Oh hey, I’m a new person!
 

Hello all!

I’m a new person to this forum, however not new to herps. I have a Kenyan Sand Boa, and recently purchased a Florida Kingsnake (Brooks x Blotched). I want more reptiles, and start with getting some amphibians also.
I am in college majoring in Wildlife. I volunteer at Columbian Park Zoo. My dream would to be work with herps.

I live in West Lafayette, IN & from Lawrenceburg, IN. Therefore I’m close to Indianapolis & Ohio in general.

Hoping to learn more here, gain some friends/connections!
Thanks to you all!

HI Megan, welcome!

Hi Megan--

By chance are you at Purdue? If so, welcome from another Boilermaker!

If you have the chance, think about taking ENT 105 with Dr. Tom Turpin--fun class, entertaining professor (can't remember how many teaching awards he's won over the years), and useful for culturing "bugs" for the herps.

If you're going through Ohio, give me a holler.

I am at Purdue! I have not heard of that class, so I will look into it! I have recently taken Birds & Herps with Dr. Williams, and loved every second of it.
I’m from right near Cincinnati, OH!
what herps do you have?

Hi Megan--

Check out Harry's Chocolate Shop (I'm class of 89, hope it's still there), and the levee for me....

Bug 105 (as we affectionately called it) was about 40 people when I took it--last I heard it was tremendously popular (hundreds), so enroll early if you can. Just beware when Dr. Turpin shows up in a chef's outfit and sautees some mealworms for the class (lol).

I am also a member of the Greater Cincinnati Killifish Assn, and some of the heavy hitters in the aquarium (natives) end of the hobby are in the Ohio area--if you ever want to know about native aquatic ecology (including herps--one of our members is a retired herp specialist for one of the metro parks), let me know and I will get them to contact you. Also, our spring club meeting will be 4/22 in Cinci, I'll get you the information if you're interested (I will have to miss due to and Earthday celebration/farm market-sigh).

Several of us will be at the Great Cinci Aquarium Society spring auction on 3/31 if you can get there....Also some pretty good native enthusiasts in the Indy and Fort Wayne areas I can contact...BTW, the North Am Native Fishes Assn is having their annual convention in September in Northwest Ohio (Salt Fork area) if you're interested....

I am new to herps, with just two brown anoles and a couple of white's tree frogs in the house. I have a teenager who is looking at majoring in marine/aquatic science and animal behavior, and she's into frogs and geckos, so the list will probably grow.

Tons of natives in the ponds and streams on the farm, including spring peepers, western chorus frogs, american toads, green and bull frogs, grey tree frogs, leopard frogs, northern two lined salamanders, tiger salamanders, five lined skinks, eastern garter snakes, northern brown snakes, etc. There are supposed to be hellbenders in the river that runs through town, although I have yet to see one....

Woah. I totally would go to the auction if I wasn’t already going to a zoo with my zoo club. I will for sure keep those things in mind, as I am looking for things to expand my experiences. I’m going to be living in the Cincy area this summer, so hopefully I have opportunities.

My herpetology professor is supposed to be taking us to look for frogs, salamanders, etc soon. So let’s hope I get the chance soon!

See how 4/22 shapes up for you. Our regular GCKA mtng is in Cinci, at our retired herper's house....Glad you'll be in the Cinci area for the summer--we usually do collecting trips (fish oriented, but we often find herps and inverts, too) as a club and as individuals as the weather warms and the water levels in the rivers drop.

Have fun on your herp hunt! You are close enough to Chicago you might be on the edge of the range for the Chicago garter snake....