It's an easy life .....

Post date: Jul 9, 2017 9:46:44 AM

I'm a reptile handler - so I turn up 15 minutes before the show is due to start, unpack the reptiles, hand them to the public for three hours, pack them up, and go home. It's an easy life ....

Citrine and friends at a show

Except that, other than Lucas (the boss), all of the handlers have other jobs, or are at school, so the reptile handling is done in our spare time. And if you're thinking that the boss has it easy - it's a full-time job for him; maintaining all the equipment at home, taking calls and going out to rescues, ordering food for the snakes and lizards, resourcing and building improved show facilities including our new solar-powered show heating systems and hand-washing station, keeping up with the latest research and theories on reptiles - oh, and caring for the animals themselves. But enough about him.

Turning up 15 minutes beforehand isn't where the show starts. Firstly, the show needs to be booked; some shows we do every year, so the organisers contact us and ask if we're available (or occasionally just assume we're coming), but other shows we find for ourselves and have to make contact with the organisers, explaining who we are, what we do, and what we could bring to their show. Some we never hear back from, some come back with quite a few questions, and others welcome us with open arms. Of course, we have to do the paperwork for every show (booking form, risk assessment, insurance, performing animals license), as well as explaining that we need to keep our vehicle on stand. We also need to find out what time they actually want us there - and then often try to persuade them that "everything must be ready an hour before the show opens" isn't really appropriate for living animals.

An unusual set-up, using the park picnic table at Ruskin Park

In general terms, snakes can't be touched or moved for 24-48 hours after they have been fed (longer for big ones like Citrine and Alexa), so feeding usually takes place on Tuesday or Wednesday to have animals ready for the weekend, but if we're doing something mid-week (like Scouts) the animals that go there may not be fed until after the mid-week event, so won't be available for the weekend; we just need to plan ahead to ensure we have enough animals ready at any time. It's a bit like playing Tetris really ....

The kit bag needs to be checked; do we have enough hand gel, anti-bacterial wipes, newspaper and rubbish bags? Are the thermometer, water bowls and snake skeleton in the bag? Do we have factor 50 sun screen (for the volunteers, not the reptiles)? Also, do we need to print out access or parking permits? Does any of our larger equipment (tables, gazebo, banner, etc.) need repair or replacement?

The evening before the show we will have a rough idea of who will be taken out the next day, but the final decision won't be made until the actual day as snakes may not be in the right mood on the day, or they may have gone into shed (or, on one occasion, laid eggs!). Then it's a question of which snakes go together; the smaller snakes such as royal pythons and cornsnakes are usually transported two per travel box, so we need to be aware who can be boxed together without fighting (or mating). The weather, too, may play a part in the selection, as we have snakes that do well in heat, and others that do not, and the same with cold. Then there are snakes that have a special relationship with individual handlers, so knowing what volunteers we have for the day may mean that certain snakes will be taken unless unfit.

Once at the show, the royal pythons may decide they all want to be in one box

We leave packing the animals as late as possible, so once they're in the boxes they are put into the vehicle almost immediately. If it's an out-door show requiring tables, canopy/gazebo, hand-wash station, etc., we'll use the people carrier (nicknamed Thunderbird 2 because it carries so much useful stuff), but if it's indoors we will try to use the smaller, more economic (Electric) car.

Then it's a case of driving to the event. Getting close is (usually) easy enough, but it's amazing how many parks and schools have multiple entrances on different roads, so finding the right one can take time; there's one show we've done for three years that we now know to access from an unsigned alley between some shops and some derelict ground.

Arriving on site, we need to find our pitch - and this is always a little fraught because the people either side of us may decide they cannot possibly have snakes next to them! Usually this can be resolved with some assurances that the snakes won't escape onto their pitch, but occasionally we have to ask the organisers to find us another pitch. Then it's set up; are we using the free-standing gazebo or roof-mounted canopy? This will depend on the space we actually have, and whether its a one-day show or two/three days.

The pitch may just have a number, or have "Reptiles" written on it -

but Chelsfield Village Fair always give that little bit extra

After the shelter, then next thing is to put up the tables which - being large and heavy - are packed underneath the snakes, so everything has to come out before we can get to them. Hand-cleaners are put onto the tables before anything else, and any necessary signage (i.e. required by our insurance) is next, so everything is in place before any of the animals is made available to the public. Then all the animals have to be checked and cleaned as necessary; travelling by car seems to have a laxative effect on cornsnakes in particular! A quick briefing for the volunteers on any special arrangements for the day, and then we can start!

During the show, all of our volunteers will be thinking on their feet. Are we happy that the person asking to hold an animal is safe to do so? Children under five cannot hold on their own, but sometimes there are older children and adults we feel are not appropriate; this is usually handled discretely, but sometimes it's a case of simply saying "No, I'm not letting you hold this animal". Nervous handlers will require extra attention, and we are always keeping an eye on how the animals are being held. We will also be watching to see if individual animals are becoming tired or stressed, and will take them out of handling if they are. Temperatures may need to be checked, and water offered. And, of course, there are more clean-ups as animals may urinate during the day - which seems to fascinate children.

It's not only children

And, of course, we are answering questions. What type of snake is it? Where does it come from? What does it eat? Will it bite me? And, believe me, there are some questions we get asked a lot! (Contrary to popular belief, a 0.7 metre snake cannot eat a 1.8 metre human).

After the show, everything is packed up again for the return journey - making sure we have all animals accounted for - and, of course, the tables that the animals are on have to go in first. On arrival back home, all of the animals are checked over before they are returned to their vivariums, and we ensure that they all have water. All of the snakes that require heat have it 24 hours per day, but the lizards' heating has a cooler night cycle, so if we're late home they may get an extra boost of heat for an hour or so. In real terms, a three hour show that's thirty minutes' drive away will take around six and a half hours from pack to unpack.

Is it time to go home yet? (not Citrine's normal travel accommodation)

Then there's the core team debrief; what went well, what we could improve on in general terms, and were there any specific incidents we could learn from? And finally - media! We rarely have our own photographs of the day because we don't often have time (if we're lucky we'll get some public photos in a day or so), but at the very least, we want to give public thanks to the volunteers outside of the core team who gave their time to help us for the day.

Quite frequently, a member of the public says to me "I'd love to be paid to do what you're doing!". Well, so would I - but in the meantime I'm more than happy to do it free!