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Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
It's a common brushtail possum. You guys are really bad at this.

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Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
And good on people for actually using rescues. Someone dumped 3 sliders into the pond by me a few years ago. Now I've seen a giant female and a tiny baby, but zero evidence of the other 2.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Silver Nitrate posted:

Also, I now have a gulf coast box turtle. I'm going to call him Bernie. He was a stow away on a semi load coming from Florida. Turtle bros - any first time turtle owner tips?



Find a big ripe strawberry and take pics as he eats it? Get some chicken wire and stakes and dig a trench about a foot down to make an outside enclosure so he can hang out in the sun? Build a turtle table if you're feeling ambitious? It's been years since I had my WC Eastern Box Turtles, but they are pretty easy from what little I remember. Guessing your guy is probably similar but might need more water or higher humidity.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Silver Nitrate posted:



Yes, yes this will work.

If this were a fishroom I'd say "Stocklist?" but I don't know if that is the correct term here. Can you tell us what all is in that incredibly impressive reptile room, please?

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Silver Nitrate posted:

Collection or stock? Idk if we have a certain term.

2.2 Boa constrictors - hypo, hypo motley, normal
1.1 Solomon island ground boas - Isabel isle locality
2.1 Solomon island ground boas - no locality
1.1 Waigeo island tree boas
2.1 Dumeril's boas
1.0 Rosy boa
1.1 Cape gopher snakes
2.3 Bullsnakes - Texas, Kankakee, white side, albino patternless
0.1 Jungle carpet python
0.1 Centrillian carpet python
1.0 Angolan python
1.1 Grey rat snakes
1.1 Taiwan beauty snakes
1.0 Japanese rat snake
1.0 Ruthven's kingsnake
0.0.1 Longnose snake

0.3 Leopard geckos
0.0.2 African fire skinks

0.1 Dwarf pyxie frog
0.0.1 Giant pyxie frog

1.0 Gulf coast box turtle

That's what I was looking for, thanks!

What's the collection point/range whatever on the Kankakee Bullsnake? I live right by that river. And how is the Box Turtle doing these days?

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Not Your Senorita posted:

Also, does anyone know of a reputable rosy boa breeder online? I'm only familiar with crested geckos, but I'd love to finally get a snake after I move. Everything I've read about rosy boas makes them sound super easy and chill. The only problem is no one in my area seems to breed or sell them since they aren't as popular as other snakes (and if there's a good reason for that or why they wouldn't make a good beginner snake, let me know!), so I'd probably be getting one shipped to me unless I luck out at a reptile show. I'd probably be just as happy with a corn snake or something, but the rosys are just way more appealing since I love their stripes.

You should get two, one male, one female. If no one is breeding them then it looks like there is a hole to fill in your local snake market.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
What would be a good snake for a 45 gallon tall tank, measurements: 36 1/4" tall 12 5/8" deep 23 3/4" wide? Something that won't outgrow it and likes the height.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

tessdaterrible posted:

Hello! I got a few Axolotls this week and after making sure they settled in well, I would like to name them. I hear you are good with names.
Unsexed juveniles 1 gfp dirty Lucy, 1 gfp Lucy and a melanoid.

Larry, Moe, Curly. The Three Stooges.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvx0AS1h2us

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
One of my friends is in the market for a Bearded Dragon. Having both the knowledge that breeders have produced some very pretty animals and the money to purchase one, she is curious as to which breeders can be trusted. So I come to you to ask where that knowledge can be obtained. Thanks!

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Agrajag posted:

Well poo poo I don't know where I messed up but one of my GBB slings isn't able to molt and is probably going to die. The problem is I don't know how I messed up. Two of my other GBB slings molted out fine last week but this third GBB sling, which started molting yesterday, is all messed up with several legs still stuck in the old molt.

Man this is kind of sucks.

edit: Now I'm triply confused my 4th GBB just molted out fine. Do slings just have bad molts for no reason?

I've owned a lot of things that molted and sometimes molts just go badly. Too little humidity, too much humidity, too little calcium, the phase of the moon, whatever. It might survive, but it tends to increase the odds that later molts will go badly too.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

FartingBedpost posted:

Had a fun day yesterday with Otachi’s tank. Our filter broke, so we bought a new one that seemed ideal for the tank.

But it is creating a massive current, and the plant we bought to spread out that current is only so effective? (It’s hard to tell if the plant or the current or both is stressing her out)

For any Axie owners, what do you use to slow down filter current? Or what kind of filters do you use?

If it's a hang on the back you can cut the top and bottom off a 20oz or 1l plastic bottle and then cut it lengthwise. Attach one side to the top of the filter and put the other down in the tank. It'll direct the current to the sides and top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgKJjQQ8i-o

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
Any of y'all in the Chicago/NWI area and interested in an Ackie Monitor? I know a guy who has bred a bunch and I also know his wife who is all "We need fewer lizards in our dining room." You'll need a pretty big enclosure but feeding seems simple at least? Let me know and I will hook you up.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Ok Comboomer posted:

stumbled on a pet store in my area that carries lots of axolotls- wild types and leucs/albinos and gfp+ (!), for relatively cheap too ($20-30).

But they’re all really small, under 3”. And they have them all housed in big groups together- just two 20-30 gal tanks, one for gfp+ one for everything else.

So pretty much all of them are missing digits, limbs, gills, etc. Some of the poor little bastards were completely limbless- including probably the most gfp+ of the group (that one was big, and a fast swimmer- a real trooper).

Is going straight to breeder/herp shows the best way to buy an axie? I figured the shop owner could probably source me a more mature one if I asked, but I didn’t really want to give him my patronage.

Edit: that said, it’s not an uncommon way for breeders to keep small axies until they’re a certain size. Given the species’ famous regenerative abilities, is it actually normal/ok to buy a maimed axolotl? Should I look for other signs of vigor and health and expect limbs to grow back?

I buy the vast majority of my fish/shrimp/snails/etc from these people and I also provide them with snails to sell to other people. They're great to work with and their stock is always top notch:

https://aquaticarts.com/collections/axolotls

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

AtomikKrab posted:

Ensure adequate venting and airflow. the tank there has some fans installed in the back with meshed cut throughs to ensure good airflow. If you are building vertical having a very deep substrate for your plants to dig into is also useful,

Make sure to seal the tank with something safe for reptiles, let that clear out any fumes, then build your surfaces, we used a non-toxic foam to build to terrain while installing the log and the climbing perches and sticks. Then covered it all in repti-soil after letting it have some time to make sure it was set and there were no fumes or potentially anything else to hurt the frogs. We had plants higher up as well but didn't build the bowls deep enough for the roots to set in so if you want several layers of plants make sure you build very deep pockets for them to nest into. the Top of the tank is mesh with a heat lamp, regular light and a uvb bulb, while White's are primarily nocturnal they like to occasionally rest up on a basking ledge we built into the tank during the day to get the uvb.

Have you considered Tillandsia's for higher up plants?

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

FartingBedpost posted:

Oof, I feel like an idiot. We’ve been cleaning the bathroom with bleach, and I completely forgot we have two amphibians in the apartment. Are they gonna be okay, you think? We’ve kept it well ventilated, but the smell has still gotten out of the bathroom.

Seal the enclosures with plastic wrap and unseal them every few hours in fresh air. I don't have any direct experience here aside from seeing a tank of fish get wiped out from a cleaning product in the air, but I would not take any chances.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Cowslips Warren posted:

Bleach evaporates pretty quickly though. Regular cleaners not so much.

Agreed, but it's still not something I would take a chance and hope with, especially with amphibians.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
I eat turtle eggs fight me

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
This is why I love SA. Two people can get mad about turtles and both be civil and cite references.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Ok Comboomer posted:

cat bites are a lot like monitor bites in that their mouths are full of nasty carnivore mouth germs and their sharp little dagger teeth are like syringes made to bury those germs deep in your flesh

At least they’re not like monitor bites in that cats aren’t built to rip and tear said flesh with a death roll

A friend of mine picked up the wrong Red Ackie monitor (the male is friendly, the female... not so much) and got nailed between the thumb and pointer finger. So much blood. She said they have an anti-coagulant in their saliva and while I haven't looked that up to confirm, there was just so so much blood. And those are pretty small monitors.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
Figure out what species it is and what it eats and leave it appropriate offerings in a small shrine you set up for it. This will please the God of turtles and you will receive their blessing.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Cowslips Warren posted:

Okay goons, I got a problem. One of my ball python cages is a massive wooden beast that used to belong to a vet's iguana. So the heat sources were never an issue when it came to the lizard reaching them: two bulbs set into the ceiling of the enclosure. But snakes like to stretch up the walls and this is no different. So in the past we built a nice screen box around the heat light. Great. But the snake keeps climbing up and scratching herself on the loving box. I have used various heat tapes to tape off any edges, and after a day or two, the snake shows up with tape on her side, or the water dish, or the glass.

I need to find another heat source cover, but all the ones on Amazon are too small; the light base is about 6 inches.

Could you, if the screen holes are big enough, coat the entire screen with epoxy? Make it all nice and smooth.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Cowslips Warren posted:

Wouldn't that pretty much melt with the heat source? Is there any epoxy thick enough that would stick on the sides and rims alone without melting long term?

I 100% do just not know.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
This is just your friendly yearly reminder that if anyone in the Chicago/NWI area is interested in an Ackie Monitor just lmk. For a Monitor they are surprisingly small and friendly and a friend of mine breeds them.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

my cat is norris posted:

Haha yay, that's great news!

My little sand boa (named Sand Baby until something better strikes) was being unusually photogenic this morning.







That is a nice piece of Cholla, where did you get it? I use it for my aquariums and it's expensive and ordering online you never know wtf you're gonna get.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

my cat is norris posted:

Picked it up at the local PetSmart, actually. The decor options there have gotten really nice!

I have not been in a PetSmart in months since my PetSmart manager friend dropped a 55g tank on her toes and has been not working. I never wanted to learn what the weight of an empty tank could do to a person's foot, and uhhh it's not great. I'll have to go and check stuff out now cause I love some nice Cholla. Thanks for the info!

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

my cat is norris posted:

Jesus, I hope your friend will be okay soon.

Edit: Oh, new page! I set up my first dubia colony today. Hoping the little buggers grow and breed successfully so that I can stop shopping for insects from said PetSmart and other places.

She just had her second surgery today lol. Basically replacing all the shattered bones with metal at this point. PetSmart is paying for ALL OF IT as they should be and she's up for a nice settlement. The pics are not mine to share but imagine a big toe that is flat like a pancake. Feels like not requiring steel-toed boots should have been a thing and after this they probably will be.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

learnincurve posted:

solid advice thank you :) I will never not make an involuntary scream at the mention of heat rocks and the first enclosure will be plywood with a separated bedding area and I got enough tortoise soil so it can bury and hide.

I'm going to get a custom table built so how high would you suggest the sides be?

I don't have a lot of experience with turtles or torties but imho the higher the better. 18-24"? minimum, they look slow and placid but they can and will rearrange stuff to get over the walls. A 8" tortoise will just see a 12-16" wall as an obstacle it wants to find a way past to see if life is better on the outside. Longer and deeper are more important. The bigger the footprint of the table the better.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Ok Comboomer posted:

as high as necessary

that’s something the breeder will be able to tell you

some torts can climb

THIS yes lol

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Cowslips Warren posted:

I have had African leopard tortoises for about 30 years. And there is so much poo poo I don't know. But there is a reason the ponywall that divides our backyard is four feet tall: they can and will climb or smash into anything they want to.

I had Eastern Box Turtles years ago, and like, that fence you sunk 18" deep? lololol they will dig under it overnight or they will just find some way over it? They seem slow and placid but they are persistent. These are not animals you can say NO to or hope to keep in line. Tiny little bulldozers. Part of the charm but get ready to pull it out from under your bed someday.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

learnincurve posted:

This tortoise is 100% going to end up being given my (adult) son's room when he leaves home, I can see it now. Even the place where the sand pit would fit.

Drywall and plaster will not stop them in the slightest.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Cowslips Warren posted:

Box turtles dig. Sulcatas dig.

So far my leopards only dig for egg laying. Our largest female Portal will slam against the side of the house, but she hasn't figured out how to climb cinderblock walls.

Speaking of, their outside hut is heated, but I am wondering if I can reuse a large metal shed for a secondary outside hut. Think an oversized doghouse. The shed has no floor but it's metal; I'd set up heating lamps but would we need insulation or something else to keep it warmer? Their current hut is wood but about half filled with straw.

Climb the wall? Nah? Just gonna bash through it, even if it takes decades.

I'd be worried about them eating any foam/whatever insulation though? Maybe frame the inside with wood and fill the gap with hay or something not foam/fiberglass that isn't bad for them? At least give it a wood floor to keep it from being bare ground underneath.

Edit: even if they burrow under the floor it's still a lot better than no floor? Maybe I'm crazy I dunno.

Desert Bus fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Feb 5, 2022

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

learnincurve posted:

Skiffy is home! He had a sleep on his basking spot then went down the mound and is having another sleep



Aww what a cute little grumpopotamus.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

fknlo posted:

I’ve learned that my girlfriend loves tortoises and has wanted one as a pet for a long time and I’m going to get her set up with one of the smaller, common types. Is a local reptile/pet store going to be the best place to get the tortoise itself when we get to that point?

It's almost always better to go with an established breeder over a pet store. Even if the store buys from a good breeder the animal is still going to be exposed to gross pet store germs and probably lovely husbandry in the time between them getting it and them selling it.

Tortoises ship pretty well if you can't find someone local to pick up from.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
A lot of first time tortoise and turtle owners also fail to account for the costs of replacement shells as their animals outgrow them. It's obviously less of a problem with the smaller species but it still adds up over time. You also have to account for the ongoing cost of Turtle Wax.

(Also apparently people really do oil/wax Tortoise shells? Isn't that bad for them? Was not expecting Googling "Tortoise Wax" to bring up any results other than hopefully a bad photoshop I could post. Wtf)

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
I dunno lights for reptiles at all, but I do know natural sunlight rules for them. You want more plants over less. Keep the humidity up, which plants help with. Will help prevent MDB/pyramiding along with proper light and calcium. And if they're edible plants? Even better.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

JohnnyQPublic posted:

So my daughter is the Lizard/Reptile Queen.

Has has a crested geko, and some other geko, and just recently got a small boa from her uncle. This summer she is inheriting a bearded dragon from a friend of the family. Is there anything special I need to be concerned with the bearded dragon? I don't have anything to do with the reptiles, but my daugthers uncle told to use sand on the base of the cage for one of her lizards, and it had a prolapse and had to take a forever nap, as I know bearded dragons and expensive can someone point me too some best care and practices for bearded dragons? I want to make sure my daughter has the proper information.

You'll need a pair of good clippers + guards to keep the beard under control.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.

Cowslips Warren posted:

I'm trying to figure out if you enjoy giving punny advice or you're just too lazy to type out justGoogleit.com.

Yeah I'm just an rear end in a top hat who likes to make bad jokes lol. Sometimes I have good advice and sometimes I just can't help myself.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
Man created the Bulldozer. God saw man's most perfect creation, thought "I can do better." and created Tortoises.

Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
Smallest for a Beardie is a 40g breeder, next is 75g (which is far better). They don't need a lot of length, but that extra 6" depth is pretty good for them.

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Desert Bus
May 9, 2004

Take 1 tablet by mouth daily.
I forgot this. These are new and look like a good Beardie sized tank:

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/aqueon-rectangle-aquarium-60-breeder-tank

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