Insect Direct

what time was it on? breakfast is now on tvnz ondemand. i just dont want to watch it all, ive got better things to do lol

neat, i missed it

i left years ago

if they move like a slug (stuck to the glass) then likely planaria. although 2cms seems a bit long. if they swim away then theyre blackworms. often seen sticking up out of substrates (skinny, look like small earth worms or tubifex etc) probably just a result of over feeding, wouldnt worry to much.

its a gift been able to make people laugh :lol: $200 was about all i could justify atm

is it just me who finds that winning bid of 690 a bit funny :oops: :lol:

True i didnt think about comparing to axies. Interesting stuff.

Apparently the Leucistic's have a dominant gene. But i cant find anything online to back that up?

Brumation is an example of dormancy in reptiles that is similar to hibernation.[2][3] It differs from hibernation in the metabolic processes involved.[4] Reptiles generally begin brumation in late fall (more specific times depend on the species). They will often wake up to drink water and return to "sleep". Captive reptiles should not be offered food during this time, as the temperature is too low for them to digest their meal. They can go months without food. Reptiles may want to eat more than usual before the brumation time, but will eat less or refuse food as the temperature drops. However, they do need to drink water. The brumation period is anywhere from 1-8 months depending on the air temperature and the size, age, and health of the reptile. During the first year of life, many small reptiles do not fully brumate, but rather slow down and eat less often. Brumation should not be confused with hibernation; when mammals hibernate they are actually asleep, when reptiles brumate they are less active, their metabolism slows down so they just don't need to eat as often. Reptiles can often go through the whole winter without eating. Brumation is triggered by cold weather/lack of heat, and the decrease in the amount of hours of daylight in the winter. info from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy above seems to be reasonably accurate

yea most reptiles and amphibians brumate to survive winter, maybe needed for breeding. But thats not the aim for most keeping frogs in captivity. Some herps seem to try and do so regardless of temp at around 1 or 2 years of age, generally once of breeding size. but even those will not go into full brumation if temps kept up. Some say its natural blah blah blah, keeping them in a tank isnt natural so in my opinion dont go there. I wouldnt even think about it with frogs until theyre of reasonable size, even then I only really recommend it if wanting to breed. As can cause more trouble than its worth. Main problem with brumating indoors is the temp likely wont get cold enough (and or will fluctuate too much) so they may still try and eat. but cant properly digest it. not sure about lights, if theyre fluro tubes then i think the wattage is based on the length, so probably no alternative. Not sure how well the lights will heat the water tbh. I would put an aquarium heater (if worried temp will go to low). How lows to low i honestly dont know, southerns maybe bouncing around the tank at 10c but i doubt it. They may well be fine without it, just keep an eye on them. I was thinking more about tadpoles in last post re-temps, as they wont morph if its too cold, they will wait for winter to pass then do so etc. Wouldnt recommend that as winter in a tank is not anything like a pond. Each to their own though.

I probably wouldnt bother brumating in first year. Maybe when getting a bit of size on but not needed. not much fun having a tank with no activity. Some studies claim that water temp doesnt directly effect growth rates, only that it stops them completely once under a certain temp. Possibly how they survive our winters so well. In some cases they will still eat but not grow . Fascinating and very hardy little tadpoles. Still I wouldnt tempt fate, possibly something to try when theyre frogs and 4/5cm+ If wanting the tadpoles to turn into frogs id keep the temp above 18C

traps are only as good as your bait, blood and meat is all good smelly though, need to watch which way the wind is blowing :lol: i find they bring more flies to the neighborhood, not really clean up the flies around the place crickets best, locusts slaters and moths good. flies good for a bit of exercise.

Nice markings

Classic :lol: Sure sure, we all know you stuck it on her head for entertainment :lol:

mistaken identity. interesting to know turtles were $40 back in 1978 i only ever gave them names for identity when taking notes of eggs laid or brumation dates etc. stumpy, big mother, minger and ginga, oh and bullet. I love being so original :lol:

thats interesting, someone once told me if all the daddy long legs start disappearing from your house youve probably got white tails... I dont mind the daddy longlegs but their webs everywhere get a lil enoying.

lol, repto you crack me up

I would question the quality if digital and cheaper, does sound good though. Thermostats are definitely better than a dimmer imo The ones Alan mention look good, sog use to have a similar unit but was priced around $120 for memory.

Not sure really but just based on observation roaches seem alot softer than the mealworm beetles. And roaches have alot more in them as appose to a small hard beetle.. I would say with confidence that mealworms dont digest nearly as well as roaches do. Cant say ive fed out a lot of beetles. But cant see there being much goodness in them, to validate even running the risk.

A dimmer with a probe, or did you get a thermostat?

move to rotorua :lol:

nice spider

need a heat source, ie heat mat, or emitter for night (if it gets too cold). lid not a must really. will help u save power if heating is wired to a thermostat i suppose. lid will help keep heat in but cold nights isnt always a bad thing. not good for young herp but once some size on it let it harden up lol

sleep

blue tongues dont need 10% but i dont think it will hurt. I think 30cm is about max, you can have it at 45cm away but need to raise basking area up or something so lizard can get within the 30cm. too far away is just a waste of time? all i use is sylvania el cheapo lol, upto 5% and my skinks could/can get within 30cm, thats what i use for everything but also outdoors on sunny days.