Practical Reptile Keeping Magazine No.59 Vet's Clinic Back Issue

This month, we report on another stunning new bearded dragon morph, but this is a story with a difference. As Christian Castille reveals, this particular individual is really lucky to have survived, owing his life to the kindness of Nathaniel Woodward of Rubs’R’Us and his mother, Susan. Although Sheamus, as he has been named, may not have had the best start in life, he is defi nitely thriving now! Following on so soon after the breeding of Mr Grey at Monkfi eld Nutrition, who we featured again last
month, it seems that beardie morphs in Britain at present are rather like buses. You wait for ages for one to appear, and then two turn up almost simultaneously! Talking of buses, we have also been able to catch up with television presenter Dr Mike Leahy this month. He explains how he has now fulfi lled his ambition of buying and converting a double-decker bus to house a variety of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. This is enabling him to take them to schools and other localities around the country, often visiting inner city areas where the children may have little or no connection with the natural world. Education is something that Bob, who runs Fierce Creatures Reptilia, a reptile shop down in Worthing on the south coast, was also talking with me about this month. He too feels very strongly about this, and spends a large amount of his time simply using the creatures that he has in the shop to highlight to people
just why reptiles and similar creatures are so important to our lives, in many diff erent ways. Bob was explaining that one of the most significant clot-busting drugs now used in surgery originates
from studies involving swamp adders. Current research into spider venom is currently offering hope for curing Parkinson’s disease, and may also help to overcome Alzheimer’s disease in due course.