Future Aquisition

I've been looking into what I want to get after I move Rocza to his new tank.  It's probably going to be arboreal and tropical, since that's what I'm set up for.  In truth, I'm not looking to break the bank on this critter either; it will most likely be a pair or a trio of anoles (Anolis carolinensis or sagrei), depending on how much space they require.  Anolis carolinensis is the typical green anole while Anolis sagrei is the brown or "bahaman" anole.  These are the little guys that first sparked my interest, or at least the first herp I tried to get when I was a wee little lad.  I never ended up getting one, probably for the same reasons I can't own a frog or a turtle now.  In all fairness to my parents, it's very likely I would have accidentally killed the thing after a week, but I didn't see it that way back then, obviously.

Image from
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/webcasts/urban/urban.phtml

According to PetSmart's pamphlets, crested geckos (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) is beginner level shit.  These guys are at least on the same level, if not lower.  Maybe it's just because I've seen them for years, but I just feel like they're very easy to raise.  Anoles have been in the pet trade for ages, after all.  You always see them in these huge groups at the pet store, just chilling out; brown and green anoles living together in their little utopian society.

Well, maybe not quite so technicolour, but still.

I wouldn't mind a mix, myself.  It would add a little variety to the tank.  The only iffy thing about it is that they are exclusively carnivorous, so I would have to leave crickets in the tank.  This frustrates me, since they can get behind the foam backdrop and stay tucked away, chirping into the wee hours of the morning.  The only saving grace is that the crickets will probably have to be smalls; too young to be able to chirp.  Then again, I'm probably just over thinking this.  A war-band of fleet-footed anoles is surely a match for a couple small crickets.

I have also been putting some thought into making an aquatic/terrestrial hybrid tank.  I've drawn a couple sketches for a vertical hybrid tank, but... I can't get frogs with my current living condition, so there aren't many options of creatures to put in it.

Image from
http://www.reptilegardens.com/amphibians-bugs/amphibians/salamanders.php

So since I can't get frogs because I don't have my own house or turtles because my parents don't want "that aquarium smell", I've decided to revisit salamanders and newts (Caudata), like the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) to the right here.  What's cool about salamanders is that they have larval stages where they are completely aquatic, like frog tadpoles.  I don't think I'd get one that young, since I don't think a hybrid tank would have enough water, unless it's really big.  Who knows fur sure, though; I may decide to get a pair of larva and see them through to adulthood!  This setup would definitely need to be horizontal; most salamanders aren't arboreal.  That's not to say I couldn't build up, I'd just have to make sure I give them a nice easy incline.  I'll give it some more though.

Image from http://firesalamanders.weebly.com/

Another nifty thing about most of the common salamander species is that they not only live in my type of climate, some are even native species.  That give me a much bigger range of plants to chose from, and easy access to them. No need to pay 5.00$/lb. of drift wood or mopani wood when I can go out and find tree branches and stones from habitats used by wild salamanders.  I should point out that the salamander I really want is native to Europe; the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra).  They still live in similar habitats; clean running water with plenty of mossy cover and places to burrow.  Maybe it's only since I've been studying evolution in biology (note that I know use Latin names as well as common), but I find that salamanders have a sort of primal beauty to them.  Amphibians were the first vertebrates to crawl up onto land, after all.  Plus, I have a penchant for dangerous animals; they're usually much more interesting than their safe, gentile cousins.  Clear example: monarch butterfly vs. some... shitty, white, non-toxic butterfly.  These fire salamanders produce samandarin, which is a powerful neurotoxin they produce in their skin which causes muscle convulsion and hyperventilation in vertebrates.  How cool is that?!  Finally, a reason to put a lock on the cage door!

I'll write up another post soon (hopefully) on some research into making moss which I found while looking over some caudata sources. 

First Post Warrants Introductions!

I've decided to catalog my experience in herpetoculture as a hobby, though I do aspire to one day breed reptiles and amphibians for commercial distribution. As a fall-back option, as it were.

So, I should start by mentioning my past experience with herps; it all started when I was a fetus... or not. Probably not.

I've been head-over-heels for animals since as far back as I can remember. My bedtime stories were jsut as much experts from children's encyclopedia of nature as much as fairy tales and such. My first animals were the family dog (rest her bones), and some fish. I soon progressed to guinea pigs and hamsters, but it was always the lizards and snakes that held my attention. Not sure if all boys are just drawn to reptiles or if maybe it was just in my jeans to be fascinated by them. Either way, I was about six when I got my first.

Painted turtle:
AS far as I can remember, I got my painted turtle in Montreal whilst out shopping with my aunt and grandmother. I'm not sure what possessed them to buy me one, but I got one, and that's about all I had; no decent tank, no lamps, no plants. I couldn't throw it in the fish tank; she had no place to sit. So I threw together a small fish bowl and some rocks. I got myself some dried shrimp and was content for a time. Not a long time, obviously. I feel pretty bad now for having kept it in such a silly set-up. I can only hope that she will forgive my childish ignorance in the after-life. Her name was Val, so named for my grade-school crush.

Fire-belly Newt:
I think I was twelve by the time I tried my hand at herps again. By this time, my first cat was dominating the pet landscape, with the cursory living room aquarium, obviously. I was a little more prepared for the newt. My setup was a an old tank, probably somewhere in the twenty to twenty-five gallon range, built up with pebbles, some fake plants... and this big fake log which I later came to hate with a passion. I know with the newt, I did SOMETHING right, since I had him for several months. I would take him out of the tank (of which I was allowed only because the things are so torpid and unlikely to bolt) and hold the little thing in my hands from time to time. It was really the only time I ever saw the little munchkin; he spent every waking (and sleeping) moment holed up ina crook of that damned plastic log! He went missing by then and to this day, I still don't really know what happened. We've moved out of that apartment since then but never found a body. Kind of creepy really.

Collard Lizard:
I was about sixteen when I finally convinced my parents I was ready for something with some oumph, something that didn't just eat freeze-dried bits of... still not sure what that newt ate. I had fun building up the desert terrarium. I had always wanted to buy a heat rock and a basking light. The collard lizard was great; it really initiated me into the true meat of herpetoculture. Sadly, there's only so much a kid can do when face with digestive parasites in a tiny little creature. I certainly didn't have the money to afford vet bills on a lizard. And to be honest, I never really thought there was much wrong with him. He ate plenty, basked regularly, he even seemed lively. I never really noticed how no matter how many feedings he had, he never bulked up. Sadly, he didn't last quite as long as the newt, though I'm pretty sure he lasted longer than turtle. *sigh*

****

All was not for naught, though. From each experience, I took valuable lessons:

Never buy a pet on a whim.
Make sure you have the right equipment for the right pet.
Exotic pets tend to have delicate constitutions and can be affected by the slightest things.
Crickets are bitches to catch if your cat happens to knock over their enclosure. Also, crickets will eat each other. Oh, and crickets can hide very easily and chirp late into the night.

I just remembered how much sick pleasure I took from watching that collard lizard destroy those infernal things.

All that brings me to this past weekend. I could have spent it with my friend in Barry, relaxing, getting away from the unemployment grind. Instead, I plucked up the courage and demanded that right to ask my father to let me buy myself a lizard once again! No twenty-four year old truley wants to admit that last bit, but things have been strange for me. A topsy-turvey ride of colleges, jobs, careers and changes there-of.
Lucky for me, I have cool parents who know that, like the sea, I can wear them down. I mean, my grand mast-plan is to have my own herp breeding center, but my own appartment might be a more realistic and desired dream for now. That, and a new rep. Something new, something I've wanted since I saw them crawling up the sheer glass walls of their tank all those years back; it's time I brought all my experience to bear, muscled in and tried my hand at geckos. Tropical geckos.

Crested Gecko
Time to rock.