HM: How did you get into reptiles?
MM: My dad was into fresh water fish and we always had a small tank at my house. That hobby would bring me into pet stores with him on the weekends when I was as young as 5. I was always drawn to the reptile section and turtles had my eye first. My dad was a really good carpenter and for side work he was building tank stands for the local pet store owner for some side work. The owner gave me a little stool to sit on and said “you run the reptile section now since your always over here” I didn’t do anything besides go get an employee when someone had questions and he paid me with sandwiches and soda.
The owner offered my dad some Red-Eared Sliders to take home which my dad accepted for me. Shortly after, I really became fascinated with snakes but we didn’t have a lot of money so although my parents were fine with having animals, they couldn’t afford to get me any more reptiles but I was able to catch Dekay’s snakes and keep them. With not being able to get the snakes I would see at pet stores, I became a big fan of going to the library. I would just take out books about snakes and read what I could understand and look at the pictures all day. From there on out, my love of snakes and reptiles kept growing.
HM: When did you decide to take your hobby to the next level and start Philly Herpetoculture?
MM: I was out of reptiles from the time I was 13 til I was 18. I was able to get a house when I was 18 and my first thought was I’m getting some snakes. So late 2002 early 2003 I began to get a collection of snakes.
After a year or so I had 8 snakes and was starting to be in my local pet store more and more. I then met a friend and a mentor there that was working in the reptile section. My trips to the pet store early on went from being in and out within 5-10 minutes to hanging out and talking with my friend for an hour or 2.
He told me how he and his brother had an Albino Royal Python. I didn’t know what they cost but I knew they were expensive, so I asked how can you afford to keep such expensive pets? He said he and his brother breed and sell some of the offspring to get some of the money back. It also helps pay for more reptiles and equipment. I had a ton of questions about the whole breeding process and what it takes. When I learned about what goes into it and how the snakes have to be conditioned, I had no interest in breeding snakes. My thing was having beautiful flawless animals kept in tanks that I could see all the time.
The thought of having lots of hide spots, no lights on, females having eggs and losing a ton of weight, males that don’t feed while breeding didn’t sound good to me at all. Shortly after, I started looking at more expensive and different species and all the different kinds of enclosures for reptile keeping and breeding. Then breeding started to look and sound really good.
I then went into a partnership with my friend and his brother in 2004. We had a few successful breedings and did pretty well together but we all wanted to go in different directions with what we wanted to work with and had different goals. So, in 2006 I decided to go on my own and started Philly Herpetoculture to focus on breeding and keeping Borneo Short Tails, Red Bloods, and Sumatran Short Tail Pythons.
HM: You are well known for your Borneo Short tails, what drew you to them? What are some of the myths surrounding Borneos?
MM: When I got my house at 18 and decided I need snakes again, I realized I have no restrictions of parents rules etc. When I was younger, I had a Royal Python, Colombian Boa (BCC) along with some different lizards and turtles. Now that I made the decisions and could pick what I wanted (and I did want some of that stuff) I started looking at books, reptile magazines, and online to see what’s out there. I could remember Pro Exotics adds from Reptile magazines and checked out their site online. That’s when I first really noticed Short Tails Pythons.
They had great pictures of babies, adults, and everything in between. I saw Red Bloods first and I loved how odd looking the girth of the mid-body was compared to their head size. Then I took noticed to how short they were. Something about that compact but huge looking snake really had my attention. Pro Exotics had a nice Red Stripe line and would take these awesome group shots with a bunch of huge adults and they blew my mind. Then I clicked on the Borneo Short Tail gallery and fell in love.
They looked the same as Red Bloods with the body type and shape but the color of the head really got me started looking at them even closer. The oranges, yellows, and cream look let you see more details in their face and head shape. Compared to the Red Blood heads which are usually on the darker side and not as appealing to me since it’s harder to see all that’s going on. As crazy as it sounds to most people, I liked the Borneo’s colors altogether more than the Reds. They also seemed less appreciated which I think drew me in more because not much was talked about or happening with them. Once I wanted to start breeding, I was even more excited just hoping to make copies of the genes I liked. I never thought in a million years I’d have my own lines and hatch some one of a kind Borneo’s back then.
The myths with this species have been the same for a long time now. Number one is they all have a nasty attitude! Can they be defensive? Of course. Can some be really defensive pretty much all the time? Certain individuals. But for the most part if the species is cared for well and given the proper requirements the majority of Short Tails can be handled and worked with fairly easily. Another big myth that just doesn’t want to go away (and this one can be very costly to a new keeper) is that they need constant, very high, humidity of 75% and over.
While the species does well and benefits from a pretty steady 45%-55% humidity level, it’s not something to lose your mind trying to make happen all day, every day. The problem is most new keepers try and keep that high humidity going and keep them too wet which brings on problems like upper respiratory infections, skin issues, etc. Then there’s some newer myths being talked about, like Short Tails can be kept and are as easy as Royal Pythons. This, in my opinion, is just not true. While this species doesn’t require an expert level of experience, it’s higher up on the intermediate level from my experiences.
Short Tails aren’t forgiving to husbandry mistakes and it doesn’t take long for them to go downhill fast once illness kicks in. While this species doesn’t have to many requirements it does take good experience to be able to have an idea why your Short Tail is acting a certain way. It ties into why people think they have poor attitudes, if they’re kept too hot or left feeling exposed in too big of an enclosure or don’t have proper hides it can lead them to become agitated. I can go on all day with the myths but those are some of the big ones I always encounter.
HM: You have one the best reptile rooms around, what was your approach when setting up your room?
MM: Thanks for the kind words. It’s been a nonstop work in progress. I’ll likely always work to improve on it or change what I need to depending on new species or projects that come along. In my old house, I went from keeping snakes in a spare bedroom as pets to growing too big for that room and moving them to the basement. Once I realized I wanted a lot more and planned on breeding, I started buying up racks.
I ordered two racks that could house 14 snakes even though I only had eight at the time. That’s what I continued to do, always buy racks and enclosures way ahead of time. It was great because I never had to think about how I’m going to house new animals having all the extra available enclosures.
Once my room started to fill, I noticed odd spaces that were opened in my room and I’d measure and figure out how I can get more in my room in a way that made sense. When I moved to the house I’m in now, I had so much more space and I couldn’t stop day dreaming and thinking of what I could do. I try and use every inch I can that makes sense so nothing is an inconvenience and I don’t get to crammed but still have everything I need and like.
With so many cage and rack manufacturers there’s always a way to find the right size that will fit somewhere. Worst case, plenty of people will build it custom or you could always build it yourself.
I’m also big on knowing all the temps in my room and what rack/cage should go where for what species. Everyone’s room is different and although you have your room set for 79-80, lower to the ground is always cooler while the ceiling is hotter. Even certain corners or one side can catch more of a draft being near a door or window so figuring out your cool spots and temp swings are key to knowing how to setup your room.
HM: What is the plan for Philly Herpetoculture for the next 5-10 years?
MM: Honestly, I’ve been breeding since 2005 and started Philly Herp in 2006, I use to have certain goals and think I hope to be at this level at this time, etc. but the last few years my only goal is to keep doing what I enjoy, try not to put too much on my plate and just always try to improve on what I’m breeding or keeping.
I guess there’s a few things I’m shooting for but in a different way of where I want Philly Herpetoculture to be. I’d like to try and vend or just attend more bigger shows. I want to travel more to make it to herp events, see peoples’ collections and just get to hang out with cool reptile people.
The last one is big for me and that’s to do more field herping. I really want to go to Indonesia/Borneo and hopefully in the next 5-10 years (hopefully sooner!) I can make that happen along with other big trips like that but even herping local and in the US needs to start happening more for me. I guess getting out and herping can improve Philly Herp by having a better understanding of reptiles and amphibians even though some or most of what I’m finding I’m not even keeping.
HM: What are you most excited about for 2020 with Philly Herpetoculture?
MM: As of late, I’ve been thinking of dialing back a few things just to add some new ones. I mean hopefully I can lower my number a bit but we’ll see. I have a lot of my own Borneo stock here and need to get more Borneo genes I don’t have much of.
I’ve always mixed things up but I’m at a point where I really want to start some new long-term projects. I’m also hoping to add a few new species like some Northern Emerald Tree Boas and getting more into BCC again hopefully. It looks like I’m not doing many shows this year. Even though I said I want to get into doing more or different show’s this year, if I’m not doing shows for a little while it should let me sit back and readjust the way I do shows or give me a break so I appreciate them that much more.
Then there’s the 2020-2021 breeding season and I’m hoping, besides having some cool Borneo and Red Blood pairings, I’ll actually focus in and do some Chondros, Rough Scaled Pythons, and maybe a few other things that should all be ready to go this upcoming season.
HM: Besides Borneos, what would be your next favorite species to keep and why?
MM: That’s a tough question! I don’t have a huge sample size of either but I’d say Sanzinia or Rough Scaled Pythons. Both of those species are the only two I actually handle for a bit without just having to go in and clean.
I have them in cages and they’re both a species you can sit and watch as they don’t hide all the time. Rough Scales have amazingly colored eyes, the feel of the scales are obviously very different for my collection. They’re becoming more popular but still pretty rare for people to see or have.
Sanzinia are also rare in the hobby, I’d say harder to get then Rough Scaleds. I’m lucky enough to have the Greens (rarer and they’re living with Keith McPeek) and Mandarins. They have amazing patterns, the color change throughout their life is fun to watch and I love their short stubby head and face. It’s such a scary looking Boa that isn’t defensive at all. I’m looking forward to attempting to breed both species in the next few years. Sorry I cheated and picked two. It’s just too hard to narrow it down.
HM: With you being around the hobby for a while, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in the hobby?
MM: I think if someone new is getting into the hobby they already have a certain species eyed up and are ready to go, so I’ll start from there. I’d strongly suggest that they research books (if possible, for that species) online, social media, and if you could ask keepers directly.
New keepers always seem to have in mind what they picture their setup will look like and how things will go but they have to be open to changing and listening which for whatever reason seems difficult for most. I suggest taking your time with how many animals their going to attempt to keep.
While I know saying get one or two then wait 6-8 months is a good idea, it’s not realistic in todays hobby. So just don’t go insane because chances are if you have to change the way you’re doing things to make everything work, you may not like that species anymore. Plus being in the hobby now you’ll see other species you’re going to want to try and you may fall in love with them or want to try and keep multiple species
Another big one that’s easy to say is try keeping for a while before breeding. Since I’ve been around a little bit when I was getting into reptiles people started out wanting to keep reptiles to watch them and see them eat etc. Breeding was something that would usually come around way later. Now people join this hobby saying they want to be a breeder.
It’s tough to hear (understandable with how the hobby is now) but it’s really important to try, as a new keeper, to buy young CBB animals and raise them from as young as possible to work with a species to get an idea of how they are from being a neo to an adult if you plan on breeding.
I can’t tell you how many messages and emails I’ve received asking how long do eggs take to hatch, what do babies feed on, when do they shed, how do I house them, even why do all these babies strike? This all comes from keepers that have only worked with adult/sub-adult established animals. That kind of stuff drives me crazy! I think I’m pretty patient with most things but that kind of new keeper makes it really tough to be.
