Chuckey of Madbio discusses his experiences with zookeeping, specifically with crocodilians and monitors regarding their husbandry, training, and intelligence. He shares details about his beginnings in observing wildlife, to efforts in breeding, to now where he has a successful career in working hands-on with various species. Chuckey also discusses at length where issues lie with the private keeping of larger reptile species, as well as the common species in the reptile community and how they are treated. Invasive species are also a topic that he dives in with great knowledge, having been living in Florida which has the largest population of invasive species due to the reptile pet trade. Chuckey pushes for the proper keeping of reptiles, respect for their wild counterparts, and the importance of learning, growing, and discussing reptiles in the proper way on social media. SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/208-madbio-reptiles/ WE DISCUSS: 00:00 Coming Up - ZooMed 0:22 Introducing Chuckey - MadBio 1:47 Welcome Chuckey + Beginnings in Wildlife 6:19 Cottonmouth Experience + Fear 7:36 Ball Python Breeding and Job Experiences 12:16 Caring and Connection with Animals 14:58 Training Alligators 17:50 Gator and Monitor Intelligence Levels 24:49 Chuckey’s Favorite Species 26:08 Private Keeping of Large Reptile Species 29:12 Husbandry Needs for Crocodilians + Monitors 32:06 ZooMed Dragon Food 33:01 Chuckey’s Personal Reptile Species 35:09 Opinions on Keeping Reptiles 44:49 Invasive Burmese Pythons in Florida + The Issue 54:37 Laws Surrounding Invasive Species 55:22 Chuckey’s Views on USARK Florida 1:01:10 Operation Viper + Operation Chameleon 1:04:00 Importation + Breeding in Captivity 1:05:58 Potential for Improvement in the Reptile Community + Learning 1:12:59 Reptiles and Social Media 1:21:36 Closing Thoughts SPONSORS: Visit Zoo Med Labs here: https://zoomed.com/ CHECK OUT Custom Reptile Habitats HERE https://www.instagram.com/madbioreptiles Support and Follow the show: CHECK OUT Custom Reptile Habitats CLICK HERE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST NETWORK: SPOTIFY► https://spoti.fi/2UG5NOI Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/animalsathome Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AnimalsatHomeChannel Follow on Instagram: @animalsathomeca