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Malalol posted:Fluorescents for lighting? I just meant heat, just people like the heatbulb option using either red/normal light :\ Oh. See, now I feel dumb. I prefer UTH for that simply because I can set them a bit easier and leave them and whatnot. I dunno. v  v preference.I tried Aspen out here, but it dried out pretty quick. Reptibark too, which is what I was using overseas. Ecoearth is pretty messy, though, like you said. I'll probably go to aspen when we end up somewhere with better humidty.
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May 2, 2012 20:21
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Sooo, the MA Reptile Expo is coming up in a few weeks and I'm planning on picking up a ball python there. Should I buy a tank and all the trimmings beforehand? Looking at the (understandably) high shipping costs for live or frozen animals, it's definitely the place to snag a snake and its food. That and the fact that none of the local reptile stores seem to actually have any balls.
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May 2, 2012 20:40
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Stuff is usually cheaper at herp shows. Everyone is in competition with each other to unload the most poo poo the fastest. I had a breeding trio of corn snakes who were always flighty. By comparison, my milk snake pair, despite rarely being handled, are really loving laid back. Almost as laid back as a ball python. They're great eaters and I hope to have some eggs from them this year. But for such long and lanky snakes, they are pretty chill.
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May 3, 2012 01:38
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MMania posted:Sooo, the MA Reptile Expo is coming up in a few weeks and I'm planning on picking up a ball python there. Should I buy a tank and all the trimmings beforehand? Looking at the (understandably) high shipping costs for live or frozen animals, it's definitely the place to snag a snake and its food. That and the fact that none of the local reptile stores seem to actually have any balls. The cost for F/T down in the states is almost half of what I pay. Keep in mind you are a little out of season for ball pythons. If you are looking for more variety Late fall is a better bet. I know at least what is around me is all higher end morphs not much lower end or normals.
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May 3, 2012 03:30
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GCOAP posted:Try and have something setup before you get the animal. That way you can get temps dialed in and have it all ready to go. BPs are pretty much omnipresent at every herp show here in the states. Whether you get a cage together beforehand or buy the supplies at the show, BPs are pretty tolerant and will be fine as you dial in the temps and such (as long as you don't cook it or something). Buying feeders is definitely cheaper at shows though, but make sure it's taking F/T before you buy it, otherwise it'll be a headache trying to get it to eat the frozen feeders you bought.
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May 3, 2012 05:19
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Would you guys say a Boa would be a more advanced snake to take care of ? I'm still looking around and I love their size and look, but imagine they cost more to feed and need a larger environment 
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May 3, 2012 15:04
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RebBrownies posted:Would you guys say a Boa would be a more advanced snake to take care of ? I'm still looking around and I love their size and look, but imagine they cost more to feed and need a larger environment I think that would highly depend on what kind of "boa" we're talking about. Rosy boas and sand boas are actually recommended by Big Centipede at the start of this thread. If you mean the BIG pythons, those really aren't recommended to anyone, especially a beginner. I know a couple people keep them in this thread, but they're folks that have had reptiles for a while too and are very aware of the risk of getting hurt.
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May 3, 2012 15:13
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They're not particularly advanced in terms of care (I assume by boa you mean the common BCC and not an arboreal tree boa or something) but the larger size makes then more of an advanced keeper thing just because moving with a 6-8ft snake plus a massive 5+ ft tank that can easily weigh 300lbs is no picnic. Do you own your own place? Most landlords aren't super fond of large snakes or the weight damage caused by big enclosures. Feeding and basic care is simple for a lot of snakes, so as long as you have a well-started snake on f/t and can afford a huuuge enclosure (these generally run $250-500) with the proper temp gradients, it can be a cakewalk, but you do have to consider your living situation and how that may change. Large snakes are NOT easy to rehome and since BCCs are so cheap, they're already plentiful on the market. People try to unload their large boas all the time on my local craisglist. Basically, as with any animal, but moreso for a BCC, you have to consider whether or not you can manage to care for it for the lifespan of the animal, and move with it, afford to feed it, etc. They're easy snakes, in my experience, but unfortunately all too many are bought and then quickly rehomed. ETA: yeah rosy boas, rubber boas, Kenyan sand boas would all make easy snakes. The large boas like Red Tails, Columbian Boas, Dumerils, Amazon Tree Boa, and Emerald Tree Boas are not for beginners. Captain Foxy fucked around with this message at 15:31 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 15:16
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RebBrownies posted:Would you guys say a Boa would be a more advanced snake to take care of ? I'm still looking around and I love their size and look, but imagine they cost more to feed and need a larger environment Like Fluffy Bunnies said, definitely depends on the species. I love boas too, and have a normal BCI and an albino. They're both awesome snakes with great personalities, but there are probably better snakes for beginners. Unless you build your own cages like I do, housing them can be pretty expensive. From my experience they also seem to be much more sensitive to humidity, at least compared to my other snakes. Not to mention the fact that they are potentially dangerous when they get big, if you don't know how to handle them properly and have other people to help you. Like was mentioned above, rosy and sand boas are a good species to start with. If you really want something that has that distinct boa look then check out Hog Island boas. They're still a little more advanced than rosies or sand boas, but they don't get nearly as big as Colombians. I think I posted this in the thread a while back but here are my two girls (who are housed separately, of course).   They're both almost twice this size now!
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May 3, 2012 15:31
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There are some boas that stay on the smaller end. I have a nicuraguan boa that is only supposed to be around 4 or 5 feet long as an adult. The problem is she is all kinds of crazy. I have heard the smaller ones tend to have more bitey personalities and Alice certainly has no hesitation to want to eat my face. So I wouldn't recommend this type unless you REALLY know what you are doing but I love boas a lot and there are some out there with some really interesting colorations. You can see in my pics sorta that nic boas are typically a lot darker and she has a lot of splotchhes and orange in her. she is very pretty.  
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May 3, 2012 16:32
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Yeah, I've heard smaller boas tend to be nippier. Does anyone here have any experience with Dumeril's boas? I think they're gorgeous snakes, and I've been considering picking one up at the next reptile show. Also just ran across this pic I took a while back:  Boa moustaches are the best.
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May 3, 2012 17:19
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I've been looking into Dumerils actually. One of the many snakes I don't own but want to. They get big. I would recommend looking at a reptile shop or pictures to see just how big they get as adults. From what I can tell they are pretty chill but I have never met one irl. I am on a dumerils boa fanpage on fb and see people post pics and talk about them all the time saying they are awesome snakes. I don't know where you live but southern california has a place called Prehistoric Pets and they have some adult dumerils there. I was surprised at how large they get. Also, that's a fantastic pic.
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May 3, 2012 17:21
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Dumerils are awesome snakes, but can be nippy (at least mine were) and can get 8ft. Another smaller boa to consider is the Hogg Island boa. Its really just a locality of the common BCI, but they typically stay under 6ft and are beautiful. Mine were fairly calm as long as they weren't hungry. As far as boas go though, I'm a big fan of rosys. I've kept different BCCs, BCIs, and rainbows, and rosys are my favorite. Big Centipede fucked around with this message at 22:17 on May 3, 2012 |
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May 3, 2012 22:14
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Thanks for the input! I didn't realize they got that big, for some reason I thought they were one of the smaller boa species. Size isn't really an issue for me though; I'm more concerned about temperament. I can deal with small nippy snakes, but I think an 8' long nippy snake might be a bit much for me to handle. I appreciate the pet store recommendation, but sadly I live on the east coast.  There's a big reptile show in Raleigh tomorrow I'm going to, so hopefully I'll have a chance to see/handle some dumerils there.
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May 5, 2012 05:41
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Hype posted:Thanks for the input! I didn't realize they got that big, for some reason I thought they were one of the smaller boa species. Size isn't really an issue for me though; I'm more concerned about temperament. I can deal with small nippy snakes, but I think an 8' long nippy snake might be a bit much for me to handle. I appreciate the pet store recommendation, but sadly I live on the east coast. Most dumerils are fairly tame as adults if you get them young and handle them often. Colombian common BCIs are also usually pretty tame as adults. Another thing is that most of those 9ft BCIs you see have been power-fed, and many are also obese. A BCI can live its whole life feeding on just rats. A boa that's fed moderately on strictly rats tends to be more healthy (albeit smaller though) than one that's fed rabbits. Get a male BCI, feed it on rats moderately, and you'll have a healthy adult boa that tops off around 6ft or so.
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May 5, 2012 05:49
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Well, I went to the reptile show and got a chance to handle a couple adult dums. The ones I handled seemed pretty calm, about the same temperament as my BCIs. I didn't end up buying one though; I figure I'll wait until the fall show so I can have some more time to research them and prepare. I did, however, end up bringing this little guy home. Just look at that tiny grumpy face!   I looked for a helmeted gecko at the last show, but no one had any. As far as I know this was the only one for sale at the show this year.
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May 6, 2012 17:16
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Need a gecko ID...I can count on crazy PI herp people right? Because I only have a poor description to go on. Its a yellowish gecko, super tiny, maybe 2 inches or 3. Not sure if thats adult size but I believe it is. Markings wise, it has a darker line ringing the back of its head and it has oval-not quite circles going down its back. The closest thing I can find resembling it is http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/ehow/images/a05/52/f6/wild-amp-wherethey-do-live-800x800.jpg It has normal feet, not stick to glass feet. I will obtain a photo later, but just curious if that description really shouted out a gecko species in particular. V its not the gecko in the link, ...its just...sorta similar. the back ovals were pretty distinct Malalol fucked around with this message at 20:07 on May 6, 2012 |
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May 6, 2012 19:17
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Based on the above photo it appears to be a banded gecko. http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Lizards-Subpages/h-c-variegatus.html
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May 6, 2012 20:00
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http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/Araask/3a4cb992.jpg My desc was kinda off... Heres a photo. He has no eyelids if that helps. E: http://www.lizardsofoz.com/geckos_diplo_galeatus.htm is this it? Malalol fucked around with this message at 05:51 on May 7, 2012 |
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May 7, 2012 05:15
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Malalol posted:http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b361/Araask/3a4cb992.jpg Sure looks like it... is this person Australian? Did they find it or buy it?
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May 7, 2012 06:07
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My friend just got one, a guy with reps gave him it and didnt know the type, except that it was a desert gecko. Guys at exotic store didnt know either.Figured if we could ID it we can actuallylook up care requirements since it has some stuck toes. Didnt know thwy were so expensive.
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May 7, 2012 06:21
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I finished my pacman viv. Let me know what you think. Front view:  Bottom vie: 
I Am Hydrogen fucked around with this message at 12:17 on May 8, 2012 |
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May 8, 2012 02:48
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If you block off the nose and part of the face, my female hognose Alice really does look like a rattlesnake. And she's hit a growth spurt and keeps trying to escape her cage. I had her out today, and she alarmed me by stretching and opening her mouth a few times. She just got done shedding a week or so ago. Standard stuff? Her future mate (I hope) is so much more laid back.
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May 8, 2012 03:10
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Oh boy, lucky me, I've managed to get my first reptile in many many years--a 6ish year old blue tongue skink. His name is Gucci, so I'll call him Gucci Mane. The old owner went off to school and left the skink with her dad. The dad couldn't give him enough attention and was offering him to a good home for a fee. Just got him yesterday. Poor thing hadn't had a cage cleaning in a very long time, and I think he was only fed freeze dried crickets and mealworms with any regularity for the last... well, a while. Probably meant well but didn't have the inclination.  After getting the cage cleaned out (I have never seen so many dead crickets or mealworms in one cage) and set up the skink seems happy. He has been basking and digging and napping in a hide box. I am wondering what the best thing for digging for a skink might be. Right now he just has the coconut husk bedding and I need to give him a few more inches of substrate. Maybe repti-bark? Aspen chips? More coconut? He's a huge skink though. Probably 20-22 inches. I'm wondering if he might be a Merauke, given the size and coloration. Grey and black up front, pink sides of the head, orange belly, and tail gets yellowy-grey and black. His legs are not solid black.   When he settles and stops being ornery I will get better pictures. I was told he loves going for walks and he did come with a nice harness too.
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May 8, 2012 04:33
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Rat posted:Oh boy, lucky me, I've managed to get my first reptile in many many years--a 6ish year old blue tongue skink. His name is Gucci, so I'll call him Gucci Mane. The old owner went off to school and left the skink with her dad. The dad couldn't give him enough attention and was offering him to a good home for a fee. Just got him yesterday. Poor thing hadn't had a cage cleaning in a very long time, and I think he was only fed freeze dried crickets and mealworms with any regularity for the last... well, a while. Probably meant well but didn't have the inclination. You could try a 2/3 coconut coir 1/3 potting soil ("clean" potting soil with no fertilizers or anything), maybe mix in a little sand or cypress mulch to make it look nice.
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May 8, 2012 05:09
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Rat posted:When he settles and stops being ornery I will get better pictures. I was told he loves going for walks and he did come with a nice harness too. I wish I had a lizard I could take for walks! Do the spurs on any snakes ever get long enough to warrant clipping like cat toe nails? I just wondered if that was a thing, because Snickers' are decently sized, but my rosy has tiny little nubs I didn't even notice at first. Also, why isn't my 2 year old corn snake eating? These are the same damned micicles she had been getting for the past month or so, and she hasn't eaten in 3 weeks which is extremely weird because she's always been my champion eater I have yet to try a differently sized prey item, but nothing has changed in her cage or anything so I am really at a loss. At the same time, I haven't noticed any weight loss, so I'm probably just worrying over nothing. Is she horny? I thought that time had already passed. She's not in shed (though she's eaten reliably during shedding before so I don't know) either.
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May 8, 2012 05:54
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Big Centipede posted:You could try a 2/3 coconut coir 1/3 potting soil ("clean" potting soil with no fertilizers or anything), maybe mix in a little sand or cypress mulch to make it look nice. Great, thanks! Any suggestions on how to layer it? What goes on top? Haven't had to layer the terrain before.
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May 8, 2012 06:49
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Rat posted:Great, thanks! Any suggestions on how to layer it? What goes on top? Haven't had to layer the terrain before. I'd mix it all together. I use a similar mix for my tanks. It looks good and is good for digging.
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May 8, 2012 07:08
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Joonami posted:
You should never have to trim a snake's spurs. The corn might be horny... as long as it's drinking and not losing weight, don't worry about it.
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May 8, 2012 07:09
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Big Centipede posted:You should never have to trim a snake's spurs. I would never, I just wondered if anyone ever had to. One of those things that just spontaneously comes to mind, I guess! Is snake horniness described as similar to "I'm hungry" behavior? She's going all over her cage (getting bedding in her water every day  ) and I've tried to feed her 3 or 4 times over the past 3 weeks. I was not expecting this. For some reason I imagined it as more like dogs or cats, where she'd only get randy if there was a mate around or something, which is probably incredibly stupid thinking. I need to obtain a bigger mouse to see if she's finally given up on what I've got, and also to stop worrying.
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May 8, 2012 07:22
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Joonami posted:I would never, I just wondered if anyone ever had to. One of those things that just spontaneously comes to mind, I guess! If temps and care are all the same as it has been, it could just be mating behavior... but it sounds more like a male than a female.
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May 8, 2012 07:35
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I loved the photos and info i read about the Crocodile Skink (Triblonotus gracilis). Are there any fellow goons in South America that know how to get one over here? I've been searching through my city's reptile specialized pet shops (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and haven't found a clue about them being available in my country. Also, on a side note, would you recommend this species for a newb like me?
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May 8, 2012 10:04
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Joonami posted:For some reason I imagined it as more like dogs or cats, where she'd only get randy if there was a mate around or something, which is probably incredibly stupid thinking. AFAIK they need seasonal cues to trigger their sex drive no matter how many mates are around. Otherwise any other snake present is competition, food or just plain uninteresting. So yeah, the actual presence of other snakes plays no part in setting off breeding season. It's all weather and changing daylight hours and whatever else they can pick up on. Agreeing with Centipede, I don't know corn snakes but yours is acting a lot like my male ball python does for a good chunk of spring months every year.
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May 8, 2012 13:03
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Yggdrassil posted:I loved the photos and info i read about the Crocodile Skink (Triblonotus gracilis). Are there any fellow goons in South America that know how to get one over here? I've been searching through my city's reptile specialized pet shops (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and haven't found a clue about them being available in my country. I have no clue where to find them in South America, but if you manage to find nice, healthy imports I don't think they're a terrible choice for a novice.
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May 8, 2012 13:18
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Joonami posted:For some reason I imagined it as more like dogs or cats, where she'd only get randy if there was a mate around or something, which is probably incredibly stupid thinking. Dogs and cats go into season even if there isn't a mate around, and dance around and cram their rear end into your face and are a general nuisance. I was always under the impression that yeah, you have to cool a corn and warm it back up for it to get all horny and stuff, but it's possible. I'm no corn expert (by far) but Harley and Joker have always dropped off in eating for about a month when it starts to warm up, even if they're kept temperate.
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May 8, 2012 14:57
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I'm currently at 36 Corn eggs in the incubator and counting. What the gently caress is wrong with me?  So many snabies.
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May 8, 2012 15:49
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I have a question about the compact fluorescent UV bulbs and how they're bad. They seem to sell the things everywhere (most of the hoods I have been finding are for CFL) and I've never heard a negative thing about them until this megathread. Are there some good sources for the claim that they're terrible? I can find a few anecdotes about it but nothing that explains "this is bad for your animal and this is why." I have asked about it with a few herp owners and store clerks and they've heard nothing of it. Yeah, they're not the authority, they just seemed as surprised as I was. It doesn't seem to be common knowledge like heat rocks or flea collars being harmful. I wonder why that is.
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May 9, 2012 01:17
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One of my leos has figured out that I feed them at the same time every day and has started, at around 9:30ish pm (I usually feed them around 10,) waiting at the same spot with his face mashed against the glass for me to deliver food. It's just amazing to me that he's figured out Food Time to the point where he has it nailed down to about a half hour window as to when he can expect to be fed. He also wants to exit his tank (on his own, I must not lift him out, he freaks) and be individually hand fed his mealworms while he sits there like a fatass. He does not want to be hand fed them in the tank, he must be sitting outside of it in the same spot he always sits in. He does not want them out of a dish, or on tongs, he wants them from my hand. Any breach in any of his policies results in a puffing, flailing, possibly squeaking gecko meltdown and he won't eat for like 2 or 3 days. My other one doesn't give a gently caress, its just that one. Gecko drama.
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May 10, 2012 03:20
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Geckos love drama. They crave it and are always looking to gossip about what is going on. When bored they fabricate their own.
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May 10, 2012 03:56
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 16:02 |
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Alright, whats a good substrate for growing plants in a terrarium that isnt super expensive and specialized? I'm not going hardcore into difficult plants but I'd like to give simple ones a shot. The plan is hydroballs(or similar...aquarium gravel if I can't get balls) on the bottom, substrate, then a few plants+moss. I have ecoearth and thought if I mixed that with some soil outside from the garden it could help break down the poop of whatever creature I decide to toss in this nano. Maybe I should get a baby crested gecko  I'm under the impression that it doesnt have a lot of fertilizer though. Does the light matter too much? I have a regular lamp with a CF spiral bulb in it that I can use.
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May 10, 2012 06:19
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