John Weir

John is the host of The Pondcast (which Anthony co-hosts) and contributes to the development of theTurtleRoom's educational resources. Now an assistant coach with the Iona College Men's Basketball team, John has been a reptile enthusiast for his entire life, starting with Sunday trips to reptile shows with his father as a boy. He has worked with various species throughout his life including many species of snake, gecko and turtles. Most recently he has worked with the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), Mata Mata (Chelus fimbriata) and Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria). In college, John bred Bearded Dragons and Leopard Geckos. He also played Basketball for four years while receiving a degree in American History from Rhode Island College. After school he coached college basketball for three years and has since moved to Brooklyn, NY to pursue a career in standup comedy/writing. Throughout life John has been very passionate about raising awareness for issues related to human interaction with all types of fauna, especially our little coldblooded friends. John is a member of TurtleForum.com and TortoiseForum.org where he can be found on both as Johnny The Longshanks. You can contact him on Twitter @johnsbarelyhome or by email at [email protected]. For more about John, head to his bio page.

The Pondcast

The Pondcast, Episode 15

Logos and Websites

Kévin Labille joined Anthony and Steve to talk about African Chelonian Institute, which launches their first website on Monday, March 9th. Please go visit the page and sign up for their newsletter! We’re excited to partner with them in the development of their new site! Kévin also challenged Anthony to identify the species in their logo – watch to see how Anthony fared, find out what species it is, and how to identify it!

Anthony and Steve also talked extensively about the development of our new logo and new website, as well as which species we used as a basis for the silhouettes in our new logo.

The Pondcast

The Pondcast, Episode 14

Cold-Climate Keeping

A very special guest, good friend Chris Leone, joins John and Anthony for this episode. We talked about keeping turtles and tortoises in colder climates successfully, as well as the Western Hermann’s Tortoise Studbook, and many other related topics. Please visit his websites, Garden State Tortoise and Hermanni Haven to learn more about Chris, Garden State Tortoise, and Hermann’s Tortoises.

Also, check out this video from when Steve and Anthony visited Chris and his animals last June.

The Pondcast - a production of theTurtleRoom.org

The Pondcast, Episode 12

Escape to Africa

Guest Kévin Labille joins John and Anthony to talk about the Chelonians of Africa. Topics include: Pelusios seychellensis never existed; Cyclanorbis elegans (Nubian Flapshell Turtle) is nearly extinct, but almost noone seems to notice; Pelomedusa being split into 10 species from 1; Lack of interest in African freshwater turtles by American keepers; and the work now being done by Tomas Diagne and the African Chelonian Institute (ACI). Stay tuned for increased collaboration between the ACI and tTR.

The Pondcast - a production of theTurtleRoom.org

The Pondcast, Episode 11

Prehistoric Connection

John and Tony bring you the The Pondcast, Episode 11: Prehistoric Connection. This show was created to tackle topics related to herpetoculture, in an educational manner, for hobbyists who are looking for some discussion related to their unique interests. John and Tony have decades of combined hands on experience with turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes, and amphibians. Conservation, field herping, legislature, literature, captive husbandry, expos, websites, …

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The Pondcast - a production of theTurtleRoom.org

The Pondcast, Episode 10

#GoGrey

John and Tony bring you the The Pondcast, Episode 10: #GoGrey. This show was created to tackle topics related to herpetoculture, in an educational manner, for hobbyists who are looking for some discussion related to their unique interests. John and Tony have decades of combined hands on experience with turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes, and amphibians. Conservation, field herping, legislature, literature, captive husbandry, expos, websites, and …

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The Pondcast - a production of theTurtleRoom.org

The Pondcast, Episode 10 Preview

John and Tony bring you the The Pondcast, Episode 10. This show was created to tackle topics related to herpetoculture, in an educational manner, for hobbyists who are looking for some discussion related to their unique interests. John and Tony have decades of combined hands on experience with turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes, and amphibians. Conservation, field herping, legislature, literature, captive husbandry, expos, websites, and other …

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The Pondcast - a production of theTurtleRoom.org

The Pondcast, Episode 9

The Pondcast Goes Live!

John and Tony bring you the The Pondcast, Episode 9 – The Pondcast Goes Live! This show was created to tackle topics related to herpetoculture, in an educational manner, for hobbyists who are looking for some discussion related to their unique interests. John and Tony have decades of combined hands on experience with turtles, tortoises, lizards, snakes, and amphibians. Conservation, field herping, legislature, literature, captive …

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