October has always been a month associated with death and transition. Summer slips away, and the trees begin going dormant, shedding leaves that only weeks before were green and full of life. The days grow shorter, the warmth of the sun becomes a little harder to find, and we watch our local wild birds gather and fly south, escaping the harsh winter ahead. Of course, at the end of it all is Halloween, a holiday filled with ghosts, graveyards, skeletons, and reminders of morta

I'm going to take a brief step back from my recent poultry-related posts to talk about another issue that has been weighing heavily on me pretty much since the beginning of my efforts involved in animal care: the state of the pet reptile trade. Anyone who has followed my work knows that reptiles really are at the heart of everything I've built here. I've spent decades keeping them, caring for them, educating others about them, and advocating for their welfare. I've been one o

Initial post: 10/07/2026 There are few things sweeter than watching a mother bird with a fresh brood of chicks. Last weekend, our turkey hen Coco hatched seven beautiful little poults. She hovered over them with the ferocity of a tiny feathered velociraptor, protecting her brood and guiding them through their first days of life. Seeing them scrambling over her back and exploring the world beneath her watchful eye was one of those simple moments that reminds you just how rema

For as long as I’ve been working with reptiles and other lesser-loved creatures, I’ve had to carry an uncomfortable truth: Many animal welfare and conservation laws simply do not protect reptiles. At least not in any meaningful way, not in any enforceable way, and certainly not in a way that reflects the ecological importance or sentience of the animals we’re talking about. Even in my home state of New Hampshire, protections for reptiles and other essential wildlife tend to f