Here at The Reptile Zoo we see every reptile birth as a special miracle, but last week there was no doubt how special our newest addition was!

We were more than surprised to find a TWO-HEADED Reticulated Python with huge potential. As you can see in the photo these little guys are conjoined right at the neck with two completely separate heads and a shared body, very similar to our longtime two-headed mascots Thelma & Louise, but unlike Thelma & Louise who are Texas Ratsnakes these retic newbies have the potential to grow over 200lbs! Just imagine that!

Snakes, just like humans can have twins which share one egg when developing, but in some cases the two can grow together to create conjoined twins. Just like with humans depending on the area and severity of the connection the two can live a long unhindered life. For example Thelma & Louise have been at The Reptile Zoo for over 10 years, which is long for any ratsnake let alone two-headed!

Now that these two have been out and about getting used to their new environment we are anxiously waiting their next steps into maturity and stability which include their first shed and first meal. These markers will help us guage their health and status, but after already trying to nibble on our fingers we don't think limited appetite will be their problem!

Be sure to keep an eye on the blog to keep up with their progress and even be part of naming these amazingly unique animals. We'll also be updating Facebook with quick glimpses at the newbies!

It's not everyday you get to see a huge clutch of pythons hatch in front of your very eyes... well that may not be the case at The Reptile Zoo. We are lucky enough to partner with Prehistoric Pets which means guests at The Reptile Zoo can have this once in lifetime opportunity... more than once in a lifetime!

As part of our coming expansion of The Reptile Zoo we are beginning some new and exciting demonstration programs. One of our most popular demonstrations is the live hatching snakes. For now this program has limited availability, but once our expansion is complete guests to The Reptile Zoo will be able to enjoy this experience daily with a birds eye view into our state of the art incubator and hatch room!

Just yesterday guests of The Reptile Zoo got the chance to have the first peek at a brand new clutch of Reticulated Python eggs. It is amazing to think each of these little snakes has the potential to grow as large as TWINKIE the 350lb world's largest snake who anxiously looked on from her custom enclosure at The Reptile Zoo.

We announced this special opportunity across our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages and just like magic The Reptile Zoo was full of excited guests just waiting to see these little babies hatch! Visitors even got the chance to be part of filming for our YouTube channel! 

After all of the eggs had been open, to provide the best hatch opportunity for the snakes, guests got the extra special chance to actually touch these eggs.

To be sure this was an educational opportunity in every sense of the word. Staff from Prehistoric Pets and The Reptile Zoo answered many questions from the crowd about the potential size of these animals, the specific colorations, hatch proceedure and many more. 

To see the answers to all of their questions and learn exactly what snakes were in each egg be sure to check back on our Facebook and YouTube channels!

This past weekend we have been super busy with new and potential new arrivals, from hatching eggs to discovering freshly laid ones.

We were all very excited about the arrival of 9 Arizona Mountain King Snakes early on Saturday morning, and nobody was more excited than long time staffer Craig Tauchman who cares for the native species here in The Reptile Zoo. You can see in the picture below just how much he loves these snakes as he even has a custom made bracelet with the same pattern!

The arrival of these snakes gives me the perfect opportunity to talk to you a little bit about Coral Snake patterns vs King Snake patterns. Several non-venomous colubrids have similar red/black/yellow banded patterns to the venomous Coral Snakes. They mimic the Coral Snake’s pattern in an attempt to warn off predators, mimicking other more dangerous species is a common defense mechanism within the reptile world.

A good rhyme to remember to help you to distinguish if it is a venomous Coral snake or a non-venomous Colubrid is;

If red touches black, he’s a friend of Jack, BUT if red touches yellow you’re a dead fellow!

Even though this simple rhyme is a great way to help you remember, we recommend that you don’t attempt to pick up any of these snakes in the wild, just in case.

Many of you ask:  "Why do you cut snake eggs open, instead of letting them hatch on their own?"

Here at Prehistoric, we cut our eggs after the first one in the clutch starts to pip.  This means that the snake is far enough along to start to break out of the egg, and has already made a tiny hole.  It is safe for the snakes because they are, themselves, trying to hatch at that time.

The reason we cut them, instead of letting them hatch themselves is because occasionally a snake will not be able to break its shell, and will drown in the fluids.  Opening them ourselves ensures the highest number of surviving hatchlings.  The fact that it shows us what morphs we have is just a bonus.   :-)

Please continue to ask questions, we are always here to get you the best information possible.  Call, email, stop by, or post on our Facebook pages and we will do our best to answer promptly.  Thanks everyone!

<3...................Thalia

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18822 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708