Other pets (pics and discussions)

[guidofatherof5]

Tank is now on Facebook. Search Tank Gilfillan.

[guidofatherof5]

I'm trying to teach Tank something new. He's mastered the open palm with the fingers spread out as to mean no food. The problem comes when I feed him pellets. The problem is two fold. I want him to wait until I place my hand in the water and release the pellets before he takes them. With pellets in hand I can't show him an open palm so he thinks there is food there and he would be right because he can smell it. I pull my fist back and tell him no but he seem confused. Getting him to wait isn't going to be easy but I think it can be done. I'm not concerned about taking a bite as he won't be able to grab a closed fist very well. I'll report back as he learns this new task.

[guidofatherof5]

Today, we were doing some reorganizing around the human part of the Ranch. My son (Kale) was in the attic and my oldest (Emmy) was on the ladder handing him things. She was at the top of a 5ft ladder when Tank came out to see what was going on. He looked up the ladder and saw him mom (Emmy). This was very interesting to him and he reached up toward her. He recognizes Emmy and was very curious as to why she was up on the ceiling. Why would he care? Why show any interest at all?
A short time later I walked into the kitchen as Tank was outside the bathroom door. He turned his head to look at me, then turned his body and walked to me. I sat down on the floor and he climbed up on my lap and just sat there. Why would he do that? I hope it’s because in us he feels comfort with our company. I hope he feels more secure being in close contact with us. He certainly likes to get involved in all the goings-on around the house.
Much earlier in the day he came to me while I was on the floor with my laptop. He put his front legs across my arm and relaxed. While I talked to him I noticed some gunk under his beak in corner of his mouth. I reached up and cradled his head with one hand and used my fingernail to remove the stuff. It took 3 tries to get the job done and Tank never offered any resistance. He’s so tolerate of me. A 30 pound snapping turtle could do some real damage if he wanted to.
Instead, I have Tank. We are so lucky.

[Floof]

It's official... All that's left is getting him snipped... I am now slave to a cat! Meet Fuzzy Lumpkin. He was a foster cat at work (my store fosters kittens through a local rescue). He was there for 3 or 4 months, very last one left before I finally couldn't resist any longer! Spoke to the housemates, and made arrangements to bring him home for a trial adoption. Emphasis on trial. I still live at home, and my dad isn't a cat person. Well... By the end of the 2 weeks, he admitted that he actually LIKES the dang cat!

He enjoys harassing the tortoises. Fortunately, the tortoises don't care.





He has his cute sleepy kitty moments, too.


The dogs were fascinated and downright thrilled at first. SOMETHING FURRY! Maybe it will be my bestest friend evar! ... Then the novelty wore off and they figured out that he was just there to steal loves. LOL. They aren't so amused anymore. But everyone gets along well.

[Floof]

On a slightly more on topic note.. I've been doing some more rearranging and caging upgrades for the snakes. (Seriously, it never ends...) After 6 months of debating whether to adopt her out, and as part of the agreement to get the cat, I found a great new home for Volvagia the Rosy Boa. I was sad to see her go... But once I sat down to decide what to do with her now empty half of the Boaphile, it actually led to cascading cage upgrades!

DeeDee the now subadult Ultramel Anery Motley corn snake moved into this empty 30" Vision I'd been staring at for 3 months... It doubled as kitty cubbyhole for a month, which helped with the ETS, but Fuzz had pretty well outgrown it by now.
Miss Pudgy declined having her photo taken.


Now I had an empty 3' Boaphile to deal with... Which snake would get the honor?

The choice wasn't too hard.. The Everglade's rat snake seemed stressed in her all glass Exo terra. But she's still little... Half of the Boaphile was plenty.

(Don't mind the funny looking vent--she's in the process of smearing me with musk during this photo.)


This choice was even easier... The Checkered garter would slip through the door gap in an instant, and that just left the Kunasir Island rat snake. Still young, but just big enough not to fit through the gap. She is DWARFED in this 24x18x12" space, but she's making good use of it! (That's more than I can say for the Everglade's, who has barely moved from her paper towel roll. OMG, CHANGE! I'M GONNA DIE!)

She was in shed at the time of the switch, thus the ugly shade of brown.


Well, I'm not completely done yet. Upgrading the Everglade's left this 18x18x24" viv empty. I cleaned it up and stocked it with a couple wood pieces and a couple plants. Currently, it's acting as pretty "plant storage" (as a certain someone of the feline variety has been dead set on killing my Dracaena). We'll see what happens with this. An acquaintance just took in a huge group of rescue lizards/geckos and is overwhelmed, so I'm tempted to smuggle in a couple of the arboreal geckos to rehab & adopt out... Alternately, the Garter may get this, I'm just concerned about whether he would utilize the height!


Alright, I'll cease photobombing the thread now...

[guidofatherof5]

Be careful, snakes + cats = danger for the snakes (as a rule)

[Floof]

Thank you, Steve. I am aware. Prey drive was one of my main concerns with getting a cat (one of the reasons it took 2 months to finally pull the trigger). They're furry little deviants!

Fortunately, I had already taken steps over the last year to switch the bulk of the reptiles into stacking and otherwise more secure caging. All the snakes are in cat-proof caging, and I'm very careful when they're out. Same with the lizards. He's much more interested in the Alligator lizards and Golden skinks than the snakes or bigger skinks. They're small and skittish and fast. But their enclosures are cat-proof, and I'm able to lock him out while doing maintenance.

The tortoises are the only ones he's allowed direct contact with, and even that is closely supervised.

[ConcinusMan]

Mt. Kings
L. leonis
L. pyromelana

[guidofatherof5]

Very nice, Richard.

[mikem]

Panzer had a vet visit this morning. She has an upset tummy. I snapped a few photos of her before the doctor came in for the exam.







She weighs 6lbs now. Gaining weight slow and steady. Nobody could believe how friendly and relaxed she was. Panzer put a lot of smiles on faces this morning She fell asleep on the way home and is still resting in her comfy towel. I'll let her sleep a bit longer before starting the meds.