Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Let me re-introduce myself, my name, Snake Master Myke.(yes the same Snake Master Myke who developed the Melafix treatment for white spot, which is still working well for me.)About 2 years ago I was actively involved in the Acrochord discussions here. Since I moved on. I co-founded a reptile society, have done photography for a few books and written a few articles (one which was one acros). Now I come back to my true passion, water snakes to work on what should be the first conclusive guide on these stunning animals. Anyone with experience, please contact me. Lets have some fun, here are some shots some animals I have.

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[signature has been removed by administrator 11/17/06; please update]

wow.. i have the same water snake(the one with black and blue-white bands) i have 2 of them actually.. how do you know if its a male or a female.. a friend told me its something about their tales but im not sure about it... theyre still a month old

Make you a deal, you tell me where you got yours and I will tell you how to sex them LOL.

I recently spoke to a very high up person in Herpetology who asked me that same question, I am truly surprised how many do not know how to sex acros. This question I received was about javanicus, but sexing is the same for all three species

Heres what I wrote that person:

It is a common misconception that elephant trunks are hard to
sex. On the contrary Richard Shine said in his 191 paper on Acrochordian feeding habits that acrochords are in his opinion the single most dimorphic snake family! The reason many get confused as to sexing them is that the most common two methods do not work. You can not probe them with any hope of accuracy since they have no ventral scales to count and their tails are fragile. Of course since they have such thin muscular walls relatively speaking their entire bodies are fragile. Therefore popping is also a dangerous proposition that more often than not
can damage or kill a young fragile acrochord. However there are many key visual traits that differencaite the two sexes. The first is head size. Females jaws are much broader, and their entire face wider in contrast to
the males.

Here is a picture I took to illustrate that...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/snakemastermyke/towacros.jpg

Second females are more heavy bodied with less defined necks. This is harder to tell on young ones, however the less neck definition is barely
visible...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/snakemastermyke/PICT7764.jpg

(the lighter one on top is the female)

Third the males tail is much longer. In that last picture the tails are cut off so you can't tell. the males tail is curled in the paper towel quiet a bit. It is not that the females have small tails, just short than that of a male. Also the males tails are much bulgier which is most visible from the ventral side.
Finally color. Now this in my opinion is anecdotal at best, however Shine does mention it in his report on feeding differentials between the sexes of a. javanicus. (This report details the facts that female acros are sit and wait ambush predators while males are active searchers, yet another
dimorphic quality of some note.) In the picture above (and again below)you see how the female is much lighter and less contrasting than the male.The reason I discount this is acrochords are so variable between ranges that one might miss sex an animal simply due to its locality. I find this variance barely notable unless one has two animals from the exact same
location.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e289/snakemastermyke/PICT7764.jpg
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www.f1reptiles.com

I just wrote a piece for the South West Herpitological Society Newsletter on Acrochordus Granulatus care. It was about 2 pages long and a good easy read, if you are interested I can email that to you.
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www.f1reptiles.com

im in the philippines and everything round here is cheap.. i bought my two acros for less than a dollar, you can even buy a healthy and lively green iguana for about $2! i just got another acro, my friend gave it to me 'cause he has absolutely no idea on taking care of them.. BIG THANKS for the replies bro.. *one of my acro just shed and the other 1 is in the process..hehe sorry for my ignorance

yes, please send me an e-mail for granulatus care..

*nirvana1386@yahoo.com

>>Let me re-introduce myself, my name, Snake Master Myke.(yes the same Snake Master Myke who developed the Melafix treatment for white spot, which is still working well for me.)

Last I recall You had moved on to MelaFix AND Salt, because the long-term benefits of Melafix isn't any better then just using plain salt. Sad to here hear that the Melafix "Treatment" is still "Working" for You. Just means that You're still not providing proper husbandry for Your animals. Doesn't sound like You are really in any position to be writing articles on their "Care".

The 2 Acros that I have now have not seen any salt, melafix, pemafix, koizyme or anything else. I just provide them with Proper Husbandry--Same thing I debated with You the last time. There is no Cure-in-a-Bottle.

I question whether or not you are a "Snake Master", but there is no doubt that you are definitely a "Master of Self-Promotion". Same ole, same ole from you, Myke.

Try reading my websites if You want to know how to provide Proper Husbandry without all the BS. Oh, and don't forget to remember to not give anybody any credit--except for yourself, of course.
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Elephant Trunk Snake

Arafura Filesnake

Chinese Watersnakes

Well its pleasant to here you are still you own kind and chipper self. I will move on, I do not care to go to that low level you just entered, thank you. In reference to the melafix insult, its still just one animal in need, whom was imported as an adult, and very rarely does need help, but at time does. All my others have no need and are doing just fine. Its rude of you to be so bold and your eagerness to insult has served its purpose, if folks on here are just waiting for an attack, I have other places in which I can enjoy a good discussion on herpetology. I am a part of two reptile large societies, (a board member in both, serving 2nd and 3rd terms), and find I enjoy there company much more than yours. Thank you for your time and I bid you good luck in your ventures, its sad we can not work together, but I see that is just how some people work.
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www.f1reptiles.com

>>Well its pleasant to here you are still you own kind and chipper self. I will move on, I do not care to go to that low level you just entered, thank you.

***Its Your choice whether You want to take Your toys and go home again or not, Myke. It really doesn't matter to me either way. Its nice to see though that You are still jumping into "Victim" mode and then pretending to still be "the Better Person". LoL It never has taken much of a challenge to Your claims to get You running.

>>In reference to the melafix insult, its still just one animal in need, whom was imported as an adult, and very rarely does need help, but at time does. All my others have no need and are doing just fine.

***Yes, Myke--No Doubt.

>>Its rude of you to be so bold and your eagerness to insult has served its purpose, if folks on here are just waiting for an attack, I have other places in which I can enjoy a good discussion on herpetology. I am a part of two reptile large societies, (a board member in both, serving 2nd and 3rd terms), and find I enjoy there company much more than yours.

***No, Myke, What's rude is Your continuously being so Bold in Your Eagerness to Inflated and Deflate everything in pursuit of Your own Self-Promotion. Let's take a Look at One of your "reptile large societies": NAFHA

From the "Lounge" page of Your Old(?) iereptile website:

"What do you call 45 herpers and counting herping the best spots known with some of the most famous herpetologists? No its not a bad herp joke its NAFHA. The North American Field Herper Assocaition..."..." NAFHA is the number one fastest growing reptile society on the West Coast."

http://www.iereptile.com/LampropeltisLounge.html

Now, I've no doubt that that is out-dated so well give You Credit for 10x that amount=450. Cool. So, the votes on approx. Jan 16, 2007 (very recent) shows that a whopping 21 people care enough about the organization to Vote! Now if You consider that 5 of those people are folks running for office--then 24% (!) of the people voting--were voting for THEMselves! LoL and in Your own words: "Good turn out guys." Sounds like a "reptile large societi(y)" to me! Here's the link:

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8090

But it gets even better. There are so many participating members that not one of the people who took office had a single challenger. Not One! Kind of hard to lose when there is only one person to vote for for each office! LoL Here's the links to those:

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7950
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7954
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7953
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7952
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7951

Now since You have access to all these posts and other information--go make them all disappear real quick! LoL

But it gets even better....The Boards show a membership of 1571 members to the forums. Still sounds kind of small for a Nation-wide Society, but let's take a quick scan of the members:

Alexannnder's home page links to a site for Xannax
Altoburg? Bestpenisextender
Are these the Big names You keep referring to?
Cheap cialis846--wanna guess where that home page links to?
Cheap propecia263--In need of a water-gel bra, Myke?
The list just goes on and on. Your "Membership list" is one big spam list. Knock out all of the spam and You might have 450 members on an internet based nation-wide website. 21 voters. Good Turn out, huh? Ok, if YOU say so. But while You are scanning the membership list, Myke, take a sec and notice all of the ZERO posts that the vast majority of the members have made. Zero. Can Ya count that high, Myke? Some "reptile large societ(y)" ya got there, bro. And it doesn't look like much has changed in the last year--from March 27, 2006:

"SOCA meeting Sat April 22 - where was everyone????????"
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3654

Pretty surprising, Myke. You said in the past that Your wife was a nurse, but in her profile You listed her Occupation as: office manager/nursing student. That's as of Dec. 28, 2006--her "Join" date. 2 yrs ago You said she IS a nurse. So, that was an out-right Lie. Not surprising from You though.

>>Thank you for your time and I bid you good luck in your ventures, its sad we can not work together, but I see that is just how some people work.

***The reason we cannot work together Myke is because our goals are completely different. I give away my info for free to anyone that has any interest in it. You horde Your's so you can put it in your "Book" and then You will be able to add "Author" to Your "Resume". Truth is You've never offered anything that isn't already available on the net--like Shine's work, or "Allude" to having the "Secret(s)" to keeping acros--yet you don't share. Your "secret" is Your "Melafix" and Your "Melafix" is a joke. Babies are know to be much easier to keep. But You're still having problems with Your "Wild-caught" adult--Can You figure out where this is going, Myke?

I am trying to pinpoint the husbandry requirements of Acrochordus and You are still just focus on promoting Yourself. Our Goals are Very different Myke. Very Different.

I have absolutely nothing against NAFHA. I do, however, have a lot against self-promoting folks like You that have to lie, deceive and mislead in pursuit of your goal.

You're a Very Insecure Person, Myke. Trying so Hard to "BE"come "Somebody". LoL Get a Grip.

There's plenty more. Shall we continue.....?
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Elephant Trunk Snake

Arafura Filesnake

Chinese Watersnakes

I did find this post of Yours:

"I call it the discuss method. By a book on keeping discuss and make some modifications: tight fitting lid, warmer water, more hiding places, minimal lights and minimal water movement. Then place some discuss in the water, if they thrive well at 85 degrees (thats the temp I keep my acros at) then you should be ready for acros, but you must pre-condition the tank and have basic fish skills first. Thats the short version, the long version is up to page 46 in what I hope will someday be the first care guide to this species... Maybe I will have Hubb's as my publicist LOL. Laughing"

Its Good to see that after our last round you raised Your temps. Your "Discuss Method" is pretty much on track. You are adding one thing You don't need and missing another that You do need. The answers are on My websites. Have You yet sorted out why the Discus method works? That's what I have been doing: Sorting out--not just What, but more importantly WHY?

Good Luck on Your Book. I'll be busy giving the info away. I would like to see the average 15yr old herper be able to keep acros within the next 10-20 yrs at the most. Hopefully, much less.
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Elephant Trunk Snake

Arafura Filesnake

Chinese Watersnakes

hi Myke! here are a few pix of my acros.. Im using a cellphone camera and the image quality isnt that good and clear..

these two are my first acrochords

the one my friend just gave me..

them together

thanks myke

Very nice man, I think the Philippines have the nicest granulatus hands down. I have seen many examples of other ranges, granulatus are very variant depending on range and the Philippnes blue have to be my favorite. Indian animals, (furthest west range) seem to have a unique brown and yellow color. I found an old 1953 Indian Reptile guide, which was printed in India. Its color pictures were of good quality and I was stunned by the difference. Since I have found many other examples from other areas and conclude a. granulatus are the most variant acrochords and rank among one of the most variant of snakes (there are exceptions of course such as many corrallus). Of course Shines research on the matter states it far more eliquently, but that man is a master of both words and science of which I am not. If I have the time later on I will try to better illustrate what I mean by variance. If you get a chance read what Shine had to say about this species. I have two binders of papers on just granulatus and I really find them the most fascinating of the Acros, its good to see anther fan.
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www.f1reptiles.com