Insect Direct

I was just vacuming out the enclosure when i noticed the sperm plugs. There was two symetrical plugs next to each other (hemipenis working at full function :lol: ), but ah one went up the vac :thup: Dunno about the brown stuff, looks like undigested catfood :-? Anyway that's a plug for anyone curious as to what to look for when trying to sex a skink.

for anyone who wants to watch it. http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8254271

as per title :thup:

:dead%fish

pre scented

normal turtles can swim ... you will have to give it swimming lessons.

passed my first paper at uni and i still have one assignment to hand in. such a good feeling :happy2:

thought ya water dragons were brumating? if not yeah go hard.

get a snorkel and go for it :lol: what temp is the tank, any chillers rigd up?

sand can cause trouble, get stuck in shell, be ingested etc. dont get me wrong some people claim its ok but bare bottom is the best for tanks imo. just silicon around any glass edges that may stick out (depending on construction) on the base of tank, ramps etc. ramps with glass steps can be nasty to a turtles shell when diving in off the basking platform.

other thing i noticed with the two leopard geckos i had. is they always went toilet in the same corner, not sure if this is the norm, but that made cleaning up a breeze.

Sad of the shop, but also very sad of the owner to not do their own research and take responsibility for it. Crazy how many people have substrate and no basking light (that could be emphasised more by pet shops). No subtrate save's $, time cleaning and is no risk to the turtle. Basking lights arnt expensive, especially replacement bulbs so no reason not to have one. I gave up on telling people on tm that the old fruit salad pebbles is not the best diet for thier turtles :facepalm:

ALL buyers should KNOW what they're purchasing and or ask questions prior. If seller tells false info that's just wrong. Most people are aware sales men/women have a job to do. Hence most check out cars prior to purchase, regardless of what the sales person says. Red ears are actually very easy to look after imo. Just not the most practical pets for the average Jo. uv, basking bulb, good filter, huge tank/pond, variety of food. not a lot more to it.

thats like blaming a liquor store for selling liquor. :facepalm: it really is shocking how many naive people flock to the reptiles. yes some stores even breeders could educated more. but its not always that easy, ive tried many a time and people still have the same problems. people ought to take more responsibility for them selves and their pets.

That mantis shrimp is unreal. Thanks for sharing.

either would be worth a try. yeap - the ones i had were found in some rotten firewood.

Possibly. Anyone want to bank roll a young entrepreneur/student please stand up google brought up click beetles as wireworms. i have never tried keeping them. would be an interesting experiment.

leopard gecko would go well in the smaller tank. big tank ok for a turtle but it doesnt hold water. leopards vs bearded dragon -leopards dont need lighting (so im told) so can basically be kept in very simple setups. youtube them, some keep them in plastic draw like things overseas. as its a pet it is probably fair to say you will want to make it more aesthetic. they are nocturnal yet mine will come out to eat if fed during the day. -beardies need a basking light, and uv. 1200cm tank minimum, eat more but then im only new to geckos so may be wrong.

would be interesting to know exactly what is involved. bringing in new feeders could put me out of biz though. so im not in any hurry :sml2: in reality nor could i afford to pursue it atm, other priorities :facepalm: wireworms - if referring to the big native darkling bettle/mealworm. i attempted to breed some once. lived for many months but no young.

me no like assumptions. gimme facts :slfg:

so it wont necessarily be declined? how do you get a new genus on 'the approved list'? Quaranteen and import wouldnt be that hard, follow the red tape :sml2: . I suspect getting them approved, in the first place, will be the challenging bit. mealworms must have been imported back in the day, or just shown up here... i wonder if any new stock has been imported over the past 10 years or so.

why/on what grounds? is it a major process ... id rather see brown crickets (have been in NZ in the past) and a non-climbing species of roach imported.

this is neat. bit flinstone like though there's other pics here http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/43615-large-vivarium-construction-56.html

wouldnt crickets and other insects eat the mesh and make nice little holes?

they will breed and eat the fry all on there own :thup: some may survive, but best to take mops out and put in another tub. or fish out and leave the eggs to hatch i reckon i use to have about 20 bath tubs, didnt take long to fill each tub with fry during the breeding season.