Reptiles Etc

It's been ages since we brought you a Wildlife Wednesday, but this week I bring you a 2 for 1 on British raptor encounters (3 if you count Brandy)!! That said, I was so enthralled in the moment of being surprised by the very close encounter with the utterly majestic red kite cruising by the I forgot to whip my phone out in time to properly capture it 🤦‍♀️ Have you seen any birds of prey recently? Leave a comment and tell us all about it! #birdsofprey #redkite #commonbuzzard #nativespecies #Britishwildlife #wildlifewednesday

Happy Halloween from toadly spooky amphibian team- and Lyle! All dressed up and ready for a spot of trick or treating later! 🤣 Wishing you all a frightfully fun day from everyone here at Reptiles Etc! #happyhalloween #Halloween #toads #Witches #witcheshat #cuteanimals #snakesinhats #educationanimals #movieanimals

❤️🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀 #ratbabies

😱 Unfortunately the big, week-long Halloween event we had booked in has cancelled! 😭 🧙‍♀️The good news is that we're now available to take your last-minute bookings for this Halloween half term from the 23rd Oct, be it events, parties, or 1-2-1 encounters at your home, we've got you covered with creepy critters and costumed handlers to make your spooky season spectacular! 👻We have loads of options to suit all budgets, including show and tell style sessions, static displays, and character walkabout, all fully interactive, licensed and insured. 🎃 Get in touch for more details, check availability and book in! #Halloween #creepycrawlies #meettheanimals #Halloweenparty #spookyseason #halloween2023 #animalparty #animalexperiences #animalencounter #events #Essex #halfterm #halloweenhalfterm

Ever seen spider poop? 💩 Ranger Katie was doing some handling practice with Ruben the Mexican Red knee tarantula and he pooped on her hand right as she was about to return him to his habitat!! 🤣 Spider poop is similar to bird and reptile poop in that it is referred to as "urates" and is a highly concentrated, sticky waste substance, a little like faeces and urine combined. Urates are an awesome adaptation for animals that live in hot or harsh climates, or who need to be lightweight in the case of birds of flight)- they allow the animal to excrete waste but without losing too much moisture at the same time. Clever, hey?! #tarantula #poop #spiderpoop

#WildlifeWednesday #woodland #trees #woods #sweetchestnut

Congratulations to Chris Newman at the NCRFW for his brilliant commentary on @BBCRadio2 @Jeremy Vine just now, and laying out some common sense in the face of a hysterical man trying to get pythons put on DWAA after having an incident with an escaped pet in his home, and incorrectly claiming numerous deaths in the UK from escaped big snakes- How many pythons have killed people in the UK in history? Zero. How many horses have killed people? According to the British Horse Society, their survey counted 44 deaths between 2010 and 2020... I suppose the caller wants horses putting on DWAA as well? 🙄 This fear mongering had to stop! #starteducatingstoppanicking #commonsense #escapedsnake #snakes #petreptiles #reptiles #exotics #retic #exoticpets #education #contextiseverything

We're calling out @itv @rylan and @therealgokwan for today's scare mongering snake piece on #thismorning. Snakes are not infesting UK streets. 1.2 million cats and 664,000 dogs go into shelters each year vs 400 snakes admitted to @nationalcentrereptilewelfare last year, of which only 25 were escaped pets (many of which were reunited with their owners). Last year alone, 22,000 cases of dogs injuring people. In the last 10 years, 69 people killed by dogs. 400,000 cat bites reported each year. 66,000 requiring emergency hospital treatment. In the last 10 years, only 321 snake bites reported. And only one death. You do the math! Do not believe ITV, @timeoutlondon @guardian or @dailymail coasting for your clicks with sensationalist nonsense. There is no story here. Let's stop panicking and start educating! We would like to invite Rylan and Gok to face their fears and take part in a phobia coaching session with some of our therapy snakes in a safe and controlled environment. Help us fight to challenge misconceptions and change the bad reputations snakes do not deserve! Check out the blog on our website for more info and stats. 🐍To find out about lost/rehome reptiles or to report snakes go to @nationalcentrereptilewelfare 🐍For real data on pet reptiles in the UK visit @the_fbh_official 🐍Learn more about responsible reptile keeping here: @responsiblereptilekeeping 🐍Help conservation survey work by recording your sightings of our wild native species using the iRecord app! #reptiles #snakes #snakesontheloose #dontbelievethehype #mediafrenzy #lovesnakes #snakefacts #petsnake #mypetreptile #responsiblereptilekeeping #herpetology #snakelover #reptilecommunity #reptilekeeping #reptilesetc #education #animalambassadors #itv #gokwan #rylan #citizenscience

It's Wildlife Wednesday! Meet the Common Green Shield Bug! #wildifewednesday #bughunting #shieldbug #britishwildlife #nativespecies #animals #wildlife #invertebrates #insects #Bug #cute

Yesterday we had our team summer celebrations and got the whole crew together for a BBQ. Obviously no Reptiles Etc gathering is ever likely to be without animals, even if we're not officially on the clock, and our awesome volunteer Nathan brought his clever mobile macro lens to have a play with capturing some epic close up views of some of the animals... aren't they fantastic! Please join us in wishing Nathan good luck as he heads out to Arizona today for a field helping trip as part of his university degree! We're also wishing Rosa lots of luck as she embarks on her own university adventure this month when she starts her degree at Manchester Met. We are so so proud of all our amazing volunteers and all their individual accomplishments- our team wouldn't be the same (or nearly as good) without them! 🥰 #reptilesetc #teamwork #awesomepeople #volunteers #educationanimals #animalambassadors #macrophotography #macro #Reptiles #snakeeyes #snake #frog #bugs #photography #exoticanimals

🦸‍♂️ Here's a little something to cheer you up on a Monday morning...it's super Tommy, one of our amazing movie-trained stunt rats! 🐀 He didn't actually train him to jump like this, it's a unique personal behaviour that he performs at home to het from one piece of furniture to another when hanging out in the living room- none of our others have ever been brave enough to try! 🎬 Tommy recently finished working on a really exciting film project that will be coming out on BBC next year and since we've been talking about about what a super rat he is we thought we'd make him a little costume and film him on a mini set rigged around the furniture just for fun- please note we created his suit based on patterns we have developed previously for film work, it was made to measure for him from soft, stretchy fabric and he was trained to wear it using positive reinforcement- he's actually so comfortable in his super suit he will happily potter about and even sleep in it! The jumps you see he performs entirely of his own free will (though with lots of encouragement and cuddles at the receiving end! ☺️ #superman #superrat #stuntrat #ratsofinstagram #rat #flyingrat #dc #superhero #animals #cuteanimsls #pets #donttrythisathome #hero #movieanimals #tvanimals #trainedanimals #jumpingrat

Happy Wildlife Wednesday! Yesterday while working on location I bumped into a very cute little guy and it was clear that they would be this weeks subject- Introducing, The Common Toad! #commontoad #bufobufo #britishwildlife #luckyencounter #notsocommon #wildlifewednesday #ampgibians #conservation #wildlife #frog #toad #toadlet #cute #animals #nature #filmlife #onlocation #shootingonlocation #purejoy

We were all set to visit Elliot tomorrow to help celebrate his birthday but the poor dude has come down with chicken pox! 🤦😭 We look forward to rescheduling and joining him when he's all better but thought a special video to check might help soften the blow of such rotten luck, so ... 🐍✨HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIOT!! ✨🐍 We're sorry to miss you this week but looking forward to joining you soon 🎈🎉🎂

NYE soppy message alert! Reflecting on what has been a crazy year that cannot be compared to any other really... Aside from the politics and personal and world challenges we've all faced as individuals, families and businesses, Reptiles Etc has had a pretty amazing year. 🎉 ✨Special highlights have included welcoming some amazing new animals and humans to the team, making new friendships with some brilliant local companies and organisations, working on some epic film jobs and even creating our own tshirt shop (link in bio)! ✨ Bouncing back from the lockdown and challenges faced in 2020 has felt miraculous and I can honestly say it wouldn't have been possible without our many friends, supporters, clients and colleagues alike. 🙏❤️ You are all absolutely awesome and we are so very grateful to be part of such an amazing community. Here's wishing each and every one of you a very happy and healthy 2022- cheers! 🥂 Special shout outs to Exotic Explorers Ltd. , All Things Alpaca The Reptile Hut Teaching Talons, The Animal Ambassadors, Ltd. Animalistic Encounters Stunt Dogs & Animals @charlottewildetvanimals, Raw Made Simple @nationalcentreforreptilewelfare, Victor, Katie, Kyra, Hannah, Joe, Zoe, Beth, Daisy, Sego, Sam, Georgie, Charlotte, Leanne and the Brinkleys- thanks for everything this year, and huge apologies to anyone I've forgotten- be assured I love and appreciate you no less!! EDIT: Top marks to anyone who noticed me say 2020 instead of 2022 at the end 🤦 Busted for not having a clue what year it is! 🤣😭