Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Problems With Ants? A Safe Way to Deal With Them

GET RID OF YOUR ANTS !!!!!!

Do you have an ant problem?
Inside or outside...
This will get rid of them...

Ant Killer

What's so cool about this is, it took them 2 minutes to find it and 5 minutes to fill up like the pic ! Wow

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 empty water bottle
(Cut it down to about 2" tall)
5 Tbsp of baking soda
5 Tbsp of powdered sugar
3 Tbsp of water.

The very best way of eliminating ants is truly simple:

Take a small amount of powdered sugar (also called icing sugar) and mix it with an equal amount of baking soda (formally called sodium bicarbonate) and water.
Powdered sugar is essential. You cannot use the larger grains of sugar for this..

Mix the two powders together and then place small amounts against the walls or other areas where you would not normally walk but where you would normally see the ants.

The ants will be attracted to the sugar and will eat some of it and collect more to take home to feed others, so all of them will get their share.

The sugar and baking soda powders are similar in size and, once mixed together, the ants cannot separate the two items, so, as they eat the sugar, they will also ingest the baking soda, which they would otherwise never touch. This is the reason for using powdered sugar.

Once the ants eat the baking soda it will react with the formic acid in their stomachs and cause gas. The bodies of ants are unlike humans and they cannot eliminate gas so it will build up inside and eliminate them.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Isometrus Maculatus ???

I went out the garden today and found this little critter running around neat find for today. Looks like I found a gravid 7 instar female.


Geochelone Sulcata ("African Spurred") Care Sheet

 Sulcata Tortoise (Geochelone [Centrochelys] Sulcata)
The most produced tortoises in the world are probably the sulcata tortoises of north central Africa. Sulcata tortoises are sometimes referred to as African spurred, African spur thigh, and just spurred tortoises. As recently as a few decades ago sulcata tortoises were rare in the United States, but they have shown an amazing ability to adapt to various climates and habitats in captivity, and their low cost combined with a curious personality make them tortoises that are commonly sought after by first-time tortoise owners.

Sulcata Tortoise Food
Sulcata tortoises are eager eaters, rarely turning down a meal. With adult tortoises, the best staple diets are various grasses and leaves, the same as their natural diet. They will graze on any of the lawn grasses, mulberry leaves, grape leaves, hibiscus leaves and flowers. With size, most sulcata tortoises will eat grass hays (we like orchard grass hay). Baby and smaller sulcatas have a harder time eating the tougher grass and hay because of their less powerful jaws.

We also use spring mixes (particularly with baby sulcata tortoises), which have several leafy ingredients in them, and we supplement with kale, collard greens, turnip greens and any of the darker lettuce types. Cactus pads have become a major part of the diet of many of our tortoises as well. Mazuri Tortoise Diet is offered occasionally to cover any of the nutritional bases that the other diet may have missed. Variety is the key.
Feed tortoises from a grass surface, flat rock or concrete, or from a tray. To prevent them from eating soil or rocks, never feed tortoises directly from a gravel or dirt surface. We lightly supplement the foods of any younger tortoises with a calcium as well as multivitamin powder to cover any nutritional gaps that might be present in their diet. Adults generally don't need much additional supplementation in their diets. 
Sulcata Tortoise Water
Sulcata tortoises can have small water dishes in their outdoor enclosures. We use shallow, low-sided dishes that are glazed to make cleaning easy. Cleaning must be done on a regular basis, as most tortoises tend to soak in their dishes and defecate in them. I provide water bowls during the hottest parts of the year, but I don’t during cooler times. We also provide small “mud holes” and puddle-areas where the tortoises can sit in to stay cool during the hot months. Tortoises living in areas with regular rainfall drink from puddles and leaves. If you live in areas with prolonged dry periods, such as Las Vegas, offering them water helps to keep them hydrated.

When sulcata tortoises are housed indoors, I prefer not to have standing water in the bowls, because they tend to defecate in them while soaking. In shallow water, the tortoises usually begin drinking immediately and flush their systems at the same time. They need to be soaked outside the enclosure in shallow, warm water once or twice a week for 15 to 30 minutes to get fully hydrated.

Baby and juvenile sulcata tortoises tend to dry out much quicker than larger, more established tortoises. Because of this, I soak baby sulcata tortoises in shallow, warm water up to three times a week, for 10 to 15 minutes, whether they’re housed outdoors or indoors.


 Sulcata Tortoise Size
Sulcata tortoise hatchlings measure approximately 1½ to 2 inches in carapace length. Growth rates of sulcatas are probably more variable than any other tortoise. You could literally have a 10-inch tortoise that is 3 years old or 10 years old.

Many adult sulcata tortoises break the 100-pound mark. However, most of the large sulcatas in our collection aren’t much over 100 pounds, but we do have a few. Our big female sulcatas tend to be in the 70 to 90 pound range, and are still growing slowly. These tortoises (males especially) can reach 200 pounds. Any tortoises nearing that weight would be very old. Sulcata tortoises grow rapidly for the first five to 10 years, and then their growth slows with age.

Sulcata Tortoise Life Span
Because sulcata tortoises haven’t really been raised from birth for very long, it’s still hard to determine what age a well-raised sulcata born into captivity is capable of living to. Raised on a lean, high-fiber diet, captive-raised animals in low-stress environments have higher life expectancies. Most indications are that sulcata tortoises can live more than 70 years.
Sulcata Tortoise Caging
Because of their size, sulcata tortoises are best kept by those who have access to an outdoor area, where their tortoise(s) can be kept for most, or all, of the year. We keep our sulcatas in a desert-type setup outdoors with a large grass area in the center and dirt around the perimeter. They commonly “patrol” the perimeter of their enclosures, so we leave it dirt there, because any grass would just be destroyed with time.

Sulcata tortoise enclosures require a sturdy wall at least 24-inches in height above ground, as well as 12- to 24-inches below ground to prevent (or discourage) these tortoises from digging. Concrete masonry blocks work well when cemented in place, as well as a well-built wood wall as a barrier. See-through fences and walls shouldn’t be used, as the tortoises tend to try to escape through or over these walls.

Sulcata tortoises are burrowers if there isn’t a proper hide box accessible as a cool retreat during the summer months or a warm retreat during the winter. There are exceptions to every rule, though. When the tortoises make efforts to dig, these spots should be filled in with large flagstones, etc., to prevent future digging. A single tortoise can be allowed to burrow naturally, but with multiple tortoises in an enclosure, they can “stack up” in the burrows, and the deepest ones will be unable to exit.

Sulcata tortoises are grazers and will eat any grasses and most plants in their enclosure. We plant any of the various clump grasses as well as desert-type mesquite and African sumac trees, which also make for nice cage décor. Fragile plants are likely to be destroyed by the tortoises once the animals have any size to them.

Young sulcata tortoises can be raised indoors. While outdoor housing is preferred anytime the temperatures are in the acceptable range, many people raise their sulcatas indoors for the first few years of life. Probably the best enclosures to use are simple plastic sweaterboxes, or a “tortoise table,” which you can buy or make yourself. The container itself isn’t as big of a deal as the furnishings you put into it, including substrate, lighting, temperature gradients and cage furniture. In cold climates, a suitable enclosure can be built in the garage for large tortoises that need to spend a few months indoors during the winter. These enclosures should be heated enough to keep the tortoises comfortable during the indoor months.

All of our baby sulcata tortoises raised indoors have access to a humid hiding area where they can snuggle in and get a dose of humidity, much like they would in a natural burrow. This humid microclimate helps their shells to grow smoothly and helps in keeping the tortoise hydrated. Tortoises raised without proper humidity tend to dehydrate quickly and form “bumpy” shells as they grow.

Many different substrates can be used in indoor enclosures. For all sizes of tortoise, cypress mulch has proven to be a great bedding. It’s absorbent, safe and relatively low cost. Other options are various hays (timothy, Bermuda, alfalfa, orchard grass, etc.), as well as coconut coir or peat moss. Outdoor enclosures don’t need fancy substrates, provided the soils that are there are mostly natural and not tainted with chemicals or fertilizers.

I also include a few large, flat rocks in an indoor enclosure. They help file down the tortoises’ nails and give them a clean surface for food.

Sulcata Tortoise Lighting and Temperature
Sulcata tortoises that live outdoors are tolerant to various temperature ranges. High temperatures are not going to be a problem provided the tortoise has a shaded area to escape to if desired. The tortoises themselves can handle surprisingly cold temperatures, as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit, with no problems. When nighttime temperatures drop below 50 degrees, a heated hide box should be provided that maintains at least 55 to 60 degrees at night (70s is better), or the tortoises should be brought in during those times. Sulcata tortoises are kept outdoors year-round in some parts of the country where nighttime lows in the winter are 20 degrees (including here in Las Vegas). It is absolutely required that these tortoises are checked on each evening to make sure they get into a heated area and do not fall asleep out in the open and become exposed to these temperatures at night.

Indoors, sulcata tortoises can be maintained at normal room temperatures: 68 to 80 degrees. They should also have a basking area heated by an overhead light. This spot should be in the 100-degree range. Like most diurnal, herbivorous reptiles, they need a UVB light in their indoor enclosures to help them properly process the calcium in their diets. Keep lights on 12 to 14 hours a day, and turn off all light and heat sources at night.

Sulcata Tortoise Health
For best results, purchase an alert, active sulcata tortoise with bright, clean eyes, or buy one from a reputable source that will guarantee (at least) a live arrival. These tortoises can suffer from most common reptile health problems, but respiratory infections are the most prevalent.

Sulcata tortoises can also be prone to respiratory infections if they are kept in cool or wet enclosures. They need to be able to dry out, particularly if temperatures are low.

Sulcata Tortoise Handling and Temperament
Contrary to what many sellers tell customers, tortoises generally should not be handled with any regularity. They are easily stressed when overhandled, and children tend to drop them when spooked. These stress factors can lead to a decline in a tortoise’s activity levels and health.

Adult sulcata tortoises are generally more resistant to handling, but all tortoises should be handled carefully. Avoid pinning them down or restricting them. Allow them to carry on in their intended way, especially when they’re young. Older sulcatas are usually pretty tolerant of people. 


Saturday, September 13, 2014

Parabuthus Transvaalicus Mating

Do you think they will be successful? 
I hope they would be fingers crossed.


Philippine Red Tailed Brown Ratsnake (Coelognathus erythrurus erythrurus)

Hi guys saw this guy creeping at my mouse cages. I guessed that she just shed her skin based on the glossiness. Well this is a new found pet a very docile wild caught snake.


I just fed her two adult mice and she gladly accepted both.



Bearded Dragon Care Sheet


Introduction

These gentle beasts are from Australia but are now readily available due to their willingness to breed in captivity. Bearded Dragons make a wonderful pet for both beginners and advanced reptile keepers. Due to their docile nature and relative small size (usually 16-20 inches) they have become quite popular in recent years. These beautiful creatures are highly recommended for families with small children also due to their seeming love for attention.

Housing

Young Beardies under 10 inches in length can be housed in a 20gal long aquarium. This will last them for a few months only though as they grow quickly. Adult Dragons should be housed in nothing smaller than a 40gal breeder tank. I prefer using 55gal aquariums due to the extra length it gives them to run and they are easily found at most Pet stores. Screen lids should be used for the top of any aquarium style cages you use. Do not use glass, plexiglass or wood to cover your cages. This will not allow enough air circulation and will also trap humidity in the cage. Screen tops allow air flow, allow your lighting and heat sources to work correctly and also allow humidity to escape.


Lighting

Bearded Dragons require full spectrum lighting for 12-14 hours a day. Reptisun 10.0 or Arcadia 12% tubes are known to provide some of the best full UVB for your dragons. The coils or compacts of the same brand aren't recommended, as they have shown to cause eye problems and reduction of appetite. The Reptiglo brand is also not recommended, tube, coil or compact, as it has been associated with causing eye problems, lethargy and not eating. These fluorescent bulbs should stretch the length of your Beardies enclosure and your B.D. should be able to come within 6-8 inches of the light. The UVB should be mounted inside the tank to allow your dragon 100% of the UVB. On top of the tank can filter out up to 50% of the UVB rays your dragon needs. Mercury vapour bulbs are also a good heat & UVB source, but to allow your dragon full use of the UVB it is best to not use the mesh tank tops. Mounting them on a lampstand with a dome without using a top will allow full use of the UVB. Having the correct type of UVB light is also important to help their bones develop strong and healthy. 


Heating and temps

Image To produce heat and a basking spot in your enclosure you can use any type of bright white light or just a plain household lightbulb that will give the proper basking temperatures. The best fixture for any of these choices is a porcelain dome light fixture. The temperature for this basking spot you created should be around 105f to 110f for babies, 105f for juvenites and can be around 95f to 102f for adults. Although I don't recommend any temps above 110f, within a few degrees of these basking temps will be sufficient. The heat from the basking light is to help them digest their food.

The cool side of the enclosure should be around 80f-85f during the day. Once again within a few degrees of this temp is just fine.

Night time temperatures can fall as low as 65f. It is fairly easy to keep your night temps above this even in the winter. If you can't keep your temps above this you may want to consider buying a ceramic heat emitter, which gives off heat & no light. Coloured heat lights are not recommended as they interrupt Dragon sleep patterns. DO NOT use heat rocks as these can cause serious burns on your animals underside.

A digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun are the best to use to measure temperatures to ensure the proper basking temperatures area achieved.

Substrate

For baby to juvenile Bearded Dragons I prefer and recommend either newspaper, paper towels, butcher paper or reptile carpet. These choices are cheap, easy to clean and hold no health risks to your animal. If using reptile carpet the stuff that looks and feels like grass is the best. The felt kind has little loops of fabric that may catch the nails of your Dragon and cause injury. DO NOT use sand, shavings or any other loose substrate for baby to juvenile beardies. They can be very clumsy eaters and they are also very curious and like to taste everything. Any kind of loose substrate holds serious health risks to your Dragon. If they eat a loose substrate they can become impacted, which is a blocking of the intestines, and die.

Crushed walnut shell is dangerous and should only be used to clean up oil spills. This substrate is NOT digestable and if too much of it is eaten it will cause impaction. I have seen this occur first hand with reptiles ranging from lizards to tortoises. Stay away from this product please.

Feeding and diet

Bearded Dragons are omnivorous, meaning that they eat both animal and plant matter. Any and all food items that your Bearded Dragons eat should be no bigger than the space between their eyes. If the food items are bigger than the space between their eyes it can cause impaction and/or hind leg paralysis. Either way your Dragon will suffer horribly.

Baby and juvenile Dragon should be offered appropriately sized crickets two-three times a day. Offer as many as your Dragon will eat in a 5-10 minute time frame. When your Dragon stops eating, stop offering. Young Bearded Dragons can eat anywhere from 20-60 small crickets a day. Your Dragon  should also be given fresh greens daily. Spraying the greens with water will help them last longer and will also help keep your Dragon hydrated.


Sub-adult to adult Beardies only need to eat prey items once a day along with fresh greens. Once they are this age you can also offer them Locusts, Cockroaches, Zophobas, Waxworms (treats only), Silkworms, and Butterworms. DO NOT feed your Beardie insects that you have caught in your backyard. These bugs could have parasites that could be passed on to your Beardie or they could have been exposed to poisons that could kill your Beardie. Lightning bugs can also kill your Beardie so it is much safer to stay away from wild caught insects.

For babies and juvies, bugs should be dusted once a day with a calcium/vitamin D3 supplement for reptiles, such as the one made by Rep-cal, 5 times per week. All bugs should be dusted twice a week with a multivitamin supplement such as Herptivite, also made by Rep-cal. Flukers and other brands also makes a good multi-vit/mineral supplement.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Parabuthus Transvaalicus Care Sheet


Parabuthus transvaalicus is most commonly known as the South African Spitting scorpion. However, other names are used throughout the world, these include: Black Spitting Thicktail scorpion, South African Fattail scorpion and the South African Giant Fat Tail scorpion.

Regions Found: Southern and Eastern Africa
Class: Desert/scrubland species
Adult Scorpion Size: 5 inches
Temperament:  Very defensive
Claws: Small yet strong pedipalps
Sting Potency:   Severe pain and systemic effects - can be lethal
Parabuthus transvaalicus Housing Requirements
Scorpion Housing: Minimum 5 gallon tank with 4" of sand
Temperature range: 30°C (85°F)
Humidity range: 50%
Special Requirements: Can spray venom over one meter
Parabuthus transvaalicus Breeding
Breeding Difficulty: Difficult


Parabuthus transvaalicus Diet

Feeder choice for scorplings of 2 to 3.instar:
1) Roach nymphs
2) Newly hatched baby crickets ("pinheads")
3) Head-crushed juvenile crickets
4) Ripped-off hind legs of adult crickets ("cricket drumsticks")


Feeder choice for sub-adults to Adults ( 4 to 8.instar ):
1) Adult Roaches - 80% of diet
2) Adult Crickets - 18% of diet
3) Meal-worms- 2% of diet


Feeding routine for Scorplings ( 2 to 3.instar ):
- 2  or 3 times per week 
- Size of feeder is recommended to be half or no bigger then the scorpling itself

Feeding routine for sub-adults to Adults ( 4 to 8.instar):
-  Once every 10 days to 14 days
-  Size of feeder can be up to the same body length (mesosoma length) of the scorpion. 
-  When a scorpion is hungry, they will usually not hesistate to take down feeder of up to 1.5 times of their body length or more.


A scorpions diet should consist mainly of livefood insects such as crickets, locust, butter worms, meal worms, superworms, houseflies and cockroaches.
Recommended Pet Supplies for Parabuthus transvaalicus
An appropriately sized vivarium/aquarium
Substrate
Heating equipment ie heat lamps, heat mats and thermostats
Large shallow water dish
Decorations and hiding places
Livefood


Water supply:

- Just because they are able to adapt themselves to the desert living conditions by obtaining their water supply from their feeders, it does not mean that they would not appreciate clean drinking water offered in a dish
- Bear in mind that even the desert has occasional rainfalls and morning dews that they can drink from the crevices in within the rocks
-  Be it a shallow water dish or simple a light mist on the enclosure's wall, make it a point to offer them water once in awhile.

Water supply for juvenile to sub-adults
- A single side of the enclosure's wall can be misted lightly once every 1 - 2 weeks
- With good ventilation (such as a secured mesh lid), the water mist should evaporate completely within 24hrs

Sample of the quantity of suggested misting:

Water supply for adults
- A water dish may be provided and filled once every 10 days or every 2 weeks

Hide/ Shelter:
- Provision of at least a piece of flat slate / bark is highly recommended
- Minimum size of the hide is to be able to provide full body coverage, thus allowing the scorpion to find solitude in darkness for a sense of security.
- Prolonged period of stress may shorten their lifespan.

pictures from www.allscorpionarchives.com

Size of enclosure for adult specimen
Adults desert specimens are being upgraded to 30cm x 16cm x 24cm glass tanks. This is the minimum size i used for a single adult specimen or at most, for a mating pair of adult specimens. Sample as follows:


pictures from www.allscorpionarchives.com






Molting concerns:
Whenever you are expecting a molt, do not leave feeders overnight in the same enclosure with your scorpion. While a scorpion is going through a molt, she loses her defensive "Armour" (exoskeleton) with the birth of a new "skin", hence making them very vulnerable at this point of time.

Optimal enclosure settings for a gravid female:
- Once you are sure of your female being gravid, it is best to remove any other specimens which may be residing in the same setup
- Try to ensure a temperature gradient in the brooding enclosure with one side of the tank being hotter than the other. 
- The "hotter" area can be achieved with a infra-red heat lamp
- A water dish may be placed at the cooler side.
- Increase the humidity slightly higher than usual
- While we will like to fatten up a gravid female, my advice is not to have more than 2 feeders left uneaten at any point of time
- An alternative hide on the substrate can be provided at different location, thus allowing the scorpion a choice to shift and regulate the required temperature/ humidity


Gestation period:
- Gestation period may be different in species and are affected by the enclosure settings that we provide for the gravid scorpion. 
- On average it ranges from 8 to 12 months for desert scorpions 



During Birthing:
- On average, the duration for the scorpion mum to successfully give births to her brood within 6 hrs
- During this period, disturbance to the scorpion (e.g. photography) is not advisable
- To ensure the scorpion mum is delivering her babies in a stress-free environment, the four side-walls of the enclosure are covered (e.g. with cupboards) leaving the scorpion mum in darkness (With ample top ventilation)



Pictures 9-12-2014


Brachypelma Smithi courtesy of Glenn Gonzales
Burmese Python courtesy of Glenn Gonzales
Sulcata Tortoise courtesy of Jop Gonzales 

Bearded Dragons courtesy of Jop Gonzales

Wagler's Pit Viper courtesy of Glenn Gonzales

Brachypelma Boehmei courtesy of James Mijares