Bugs n Snakes

Hey friends, our website is currently down while we consider our domain hosting options. So if you can't find our site for the next few days, don't worry, we are still here, and we will be back online soon!

Hanging at today until 2p! If you're at the park come say hi!

We've been so lucky to hatch a whole bunch of big and beautiful polyphemus moths as part of a movie project this year. This is our very last moth, who emerged just this week. As adults they actually only live a few days - just enough time to mate and lay eggs. It's bittersweet saying goodbye to this last moth. It's also a great reminder to appreciate things while you can. :)

Though we may have been doing live animal presentations here and there for years, Bugs n Snakes officially started in 2019. We've definitely seen some ups and downs since then, and we've learned a lot about providing the best educational as well as entertaining animal presentations and encounters. We probably won't be dominating the world of business anytime soon, yet we are very proud of the growth we have accomplished, the people we have met, the animals we have worked with, and the amazing moments between animals and humans that we have instigated.

Reptile Room fridge! Full of fruits, veggies, pre-packaged animal foods, and sometimes a soda or two. Also a great surface for cutting produce and mixing certain food powders.

It's and we're sharing some of our favorite insects!

Today we're presenting Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches! One of the largest species of cockroach in the world, Hissers can reach up to two or three inches long as adults. They are known for the hissing sound they release to scare off predators as well as during mating. Unlike mammals such as cats, these roaches don't hiss from their mouths, and instead use breathing ports on the sides of their bodies called abdominal spiracles. They don't fly like some species of cockroach, yet are great at climbing and running fast.

It's and we're sharing some of our favorite insects!

First up, Blue Death-Feigning Beetles! These awesome little creatures are found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico. They are nocturnal, so most active at night. One of their most remarkable characteristics is that they "play dead" when they feel scared or threatened. This can include flipping themselves over and staying perfectly still until whatever they perceive as a threat has decided to leave them alone.

Bugs n Snakes is a very small, locally owned and operated business. Sometimes you may just see one or two animal handlers at an event. This isn't the easiest business to hire employees for, as they would need to be okay with all of the animals as well as the public. We consider ourselves very lucky that when we have had to put out a call for extra hands for big events, our family has been there to help us out!

Sunlight and the UVB radiation found in it are very important to the health and well-being of many reptiles. Not only does the heat from the sunlight help their bodies maintain proper temperature for digestion, activity, and immune support, it also helps them produce vitamin D3 to assist with calcium absorption (a necessary function to keep them from issues such as metabolic bone disease).

To celebrate , here are five of our favorite creatures from the state:

Coral snake
Chuckwalla
Barking frog
Sonoran desert tortoise
Marbled cellar spider

*pics sourced from Britannica dot com, iNaturalist*