality…

The characters involved in this nightmare, may be complete fiction or they may be 100% real…

You will not get me to confirm nor deny, so don’t ask…

Thank God for good friends and good people in the reptile hobby – they are very few and far between… IYKYK…THANK YOU for helping me start over… 👊👊👊

I have been keeping and breeding various reptiles since 1994… more “seriously” from 1996. I launched a website for reptile related sales, that did really well back then…

this progressed to opening a petshop specialising in reptiles, which also at the time did well… one shop became two and consumed a chunk of my life…

I got out the “pet trade” to pursue opportunities in my second passion, which is media, a career I have enjoyed for the past 20yrs…

but we all know that you can never really “get out” the reptile hobby once in it… so I always had a few projects in the background…

then about 10+ years ago, I attended a reptile expo and I fell in love with an Axanthic Ball Python on sale from a big breeder at the time. It was an adult male. The breeder convinced me to buy him a mate, an adult female spider het Axanthic… 12k later!

And from there we all know what happens… around 400k spent later and around 150 ball pythons later, I was “back in the game”…

I have ALWAYS loved the Axanthic VPI gene and have always focused my efforts on this specific gene…

I take you down memory lane because it has context!

There has always been “healthy competition” between breeders and an ethic that all abided by…

it was the “same old breeders” for the loooongest time in the hobby… a mistake “we” made was to focus efforts on creating other breeders and not really focussing efforts to grow the hobby and customer base…something we will regret for a while still...

I have seen many “breeders” come and go. I have seen the various “trends” that many followed blindly, come and go…

Then, all of a sudden, there were many breeders on the scene… and with competition rife, many things changed.

Good business practices, ethical behaviour, certain “standards” seem to have become less and less important, as those invested chased ROI and profits… which has come at HUGE COST to the hobby (IMO) which we are still to experience…

I digress… but again, there is context…

Did you know that, hypothetically, you could cripple your competition in a few easy steps (if that is your intention)…

it’s relatively easy actually… the “competition” has gone too far (imo). The competition has become an “at any cost” situation (imo)…

So, back to my hypothetical nightmare, “operation seek and destroy”…

A competitor can be severely crippled in the following ways (hypothetically of course):

1. You need to have a vet as a partner, involved in your business/collection. WHY?

Well, amongst other things, you can get first hand knowledge of what is happening with your competitors… hypothetically…

ALSO, you could deliberately sell a “sick” snake to infect a competitors collection – nothing completely obvious, something that could take time and give plausible deniability… AND if that fails, you can refute test results with your own tests conducted by “your” vet…hypothetically…

A third scenario could be that a vet could deliberately or otherwise, not give your reptiles the right meds or meds that could do harm (with you none the wiser)… hypothetically…

2. As a rodent breeder, you could deliberately or otherwise supply “infected” rodents, that could hypothetically kill a competitors entire collection in one feeding… sure, at that point you can test ALL your dead snakes to assign blame – AT YOUR OWN HUUUUGE COST… but even then, the supplier can refute and do tests with their own vet… and then you can go legal and waste the next 10yrs of your life with litigation…

Hypothetically, you could be in a situation where 1 and 2 could be combined into one “cabal” and quite literally, “seek and destroy” AND get away with it …

But WHY would anyone go to such lengths? Simple - $$$$$$$$$$$$$ This is a BIG BUCKS game now!!!

… If you have certain projects that could disrupt the industry and give you a huge edge, it is a risky spot to be in…

Attached are pics that may or may not be of my snake room.

The blank empty drawers and empty tubs may or may not have had snakes in them…

the cause of them being empty may or may not be related to the hypotheticals above…

Warnings and Learnings:
1. Not everyone in the hobby can be trusted.
2. Be careful WHO you buy your snakes from.
3. Be careful WHO you use for veterinary care and advice.
4. Be careful WHO you use to supply your snake food…

The silver lining - there are still (albeit very few) GOOD FRIENDS/GOOD SUPPLIERS/GOOD BREEDERS in this beautiful hobby... I appreciate the help from those of you who fall into these categories...

As for the rest - KARMA will deal with you!... hypothetically speaking...

"Back to the drawing board"... 👊👊👊

07/04/2024

Axanthic hatchlings produced at Snakes Alive from 2014 - present...

07/04/2024

Axanthic hatchlings produced at Snakes Alive from 2014 to present...

07/04/2024

Axanthic clutches and hatchlings produced at Snakes Alive from 2014 - present... #😍😍😍

07/04/2024

Axanthic pairings and females on eggs from 2014 - present...

06/04/2024

This might be nothing BUT I have been researching a particular gene and whilst looking at hundreds of pics taken over 10+ yrs, i noticed something that I never noticed before ....

all the snakes in this collage have something in common....

They are ALL 100% HET ...

The white eye stripe that passes through the eye is usually straight and it usually stops before the neck and it usually has a dark defined border...

I am wondering if a "change" in the eye stripe is indicative of the presence and influence of other genes...?

By "change" in the eye stripe I mean... the stripe is extended, it isn't straight but squiggly, it doesn't have a clearly defined border and/or the eye stripe is straight as it goes through they eye but then curves down and or up, or both... or the stripe doesn't end but rather just fades into the back of the head/neck .... depending on what genes are at play....

Any of you want to weigh-in on this?

🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

02/04/2024

24/03/2024

I have been asked a few times about this... if you think that both of these snakes look the same, then I give up.... LOOK!!! They are MILES APART!!! ...

15/01/2024

This is soooooooo tragic!!! The industry and the world at large has lost a good man! RIP Brian! Death be not proud!!! 🙈🙈🙈

11/09/2023

Steve was the original reptile "influencer". The GOAT!!! 👊👊👊


I have been asked a few times about this... if you think that both of these snakes look the same, then I give up.... LOOK!!! They are MILES APART!!! ...

09/09/2023

Friends, we are finally ready to launch a product we have been working on for quite some time.

Today is the day. We are launching at the SOS Reptile Expo, Emperors Palace.

Introducing FREEZE DRIED CACTUS (NOT THE SAME AS DEHYDRATED) Now locally manufactured and available in South Africa!

A real treat for your tortoises, iguanas, bearded dragons, uromastyx...

We do wholesale to suppliers who want to stock as well as retail to the public.

PM if interested! Free samples at the Expo! Come say hi! 👊🏻 United Reptiles cc Denis Andrew Quick Dion Ziperstein Doug Anderson

10/07/2023

So this happened today... 🤣🤣🤣👊

21/05/2023

Comparing apples with apples...

09/05/2023

Just updated our MorphMarket page:

I agree Our site saves small pieces of text information (cookies) on your device in order to deliver better content and for statistical purposes. You can disable the usage of cookies by changing the settings of your browser. By browsing our website without changing the browser settings you grant us....

04/05/2023

Hey Fans! All 6800 of you! If you are also on Insta, pls give us a follow there too...


👊👊👊

30/04/2023

LAST chance to get these at these prices...last day of the SOS Reptile Expo 👊

29/04/2023

Introducing to you, the Urban Camo 😍😍😍.... P.S. All those that COULD HAVE bought my entire Pewter Project (including this one) and DIDN'T - Sorry Ne! 😜🤣👊... PSS You can come check it this weekend at the SOS Reptile Expo at Emperors Palace... 👊👊👊 🔥🔥🔥🔥

28/04/2023

We will be revealing something very, VERY SPECIAL at the SOS Reptile Expo tomorrow...
You will have to come in person to witness!

27/04/2023

I'm digging this ... 👊

24/04/2023

T-shirt printing in Randburg area?
And go!...

24/04/2023

See you there ... we will have some banger snakes available!!! 👊👊👊

02/04/2023

Report the account in the picture. It is fake! Reptiles for Centuries is the correct account...

19/03/2023

This beaut is on his way to his new owner! And as promised - PERSONALLY DELIVERED!!! 🤣😜👊