Other pets (pics and discussions)

[tress29]

People have told me and I have been reading that guinea pigs tend to do better with cagemates...
The rescues in our area always have lots of piggy siblings for adoption.

[aquamentus_11]

Ted will comfort her.

http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac328/AQUAMENTUS11/IMG01143-20120209-2054.jpg

[kibakiba]

My guinea pig did well without a buddy, but as sad as this may sound, when I was a kid he was my only friend... So, he came with me everywhere. He had his own barbie apartment that he liked to wreak havoc on ( he went into it himself, I never actually put him in), got to go outside with me and play in the grass, and got all the little treats he could ever want... And then my mom put him outside and forgot about him, and my dads dog killed him.

[EasternGirl]

Oh my god Chantel...that is horrible. I mean...oh...that is just...sometimes your mother makes me really mad. I'm sorry...but I just have to say that right now. Who puts a child's pet outside and forgets about him? And I understand because I didn't really have many friends when I was little either.

Aquamentus...your cat looks so much like my cat, Ian. And Tress...we don't have a lot of rescues around here that I know of...except for dog and cat rescues. But I think the pet store probably has some of her siblings left.

[mikem]

check craigslist. sometimes you can find some there for cheap. or put an ad up asking for adoption.

[EasternGirl]

It's okay...I'm just going to go over to the pet store and get one of her siblings. I think she would be happy to be reunited with one of them...they aren't expensive at all. It's a little pet store by my house where I get my snake supplies and dog food and stuff. They're a pretty decent place, for a pet store.

[mikem]

that'll work. they're almost $40 here in pet stores. i see them on craigslist from time to time for as low as $10. i actually saw a pair for $20 each the other day and the thought crossed my mind...but, then i thought nope, better not. i'd end up with a guinea pig farm lol.

[tress29]

I saw one in Indy today for $5, but they are usually around $10, and sometimes babies, not just adults.

Saw the most adorable ferret kit at Petco today, but I'm not giving them that much money! They were on sale for $109. Now, I've got three and paid $50 each and got two cages and some bedding with them. NOT spending all that for one!

[mikem]

yea, pet stores are crazy expensive. always better to get directly from a breeder or from someone wanting to adopt out.

[mikem]

i now have two males in with my female kukulcania hibernalis (see post #3203 (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/garter-snake-lounge/167-other-pets-non-garters-81.html#post198564)). hopefully i'll get an egg sac out of her! *crosses fingers*

[tress29]

Good luck to both of you! I sold my versicolor, reinvested the cash into a ferret playpen. My boys are much happier with the weasels than they were with a spider!

[EasternGirl]

I now have two female guinea pigs...Spike and Drucilla. Please ignore the stupid red eye on Drucilla...for some reason my camera would not correct it. She looks like evil spawn pig...

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[ConcinusMan]

My chihuahua ate a brussel sprout.

Mine eats anything. Poms do too. Olives, pickles, jalapenos, whatever. They're weirdos.:p

[EasternGirl]

Seriously...the dog loves veggies. The vet told me that onions and grapes are toxic to dogs though...so I'm very careful about not letting him have those. He loves broccoli and Mexican food...go figure...chihuahua :).

[ConcinusMan]

Grapes actually won't hurt them. Mine get a grape every now and then. Vet said it was fine. An entire box of raisins however, could kill them.

My dogs love veggies too. They get lettuce and green beans with their regular dinner every day. They love broccoli but it doesn't love them if you know what I mean. No cabbage or broccoli for them, unless I want to gag on the gas they get from it.

[guidofatherof5]

Tank(Chelydra serpentina-common snapping turtle) pulled a fast one on me tonight. After eating his steak for dinner he went to sleep under a pillow right beside me on the floor.
After about an hour he got up and returned to his water. A few moments later I got a blast of water on my shoulder. He sometimes blows water out of his nose.
I immediately looked at him. He turned his head away as if to say "it wasn't me"
Everyday is a new adventure with Tank.

[EasternGirl]

That would have made a great video! Tank could have won himself some money on America's Funniest Home Videos...:D.

The new guinea pig is even more shy than the first one. She is terrified. Spike is not making it any easier on her considering she keeps running over top of her and sitting on her. Spike is definitely happy to have a new friend, but Dru, the new piggy is not amused.

[katach]

Some sad news today. This is Darby. She is 14.5 years old. I've had her since I was 15. When I got my own place she had to stay with my mom. A few months ago the ligament in her left knee snapped. She had been slowly recovering. This morning her other knee gave out. She is still bright eyed and sassy. Please send happy thoughts her way. She has a vet appt. in the morning to see what if anything can be done. She may end up in a diaper for a few months our if something worse had gone wrong she may not have long left. She is wonderful dog and friend. Please send happy healing thoughts her way.
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[EasternGirl]

I just said a prayer for Darby and for you, Kat. Best wishes for both of you. You are in my thoughts.

[PINJOHN]

I just said a prayer for Darby and for you, Kat. Best wishes for both of you. You are in my thoughts.

ditto....

[guidofatherof5]

Hang in there Darby.

[katach]

Thanks guys.

[mikem]

good luck darby! hope everything goes well. keep us updated!

[katach]

So the vet said that both knee ligaments are snapped. They put her in a "Help-em-up" brace and have her some pain meds. She should get some mobility back in a couple months. She seems in good spirits and is adjusting to the "Help-em-up" just fine.

[EasternGirl]

I hope she gets on the mend very soon, Kat.

[mikem]

good to hear she's on the road to recovery! hope it all goes well!

[EasternGirl]

I forgot to tell you guys that today is my dog Presley's first birthday. Life is interesting. A year and a month ago, my lab Kaela died. Little did I know then, while she was passing, my new dog was inside of his mother, waiting to be born a month later...and to become my dog a few months after that. One life ends, a new begins. I will always love Kaela and I will never forget her...but I am so glad that Presley found his way into my life. Happy Birthday Presley!

[guidofatherof5]

Hear hear.

[EasternGirl]

I have to go get a bigger cage for the guinea pigs today. The starter home I got for Spike is just too small for two pigs. I might as well just tear down my house and start building the farm now. I think if I ever do decide to get into another relationship, I may want to consider dating a man with a farm. :p

Perhaps I should put an ad in the paper..."SWF looking for SF (that's single farmer) with large farm...must be willing to take on more animals, including reptiles, a crazy chihuahua, cats, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, and a very active 9 year old child." Ha ha ha ha....

I'm going to be single forever...lol.

[PINJOHN]

I have to go get a bigger cage for the guinea pigs today. The starter home I got for Spike is just too small for two pigs. I might as well just tear down my house and start building the farm now. I think if I ever do decide to get into another relationship, I may want to consider dating a man with a farm. :p

Perhaps I should put an ad in the paper..."SWF looking for SF (that's single farmer) with large farm...must be willing to take on more animals, including reptiles, a crazy chihuahua, cats, hermit crabs, guinea pigs, and a very active 9 year old child." Ha ha ha ha....

I'm going to be single forever...lol.
Come on now Marnie think BIG there are men out there with farms, zoo's, safari parks, ranches, reptile parks, large veterinary practices, and vineyards covering hundreds of acres, to name a few....don't let me catch you limiting your options again young lady ;)

[mikem]

yeesh, women and their expectations :rolleyes: i'd settle with a lady into snakes, lol.

[Light of Dae]

Oh my poor Rose! She has Lice all over her body! Nasty little bugs. I'm going to fix my barn door n lock up inside for a day or more while treating her to keep her dry. Joy Joy.

[EasternGirl]

Sorry to hear that Dae. The guinea pigs are settled into their new, bigger home. They seem to be happy. I am going to clean up the smaller cage and try to sell it on Craig's list. Ha, ha...remember Mike....not just snakes...guinea pigs, hermit crabs, cats, a dog, and a kid too!

[snakehill]

yeesh, women and their expectations :rolleyes: i'd settle with a lady into snakes, lol. Maybe you and Marnie could hook up! :p

[mikem]

31/swm looking for love in all the wrong places :p

[EasternGirl]

That would be great except he is about 12 hours south of me...all the great men are either married, gay, or very very far away...thanks, Mike...Now I have that song stuck in my head "lookin for love in all the wrong places...lookin for love in too many faces...".

[tress29]

I am going to clean up the smaller cage and try to sell it on Craig's list.
That's what I did yesterday, sold both of my Superpet cages within two hours of posting. Got an awesome $80 for them, considering they came free with the ferrets! I did pick up a new (to me) Ferret Nation cage yesterday. With the 13 extra hours at my p/t job, and selling the Superpet cages, the FN is paid for!!

[EasternGirl]

Well...I figure...I paid $30 for the cage and it's in great condition. I was going to throw a bag of hay and a little guinea pig bed in and ask $20 or $25 for it. In other breaking news...you guys should have seen it this morning. My chihuahua is always going nuts, making me pick him up so that he can look in the guinea pig cage and whine at the pigs. Spike always comes over and sniffs at my dog. So this morning, I took Spike out and put him on my lap, and my dog came over and snuggled with him and they both went to sleep on my lap. The guinea pig was making her little happy sounds and my dog was licking her...it was so cute.

[ConcinusMan]

There's something about rodents that invokes a mothering instinct in my poms. While terriers are just the opposite, being bred to hunt vermin, my silly poms (and "Puffin" the chihuahua) whine, lick, sniff, show concern for the animal, etc. They seem to treat rodents as if they were puppies. That even goes for Rufus, a male. On the other hand, he can't stand snakes. He acts like he wants to eat them. It's funny to watch.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4QXhDgba-4&feature=channel_video_title

[ConcinusMan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3XA1XsEQA4

[mikem]

cute videos! i like rufus' shirt :D

[ConcinusMan]

Thanks. He likes it too. If he doesn't have one on, and I take one out of the laundry, he whines and wants it back. He has some unknown medical problem, starting at about a year old, that caused him to lose his hair and have seizures so he's quite naked where the shirt is.

His sister, now 10 years old, is starting to have the same problem. Loss of hair and seizures. We've ran every test known to man and cannot find a cause. The seizures are well controlled by medication.

[EasternGirl]

The guinea pigs had a little buffet tonight...here is their "piggy poo poo platter", as I like to call it...because they will eat it and then go poo poo... 4164 The animals in this house have it good!

[tress29]

Has anyone seen Farin?!
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/tress29/pile.jpg
Rufus is smooshing her! Sure hope she can breathe under there!

[EasternGirl]

Alright...for those of you who have owned guinea pigs, will someone please tell me...is there something wrong with my guinea pigs or do these animals actually eat and poop this much??? I mean, first of all, for the pooping...I have never seen any animal poop so much in my life. I have to clean the cage everyday...and I have to spot clean several times a day. Last night, I cleaned the cage and I know there were a hundred little turds in there...no joke...and then a couple of hours later, there were another 40! Is this normal?? And they non-stop eat...I mean it just goes in one end and out the other...literally. All the caresheets I have read say to feed guinea pigs under 6 mos unlimited pellets, and to always have unlimited hay for all guinea pigs. These little pigs never stop eating and pooping!

[RedSidedSPR]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/chucknkelly/a2431741.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Welcome to the wonderful world of herbivorous mammals.

Yes, nonstop eating and defecating is what their life consists of. They need to eat 10 times as much as carnivorous mammals, which in turn need to eat 10 times as much as carnivorous reptiles. And what goes in must come out.

[EasternGirl]

Well...they certainly make me appreciate my snakes even more. Don't get me wrong...I do care for the little piggies, but I think I see maybe four spots of feces between two snakes in an enclosure in a weeks time at the most...which I can easily just pick out.

[mikem]

too much poo poo platter? i never kept them before, but with mice and rats i've kept in the past, they would poop constantly. i guess it's a rodent thing.

[EasternGirl]

That's the thing...I had pet rats for years and I never remember them pooping this much! I guess it has to do with the piggies being babies or something...the one, Spike, eats constantly...I mean..constantly. And I think that Spike is possibly a boy and not a girl....if they start having babies, I'll tell you one thing...that pet store is going to get a big box o' piggy babies...because they told me Spike was a female!

[mikem]

oh that'll be fun, then you really can start that pig farm, lol!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVGux_qSSkg

[mikem]

just did a little googling. looks like the chronic pooing is completely normal, especially in younger ones. as they get older it should slow down. looks like 20-25 poop pellets a day for an adult pig is the average. here's some interesting info on them eating their poo:

Name That Pellet

Guinea pigs excrete two kinds of dark brown pellets. One is the poo we all know and expect - the other is a compound of vitamins and proteins that help the guinea pig digest B vitamins. These are called ceacotrophs. They are very similar to the cud that hoofed animals like cows, deer and giraffes produce. They can't chew their food enough in order to properly digest it - so in cud's case, it settles in the rumen to be worked on by acids, then shot back up the esophagus for another chew. Now, it can be digested. In a guinea pig's case, they don't have rumens, so the "cud" comes out the other way for a second chew.

Caecotrophs are squishier and smellier than their poop counterparts. You will very rarely ever see them. If you do see them, that's usually not a good sign. Guinea pigs usually ingest them as soon as they know it's about to pop out. If you've ever seen your guinea pig chewing after cleaning his or her behind, you no know what he or she is chewing on. If your guinea pig does not eat these, they will become malnourished very quickly.

Older guinea pigs, especially boars (males) but very occasionally in sows (females), loose the muscle tone in their anus regions. This can sometimes lead to impacted bottoms, where the poo and the caecotrophs won't come out. You or a vet will have to manually ease the lump of excreta out. The guinea pig might want to at the lump. Don't stop the piggy.

In the meantime, your piggy will need some special foods to keep him or her from getting malnourished. Tasted wheat germ is recommended, as well as water soluble vitamin supplements (if your piggy is still drinking normally). When in doubt, call the vet, please!

from Why Guinea Pigs Eat Poo (http://renasherwood.hubpages.com/hub/Why_Guinea_Pigs_Eat_Poo)

[ConcinusMan]

Eeewww... what did I just "walk in on" :eek:

[mikem]

a little poo eating and genital videos never hurt anyone.totally normal conversation, right? :D

[ConcinusMan]

Sure. Talk about it over dinner.

[RedSidedSPR]

Ikr o_O

[EasternGirl]

Man! See...my son and I noticed that Spike has this little dingy looking thing on his genital area...just like that male guinea pig in that video...now it's harder to tell because my pigs are so small...but it definitely looks like a little...can't say the actual word on here because it will get blocked out...dingy. They told me he was a female. And I can't take him back now because it would break my son's heart...I can't take either of them back. I think I read that you can have guinea pigs spayed or neutered though. Thanks for the video Mike. I'm going to do some research on neutering guinea pigs...

[RedSidedSPR]

I honestly don't think neutering a guinea pig has ever crossed my mind. •–•

[EasternGirl]

Believe me...it's not something I ever thougt I would be thinking about. Well, I just went to this website that is supposed to be really good for guinea pig info. I read all about sexing and neutering and all that. I swear if someone walked into my house right now and saw me sitting at my computer looking at pics of guinea pig genitals and poking at my guinea pigs privates...Anyway...apparently, neutering can be done but it's pretty dangerous with small animals...of course, breeding can be too. After looking at the pics and looking at Spike again...I'm thinking she may actually be female, but I'm going to have to take both pigs to the vet and make sure. I think Spike may also have mites or something. If Spike is male, I'm going to have to think about taking Drucilla back to the pet store or finding her another home. We are more attached to Spike and I don't want to risk surgery.

[RedSidedSPR]

*blinks* ._.

I had to re-read that like 4 times damn my dyskexia. I have now spent precisely 4 mins reading about pig balls.

That's exactly what I had in mind for tonight.

[mikem]

what you do is separate them, then get them each a new cage mate.

[EasternGirl]

Jesse...you now have me laughing to the point of wheezing... I was thinking earlier...look at me...I'm looking at pig porn! Oh...I have to stop...my sides hurt now. Mike...no...no way...no more pigs...no more pig genitals...no...it has to stop. No hamsters. No rabbits. NO.

[RedSidedSPR]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/chucknkelly/83c2734c.jpg

[RedSidedSPR]

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/chucknkelly/459bdeff.jpg

[snakehill]

He is SO beautiful!!!!! :)

[RedSidedSPR]

Thanks. He killed another bird yesterday. It's amazing cuz they're airborne when he grabs them. Then he proudly drops it by my feet half alive. O_o

[EasternGirl]

My black lab used to bring birds and frogs in and drop them at people's feet when we were living in a marsh area for a while. Catching them in the air is pretty impressive though.

[RedSidedSPR]

Yes it is. I should take a video of his bird stalking.

[EasternGirl]

Oh...btw..Mike, I forgot to tell you that I already had read something about the guinea pigs eating their poo...and how it can actually be healthy for them. I just wish they would eat all the poo so I wouldn't have to clean it up.:p I ordered some new bedding today...some kind of wheat pellet stuff that is supposed to be really good...supposedly expands to absorb moisture and if the pigs eat it it's actually good for digestion. I ordered a 20lb bag of the stuff since I have to clean the cage so much. And I'm going to make a vet appt. to have the pigs sexed.

[mikem]

It was an interesting read. And yes, it would be a little more convenient if they'd just eat it all! An edible bedding that aids in digestion sounds like a good idea. Where'd you order it from?

[RedSidedSPR]

I am officially never clicking on this thread again.

[Stefan-A]

I am officially never clicking on this thread again.
You will.

[RedSidedSPR]

._.

[EasternGirl]

Pet Food Direct. Here, you can read about it... Oxbow Eco Straw Litter | PetFoodDirect (http://www.petfooddirect.com/Product/7205/Oxbow-Eco-Straw-Litter)

I also found a great site for guinea pig info: Guinea Pig Education, Care, Rescue and Adoption at Cavy Spirit (http://cavyspirit.com/)

[EasternGirl]

Oh please Jesse...fo sho! fashizzle!

[RedSidedSPR]

.-.

[EasternGirl]

That's whack.

[RedSidedSPR]

I hate my cousins. -________________________-

[EasternGirl]

I don't think they count as pets...take it over to the Oh So Quiet Thread...and I can complain about my mother and you can complain about your cousins.

Okay...for another gross animal topic...my cat has always had problems with her ears...mites or something. Her ears itch and drive her insane. She gets gross brown stuff in them. I put drops in them and she shakes them and the brown stuff shakes out all over the place. She screams when she scratches them. You can't touch them or she freaks out. She should probably have them cleaned at the vet but they would have to sedate her and she is very old and it would be dangerous. I can't clean them because it hurts her too much. Any suggestions?

[InsanePirateDragon]

My other herp that I have, he's a Leopard Gecko, a desert type gecko that prefers the ground instead of the trees like his tropical cousins.

This is his 'starving' face
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i234/InsanePirateDragon/IMG_0088.jpg

And ironically his name is Small Fry...

[guidofatherof5]

I like that starving face. Looking good Small Fry.

[EasternGirl]

Is it animal abuse to let your snake loose on your cat if your cat is being an a** to your snake? J/k... But my cat keeps sitting up in front of Cee Cee's tank...it appears that he just discovered the snakes. Now he is obsessed with them and he just keeps going right up as close as he can get and putting his face right up to the tank and just sitting there staring at Cee Cee...Cee Cee is getting very irritated...she keeps coiling up and flattening her head and giving him the death stare....they are in some kind of Mexican stand off. I keep moving my cat...but he keeps going back. I am so tempted to just let Cee Cee at him! I know my girl would tear him up...but I wouldn't do that because my cat can be pretty vicious too...I wouldn't want anything to happen to Cee Cee. (notice I did not say I didn't want anything to happen to my cat...lol...little punk deserves to get bit on the nose right now!).

[mikem]

My cats have stare downs with my snakes all the time! It's fun to watch because both will sit there and not break eye contact until I get involved and shoo the cat away. As far as ear mites, when you go the vet to sex your pigs, mention the ear mite problem. They may go ahead and prescribe you some ear drops to take care of that problem. My cats had them and their poor little ears were red and tender all the time.

Have you and your son seen the movie "g-force"? It's about guinea pigs that work for the fbi. It's on tv right now. Me and my nieces are watching.

[EasternGirl]

Oh yeah...we've seen it! My son loves animals...we watch all the animal movies. He loves the buddies movies...the ones that started with Air Bud and then went on to the buddies...snow buddies, etc. Hotel for Dogs was cute too. Oh and the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies...we watch those with our chihuahua...lol.

[mikem]

haha, yep, think we've seen all of those! and cats vs dogs. milo and otis is one of my favorites :D

[PINJOHN]

Oh and the Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies...we watch those with our chihuahua...lol.
quick Marnie double the medication :eek:

[EasternGirl]

If my chihuahua starts discussing the highlights of the movie with me, John...I'll be sure to do so...:D.

[mikem]

caught a couple of these under some wood the other day when it was warm out. never kept centipedes before. they are viscious eaters! i tossed in a couple baby roaches and the centipedes would chase them down! they were identified as stone centipedes. approximately 2" long.

http://i.imgur.com/It662.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

I've got those or something similar in my backyard.
I find them under the railroad ties when I'm hunting for slugs and earthworms.

[tress29]

Is it animal abuse to let your snake loose on your cat if your cat is being an a** to your snake?
Our cat Houdini keeps getting in the playpen with the ferrets. He either wants to wrap himself around them, or pick them up like kittens. I used to worry he'd hurt them, and chase him out (or keep a close eye on him.) Now, I know the ferrets can take care of themselves! This weekend, Rufus stood up, and put his paws on Houdini's back, it freaked him out! And the weekend prior, Farin was hangning off his bottom lip!

[PINJOHN]

[QUOTE=tress29;201222]Our cat Houdini keeps getting in the playpen with the ferrets. He either wants to wrap himself around them, or pick them up like kittens. I used to worry he'd hurt them, and chase him out (or keep a close eye on him.) Now, I know the ferrets can take care of themselves! This weekend, Rufus stood up, and put his paws on Houdini's back, it freaked him out! And the weekend prior, Farin was hangning off his bottom lip![/QUOTE
don't mess with mustelids...they take lip from no one......the one exception of course is your cats :eek:

[EasternGirl]

Okay, Mike...why? Why? and why? That is all I'm going to say.

[RedSidedSPR]

Cuz they're awesome! So cool to watch 'em eat. I've kept them. Temporarily. It's fun.

[mikem]

oh come on! lol, i like all critters. these guys are incredible to watch hunt. no mercy, for sure! i may let them go once it warms up again. definitely got me interested in centipedes though. been browsing the net looking at pics and videos of some of the bigger species...

[mikem]

Has anyone hear have any experience with prairie dogs?

[EasternGirl]

I love prairie dogs! They used to be my favorite animal to watch at the zoo...but they don't have them anymore. I'm just fascinated with the little things!

[InsanePirateDragon]

I know that around where I live, they tend to have diseases and colonies of wild ones are sometimes distroyed, not many have them as pets I believe, I've send single ones at wildlife outpost kind of places that are at local parks.

[mikem]

if i were to get one, it would be captive bred, so disease shouldn't be an issue. i know they're super cute though! :D i need to do some research, but i'm definitely considering one.

[EasternGirl]

Wow...I didn't know you could have them as pets...or really where they tend to be located in the U.S. to be quite honest. I have only seen them in zoos and on television. You shouldn't have told me that Mike...now I will be researching darn prairie dogs as pets! No! No more pets, Marnie! No!

[RedSidedSPR]

Yes! Yes yes yes!

[snakehill]

I've had prairie dogs! They are alot of fun! You should get two though! They are banned (or were) in some areas though so I'd check that out first. :)

[PINJOHN]

I've had prairie dogs! They are alot of fun! You should get two though! They are banned (or were) in some areas though so I'd check that out first. :)
this thread i think is about to merge with another i think....about pathogens :eek: not sure but did i read about these animals being associated with bubonic plague or some similar nasty disease that leaves you with a headache [well it does if your one of the few survivors]

[mikem]

i know there was a ban back in 2003 because of diseases, mostly because of wild caught animals being sold and transmitting disease to humans. the ban was lifted in 2008 and i checked, it is indeed legal to keep in my area. just thinking at the moment, no commitment yet, but we'll see. marnie, don't click here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxJEESmL70c)!

[BUSHSNAKE]

small pox i believe it was....started from one dealer here in Illinois

[EasternGirl]

Omg...you are in so much trouble for that video! He was fat! He was cute and fat. He reminded me of a chipmunk. I will not get any prairie dogs though...I can't even deal with the animals I have right now. I can't believe how often I have to clean the dang guinea pig cage. I literally do not have time to get a job to get the money to take care of my animals because I am so busy taking care of my animals all day long! I just finished cleaning the guinea pig cage and now I have to get the tank ready for the new snake...and I just cleaned Cee Cee's tank last night...no rest for the wicked.

[kimbosaur]

I didn't know people kept prairie dogs as pets either! It's adorable!! Almost certainly illegal in my province though.

[mikem]

haha :D they are adorable little things! and from what i've seen (just videos on youtube) they get along with cats and dogs too...though i'm sure it really does vary from animal to animal. cleaning cages can be a full time job! i have 20 or so snakes here at any given time and about once every three months or so, i'll go through and do a complete breakdown, scrub and replace all the bedding. it takes hours!! then there's the constant spot cleaning and watering that happens day to day... but, it's worth it!

joe, i was reading about that. small pox and monkey pox it seemed to have been. they were banned for like five years before the fda lifted it.

kimberly, i'm not familiar with the laws up in canada. you'd have to do some checking around.

[snakehill]

Quick question Marnie. Why are you cleaning your SON's Guinea Pigs cage?? :p

[mikem]

just took this of my male albino western hognose. he's in shed. so is my big female. when they're done, i'll probably offer them food and put them together. i'm excited!
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[katach]

Pretty!

[RedSidedSPR]

I might get a hognose when we move next month (more room and empty cage) or some non-garter but similar like Natrix idk...


Quick question Marnie. Why are you cleaning your SON's Guinea Pigs cage?? :p

Yes.

[mikem]

well, i just got off the phone with a pet store someone emailed me about. they're expecting two dozen prairie dogs in mid april. i can call the first week of april and have one held for me if i want it. if... and that's a big *IF* i decide to get one, i'll hopefully be able to get a male and will get him neutered. now to get serious on researching these guys.

snakehill, what was your experience with keeping yours? did you sell them or did they eventually die?


I might get a hognose when we move next month (more room and empty cage) or some non-garter but similar like Natrix idk...
hogs are awesome! i have nine! highly recommended! they have such an attitude at times. they'll make a little hood and hiss loudly if they don't want to be messed with.

[RedSidedSPR]

Nine?! Guess your my man for questions when I have them. And yeah I love their hoods!!! My cousin saw one thē other day and freaking panicked he thought it was a cobra. xD

I saw like a million at the reptile show. I really wanted one, if I had the room I would have bought a few..

[mikem]

yea, i love them! this will be my first year breeding. i have two females that are up to weight. i'll be producing 100% het albinos. my other girls won't be ready to go until next year. feel free to ask. i'll help ya out the best i can :)

[RedSidedSPR]

Awesome

They're cool snakes, and from what I can tell similar enough to garters care-wise that I shouldn't have a problem.

I was also looking at a few other snakes or even another reptile, but I'm leaning toward these guys.

Hmm ... First question: How many adults can a 10 gallon hold.

[EasternGirl]

Very pretty snake Mike. To answer about the pig cage...because he is a nine-year-old boy with ADHD...if he cleans the cage, then when he is done, I will have to clean the cage that he did not clean correctly, and the mess he made all over the room attempting to clean the cage. I am working with him on remembering to feed them, fill the water, give them hay...but it's easier for me to just clean the cage...he helps sometimes. Mike...if you haven't already, do some research on getting the prairie dog neutered...after researching about getting guinea pigs neutered, I found out it is very dangerous to do elective surgery on small animals. It can also be difficult to find vets that can do the specialized surgery.

[mikem]

yea, i will look into the neuter thing. i need to look into everything still, lol! i'll have to weigh the benefits and risks as well as locate a vet with experience. i'll keep you guys updated.

as far as how many hogs in a ten gallon... i always just house these guys seperately. so, just one. you could probably do two males, but i'd watch very close for any signs of aggression towards one another. but again, i'd just stick with one per cage. they're not as social as garters. i've only been keeping these guys for a little over a year. all of mine are from 2010 except my two adult females, which are 07.

[RedSidedSPR]

Oh. Ok. 1 it is. Lol

[Light of Dae]

So my house is very active with our current roommate n his 5 month old border collie Ronnie. Shade n Ronnie LOVE each other! (Both pups are girls) They LOVE chewing on each other! lol
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[RedSidedSPR]

Love 'em both.

[mikem]

i literally laughed out loud :D those first three pics... that face... lol!

[guidofatherof5]

Dogs at play. Love it.

[tress29]

They're cool snakes, and from what I can tell similar enough to garters care-wise that I shouldn't have a problem.
The biggest difference is they like their food hot! I've got his UTH temps set a little higher too. My hoggie lived in a 2.5 gallon tank for the better part of a year! He was tiny!

[guidofatherof5]

Tank left his water while I was out shopping. He made himself a cave to sleep in along the couch.
This is one comfortable turtle.
We will all work around him this evening. Wouldn't want to disturb him.
Growing monsters need their sleep.
He'll probably come out while we're watching a movie.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank151.jpg

[mikem]

tank photos always makes me smile :)

[guidofatherof5]

tank photos always makes me smile :)

Thanks.
He has that affect on people.
Most docile and interacting turtle I've ever seen.
Worked with a lot of turtles in my 53 years but never one like this.
Everyday is an adventure. A nice adventure.

[RedSidedSPR]

I just wanna rape the like button on every Tank post I see. Lol

I love him xD

[RedSidedSPR]

The biggest difference is they like their food hot! I've got his UTH temps set a little higher too. My hoggie lived in a 2.5 gallon tank for the better part of a year! He was tiny!

Good to know lol

[EasternGirl]

I love it when animals lay with their feet like that...it is particularly cute seeing Tank do it!

[guidofatherof5]

Tank gave me a bit of trouble tonight as he wanted to only sleep along side me on the floor.
I tried a few other location to no avail.
He's a spoiled rotten turtle and I wouldn't have him any other way.
He finally settled on his blanket in front of his enclosure. 4 hours later that is. :D
Never a dull moment with Tank.

[snakehill]

Mike I actually found a great home for them because I didn't have time to spend with them. They like alot attention and we were rescuing animals at the time (we had 130 animals!) They are very sociable animals so I would actually suggest you get 2 unless you plan to spend alot of time with him. They seem to be happier with a buddy. :)

[mikem]

thanks for your input, joanne! i have two very sweet, small dogs that love other animals. i am thinking they'd get along fine.. supervised, of course. perhaps they'll bond and he'll think he's one of them! two is a definite possibility, but so is none at all! still not decided. do they poop as frequently as guinea pigs?

[snakehill]

I don't remember how much just bigger! :p Mine were used to interacting with dogs and cats so they should get along fine. I think you should get them though. I regret having to give mine up! They are little cuties!!!:)

[BUSHSNAKE]

my new buds...Lubber Grasshoppers...these are babies, they get movie prop size

[RedSidedSPR]

Sweeeeeet.

[mikem]

those are awesome looking!

[ConcinusMan]

hogs are awesome! i have nine! highly recommended! they have such an attitude at times. they'll make a little hood and hiss loudly if they don't want to be messed with.

Which is pretty much all the time. :rolleyes: Just ask Shannon.


my new buds...Lubber Grasshoppers...these are babies, they get movie prop size

Mmmm... those look like they would be great deep fried. Yum.

[guidofatherof5]

For the last couple of days Tank has been claiming a quilted blanket as his own.
It's official. It's his now.
After this photo he retreated into the blanket and went to sleep.
He's just a big, spoiled puppy.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank39.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

When you said "It's official, it's his now" I thought you were going to say "he retreated into the blanket and went poop on it" lol . I know that for me, that would make it officially his. :p

[RedSidedSPR]

Me too!! xD

[mikem]

picked up this little guy earlier today. he's shedding now. i went ahead and offered him a mouse since i had a few sitting out. great feeding response! approximately 26".
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http://i.imgur.com/YhhUu.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Very nice Mike.

[mikem]

thanks steve! i love the normal burms.

[RedSidedSPR]

Boy will he grow. O_o

[mikem]

i hope so!

[katach]

While at the port store the other day, Bill fell in love with a red tail boa. It was black, grey, and white. It was very cool looking. To my amazement, the enclosure was immaculate and it had plenty of space! They want $170 for it though.

[RedSidedSPR]

Red tail boa's are my favorite

But pale in comparison to garters so forget it lol

[katach]

I agree!

[EasternGirl]

Okay...sorry to change the topic...but do you guys know of a respiratory infection that cats can pass around? And is it possible that the guinea pigs could have brought it in and given it to my cats? My one cat was coughing and sneezing last week and now my other cat is coughing and sneezing...I noticed one of the guinea pigs was sneezing...I'm a bit worried because my cats are old...but of course they are not on my pet insurance because the insurance will not take senior pets...and I can't afford to take all of my cats to the vet right now.

[mikem]

they're probably just sharing a cold. i wouldn't worry about it unless there is wheezing involved. just keep an eye on them and check for any excessive drainage around the eyes and nose.

[Light of Dae]

Here is our current roommate, a co-worker of Coles' and it's his border collie Ronnie, that Shade has been playing with. Lewie in the background.
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Shade looking at Cole, Ronnie looking at Piggy, Piggy attacking Shades tail. lol
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Yin, the morphed tiger. Colors aren't shown up very well, her spots are almost neon green.
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Yang, the juvenile tiger.
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[mikem]

how long does it take them to morph? now i want one... lol! :cool:

[Light of Dae]

Morphing is different for each individual, I've heard they can stay in juvenile form for over a year. I got both of these tigers at the same time and they where the same size(Still are) and were both juveniles, then I thought one was getting sick, her eyes started bugging out n she kept shedding her skin n her fins n gills were shrinking! So I researched n found out she was just morphing. Her gills slowly were being absorbed, so I changed my tank to accommodate both forms of them... Yang is only just starting the get thicker arms, which is a sign of morphing, but his gills are still big n healthy, so I don't expect him to change anytime soon. Yin took about 2-3 months to lose her gills n be ready for the terrestrial life.

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[mikem]

that's amazing how they morph. they look like some sort of pokemon before they complete their transformation. thanks for sharing!

here's my female atb. hard to get a good shot of these guys without them grabbing my fingers!
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[acovert]

So an off-and-on friend of mine and her fiance have had this albino corn snake for years and I feel extremely bad for it. It must be twice the size of my Cuddles (if not more), but it's living in a tank that looks like it may be smaller than the one I have Cuddles in. All it has besides substrate is a water dish. I don't recall seeing a hide, but it may have had a small one. No one had even taken it's most recent shed out of the tank. Whenever I see it, it looks absolutely miserable. I don't think it even has a name or that anyone even knows it's sex.

Because I pity the snake enough, I told her that if she and her fiance ever agreed to get rid of it that she should contact me and I would give it a good home. From what I have been told it is not socialized much at all and will bite. It eats mice - live ones, I think. They take good enough care of their turtle - he has a huge fancy tank complete with goldfish that he can hunt - and their hermit crabs and cats. But the snake sits up on a high shelf and is pretty much blocked from view by other items that are sitting in front of it. It looks so unhappy.

I don't know if taking on a Corn Snake is the greatest idea for me since I am new to snakes in general, but I feel so bad for the poor thing. If I could find a bigger tank for him - even a cheap one - then I feel like I could make his life more comfortable. I may press the issue of her convincing her fiance to get rid of it. She hates snakes and mice and she wants it out of there. Consequently, that also means that she refuses to care for it, and her fiance can be a bit of a layabout. If she can convince him to give it away, I might take it.

I hate it when people treat their pets this way. Especially when it's just one pet out of eleven in the household (1 turtle, 1 dog, 4 cats, 4 hermit crabs...and untold numbers of fish...plus the snake).

[chris-uk]

Sounds like a clear case of snake neglect. You shouldn't find a corn any more difficult than a garter, however with this particular one you don't know what problems you may inherit with it. Not that you shouldn't take it on, because I think any problems will be resolved over time if it is given the proper care.

[EasternGirl]

I think it's the best thing, Ashley...those people do not deserve to keep that snake and that snake deserves a better place to live. I once saw a rat living at a friend's house in horrible conditions like that..and I walked right in and took the rat. Well, the rat was worse, there were maggots in his cage...it was bad. Not suggesting you do that and get yourself in trouble...I'm just saying, get the snake out of there if you can. You can probably convert the snake over to eating frozen mice and calm the snake down...he probably bites, if he actually does, because he's scared and never is handled...and when he is, they probably don't handle him properly. But what about your family...what will they say?

[mikem]

they're easy to care for and you can probably get him switched over to f/t in no time. with proper handling, he'll calm down eventually.

[InsanePirateDragon]

Yeah, no harder than a Garter, Corns are great beginner snakes. It was one of the snakes I looked into getting before kitty found Marley.

[snakehill]

My corns are a lot easier to feed! They never refuse a meal!! ;)

[InsanePirateDragon]

I'm wondering if anyone else on here owns Leopard Geckos here as well.For those who don't own these guys, they are a low maintenance reptile and are a great beginner lizard. They are a desert gecko so they don't need a lot of humidity, the most they need is a moist hide to aid in shedding. And have a lot of personality as well.They also clean up after themselves of sorts. They eat their own shed for the nutrients in it. And they also pick a corner to poop in making for fairly easy cleanup.

And despite only three sub speciesAnd they range in so many different colors from the normal coloration,
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Two three different strands of albino, grey and black, to even a pure white, to a melenistic coloring that people are trying for nowadays to produce a black gecko but check some of them out, most of them have pictures.

Category:Morphs - Leopard Gecko Wiki (http://www.leopardgeckowiki.com/index.php?title=Category:Morphs)

[RedSidedSPR]

Neither do my garters.

[mikem]

i love leopard geckos! i have a lavender mack snow, super hypo tangerine carrot tail baldy, 2 snow blizzards, and one i'm not sure about. i think she's a sunglow.

[tress29]

Yep, we've had one for almost 4 years now. We keep him on paper towel to avoid impaction. Only problem is the crickets have learned how to hide under it. When I cleaned his tank this weekend, I found at least a dozen under there!

[GarterGuy17]

When I was in Alabama I went to this pet store out of all the reptiles they had the Leopard Gecko caught my attention the most and mind you they had Bearded Dragons , King snakes , Ribbon snakes and a bunch more but the Geckos were by far the most beautiful , I wanted to get one but I didn't have a place to keep it. sigh.

[InsanePirateDragon]

Yep, we've had one for almost 4 years now. We keep him on paper towel to avoid impaction. Only problem is the crickets have learned how to hide under it. When I cleaned his tank this weekend, I found at least a dozen under there!

They actually have some clay substrate that I use called Excavator Clay and my Fry loves it. Lets you build tunnels and cliffs with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFKkkzFQZjE

T (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFKkkzFQZjE)he only downside is that it can't be used with UTH.

[acovert]

There was a sugar any crawling on the snake yesterday. Not as bad as maggots, but I still don't like it. When I told my friend about it she just shrugged her shoulders as if it didn't matter.

I'll definitely be talking to my friend about the snake. As for my family....well, I'll talk to my mom first. She might be okay with it since it's not a boa or a python, which is what she's against for the most part. If I tell her I feel that the snake is being neglected then she may be okay with it. If not....I may do it anyways. I can't just sit and watch...maybe I can find a good home for it if my mom won't let me take it. Then I could care for it for a little while and then find it a home.

[mikem]

i use paper towels for my bedding. i've been feeding in a separate container to avoid hiding roaches. seems to work pretty well.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks for the info on the cats Mike...the one cat got better, so I'm hoping that the other one does too. She doesn't seem to be sneezing and coughing as much as she was. I don't hear any wheezing. Not that I don't care about them...of course I do..but I am trying to avoid a vet trip if it isn't serious because money is so incredibly tight right now. If she gets any worse...I will just take the financial hit and take her to the vet though.

[EasternGirl]

Update on my cats...my other cat seems to be over her cold now too...so this is good news...it was nothing serious.

I just have to post this pic of my dog...because it's just the cutest pic I've ever seen...

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[ConcinusMan]

approximately 26".

For a week or two that is.:D

[ConcinusMan]

Okay...sorry to change the topic...but do you guys know of a respiratory infection that cats can pass around? And is it possible that the guinea pigs could have brought it in and given it to my cats? My one cat was coughing and sneezing last week and now my other cat is coughing and sneezing...I noticed one of the guinea pigs was sneezing...I'm a bit worried because my cats are old...but of course they are not on my pet insurance because the insurance will not take senior pets...and I can't afford to take all of my cats to the vet right now.

Feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus account for 80 to 90 percent of all contagious upper respiratory problems but that only affects cats. There are also upper respiratory infections in cats and guinea pigs that are primarily caused by bacteria. Chlamydia and Bordetella (known as "kennel cough") are the main causes of bacterial URI's. I would say that it could be chlamydia (not the same species that causes STD in humans) if it's affecting the cats AND the guinea pigs. It's very, very possible that the guinea pigs brought it into the house but cats can be carriers for years without symptoms. Of course, you need a vet to determine if it is chlamydia, and if it is, treatment is definitely necessary.

[mikem]

For a week or two that is.:D

indeed! just offered him his first small rat. chowing down on it now! mouse to rat conversion a success! looking forward to rabbits :cool:

[EasternGirl]

Thanks Richard. The cats no longer have symptoms...whatever they had cleared up. The guinea pigs don't seem to really have any symptoms that I can tell now either. All I had noticed was a little sneezing with them and then the cats starting coughing and sneezing like crazy. Now everyone seems fine. Do you think it would have gone away like that if it had been the chlamydia?

[mikem]

it would have lasted alot longer if it were chlamydia. there would have been discharge in the eyes too. if it comes back in the next week or so, i'd have them checked out.

[EasternGirl]

Okay thanks Mike.

[BUSHSNAKE]

going retro, i was going thru some old pictures

[BUSHSNAKE]

and more

[BUSHSNAKE]

more...

[mikem]

great photos! i don't think i could ever free hand a venomous! thanks for sharing :cool:

[guidofatherof5]

Good looking variety Joe.

[BUSHSNAKE]

the turtle pic was for you Steve...

[RedSidedSPR]

That's so badass

[EasternGirl]

Was that a timber rattler? And did I see a copperhead in there? I don't like the spiders! Yeah...very hardcore Joe...I would love to hold a venomous snake....let's get together and herp for hots sometime! Punk rock!

[guidofatherof5]

the turtle pic was for you Steve...

I meant to ask. What's with Alligator snapper's (Macrochelys temminckii) attitude.
Were you pinching him Joe.:D

[BUSHSNAKE]

Was that a timber rattler? And did I see a copperhead in there? I don't like the spiders! Yeah...very hardcore Joe...I would love to hold a venomous snake....let's get together and herp for hots sometime! Punk rock!
first one was cottonmouth, then a mojave rattlesnake and the last one is northern pacific rattlesnake...rock on, lets do some hot herping


I meant to ask. What's with Alligator snapper's (Macrochelys temminckii) attitude.
Were you pinching him Joe.:D
how do ya pinch a snapper? lol

[EasternGirl]

Well, we have the cottonmouths, copperheads, and timber rattlers in Delaware...I have no idea where to find the copperheads and the rattlers...but you drive on down here and we'll go find them! :D

[BUSHSNAKE]

ok sounds good:)

[EasternGirl]

Did I hear someone mention that hognose snakes hood up like cobras? If so...could someone with a hognose post a pic of one hooding up? I would love to see that! If that is the case....I would really love to get a hognose. We have them in Delaware...I need to go herping to see some.

[Stefan-A]

Did I hear someone mention that hognose snakes hood up like cobras? If so...could someone with a hognose post a pic of one hooding up? I would love to see that! If that is the case....I would really love to get a hognose. We have them in Delaware...I need to go herping to see some.
nl_RwQLmP6Y

[guidofatherof5]

Great link. Thanks Stefan.

[chris-uk]

Nice. But if it was your captive hognose, would you want to wind it up enough for it to hood up? No, didn't think so. I supposes we'll satisfy ourselves with video of a wild hognose hooding up. :)

[mikem]

here's another one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAp09Ts3EFA

with my western hogs, they'll hood, but not that big... at least, i haven't seen it. the majority of mine are docile and sweet. i do have one cb female that hoods, hisses and false strikes all the time. she's psycho. i also have a wc female that will musk and play dead if i spend more than 10 seconds in her enclosure. if you plan on getting one, i'd suggest a western or mexican hognose. southerns and easterns primarily eat frogs and toads. they don't do as well on a rodent based diet.

[snakehill]

Damn! I never knew that hogs did that! :eek:

[EasternGirl]

I love it! I love it! Thanks Stefan and Mike!

Where would I look for a CB western or Mexican hognose? And how much would I be looking at paying for one?

[Charis]

Not sure about where you are but the local reptile expos here usually have quite a few Westerns. They are a bit like BPs, a nice normal will run about $45 to $100 but the morphs can be a little outrageous. I've only seen Mexicans on kingsnake and Fauna though.

[mikem]

your best bet would be a reptile show. western males usually run anywhere from $40-75. females are going to be more depending on age. the mexicans aren't as common and may require a little hunting around to find.

[EasternGirl]

Maybe they'll have one at the show in Hamburg. Maybe I'll have some money by then too.

[kimbosaur]

I love those hognose too! They are probably the only non-garter I'd consider getting. They're so cute with their pig noses and chubby bodies.

[Charis]

I really like mine, only thing is he's an adult male and as such, does like to go on the occasional feeding strikes. Super sweet snake but lately he has been showing some cage aggression, especially in the feeding tub, so I'm careful with him. He just hisses and spits. Think he half hooded up for a second or two once or twice. He goes back to being super docile once the first quarter of his body is above the feeding tub rim. So I just lift him out on some tongs after he finishes eating.

[EasternGirl]

Cee Cee gets aggressive during feeding time. You really don't want to have your hands anywhere near her when she's eating...or put them in the enclosure right after she has just fed...if you want to keep your fingers, that is...

[mikem]

they're all bark and no bite :D

[EasternGirl]

Oh if Cee Cee sees a finger and thinks it's a pinky, she will try to eat it...she will try to eat anything during feeding time...the girl is a pig! She has gone after my fingers quite a few times during feeding time...I have learned to keep them out of the way of the pig piggers!

[guidofatherof5]

*Tank Update*

Today while Tank was sleeping I enlarged the opening to his enclosure as he was almost too wide to get in or out.
I added about 4 inches to the width which hopefully will last for another 6 to 12 months.
After this I went and purchased 5-4 oz boneless pork chops for him. I figured this should last a week or more(hah)
Now it was time to wake the sleeping monster. I uncovered him and after about 30 minutes of stretching and looking around he headed into his water.
I've learned many of the looks he gives me and I could tell this was the "I'm hungry" look.
I trimmed the fat off a 4 oz chop and cut it into pieces. When I walked into the living room he was ready to eat so I tested out my theory that he knows the difference between food and my hand. I stuck my hand in front of his face. His eyes constricted and he moved in closer to my hand. Then I saw him relax his posture and he gave me a stare. He knew it wasn't food and probably wondered what was going on.
I then offered him the pork chop which he eat in almost one gulp. I quickly cut him up another and offered it. He gladly ate another 4 ounces.
He wanted more but I knew if I left him alone for a few minutes his brain would catch up to his stomach, which it did.
Now he wanted to come out and sleep. Once he was out I tried to cover him up with his blanket. He was having none of that. He had another idea.
He circled back behind me and since I was laying on the floor it could mean only one thing. He wanted to sleep behind my knees. I bent my legs and he cuddled in. After about 15 minutes I had to get up and do some chores. Tank wasn't in agreement with that decision. He was up in a shot and roaming the living room. Once I was done my chores I returned to the floor. Tank came back over and is now sleeping again. I need to move as one of my legs have gone numb but I don't dare disturb the King while he sleeps.
This is the best/smartest turtle I have ever had.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/tank123.jpg

[EasternGirl]

The tankster!

[mikem]

love your tank stories! :cool:

[EasternGirl]

So I'm lying in my bed this morning snoozing..and my dog is lying next to me happily chomping away on his bone...or so I thought. I could hear the chew, chew, chew...and then I look up and he was actually chewing on the remote control to my new flatscreen t.v.! Argh! Bad puppy!

[mikem]

ahhh! i knew exactly where that was going as soon as i read "chomping away on his bone". :eek: does it still work?

[EasternGirl]

Yeah...lol...he only got the edge of it, thankfully. He didn't get any of the buttons! My dog is crazy. He steals paper towels and tissues from the trash can in my bathroom and takes them under my bed and rips them up like he's making a nest under my bed. You should see under my bed! He also steals underwear, socks, dish towels...everything he steals he takes under my bed. He loves to take my underwear out and leave them in the middle of the living room or the kitchen for everyone to see. Nice.

[ConcinusMan]

Better than digging "kitty snacks" out of the litter box I suppose.:rolleyes:

[mikem]

my dog loves to shred paper towels! and i keep the litter box area gated off or he'd snack all day!

[EasternGirl]

Oh...he does that too. Loves them! Ewww... And now, he has decided he is jealous of the guinea pigs. If I pick him up to see them, he freaks out and growls and bites the crap out of me. Crazy dog, I tell you.

[Light of Dae]

Shade is getting So big! She is only 4months old n huge! Piggy has gotten fatter lol
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Big puppy.
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Yang here is doing great, although she's got some odd rough skin on top her head that I ain't sure about...
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It looks like gold dust on her head. Oh and she thinks she is a gecko... Climbing walls n stuff lol I cleaned out her tank n put new soil n such in there, so she got a bath and was put in a 4L ice cream pail with a fake plant from her tank n her she climbed so she could see what I was doing lol Silly Salamander thinks it's a Gecko :D
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[kibakiba]

Marnie, that's just a chihauhau... Nothing crazy about him... They are *all* like that... My Dad... Well, no, I won't call him dad anymore, my neighbor, has a chihauhau, and he hates me, and everyone else. it almost seems like he's going to bark himself into a seizure.

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/big_butt.jpg

[EasternGirl]

I know...I just wish he would chill out. He is very possessive. He is to the point now where if he is sitting on my lap and anyone comes near him, he growls and snarls and will bite the crap out of them...including my son. If he is lying on my bed and my son comes in to see me...he will try to bite my son. Normally, he loves my son...but you can't get near him if he is with me. Has anyone seen the Chihuahua's From Hell episodes on The Dog Whisperer? That is my dog. I'm hoping he will get better when I get him neutered, and I am going to see about obedience school too.

[mikem]

went to a herp show this morning. it was pretty small, but i still managed to find a few new additions.

i had a few stone centipedes that i released back into the yard. i replaced them with this fella. approx 7 inches.
http://i.imgur.com/zZKlc.jpg

couldn't pass on this giant african bullfrog. he's about 4 inches nose to rear. i'm going to grow him into a monster!
http://i.imgur.com/n5TPp.jpg

next up, a lovely female albino burm. the price was right, so i couldn't pass. she's a hisser!
http://i.imgur.com/H4BHs.jpg

and last, but definitely not least... this lil' dinosaur!
http://i.imgur.com/gPdIo.jpg

:D

[EasternGirl]

Really pretty python. I found centipedes like that all over my yard when I was cleaning it up the other day...ewwww. What is the last pic? Cute froggy.

[mikem]

you find vietnam centipedes in your yard? :eek: i'll have to put something beside him for size reference. he's pretty big and aggressive. the last picture is an alligator snapping turtle. he's a sleep. so ugly he's cute!

[EasternGirl]

No...lol...I don't think so. I find lots of centipedes though. The biggest are usually around 2 inches at the most. Yeah...7 inches is big. Ewww...Mike. Lol....

[mikem]

lol! it looked 7 inches, but it's actually just a little longer than 6 :o

http://i.imgur.com/kKsRD.jpg

and the burm is 4ft... eating mice... :rolleyes: she should have been on rats a long time ago. i'll take care of that!

[EasternGirl]

If I saw a centipede that big in my yard, I would run!

[ConcinusMan]

There's lots of little red ones in the northwest almost any time of year. They rarely exceed 2 cm but their bite is ferocious. As far as warm or desert climates go, the only ones I've found exceed 6 inches, and when cornered, rear up fangs first and you can see drops of venom at the end of their fangs. Yikes.

[EasternGirl]

Holy cow! I do not want to come across one of those!

[BUSHSNAKE]

ive kept alot of giant centipedes and one thing they do that so freaking cool is....they spend alot time grooming themselves...like a cat

[EasternGirl]

That is a trip!

[Natrix]

Has anyone here kept or had any experience with Callisaurus dracnoides - Zebra Tailed Lizard? I have a 48" x 20" x 20" Aquarium that I am thinking of converting for two of them.

[mikem]

couldn't pass on this giant african bullfrog. he's about 4 inches nose to rear. i'm going to grow him into a monster!:D
well, looks like he's actually a dwarf african bullfrog, not the giant. oh well. so much for the monster frog. he can eat though! he literally ate 20 crickets in about 30 seconds :cool:


Has anyone here kept or had any experience with Callisaurus dracnoides - Zebra Tailed Lizard? I have a 48" x 20" x 20" Aquarium that I am thinking of converting for two of them.
nope, i haven't and i don't know anyone who has. if you decide to get them, share some info and keep us updated on how they're doing!

[tress29]

My dog is crazy. He steals paper towels and tissues from the trash can in my bathroom
I keep my bathroom trash can on the back of the toilet for just this reason! Eli's trick this week was to bring in the dried clods of grass that fell off the bottom of the lawn mower. I have grass all over the living room!

[mikem]

decided i'd pass on a prairie dog this year. i really want one, but right now, the cats/dogs/herps/work are keeping me busy enough.

my cat had a polyp removed from his ear. everything went well. gave him some pain meds last night and he has some ear drops that i have to continue giving him for a bad infection he developed a couple weeks ago. that's cleared up too, just have to finish off the bottle. so that's all good news :)

[EasternGirl]

I was wondering what happened with the whole prairie dog thing. Glad your cat is doing better. My cat once had surgery and they gave him a morphine patch! My black kitty...the one that had the cold...she is now having ear problems again and she has crusty stuff on her eyes...she has had this on and off since I found her years and years ago. The vet back then said something about stray cats having issues with reoccuring ear mites but I am wondering if this could be a mange thing...or some sort of infection. I was going to get her some drops for her ears but wasn't sure whether to get her drops for wax/infection or mites. How can I tell the difference...or know if it's something like mange? I should probably take her to the vet...but I have my surgery next week...it will have to wait until after I recover unfortunately.

[mikem]

i doubt it's the mange. she'd have a lot of skin issues if that was the case. with the cold and crusty eyes, she may have allergies... something to consider.

[Reptiliancousin]

I hope that I'm posting in the right place, but here's my Viper Boa! For some reason my laptop won't download any more photos. I'll try and post more later.

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[mikem]

love those guys! i gotta get some one day. very cool snake. thanks for sharing :cool:

[EasternGirl]

Very cool snake..thanks for sharing!

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful.

[EasternGirl]

So my crazy dog keeps doing this odd thing. He goes under the couch in our living room and gets himself stuck underneath there and then he sits under there and howls and cries until someone comes to get him out. He has been doing this since he was a baby. We have no idea why he does it. We have tried blocking it off so he can't get under there...but he always finds a way back under. The first couple of times he did it, he scared the crap out of us...because it is a pull out sofa bed and it has all this metal stuff underneath and we thought he was caught under there and injured. Sometimes he will cry and yelp like he is. Does anyone have any ideas as to why he would keep doing this? Sometimes when you move the couch out to get him out...he crawls back under it like he doesn't want out...even after he has been crying and howling for someone to come and get him. Weird damn dog!

[kimbosaur]

I think he just wants the attention. :D

[EasternGirl]

That is what I am thinking. Like the little stinker doesn't get so much attention already! Little spoiled brat! :D

[EasternGirl]

4554 Elvis Presley

[snakehill]

But he's so cute!! My male Chihuahua is a nut too!! :p

[Didymus20X6]

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[mikem]

my weiner dog got stuck between the two front legs of this big stuffed horse that my neices have. poor fella, he was running in place between them, lol! he needs to go on a diet.

oh and the darndest thing popped up on craigslist today.. a prairie dog.. a male(which is what i wanted).. about six months old.. with a cage!! for $100!! i wasn't going to get one because i didn't want to have to buy the doggie, buy him a cage, buy misc supplies for him... but, i simply couldn't pass on this deal! haha, and just the other day my brother was asking me if i was still getting one. i really couldn't afford it after paying for my cats procedure. just the anesthesia alone was almost $200, then there's the antibiotics he's been on, the meds after the procedure, office visits... not complaining, he's completely worth it, all my animals are and i'll do anything for them, but it kinda set my disposable income back a bit. i told him that there's always next year. well, looks like things just fell into place for me :)

i talked to the lady about him for a little while. he's super tame, loves to play with dogs, loves stuffed animals, loves to cuddle and uses his litter box. it's her sons, but she said he has so many pets that the prairie dog is getting neglected and they just want him to go to a good home. no problem! a good home i shall provide :D i pick him up tomorrow. it's about an hour away. i'm super excited, lol! his name is scamp. i'm trying to decide if i should call him something else or not...

anywho, i'll be posting some pics of him once i get him home and settled down. can't wait :cool:

[Charis]

Cool! Can't wait for pictures!

[mark cope]

Hello peeps,
New to the forums(and the hobby) thought I would join in........so her are my other pets my kids name all the pets after Dr Who characters so here is my son Joes garter first
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u453/copey1975/Joe%20and%20his%20garter/2012_04020004.jpg
She is called Martha (Dr's assistant) (Martha the garter)

Then there is my wifes Guinea pig
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u453/copey1975/2012_04040003.jpg
He is called Rory (Dr's assistants husband)

The family cat
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u453/copey1975/2012_04040002.jpg
She is called Stormageddon (Dr's friends child) we call her Stormy

Then there is my King snake
http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u453/copey1975/Neo/2012_03230002.jpg
Where I broke ranks and named it Neo while watching a certain film.

So there you go,
All the best.
Mark

[guidofatherof5]

Nice crew. Thanks for posting.

[EasternGirl]

Nice group of pets you have there, Mark...thanks for sharing!

Mike...I'm so excited about the prairie dog! Glad you decided to go for it! Can't wait for pics. I like the name Scamp!
Hysterical about the wiener dog...my son loves wiener dogs.

[Light of Dae]

On on side of me... Shade my ever growing puppy.
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The other side of me... Pig our ever fattening one.
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Best of friends, follow each other everywhere.
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Then there is Lewie... Forever trying to get on my lap the second it is free.
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Lewie makes a great beer stand, yes that is a full, open beer. Sat like that for 3minutes.
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[EasternGirl]

Great pics Dae! Love those animals. Now Mike...My son and I were discussing your wiener dog last night...I told him about the situation with him getting stuck between the legs of the horse and how he needs to go on a diet. We were thinking...if you just leave him stuck like that...he would probably run the fat off in a day or two...ROFL. (We were seriously rolling on the floor laughing while discussing this!) :D

[Light of Dae]

Here is some of Yin, eating the huge crickets I bought. (The crickets are DOUBLE their normal size!!)
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MWAHAHAHA I got ya now!
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One of Pigs favorite ways to be held, purring away looking down at Shade.
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