Phalanx
11-07-2006, 11:13 AM
I lost a rat yesterday...not a big issue, it was more just an outdoor rat that lived with my other one...I bought him old, and he never quite liked me...Incidentally, yesterday he went crazy and started to eat (not chew, EAT) his own tail, did himself massive injurues within a couple of hours, and had to be put down.
Anyways, that's that.
A while back, you guys might remember me mentioning that I had a spiny leaf insect, which I kept in a small-ish fishtank with a light on the top of it. Had the cage filled with dirt/mud from outdoors, and sticks+ leaves for her to climb around on. The bug died too...due to a stupid mistake and underestimation of pest removal chemicals...Long story short, her cage became invaded with flying insects, so, I took her outside, took all the leaves out, empties the mud, and sprayed soe surface spray inside. Then I washed out the tank with hot water and detergent, really well, and had the water running clear again before I stopped.
New mud, sticks, leaves.
Put her back in, and the tiny amount of risidual chemical killed her.
Figured I was being careful enough...put it this way, at least I know what brand surface spray I'll be buying in future.
So, I still have the tank.
I went out today...it was sunny. Now, we've had a solid week of rain here in sydney, then all of a sudden it stopped.
So, on my way home (I live in an area where there's lots of trees and outdoors-y stuff, very green here) I notice that by the side of the paths, there's a lot of lizards...maybe 50 plus. They were still apprehensive and would run if approached, now, maybe it was because of the rain and subsequent slumber period they'd just been through, and the reintroduction of sun, but these guys were not on their fastest day.
So, I had an idea...I tried to catch one, and did...actually, I caught two of them.
This is the breed, nothing special:
http://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/__data/assets/image/3057/striped_skink_large.jpg
They're only about 2 inches long, but if they survive and eat well, they can grow a little over a foot (at largest, usually only 2/3 foot)...so, I've put them in the tank. The light, when it's on, evidently provides enough heat for them to start warming up and becoming active, the soil they dig in, and they have some leaves for shelter and fresh air.
I intend to build some rock platforms a little higher to the ceiling for them to bask on, if they choose.
So anyways, they need food, so I caught some roaches and gave that a go...these little guys are KILLERS, straight up bad-ass fuckers when it comes to something living in their enclosure that aint them.
They RUN, they JUMP, and they take the roaches down...they do that weird jaw dislocation too, and swallow things that really seem too big for them.
They rip them apart, and even do croc-style death rolls, and tug-of-war with eachother. Wow...how entertaining.
So, from now on, I'll be buying them crickets (the roaches are a little too clever, and stick to high ground) live from the local pet shop, and seeing if there's anything else I need to know about their care. Cant wait to see them go after crickets.
I don't know what sex the lizards are, maybe they'll breed, maybe theyre asexual...they both look slightly different which is a good sign...they're very cute, and look at me when I approach them.
But yeah...these are definately the coolest creatures I've had in my care in some time...so, overall a sad day, and a good day...
Just thought I'd share.
Anyways, that's that.
A while back, you guys might remember me mentioning that I had a spiny leaf insect, which I kept in a small-ish fishtank with a light on the top of it. Had the cage filled with dirt/mud from outdoors, and sticks+ leaves for her to climb around on. The bug died too...due to a stupid mistake and underestimation of pest removal chemicals...Long story short, her cage became invaded with flying insects, so, I took her outside, took all the leaves out, empties the mud, and sprayed soe surface spray inside. Then I washed out the tank with hot water and detergent, really well, and had the water running clear again before I stopped.
New mud, sticks, leaves.
Put her back in, and the tiny amount of risidual chemical killed her.
Figured I was being careful enough...put it this way, at least I know what brand surface spray I'll be buying in future.
So, I still have the tank.
I went out today...it was sunny. Now, we've had a solid week of rain here in sydney, then all of a sudden it stopped.
So, on my way home (I live in an area where there's lots of trees and outdoors-y stuff, very green here) I notice that by the side of the paths, there's a lot of lizards...maybe 50 plus. They were still apprehensive and would run if approached, now, maybe it was because of the rain and subsequent slumber period they'd just been through, and the reintroduction of sun, but these guys were not on their fastest day.
So, I had an idea...I tried to catch one, and did...actually, I caught two of them.
This is the breed, nothing special:
http://www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au/__data/assets/image/3057/striped_skink_large.jpg
They're only about 2 inches long, but if they survive and eat well, they can grow a little over a foot (at largest, usually only 2/3 foot)...so, I've put them in the tank. The light, when it's on, evidently provides enough heat for them to start warming up and becoming active, the soil they dig in, and they have some leaves for shelter and fresh air.
I intend to build some rock platforms a little higher to the ceiling for them to bask on, if they choose.
So anyways, they need food, so I caught some roaches and gave that a go...these little guys are KILLERS, straight up bad-ass fuckers when it comes to something living in their enclosure that aint them.
They RUN, they JUMP, and they take the roaches down...they do that weird jaw dislocation too, and swallow things that really seem too big for them.
They rip them apart, and even do croc-style death rolls, and tug-of-war with eachother. Wow...how entertaining.
So, from now on, I'll be buying them crickets (the roaches are a little too clever, and stick to high ground) live from the local pet shop, and seeing if there's anything else I need to know about their care. Cant wait to see them go after crickets.
I don't know what sex the lizards are, maybe they'll breed, maybe theyre asexual...they both look slightly different which is a good sign...they're very cute, and look at me when I approach them.
But yeah...these are definately the coolest creatures I've had in my care in some time...so, overall a sad day, and a good day...
Just thought I'd share.