Strength In Leos Podcast

Welcome to the 50th episode and the season finale of season two of the Strength In Leos Podcast! For this special occasion, we brought on Miles Schwartz of Impeccable Gecko. After not being on the podcast for over a year, Miles is back to give us a ton of updates. In this conversation, we discussed everything from Ciphers to some of his dreams for the future. Enjoy!

Chris Charlton has come on this podcast multiple times now, and every time, I am amazed by the great information that he shares. On this episode of the podcast, we caught up from the last time we spoke and discussed some big changes over Suburban Geckos. In our conversation, we focused on what it really took to be successful as a Leopard Gecko breaded, along with great advice that has helped Chris get to where he is now. 

Jorge Diaz is a dedicated hobby-based breeder of Leopard Geckos and the brains behind Golden Valley Reptiles. He continues to work with high-end genetics and providing healthy Leopard Gecko morphs. In this episode, we touched on many topics that can help get people started into breeding or refine genetics for people who are more experienced. 

Brian has been an animal enthusiast his entire life, owning pets such as mice, rats, hamsters, cockatiels, pigeons, doves, hawks, owls, snakes, and many other species. In this episode, Brian takes us on a journey of his reptile experiences throughout his life, along with his unique perspective. Brian is most notably known for his reptile shows where he tends to take a very different approach than most. 

In this episode of the podcast, I was lucky enough to get on with two great breeders for a round table episode. Today we're joined by Heidi Nielsen of Xeno Gecko Morphs and Seth Hoffpauir of Huff's Herps. We decided that it would be beneficial for us to discuss how we do things in our personal collections. So we did just that and talked about our experiences as well as how we go through the breeding process. 

This episode is all about stress in Leopard Geckos! I want to talk about stress and its importance in keeping the amazing creatures that are Leopard Geckos. I feel like too often we talk about the cases which is really important. But how do you find the cause if you don’t even realize that your gecko is stressed? Today I really want to talk about responses to stress and how you can look out for these in your Leos.

We're taking y'all back to good ole' days of Leopard Gecko breeding. For this episode, I had the great opportunity of speaking with Jason Haygood, who used to own and operate The Best Geckos. Many may know Jason from his work with the Gecko Genetics Tangerine. We made sure to do a deep dive into the history of this stunning line and touch on some of the differences that divide this era from the era when Jason was prominent as a breeder.  

In the hectic world that we live in today conservation, an how we appreciate animals in the wild is usually lost in the shenanigans of society. Dan Rumsey is a Zoo Keeper and the Head of Reptiles at the Australian Reptile Park. Dan is a very passionate Zoo Keeper who uses his work to educate others on the amazing animals he works with on the daily. In this episode, we go into a deep dive into what it is really like being a Zoo Keeper and how he uses his job to inspire others to care about these amazing animals. 

Heidi is part of so many great things in this hobby and strives to strengthen the community through positivity. Heidi is the operator of Xeno Gecko Morphs and runs the amazing Facebook Group Leopard Gecko Club. Not only does she have stunning animals, but she also has done great work on the social media front to educate on ethics, husbandry, care, and so much more! 

Feeder nutrition and gut loading are two aspects of Leopard Gecko keeping that are strongly overlooked. In general Leopard Gecko nutrition is very important for the overall health and well being for your gecko in captivity. In this episode, Seth Hoffpauir of Huff's Herps joins us to educate us on feeder nutrition. Seth has great experience as an AFT and Leo breeder which has led him to raise his own feeders for optimal growth and health for his geckos. 

Coming back on the podcast this time around is Kevin Baron from Mutant Geckos. On this episode, we were able to hit a wide range of topics from passion, marketing, shows, impacts of COVID-19, and some of his awesome projects. Kevin is a rising star in the Leopard Gecko world who has gained a ton of knowledge of his years of breeding and keeping. Throughout the episode, we exchanged a lot of knowledge and opinions so hopefully, you will get something out of this conversation. 

Bruce Saunders joined me for this episode of the podcast to discuss a lot about his methods of keeping reptiles. His unique perspectives on animal husbandry, diets, and even training comes from an amazing amount of research and experience. Bruce spoke about his collection at home that features many amazing reptiles including venomous ones. We also got into a deep dive of his work at Brian Barczyk's Reptarium.

In this episode, we brought back one of the gecko legends, Marcia McGuiness of Golden Gate Geckos. Marcia has been in the game for many years, and with that much experience comes a lot of knowledge. We were able to discuss some of her experiences including the good and the bad. Through this Marcia explained some of her tribulations and what she learned from her mistakes, which thought her some of the biggest lessons in breeding reptiles. 

In this episode of the podcast, I had a great conversation with Frank Colacicco who is a herping wizard and gecko nerd. Frank has kept many awesome species of geckos which attributes to his vast knowledge of so many species. We talked about his YouTube channel Reptilian Diaries which is all about field herping, travel, and adventures to see the most righteous reptiles and amphibians on the planet. This episode was definitely a fun one and hopefully, you guys felt the passion like I did. After listening to this episode, you might find yourself in the jungle or desert looking for those animals in the wild instead! 

I was very fortunate to be joined by Peter Birch of Critta Cam to discuss his pathway into reptiles. Peter is known for many things in the reptile world such as his YouTube channel, social media, and collection of Antaresia. Not only does Peter have an amazing collection, but he has also is an avid herper and co-author of, "The Complete Children's Python" book. On the podcast, we discussed how he uses his platform to educate others about his passion and what reptile keeping is like in Australia. 

Leopard Geckos have a great history behind them that ranges from morphology, genetics, husbandry, and natural history. As reptile enthusiasts, it's important that we know this history to better understand the reptiles we know and love. In this episode of the podcast, I brought on Ron Tremper who paved the way for reptile herpetoculture in the world. He's konw around the world for his work with captive Leopard Gecko breeding and development of amazing morphs. Listen in to get a first-hand experience in history and catch up on what he's doing now in his days of retirement. 

As a leopard gecko breeder, keeper, and podcaster sometimes I get frustrated. Sometimes more than others, but it happens. But as this podcasting and reptile journey continues, I am beginning to realize that I have a platform. A platform that I can use to share my views and bring on credible members of the community to do so as well. So that’s exactly what I am going to do today. I just hope that you take it into consideration and discuss in a positive, helpful way that will cause a change in thinking, thoughts, and actions that will change the reptile community for the good. After all, growth is sparked by the challenging of ideas. This is where learning happens.

Join us this Sunday for yet another Episode of the Strength In Leos Podcast with our second Round Table Discussion. For this discussion, I will be joined by John Scarbrough of GeckoBoa Reptiles, Chris Charlton of Suburban Geckos, and Don Hamilton of Highwoods Exotics. Each of them are high-class breeders who represent high-quality genetics, integrity, and great breeding ethics behind there names. Many are very worried during this confusing time about how the COVID-19 Virus will impact sales and the future of the gecko market. In this episode, we discussed this, a bit about what it's like breeding full time and answered some questions that were asked. 

The Blessed Gecko specializes in high-quality Leopard Geckos, African Fat-Tailed geckos and Crested geckos from amazing genetic lineage. Donny is a sponsor of the podcast and joined me on the show today to share his approach to breeding and the Leopard Gecko hobby. It is very apparent that Donny approaches things differently than most by having a very thought out plan to everything he does. In our conversation, we talked in-depth about what genetics he's working with, his methodologies to breeding, how to keep the hobby sustainable, and educating the new generation of reptile enthusiasts. 

Ryan McVeigh joins us on the Strength In Leos Podcast to discuss the work he does in the reptile hobby, as well as his unique views about herpetoculture. Ryan as deeply rooted in many great organizations such as USARK, Zilla, the Madison Herpsociety, Friends and Scales Rescue, and so much more. This is a great episode full of tons of information about the reptile community.