Vasil Reptiles

28/02/2025

We're thrilled to welcome a pair of Pachydactylus rangei, also known as Namib sand geckos to the Vasil Reptiles collection! These incredible geckos are built for life in the desert, with webbed feet that help them effortlessly borrow into and move across loose sand.
Did you know only three gecko species worldwide developed webbed feet? The sister taxon Pachydactylus vanzyli and Stenodactylus (Trigonodactylus) arabicus being the other two species known to posses this adaptation

One of their most fascinating features is that their translucent skin glows under UV light, making them a truly unique species to observe. If interested, you can read more about this phenomenon in this article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348390143_Neon-green_fluorescence_in_the_desert_gecko_Pachydactylus_rangei_caused_by_iridophores

We are excited to be working with these geckos and can't wait to share more about them!

16/02/2025

A curious Gonyosoma boulengeri male basking during the day. Only a few more days before I start introducing my breeders for this season. The holdbacks from last year are growing nicely and I am finaly happy with the amount of these stunning snakes in my collection.

12/02/2025

Species Spotlight: Thai Bamboo Ratsnake , Oreocryptophis porphyraceus coxi

One of the most striking snakes in my collection! Their bold red and black pattern is incredible, and they thrive in cooler temps compared to most colubrids. A bit secretive, but also the most neurotic biters I keep. I am working with 1.2 of these and hope to breed them next year.

Here is a picture of a female during cleaning.

Who else keeps these?

08/02/2025

Exciting Update on Nephrurus milii!

Just a week ago, I introduced my new addition—Nephrurus milli. Now, I am thrilled to share that the pair has been actively breeding. I am hopeful for some fertile eggs soon and can’t wait to see what the future holds for these geckos.

Check out this photo of our breeding pair! Stay tuned for more updates.

06/02/2025

Another addition from December Hamm! A stunning pair of Philodryas baroni (Baron’s Racers) from my great friend Pavol (Pareas and friends). These vibrant colubrids are settling in, growing super fast and I can’t wait to share more about them.

Stay tuned for updates! What do you think of this beauty? 👇

01/02/2025

Excited to welcome an adult pair of Nephrurus milii to the Vasil Reptiles collection! These geckos that I got from my good friend Richard (RSpythons) in December, are special to me—I first kept this species 15 years ago when I started my reptile journey, so I am feeling quite nostalgic having them again after all this time.

They’ve just finished brumating about 2 weeks ago, and I’m looking forward to attempting to breed them.

Including a picture of the male I took yesterday, during his night-time hunt.

Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project!

29/01/2025

In late September, I had the opportunity to embark on a vacation / h**ping trip through the landscapes of the Balkans. The roadtrip took us through Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia—each country offering its own unique scenery.

This trip reminded me of the sheer diversity and beauty of the Balkans. The region’s mix of climates, landscapes, and ecosystems creates the perfect environment for a wide variety of reptiles.

If you’re considering a h**ping trip, I can’t recommend the Balkans enough. The combination of stunning landscapes, fascinating wildlife, and cultural experiences makes it a destination like no other.
The late term of our trip took it´s toll and we only saw 2 snakes during the trip so I will return in the spring to fix this!

26/01/2025

After 1.5 years of keeping the shy yet fascinating Tribolonotus gracilis (red-eyed crocodile skinks), I’m thrilled to announce my first clutch! I realised I have not shared this project on the page yet. I’m currenly working with two adult pairs, and the first egg was laid in late November last year.

What’s amazing about these skinks is that they actively guard the clutch and care for their young to an extent, so the egg is being incubated right in the terrarium with the parents. Even more interesting fact, the parents can and will move the egg to a different place when needed, which happened to me as well. This action might be a direct result of me checking the egg about every 10 days and therefore disturbing the guarding parents.

I can’t wait to see the hatchling soon—stay tuned for updates!

08/01/2025

Slovak version bellow/Slovenská verzia nižšie

EN🇬🇧
Dear keepers and animal enthusiasts

You have probably heard of the so-called "positive lists", which are supposed to ban the breeding of most species of animals kept in captivity. Czech breeders' clubs and breeders have united against this proposal, submitted by European activists with false their arguments. With the support of the competent authorities of the Czech Republic, they have started to work actively to prevent the "positive lists" from being approved by the European Commission.
The European Commission entrusted the company RPA Europe to prepare a study on the (un)necessity of these lists. Representatives Jan Potúček, Petr Kodym and Petr Roth were selected for the official negotiations on behalf of the Czech Republic. A questionnaire was prepared for the public, in which any person or organization can express their opinion on the "positive lists".

Since the competent authorities of the Slovak Republic have not expressed a positive opinion on this issue, Slovak breeders can join the Czech breeders and fill out the questionnaire on their website.

If you are a citizen of the EU, male sure to help and fill out the form to voice your discontent

Please send it to other breeders and animal lovers as well.

Link to the official questionnaire to be filled out:
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90758880/Positive-list-of-pets

Filling out the questionnaire takes approximately 30-60 minutes.

SK🇸🇰
Vážení chovatelia a priaznivci chovu zvierat.

iste ste už počuli o tzv. „pozitívnych zoznamoch“, ktoré majú zakázať chov väčšiny druhov zvierat chovaných v zajatí. Proti tomuto návrhu, predloženému európskymi aktivistami s nepravdivými argumentmi, sa spojili české chovateľské kluby a chovatelia. S podporou kompetentných úradov Českej republiky začali aktívne pracovať na tom, aby „pozitívne zoznamy“ neboli schválené Európskou komisiou.
Európska komisia poverila firmu RPA Europe spracovaním štúdie o (ne)potrebnosti týchto zoznamov. Na oficiálne rokovania boli za Českú republiku vybraní zástupcovia Jan Potúček, Petr Kodym a Petr Roth. Pre verejnosť bol pripravený dotazník, v ktorom môže každá osoba či organizácia vyjadriť svoj názor na „pozitívne zoznamy“.

Keďže kompetentné úrady Slovenskej republiky nevyjadrili pozitívne stanovisko k tejto problematike, slovenskí chovatelia sa môžu pripojiť k českým chovateľom a vyplniť dotazník na ich stránke.

Dotazník je verejne prístupný na adrese https://www.ararauna.cz/ a je možné ho vyplniť len prostredníctvom anglického formulára.

Česká verzia formulára slúži iba ako prekladová pomôcka a nemá sa vyplňovať! Dotazník je otvorený do 24. januára 2025. Na stránke Ararauna nájdete všetky potrebné informácie o „pozitívnych zoznamoch“.

Prosím pošlite to aj ostatným chovateľom a priaznivcom chovu zvierat.

Link na preložený dotazník: https://www.ararauna.cz/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Positive_list_of_pets_questionnaire_CS.docx

Link na oficiálny dotazník, ktorý sa vypĺňa:
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90758880/Positive-list-of-pets

Vyplnenie dotazníka trvá približne 30-60 minút.

07/01/2025

My dear friend, and one of the most skilled keepers I know, has finally launched a dedicated page to showcase his incredible collection. If you have a passion for rare and fascinating colubrids (and more), be sure to check it out, show your support, and give him a well-deserved follow!

Keeping and breeding snakes: mainly uncommon colubrids, but a little bit of everything too!

16/08/2024

A not-so-great first clutch from this Orthriophis taeniurus callicyanous female. Nontheless I am very happy there are some good eggs in the clutch and hope for some small blues!

19/05/2024

Second clutch of eggs from my own F1 Gonyosoma jansenii is here! Same as before, 3 healthy eggs. This time I paired the female with a different male. All that's left is a long wait of about 110 days until the eggs hatch.

31/03/2024

Easter time is here and what better way to enjoy it than watching Gonysoma jansenii babies finaly emerge from eggs after a long wait of 108 days.

30/03/2024

Firts eggs of 2024 are already in the incubator. My Elaphe climacophora layed a clutch of 7 healthy eggs and 2 slugs. I am expecting more clutches over the following weeks, some from species I am breeding for the first time. This year should be exciting!
Are any of you also planning new projects for 2024?

25/03/2024

Since we are already planning our summer vacations for this year, I thought I would share some pictures from our last year's visit to Santorini, Greece. All pics were taken by Mirka. Even tough the old towns of Fira and Oia are stunning and over-run with thousands of tourists during the summer, we were able to find a lot of nice and quiet places around the island for some h**ping. Seen countless Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii) and a few geckos (Mediodactylus kitschy and Hemidactylus turcicus). What also caught my eye were the stunning small chukar partridges (Alectoris chukar) that were living in small flocks around the cliffs of Skaros Rock. We also found some interesting inverts, and fish. Even tough there are two species of snake present on the island, the weather was too hot, and we only found 1 snake shed.
Are you planning any h**p related vacations this year too?

10/03/2024

After almost 3000 kilometers and 30 hours spent driving I am finaly home from my trip to the March Terraristika Hamm show. Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a chat! This Hamm was special, since I finally got to meet one of my long term customers and friends from Canada, Ashley Dezan from Northern Lights Reptile Imports in person and also many more people I only new through facebook only. Its also the first Hamm in 12 years I didn't bring any animals back with me! But I did not come home empty handed and took home the new amazing Chimaira edition book, Reptiles of the Guaianas from Reptiles4all, huge thanks to Mr. Kuijpers for this amazing work!

Photo: Me, Ashley and Daniel from Revaj Reptiles

29/02/2024

Meet one of the stunning stars of my snake collection: Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri, the Leucistic Rat Snake. While this species isn't new to my collection, for some reason I never shared any photos of it. With its mesmerizing white scales and piercing eyes, it's truly a sight to behold. Leucistic Rat Snakes are known for their docile nature and fascinating behavior, making them a joy to care for and observe. I currently work with a trio and plan to breed them this year for the first time. Stay tuned for more insights into the wonderful world of snakes.

21/02/2024

As some of you know, my main focus is aimed at Asian colubrids, one of them being Euprepiophis mandarinus. I am currently only keeping Vietnam locality animals, but may slowly venture into other localities. Mandarins come in a spectrum of hues, from vivid yellows and oranges to more subdued earthy tones. Wheter you are a seasoned keeper or a newcomer to the hobby, mandarins are sure to captivate you with their charm. The two pictures attached are showcasing the colour difference I am talking about above. A juvenile high yellow I got last year and an adult animal from Sa Pa locality in Vietnam. Any of you keeping mandarins?