I've always found facility pics to be one of the most interesting links on reptile websites. You can learn a lot about the breeder by their caging, equipment, and setup. Like most, our breeding facility is constantly evolving and changing. The 2 story building was originally used as a barn/workshop. I enclosed the two open carports and transformed it into a very functional 4 room facility. As with any older building, it poses challenges and is a work in progress. But It's nice to have a quality facility to occupy for now... and expand when the time comes. Lots of pics will be added to this page. For now enjoy the tour!
Front/Bush room. This is a finished room which houses younger Retics, Carpets, and Angolans. Caging consists of Bush arboreals, 4's, and 8' cages. Because all the caging is the same material/design, it helps add to uniformity. When dealing with breeding groups, it is a critical component to have them on the closest cycle as possible. At the top of the wall you can see the glass window panes. They allow sunlight into the room without compromising security. The ceiling is painted R Board. It adds to the insulation effectiveness and I think looks pretty cool. Check out the original modified mobile work station designed out of necessity!
Long view of front room.
Opposite view of room, showing stack of 4's.
We sometimes utilize the extra 8' space for a breeding trial with White Lip pythons.
Dwarf/Island Retics housed in these Bush 8's. The paper is non-ink newsprint roll.
Subadult Retics housed in these 4's as well.
Adult Angolans are housed in 4's. Shown is a pair in copulation.
Stack of 4' arboreal cages housing Carpet pythons.
Carpet setup with bamboo perch.
Ringed python setup. The shelves are Bush cage vent covers which we installed. The lower acts as a hide area, while the top shelf they use for basking. They really use em!
The split cage divider seperates them. During breeding season, we open the hole so they can travel back and forth.
Mobile workstation makes it easy to have everything within reach.
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Main room housing adult Retics in OS built 8's and 4's on the top row. The 8x3x2 cages are huge, heavy, and practically indestructable. With these larger cages, I can grow my females BIG! The lighting has been recently upgraded and is a huge improvement in visibility. Deep sink shown with Ecolab sanitation system, which is integral to any healthy collection.
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Back room. For now, this space includes supply storage, the incubator, baby racks, and juvenile housing. Keeping young snakes separate from adults is an important aspect of collection management. Soon we plan to remodel the upstairs room and have that space dedicated to housing only babies and younger animals. It's undecided exactly what this back room will become at that time (which is part of the fun). But I have a feeling it will involve growing Retics!
Incubator.... I found this commercial cooler that was in fine condition, but being discarded from a beverage distributer because it didn't cool properly. It was perfect for my purpose. So I did them a favor removing it and they did me a favor giving it to me. As a refrigerator system, its already insulated. So I just sealed it up, added flexwatt heat tape, a computer fan and Helix proportional thermostat. I really had a lot of fun putting it all together. Can hold 200+ Retic eggs at one time. Temperature is consistently stable throughout, and eggboxes maintain the correct humidity level. I only open the boxes when they need fresh air or to inspect. Ideally we'll have a seperate incubation room in the future. But for the past 4 years this has been a very reliable, affordable, and successful system to start out with.
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