Sharing the Love

Since I started keeping reptiles a few years ago now, I have been very pleased with the opportunity it presents to talk to people about them.  Most recently this has been the result of my new geckos stirring up plenty of interest at work and beyond.  Of course I get plenty of funny looks and much interest at the fact that I keep Dragons and even a snake.  I guess it must startle people somewhat that an otherwise average looking Joe like me is 'into that sort of thing'.  I think on the whole, most people would be surprised just how many people are.  But, that is another story entirely.

I've always liked things that are unique, or at least a little different.  I suppose that is what must have at least in some way drawn  me to keeping reptiles.  However, it is the peculiarities of the ACT licensing system that has lead me to keep a far greater variety of animals than I ever thought possible (and even sensible if I am honest about it).

Now that I am actually able to keep geckos, the animals that I originally set out to have, I've started to reflect a little.  What I think strikes me most is the opportunities to learn and share with others about these fascinating animals, in particular with my kids.  Quite spontaneously this afternoon, I took Lacey outside to take some photos and the kids joined in.  I'm really happy that they are so comfortable with her and that I have been able to provide them with interesting insights into topics such as genetics, reproduction and the care and safety issues associated with animals.  You can see from these photos that they are both more than happy to interact with Lacey, as they are with all our animals.  I dubbed our youngest the snake charmer this afternoon.  The way she handled Lacey showed me just how much she has learned and really how much she has grown up.  Even if she is still only four.

I guess the point of my self indulgent monologue today is partly to show off my beautiful girls, but, also to articulate how much I enjoy sharing my interest in the hobby of keeping reptiles.  It's great to see the expressions on peoples faces go through a variety of shock, polite interest and sometimes even some wide eyed wonder.  Perhaps the most pleasing part of it is that I've been able to help a few others get started in the hobby as well.  From my two seasons of breeding Dragons, four of my babies are now in homes that knew nothing about keeping reptiles previously.  I was more than happy to gift them to their knew owners on the basis that they had the right set ups, knowledge and intent to care for them.  So far so good.  Here's to many more years with these great pets!

The Wait is Over!

 It may have taken nearly 3 years to get my license, but, the wait was more than worth it.  Today, we took possession of a pair of Golden Tail Geckos (Strophurus taenicauda triaureus).  They came on a plane from Melbourne and we picked them up at the airport.  This picture is of them still in the container in which they were lovingly packed this morning.

This yet to be named pair are male and female and have successfully bred this season.  Their former owner sold them to me as she is downsizing her collection.  I am completely thrilled at the opportunity this presented me to start keeping geckos with this species and these individuals.  The arboreal Strophurus genus, often called spiney tails caught my eye some time ago, over the more popular terrestrial species commonly kept by enthusiasts.  I like their slender tails and find their markings more appealing to my eyes at least.  Despite often being called spiney golden tails because of their classification, this particular species does not posses the spines often associated with their cousins like Strophurus ciliaris.

Interestingly this species was recently reclassified into three subspecies, hence the triple barrel name of Genus, species and subspecies (Strophurus taenicauda triaureus).  Normally only genus and species are used to classify animals.  The name translated means, turning-tail, stripe-tail, three golden.  This is because not only do these guys have a single well defined golden stripe down the top side of their tails, but, they have one less prominent stripe down either side of their tails as well.  They are commonly referred to as the barred form of golden tails which I assume is because of the neat rows of black and white stripes running vertically opposed to the golden stripes running the length of their tails.  The sub species is also distinct from the two other species in a few other ways, including their amber eye colour.  The other two sub species have red, and white eyes respectively.  If you are interested in reading more, check out the reclassification document on Danny Brown's site GeckoDan.

I must say that I was taken aback when I opened the tightly sealed container and saw these guys in the flesh for the first time.  They are stunningly beautiful and my pictures do not do them justice.  Everything from their amber eyes, black and white markings right through to their golden striped tails is just breathtaking.  I am so looking forward to watching and learning more about these little guys first hand.  With any luck they will breed for me this coming season too.  Another great experience to share with the kids.  For now, they are settling into their new home and I'm trying to think of some groovy names for them.

A New Member of the Family

This week saw the much anticipated arrival of our newest Dragon now named Penny.  Like Lolly and Beau she is a Bearded Dragon.  After going through what was a surprisingly straight forward process of getting licence and import permits sorted, I gratefully took possession of Penny, a 4 week old female hypo (hypomelanistic) Dragon.

Hypomelanism is a recessive genetic mutation in some animals causing malfunctioning melanin (pigment) production or problems with its transport to pigmented cells.  What does this mean in practical terms?  Melanin is the thing that browns us when we tan.  It also makes the patterned markings on Bearded Dragons as well as other things on them dark.  A Dragon that has a genetic mutation that either inhibits the production of melanin or the effective transport of melanin to the parts of the body that it would otherwise darken is said to be hypomelanistic.  Where this is the case, the animal will generally appear lighter all round.

There are some key factors in determining if a Dragon is definitely hypo.  A Dragon can be lighter and indeed almost white, without being hypo.  As this is a genetic trait rather than polymorphism, which is the term describing non genetic colour variation in animals, to be a true hypo key expressions of the trait must be present through generations.  The easiest trait to identify is that true hypos have clear nails on all their toes.  Normal Bearded Dragons have black nails.  If you have a Dragon that has clear nails, then it is a hypo, the traits are genetic and they can be passed on to future generations through selective breeding. Hypomelanism is not the same as Albinism where no melanin is produced at all, which, in Bearded Dragons, is not a terribly desirable trait as it is something that has the potential to severely shorten their life and generally does.  But, that is another discussion.  You can find more information on this and other Bearded Dragon genetic traits on this page - LINKY.

After that little science lesson, what we have day to day is a cute little baby Bearded Dragon.  Her name is Penny, after her namesake on the TV Series, The Big Bang Theory.  As she is so small compared with our other Dragons, she is being kept separately until such time as she can be safely housed together with at least our other girl, Lolly if not all three together.  She came to us in fantastic condition with a nice fat belly having been well cared for.  From day one she has been enthusiastically eating all the live food I have been putting in front of her, both woodies (speckled cockroaches) and crickets.  I will start introducing veggies on the weekend.  I was also very happy to see her drinking very well when I have misted her with water.  To this point, everything is going very well!  In the future, I have plans to breed her with Beau and my mind wonders off at the possibilities down the track with her offspring and Lolly as well.  But for now, she is cute, healthy and a load of fun.

DIY Enclosure Series - Part 3

After many moons between activity on my enclosure project, I have finally managed to make some reasonable progress.  I was motivated mainly by Bruce's temporary home becoming more than temporary given how long he has been in there.  Also by my tendency not to finish projects like this.  With that in mind, I decided to focus on the bottom enclosure that will be Bruce's permanent dwelling.  After all, it would make good practice for the upper enclosure that is a fair bit bigger, which will make it more difficult to manage on my own.  Better to start with something a bit easier to handle.

To get to this point, I have cut the base and backing boards.  These are MDF that I had in the garage that I thought to use rather than running out and buying melamine or similar.  I sealed them with two types of pond sealer. The first is what gives the boards the blue colouration.  It is a think grainy substance that dries in an almost rubbery texture.  Over that is two coats of a clear sealer that is much thinner, more watery in texture.  Both these products are non toxic as they are designed for fish ponds.

I also sourced glass to fit all three other sides.  The front and right side cut to fit fixed and snugly.  The left hand side toughened and bevelled to be hinged as a door.

I have also made a series of flyscreen panels for the top and sides for ventilation.  I am so close to finishing.  I am two pieces short to complete the final panel from the top of the enclosure.  I made three for a couple of reasons.  Firstly it will make it easier to access the top when the lighting is in place as I will not have to remove the whole top to reach in.  Additionally, I made the assumption that smaller panels would provide greater strength to support light fittings as the spans are smaller.  I still have to figure out how I am going to secure the side flyscreen panels.  They fit well enough but are not fixed to the frame as yet.

The part that I have found the trickiest has definitely been the mounting of the glass door.  The glass is cut as per the dimensions provided to me by the frame manufacturer.  It is a very tight fit.  Not having done this before I was looking for some insight as to how to hang the door.  After a visit to my in-laws to look at their TV cabinet, which, just happens to have the exact same hinges, I set to it.  I drilled holes in the aluminium box sections that frame the top and bottom of the door to take the hinge mounts after measuring and marking the right locations and size of hole required.  Then comes problem number 1.  The joints for the framework are solid metal and penetrate a fair way into each span.  Some of them have channels on some of their faces.  Others do not.  The one that penetrates the top span framing the door does not and covered the hole such that I could push in the hinge mount.  Shattered.

I decided to cut my losses and drill a second hole at a point past where the joint pieces penetrate the span.  This will leave me with a somewhat unsightly surplus hole in the span, but, at least the door will mount.  After drilling the second hole and mounting the door in it's hinges, physics gets in the way.  Physics or geometry or something.  As the hinge is further along the span of glass, their is part of the glass pane protruding out the back of the hinge.  Originally I had planned to have the hinges mounted right up in the corner as I had seen on the TV cabinet.  This means that the glass panel essentially opens in place.  With the hinge place further along the span, the part of the glass behind the hinge starts to protrude in the opposite direction.  Problem being that the glass panel is such a tight fit that as I tried to open the door, the edge trying to move into the enclosure straight away gets caught on the aluminium frame and cannot get past it.  So the door will not open.  There in we have problem number 2...

This story does have a happy ending as you can see in the photo above.  With some belated lateral thinking, I decided to drill a hole in the metal joint, just deep enough to take the hinge mount in its original location.  With a little fiddling I got this right and low and behold we have a working door!  Having said that, there is no way that the handle and locking mechanism I was supplied will fit as the glass is cut just too snug.  Good for no escaping animals.  Bad for fitting a lock.  I am going to see what other options I can come up with, but, for now a small piece of the plastic beading used to mount the other glass panes will do just fine as a temporary way to secure the door and leave it possible to open it easy enough.  Of course I still have a somewhat unsightly hole surplus to my needs from the door mounting experience.  But, the outcome is otherwise satisfactory.

So there you have it.  A little work left to do on this one this week should see Bruce installed very soon.  From there it will essentially be rinse and repeat on a bigger scale and hopefully without the same mistakes!