What's the most interesting herp you have ever kept?

[BoidKeeper]

Looking at another thread about how our collections got started I see a lot of people started simple and moved up. That got me thinking to what we've moved up to. Everything we keep even corns are considered exotics but what is the most exotic or unusual or even rarest herp you've ever kept or are keeping?
I don't mean morphs either I mean things that not too many other people have that sort of thing.
Thanks,
Trevor

[marisa]

Hmmmm well when I was young, around 10 my Dad came home from riding his dirt bike in the california desert with a "horned toad"

To this day I have no idea what this reptile actually was. He lived for like four + years in a fish bowl with no lights, no heat, no uv and nothing but mealworms once per week. He was really neat!

Marisa
Did a little web search and I think it was this:
http://www.wildherps.com/species/P.coronatum.html

[Scales Zoo]

That is a tough question.

The Sheltopusiks are really neat, and get the most comments from the general public that sees them.

My favorites are the blackheads, not a lot of other people currently working with them right now either.

Have a monitor lizard which is an import, was imported as an argus, and does not appear to be an argus, or any other type of the gouldie complex. It should also not be a cross, as their ranges in the wild don't overlap - so it might be a new type - who knows.

Probably the most rare and weird thing that happened, was buying a Red tailed green ratsnake from a friend. He bought it from a local petstore, which had gotten quite a few W.C ones in. This one looked a bit different right off the bat, and after 2 months of us keeping it, it turned really grey before it shed. It shed, and came out looking as shiny black as an Indigo, and has stayed that way.

It is either a melanistic form of a Red tailed green ratsnake (which would be super rare) or, I think it is a melanistic Elaphe Janseni. When the pure black ones show up at the importers in Florida, they sell for $350 u.s, if you are lucky enough to be some of the first in line.

Ryan

[Gary D.]

Although I persoanlly have been fascinated with anacondas for ever and am stoked at now having one, the most unusual animals right now are my mata mata and the northern snake-necked turtle.

[Simon]

I haven't really kept anything THAT special...

I've kept a couple of rare things in Canada.
1) Frenata (Green Trinklet Rats) are properly the most rare
2) 100 Flower Rat
3) Mandarin Rats
4) Rhino Rats
5) Twin Spots
6) Red Spot
7) Red Back

More or less just the rare asian species

Nothing really exciting....

Just hoping to breed the Rhino Rats in 2005 soon~~

[Linds]

Most of my collection is composed of fairly common species, I guess my Jamaican Boas would be considered the least common.

<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/508/22mj99.jpg">
<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/508/22slowpoke.jpg">

[lakeridgekennel]

I have some cool stuff in my collection maybe isn't rare but is cool
green burms
albino pattenless burm
big ornate nile
My puppy tame amarican aligator I love him/her the best pet in the world
Sean

[beanersmysav]

Looking at that list you have there lakeridgekennel you must have a mansion, those are some big cage reptiles. Wish I could have a collection like that :D

I don't have anything exotic I guess my rarest kept would be the Armadillo Lizard. I don't know of anyone else who keeps one personally.

[GekkoGeck0]

I haven't kept much over the years... mainly due to a lack of space, but this gecko is probably the most aesthetically interesting gecko I've seen.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/2142Petri_resting_his_head_on_a_rock.jpg

Palmatogecko rangei, they're fossorial, and my personal favourite gecko.

[Jason Wakelin]

In the past I had the very fortunate opportunity to work in a couple of southern Ontario's larger collections. So most of my favourites were not my personal animals. Top ten would go like this;
1) Galapagos and Aldabra Island Tortoises
2) Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake(s)
3) Argentine Black and White Tegu (Ralph was HUGE and friendly)
4) Mata mata(s)
5) American Crocodile
6) Dwarf Caimen (both species)
7) Cuban Boas
8) Every Phelsuma I've ever met!
9) Eastern Indigo
10) Storr's Monitor

I could go on forever, as each and every herp I've worked with had some special qualities. However most of my time currently is taken up with geckos and frogs.

[daiyoukai]

The Bufo alvarius, two Sonoran Desert Toads. A animal that produces pyschodelic chymicals is truey interesting to say the least.

[hhw]

An African Egg Eating Snake.

[daiyoukai]

Originally posted by hhw
An African Egg Eating Snake.

what do you feed those guys?

[chappy]

Probably my Guatemalan boas, I know of another trio that was recently available but other then that I haven't seen or heard of any in Canada. I haven't been able to find much info on them, other then this site http://www.travellog.com/guatemala/ikbolay/species.html

It says they can reach lengths of 5 m, but to my understanding they are dwarf boas :S

[andytheboa]

my FWC and it is my only "HOT" (head) :lol:

[Tim and Julie B]

I have had red tailed rats
I own a Stinking goddess
Puerto Rican boa E. inornatus not very colorful but rare

[CamHanna]

My Elaphe (Psuedelaphe) flavirufa and Rhinocheilus are likely the most rare in my collection. Both are interesting but flavirufa are are my personal favourite because the feed better and are visible more often. They are also quite graceful once they get up in the branches.
http://img126.exs.cx/img126/4338/9d-Dec32004108.jpg

[Jeff_Favelle]

Tomato frogs (Dyscophus antongili).

[hudson]

Unfortunately I don't have them any more but my favorite and most uncommon were my 1.1 red eyed crocodile skinks also called bush skinks sometimes. They were awesome and you don't see the available very often.

Kate

[Brent Strande]

I used to keep an iguana...

[thunder]

i currently work with Elaphe quatuorlineata sauromates; only 2 other ppl (that i know of) work with them in the us. their relatively rare in european collections as well.

[lolaophidia]

The most rare reptile I've kept was probably my Shinisaurus crocodilurus- Chinese Crocodile Lizard. I picked him up from a local pet shop (in the early 90's) that had gotten him in from someone moving who couldn't keep him. They had no information on them, really no one did, so one of the petshop boys (as I affectionately call them ;)) offered him to me for $35.00 since I tended to take the more difficult critters and get them going. Great semi-aquatic lizard, really neat physiology and odd temperament. I ended up selling him back to the same person who originally sold the lizard to me a few years later (I still regret that!), because he told me that he would loan the animal to the Philly zoo's breeding program. Very cool lizard!
For snakes, I've had about 50 different species and the rarest is probably my Rhynchophis boulengeri- Vietnamese Long-nosed ratsnake. He's really neat too. I like the odd ones I guess...

[blazinreps]

wow those jamacan boas are stuning where did you aquire those?

[CamHanna]

Shinisaurus crocodilurus ... for $35.00
I think you got a deal!! :D

[hhw]

Originally posted by daiyoukai
what do you feed those guys?

Quail eggs.

[thunder]

i just saw a chinese croc lizard for 1000 usd.

[Mystic Lizzards]

death head roaches is my most uncommon pet

[chas*e]

I am fortunate to own my fav and exotic/rare reptiles..... American Alligators, Argentine boas, Bredl Pythons. and a lot others

[lolaophidia]

Yep the Shinisaurus for $35.00 USD was the best buy ever, but then, no one had ever heard of them. They had a specimen in the Smithsonian and there was 1 article about them in English that I was able to find on captive husbandry at the time. The only information the person could give me who sold him to me was that the guy who used to have the lizard caged it like an aquatic turtle and they thought it would eat crickets or fish. I experimented with various prey items and discovered it would eat nearly anything I dangled in front of it, as long as it didn't get too hot. They go into a dormant state if the temp gets too cool (they apparently live in cold mountain streams in the mountains of China) and just seem really uncomfortable at temps above 75-80 F. I had a pang of nostalgia a couple years ago and shopped around for them- $500.00 was the lowest price I was able to find (talked with a couple of breeders in the U.S. and one in Germany). What a difference 10-15 years makes! Now you can even find them captive bred, but they're pricey...

[Linds]

They were produced by Simon Sansom and purchased as neonates from Corey Woods 4 years ago. Simon's are the only breeding pair I'm aware of in Canada, but I'm sure some of their offspring (from a prior litter) should be approaching breeding age soon enough.

[Manitoban Herps]

A male four lined zonosaur I used to own....

[Nicki]

Maybe not overly rare, but the most interesting are my uromastyx. I LOVE them. Such interesting personalities, each one is different. And also my cordylus mossambicus (girdled lizard or armadillo lizard). I've not been able to find any females for him, or seen others around, but he's a really cool little guy, and very pretty!
And for snakes, my fav is my savu python. Those white eyes are the coolest, and he's a joy to handle.

[lakeridgekennel]

beanersmysav
I don't have a mansion just tons of proporty. I live on 1 section or 640 acers 1 mile x 1 mile plus i also farm with my family on 2000 acers so i have lots of space.

[daiyoukai]

Oh how could I forget my velociraptor, buit dont tell anyone or she might get taken away from me. :p