What started your passion for reptiles and getting involved in the hobby?
Our family emigrated from the UK in 1972 when I was 7 years old. We were told everything here is dangerous and will kill you. I already had an interest in insects and loved catching things with my bug catcher (remember them?). One day I was playing in the back yard and I saw a scaly head pop up out of the weeds and panicked, screaming at the door for mum to let me in as I thought it was a snake. Fortunately, we had aussies living behind us and the dad came over to investigate. It was a shingleback and he gently picked it up, brought it over and held it so I could touch it. That was it, I was hooked and spent most of my pre-teen and teen years looking for reptiles in my local area.
What age did you start your journey?
I started keeping lizards as a young teenager but only for short periods then I would release them back to the wild. I didn’t start keeping snakes until I purchased my first 2 pythons from Joe Bredl in Renmark. It was a water python and a coastal carpet python in 1988, whilst I was serving in the RAAF.
What species do you keep?
I keep a group of children’s pythons of the marble & T+ morphs, a pair of jungle carpets, a small group of Iron Range GTPs, White Lipped pythons, an Iron Range scrub python and Oenpelli Pythons.
What is your favourite species and why?
Definitely the Oenpelli pythons, they are very docile and mysterious creatures and every day is a learning day with them. I’m hoping to breed my adult pair this season, they are 2017 and 2018 animals that I have raised up over the last few years. I recently acquired another pair that are only yearlings and unrelated to my adult pair.
Do you breed your animals, and what is your secret?
Yes I do, I keep everything except the children’s pythons in large naturalistic enclosures and I just let them be snakes, I don’t play with them as such. I keep the children’s pythons in tubs but they are large tubs and I add enrichment for them. I use automated systems like grid connect to manage photoperiod, UV, day/night temps etc and try to mimic what those things are doing in the species home range.What would you tell your younger self about the hobby?
Keep what interests you and you are passionate about, don’t keep a species just because its trendy or showy.
Any projects you’re working on or towards?
Yes, I have a line of marble children’s that a few years ago started producing light yellow animals with white stripes and white patches. I’m trying to refine that and see how far it can go.
What is your favourite pairing and why?
My favourite pairing will be my Oenpelli pythons just for the experience and the chance to see them hatching out. Its nice to also know that you are adding to the numbers in captivity and removing any urge for people to take them from the wild as they are a threatened species with a very limited distribution. Their natural prey is in decline so its possible that the snakes are too.
Any advice for people wanting to get a reptile as a pet?
Go to expos, talk to breeders, keepers, get involved in online groups dedicated to different species, subscribe to some of the great channels on YouTube. When I was young all we had was books at the library.
Where can people find out more about you and your animals?
I have an Instagram page called python_boz. I’m on Facebook, but I mainly post in the reptile groups I’m in.
SE Asian
Coopers Pale Ale
So Many Snakes, So Little Time – Rick Shine
Definitely Bush
That’s a hard one, if it included exotics, a panther chameleon.
Find someone in the hobby who is doing things right and is successful with their animals and talk to them, about why they do what they do. Chances are, like me, they have already made all the mistakes that you can learn from…for free.
Darren Doswell
Find me via the links below
