What started your passion for reptiles and getting involved in the hobby?
I was surprised to see that this answer seems to be the same for a lot of keepers and breeders. As a child I had a love for dinosaurs and as I got older, I discovered they were not easy to get your hands on, so I settled on reptiles.
I was also lucky enough to of entered the hobby at a time when the legends of the Australian reptile hobby were in their prime. The support and knowledge they gave kept my passion alive and still does to this day.
What age did you start your journey?
I grew up in Mt isa and it was a time when video games were not controlling your life and most families were lucky to have one TV. So running around in the bush was all you could do to keep yourself busy and waste the day away. I was forever bringing things home and kept my first carpet python at the age of 10yrs old. I had really good parents who allowed it to free range in the family home most of the time. I was considered a strange child at school and I was either on the oval poking things with sticks or in the library reading every reptile book I could get my hands on.
What species do you keep?
Over the years I have kept and bred just about every reptile available to the Australian hobby venomous and non-venomous. These days I am settling on hyper bluetongues and pythons like Carpet pythons, rough scaled pythons, woma pythons, blackheaded pythons and just to be different, I also keep Antaresia. I enjoy breeding pure locality animals and a few colour morphs.
What is your favourite species and why?
If you were to see my collection you would think it was Antaresia due to the numbers I keep but in truth I love Rough Scaled pythons. I just love everything about them. I remember in 1992 seeing the first photos taken by John Weigel and being totally mesmerised. Even after all this time and all the clutches I have produced I still feel blessed to have these pythons and always will.
Do you breed your animals, and what is your secret?
Yes, I breed my reptiles and I believe the biggest asset you can have; is a lot of patience when it comes to breeding, especially when getting hatchlings to eat, it can drive you crazy at times.
As far as temps go for perfect breeding, I can’t help you, I’ve always been lucky enough that I live in a area and environment that offers perfect natural temps and cycles that match the species I keep, so I just use that to my benefit every year.
What would you tell your younger self about the hobby?
I would slap myself across the face and say “keep the collection small !!!!”
And once I get back up again, I’d drum it into myself about the importance of testing and Quarantine of any new animals. Or even better get what you want and close the collection off forever.
Any projects you’re working on or towards?
I have a few in my collection and I do not know if it is a blessing or a curse, but I end up with more each hatching season unfortunately. At the moment it’s my spotted pythons that are getting all my attention, but I really want to return to my Woma’s. I was really enjoying my gold patch project which has taken the back seat.
What is your favourite pairing?
This season it was my QLD locality Woma’s. I finally got them up to size and produced some nice eggs. I am really looking forward to them hatching.
Any advice for people wanting to get a reptile as a pet?
Do your homework on both the species and the breeder /supplier. Ask the breeder/supplier, you got the reptile from important husbandry questions and not strangers on facebook. And lastly even a new keeper needs to think about virus testing and quarantine, its everyone’s responsibility at the end of the day.
Where can people find out more about you and your animals?
A lot of my past reptile history can be found on google; just type in my full name, there are news and radio interviews online. I also have my Facebook page (hissing link reptiles) but due to being busy in the real world and factbook’s rules on the selling of reptiles. I don’t get to it much and update it unfortunately.
And I’m also in the process of getting a web page up and going for my reptiles it will also be named “Hissing Link Reptiles” when its up and running in the near future.
Asian Food
Ice cold – Peace Iced Tea
I’m a mechanic so the last book I read was a transmission workshop manual
I take my dog to the beach every weekend for a run in the surf because I can. But the bush is always where my heart is. Nothing better than the red sand between your toes
The amazing Oenpelli Python
Be more virus aware in 2024 and don’t take risks
Brett Modra
Hissing Link Reptiles
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