Herp Megathread 3: No one will come to my house

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > Herp Megathread 3: No one will come to my house

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Regular no-additive magic eraser

# ¿ Jan 25, 2015 17:58

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 03:31

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Against all odds you convinced a parent not to get an inappropriate pet, which they responded to with aplomb, and now you're throwing a fit?

Do you not believe in keeping animals as pets or something, only animal companions? Or do you believe that children are only torturers and not learners? Five is young, but there are plenty of respectful, gentle seven year olds that just want to care for their pet properly and be good herp-parents.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2015 16:27

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I always liked your posts, fluffy bunnies.

Come back when your meds are back in full effect.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2015 16:34

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I vote that you post all gecko photos. My favorites are African fat tails, as I have a runty derp bred by Greycious that is my best ambassador animal - too dumb to try to get away, to slow to care. I have to hand feed Kiff worms, it's hilarious.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2015 01:21

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Stop leaving snakes and scorpions in secondhand tupperware still labeled "christmas cookies" lying around on random counters then.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2015 04:51

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Mocking Bird posted:

So, my newt of five years managed to escape his tank and get eaten by my roommates dog. This is a bit traumatic for me RIP Isaac Newton.

But now I'm left with a depressing and empty fluval spec V (his temporary housing).

If you could stock something in there, what would you do? I feel like shrimp would be too small for me to enjoy given the placement of the tank.

Crossposting from the fish thread since I am also into slimier friends. I feel like my paddletail newt was a bit cramped in there (he managed to gently caress up the silicone on his ten gallon, because he was an rear end in a top hat) so I wonder if there are smaller and/or lazier species that might fare better?

# ¿ Feb 15, 2015 20:25

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I know, I blame myself for his escape - I shouldn't have kept him in such constraining quarters. In the larger tank he had a strong filter flow that seemed to keep him occupied swimming against it, and a constant tangle of anarcharis to rearrange.

I think perhaps I will break down this tank for now and revisit the idea later.

The dog is fine, she threw him up outside and was back to tail wagging and begging for treats before I even realized what happened.

Yeah, my friend is an environmental inspector who identifies and relocates tiger salamanders at construction sites in the bay area, so I am smarter than the acquire an ambystoma, though goddamn axolotls are cute.

# ¿ Feb 16, 2015 03:07

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

That's a handsome milkshake

# ¿ Feb 23, 2015 20:03

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

If you're really worried, put him in for a swim in shallow water in the tub

# ¿ Jun 27, 2015 23:41

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Please refer to the thread title :toot:

# ¿ Aug 12, 2015 01:12

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

That's why I like my nice, quiet geckos who never alert me when they poop.

In sadder news, I found where my missing-presumed-eaten paddle tail newt went

we found the newt-cracker under a kitchen cabinet in the very far end of the house - literally by the back door when his tank was next to the front door. Fueled by pure paddle tail rage I'm sure. RIP Isaac Newton, you were my angriest pet. :ghost:

(I feel so incredibly guilty about rearranging your tank in such a way as to create a ramp, little guy :smith:

)

# ¿ Aug 12, 2015 06:48

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

The pangolin was a stroke of genius :golfclap:

# ¿ Aug 15, 2015 06:57

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Snek cartoons for you :kimchi:

# ¿ Aug 29, 2015 07:57

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I had better luck with wax worms as treats, especially if I squished them and rubbed the guts on their noses a little.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2015 19:31

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

It is seriously the cutest thing that I would never put the effort into doing for any herp. Maybe not even a dog.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 00:01

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

drat, Silver. Want to come set up my vivs all nicely for me?

Would spend the day in the room getting bitten by annoyed herps :kimchi:

# ¿ Nov 2, 2015 00:52

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I once found my created gecko outside on my porch door frame, having wiggled open a loose cage top I forgot to pin, far from the front door.

Led me on quite the merry chase too once I saw him.

# ¿ May 2, 2016 15:49

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Whereas I accidentally left my gargoyle geckos lid off for three days and found him sitting happily on the same branch inside his tank.

# ¿ May 2, 2016 19:56

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

PathAsc posted:

I was thinking about posting in SA Mart, but figured I'd ask here first: I'm looking to go up to a larger tank for my beardy, do you all have a particular site you prefer? Or if anyone has a 50+ gallon they'd part with I'd rather give a goon money dollars.

My local Craigslist ALWAYS has 55+ gallons for pennies because they're such a pain in the dick to move. Dollar gallon sales at the local petco/smart whatever are also golden.

Hardly anyone will deliver you a tank since they're fragile and heavy, but you can rent a truck from Home Depot for an hour or a van from uhaul, use the Lugg app if you're into start up central, or see if an uber/lyft plus would be willing to help you out (that last one is how I get stuff home from Craigslist)

# ¿ Jun 11, 2017 22:11

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

We're all nature nerds more than we are specialty diorama curators

# ¿ Sep 27, 2017 19:52

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

My local place actually does sell maggots.

And wax worms, which my lizards prefer.

# ¿ Dec 26, 2017 03:05

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Crazyeyes posted:

Hey all. Figuring you guys may have the secrets to my conundrum.

My fiance has kept 2 snakes (Ball Python and a Corn) for a number of years, both having pretty nice tanks. We have also just recently picked up some tree frogs, a chameleon (she always wanted), and I got a pacman as my first foray into herps. My fiance is very knowledgeable about snakes, but less so on frogs, so I have been doing a lot of research.

Main problem is my house is cold as poo poo. Thermometer just above the ecoearth in the pacman tank on the heat-pad side reads ~65-70F. While the breeder told me they can deal with this temp, they are more comfy at 75-80F or so. I am trying to figure out ways to heat up his tank more. I have read that heat lamps are a bad idea for frogs as they can dry them out considerably. I spray the tank at least once, usually twice a day, so humidity should be ok, but it is still a bit too cold and I am trying to figure out how to boost the temp without adding an overhead light that could cause other issues. Any ideas?

Heating pad on the side of the tank and a thermometer. Put it on a dimmer. Don't put it on the bottom - burrowing frogs dig when overheated.

# ¿ Jan 1, 2018 02:37

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

My gargoyle would never use a ground hide - the only thing he likes is a vertical tank with a tangle of branches and an upright hollow log hide

# ¿ Jan 26, 2018 15:02

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

My six or seven year old gargoyle gecko died while I was out of town this weekend

I don't know what happened, he was fine when I left. I really wanted him to live his full 15+ year lifespan.

God, I'm so bummed. He was a purchase from a goon too, who tossed in a slightly "special" fat tailed gecko for free. Naturally the world's dumbest fat tail is still happily bonking into walls and failing to eat without being hand fed, while my Garg who was fat and a good eater just keeled over.

Precious dummy tail is now my last herp and I'm not likely to get another. Long live fatty :smith:

# ¿ Mar 27, 2018 02:34

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I recommend game room, I have a hard time sleeping when the animals decide to make a racket

# ¿ Jun 16, 2018 22:44

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Electric Bugaloo posted:

Like the one with the �test drive� terrier from Craigslist in the House Rabbit Thread a few weeks back?

That doesn�t sound like it had a happy ending

... link?

# ¿ Sep 3, 2018 03:06

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Real hurthling! posted:

Tank display/storage question
I have 2x20 gallon long tanks (13x13x30) for my pair of corn snakes and i want to buy a low cost stand that will hold them one on top of the other with enough room to clean/feed through the top of the lower tank.
Any recommendations for a shelf, stand, etc for doing something like this? My searching online isn't finding me anything.
Pardon my barging in your thread. Thanks.

Edit: i searched for fish tank instead and found this https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...ASABEgIgnPD_BwE

AmazonBasics 4-Shelf Shelving Unit - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYBQXRH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Z8MZBbNC40APZ

I like these quite a bit and it's cheap

# ¿ Oct 23, 2018 01:47

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

I personally prefer the taller shelf because I don't like my animals sitting on basically the floor (pain in the rear end for me and my lovely knees), but do what feels right for your space

# ¿ Oct 23, 2018 02:11

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

My family are a bunch of allergy ridden problem children so we are thinking getting some sort of tortoise/box turtle. We have an enclosed sun porch where we can set up a secure habitat with a heat source for the mild California winter (perhaps a tortoise table? A pen?) as well as a decently fenced garden for enrichment activities and sunshine time

I think we're hoping for something medium to large sized that isn't a terrible digger or unable to be picked up by a single adult (though both of us are pretty strong). A certain robustness would be appreciated since I would like to bequeath the beast to my children.

I've kept herps of a smaller stature on and off my whole life, our 8 year old African fat tailed gecko (who was a generic reject who had to be hand fed) passed recently and we're trying to fill the void.

Suggestions? My nearest full scope source is the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley CA which is an amazing store with a huge tortoise section.

# ¿ Sep 22, 2019 19:22

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

Electric Bugaloo posted:

East Bay Vivarium rules and is nationally recognized (for me mostly because I�m a John Hodgman fan)

I�d look at cherry heads, redfoots, and Russian torts if I were you. Maybe also Hermans and Greeks.

Whatever you get, do your homework and try to get captive bred. In 2019 with the internet and reptile shows and breeder YouTube channels and so forth there�s really no excuse to get a wild caught import if you can get an animal from a domestic breeder, unless you end up looking through rescues/rehomes/old torts with dead owners/etc, which you should totally do because torts live for ever, and maybe getting a baby is a bad idea when there are lots of lovely adults in need of homes. But please don�t get a recent import.

Did I mention that torts live for loving ever? Make sure you have the habitat and diet/lifestyle stuff down pat before you get a tort, especially if it�s a young one. Tortoises are super hardy and they�re built to survive. Also they age about as fast as humans do, maybe slower. That makes them really forgiving pets in a lot of ways but it also means that they�ll endure years of improper/ignorant/abusive/poor care and not show signs of damage until years later. That�s especially true around matters of shell/skeletal growth and organ/reproductive development. You can keep a turtle in improper conditions and it�ll hang on for a good 15-20 years before croaking. You can think you�re doing everything right and miss out on something important (like calcium intake or UV balance) and not figure it out until you�ve accidentally hosed up your animal permanently. You can also start poorly for a year or two, get your act together and be an exemplary owner, and then still have your tortoise die young on you because of that first year or two where they didn�t develop properly. Turtles in general grow super slowly and poor foundational health early in life can set them up for major problems in adulthood.

A friend I know recently lost a tortoise to metabolic issues that manifested in the animal in its teens/twenties because of malnutrition that it endured from a previous owner back in like 1991.

All of that said, don�t let that dissuade you. Torts rule and they�re awesome pets for the right kinds of owners and a lot of them bounce back from rough pasts and live loooong full lives even with a bit of pyramiding, so def look at rescues/rehomes if you�re into that. Don�t get a sulcata.

This is an awesome post, thank you so much. What did John Hodgman have to say about the vivarium?

My family is me + husband + foster and adopted kiddos, so you can imagine that rescue animals are appealing to us. I have strong feelings about animal husbandry and wild caught herps - my parents had a poor tormented iguana for a good chunk of my childhood and I still feel guilty thinking about it. RIP Rex.

Why are there so many sulcatas around? Are they super easy to breed or something?

# ¿ Sep 23, 2019 06:07

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

How's your little dude?

# ¿ Jun 2, 2020 15:22

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 03:31

Mocking Bird: Aug 17, 2011

RIP little dude, you had a human that really cared about you :smithcloud:

# ¿ Jun 3, 2020 01:39

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > Herp Megathread 3: No one will come to my house