Other pets (pics and discussions)

[ProXimuS]

I can see it, and I have never once set foot on twitter :)

Same.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I would just like to report that this reply is # 5001 in this thread. YES!!!

BONUS PICTURES!

This is Spaz
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll86/aSnakeLovinBabe/P1170615-1.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll86/aSnakeLovinBabe/P1170604.jpg

Not my pet.... but instead an image I took on our trip down to the everglades this year! I should post that whole series of photos!

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll86/aSnakeLovinBabe/048-1.jpg

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Here is Sage - A duck headed dirt snake that lives in my care.... she belongs to my mom. I took the first photo when she was a hatchling, and then 3 years later, I took another :D Can you believe it took her 3 years to crawl from the driveway to the grass?!

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll86/aSnakeLovinBabe/P11705355copy.jpg

[Steveo]

I can see it, and I have never once set foot on twitter :)


Ok, it must be the firewall or whatever at my office because I can't see it here. Carry on.

[ConcinusMan]

I guess that's probably why the guy didn't confiscate your garters. It's probably also why at reptile shows (here in WA) it's not that uncommon to see garters.

There's a reptile zoo in Monroe WA and they have a rubber boa. That's how I even found out about those guys in the first place!

They didn't confiscate them because #1. extremely common #2. Not a game animal which is really all they're concerned about #3 Not a potentially dangerous wild animal that might also carry disease such as rabies, distemper, etc. #4, I told them I had already had them for years and they were beloved family pets. Under the rules they would have to destroy them if they confiscated them. #5 If escaped, they pose no threat to the local ecosystem. #6 They rely on good relations with the public and since I was very cooperative they wanted to give me some kind of break. #7 the cages were roomy, appropriate conditions, clean, and the animals were well fed and cared for. So, you see it's really a lot of things that added up to them choosing to not enforce in this case. Garters really aren't a concern of theirs anyway. They just happen to fall under the umbrella of native wildlife and in the case of garters they just didn't want pet stores to be able to import natives or be selling local species for obvious reasons. They don't really care if a citizen wants to keep a few as pets so they don't enforce in cases like that.

As far as the shows you're talking about, not all garters would be legal at WA shows. They can't be any subspecies of T. sirtalis, and can't be T. ordinoides. Most shows in WA and Oregon just say "no garters" at all in their rules just so they got it covered. They might make exception for a few albino checkereds and that's about it usually.

How I first found out about rubber boas was, I walked out into my backyard one morning (In Vancouver) and there was a fairly big one stretched out on my lawn, just sitting there.:) At first I thought, "wow, that's a really long dog poo":p



They are very hard to find in the wild

Not really. If you know when and where to look you can find dozens of them in a single afternoon. There's spots like that in the columbia river gorge, western WA, and a few spots in Oregon that I know of. You can't pick up any cover without finding boas hiding underneath but usually only in cool weather in the spring and fall when conditions are moist. They can be locally extremely common and numerous and yet you would never encounter one unless you're looking for them. It's just knowing when and where to look that's the hard part.

[charliegirl]

They probably aren't as popular in captivity because they are not active, you rarely seem them above cover, they can be very particular eaters, and they only eat for a handful of months out of the year. I have one that I keep and they are quiet fascinating and tend to keep you on your toes as far as care goes.

-Thomas

Maybe I should reconsider the rubber boa... ...

[ConcinusMan]

I had one that didn't eat for an entire year. Didn't seem to hurt anything though.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Snakes are just as well adapted to going without food as they are at stuffing their faces...

[ConcinusMan]

Rubber boas from around here seem to prefer cool temps. I never see them out and about or even anywhere near the surface unless the weather is cool/cloudy. So, I didn't keep him very warm. (just a localized warm spot at around 80 F which he seemed to avoid) That, and they expend very little energy. They move slowly like a slug. Very slow metabolism. They don't need to eat much. Adults could probably stuff themselves only once or twice a year and they would still get enough to eat. Great if you want a snake for handling. They're very docile and great for handling but if you like to see your snake and watch their activity, forget about it.

[ProXimuS]

So my female guppy had babies:D I had started noticing she looked possibly pregnant, but wasn't sure. I went to feed them this morning and saw a little teeny tiny line swimming around, and upon further inspection, it was a little teeny tiny fish! So far there are only 3. Not sure if there were possibly more, and the adults ate them. I'm also not sure if she's done. Anyways, here are some pics:

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I had to buy them a little mesh nursery, so they wouldn't be eaten....This is them in it.

I read the babies should be big enough to not be eaten in about two weeks. By that time I want to get a mesh tank divider and split up males and females. Hopefully by two weeks they will be big enough to visually sex.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Congrats on new fishies,Emily! Were they easy to keep and breed? I may need to resort to guppies to get Gerry to eat and I think theyd be fun to keep :D

[ProXimuS]

Thanks:)

I'd say they were relatively easy to breed, considering that's not what I was planning for:p But, I did know it was pretty much inevitable, since I had two males with one female. From what I've read they can also store sperm. So even if I seperate them she can keep having babies. Gestation is only about 28 days. I think if you just throw males and females together they will breed just fine. The males will also chase the females alot and stress them out, so from what I've read it's best to keep more females than males if you're going to keep them together. That's another reason I want to seperate them.

[chris-uk]

Congratulations on the surprise fishies Emily. There were probably more before you noticed and put them in the nursery net.

I've not got any live-bearers, but I've got a pair of rams in my tank that will spawn every couple of weeks. Being a community tank the conditions aren't ideal for hatching though so they've never hatched. The parents take it in turns to guard the eggs until they hatch, then they will guard the fry, however in my case the parents end up eating the eggs (they must have some way of knowing that they aren't going to hatch, and waste not want not).

I did spot a single fry of some description among the floating plants when I was changing water once. I'm not sure who it's parents were (maybe one of the rams eggs did hatch, maybe the rainbow fish spawned and one survived, or maybe my pair of panchax managed to hatch some). But it wasn't going to last too long in my tank with the panchax patrolling the surface and the rainbow fish and rams in the mid-layer. My money would be that it became a panchax snack.

[guidofatherof5]

I looked up the word "Comfortable" in the dictionary and here's the photo for it.:D


http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/restful_tank.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Here's Tank cuddling in with my oldest (Emmyjo), she was busy doing homework. Tank still thinks he's a little pocket turtle.
After that didn't work out he came over the back of the couch. I was waiting for him as he doesn't have any fear of falling. Just another day in the life of Tank.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_and_emmyjo.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/restless_boy.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

The last time I put Tank on the scale he was at 19.60 lbs. I usually try to get a weight every 30 days.
I was 7 days over due this month so I put Tank on the scale before he went to bed.
I zeroed out the scale and put the big boy on. At first I thought maybe the batteries were dead but then I realized the problem. The max on this is 20 lbs. Tank is over that now. Looks like I'll be putting him on a people scale from now on.

[ProXimuS]

OOO Let us know what the final weigh in is :D

[CrazyHedgehog]

These two are just too cute!
8103

[Invisible Snake]

8112

This is Mongo, my friends pet iguana. In case you couldn't tell, he was born and raised in New York City.

[guidofatherof5]

OOO Let us know what the final weigh in is :D

My son will have to do that. I'll be dead and gone by the time that happens:D

[Darlo]

Here are some of my other pets...
Spiny Agama
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1529.jpg
Bumble Bee Walking Toads
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1405.jpg
Himalayan Crocodile Newts
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1387.jpg
Spanish Ribbed Newts
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1316.jpg
African Bullfrog
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1127.jpg

[Darlo]

Dendrobates 'Brasil' Dart Froghttp://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/photo24-2.jpgCane Toadhttp://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1076-1.jpgAmazon Milk Froghttp://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0670-1.jpgMy beloved tigershttp://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0905.jpgMadagascan Day Geckohttp://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0889.jpgBudgetts Froghttp://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0874.jpg

[Darlo]

More of the budgetts
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0878.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0860.jpg

Little Vampire Crab
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0837.jpg

Azureus Dart Frogs
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_0666.jpg

Whites Tree Frogs
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/Picture005.jpg
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/Picture2432.jpg

[Darlo]

Japalura Tree Dragon
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/SDC11763.jpg

and finally my smooth sided toad
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/SDC12068.jpg

[Invisible Snake]

Awesome looking pets!

[guidofatherof5]

Good looking crew you've got there.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Wow:eek: That's a collection and a half.

[Darlo]

It's intensive at times!

[Invisible Snake]

It's intensive at times!

Do you breed your own feeders? Like Dubia roaches?

[Darlo]

I have done in the past, but I'm blessed with a great outdoor area for getting hold of juicy worms for the sallies; the lizards seem to prefer bog standard crickets and the budgetts frog...well...that'll eat anything, including my fingers given half a chance!

[ProXimuS]

AWESOME collection :eek:

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, awesome. Just one thing though. Doesn't anyone else see something not quite right here? This is supposed to be an American Bullfrog?
http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z324/Owen_Browell/IMG_1127.jpg

Something's definitely not right about that. A google image search seems to bring up pics like this one but that's not what we call a bullfrog around here. This is:

http://www.streamteam.info/images/banner-bullfrog.jpg

Now why does a search for "american bullfrog" seem to be showing me two completely different frogs?

[Invisible Snake]

Yeah, awesome. Just one thing though. Doesn't anyone else see something not quite right here? This is supposed to be an American Bullfrog

Not American, he said African bullfrog

[Darlo]

I have an African Bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) not American:)

[tress29]

I don't think I've ever seen a milk frog before! How cute!

[kueluck]

LOVE the barred tiger, plan on getting 2 this spring. Wonderful group of friends ya got there.

[ConcinusMan]

Not American, he said African bullfrog

Oops :o

[guidofatherof5]

Here is Tank coming out to sleep beside me. I was working on my laptop and he was tired.
He really is a cuddly turtle. Not something you normally hear about a snapping turtle.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_1.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_2.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_3.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_4.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_5.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_6.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Tank's new scale came in today.
20.80 lbs is where he's at. The actual reading was 20.96 but I'm compensating for his meal last night.
This new scale goes up to 110 lbs so it should last for a few years.:D

[-MARWOLAETH-]

How long do you expect he'll keep growing at this rate?

[guidofatherof5]

I would think he would be slowing down by now but his weight and carapace continue to grow. Just don't know at this point.

[guidofatherof5]

It's a party at the Gilfillan house.

Tank is now a legal member of our family. I was granted the exception to the City dangerous animal code for him this evening.
It was a unanimous vote by the City Health Dept.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

That's great news! Give him a pat on the shell from me :)

[guidofatherof5]

That's great news! Give him a pat on the shell from me :)

Done. Thanks.

[ProXimuS]

YAY!! Great news:D Hooray for Tank!

[ConcinusMan]

Awesome news:)

[ConcinusMan]

Frank and Louie, two-faced cat - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOivbSTpzXs)

[Invisible Snake]

Frank and Louie, two-faced cat - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOivbSTpzXs)


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

I'm cool :cool:

[guidofatherof5]

Does this bookcase make my butt look big?

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/bookcase_tank.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

"I'm feeling frisky. Now where did I leave that bike helmet?" :p

[Stefan-A]

Does this bookcase make my butt look big?

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/bookcase_tank.jpg

No, Tank. The book on algebra is on the shelf above you.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Maybe he wanted to play Monopoly.

[guidofatherof5]

That's the i Pad version. He doesn't like that one, he's old school.

[ConcinusMan]

"I see Windows for Dummies, now where the heck is Windows for Turtles?"

[guidofatherof5]

I don't think he needs a book.:D

[mikem]

Steve, glad to hear that everything worked out for your family and Tank. Sounds like there wasn't really any speed bumps along the way :)

[guidofatherof5]

Steve, glad to hear that everything worked out for your family and Tank. Sounds like there wasn't really any speed bumps along the way :)

There were but now it doesn't matter. We're just glad he's safe with us now.

[CrazyHedgehog]

new addition to our household!
8161

[thamneil]

Cockatiels are the best! So friendly and sociable. Name?

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Nice little birdy :)

[CrazyHedgehog]

Cockatiels are the best! So friendly and sociable. Name?
I bought him as a birthday present for my partner, he has wanted one for decades! hes waiting a few days to see what his personality is like before naming him, the idea is that he will be allowed to fly fee in the lounge once he has settled (dog and cat free zone!)

[ProXimuS]

Nice little addition:)

[guidofatherof5]

Birds are awesome.

[snake man]

Is he loud? I heard that alot of birds are really loud.

[CrazyHedgehog]

Is he loud? I heard that alot of birds are really loud.
no, hes not a squawker like parrots can be, but he sings, but its like small bird singing, quite relaxing..

[snake man]

Thats pretty awsome then.

[ConcinusMan]

Is he loud? I heard that alot of birds are really loud.

Cockatiels aren't that bad. It's love birds, parakeets,(true ones, not budgies) macaws, cockatoos and other large parrots that are loud.

[guidofatherof5]

Funny story about Tank ( Chelydra serpentina - Common Snapping Turtle)

This evening I was getting ready for bed when I looked in on Tank who was in his water. I usually put him to bed on his dog pillow but he looked comfortable so I went off to bed. 12:30am my daughter Emmyjo wakes me saying "Tank won't listen to me and go to bed, he wants you" Upstairs I went to find Tank on his pillow. Emmy said every time she covered him up he came out from under the blanket and roamed the living room. She said now that I was there he would probably go right to sleep. I got down on the floor with Tank and explained to him it was time for bed. I covered him with a blanket and he was asleep in a matter of moments. Emmy laughed and said he was playing games with her until she woke me up.
Crazy Tank just wanted Dad to tuck him in. Funny spoiled turtle.

[Ruth]

8182818381848185Here's some of my other pets. One terrapin abandoned by a lodger, Autumn my second hand bullmastiff, bonkers one of my five guinea pigs, the only one patient enough to be dressed up for a competition and one of my four African land snails given to us when it was just an egg from a parent of one of the kids friends. I also have six corn snakes and a cat when he decides to be around, he's very much a free spirit.

[ProXimuS]

Wow! Look at that snail! I want one:) Very nice little group you've got Ruth.

[Invisible Snake]

Hey any experienced ball/royal python breeders on here? If so what incubators do you or have you used in the past?

[tress29]

8185one of my four African land snails given to us when it was just an egg

What kind of enclosure do you have for the snails? My boys would love one! We have a blue ramshorn and an assassin snail in our fish tanks.

P.S. Just Googled them and found out they are banned in Indiana!

[chris-uk]

What kind of enclosure do you have for the snails? My boys would love one! We have a blue ramshorn and an assassin snail in our fish tanks.

P.S. Just Googled them and found out they are banned in Indiana!

Have you seen the assassins at work? I've got about about half a dozen in my tank and they made short work on the pest snails that came in on some plants. :)

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Have you seen the assassins at work? I've got about about half a dozen in my tank and they made short work on the pest snails that came in on some plants. :)What do the Assassins eat after they've eaten all the other snails?

[chris-uk]

What do the Assassins eat after they've eaten all the other snails?

Generally scavenging anything that reaches the bottom of the tank. I've not had a snail problem for about 9m and the assassins are still going strong, although at times I feel guilty and consider introducing some problem snails.

[Ruth]

What kind of enclosure do you have for the snails? My boys would love one! We have a blue ramshorn and an assassin snail in our fish tanks.

P.S. Just Googled them and found out they are banned in Indiana!

Mine are in a giant RUB (really useful tub). Though I once left them outside in the rain and hadn't properly secured to top, the dog got into the tub (she likes to eat their food) and we lost one of the snails for a week until it was spotted by my daughter in the garden. There was also a chap that dumped all his snails near a block of flats, people were driving over there and collecting them. They can't survive our winter temps in the uk but I would bet that if one lodged it self close enough to a house it would survive and the species would be devastating. Anyway what ever you put them in make sure it's secure they are strong beasts as well and would easily open some enclosures. They're great fun and very noisy eaters you hear them munching away and nibbling at the shells you feed them.

[tress29]

Have you seen the assassins at work? I've got about about half a dozen in my tank and they made short work on the pest snails that came in on some plants. :)

Not yet. I only bought one because I don't really want to breed them too! We put him in the 10G to take care of the bladder snails. Both of my 5.5G tanks have Malaysian Trumpet snails, and the 3G has red ramshorns. I figure once he's done with the bladder snails, we can transplant some of the MTS. (I like my ramshorns...)

[chris-uk]

Not yet. I only bought one because I don't really want to breed them too! We put him in the 10G to take care of the bladder snails. Both of my 5.5G tanks have Malaysian Trumpet snails, and the 3G has red ramshorns. I figure once he's done with the bladder snails, we can transplant some of the MTS. (I like my ramshorns...)

My half dozen have laid eggs fairly frequently, but relatively few survive, I've spotted 3 or 4 that are clearly smaller than the ones I put into the tank and I seem to have a stable population. I'd hoped that they'd breed because I could have sold them to the shop 50 metres down the road for a couple of quid a piece.

[MasSalvaje]

My half dozen have laid eggs fairly frequently, but relatively few survive, I've spotted 3 or 4 that are clearly smaller than the ones I put into the tank and I seem to have a stable population. I'd hoped that they'd breed because I could have sold them to the shop 50 metres down the road for a couple of quid a piece.

Pardon my ignorance but what is a quid?

-Thomas

[Ruth]

Pardon my ignorance but
what is a quid?

-Thomas
A quid is a slang term for £1 :)

[MasSalvaje]

A quid is a slang term for £1 :)

OIC, Greatly appreciated Ruth.

-Thomas

[guidofatherof5]

Saw a message on my answering machine, as if this day wasn't bad enough.

From the City Health Dept. The exception for Tank has been cancelled/put on hold as I am in violation of Iowa State code. I now need to apply for a "Educational Permit" through the State, for that I need to find an organization to sponsor Tank.
This day just keeps getting better and better.

[Charis]

Very sorry to hear that! What kind of organization does it need to be?

[guidofatherof5]

State approved.

[chris-uk]

What a really ****** day Steve. Will the City officials help to find an appropriate organisation?

[guidofatherof5]

What a really ****** day Steve. Will the City officials help to find an appropriate organisation?

No. I've made contact with a couple organizations that would be approved by the State.
Waiting for call backs.

[ConcinusMan]

Well **** :mad:

[guidofatherof5]

Just a quick update to the Tank saga.

It appears the local DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) person may have been wrong with his information. I contacted an official at the State office and was informed that with a valid Iowa fishing license I could keep 100lbs of live snapping turtles. I asked him if he knew of any State law that would be violated by keeping the turtle. He said that a valid fishing license was all I need as far as he knew.
I do have a valid license so I emailed the health dept. director this information along with a contact number of the State official I spoke to. That official said he would be more then happy to help me out.
Hopefully this latest bump in the road will be simply that, a bump.
I will probably have to keep the city supplied with a valid home owner's insurance statement and valid fishing license information but that is worth the trouble.
I'll keep you all informed as the drama plays out.

[ProXimuS]

Hopefully the first guy was just misinformed. Hoping for the best!

[snake man]

Hope it works out, tank is a real specail guy.

[Ruth]

My little girl who's four has just informed me she's going to call her snake cheese. I asked her what she was talking about and she told me she was going to get a snake like the one in the shop (albino python) and call it cheese as it looks like cheese. I thought this was quite amusing but then I do have a lavender corn called bender, he has a kink in his tail. I wonder what other weird and wonderful names are given to snakes by their loving owners :)

[CrazyHedgehog]

We have 3 chickens, one called Sage, one called Onion and 'The other one'
Big fat chocolate Lab called Gromit.
Cockateil called 'Feathers'
cats called Luna and Shadow (but our last two cats were called Spanner and Spoon)
given up naming the snakes as theres tooooo many :D

[Ruth]

We have 3 chickens, one called Sage, one called Onion and 'The other one'
Big fat chocolate Lab called Gromit.
Cockateil called 'Feathers'
cats called Luna and Shadow (but our last two cats were called Spanner and Spoon)
given up naming the snakes as theres tooooo many :D

We once had chickens that we named after food items, crispy, pekin etc. We also had a cat (sadly he's passed) called Quincy form the tv show and when we got another we called him sam as that's Quincy's helper. Quincy even had a tag with Dr Quincy ME wrote on it and was down as Dr Quincy with the vets.

[ChareiHeals]

Pet Names are fun.
Here's the list from my household.
Brody- Siberian Husky (The name given to him by the impound facility we got him from)
Nona- Siberian Husky (Nona is short for Noname.)
Kitty- Cat (original, i know.)
Booger a.k.a. Little Man- Cat (He had alot of nose boogers and eye boogers as a kitten.)
DarKitten a.k.a Squeaker- Cat (He doesn't meow, he just squeaks.)
Ginger Noodle- Albino Corn Snake
Steve- T. Radix
George- Red Eared Slider
and the fish, which we generally call "The Aquatics"

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a current photo of my boy Tank (Chelydra serpentina- Common Snapping turtle) He was coming out to spend some time with me.
The second photo is a week old but really says a lot about Tank's attitude. He is such a social animal.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tankout.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_phase_6.jpg

[snakechick]

Love the second pic. Tank looks like such a sweetie :)

[guidofatherof5]

Love the second pic. Tank looks like such a sweetie :)

Cute and cuddly he is. He seeks out interaction. Such a strange snapping turtle but I'm glad he's with me.
After losing my old girl dog Ally I was alone and needed a buddy and along came Tank.
He'll out live me but my son has promised to care for him when I'm gone. They get along well.

[Invisible Snake]

82198220

Gee I wonder why they call them BALL pythons :rolleyes:

82218222

[guidofatherof5]

Nice.

[snake man]

Is this yours?

[Invisible Snake]

Nice.

Thank you Steve!


Is this yours?

Yup, mine. Next year I'm going to try and breed bps.

[ConcinusMan]

We once had chickens that we named after food items, crispy, pekin etc.

My friend has a red hen he named "Tyson" LoL

http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tyson_chick.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

This morning I sent an email to the legal dept. of the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources asking them for legal clarification on whether I could keep Tank (Chelydra seprentina- Common Snapping Turtle) I received a call back from that office a few moments ago. The gentleman informed me they were working on the issue and waiting for a response from Law Enforcement. He said that his office has been unable to find any codes/laws that say I can't keep the turtle and he feels this issue should be resolved shortly, he thinks in my favor.
Fingers and toes crossed here.


http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank312.jpg

[Charis]

Fingers and toes crossed here too!

[ProXimuS]

Hoping for the best Steve!

[ConcinusMan]

He said that his office has been unable to find any codes/laws that say I can't keep the turtle

I don't get it. It was my understanding that the city (?) granted an exception but state law says you can't have him.

[guidofatherof5]

[/FONT][/SIZE]

I don't get it. It was my understanding that the city (?) granted an exception but state law says you can't have him.

The City granted the exception then cancelled it because they were told(verbal, no codes) by a local State DNR officer that it was illegal to have the turtle. I now have the State DNR legal dept. clarifying the law for me.

[guidofatherof5]

I called the DNR person who called me yesterday. He said he didn't have an official answer yet but that he did receive a call from a law enforcement officer who stated "I don't think we have a dog in this fight"
This is encouraging but I won't celebrate until I have something in writing from the State.

[guidofatherof5]

Just received an email from the State. According to them I can keep Tank.

Mr. Gilfillan,

I am writing to confirm our prior conversations. Iowa law allows you to possess a live snapping turtle so long as you have a valid Iowa fishing license. Nothing in the Department of Natural Resources regulations would act to prohibit your continued keeping of the turtle as a pet, so long as you maintain a valid license.

Hopefully this email will allow Council Bluffs to reissue the prior waiver for “Tank”. Please contact me if you have any questions.

A copy of this email was sent to the City Health Dept. director. I contacted him and he said he would get for work on my exception to Tank.

I'll believe it when it's in my hands.:D

[Mommy2many]

Yeah!!!!!!

[ProXimuS]

Woohoo!! Great news!

[kueluck]

AWESOME!! Seeing Tank is a big part of my vacation this year.

[Invisible Snake]

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[guidofatherof5]

Cool.

[ConcinusMan]

All the guys at airport security have one of these on the wall just in case LoL

[e.campo]

Hi,
I am Emanuele and I am new in this forum! :)
I am looking for Oligodon sp.: can you help me?

Thanks

[EasternGirl]

So...I haven't been around much and haven't gotten the chance to tell everyone about the scare we recently had with my dog. My son leaves his toys around...and my dog gets a hold of them and chews on them. He has always spit the pieces out in the past. A couple of weeks ago I found him chewing on a plastic toy...and I simply took the toy away from him as usual. But a couple of days later, he began vomiting and we got worried. We rushed him to the vet...it was a Friday. The vet took x-rays and as expected, he had a piece of plastic toy in his intestines. Now, my vet will let us make payments...but since it was the weekend, there was no one on call to perform emergency surgery. They told us we would have to take him to the emergency vet...who would charge around 2-4 grand for emergency surgery...up front. We don't have that kind of money. They told us all we could do at that point was give him IV fluids and watch him overnight and pray that he passed the plastic...they wanted us to come back the next morning for more films to see what was going on and go from there. At that point, I was in a panic...thinking I might have to watch my dog die a horrible death because I didn't have the money for surgery. But my dog did throw up and poop out some plastic that night. We went back in the morning...my son and I both carrying the "lucky garter pennies" that Steve sent us (I take mine with me to every exam at school)...the vet took new films and told us that my dog had managed to pass the plastic and wouldn't need surgery! Thank God and thank the lucky pennies from Steve! That was a close one....

[guidofatherof5]

That's good news. I'm glad the pennies came in handy.

[Selkielass]

Hi,
I am Emanuele and I am new in this forum! :)
I am looking for Oligodon sp.: can you help me?

Thanks

Hello, welcome!
I've looked never seen one, but from this discussion they sound very interesting.
Northern Short-headed Snake (Oligodon ancorus) (http://www.venomland.net/t6584-northern-short-headed-snake-oligodon-ancorus)
Im under the impression egg eaters can be tricky.

[Selkielass]

Oh Steve, I'm so glad Tanks legal position is looking more and more secure.!
Jay remembers his visit vividly, and still talks about Tank -and he loves your updates.

[guidofatherof5]

It's been 1 week since the health dept. director said he'd get started on the waiver for Tank.
I called him a few moments ago and asked if there was some new issue delaying the waiver. He said nothing new but that it had been a busy week. He hopes to get the waiver in the post tomorrow.
I'll probably see it in my Mon. post.

Ellen,
Tank looked huge sitting on Jay's lap then. Now, at 21 lbs he'd be giant.

[chris-uk]

It's been 1 week since the health dept. director said he'd get started on the waiver for Tank.
I called him a few moments ago and asked if there was some new issue delaying the waiver. He said nothing new but that it had been a busy week. He hopes to get the waiver in the post tomorrow.
I'll probably see it in my Mon. post.

Ellen,
Tank looked huge sitting on Jay's lap then. Now, at 21 lbs he'd be giant.

So the delay is just because it's a low priority in machinations of a slow bureaucracy. Good to hear.

[tress29]

Someone posted a hognose picture recently. Thought you might like to see newer pictures on my guy, Sweets.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/tress29/SweetsFull_zps4b1e3bfe.jpg

And a close up...
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/tress29/SweetsTongue_zps4ebd5b68.jpg

He's between 15 and 16" long, hatched in 2010.

P.S. Don't know why the first picture is showing you my dirty dishes. I cropped the pic on PhotoBucket but it's not showing up cropped here?

[guidofatherof5]

Sweet hoggy.

[ProXimuS]

Such a cutie:)

[guidofatherof5]

Well, he's over 21 lbs now. No letter in the mail yet. Hoping the waiver will be in the mail on Monday.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_face3.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Someone posted a hognose picture recently. Thought you might like to see newer pictures on my guy, Sweets.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/tress29/SweetsFull_zps4b1e3bfe.jpg

And a close up...
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/tress29/SweetsTongue_zps4ebd5b68.jpg

He's between 15 and 16" long, hatched in 2010.

P.S. Don't know why the first picture is showing you my dirty dishes. I cropped the pic on PhotoBucket but it's not showing up cropped here?

It's very simple. The URL you used points to the original image. If you also have an edited/cropped version, you must use the URL that leads to that image, not the original.

[guidofatherof5]

It's a miracle, Tank is LEGAL. 5 months of red tape and runarounds. Now if I can only claim him on my Federal taxes.
Should be able to get him a social security card without too much trouble.:D

Now we can have a party.;)

[tress29]

It's very simple. The URL you used points to the original image. If you also have an edited/cropped version, you must use the URL that leads to that image, not the original.Well, I guess I got it fixed, cause it's got most of the background cropped out, like I wanted. Thanks!

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Congrats!!!

it's a miracle, tank is legal. 5 months of red tape and runarounds. Now if i can only claim him on my federal taxes.
Should be able to get him a social security card without too much trouble.:d

now we can have a party.;)

[ConcinusMan]

Well, I guess I got it fixed, cause it's got most of the background cropped out, like I wanted. Thanks!

Oh, OK. Next time refresh the forum page. If the image has changed, the forum page wont reflect that until it's reloaded and replaced in your browser cache.;) Depending on your settings you might even have to close your browser then come back to see the change.

[ProXimuS]

Wooo!! Congrats to Tank and your family :)


It's a miracle, Tank is LEGAL. 5 months of red tape and runarounds. Now if I can only claim him on my Federal taxes.
Should be able to get him a social security card without too much trouble.:D

Now we can have a party.;)

[guidofatherof5]

*Note to self*

Don't go to bed unless you've put your snapping turtle to bed first.

I haven't felt well the last couple of days(sinus infection) so this evening I decided to go to bed a couple hours early. I hoped Tank would put himself to bed. I was wrong.
Just as I was almost asleep my daughter Hailee came into my room. She said "Tank won't listen to us and refuses to go to bed. He just keeps wondering around."
I went upstairs and told tank it was bedtime. I put him in his bed and he made himself comfortable. Within a few moments he was asleep.
Just more evidence that Tank has bonded with me. I'm certainly not complaining but this isn't even close to normal behavior for a snapping turtle.
Sleep well my good and faithful turtle.:D

[Ruth]

*Note to self*

Don't go to bed unless you've put your snapping turtle to bed first.

I haven't felt well the last couple of days(sinus infection) so this evening I decided to go to bed a couple hours early. I hoped Tank would put himself to bed. I was wrong.
Just as I was almost asleep my daughter Hailee came into my room. She said "Tank won't listen to us and refuses to go to bed. He just keeps wondering around."
I went upstairs and told tank it was bedtime. I put him in his bed and he made himself comfortable. Within a few moments he was asleep.
Just more evidence that Tank has bonded with me.
I'm certainly not complaining but this isn't even close to normal behavior for a snapping turtle.
Sleep well my good and faithful turtle.:D

If you keep enough animals you learn that there are special cases for every species and there's a lot more to most animals than we think. I've been lucky enough to know a few very special animals and it does make you wonder about things.

[Natrix]

my other passion that I revived after a ten year break Just a few of the 30+ pedigree show Rabbits that my partner and I breed and exhibit83518352835383548355

[guidofatherof5]

Sweet rabbits Rod. How about telling us what they are as far as the hobby goes?

[Natrix]

The first four pics are of the normal 'Fancy' Tan breed. They come in four colours only. Black/tan, Blue/Tan, Choc/Tan & Lilac/Tan. weight wisw they should ideally be around the 4.5lb mark for an adult. They have a big following both here in the UK and USA where the hobby of breeding ans showing Rabbits is massive, with huge conventions being held in the various states. The other is one of the Lops varieties. My partner breeds and show German lops which are a fair size weighing in at around 8lb average weight again for adults. They also come in many colours. The one pictured is an Agouti (The blue print for all other colours). Rabbits are categorized at shows into Fur & Rex ( Rex have a plush velvet coat ), Fancy & Lops. Each section has it's own Judge. the best from each section go head to head for Best in Show. The section Judges must agree or an independent person who is a qualified judge will be call to make the final decision. ;)

[Natrix]

The first four pics are of the normal 'Fancy' Tan breed. They come in four colours only. Black/tan, Blue/Tan, Choc/Tan & Lilac/Tan. weight wisw they should ideally be around the 4.5lb mark for an adult. They have a big following both here in the UK and USA where the hobby of breeding ans showing Rabbits is massive, with huge conventions being held in the various states. The other is one of the Lops varieties. My partner breeds and show German lops which are a fair size weighing in at around 8lb average weight again for adults. They also come in many colours. The one pictured is an Agouti (The blue print for all other colours). Rabbits are categorized at shows into Fur & Rex ( Rex have a plush velvet coat ), Fancy & Lops. Each section has it's own Judge. the best from each section go head to head for Best in Show. The section Judges must agree or an independent person who is a qualified judge will be call to make the final decision. My black Stud Buck omitted from previous pics.8357;)

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks Rod.

[guidofatherof5]

Tank tub time. Try saying that 5 times fast.

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

[ProXimuS]

my other passion that I revived after a ten year break Just a few of the 30+ pedigree show Rabbits that my partner and I breed and exhibit83518352835383548355

Very nice rabbits! I really like the black and tan markings :)

[guidofatherof5]

Tank is a goof.

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

[ConcinusMan]

Looks like he's relieving himself. What, no newspaper to read?

[guidofatherof5]

Today, Tank (Chelydra serpentina - Common Snapping Turtle) had a bad afternoon and evening. He came out of his water and roamed the house. The kids and I tried to put him to bed but he was having none of it. I suspected he had an upset stomach due to the fact he ate tilapia yesterday. This wondering went on for hours. We closed all the doors to the rooms we didn't want him in and let him roam. Eventually he came back to his enclosure in the living room. I quickly filled it with warm water. He continued with his restlessness in the water and then there was silence.
I checked on him and found he had a BM. I changed the water and Tank stretched out, finally relaxing.
Poor turtle had a bad belly.

Reminds me of the times with my own children.

[tress29]

Poor Tank! Glad he's feeling better and you could all get some sleep!

[tress29]

Often, when I walk my dogs, our cat, Houdini will tag along. He hides in the bushes and then runs to catch up. On our walk last week, we stopped to talk to a neighbor and he caught up with us.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/tress29/catwalk_zpsd6890fc3.jpg

[Invisible Snake]

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[guidofatherof5]

Here's Tank and Hailee(my youngest).
Silly turtle loves having someone stop by and spend some time with him. He is such a social turtle.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/tank_and_hailee2.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a Tank (Chelydra serpentina- common snapping turtle) story.
Tank slept most of the day yesterday. This morning he was on schedule for a BM. I changed his enclosure water so it was fresh and warm(the king deserves only the best) I woke him up and eventually had to put him in his water as he just wanted to stretch and yawn. A few moments after placing him in his water I looked over at him. He was stretched out in a typical relaxed position. This being neck out and turned to the side, back legs stretched with the pads of his feet turned up and out of the water. I also saw he had done his duty and soiled the water so I grabbed my 5 gallon bucket and scoop.
As I scooped the dirty water around him he never moved from his relaxed position. I noticed some poop along side him by the wall of the enclosure so I pushed the almost 22 pound snapping turtle away from the wall. He never flinched or moved out of his relaxed position. I went and dumped the water. When I returned with fresh warm water he was waiting in the same position.
This is one relaxed, calm, confident turtle. As I was typing this he came out of his enclosure and headed under the bookcase to continue sleeping.
I have never had a turtle like Tank. He shows no startle response to anything the occurs around him and is so comfortable living with us human.
I hope to have many more years watching, learning and enjoying life with the remarkable turtle.

[guidofatherof5]

The Tank saga continues:

Apparently Tank also knows his schedule. Today was a food day. A few moments ago I saw Tank's head out from under his blanket. After a few moments of discussion he decided to come out and go to his water. I went to the kitchen and prepared him meal. After he was done eating I saw him looking at his bed under the bookcase. I quickly made the bed up as it was a mess and he came out of his water. He walked half way and stopped. Now, he looked at his bed and then into the kitchen. I told him there was nothing for him in the kitchen and that he should go to bed. I explained to him that the bed was comfortable and warm, much better then the cold kitchen floor. He took another look at both and made his choice. I tucked him into bed a few moments later and he is fast asleep.
Such a funny turtle.

[KephrenJorgensen]

Amongst the confusion about the african bullfrog posted earlier, I stumbled upon what may cause a little more. But the photo of two frogs that was posted that were claimed to be what are called bullfrogs are not bullfrogs, they are the Green Frog (Lithobates clamitans), or whatever your locality decides to call them. The subspecies in my area is the Northern Bronze Frog (Lithobates clamitans melanotas), and after breeding a few pairs last year, I couldnt help but notice that the picture was not depicting bullfrogs. North American Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) lack the prominent ridge-lines along the back. The only difference I have found between these frogs is in reproduction and size. The green frog matures much faster, and a single female may lay up to 30,000 eggs, whilst they only reach a length of up to maybe 8 inches with their legs stretched.

[ConcinusMan]

I wish I could find what you're talking about but even if I showed you green frogs instead of bullfrogs the confusion was already sorted out. I mistook "African Bullfrog" for "American Bullfrog". Anyway there aren't any clamitans where I am, just American Bullfrogs. No ridges on them and no similar species in my area. It's just another google images nightmare. If you google "American Bullfrog" it brings up images of an African bullfrog above the description as well as a few images of the correct animal:rolleyes:


The subspecies in my area is the Northern Bronze Frog (Lithobates clamitans melanotas)

In B.C. ???

[KephrenJorgensen]

Ah yes, google nightmares. :P
Yes, in BC we have the clamitans melanotas as the main competitor with the bullfrogs, well on the Island atleast. They were introduced from Eastern Canada as the Green Frog (originally Rana clamitans, now Lithobates c.), but recently the subspecies (Northern Bronze Frog) was named for/within its area of distribution. I don't imagine there is any difference between the two, or much of one anyhow. It seems to me that its just like the Hyla/Pseudacris change. Hyla regilla went to Pseudacris regilla, and then divided into Pseudacris regilla and Pseudacris maculata based on lacation. I think Pacific Tree Frog, Pacific Chorus Frog, Pacific Green Treefrog, and Boreal Chorus Frog are all accepted common names, but really, why so many necessary?

[mikem]

All smiles for the camera!

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[guidofatherof5]

Very nice.
That's not a normal looking alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii). Looks like a hypo. of some sort.

[mikem]

Thanks! It's special for sure. Lots of pink! Love the lil dinosaur! :cool:

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[BLUESIRTALIS]

Agreed!

very nice.
That's not a normal looking alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys temminckii). Looks like a hypo. Of some sort.

[guidofatherof5]

I wonder why it has its mouth open. Stick you finger in there Mike, it might have something caught in its throat. Hurry :D

[CrazyHedgehog]

Look what I was given today!
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//831/medium/cali1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//831/medium/cali2.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//831/medium/cali3.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//831/medium/cali4.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//831/medium/cali5.jpg

[mikem]

Really?! I better check! I thought it was smiling for the camera ;)

[mikem]

oops, double post!

[mikem]

Nice king, Inge! Everyone I've kept have had amazing feeding responses. Open the cage, out comes the king to eat my fingers, lol!

[CrazyHedgehog]

Nice king, Inge! Everyone I've kept have had amazing feeding responses. Open the cage, out comes the king to eat my fingers, lol!
Yep, I think thats why I was given him! very pleased though!

[guidofatherof5]

Nice addition Inge.

[CrazyHedgehog]

Anyone any good at sexing king snakes visually? I'll probably get him probed next week, but I am thinking Male..
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//831/medium/snake_bum.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

A reasonable guess but kings/milks don't usually display a significant and obvious difference between sexes like garters do.

[guidofatherof5]

Tank:

He spent most of the evening in the bath tub. Around 2200hrs I went in and found him asleep so I carried him to his bed and attempted to put him in it. He was having none of that and decided he wanted to go to the kitchen. I closed all the doors and turned off all the lights. This left the only light on to be my laptop. After a few minutes in the dark he came back to the living room and I attempted again to get him in his bed. He resisted once more. This time he went to his water enclosure and climbed in. About 10 minutes later he came out and snuggled in beside me on the floor. I grabbed on of his blankets and covered him up. He stuck his head out from under the blanket and rested his head on my arm. He sat a listened to me explain how late it was and that he needed to get some sleep. After our conversation he pulled his head back in the blanket and got comfortable and went to sleep.
What a strange and wonderful animal. He could have gone to his bed or any other place to sleep but he chose to sleep beside me. Not normal in any stretch of the imagination for a snapping turtle.
So. here I type with him pushed up against me.
I've got a buddy and he's a 22 pound snapping turtle named Tank.

[d_virginiana]

Everyone's favorite animal! It came in a bit dehydrated and hypothermic, but it's sleeping next to the reptiles' heater right now snuggled into some possum colored micro-fiber cloth. Not getting too hopeful yet, but best case scenario is I can release him in a few months.

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[guidofatherof5]

Do they require a special milk?

[d_virginiana]

Do they require a special milk?

When they're still in the pouch they require a lot of care; since they're born so underdeveloped they need both milk and antibiotics. They also can't keep their body heat up at all, so he's right next to a heater to keep him as close to 95 F as possible. I've heard that both pedialyte/water and certain brand-name milk mixes work best. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out. I've never had one quite this young before.

Luckily the jaw is fully developed, which is a sign that he's old enough not to need antibiotics. This was an emergency rescue, so all I could get on such short notice was kitten formula (which doesn't hurt but isn't the best). My husband drove about six straight hours to pick the little guy up :)

[guidofatherof5]

Found a few things for you. Best of luck. Keep us posted, please.

Feeding a Baby possum » POSSUMS - - Rescue, Care and Advice (http://possums.site11.com/1_24_Feeding-a-Baby-possum.html)

Raising Orphaned Opossums (http://www.2ndchance.info/raisepossum.htm)

The Opossum Page - Caring for Orphaned Opossums (http://theopossumpage.com/pagefinding.html)

[guidofatherof5]

Here's Tank waking up this afternoon.
I see him everyday day so I don't see the growing but the second photo reminds me of how big this boy is getting. It wasn't too long ago my hand could cover his shell. Looks like those days are gone.
He is maturing into a fine snapping turtle.

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

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/sleepy_tank1.jpg

[d_virginiana]

Found a few things for you. Best of luck. Keep us posted, please.

Feeding a Baby possum » POSSUMS - - Rescue, Care and Advice (http://possums.site11.com/1_24_Feeding-a-Baby-possum.html)

Raising Orphaned Opossums (http://www.2ndchance.info/raisepossum.htm)

The Opossum Page - Caring for Orphaned Opossums (http://theopossumpage.com/pagefinding.html)

Thanks! As of this morning, he was out and about and looking slightly less traumatized than he was last night. I'll post updates and pictures as they happen :)

[mikem]

Good luck with the little possum! He's a cutie :) hope you're able to help it.

[d_virginiana]

Good luck with the little possum! He's a cutie :) hope you're able to help it.

Thanks, I hope he makes it. It's already started running to my hands to sleep making little distress calls when I walk away (took less than 24 hours to figure out who brings the food...). So much for not getting attached :p

[d_virginiana]

btw Steve, we got the milk-replacer recommended on one of those pages, and he's eating great now! Yes, it's 4 in the morning... The joys of nocturnal animals. Both of my frogs are freaking out because That Person keeps coming in there every four hours during dark-time.

[twgrosmick]

Alright guys so as you know I haven't been around recently and late last year I sold out a large portion of my collection because it was becoming too time consuming with my engineering degree but I still have quite a solid collection. **Mostly non-garters for now**

The Garter species I will be working with are infernalis and eastern black necks. I will probably be working with a few more but for now that is where my interest lies. Now on to the pictures.

First up is a few pics of the neon red line of crested geckos I have been working with. They are currently breeding and this upcoming offspring will be third generation red patternless. I have a rather large group of these, 8 eggs already, but I only snapped a few good pics. I will have babies and two excess males available this season.

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Next up is a picture of my rhacodactylus leachianus and rhacodactylus chahoua. They are both 2012's but I have three female chewies and two unsexed leachies so if I get lucky enough I should have babies in 2014.
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[twgrosmick]

Finally my favorite acquisition of the season. The motley het blood from Mike Panichi. This is going to be a killer start to an awesome project if all goes well!

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[guidofatherof5]

Very nice and good to see you back on.

[guidofatherof5]

btw Steve, we got the milk-replacer recommended on one of those pages, and he's eating great now! Yes, it's 4 in the morning... The joys of nocturnal animals. Both of my frogs are freaking out because That Person keeps coming in there every four hours during dark-time.

Good to hear. I rescued 3 babies from the street once. Their mother had been killed and babies slowly left her only to be killed themselves. I found the 3 still clinging to mom. A rescue person close by took them from me. She thought they would make it.

[tress29]

So much for not getting attached :pI would guess an opossum wouldn't domesticate, like a skunk would?

[guidofatherof5]

I would guess an opossum wouldn't domesticate, like a skunk would?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU1l5anC6BQ&NR=1&feature=endscreen

[ConcinusMan]

I would guess an opossum wouldn't domesticate, like a skunk would?

Depends on how you define domestication. Personally I don't think that simply taming a wild animal and keeping it as a pet qualifies, even if the animal is captive bred and born. But when it comes to opossums you're forgetting one thing: The reason they have spread far beyond their native habitat is because they were once widely kept domestically, both for food and as pets and they still are to a lesser degree. Pioneers brought live opossums (their pets) west with them where they soon escaped or were released so they could be hunted for food. Genetically speaking these "pets" were identical to their wild counterparts since there was no selective breeding as there has been with skunks and foxes.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU1l5anC6BQ&NR=1&feature=endscreen

EEEEWWW!!! :( She touched that nasty thing!! :eek: Someone call an exterminator or give me a baseball bat.

[d_virginiana]

Having raised them before, both for release and some that have become long-term captives due to serious injury, I can say that they are definitely not 'pets'. They tend to trust only one or two people who work with them daily, as opposed to truly domesticated animals that are pretty much okay around a lot of people. Of course, if you happen to be the person that they trust, they can be as sweet as a dog or cat. On the other hand, if a new person walks into the room, they may as well be dealing with a wild one because they will go nuts; and you do not want a lawsuit because your buddy decided to pet a 'tame' 25 pound possum while you weren't supervising.
Another reason they make really horrible pets is that they're very mobile and very smart (they actually rank above dogs, and on level with pigs in discrimination tests). It's kind of like having a small child (thumbs and all) that can climb into all the cabinets.

[guidofatherof5]

This is a comfortable 22 pound snapping turtle - Chelydra serpentina. Tank is cuddled in with his favorite goose down blanket. I hadn't seen him all day so I checked on him. He didn't want to get up and shortly after the photo retreated into the blanket.

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

[guidofatherof5]

Tank was fed last night and soon after went straight to bed.
I told him that he could sleep the entire day and that I wouldn't get him up until Sat. morning. This would usually happen but not tonight.
While I worked on my laptop on the living room floor Tank rushed out from under his bookcase and blankets.
It could only mean one thing. He had to go to the bathroom. Sure enough once he was in his water he went #1:D.
This was a quick bathroom break as he came right out of the water and went back to bed.
It is so nice to have a potty trained snapping turtle.:D

[d_virginiana]

Well, sad update on the baby possum. It died earlier this week very suddenly. It ate fine and curled up after its afternoon feeding, then four hours later when I came in to feed it again was dying. It died in my hand a few minutes later.
I'm almost certain the cause was systemic septicemia. (FYI for anyone else who ever has to deal with a marsupial of any sort) This sort of septicemia occurs in marsupials. It goes systemic with few-to-no symptoms for days, killing them suddenly. The only signs are blistering on the feet and ears that occur shortly before death. I saw one of these blisters had appeared on this one's foot in the hours right before he died.
I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up; my husband's sister kept him for almost 48 hours with no food, water, or heat source before we got him. I knew logically that it would be difficult for a pouch-baby to bounce back from that. (Though it baffles me as to why someone couldn't spend five minutes on the internet, to figure out that something as simple as a heater could save an animal's life).
Even though it's sad, I do feel better knowing that he had re-imprinted (I guess that's what you could call it) on me as his mother. At least he had three days of being warm and happy, with minimal stress on him.



It is so nice to have a potty trained snapping turtle.:D

Can he give my dog lessons?

[mikem]

Sorry for your loss of the little guy :(

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks for giving the possum a chance.

[Stefan-A]

Sorry to hear it.

[d_virginiana]

Thanks everybody :(

On the bright side, I have all the stuff I'd need for another emergency rescue, so the next time I get a call I'm prepared. (Happens more often than you'd think...)

[guidofatherof5]

My oldest daughter was nice enough to take this photo of my buddy (Tank) and I.
It was nice out until the storm clouds rolled in. I think Tank enjoyed it while it lasted.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/Tank_and_dad3.jpg

[CrazyHedgehog]

Maf bought me a very nice 'get well' present after I had been ill all week!,
Meet Coco Pops, shes a female for Nesquik the banana cali king male that I was given!!!
Am I spoilt or what!!
8672 8673

[CrazyHedgehog]

duplicate sorry, it said it hadn't posted

[guidofatherof5]

Sweeeet.

[ConcinusMan]

Maf bought me a very nice 'get well' present after I had been ill all week!,
Meet Coco Pops, shes a female for Nesquik the banana cali king male that I was given!!!
Am I spoilt or what!!
8672 8673

Nice. I miss the days when I could just go walking not far from home and find kings like that. But there were no garters. On second thought, I don't miss that. LoL

[roswald]

Hi Shannon, Do you recognize this girl,she may have grown a bit!
8726

[guidofatherof5]

My daughter Emmy found this and some other photos on her old cell phone.
Look at cute LITTLE Tank.

6/1/10
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/new_tank1.jpg

4/13/13 He sure has grown.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/sleepy_tank1.jpg

[infernalis]

Hi Tank!

[CrazyHedgehog]

So, look what I was given today! (whoop whoop)
8732

I had to wait for this one as I needed to set a new tank up for her, she is another Cali King, so can not house her communally!
.8733

[guidofatherof5]

Sweeet.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Are sure she is a California king and not a Mexican black king? If she is a cal king she is real cool looking!
So, look what I was given today! (whoop whoop)
8732

I had to wait for this one as I needed to set a new tank up for her, she is another Cali King, so can not house her communally!
.8733

[CrazyHedgehog]

Are sure she is a California king and not a Mexican black king? If she is a cal king she is real cool looking!
Yes, and she is in blue here, so should shed in a few days, so I'm leaving her settle in during this. I saw a 'free to good home, but only to the right owner' add and it just said King snake... I asked which type it was before telling him mine were cali kings... and yup shes a cali king, quite young though.
(Thank you! she is a beauty!)

[frankenspud]

8734873587368737I just realized how few photos I have of my pets! Lots of video but very few photos. The first one is my gargoyle gecko Lurch the second is my creamsicle corn snake(no name) the third is one of my 4 leopard geckos named Shirley(her room mates name is Lavern and I have two males named Lenny and Squiggy! If you get these references you were most likely born in the 70's or earlier;) and the last is my newest addition- a lygodactylus luteopicturatus or yellow headed dwarf gecko(no name).

[ConcinusMan]

Are sure she is a California king and not a Mexican black king? If she is a cal king she is real cool looking!

I'm sure you're right.


Yes, and she is in blue here, so should shed in a few days, so I'm leaving her settle in during this. I saw a 'free to good home, but only to the right owner' add and it just said King snake... I asked which type it was before telling him mine were cali kings... and yup shes a cali king, quite young though.
(Thank you! she is a beauty!)

I'm sorry but there's no way that's a cali king. Even a melanistic cali king isn't solid black. And from what I can see it has that uniform colored, patternless belly. Everything about that snake is typical for a Mexican black king. (Lampropeltis getula nigrita) I used to find them in Arizona. I don't care how dark a cali gets you can always see a pattern, especially on the underside. Where I.D. gets complicated, especially in Arizona is that there is high degree of integration between mexican black, desert kings and cali kings but when you find one that cleanly black with no pattern at all, you know for sure it's a pure mexican black.

[guidofatherof5]

8734873587368737I just realized how few photos I have of my pets! Lots of video but very few photos. The first one is my gargoyle gecko Lurch the second is my creamsicle corn snake(no name) the third is one of my 4 leopard geckos named Shirley(her room mates name is Lavern and I have two males named Lenny and Squiggy! If you get these references you were most likely born in the 70's or earlier;) and the last is my newest addition- a lygodactylus luteopicturatus or yellow headed dwarf gecko(no name).

Very nice.

[frankenspud]

thanks!

[ConcinusMan]

Well here's the 4ft tank i scored for a mere $40 on craigslist and the beardie I found today.

Great news! I went back to that neighborhood to post "found lizard" signs when I encountered a woman and several kids sobbing and posting signs of their own. "lost lizard" She's back home now. Apparently, one of the kids left a door open and the lizard pretty much has the run of the house. The rest is history. She was only missing for a few hours. They've had her for 7 years and she's a sweetheart. I think I'd be sobbing too. Glad she's home with people who love her.

http://i43.tinypic.com/263g3ra.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2dl2zc.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Nice save Richard.

[ConcinusMan]

I found her right in front of her own house (I kinda figured she hadn't been out long and didn't go far) but being how I was able to stop and pick her up out of the road with nobody watching/protesting it didn't dawn on me at the time to knock on the door. Seems she was discovered missing mere minutes after I picked her up and they searched the yard and street. They probably would have found her if I hadn't picked her up but the street is no place for her thats for sure. The road gets quite a bit of traffic and when I first saw her I thought she was rubbish and almost drove over her. I hope they suffered only just enough to learn a hard lesson. Next time she could end up as a lizard pancake. There's also huge herons and birds of prey around the area that would love to meet her I'm sure.

That reminds me. I heard from a reliable source that some kids out catching garters (just catch and release) at my Oregon herping spot got more than they bargained for when they found a large boa constrictor out there last week. Geez

[CrazyHedgehog]

I'm sure you're right.



I'm sorry but there's no way that's a cali king. Even a melanistic cali king isn't solid black. And from what I can see it has that uniform colored, patternless belly. Everything about that snake is typical for a Mexican black king. (Lampropeltis getula nigrita) I used to find them in Arizona. I don't care how dark a cali gets you can always see a pattern, especially on the underside. Where I.D. gets complicated, especially in Arizona is that there is high degree of integration between mexican black, desert kings and cali kings but when you find one that cleanly black with no pattern at all, you know for sure it's a pure mexican black.

She has some white patches under her chin, but I did take his word for the breed, his house mate worked in a reptile shop and he brought direct from a breeder.
I'll wait for her to shed and see if I can get some better pics, I would like to know for sure. Do Mexicans have the white patches?

[ConcinusMan]

Yes, sometimes. But a very dark cali, even if it's dang near all black or crossed with a mexican black will usually still have that characteristic checkered pattern on the underside or otherwise have a heavily patterned underside

[CrazyHedgehog]

OK, thank you, I appreciate the advice.
I only got her on Wednesday and very blue eyes in this photo, I will wait until she sheds, (she will have had a chance to settle a bit by then too) and check her over thoroughly, (and get some clearer pics)
I know I can breed her with the Cali kings but I would rather not if she is a Mexican, so I shall just have to hassle the other half to buy me a Mexican male for her!:D

[ConcinusMan]

It's not that big of a deal if you do breed to a cali. They cross in the wild all the time where they coexist. But IMO the result isn't near as nice as a pure cali or mexican black

[CrazyHedgehog]

Not sure if this will work... Shadow, trying to get a fuss from Gromit!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200967213773385&l=4021805830892517066

[ConcinusMan]

works for me but I'm logged into facebook. Not sure it will work for those that don't have an account

[guidofatherof5]

Here are my two sons, Kale(16) and Tank(4).
Tank decided he wanted to be up on Kale's lap, so he did. Kale and Tank have a good relationship.
They better because Tank will be living with Kale in the future.
A social snapping turtle. He's an awesome turtle.

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

[oki-inu]

Wow, he's bigger than I thought.

[guidofatherof5]

Wow, he's bigger than I thought.

He continues to grow and impress everyone who meets him.
Last night I was in the snake room talking with my son. When we were finished he headed upstairs. It was then I heard him tell Tank to move way from the basement door so I headed up also. I opened the door to see Tank. He ran over to me and rested in my arms.
This morning Kale and I were discussing the incident and Kale said how amazing it was to see Tank recognize me and rush to me. He truly is a family member.

[Lowfur]

It's so great to hear about these connections between reptiles and "their people" so many people don't give them credit for how smart they actually are! I love hearing about Tank :)

[guidofatherof5]

I had a photo of Tank made into a small poster print. He reacted to it which surprised me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Sj72Efwjfg

[d_virginiana]

I think that's proof that you can never keep another snapping turtle around Tank :D He looked angry that that other turtle was getting too close to his human!

Have you seen the clip of Steve Irwin showing the tortoise Harriet pictures of another one of her species? Pretty cute. I should print out a picture of Turtle and see if she does anything.

[d_virginiana]

I found my turtle laying eggs tonight. She hasn't been with another turtle since at least the beginning of last summer, but apparently box turtles can store sperm for up to five years. I'm going to try and incubate them and see what happens! I've read where eggs can either hatch after three months, or overwinter. Hopefully these don't overwinter.
Any babies will be released where the mother was caught, since the father had to have been a wild turtle from the area as well :)

[mikem]

i hope they hatch out for you! baby box turtles are adorable! :D

[Charis]

Definitely keep us updated on the eggs! I've been thinking of getting an Eastern Boxie for awhile now.

[d_virginiana]

Well, as of today, there's still just the one egg, and one that she laid in her water and subsequently squished with her foot :rolleyes: Average is 4-6, so I keep checking hoping for a couple more. I know she's looking for a better place to lay them, so I put a mound of moss/reptibark in there so she has more stuff to dig in.
I've got the one in potting soil, and am using the fishtank heater method to cycle temps. Basically, I've got the potting soil in a plastic container, which is then placed in the water, and my old aquarium heater set to 85-90 daytime and 70 nighttime.

[CrazyHedgehog]

88168817881888198820
yay 5 new corn snakes this week
:D

[CrazyHedgehog]

Yes, sometimes. But a very dark cali, even if it's dang near all black or crossed with a mexican black will usually still have that characteristic checkered pattern on the underside or otherwise have a heavily patterned underside
now shes shed (few weeks back )and I have had a chance to read up on the different morphs etc, I am pretty sure you are right !

[Invisible Snake]

88168817881888198820
yay 5 new corn snakes this week
:D

Nice new additions! :)

[guidofatherof5]

Snapping turtles(Tank) are very fast runners, when they have something to chase. I'll have to shoot some new video but this guy is fast.:D

[Foxrun402]

Today while at a friends house a boy came in the house freaking out about "what he found".
http://i1342.photobucket.com/albums/o774/foxrun402/temporary_zps381e182c.jpg (http://s1342.photobucket.com/user/foxrun402/media/temporary_zps381e182c.jpg.html)

I'm not sure how old this little thing is... But I assure you its back in the wild in a safe location. I told him that he wouldn't be able to care for it properly without researching how to care for a baby bunny. This thing was very small and too scared to move. I offered it a very small baby carrot piece and it wouldn't accept. I didn't have any hay or lettuce to try but most smaller rabbits start out eating softer food. I'm not sure if it would have been wise to try and keep nursing it in captivity or not, so I advised to place the baby back near where the mother was.

It broke the kids heart because he really wanted to keep it, but I'm certain it was the right thing to place it back near the nest... It was able to hop short distances and would try to stray away from us but was very slow. Leading me to believe the kid probably saw it and ran up on it and caught it, which to me seems wrong to do to a baby bunny.

I dunno what to think :confused:

[Didymus20X6]

This is what happens when they leave the nest without a good supply of ACME products - anvils, TNT, portable holes and such. Don't these youngsters ever learn?

[d_virginiana]

Depending on the age, a lot of small mammals will die of infection in captivity. They get their antibodies from the mother's milk, and often need supplemental antibiotics (idk if that one would be on solid food yet or not). It's difficult even for experienced rehabilitators to raise them when they are still nest babies, so you did the right thing. There's no way a kid could do it.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

my family found 3 of these exactly this size a year ago and we were sure they were too young. Knowing wild rabbits will usually die in the average person's hands, I told my parents to take them to our local wildlife rehab. Then we got some news that was quite surprising. At this age and size, they are more than capable of fending for themselves and living on their own and to simple release them back where they were found. I had no idea they could start independent life so small.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

having said that I'm going to move this thread to the "other" thread now.

[ConcinusMan]

Looks to be right about the age where they wean and leave the nest

[guidofatherof5]

Tank want to go out and find a girlfriend or two or three.

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

[Foxrun402]

haha! ata boy Tank! :D

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a little Tank story for you.

Tank love his new sized(larger) trout chow pellets I feed him. They are just a bit smaller then a sweet pea. I'll toss in 5 or so at a time and he usually grabs them all in one gulp. Sometimes he does miss a few and I don't want him to waste them.
Here's what I do. Using my finger I'll push the pellets he missed into a pile right in front of his nose. While I do this he watches but never takes the food until I've moved my finger well out of the way. He has many opportunities to grab the pellets I've put together but doesn't. He knows fingers aren't for eating so he doesn't bite them. How's that for a smart and considerate turtle?

[guidofatherof5]

It's been over a month since Tank (Chelydra serpentina - Common Snapping Turtle) has slept outside his water. Today, he came out and I found his leg sticking out from under his blanket. He's on his cedar filled pillow and covered with his blanket. He is such a funny little (23+ pounds) turtle. He'll probably sleep there until tomorrow morning.

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

[guidofatherof5]

Just found this photo of Tank. He was such a cute teenager.
The second and third photo was just a few moments ago when he woke up from his nap. He came out from under his blanket and rested on my arm. I talked to him for about 10 minutes while he sat there. Such a calm turtle.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/new_tank2.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank57.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank56.jpg

[d_virginiana]

I just realized that I haven't posted this story on the forum yet.

As my husband was out buying crickets the other day, he told the woman at the store that he was getting them for a White's Tree Frog named Dubstep. She then mentioned she had fostered a WTF for the organization I adopted him from, and had played it dubstep music to get it to croak. Funny thing is that organization has only ever fostered one WTF, and that's the one I adopted. Who I named Dubstep without knowing any of this.
The real point of this, is to say that of all possible super powers, I have a psychic connection with an amphibian.

89918992

[mikem]

Here's some photos of my common snapper, Panzer! She really is a sweetheart. I've had her for about 14 months now. She was a little defensive in the beginning, but has warmed up to me :D

9007 9008 9009
9010 9011

[mikem]

9012 9013
9014 9015

[guidofatherof5]

Very nice and that trust should get stronger and stronger the more time you spend with her. She's a sweet looking young lady.
Such a misunderstood animal. I think given the chance they can be very docile. My Tank has shown me that they also bond to individuals.
Tank and I are buddies and I wouldn't have it any other way.

By the way, Tank wants to know if he can date Panzer:D

[ConcinusMan]

But he sent a similar request to Atlas Helmets in Sweden, Bell Sports, Inc in Illinois USA, Aurora Sports Goods in China, I could go on but...:D

[mikem]

I'll need to have a little chat with Tank before they go out! ;) :D

[guidofatherof5]

I understand. Not that it will do any good.;):D

Tank wanted me to send this photo for you to give to Panzer.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank58.jpg

[StrmChasr]

9030
The snake did it.........I swear :D

[guidofatherof5]

Here's Hailee spending some time with Tank. She sits and talks with him all the time.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//751/medium/tank_and_hailee5.jpg