Varanophile
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Posts posted by Varanophile
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Regarding the compact UVB bulbs: I had read somewhere else that they were not so appropriate for use on lizards other than the tiny guys. From memory something about too concentrated UVR so didn't get the right UVB. I have been trying to find out more about it but noone seems to know anything about it. What was your reasonings Varanophile? Very interesting to hear something come up against them again.
the UV light does not travel far and the way they are usually set up..either as a basking light (which they are not), or no where near the basking light means the exposure for the lizard is negligible.
I have trialled them and for the price, glare they produce, limited range, and aesthetic look (now we are getting personal..lol) I think they are a waste of time.
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probing is dangerous in young animals, you can DNA sex them thru a lab in California, but would need to be sent as biological samples to prevent the standard gamma irradiation that the US ueses on all mail post 911.
Price is reasonable but hassle is high...
Just sell them as unsexed....?
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Whites Tree Frogs or Green Tree Frogs (Litoria caerulea) were introduced to NZ but have not been seen in the wild for many years. Does anyone know anything about their introduction to NZ and areas where they were found?
I know some were sold through a pet shop in west Auckland (lol) in the early 80's and they have been kept at Ti Point previously.
I did see one in the early 90's and it was supposedly very old.
No info on the net abotut them in NZ..weird...
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If you only need the uvb stuff I can sort for you, I have all that stuff for sale. PM me. Im in Mt Alb.
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Okay I think the UVB is the problem, it came with the set up (you know how it goes, buy our set up complete and you get a discount) . I did things a bit wrong, most people decide to buy a dragon organise the set up bugs etc and look for a dragon. I walked into the shop, fell head over heals in love, and the next week went back and brought him. There is someone on trade me that I can get a bigger set up from and it comes with the equipment. Would it be okay if I send you the auction number and you guys give me your opinion.
Tyson on this forum..sorry forgot his user name, sells the best. Yes the animates set ups are not ideal...maybe they got a deal on compacts...lol.
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For about the last two weeks i have just started taking him outside into the sun but only for about 5 min maybe 10 min at the longest every second or third day. He just sits in his little box on a fluffy jacket and i sit with him, but he really enjoys it. Our trust for each other has really grown since I got him. They are amazing creatures. Does the toe curl sound normal, or does it sound a bit of a deformity. It is the large toe on both back feet.
all mine have that toe curled.
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can ya check calcium levels if so how do you go bout it?
low calcium can be checked via blood sample thru a vet. But basically with beardies it is easy to tell. If toes are bent or tail is not growing straight....basically if calcium is low then the bone density is low and as the animal grows the soft bone can bent. Behaviour wise it is easy to tell. Hypoglycaemia (low calcium) also results in nerve problems and the animal will be twitchy and movements appear jerky. This is usually corrected completely by correcting the calcium issue, but the bone curling is permanent.
Please be aware that there are 2 issues with calcium.
1) Does the animal get enough calcium
2) Does the animal have exposure to enough UVB to convert said calcium into bone.
If animal is fed plenty of calcium it can still have a defeciency if no UVB.
Also over supplementation causes more problems than undersupplementation.
Give natural foods, supplement sparingly- once a week- and give as much sunlight as possible and you will not have issues.
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also make sure he is not eating you polystyrene backing, if he can dig his toes in, he can rip it off in pieces too. I have not met a dratgon yet that will not eat a white ball of polystyrene sitting on the sand in the tank.
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Because of his type of terrerium, his UBV is only one of those compact lamp ones that are on side only of the terrerium and hang down.
I would do anything for him I love him so much, so please let me know if you think something should be changed.
Thanks.
Those compacts are crap. Get a fluoro tube meant for desert reptiles...either acardia desert 8% or similar. Compacts are not the go. You should also be putting him/her outside in sunlight for a long as possible..maybe get a cheap hutch off trademe and adapt it.
Do not over supplement on calcium..once a week is fine if diet is good, BTW flies and blowflies have very little nutritional value at all, so prob a total waste of time. Locusts, crickets, bees, bumblebees, spiders, preying mantids and wax moths all good. Also make sure your calcium powder does not contain vitamin D, you want the precursor that the animal converts by itself into vitamin D, otherwise if you have have proper uv in his cage and exposure to outside sun it will cause liver issues.
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Frogs croaking..can not sleep.
Be interested Perpin what you think on the possibilities of breeding new morphs with the limited stock over here. The ones in the photo are quite yellow but not exactly spectacular by international standards.
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Maximus Decimus Meridius. Thats a name. If its a girl just change it to Maxine.
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check the top of their thumbs at the back, males all have a black patch called the 'nupitial pad' used to grip the female or another male if no females around.
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BTW...if you look through one earhole you can see out the other side...but they still seem pretty clued up. They will climb up your arm if you put in the terrarium and explore. They all wiggle their tail just before they seize an insect which looks really cool. And they do make sound...a fairly loud clicking sound when they get peeved. They will eat calcium powder out of a bowl and all the animals go to the toilet in one place in a corner of the tank, which I guess makes it harder for snakes to sniff them out in their burrows in the wild?
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lol...just because...remember the green ig saga? Just pointing out there is no such thing as black and white with reptiles and MAF yet..but here's hoping. Leopards are in the same boat as beardies and have been in private hands just as long if not longer. Being a desert animal I can't see any issues...but then we are not allowed leopard tortoises even though the male supplied to the zoo was from PRIVATE hands and legally imported..go figure.
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do you need a licence for these or just like beardies turtles etc?
no licence required. have spoken with MAF and sale of these is not prohibited. I recommend that anyone seriously keen does ask MAF themselves though.
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Someone (who shall remain nameless) offered me a tortoise as a trade on something else but said that there was a two year waiting list. What would the waiting list normally be and how much do they normally sell for?
They also indicated they had a smaller variety of blue tongue available---anyone know about these?
I was sold that line a while back...buyer beware with that particular person..
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Here are picks of the group. The fertility rate this season has been pretty bad, but the 2 males are not quite 1 year old so that may be why.
The plan is to have them for sale this time next year. Can all of you keen please send me an email to [email protected] and have leopard order in the subject line. They will be $1500 each, should be a dozen or so for sale. Happy to swap...what have you? Very keen on tortoises.
The 'leopard gecko manual'is the bible for these. They are much easier to keep than any other reptile I have, uv is not required and although they are nocturnal in the wild they will forage during the day no problem at all. Life span is 20 years plus. Native to Afganistan, so start planning your arab names...Osama is taken, he is one of the males firing blanks...lol.
They should hold their value well as clutch size is two, and they will lay up to 4 clutches in a good season.
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brilliant. very nice.
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fancy smancy...aparagus...only when its cheap tho....
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Living Art and Repto are spot on I reckon'
This is what I would go with and I have learnt his by trial and error..lol
For one dragon:
Moths, Spiders..any garden bugs except shield beetles, monarch caterpillars, slugs, snails, earthworms...and get a packet of turtle treats from your local pet store (frozen wasps) and thaw these out for a feed once in a while.
Once over 10cm they will quite happily eat bees and bumble bees...I take mine out in my hand and hold them next to the bees and they eat them straight away...cheap, healthy feed. Record is 34 bees in one sitting.
Green Stuff- dandelion incl flowers, puha and hibiscus flowers are all easy to source and free, and IMO are better than shop bought mesculin.
No need to feed mice unless you have breeding females. I used to feed high protein diet, but a couple of autopsies showed liver and kidney problems. Dragons in the wild subsist on a meagre diet and are adapted to go long periods of time without food (when they brumate). If you simulate this in captivity then IMO it leads to longer lives animals and better breeding results. The female that has been brumated and then fed well before mating always produces more eggs than the one that was well fed for the last 12 months.
Adult animals will happily do well on 90% vege matter.
Then if you ever get a grop of bd's look at breeding locusts etc. No need really if you just have the one. And buying food in terms of live bugs for one dragon is expensive.
Just my 2c.
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smeauwa was younger back then
tick tock....
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E. macquaria is the one at Ivan's. You would need to forward some good pic's for me so they can be identified, or purchase "Australian Freshwater Turtles"by John Cann. If it's not in this book then it's not Australian.
The Soft Shell's around in the '90's were Asian ones.
so if they are not previously known to be here are they legit?? The circle completes itself....I think I will let the guy keep them and focus attentions elsewhere
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I do know that in the old days that there was a place in Auckland that traded in plants but all so did a lot of import and export of things .
Over the years that I went to visit there was all was differed things there
turtles ,newts ,tortoises,.
All so a lot was sent out like hedgehog , Rocks ,Magpies and Red Back Kangaroos just to name a few
One of the turtles I do remember seeing is one like this
I was born in the wrong era...stink...
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This sounds like an Emydura species. I have seen only E. macquaria here in NZ. For example Ivan has one. I have never seen or heard of the "painted" Emydura, E. subglobosa here in NZ.
I would very much doubt that there are Australian Pig nosed Turtles in NZ. These are very rare in Australia, require large ponds and would take your hand off in a flash if it was mistaken for food.
Which is the one at Ivan's?? Pig nosed that were here were either Brazilian or Asian, not the aussie one....which is my favourite turtle..they are cool, are they not genetically identical to the ones in Papua New Guinea? Do not think they are subglobosa..colour not that spectacular, but not the Murray river one either.
Bearded dragon toe/toe nail query..... My little guy is
in Reptiles and Amphibians
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Mine are out 24/7 as of start November to March. Remember with most reptiles it is not the average temperature that counts, as long as they have a good few hours during the day in which to bask then they can digest their food..the night time temp is not a worry, it does get cold in the desert north of adelaide at night..even this time of year. Have not tried juvies though, only adults. You will notice much more natural behaviour as well, esp. if you have a group outdoors. Colours also better.
Save power and get an out door cage....and padlocks for those of us in auckland.