Hey all! 2022 was a crazy year and I got behind on the podcast. I’m so excited to be getting episodes out that are long overdue, however some of the information may be a bit out of date. I recommend giving our guest, Eliza Stott, a follow and checking out the amazing things she and Women in Wildlife has done since this program was recorded! This interview was with Eliza Stott, founder of Women in Wildlife and an amazing zookeeper and animal enthusiast. We chatted about what it takes to get...

Growing up falling in ponds looking for critters and observing frogs in vernal pools on her dad’s property, Ashley Dezan has been a reptile and amphibian lover for life. Passionate about advancing the keeping of rarer animals, Ashley is the owner and operator of Northern Lights Reptile Imports. This was an awesome conversation learning about the ins and outs of reptile imports and exports and hearing about her experiences working with some really unique species! Find Ashley on Facebook:...

Nicole Tam is an entomologist and herp enthusiast. Growing up with a love for arthropods, Nicole went on to conduct research on vector-borne diseases, mosquitos, and the reproductive cycle of tsetse flies. In addition to her work, Nicole talks about her experience with entomological museums and caring for and breeding beaked snakes! Tsetse fly image: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-Life-cycle-of-the-tsetse-fly-B-Viviparous-reproduction-cycle-of-tsetse-flies_fig2_329179423 Find Nicole...

Shannon Wild is a world-renowned wildlife photographer and cinematographer. Her work has taken her all over the world coming face to face with some of the most amazing animals many of us will only see on TV (because Shannon got the footage for us!). In this episode, we talk in depth about how Shannon got her start in photography, her adventures tracking a melanistic leopard through the jungle in India, and some of her other incredible experiences with animals ranging from Komodo Dragons to...

This week I sat down with Laura Mae Riepl and we learn all about isopods! Not only is Laura at the forefront of bringing isopods to the layperson through her partnership providing clean up crews to Petsmart but we also talk about how she manages and maintains over 500 isopod cultures! We learn all about her tips for feeding and housing isopods, talk about the legalities of shipping isopods, and we express a mutual amazement (and a bit of fear) for the giant marine isopods! Check out Smug Bug...

This week I took some time to answer questions about me, give an update on the podcast, and honor animal advocate and enthusiast Betty White. If you want to buy merch to support the Betty White Challenge, look here: https://difalco-reptiles.creator-spring.com/ Follow the Pod: www.instagram.com/modernmedusapodcast/ Follow the Host: www.instagram.com/difalcoreptiles/ Check out our Sponsor, VivTech Products! www.vivtechproducts.com/ Want to learn more? Check out the sources from my research...

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with two amazing Aussie keepers – Tie Eipper & Emma Dixon! Join us as we talk all about how Emma and Tie got into herps, laws and rules regarding keeping reptiles in Australia, and how the reptile hobby differs in the US and Australia! Tie & Emma are admins for the HERpers facebook group and they both have their own businesses as well! Tie focuses on elapids, perenties, and other cool venomous with Nature 4 You and Emma is building some...

We all turn to our local reptile shops when we need some supplies, feeders, or maybe a new animal, but what does it take to keep that shop up and running? This week I got to sit down with Amanda Rua of Wiregrass Exotics in Ozark, Alabama to ask all those questions! Join us as we cover everything from sourcing healthy animals to finances for opening a new store to having to turn people away when they come in asking for vape pens! And don’t forget to check out Wiregrass at all the spots...

If you are looking to decorate, you need to check out the incredible artwork of Adeline Robinson! Adeline is a passionate herp keeper turned full-time artist whose work can be seen at shows across the country. Join us as we talk about Adeline’s journey into art as a career, her experience keeping animals (specifically tree monitors) and how she works to encourage other reptile artists! Sorry it’s been a bit since the last upload! Life got in the way and I’ve been physically, mentally, and...

This week I got the opportunity to talk with another incredible scientist -- Chelsea Connor! Chelsea is PhD student researching anoles and founder of the Twitter game #DidYouAnole? Outside her studies, Chelsea is an advocate for BIPOC representation in STEM with her work on Black Birders Week & BlackAF in Stem. Join us as we talk about her advocacy, her research, and we discuss her home country of Dominica! Follow Chelsea on Instagram: @OutToChelsea Follow Chelsea on Twitter:...

I first “met” Kina Mae Campbell because I was a fan of her artwork, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out she was a reptile keeper too! Join Kina and I as we discuss her diverse collection, how she chooses what she wants to breed versus what animals she deems pets, and of course we have to talk about plants a bit! I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it! Follow Exotic Entities Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exotic.entities/ Like Exotic...

Originally interested in reptiles through her kids, Kori Martin has found her passion in herpetoculture! Join us as we talk about Kori’s animals (ranging from ball pythons to carpet pythons to blackhead pythons), what makes a good “beginner” snake, and Kori’s experience going from never owning a reptile before to having over 20 clutches in the last two years! Kori Martin Reptiles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/korimartinreptiles/ Kori Martin Reptiles Facebook:...

If you don’t know Pia Bartolini yet, you’re missing out. Besides being an incredible vet tech, a genius when it comes to all things nido virus, and a phenomenal friend, Pia is also one half of the amazing Reptile Preservation Institute. RPI is an organization focused on conservation, specifically of venomous species, to provide captive specimens to venom labs around the country. Interested in this incredible cause? Check out the RPI fundraiser, auction, and patreon below! RPI...

In what I’ll refer to as an “after dark” episode, join me as I interview crested gecko breeder Emily Azevedo of Moon Lily Reptiles! We talk everything from getting started in crested geckos to handling a prolapsed hemipene during a breeding loan. Check out Emi’s accounts and animals below and check out her awesome merch! Follow Emi or Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonlilyreptiles/ Like Emi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moonlilyreptiles Emi’s website and merch!...

This week I interviewed conservation biologist Gina Zwicky! Gina is an incredible interviewee and walked me through her research with malaria in the Saban Anole, her experience as a private reptile keeper and a biologist, and her work studying chytrid fungus! I highly recommend following Gina on Twitter to keep up with her frog watching, swamp-kitten-saving, and sulcate owning antics! Follow Gina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GinaGoesOutside Support the podcast on Patreon!...

If you don’t follow Dr. Emily Taylor already, I hope you see why you have to after this episode! I was so lucky to sit down with Emily and learn about her experience as a environmental physiologist, biology professor, and general lover of all things creepy crawly during this interview. Join us as we talk about Dr. Taylor’s rattlesnake research, her business providing rattlesnake proof fencing and removal, and her research on female representation in herp-based research. Follow Dr. Taylor on...

From assisting on iguana research in Honduras to volunteering with elephants at her local zoo, Chelsea Richardson knows a thing or two about taking every opportunity provided to work with the animals you love. Join us as we talk about rattlesnake aversion training for dogs, wildlife rehabilitation, exotic animal pet sitting, and bone processing and beetle cleaning, we really cover it all in this episode! Follow Chelsea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaled_sitting.n.services Like...

Two weeks, two Ericas! Tonight I got to chat with Erica Mede McVeigh of the new company VivTech! VivTech is here to solve the everyday problems of reptile keeping, even those you don’t realize are a problem yet. Join us as we talk about starting a company from the ground up, Erica’s experience as a research volunteer studying Massasauga Rattlesnakes, running a reptile rescue, and get a sneak peek into what you can expect with the launching of VivTech! Excuse any sound in the background of...

Today I was joined by Erica Perras of Arboreals Anonymous! Primarily an arboreal keeper (duh), Erica has a really impressive chahoua gecko, leachianus gecko, and green tree python collection. We sat down and discussed her journey with reptiles, including starting, stopping, and restarting her collection 5 or so years ago! Enjoy this convo where we chat everything from bottle feeding a serval, managing a nidovirus positive green tree python collection, and how Erica combines her love of...

Took some time off to move and just handle a bit of life craziness but I’m back with an interview with Summer Grace Mitchell aka “Girl with Scales”! Besides being an incredible Morelia keeper, Summer is also a phenomenal musician and she wrote our new intro! Thank you Summer! Today we chatted about keeping different Morelia species and what draws us to them, how Summer grew up participating and learning from the online reptile forums, and how she has managed to make a living working in...

This week I took a different approach to the podcast and interviewed Shannon Pierlioni. A self proclaimed animal lover, Shannon isn’t a herper herself, but she is married to Anthony Pierlioni, a turtle enthusiast. We talked about navigating a relationship with someone whose life revolves around their animals and what this means as a spouse and parent. After this, I shared the story of herpetologist Joan Beaechamp Procter and her contributions to zoology and herpetology! Enjoy the episode...

Spent some time chatting with the incredible Emily Grzeda of ReptiVet LLC this week! her name is fitting as Emily is just finishing her second year of veterinary school and is planning on focusing on exotics (specifically reptiles)! Outside of her rigorous schoolwork, Emily keeps a large collection of herps including gargoyle geckos, Dumeril's boas, strophurus geckos, and more! OUtside her herps, we also discuss her large rescue Military Macaw and what it is like sharing a condo with one of...

This week I sat down with Kendra Westy of Puget Sound Pythons! We discussed her fascination with herps growing up and eventual keeping, how she traveled cross country with a full collection after college, and working with a partner to maintain a combined collection and shared hobby. Follow Kendra on Facebook & Instagram @PugetSoundPythons And don't forget to... Follow the Pod: @ModernMedusaPodcast on Instagram Follow the Host: @DiFalcoReptiles on FB and Instagram and Follow Joe:...

This week I was joined with venomous keeper and apprentice falconer Haidyn Lierz! In this episode we discussed keeping venomous and the importance of good mentors, how she got into falconry, and loving and pursuing your passions while battling chronic illness. Follow Haidyn on Instagram @Lizanardo_Davinci Connect with Haidyn on Facebook: at Atlas Herps or Haidyn Lierz And don't forget to... Follow the Pod: @ModernMedusaPodcast on Instagram Follow the Host: @DiFalcoReptiles on FB and...