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Corridor posted:I called my dad, who has lived with snakes for ages, and he said baby snakes aren't There are a lot of "facts" about snakes floating around. I've had someone tell me in all seriousness that rattlesnakes mate for life and if you kill one its mate will plot revenge on you, which is wrong on so many levels. Saving snakes from your cat is definitely a good thing, even if they're harmless. Cats can be pretty bad for native ecosystems.  Maybe you could keep a broom by the patio door to safely encourage any visitors to go on their way. I wouldn't actually touch the snake with the broom, that's more likely to terrify them and make them fight it instead. (If a snake is being a stubborn rear end in a top hat you might have to, though.) Snakes will usually run if they have advance notice that something big is coming, so you would want to scare them from enough of a distance that they don't feel they have to immediately defend themselves. Snake eyesight is usually not very good, but they are excellent at sensing vibrations like footsteps, so thumping the broom on the patio would be more effective than waving it. If you are SURE that it is nonvenomous, you can safely sweep it into a bucket or something and release it a considerable distance from your house. Trying to mess with a venomous snake like that is just begging to get bitten though. There are professionals who can capture such snakes for you if need be.  Putting fine-meshed screen up (and under the patio if there are spaces between the boards) might help you pre-emptively. Snakes can climb, but if you make the patio a pain in the rear end to get to it will be much less attractive to them. mushroom_spore fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Jan 20, 2012 |
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Jan 20, 2012 17:26
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This is Azula. She's my girlfriend's ball python, about a year old now. Azula likes food. E: While I'm posting here, maybe I can get some advice... this is our first snake, and I keep hearing mixed things about what kind of bedding/substrate to use. The stuff in the picture above is no longer in her tank, since she's got mites right now thankfully it's not a bad case. We've got her tank stripped bare until this is sorted out, but once the mites are gone what substrate would you all recommend going with?
Golden-i fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Jan 20, 2012 |
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Jan 20, 2012 20:02
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Golden-i posted:This is Azula. She's my girlfriend's ball python, about a year old now. I (and most everybody else in this thread) use shredded aspen for snakes. I love it, it lets my snakes burrow, and I also think it smells good.  
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Jan 20, 2012 21:59
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hypnotoad posted:I (and most everybody else in this thread) use shredded aspen for snakes. I love it, it lets my snakes burrow, and I also think it smells good. Awesome! I used to use aspen for my old bearded dragon when he was younger... when he got older I didn't want him to eat it so I switched to calcium sand, which was healthier but I was deprived of coming home to this:  And yes, it does smell nice too.
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Jan 20, 2012 22:29
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Golden-i posted:This is Azula. She's my girlfriend's ball python, about a year old now. What are you treating the mites with? Personally, I like Bed-a-Beast with a little play sand mixed in, but thats mostly for aesthetic reasons. As long as you achieve the proper humidity it doesn't really matter what you use (as long as it's not pine or cedar). For a BP, I'd suggest coconut coir (Bed-A-Beast, Eco-Earth, whatever) because it's great for allowing you to hold humidity if you need to.
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Jan 20, 2012 22:31
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Big Centipede posted:What are you treating the mites with? Maybe that would be a better idea than the aspen, this time of year around here it's really dry and it would help to hold all the humidity I can. I've used eco-earth in the past, so I might go that route. As far as the mites, I spoke to the breeder and they recommended soaking in warm water with just a bit of dish soap to upset the surface of it, for 15-30 minutes a day. While she soaks I boil her hide and water bowl (just tupperware things at this point) and disinfect her tank with iso alcohol. So far it's worked wonders and it's only been a week. If they don't clear up completely after another few days I'd like to start a treatment, is there anything you guys can recommend?
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Jan 20, 2012 22:40
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Golden-i posted:Awesome! I used to use aspen for my old bearded dragon when he was younger... when he got older I didn't want him to eat it so I switched to calcium sand, which was healthier but I was deprived of coming home to this: Cute beardie, but calcium sand isn't healthier, it's actually incredibly dangerous and should never be used, because the calcium content encourages the animal to eat the substrate, which actually causes the excess calcium/sand mix to build up in the digestive tract and cause impaction. People tell you Calci-sand is okay, even better, and they're just so wrong. BC, should we include a list of common products to avoid? I know you're probably burned out on the OP at this point, but I thought I'd make an incomplete list.  Things to Avoid: -Calci-sand (causes impactions) -Hot Rocks (causes burns) -Cheap stick on thermometers (unreliable) Etc, etc.
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Jan 20, 2012 22:51
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Captain Foxy posted:Things to Avoid: Man you are totally right... it was a long time ago and I was young and stupid(er).
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Jan 20, 2012 22:59
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Golden-i posted:Man you are totally right... it was a long time ago and I was young and stupid(er). We were all young and dumb, no worries. I kept a tokay gecko in with a hot rock when I was a kid, and I've made tons of mistakes, even recently. 
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Jan 21, 2012 00:29
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mushroom_spore posted:There are a lot of "facts" about snakes floating around. I've had someone tell me in all seriousness that rattlesnakes mate for life and if you kill one its mate will plot revenge on you, which is wrong on so many levels. Wasn't that in Huck Finn? At my last job someone tried to tell me they saw a hoopsnake  I've only ever read that story (along with the rattlesnake one) in discussions of Appalachian folklore
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Jan 21, 2012 01:25
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the yeti posted:Wasn't that in Huck Finn? Mudsnakes (Farancia abacura) sometimes get called "hoop snakes" around here. It's probably because they sometimes bask in a loose circle.
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Jan 21, 2012 01:48
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You guys, I have a stalker.               I feed the anoles that live under the flower boxes outside my window all of the reject deformed beetles from my mealworm colony + the occasional mealworm, and they've started associating me with food. This one got sassy and found a way into the house and now will not leave. Some of these pictures are taken weeks apart. I see him daily, and he often turns up IN MY BED for no reason. For the first few weeks I put him outside whenever I saw him, but he would be back within hours. He climbs my pants leg. He randomly shows up on my desk and leers at me. He will not go away. It was winter and he was skinny so I held a mealworm in front of his face. He took it right out of my hand and has followed me around to be handfed mealworms ever since. I don't know what's wrong with him or why he won't gently caress off (and I'm positive it's the same one, he's got specific lil markings) but he has recently discovered my geckos, and since they've got a nice warm tank full of delicious bugs, he thinks that's a pretty good place to live. There are gaps in the lid that allow him to easily get in, so I'm putting on a screen lid this weekend to keep him out, partially to keep him from getting eaten by my larger gecko (she really, really wants to eat him) and partially to keep him from giving my geckos parasites. What I'm asking is, can I keep my weird stalker lizard? From what I've read most captive anoles are wild caught (and poorly cared for) anyway, and he clearly REALLY LIKES IT HERE and if he wants to be in my room being handed bugs instead of out in the wild happy world I figured I could maybe set up a tank for him to keep him from dying.  Getting in bed with me at night and not having UV access is, I'm sure, not good for him but he will not stay outside. I tried not feeding him for a while to see if he'd leave but he just got skinny and it was sad. If it's not too cost prohibitive/difficult/stupid/cruel to keep him, I'd kind of like to, but if The thing To Do is to just quit feeding him and keep sticking him back outside, I will. WHAT DO I DO GOONS. HE IS MY BOYFRIEND NOW.
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Jan 21, 2012 16:31
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Congratulations on your new WC green anole. Also, isn't he really big for a wild anole? I've never seen a guy that large. Maybe I only saw babies, though?
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Jan 21, 2012 18:30
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Hi guys, I posted in the last thread but it seems like a good idea to try again in the active one. I've got a leopard gecko, I was keeping him on kitchen roll when I first got him as I did some research and sand didn't seem like a good idea. I somehow (against my better judgement) allowed myself to get convinced to try Calci sand over Christmas, but it didn't sit well with me and having read this thread I'm now eager to get rid of it. I'm going to put him back on kitchen towels for now, but can anyone suggest me a better/more aesthetic substrate? I saw mention of tiles or slate, which I like the idea of. Is there anything to stop me from just using lots of big flat stones? Also, any tips for keeping the tank a bit warmer in a fairly chilly room? I have an appropriate heat mat but I'm worried it's a bit too chilly on the cold side.
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Jan 21, 2012 18:47
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Shy Retirer posted:I'm going to put him back on kitchen towels for now, but can anyone suggest me a better/more aesthetic substrate? I saw mention of tiles or slate, which I like the idea of. Is there anything to stop me from just using lots of big flat stones? I have slate and love it. I could be wrong, but I think it holds the heat a bit too and should help with the temps. For heating in general I can't recommend the Repti Heat Cord stuff enough. It doesn't get super hot, doesn't burn out all the time like the stupid matts, lets you arrange it for a warmer and cooler side and you get a ton of it for $15. No idea how to shoo off a stalker anole, but I'm super jealous.
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Jan 21, 2012 18:58
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SASS2013
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What's the general rule of thumb with housing geckos together? I'm assuming that keeping more than one male in the same cage is a bad idea? I'm very interested in leos and cresteds, and while I wouldn't mind just keeping one by itself, I have the space to spare for a group setup (provided it isn't a terrible idea).
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Jan 21, 2012 19:16
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Cresteds and leos are kept in single male/single female or multiple female groups all the time from my understanding. Unless I've been misinformed? 
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Jan 21, 2012 19:22
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Mistegirl posted:I have slate and love it. I could be wrong, but I think it holds the heat a bit too and should help with the temps. Thanks for the advice! I've never heard of a heat cable before, but I'll give it a try. Out of curiosity, where did you acquire your slate? I'm in the UK, not really sure where to buy from.
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Jan 21, 2012 20:11
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:Congratulations on your new WC green anole. On one hand, female green anoles are pretty stocky and I thought the white dorsal stripe was a telltale for females. On the other, I kinda see dewlap in some of those profile photos.
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Jan 21, 2012 20:36
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He's actually pretty average, we have ones around here that seriously reach 12 inches including tail. ill try to get pics of a couple of the really massive ones next time I see one. He's definitely a dude, he likes to bob and puff his dewlap at me sometimes
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Jan 21, 2012 20:56
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You should get a knight anole to live inside
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Jan 21, 2012 21:18
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Superconsndar posted:If it's not too cost prohibitive/difficult/stupid/cruel to keep him, I'd kind of like to, but if The thing To Do is to just quit feeding him and keep sticking him back outside, I will. WHAT DO I DO GOONS. HE IS MY BOYFRIEND NOW. This story is so cute. Pet store anoles are extremely cheap compared to the setup they need (a decent-sized tank and UV lighting), which is the main reason I think they aren't considered "good" pets. But since you basically have one anyway and already keep lizards, if you want to get him a setup there's no harm in it. It does sound like something is wrong with him and he can't cut it in the wild anymore anyway. Shy Retirer posted:Is there anything to stop me from just using lots of big flat stones? Do you mean like the bottom of a fish tank? Nothing, I guess, except big flat pieces of tile cut to fit your tank are much easier to clean than a pile of rocks with lots of crevices for poo to get in. 
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Jan 21, 2012 22:08
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Stalker anole is adorable. I want one.
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Jan 21, 2012 22:20
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Shy Retirer posted:Thanks for the advice! I've never heard of a heat cable before, but I'll give it a try. Out of curiosity, where did you acquire your slate? I'm in the UK, not really sure where to buy from. People use it for flooring. Got mine at one of the mega home improvement type stores, I'm not sure if you guys have those out there. Google tells me there'a place called Wickes? They list em on their site.
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Jan 21, 2012 23:23
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I want a stalker anole! Maybe one day I'll reset up that 55 gallon anole tank. One male, a half dozen females. It was kinda relaxing to watch.
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Jan 22, 2012 01:45
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RumbleFish posted:What's the general rule of thumb with housing geckos together? I'm assuming that keeping more than one male in the same cage is a bad idea? I'm very interested in leos and cresteds, and while I wouldn't mind just keeping one by itself, I have the space to spare for a group setup (provided it isn't a terrible idea). It depends on the species, what your goals are, the space, and the layout of the vivarium. What is space to spare? You likely need more space than you think you do, but again it depends on the species, how many geckos you are aiming for, etc. There is also an article I posted in the old thread about building a naturalistic vivarium for leopard geckos for a multi-gecko enclosure that you might find useful: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?goto=post&postid=365382019
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Jan 22, 2012 03:04
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Cowslips Warren posted:I want a stalker anole! See, I'm really torn on keeping him because all I can give him is a 10 gallon, and even that's a stretch- I'm living with my parent's until at least the summer to save money and I can only have what I can fit in my bedroom and it's already a squeeze with the geckos. Can he manage in a 10 gallon? Maybe set upright for more climbing room? Should I just not bother This is how weird and chill he is. I got a 20gal long for my geckos today (well, for my larger one, I'm putting my smaller one in a plastic bin to grow out so it doesn't get bullied) because they've quickly outgrown the 10gal I started them in and they needed it. As I was taking down the 10gal, he just sat in his usual spot on top of the (very warm, which is why he likes it) fluorescent light on top of the tank even while getting moved around and jostled a ton.      I would think this would mean he was massively sick, but...he's really active, flings himself around the room all day, runs up to me for food if he sees me, and eats a few mealworms a day, drinks well, etc. He doesn't *act* sick. Could it be that he's just realized that inside= warmth + food and there's not actually something wrong with him, or is he definitely messed up? As long as I don't touch him he's very interested and unafraid of me, if I grab him to move him somewhere he usually bites me and is very, very self righteous about it.
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Jan 22, 2012 03:17
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Is it possible he's a released/escaped pet?
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Jan 22, 2012 03:30
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I guess he COULD be but I doubt it, we have a huuuuuuuuuge population of anoles in our yard with 2 or 3 really fat old ones that are probably a foot long that most likely spawned the whole bunch, they all have identical features and a certain look to them and he looks like those anoles. There's about 10 of them that sit outside my window under my parent's flower boxes and wait for mealworms, and I'm pretty certain he's one of those. It stormed all day so the usual crowd is nowhere to be found, but as soon as it's a nice enough day to spot them I'll post pics of them.
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Jan 22, 2012 03:35
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If you've got an anole living in your bedroom, that came in there on its own will and keeps coming back, why set it up in a tank? Instead, why not treat an open portion of your room as if it is his tank; provide some hides for him, a water dish, a lamp to sun under and get some UV, maybe get some houseplants that he can climb around in, etc. Anyone can put an anole in a tank. Having a free-range anole, on the other hand, is far less common. I know a few people that've kept free-range day geckos in their frog rooms to eat the fruit flies, and one who kept a cane toad. The geckos even bred for one of the guys. I'd absolutely love to have free-range lizards in my house.
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Jan 22, 2012 04:14
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OneTwentySix posted:If you've got an anole living in your bedroom, that came in there on its own will and keeps coming back, why set it up in a tank? Instead, why not treat an open portion of your room as if it is his tank; provide some hides for him, a water dish, a lamp to sun under and get some UV, maybe get some houseplants that he can climb around in, etc. My local aquarium/reptile shop has two sides to it, one for actual fish and reptiles, and one for accessories and stuff, with a door separating the sides. The fish/reptile side had at least one tokay on the loose all the time, and I think a day gecko as well. It was awesome, but kinda scary at the same time. Also just wanted to add in that Stalker Anole is the best thing ever.
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Jan 22, 2012 05:27
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OneTwentySix posted:I'd absolutely love to have free-range lizards in my house. It's cool in theory, but free-roaming reptiles are also pretty unsanitary.
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Jan 22, 2012 10:06
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Superconsndar posted:I would think this would mean he was massively sick, but...he's really active, flings himself around the room all day, runs up to me for food if he sees me, and eats a few mealworms a day, drinks well, etc. He doesn't *act* sick. Could it be that he's just realized that inside= warmth + food and there's not actually something wrong with him, or is he definitely messed up? As long as I don't touch him he's very interested and unafraid of me, if I grab him to move him somewhere he usually bites me and is very, very self righteous about it. To me, it sounds like he's learned to associate you with food, warmth, and safety and decided to move in. I wouldn't worry about him being sick, but more that he's discovered you're a big pushover and is now the boss! Which is too adorable. On a slightly sadder topic, what's the take on this Python Ban? I only keep two Ball Pythons myself, so it does not yet affect me. Still, my cynical brain can only see this as the Beginning of the End of snake keeping here in America, and it's rather depressing. I still hold out hope it'll either be overturned or altered, but I've no idea how easy or likely that is, due to my ignorance of legislative process. And honestly, the more I learn, the less I wish I knew.
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Jan 22, 2012 10:39
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I am fine with the ban of imports on Burms and anacondas. We don't need to import those drat things. As for the smaller pythons like balls, I don't think we need to import them either, but how far will the ban stretch, to cover owning and selling, or is that at a state level, similar to piranhas and stingrays? I wonder if PetsMart and PetCo would get behind a ban on ball pythons since I do see them for sale at their stores, but that can't bring in as much business as, say, birds.
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Jan 22, 2012 16:57
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It's not just a ban of imports, though. You can't take burms across state lines anymore. If you move, you are basically a felon. (it's a felony, isn't it?)
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Jan 22, 2012 17:47
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:It's not just a ban of imports, though. You can't take burms across state lines anymore. If you move, you are basically a felon. (it's a felony, isn't it?) Correct, it is indeed a felony. Meaning if you have to move, you're a criminal if you take your pet with you. Do I believe it's enforceable? Not really, but I wouldn't like the idea of having a felony hanging over my head that a turn of bad fortune could get me charged for.
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Jan 22, 2012 19:36
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Rhjamiz posted:Correct, it is indeed a felony. Meaning if you have to move, you're a criminal if you take your pet with you. Do I believe it's enforceable? Not really, but I wouldn't like the idea of having a felony hanging over my head that a turn of bad fortune could get me charged for. It's unenforcable for individuals, realistically, but I'm sure there will be some busts of idiots trying to be sneaky and clever and sell burms or whatever at reptile shows they've gone out of state for. I typed a couple paragraphs on this on facebook a few days ago, I'll repost here if i can find it.
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Jan 22, 2012 21:08
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I'm bored so here's some old herping pics: Area where we were at:  Spring peeper!  Redbellied snake  Female broadheaded skink  Yellow ratsnake juvie  What kind of rear end in a top hat would shoot a turtle?  Little male copperhead  Big female canebrake rattler  This big girl was as big around as my arm. We found her in a public park right as a guy was trying to find something to hit her with. She's safe now in a friend's collection. 
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Jan 23, 2012 09:11
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That canebrake 
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Jan 23, 2012 16:44
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Rescue herps need love too! Easy beginner species can be hardy enough to survive years of poor husbandry. This is Ramses von Niblick the Third Kerplunk, Kerplunk, Whoops, Where's My Thribble? at 7 years old, a day after starting intense rehydration therapy: He had chunks of dead skin the size of peas under his eyelids, covering his eyes, and had been that way for a couple of years before I got him. It took a week to work them loose, and after a year and a half he is still totally blind.  It took him a while to learn to eat out of a bowl, and he gets lost in anything bigger than a ten gallon tank. He lost most of his toes to retained shed skin cutting off the circulation and can't climb, so his tank is pretty bare. He eats anything though, and he can feel people walking near his tank and comes running out to beg. 
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Jan 23, 2012 22:13
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