Charlie

do you not need to be careful where you get them from? pestasides?

awsome!!!

http://www.ak.planet.gen.nz/~bio/page3.html

well at a young age they are insect feeders, so it all depends on what you feed them. Crickets can be expensive if you have to buy them constantly, think its around $25 for 25 at a pet store. However you can start to breed your own and save big $$$ but if you should choose to do this i suggest you get a steady supply ready before you make the purchase of the dragon. If breeding insects isnt for you then you can also feed him mealworms, cricket, locusts dusted in calcium/minerals as needed, this would be a stable diet until he can be moved onto vegies. I have heard of them eating cat food but would be weary about feeding such foods. I believe in keeping it as natural as possible, crickets are not natural but they are a form of live food and provide simulation. WARNING: if feeding crickets donot leave them over night in the tank, they have a habbit of annoying your beardie and will nip and bite at the toes and eyes!

thats cheap as chips!!!

i know a few but i am not sure if they have any for sale... check trademe there are heaps on there at the moment

Bearded dragons go for $400-1800 depending on colour Water Dragons for a female $400 for a male $2000+ (when you can find them) Blue Tongue babys are on TM for $250 ATM adults are around the $500-600 mark and pairs $1000

Well we all strugle with the current issue on that fact that MAF cant confirm what species are in NZ (private hands) i was thinking they wont consider it to be a required issue at the moment because there isnt enough public pressure for the list? If we created a email and all submited it to David Carter (Minister of Bio Security) then he may see it as a good political move and logical issue that needs attention? we have nearly 4000 members on the board so why not?

what are you feeding it?

redwood dont really do that kind of importing... also if you managed to find a importer i think someone quoted $500 a day or something like that for six weeks???

what living art said on the money, they can be imported into zoo's but not released. Even if i went to MAF with a tortoise and said look i have one already? (I dont have one) (and no i wouldnt be that stupid to show MAF either) but again allot of our reptiles are like this Leopard Geckos Bearded Dragons Water Dragons??? Red Eared Sliders???

but then what NZ zoo licenced premises are going to go against MAF to import some reptiles for us??? i cantt hink of any? unless a private member gets his/her zoo licence then i bet Auckland zoo are not going to import? On satisfactory completion of the post arrival quarantine period, and on the written confirmation from the Director Animal Biosecurity, the supervising Veterinary Officer will authorise the animal to be moved from the transitional facility to a permanent containment facility at the importing zoo. The animal and its offspring must remain permanently in a registered zoo, and can only be transferred to another zoo with the prior permission of the Director Animal Biosecurity.

ewwwwww

and there is no way a IHS will be created for reptiles... Mayby zoo's could get them developed but for containment?

2mins of research and they are a very high carrier of pathogens in the import/export process... Thats all MAF need to kan it... It would be nice, because in turn more IHS can be created for more reptiles of this one!!! If someone can import this turtle legall i would be over the moon because we could then all submit IHS under the act of this one, because of similar process... reptiles would once again be allowed to be imported... Fat chance... but it would be so cool!!!

as soon as MAF see that they have allowed such a IHS to still be valid they will just say its out of date and will go under review... thats the last we will see of the list because of some disease they are known to carry... CITES isnt a issue, all you need is a export/import permit from CITES and your good to go.

i rekon it taste like liqorich (spellig)

no it was just a casual bottle of absenthe

i meant you cant have a reptile without a permit

well to stop the issue of people letting their reptiles go into the wild is the idea of the permit system... you cant have a reptile unless you have a reptile and once a year you get a visit to make sure the reptile is healthy and still with you... if you sell them then it has to be to another person with a licence and the details are recorded and sent in... if you go round and the reptile isnt there then big big fines... the permits could easily create revenue... just some ideas need to be thort of and then acted on

What would your opinion on plywood tanks for lizards??? Leopard Geckos to be exact with a glass pain for viewing??? They are so much more cost affective???

making savage shots... Absinthe, i had a mate drink 80% of a bottle of 89% yeah i had to drive him to the hospital... but he is a savage drinker...

yea i know about the sand issue with impactation but what if the sand was calci sand? you know the sand if the eat will actually be absorbed and converted into calcium? if not then bare bottom it is... Yes i understand about shedding and the need for a moist environment, thanks for bringing the fan to my attention didnt really think that through... Going to get a clutch of meal worms and criket breeding at the start on January to keep up food supply so there is plenty for them. I dont plan to breed until they are around 55g, this is when they are stable and a good size to breed. So i should keep the male seperate from the start?

Rite well i have secured 4 Female and 1 Male Leopard Geckos to arrive at the end of Januray... Just wanted to run my propesed set-up with you guys. I have decided to house the females together and male seperate... The 4 females will be in a 120x45x30 tank and the male in a 60x45x30 tank. Equipment wise... Female Tank: Heat Mat: 42 x 28cm 20w at one end of the tank Heat Fan: Low voltage Fan Heater 50w (reptile one) Thermometer: digital (one at each end) Bunch of caves and drift woods... Desert Sand Reptile bedding 50W night light and holder Male: Heat Mat: 14 x 15cm 5w Thermometer: digital (one at each end) Caves and Driftwood Desert sand reptile bedding 50W night light and holder Do you think it is nessacary to seperate the male at such a early age? I mean if i can keep it in the female tank until about 8-9 months it would work better for me, then move him to a seperate tank when he reaches maturity.

true but in NZ we have a small reptile communit, and same with our economy. Not many people can just simply afford to splash thousands of dollars on reptiles/fish/birds without and genuin reason? i mean if i wanted to i could go out and get a turtle set up for a few hundread bucks, doesnt mean allot to myself and i could just neglect the turtles because a replacement is only $40 and i can get them anywhere nearly anytime... however for such a leopard gecko a set up may cost around $750 then i have to locate a breeder then pay around $1000-1200 each and thats something allot of kiwis cant do.