Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm re-posting this question from below pertaining to Rainer's question to FR about the plastic racks.
Hey Rainer,
I lived in Hermosa Beach, many years ago. I graduated from Mira Costa H.S. in Manhattan Beach. I've heard a lot of great things about Hermosa Reptiles, but they were long gone by the time I got into reptiles. Are you talking about the Western Zoological Supply that was in San Bruno, Ca.? The one owned by Dale Sylvester? Dale, and Bob Macken, who I met years later in Seattle, taught me a hell of a lot about reptiles. I lost Dales phone # a while back, and have no way of contacting him. I know he was close friends with Doug Price, and I've e-mailed Doug, but have gotten no response. If anybody knows Dale, let him know that Phil Patton would like to here from him. I remember a rumor that Dale also had something to do with starting the East Bay Vivarium? Western Zoological was a great store, and Bob Macken has closed his store too. I guess it's gotten too hard competing with the Internet, and herp shows for many of the old stores. It's kind of sad, many of their owners had great experience and a ton of non care sheet info too. Great post. Interesting question!
-Phil

Ooooh boy. You know I was terrible with names as a kid and also now as an adult. The Western zoo supply I was talking about was in Monrovia, Ca. It was back before I was able to drive a car and my folks used to take me out there. It was actually more of a wholesale place than a store. They were open to the public but the location was far removed from any storefront business section.

They had everything you can imagine. I remeber a couple who were really cool. They used to drive down to Mexico and guatemala and bring back snakes. They did this for a living. The stories they could tell..

Back then I was really into tricolors and about the only thing we could get our (us kids) hands on wewre mountain kingsnakes. Then one day this couple returns from mexico and I talked my poarents into driving me down to Monrovia for the day. When I got there they were unloading these HUGE tricolors from pillow cases. As they wewre pulling them out my eyes were bulging out of my head. They looked like mountain kings only bigger and with MORE red. They were sinloan Milks. They had picked up from the road while down in Mexico. Anyway, they brought back many other things that day and everytime I went in something was new I had never seen before. Really was the highlight of my youth as I remember it.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

Wow that sounds pretty d%mn cool! Wouldn't it be great to spend your spring/summer finding Thayeri, Ruthveni, and Mex Mex, and maybe even a Webbi. Thanks for sharing your memories.
-Phil

Hey Phil,
How you been? I haven't seen you on the mexicana forum lately.
I was browsing here and seen your post so I thought I would drop you a line. I had some applegate babies hatch this year but this is has been a weird year for my breeders I had several absorb their eggs.
take care Michelle
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Michelle
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

I had some applegate babies hatch this year but this is has been a weird year for my breeders I had several absorb their eggs.

Sounds like you had a problem with your males in one way or another. The females ovulated and somehow the sperm did not get to the females oviduct on time or not at all. This can happen for multiple reasons.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately. I picked up a trio of C. Baubel Thayeri last year, but it'll be a little while before their big enough to breed. I'll try and take some pics soon, and post them on the Mexicana forum. I hope your collection does better this upcoming season.
-Phil