Madison Area Herpetological Society

It's a great day for a show! Come see us at Scaled Up Expos in Fon du Lac from 10-3! We will be talking today about the potential reptile regulation changes that are coming to Wisconsin!

Hoppy World Frog Day! From the largest of pixies to the smallest of darts, frogs come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Frogs play an important role in the environment and many species can also make great pets. Share your favorite frog below!

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We often get asked about good pet snakes that stay small, rosy boas can be a great option!

Rosy boas are popular pet snakes native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. While their taxonomy has been a hotbed of debate for a long time, there are currently two recognized species; the coastal rosy boa (Lichanura orcutti) native to portions of California, Arizona, and Nevada in the U.S., and the desert rosy boa (Lichanura trivirgata) native to Sonora and Baja California in Mexico, and small portions of California and Arizona. Hobbyists have long recognized dozens of visibly distinct locales, frequently maintaining their lineages as treasured pets.

The snakes themselves are small and appealing, typically with a pattern of three longitudinal stripes of a darker color on a lighter background. The stripe colors can range from orange, or brick-red, into brown, or nearly black, while the background colors may range from nearly white, to buff, yellow, or shades of gray. Adult rosy boas rarely exceed three feet in length. Under human care, most rosy boas feed readily on rodent prey. With the right care, rosy boas may live to be thirty years old.

If you are interested in a pet rosy boa, please support responsible h**petoculture and seek out animals that have been bred and raised under human care.
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The photograph in this post shows a close up of a mature coastal rosy boa (Lichanura orcutti) observed in Los Angeles County, California. The photo was taken by Tom Mills, and shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. The image was not modified for use in this post.
View license information here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

It might be March, but it doesn't feel like spring yet! We'll be out at Scaled Up Expos in Green Bay from 10-3!

As a reminder you have less than 24 hours to register for testimony or submit a written comment (due 11AM 2/18)! They have not changed much of the proposal, but have provided additional commentary, which means your submissions were heard. Still on the table: ban of snake hooks, lack of subspecies recognition, requiring animal lists, and classifying captive bred animals as wild animals, all issues that could spread easily beyond natives into the non native pet species many of us keep. If you keep reptiles, breed reptiles, own a store front, run a show your voice matters! We strongly encourage everyone to submit professional, polite, fact based commentary. USARK - United States Association of Reptile Keepers, Scaled Up Expos, SEWERFest, Show me reptile show , Animal House Pets & Supplies, Captive Bred Specialties, Reptile Rapture

Get full details at https://usark.org/25wi/.

UPDATE 2/11/26: The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) will meet in person at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The deadline to register for public testimony and submit written comments is 11 a.m. Central on Feb. 18, 2026. Remote and in-person public testimony are allowed. Aside from allowing some additional color variants of native snakes (see pages 21-22), the proposal has not changed substantively, and you may read changes in our earlier updates below.

Location: State Natural Resources Building (GEF 2), 101 South Webster Street, public meeting room G09, Madison, Wisconsin

Email comments to [email protected]

Read the h**p draft rule and materials at https://widnr.widen.net/s/dt92vkqzf8/2026-02-25-item-4.c.-nh-04-25-adoption.

Read the agenda at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/about/nrb/2026/february

Details to register and more at www.usark.org/25wi.

Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy these amphibian themed cards and share them with a special valentine.

Day 2 of shows for the weekend at Scaled Up Expos in Madison from 10-3! We have some new ambassador animals as well as some old favorites! Come on out and say hello!

Day 1 of our double header weekend we are out at Pet Expo MKE from 10-5! We have an extra large group of ambassador animals plus our friends Repterience, Badgerland Reptile Rescue, Archie's Angels: Reptile Education, Rescue & Rehabilitation, and Chicago Herpetological Society! It's not just a reptile show, plenty of other cool vendors and talks as well. Kids under 12 get in free, so it's a great family activity on this cold winter day, come on out!

Looking for some family fun indoors this weekend? Kids get in free at Pet Expo MKE! Come see us in the reptile area and check out all the other exhibits!

Buy Tickets – Pet Expo MKE Purchase Tickets CLICK HERE $2 OFF ONLINE PURCHASE OF GENERAL ADMISSION, SENIOR and VIP with code 2FORPETS through12/31/25. Tickets Also Available at the Box Office at the Expo GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS: Ages 13 + $12 Each (10am-3pm) Ages 13 + $6 Each after 3pm Kids 12 and Under (At the Door 10am-5p...

It's a great day for an expo! We're out at Scaled Up Expos in La Crosse today from 10-3! Stop by and say hi!

We have several public events coming up!

Scaled Up Expos La Crosse Saturday Jan 30th from 10-3

Pet Expo MKE Saturday Feb 7th from 10-5

Scaled Up Expos Madison Sunday Feb 8th from 10-3

Hope to see you there!