Rats, Ferrets, Snakes, other exotic animals.

[Omen]

Aww, thanks. Gizmo sounds like a cutie. Are you on http://www.bluetongueskinks.org/forum/index.php?

Yes, my username is Vengeance on that forum.

 

How old is Yoshi in that picture? My sister is interested in Beardies, I know the Centralian/P. Vitticeps can grow as large as 30cm from head to vent while the Pygmy/Black Soil/P. Henrylawsoni only get as big as 15cm from head to vent. Just after an idea of how quickly they reach adult size. With my BTS, they can reach up to 45cm, at four months Gizmo's 23-26cm head to tail (hard to measure). I would imagine Gizmo could reach that size after two years, without factoring in brumination.

[Spelunker]

He is 2 and a half. I just took it now.

He was about a year and a half old when I got him.

He's going on 3, on June 26th. (I decided that would be his hatchday.)

 

The only types of Beardies you can get outside of Australia are P. Vitticeps (yoshi) and P. Henrilawsoni. I am Spitfyre over on BD.org.

We're a great community with a whole ton of people ready and willing to help you provide proper beardie care. /shameless advertising

 

Usually, they reach about full size after about a year, and will grow very slowly for the rest of their lives. Don't trust anything from pet stores unless you look around with some criteria from a pet forum and you can say with confidence (not ignorance) that a pet store is good.

 

But as you're on a reptile care forum, I think you probably know that already.

 

Gosh, BTS are huuuge! It's rare for a beardie to grow past 20 in. I've never heard of one larger than 25 in. Yoshi's only 17 in, and I still think he needs a bigger tank than his current 40 gal breeder.

 

I really don't know much about henrilawsonii.

 

 

 

 

I would like nothing more than to have a wall devoted to snakes someday. I especially love carpet pythons, ball pythons, GTPs, corn snakes, leucistic black rat snakes, and bamboo rats. Have you ever attended a convention?

Edited May 5, 2013 by Spelunker

[satyr76]

I have four herps - a female ball python named Isis, a male western hognose named Judas, a female leopard gecko named Leah, and a male (i'm pretty sure? His tail is smaller than a lot of males but it looks to big to be a female's idk)Russian tortoise named Timmy.

Edited May 5, 2013 by satyr76

[Omen]

He is 2 and a half. I just took it now.

He was about a year and a half old when I got him.

He's going on 3, on June 26th. (I decided that would be his hatchday.)

 

-snip-

 

Have you ever attended a convention?

I have no idea on inches and gallons, but using a converter Gizmo is 10inches from head to tail tip, though the tail is about 10cm in length, so head to vent would be roughly 5-6inches. They can get pretty big though it depends on subspecies, the wild Eastern we have in our yard is about 35cm/13.5inches long (head to tail tip) and looks to be a yearling, and the Eastern probably bruminated in the first year. The largest subspecies of BTS is the northern, which in some cases can reach 60cm or 3feet long.

 

We've got Gizmo set up in a 140cmx45cm/4.5ishfeetx1.5feet enclosure, though it's only a temporary one (it's all glass), with the permanent enclosure planned to be 120cmx60cm/4feetx2feet. The general consensus on enclosure size is no smaller than a 90cmx45cm enclosure for each Bluey. I don't think it's enforced in the state I live in (QLD), but in NSW the proposed guidelines call for a minimum of 60cmx30cm, which in my opinion is way too small for an adult. The hides Gizmo uses are about 25cmx15cm, and you need two (hot hide and cool hide), so two of those in an enclosure that small is pushing it, even if they do burrow.

 

Wow Yoshi is 45cm? He seems much smaller, it's probably just the picture. A 40gal sounds alright, assuming it's the 3feetx1.5feet size one. Going by the NSW guidelines again, both the Class C Skinks (Tiliqua included) and Class B Dragons (most Pogona), must have 60cmx30cm to 90cmto45cm. If he's like the adult Beardies at the local pet store (they're the owners dragons), and just sit in one spot most of the time that size should be alright. I'm sure he wouldn't complain if he got a larger enclosure though.

 

Ball Pythons seem to be cool snakes, especially with all of the morphs and colour mutations (the Granite Nova looks awesome!), but the only species we're allowed to keep in Australia are natives, such as Antaresia and subspecies (Children's Python for example), Morelia and subspecies (aka Carpet, including Green Tree Python), Aspidites (Woma and Black-headed Python), Colubrids (Green/Brown Tree snake for example), Liasis (Water and Olive Python), and in some cases Elapids (Red Belly Black, Death Adder, Eastern Brown, Tiger, Taipan), though the vens are with two years of prior experience plus completion of a course. I'm in the same shoes in regards to the wall of snakes, we're already planning on getting another Darwin once me move house and after the permanent enclosures for our current snakes are built.

 

Never attended a convention before, though it is on the to do list; or at least I'll join a herp society; there's some invaluable information to be had with access to experienced keepers and breeders alike. I'll have to look into that forum, can't hurt to be informed on a species I don't own but would like to (I wanted a BTS for years before finally getting one!).

 

I have to agree with the advice on cross-referencing information. The local pet store here owns a pair of Pogona Vitticeps and Antaresia Stimsoni themselves, but doesn't have much experience with BTS or Carpets; while they're fairly knowledgeable on those two species, I'd still cross reference information, just to be sure. You can never be too cautious, especially when a pet reptile can be a twenty year or more investment. Sorry if I'm coming across as an overnight expert, I'm not intending to.

[Spelunker]

Yes.

 

Overnight expertise is better than longtime inexperience.

 

 

Australia, lucky you! Do you get wild beardies?

[Alegra]

I love hearing about other peoples cool pets

If I had the time and money, I'd have parrots and fish and lizards and spiders and rats and goats and turtles...

 

I do have a cockatiel, don't know whether he counts as exotic though. Sometimes more than I can handle, you wouldn't think so but some birds are very demanding, he's very very very moody. He likes to scream at my ponies...

 

[Omen]

Yes.

 

Overnight expertise is better than longtime inexperience.

 

 

Australia, lucky you! Do you get wild beardies?

I'm going to say yes, as the Eastern Bearded Dragon/Pogona Barbata's region does extend along the East coast, so I would imagine there are some around in the less populated areas. However, I have only seen Pink Tongued Skinks and Blue Tongued Skinks in our yard (suburban SEQLD, so seeing Blueys and Pinkies is pretty awesome).

 

Busted Caine sitting in his water dish the other day, just after a handling session: Pic ~ Lighting is bad in this one.

My sister snapped a pic of Gizmo coming out of the substrate: Pic

 

[Spelunker]

Ha, those are both great!

Caine's just like "I'm a snake sitting in a dish, and I OWN it."

 

Gizmo's like "Whoever woke me up today dies."

 

Yoshi eating breakfast

http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/Drakonfy...6278dc.mp4.html

 

 

He gets romaine in the morning, and other types of lettuce from our garden if we have them. I need to get more endive and escarole. He refuses to touch collards.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Spelunker

[girlgamerjen]

I've had a large variety... let's see.

 

caiman lizard, a rather small variety of juvenile crocodile, parrots, iguanas, cockatiels, squirrel (adopted as an orphan babe), wolf-dog hybrid, ferrets, squat tailed gecko, leopard geckos.

 

My uncle also runs a large cat sanctuary, where people who get things like tigers can surrender when they come to their senses. He had a mountain lion that lived indoors with them.

 

edit: also, forgot about my boxed turtles as a child. Also, lots of fish, including a salt-water tank when I was a child, and the time my mother had some of those shark type fish (i think they werent too bad though, like bala sharks?) My mother also helped nurse a few crows back to life, that lived in our back yard after that.

Edited May 6, 2013 by girlgamerjen

[ChocolateIzzy]

Can I go to your Uncle's sanctuary!!! I love cats! Also loves Tigers as they are my favourite animal!

[Omen]

Ha, those are both great!

Caine's just like "I'm a snake sitting in a dish, and I OWN it."

 

Gizmo's like "Whoever woke me up today dies."

 

Yoshi eating breakfast

http://s1147.photobucket.com/user/Drakonfy...6278dc.mp4.html

 

 

He gets romaine in the morning, and other types of lettuce from our garden if we have them. I need to get more endive and escarole. He refuses to touch collards.

Awesome! Gizmo doesn't like veges or greens other than carrot, but gets them anyway (chopped finely or processed in a food processor, then mixed with meat/proteins). I can't even find escarole or collard greens here, endive is difficult to find but some places have it. Will have to start growing some, I think.

 

My mother thinks I'm looney as it is, starting my own wood roach farm for the lil tucker. I've got a few bubs, but need more adult stock to produce them at a fair rate. They don't seem to last long in stores here, I can understand why though, Gizmo loves them! Can't catch them though, so being fed from tongs is the easiest way about it.

 

  I've had a large variety... let's see.

 

caiman lizard, a rather small variety of juvenile crocodile, parrots, iguanas, cockatiels, squirrel (adopted as an orphan babe), wolf-dog hybrid, ferrets, squat tailed gecko, leopard geckos.

 

My uncle also runs a large cat sanctuary, where people who get things like tigers can surrender when they come to their senses. He had a mountain lion that lived indoors with them.

 

edit: also, forgot about my boxed turtles as a child. Also, lots of fish, including a salt-water tank when I was a child, and the time my mother had some of those shark type fish (i think they werent too bad though, like bala sharks?) My mother also helped nurse a few crows back to life, that lived in our back yard after that.

 

Are the Gecko's overly difficult to handle? They are intriguing, though they seem so fragile! Just trying to move an asian house gecko away from danger prompts it to drop its tail.

[Pink]

Finally got my snake to hold still long enough for me to photograph him.

 

I own a 2 year-old ball python named Crom. He enjoys hanging out on whatever I am working on.

 

Snakie

Edited May 8, 2013 by Pink

[jewel21]

I have a ten month old grey cockatiel. He currently has three infections and is costing me a fortune in vet bills. Does that count as an exotic animal? I also had turtles as a kid.

[rin52]

I once had an african grey parrot, an alexandrian parakeet, and a budgie.

 

My grandma has a blue macaw, a red macaw, and a golden macaw, along with two other parrots who I forget what they are.

[Draco Knight]

Everyone has such interesting birds, makes all kinds of jealous! I'm allergic to bird dander, haven't found a single species that is both one I want and doesn't cause a reaction.

 

I'm also jealous of everyone's super cool reptiles!

 

I don't think i ever posted about my salt water set up. Huh. I started a salt water tank right before I went back to school, so I had a nice flow of money and free time. Then i was only working weekends and going to school full time, which meant the set up became a money vacuum and a free time black hole. I had pretty standard stuff, false clown fish, two damsel fish, a brittle star, little blue hermits, and some kind of angel. Live rocks, but no coral. I eventually gave the fish away off Craigslist and the 55 gallon tank sits unused in my garage.

 

I'm considering altering the tank for a small arboreal reptile of some kind. Something more for show than anything.

 

 

In exciting news, I heard from the breeder again! He'll know how many gray fox babies he has around the beginning of June. I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I was so excited I ordered some Day One formula and next paycheck I'm buying some toys! Eeeeeee!

[CaduceusCade]

Used to have rats. I love them so much (especially dumbos eeeee) but it turned out my bf is allergic to them or at least their urine, so I haven't had one since 2011.

 

I miss having one. Hopefully if we can have one in a controlled environment like initially (where the cages were kept in a separate room and cleaned daily) I might be able to have one again.

 

Rattiiiiiiiiiies.

 

This was my last rattie, a dumbo I named Umbra. (yes that is an Elder Scrolls reference!)

Edited May 17, 2013 by CaduceusCade

[Alegra]

Aww Umbra is so cute!

I miss having rats too :c They're so cute and smart! I'll never forget the night my girls figured out how to open the cage door and climbed into my bed. I thought they were great big hairy spiders. There was much screaming.

[KaelaBoo24]

My friend had 2 rats. They're actually really cool. Its so adorable to watch them eat with their little hands. :3 I would love to have rats but my mom absolutely HATES any kind of rodent.

Edited May 19, 2013 by KaelaBoo24

[Katsuye]

I'd like to get a cobra or a python, but my granny is afraid of snakes so I can't have one... yet.

[futuregohangurl]

i had 2 bunnies when i was a kid. ended up giving them up because they were boring for me. i wish i could have a boa constricter or a turtle. i always wanted a turtle for as long as i can remember and a boa would be cool

[Nectaris]

i had 2 bunnies when i was a kid. ended up giving them up because they were boring for me. i wish i could have a boa constricter or a turtle. i always wanted a turtle for as long as i can remember and a boa would be cool

Boring in what way? If it was activity wise, a reptile really won't be any more active than a rabbit, considerably less active if it is a snake.

 

I loved the rabbit we had, if you treat them PROPERLY, they are wonderful pets. So many people don't treat them right so they have a skittish rabbit that bites and kicks when they try to hold them.

[Pink]

Boring in what way? If it was activity wise, a reptile really won't be any more active than a rabbit, considerably less active if it is a snake.

 

I loved the rabbit we had, if you treat them PROPERLY, they are wonderful pets. So many people don't treat them right so they have a skittish rabbit that bites and kicks when they try to hold them.

But I heard that most lizards are quite energetic when they're not sunning.

I had a friend with Chinese Water Dragons and they always used to hop on me from quite a bit away and then do pushups whilst on my head or shoulder. It was quite amusing. I think they may have owned me, by lizard standards.

 

What is the thing with Cobras? From what I understand they're pretty advanced to keep because they're fast, mean, and smart. And venomous.

If you're a new snake owner, the chances of you successfully keeping one (or managing to get a license) is slim. :\

 

[Nectaris]

But I heard that most lizards are quite energetic when they're not sunning.

I had a friend with Chinese Water Dragons and they always used to hop on me from quite a bit away and then do pushups whilst on my head or shoulder. It was quite amusing. I think they may have owned me, by lizard standards.

 

I'm well aware that some reptiles are active, I do have a leopard gecko that I adore. However, they won't be MORE active than a rabbit.

[moddlord10]

i have many dragons

[CaduceusCade]

Aww Umbra is so cute!

I miss having rats too :c They're so cute and smart! I'll never forget the night my girls figured out how to open the cage door and climbed into my bed. I thought they were great big hairy spiders. There was much screaming.

OMG that's hilarious and cute and I'm so sorry at the same time *lol*