Interview with a Keeper – Darren Whittaker from Morelia By Design
What started your passion for reptiles and getting involved in the hobby?
I have always had a passion for reptiles for as long as I could remember. Unfortunately for me, my parents had the age-old adage of ‘the only good snake was a dead snake’. So getting one as pet was out of the question in my early days. I did bug my parents enough that they eventually let me go to a friend of my dads who kept reptiles in the early 80s. I spent a few hours at his place one afternoon handling one of his snakes and he offered me one to keep. I was so excited. When dad turned up and I told him I had been playing with a snake all afternoon and said that his mate was going to give me one to keep. Dad was like… ‘oh yeah, what is it?’. Apparently free handling a Red Bellied Black Snake all afternoon when I was around 11 or 12 years old was not acceptable in my father’s eyes. To my disappointment, I didn’t get a snake and I never got to go back there ever again. I was not a happy kid… lol
What age did you start your journey?
It wasn’t until my wife and I bought our house 1997 and I mentioned to her how I’d always wanted a reptile. She agreed and thought it was a cool idea as I had always wanted one. Probably a decision she regretted as within 12 months, I had amassed a collection of around 40 animals with no slowing down in sight. I don’t think she thought it would ever amass to the hundreds I have now days.
What species do you keep?
Nowdays it is just pythons. Morelia species I keep are: Metcalfei, Carinata, McDowelli, Variegata, Spilota, Bredli, Imbricata, Viridis and Cheynei. In Antaresia: Maculosa, Stimsoni and Childreni. I have a lot of pure stuff, but I mainly concentrate on morphs now. I have the majority of them covered from caramels and T+ to Peppers and granites in a multitude of combinations.
I have kept many species over the years including scrub pythons, eastern and central beardies, central netted dragons, ackies, spencers, jacky dragons, mountain heath dragons, rough knob tailed geckos, velvet geckos (O.castlenaui) N.levis levis and thick tailed geckos, boyds forest dragons, long neck and short necked turtles (longicollis and macquarii). I also did rehabilitation of injured animals through WIRES and Sydney Wildlife. Often had Red Belly Black Snakes and Eastern Browns in for treatment. But stopped keeping/rehabilitating venomous snakes not long after having kids.
What is your favourite species and why?
One species I miss the most are my Ridge tailed monitors, V. acanthurus. They were awesome critters to keep and breed. I don’t really have a favourite as I just love all reptiles, but if push comes to shove, it would have to be a pure Silver Pepper Murray Darling Carpet Python. After the trials and tribulations of proving this relatively new mutation to the hobby, it kind of has a bit more of a personal touch for me. When I see others selling them, I kind of think how lucky I was to be able to introduce this morph into the hobby for others to enjoy.
Do you breed your animals, and what is your secret?
Sure do and way too many if you ask my wife 😊
No secrets really, anyone who asks, I tell what I do. Some listen, some don’t, each to their own.
However, one thing I see too often in people trying to breed for the first time, is underweight females. Need to feed them up if you want to be a successful breeder year in year out and feeding them as they start coming into season is very important IMO. I often see people stop feeding their girls way to soon. If your set up is correct, there is no need to stop feeding to soon or at all in some cases.
What would you tell your younger self about the hobby?
Leave home at the age of 12 and start your reptile collection sooner. haha
Keep what you enjoy and follow your heart and passion for what you love no matter what it is.
Ignore the haters, doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, there are always those that just want to bring you down.
Be good to your parents, you never when you will lose them. RIP mum and dad.
Any projects you’re working on or towards?
Projects….seems I have a house filled with projects. For me, most things are projects as I am always trying to improve what I have. Whether that may be striping on my pinstripe albinos or the whites in my white line axanthic’s. I find everything exciting, even the clutch of blonde macs when they hatch, you never know what might pop out.
But it is the multigene stuff I enjoy the most. Last season it was creating granite/silver pepper double hets. This season it was adding another gene or two to that combo. A quieter season for me, but still looking forward to egg cutting season again. Even my wife loves that time of year. She normally races to the incubator looking for heads out of eggs.
What is your favourite pairing?
This coming season will be to see if my albino pepper boy sired his first clutch as he was born without a tongue. Either that or he doesn’t know how to use it as he never does. I am also breeding a pair of platinum macs for the first time. Something new is always exciting for me and every season I am always pairing new critters together. It always makes egg cutting that much more exciting.
Any advice for people wanting to get a reptile as a pet?
Do your research. Look around, see what you like and if that is a fit for you and your family. Read books, yes books, I find they are a much better source of information in comparison to FB. There is a lot of bad information out there from newer, less experienced keepers. Google your questions if you like, but mostly read and learn about what it is you wish to know. You can then make educated decisions on what others tell you.
If you think you know it all, guess what, you’re wrong!!
Find a good mentor if you can, someone that is knowledgeable on what it is you want to achieve. If you want to get into breeding genetic mutations, there’s no point having a mentor that doesn’t understand what a recessive trait is or the difference between incomplete dominant and co-dominant for example.
Stick to what you would like to keep, if you get what you like, you will like what you have a lot more than if you buy what someone else wants to sell you. If that makes sense…!!!
Where can people find out more about you and your animals?
You can find me at Morelia By Design on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube.
There are too many….lol. I do like Chinese or Thai, or a good old burger with the lot from an old school fish and chip shop.
I must admit, I do love ice cold milk, although, it does get better with baileys and Kahlua in it. I do like the occasional Corona as well.
Well, due to my brain being unable to concentrate on anything for 5 seconds, I struggle reading anything as my mind wanders off. However, I have been reading some of the latest Complete Python book and would highly recommend it anyone interesting in learning more about that species.
Beach. I love the water and fishing. Nothing calms me more.
Geeze, seriously only one? My pure Silver Pepper boy. He’s awesome IMO of course.
If you ask advice, listen and learn and then do your own research.
Follow your dreams, there’s nothing you can’t achieve if you put your mind to it and of course, be kind to others.
We all have our problems, sometimes a simple smile and a hello can make the difference in someones day. As someone who battles depression, it could mean more than you realise….
Darren Whittaker
Morelia By Design
Instagram
