2024 Board Members

Hi my name is Deanna Wallace. I have kept reptiles for around 15 years.

My first reptiles I brought home were a pair of bearded dragons named Spike and Angel. I adopted my first snake from the Richmond Reptile Rescue – a cornsnake named Missy. Now I have around 15 snakes. I also share my home with two large green iguanas that were both rescues. Micheal, my male Iguana, was in a whole sale warehouse fire that burned off his left front and back foot and left a huge scar running down his left side. Luckily he has made a full recovery and is healthier than ever! I also have several types of geckos, pet rats, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 4 rabbits and a blind chicken. 

My daughter, Autumn, shares my passion for animals and has won many grand champion ribbons at fairs including the PNE with her doe (a satin) named Thistle. Between her and I, we have taken in many homeless animals and have helped them recover and find new permanent loving homes.

I’m looking forward to another year with the Board, and hope to help with getting our name out there more by going to more events in the upcoming year! I also look forward to meeting fellow Club Members at our Spring and Fall Expos. Please come introduce yourselves, I will most likely be helping run the door and announcing the raffle!

I first became fascinated with reptiles in the 1st grade at Vancouver Montessori, where we had a garter snake, box turtle, red eared sliders, and some tadpoles in the classroom which we released after metamorphosis. Growing up, I kept various colubrids including corn snakes, rat snakes, house snakes, and even an egg-eating snake, all bred locally in Vancouver. When I moved back home after undergrad, I began keeping ball pythons. I stepped away from the hobby for a long time, but came back in 2016, picking up most of the dream animals from my younger years including Green Tree Pythons, Children’s Pythons, Amazon Tree Boas, Cay Caulker Boas, Solomon Island Ground Boas while I continue to keep Ball Pythons and Black (Fuliginosus) House Snakes.

I believe the key to successful husbandry is to learn as much about the natural history of a species as I can, and come up with simple but effective ways to emulate the more essential elements of their life in the wild while offering the benefits and comforts of captivity. The issue I’m currently most concerned with is the overfeeding of snakes, and I try to educate as many people as I can as to the benefits of seasonal cycling, not just adjustments of temperatures and lighting but also of feeding regimens.

I have been actively involved in BC’s reptile community for around a decade, and keeping reptiles for close to 15 years. I’ve kept everything from Ball Pythons, a Brazilian BCC and Carpet Pythons, to Viper Gecko’s, Argentine Tegu’s and Leachies. I currently breed Western Hognoses, operating as Elemental Herps.

As a breeder and keeper, I like to lead by example. Educating others by showing them the high standards of care I provide my reptiles is my top priority. This not only applies to my reptiles, but also the care and diet provided to the rodents I feed them. I’m also an avid wildlife photographer. I like doing my part to break the stigma of “creepy crawlies” by educating people on how beneficial reptiles and amphibians are to our ecosystem.