|
It's fine to move him. Pick him up gently, let him walk around on your hands if he wants. They tend to be really jumpy, so hold one hand two or three inches away from where he's looking and that's probably where he'll decide to jump. Don't hold him high over a hard floor, because he might miss and hit the floor hard. When I'm cleaning I usually transfer the gecko to a holding cage - I have a kritter keeper, but any non-airtight container with someplace for him to hide will be fine. You probably only need to clean once every week or two. It's good to handle him regularly if this is a pet you want to handle, it acclimates them to being held. Handling should be for just two or three minutes at first, and then after a week or two, you can go longer, but never for more than maybe 30 minutes. Never grasp or grip the tail, that could trigger the gecko to drop the tail and with cresties the tail does not grow back. When you say he's not moving from his spot, does that include at night? Is he eating the food you're offering?
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2014 00:48
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 14:28 |
|
|
Well it's only been 2 days so I assumed it was normal enough for him, but I can't tell if he's been pooping without moving all his decor around and hunting for it (which I didn't want to risk) and his CGD hasn't been obviously disturbed. He was fed insects almost exclusively by the store though so I'm guessing he maybe doesn't realise it's food. He slept in the open the first night, but since then has been in his corner of the viv, changed positions once or twice but has barely moved since yesterday morning. I want to handle him as soon as it looks like he's settled! ed: okay I have an issue. I got a good look at him today and he appears quite dehydrated. I have been misting twice daily and my hygrometer (analogue, a digital is on the way) was constantly reading 80%. His eyes are quite sunken and the skin around his head is wrinkled. I suppose this explains the lethargy. Do I need to put him in a gecko bath immediately? (I also pinched the skin on his back slightly, and it stayed in little peaks) LeafyGreens fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Jul 8, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 7, 2014 01:11
|
|
|
Octolady posted:Well it's only been 2 days so I assumed it was normal enough for him, but I can't tell if he's been pooping without moving all his decor around and hunting for it (which I didn't want to risk) and his CGD hasn't been obviously disturbed. He was fed insects almost exclusively by the store though so I'm guessing he maybe doesn't realise it's food. He slept in the open the first night, but since then has been in his corner of the viv, changed positions once or twice but has barely moved since yesterday morning. I want to handle him as soon as it looks like he's settled! Keeping in mind that their skin can stay in peaks right before shedding, and eyes do sink in when they sleep during the day to keep them safe due to lack of eyelids, if they're sunken in even at night, yes, try giving the gecko a "bath." Use lukewarm/room temp water, never anything that feels warm to your touch. Put the gecko in a tupperware type container with paper towel crumpled up on the bottom so it has something to lay its head on if it is weak, and a few mm depth of water. You can also use unflavored Pedialyte if you can find it, or a 50/50 mix of water and Pedialyte. Go for a 30 minute soak and keep an eye on the gecko the whole time.
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 16:12
|
|
|
Here's a 10 month difference in my favorite corn snake:  She also used to be very aggressive but has calmed down considerably. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 8, 2014 22:47
|
|
|
^ Beautiful snake, she looks wonderful! Cultured Snail posted:Keeping in mind that their skin can stay in peaks right before shedding, and eyes do sink in when they sleep during the day to keep them safe due to lack of eyelids, if they're sunken in even at night, yes, try giving the gecko a "bath." Use lukewarm/room temp water, never anything that feels warm to your touch. Put the gecko in a tupperware type container with paper towel crumpled up on the bottom so it has something to lay its head on if it is weak, and a few mm depth of water. Ugh yeah I think I'm over reacting about it, but thanks for the advice  if he happens to get noticeably worse I'll use the sauna, but he may have had a shed. He was really active last night and came right up onto his front branch to see why I was bothering his food dish, cresties are seriously adorable
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 11:43
|
|
|
I can't get my beardie sick can I? I am coughing up my lungs right now and am worried about his cage being in the same room. Trying to resist the urge to handle him as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2014 23:37
|
|
|
You can't get him sick but I probably still wouldn't handle him as there are a lot of temperatures/surfaces in the tank and on your reptiles that could incubate those germs for later and potentially keep you consistently in a cold.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 00:05
|
|
|
Goons, I would like some advice. I am very aware of the rate of Iguanas being given up (especially green), and they have always been a reptile that awes me like crazy. I currently do not have the room, so I am not considering one at this time, however I would eventually really like to spend a good deal of time into building a proper cage for and raising one (or two). My main question is, I want to help with the big problem of them being given up, and I am rather good at taking care of reptiles, but do I start with buying a very young one and learning to care for them that way (and eventually adopting a second later), or go into adopting one that is rather feisty but still younger? I know a lot of it depends on what is available in my area, and I don't think I could tame down an adult very angry lizard, but I'm not sure which route to take, I am hoping I could possibly find one that is still very young and adoptable. I bought a handbook today, so I will be reading up a lot on their care, especially their dietary needs. I know they are definitely not cheap or beginner reptiles. What would you guys suggest? Do any of you have experience with owning them or working these guys?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 03:00
|
|
|
Cultured Snail posted:
My lizard's dehydrated lately (and it's been super hot and the a/c is on), just general hard to pass poops and lots of sleeping. I gave her some Repto boost (Fluker's) and that seems to help with dehydration so far (she actually lapped at a third of the dose, so it's also tasty). They must make something like this for fruit eaters right? I've also seen something called Avipro that is supposed to work for many species, and it's some short oligosaccharide emergency glucose powder for rehydrating. Have any of you used any of the above? Totally unrelated, but there is a day gecko at my local Petco (which seems to be decent at reptile care; lots of fat sunbathing animals and misters), and I'm having a hard time not buying her (him? how do I tell). Sits there curiously staring (and has for weeks), with a gigantic fat stomach blobbed against the glass. So cute  but I'm leery of Petco.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 07:29
|
|
|
So, next month my kings both have hatchdays. Elvis will be two and Rolo will be one. What can I give them as a present?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 07:39
|
|
|
MrConfusedTurkey posted:Goons, I would like some advice. I am very aware of the rate of Iguanas being given up (especially green), and they have always been a reptile that awes me like crazy. I currently do not have the room, so I am not considering one at this time, however I would eventually really like to spend a good deal of time into building a proper cage for and raising one (or two). My main question is, I want to help with the big problem of them being given up, and I am rather good at taking care of reptiles, but do I start with buying a very young one and learning to care for them that way (and eventually adopting a second later), or go into adopting one that is rather feisty but still younger? I know a lot of it depends on what is available in my area, and I don't think I could tame down an adult very angry lizard, but I'm not sure which route to take, I am hoping I could possibly find one that is still very young and adoptable. I bought a handbook today, so I will be reading up a lot on their care, especially their dietary needs. I know they are definitely not cheap or beginner reptiles. What would you guys suggest? Do any of you have experience with owning them or working these guys? For the most healthy and tame animal, you should start as young as possible.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 08:36
|
|
|
Noricae posted:I was actually reading up on this a couple of days ago (and general dehydration), and this is recommended a lot, but also ran into a vet recommending against it (but also others recommending it...). Pedialyte doesn't really get absorbed through the vent much at all, and won't through the skin, and it makes sense that leaving a sugary coating on the skin of reptiles might lead to bacterial infections. So, I've been meaning to bring this up here actually.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2014 15:47
|
|
|
 My lil guy fired up after I had to move him for cleaning. It's amazing how much their colour can change so quickly! Actually I cleaned the plants in his viv before I put them in but there's been a pretty strong "plastic" odor coming off them. Anyone know if this is gonna be harmful to the gecko or is it just unpleasant?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2014 00:40
|
|
|
I joined the local Herp Society and I decided to foster a Boa constrictor. He's very pretty and I can't wait until he's settled in and I can pet him. This tank is just temporary, he's getting moved to a much bigger enclosure tomorrow after I finish fixing its lid. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2014 05:14
|
|
|
I need an opinion. I just bought two yellow bellied slider Turtle babies, first time Turtle owner. They were shipped to me yesterday and I put them both in the tank on the basking dock. They both wandered around a bit and then dove in the water and swam around. After a few. minutes of swimming one of them climbed back on the dock under the lamp and fell asleep. This was about 12 pm yesterday. Since then he has slept the entire time, only occasionally moving positions or turning around. It's now 7am and when I left for work he was still sleeping on the dock. I guess I'm just wondering if this is normal or if he could be sick or something. It's a 46 gal tank. Water temp is 78 F at the moment. The other Turtle is very skittish but active in the water and only basks when we're not in the room, which I assume is normal.
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2014 12:22
|
|
|
Foster snake got his new set up today. I did really well at the Herp Society Raffle, so most of this stuff I got with a 25 cent ticket. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2014 17:54
|
|
|
lovely cellphone picture because my colorful worm is getting bigger. Don't tell any of my other snakes, but she might be my favorite. Not only does she never miss a meal, she's also never bitten me and has gone from the jumpiest snake ever to a fairly calm lil' dude. And she's beautiful. No regrets getting a milk snake at all as an impulse (oops).
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2014 16:46
|
|
|
Are Colombian Rainbow Boas difficult for semi-beginners? There's a breeder that lives near me and he keeps posting photos of this year's clutch on Facebook and they're so, so tempting. 
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2014 21:05
|
|
|
That drat Satyr posted:Are Colombian Rainbow Boas difficult for semi-beginners? There's a breeder that lives near me and he keeps posting photos of this year's clutch on Facebook and they're so, so tempting. I had Brazilian rainbows. They need super high humidity and are not that easy compared to cornsd, kings, etc. What kind of snakes have you kept?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 00:11
|
|
|
Cowslips Warren posted:I had Brazilian rainbows. They need super high humidity and are not that easy compared to cornsd, kings, etc. What kind of snakes have you kept? Cornsnake, Hognose, and many years ago a ball python. The ball was stupidly aggressive and put me off snakes for a long time, but when we got out corn as a baby he was amazingly gentle and puts up with all manner of handling. Going from him to the hoggy was pretty easy for me, even with the fussyness of not wanting to eat for quite a while. We live in Western NC and have a pretty awful ambient humidity most of the year anyway so I don't think that will be too difficult with some extra misting - I struggle right now to keep my hognose's humidity under control in the middle of summer. Either way, I imagine it's something I'll probably sit on for a while and continue to drool at his babies until I can decide if I can even handle another. They're just so shiny. ._.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2014 00:32
|
|
|
I have had a few herps in my teenage years and I loved them; sadly when I moved to another continent I had to rehome them. My favourites were two black and white tegus. They were super sweet and affectionate. I really miss them and it's a dream to have some again. I think though that because I live in such a small place, I'm thinking of a Leopard Gecko as space is so limited. I have enough for a small viv on my desk's shelf, though. I've done the cricket thing, and I seriously am not looking forward to those smelly-rear end Houdinis again, so I've been looking for cricket-alternative diets and I'm thinking gutloaded mealies supplemented by silks and occasional wax/butters. I'd love to just be lazy and use Phoenix worms but I don't know about availability in Manchester, UK plus I hear they're hit and miss with leopards. I don't want to buy some just to discover they're hated! Any advice on cricket alternatives for leos? edit: I have kept Water Dragons, a corn snake, a ball, and a rat snake before. My horrible ex had a Bismarck Python who was very friendly and nice -- rare so I hear. uglynoodles fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Jul 24, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 02:12
|
|
|
Assuming you can get them in the UK and you wouldn't be squeamish about them go with Dubia Roaches. Leopards go crazy for em. They're clean, don't smell, don't fly, can't really climb plastic very well and most herps really really love them. They can be a bit pricy to start up a colony, but once they get going they're pretty hearty and mate like well roaches.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 03:14
|
|
|
I'd go with roaches too, and superworms. Mealworms have a lot more chitin and might cause digestive issues if they make up the bulk of a diet (I know they get my lizard constipated if fed too much so they also don't give enough moisture). I think phoenix worms have a very short life span before they pupate and you probably don't want to be unprepared for a swarm of soldier flies to pop out.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 10:12
|
|
|
Noricae posted:I'd go with roaches too, and superworms. Mealworms have a lot more chitin and might cause digestive issues if they make up the bulk of a diet (I know they get my lizard constipated if fed too much so they also don't give enough moisture). I think phoenix worms have a very short life span before they pupate and you probably don't want to be unprepared for a swarm of soldier flies to pop out. Is there any merit to the urban legend of superworms eating their way out of a leopard gecko? I've been thinking of trying them, but should I crush their heads first? My girls sometimes don't have a very strong feeding response, and other times they chase my feet aroudn their tank when I go near.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2014 22:36
|
|
|
Noricae posted:I'd go with roaches too, and superworms. Mealworms have a lot more chitin and might cause digestive issues if they make up the bulk of a diet (I know they get my lizard constipated if fed too much so they also don't give enough moisture). I think phoenix worms have a very short life span before they pupate and you probably don't want to be unprepared for a swarm of soldier flies to pop out. I directed a friend of mine to roaches for her kid's fat-tailed gecko and she is love with them over crickets. And this is a woman who used to scream bloody murder at the sight of a tiny one outside. They're crazy easy to raise and all you need to do is toss them kitchen scraps and keep a little moisture in the box. Phoenix worms take around a month or so to pupate(depending on temps) but you can place them into indefinite suspended animation in a deli cup full of potting soil in the top of your fridge. You also don't need to actually let the adults out of their cage, just put a bunch of egg crate or other material on top for them to lay eggs on. They die a day or two after emerging and the larvae will clean up the bodies anyways. Once the adults cork it, just do a larvae harvest and slap 'em in the fridge to start feeding.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 01:46
|
|
|
Kilersquirrel posted:I directed a friend of mine to roaches for her kid's fat-tailed gecko and she is love with them over crickets. And this is a woman who used to scream bloody murder at the sight of a tiny one outside. They're crazy easy to raise and all you need to do is toss them kitchen scraps and keep a little moisture in the box. A similar question to before: have you ever had issues with the lizard not digesting the phoenix worm? Or is this another urban herp legend?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 01:55
|
|
|
I believe it's the pupae that can pass through undigested, and that's really only a thing if your animal is big enough to swallow them whole when they're eating. Some people poke them with a pin to make sure the digestive juices can get in and do its job regardless of whether the animal crushes the worm.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 02:35
|
|
|
So I am pretty set on getting a Blue Tongue Skink. I've seen the positives of owning one, varied diet, inquisitive nature, easy to handle. Could anyone give me some negatives? Are there any recommended breeders? I have been looking into rehoming one but I kind of want to start with a baby. Do you think my bearded dragon would get stressed from seeing one walk around the room?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2014 12:07
|
|
|
One of my Leopard Geckos was acting a little strange today. She's done this before, but not as vocal as today. She was very active around 11AM, looking up at the ceiling a lot and "peeping", making sounds. I've owned a few of these guys over the years and never heard them vocalize before. My wife held her for a little bit and she was peeping the whole time. Any explanation for this behavior?
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2014 16:42
|
|
|
Galactic posted:So I am pretty set on getting a Blue Tongue Skink. I've seen the positives of owning one, varied diet, inquisitive nature, easy to handle. Could anyone give me some negatives? Are there any recommended breeders? I have been looking into rehoming one but I kind of want to start with a baby. Do you think my bearded dragon would get stressed from seeing one walk around the room? I've had a blue tongue skink for about 8 months now and the only downsides I've seen so far are the space requirements and being stubborn. They need a bare minimum of a 40g breeder tank, but they'll use virtually as much space as you give them, and it needs to be surface area given they're not arboreal whatsoever. If you click the question mark near this post you can see the tank we ended up buying for our BTS, and he wanders through every inch of it when the mood strikes him. In terms of the stubbornness, Mr. S. goes straight for the crack between the wall and my bed whenever he's wandering around up there. But those are really the only downsides I can think of and they're pretty minor. In terms of care they're just as easy if not easier to take care of than bearded dragons, and they encourage you to keep more varied veggies in the house so overall they're a good household influence. For a guaranteed gregarious and friendly skink, I would start with a baby and raise it yourself, or definitely do your research on the one you're rehoming to ensure it's captive bred and born, and aren't being rehomed because of aggressive behavior. This is especially important with Indonesian species of BTS because they're still legally imported from Indonesia and because they're wild animals, they behave that way. Some breeders I've seen reccommended are Bonita Galas (Link to her facebook page) whom I believe ships all over the US, and a woman named Susan from Bluetongueskinks.net (Link to her thread - She's sold out for the season however) breeds beautiful Meraukes. If you're in Canada the only breeder I know about is Melanie Pratt (Link to her website) whom we're about 95% certain bred my skink, Mr. S. For getting multiple reptiles (And here's where my limited expertise ends because I only have the skink) I think there's a quarantine period most people will follow that ensures anything brought with the new reptiles is dead/gone before you can be more lenient with cross contamination. Someone else in the thread should be able to chime in on that though if you need more information about that! edit: VVV Yaaaay! Congratulations and enjoy! Being a bluey owner is the best.
Clavietika fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jul 27, 2014 |
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2014 23:58
|
|
|
Thanks for the info! I have actually decided to rehome one from a local student that has to go to school in the fall and wont be able to take care of him anymore. I have already visited the skink and he is quite tame and she seems to have taken very good care of him. Will be picking him up on Tuesday so I am beyond excited. His tank is a 40 gallon which is a bit smaller than my beardies 50, so I will probably get him a new tank as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2014 00:04
|
|
|
I picked up a blood python at the reptile show a few weeks ago. Meet Vlad!      I've only had him a short time but he's easily my favorite snake. He's not nearly as nippy as I expected, settles down quickly when I pick him up, and I find his huffiness charming in a grouchy sort of way. I was kind of expecting him to be a hellbeast but he's actually quite a bit more friendly than a few of my king snakes.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 01:23
|
|
|
Dr. Clockwork posted:One of my Leopard Geckos was acting a little strange today. She's done this before, but not as vocal as today. She was very active around 11AM, looking up at the ceiling a lot and "peeping", making sounds. I've owned a few of these guys over the years and never heard them vocalize before. My wife held her for a little bit and she was peeping the whole time. Any explanation for this behavior?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 02:26
|
|
|
Haven't heard it since, but I'll be sure to keep an ear out for that. I hope that's not the case
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 03:12
|
|
|
Need help guys. So I got the Skink and he is great, very tame and very active. The cage he came with doesn't have a great hide so I am going to pick him up one tomorrow, hes been walking circles in his cage all day. The problem is my Beardie, he cant stand the Skink. The Skink couldnt give two shits and just walks around, but my Beardie has been glaring at him across the room. I dont want to stress my Beardie out so should I just put the Skinks cage somewhere else? I only have one other alternative place which would be under the table my Beardie is on. Will my Beardie just get used to him after a few days?  "gently caress you Skink"  I introduced them and Kola threw a fit and flared up, the Skink just licked him and then continued to explore.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 03:22
|
|
|
Visual blocker between the two will help if you can rig one up some way. I had to put one up between my corn snakes otherwise one freaks out and stop eating while the other doesn't give a poo poo at all. I also put one up between my crested and gargoyle geckos too otherwise they'd just sit there and hate stare at each other all day.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 04:08
|
|
|
I love that one species doesn't give a single gently caress about the other's dominance display.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 04:30
|
|
|
Cless Alvein posted:Visual blocker between the two will help if you can rig one up some way. I had to put one up between my corn snakes otherwise one freaks out and stop eating while the other doesn't give a poo poo at all. Should I not let my crested and gargoyle see each other?
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 06:20
|
|
|
Trilineatus posted:Should I not let my crested and gargoyle see each other? My gargoyle has been housed next to a crestie for 4.5 years without any issue. But who knows maybe some of them are temperamental? The gargoyle is female and her neighbor is male, dunno if that means anything.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 06:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 14:28 |
|
|
Yay Vlad ate his first meal! He was hilariously bad at eating though, he spend 5 minutes licking every part of the mouse and then another 30 trying to eat the mouse sideways and spitting it out and glaring at it angrily My other snakes: This is Null, he is a loving dick but he's pretty   Eins is my nice king snake   Beefy is boring but nice   Void is an even bigger dick than Null  
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2014 06:55
|
|