The next meeting of the VHS will be on FRIDAY 5th September 2008 at 7.00 PM at the Monash University Engineering Building 72   Entry is free for members and $5.00 for non members   The talk will be By Alan Henderson Alan Henderson has worked with invertebrates and reptiles for over 20 years and is currently the Coordinator of the Live Exhibits Unit at Melbourne Museum. He also operates Minibeast Wildlife which specialises in invertebrate education, as well as wildlife photography. Alan previously managed the Australian Nature Education Centre in Ballarat which displayed a wide variety of invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and small mammals.     Talk #1 - "Feeding the Devil"   The Thorny Devil, Moloch horridus is an iconic and extremely charismatic Australian reptile, one which can be extremely valuable as a flagship species for desert conservation. Yet for all the allure this animal holds, very few Australian institutions have been able to successfully manage its husbandry. The complexity is primarily due to their exclusive diet (and rapid consumption) of black ants, and the difficulty in obtaining sufficient ants to sustain the lizards all year round. This talk examines the method used at Melbourne Museum to maintain Thorny Devils in captivity.       Talk #2 - "Keeping bugs alive" Invertebrate keeping in Australia is rapidly growing in popularity, and many species are now being sold and traded throughout the country. The husbandry of some groups is reasonably well known, but for many it is not. A great deal of husbandry research into invertebrate keeping has been undertaken at Melbourne Museum where over 200 hundred species have been kept over recent years. This has led to Australia’s first detailed book on invertebrate husbandry. This talk will discuss keeping invertebrates in Australia, and give an overview of methods required for particular groups.     There will be the usual VHS Auction and of course it wouldn't be a VHS meeting without the pizza and socialising SEE YOU THERE     Slitherin Racks and Cages have kindly increased their offer to V.H.S members to 10% off their cages and racks! To check out the range, visit Slitherin and take advantage of this fantastic offer now!    © Copyright V.H.S. All rights reserved 2008.