Pet Care Circle (blog)

I just came across this blog while surfing the web and thought I'd create a link to it. It deals with conventional pets more than it does with exotics, but it's got some useful information. I particularly like the section on terrariums: general but accurate. The section on setting up a freshwater aquarium will come in handy when I get around to discussing keeping File snakes and freshwater shrimps. Also, the bird keeping post is broad, but a suitable intro for newcomers to the bird world.

I particularly like this blog's formal layout and language. Congratulations to whoever made it!

Gray's water skink

To my knowledge, Gray’s water skinks are only found in the Philippines. However, the basic necessities of keeping these skinks is the same for all semi-aquatic skinks. Besides, I know that some people actually do have Gray’s skinks… Here’s what I’ve gathered from keeping one of these skinks for a full year, and from the experiences of my friend who had two but now only has one.

Difficulties:
May refuse food until they settle down. Whenever choosing an exotic I always insist on seeing it eat before I buy it, which helps me pick animals that are likely to start eating quickly. Also, these skinks need a setup with both water and land… so the “Housing” section for more details. Like tree frogs, you cannot hope to cuddle your water skink.


Rewards:
Personally, I’ve never kept blue-tongues or anything more conventional. However, these skinks just look awesome – their serrated scales make them look more like crocodiles than like lizards. They are low maintenance, diurnal (most active at dawn and dusk) and fairly inquisitive.


Feeding:
I basically feed mine mealworms gut loaded with oatmeal… Not necessarily the most nutritious food, but they seem to thrive on it. I’m not sure the oatmeal makes much difference, but keeping the mealworms healthy saves me money. I generally offer it a mealworm every day by dropping it where the skink can see it. However, you can tell if your skink is in good condition by looking at the base of the tail. A thick, plump base shows a well-fed skink. A skinny base shows you need to feed your skink more often. If absolutely necessary you can offer an adult skink young super worms, but these can be hard to swallow.

[Update] I have found that Grey's water skinks will eagerly eat bloodworms left on a flat rock. However, it appears they will be even keener on eating crickets!!

Housing:
Firs of all, these skinks must be house separately. The friend I mentioned in the intro had two together, but one killed the other. The owner of the pet store/complex from which I bought the skins insists that both of his were males (I do not know for sure how to sex them, although I read that females are generally larger than males). Perhaps it’s possible to house a pair together, but it’s probably not worth it.
They are a medium-sized skinks: mine is just under 20cm long. My second Bible – the DK Reptile Recognition guide – says they get to be between 20 and 24 cm long. I keep mine in an unconventional 20 gallon aquarium that is wider than it is high with a soil and pebble substrate. This is divided in four distinct parts. The most important is the water container in which the skink can swim, shed (they seem to prefer to shed in the water), cool off and hide. The second is a hiding place - currently an inverted rectangular plastic box – which is also absolutely essential to help your pet settle down. Next I’ve planted canary seeds in one corner of the aquarium. The skink seems to enjoy hiding and foraging in these. Finally, I have a raised mound of earth that the skink can lay on to observe the other pets in my room.
Although the water in its aquarium keeps it fairly humid, I do occasionally mist it manually. These skinks look a lot nicer when they are wet rather then covered in mud, so I sometimes mist it just for the pleasure of seeing it in its full splendor... I keep the aquarium at slightly above room temperature (between 24 and 29 degrees Celsius, depending on the season), not because I’m following a guide but because that’s the temperature during the day in the corner of my bedroom I keep it in. I figure that as long as it can submerge itself at will it should not have any problems, and the temperature drops to about 20 Celsius during the night.


Final words of advice:
These skinks are fast and agile. Although they cannot climb up the sides of an aquarium their enclosure must be secure. Keep in mind that they do not become any less agile while you are cleaning their aquarium. Nowadays, I generally leave my skink in its aquarium when cleaning out the water and detritus (such as dead plants and worms) because my skink is fairly used to my sticking my hand in by now. However, for the first few months I had to keep it in a separate plastic box with a firm lid. Catching these skinks, even in an aquarium can be tricky. Don’t worry: although they look like crocodiles I’ve never been bitten by them. I generally restrain my skink by grasping it at the base of the tail then quickly switching fingers and moving my grasp so that I hold it right behind its shoulders. I don’t feel comfortable holding the tail for too long…

Keeping your pets active and happy

Animals kept in captivity can become bored. An animal that is not stimulated is unhappy. Pacing and other repetitive motions are common, as are aggressive behavior, psychological damage, and simple inactivity. These destroy one’s enjoyment of any pet. This problem is faced by zoos, as well as private pet owners. One solution – or, rather a broad range of sub-solutions – to keep your animals stimulated is enrichment.

What is enrichment?

Enrichment is any activity that stimulates captive animals to display normal behaviors; behaviors that mimic their daily activities in the wild. Tying a ribbon on a string and hanging it up for a cat to play with is simple enrichment. In trying to “catch” the ribbon, the cat mimics the natural activity of catching food.

There are three main types of enrichment:

• Environmental enrichment: providing your pets with an enclosure that permits exploration, foraging, ‘destruction’ (explained later), etc. My birds (with the exception of the Java Rice Finch) all enjoy a spray from a hand mister on hot days, even though a water bath is always available in all my cages.
• Sound enrichment: my lovebirds love to whistle along to any creaking noise or whistle. I keep them in a place where they can hear and see wild birds (if you’ve kept lovebirds you’ll probably have realized that the primary purpose in their lives is to rip other birds limb from limb, so watching wild finches in my garden gives my lovebirds quite a thrill). Sound enrichment doesn’t work with snakes… (although I’ve never tried it with other reptiles).
• Olfactory enrichment: Many animals have keen senses of smell and will spend hours investigating a new scent. This can be used with ferrets, rats, chinchillas, etc. I’ve never used it with birds or reptiles (and I do not suggest using it with amphibians – most scents are chemicals and amphibians can absorb chemicals through their skin). I’ve personally never used it with my pets. Now that I think of it, my mouse would probably enjoy it. Anybody got any suggestions or scents mice find attractive (I’m not too keen on using food).

The limiting factor with enrichment is you imagination. Obviously, make sure you don’t use something dangerous. If you use plants ensure that they are not toxic in any way. And make sure you do not feed live prey as ‘enrichment!’ While certain animals must be given live food, it would be unquestionably unethical to do so for simple pleasure. Otherwise, be creative and enjoy watching your pet enjoy your enrichment…

Brown Tree frogs

Introduction:
Brown tree frogs can make fascinating pets. I find these amphibians readily in my backyard during the wet season. However, I generally only keep these frogs for a couple of weeks before I release them – they don’t seem to cope too well with captivity. If you catch frogs and plan to release them make sure not to miss the end of the rainy season – I would hate to have to release a frog in the dry season. I have observed four such frogs in the past three years.

Difficulties:
Wild-caught tree frogs do not seem to settle into captivity very well. They don’t eat easily and generally just try to escape all the time. There’s no way you could possibly be able to “pet” these pets… However, certain tree frogs that are available on the market make much easier pets to take care of. Some of these species can be found on http://www.calm.wa.gov.au/plants_animals/reptiles/advice/tree_frogs.html Being amphibians, all frogs can absorb chemicals, etc through their skin so A) never use any detergent or anything similar in your frogs aquarium and B) always thoroughly wash your hands if you happen to have to touch them (keep your hands moist).


Rewards:
These frogs are incredibly active. Their leaps are quite simply spectacular. And, besides, they make fairly awesome photographic subjects…


Housing:
I have personally seen one of these frogs leap approximately four feet. The bigger the frog, the farther they can leap. Therefore, if kept in a very small aquarium they will batter themselves quite badly. The ones I have kept always seemed to do fine in a 20 gallon aquarium with a lid that is taped on so the frogs can’t escape. I even kept one is a large cardboard box that had been lined with duct tape and had a thin layer of transparent plastic in front. This setup seemed to work quite well. I think that the darkness and the cave-like design of this enclosure actually helped that frog calm down. However, A) it detracts very much from your enjoyment of the frog, B) it makes it harder to feed the frog and C) the humidity eventually destroys the enclosure. Do not try to keep these frogs in cages. Slamming themselves against the metal bars or chicken wire may result in injury. Insect-screen enclosures might be interesting though… Never tried it myself.

These frogs need a few basic essentials. First of all, at least two plants they can leap between. If your frog is attaching itself to the side of it’s aquarium during the day (being nocturnal) then you need to redesign your setup. At night you can expect your frog to investigate and will unquestionably ‘perch’ on the aquarium itself (as in the photo). The first thing you might need to add is hiding places. Generally, large leaves are all you need: the frogs will cling to them upside-down and thus conceal themselves (obviously, if you plan to keep your frog for more than a few days the plants will need light, but most certainly do not leave your frog exposed to direct sunlight). Otherwise, be creative. One design that worked for me was a plastic cup attached to the top of the aquarium with a couple of twigs secured inside it.

Humidity is pivotal. If your frog dries up it will dry. It’s probably a good idea to provide a large water bowl in the frog’s habitat, both for humidity and for them to swim in. If you are using an aquarium, just fill the bottom six centimeters or so with water. Mist your aquarium daily. Do not leave it exposed to direct sunlight, but remember that being cold-blooded your frogs will be more active if the temperature is relatively warm. Normal room temperature of about 27, 28 degrees Celsius works well. Air-conditioned rooms constantly at 10 degreed Celsius are definitely not suitable.

I have only ever kept one frog at a time, but I see no reason why two frogs of similar size cannot be kept in a suitable aquarium. Do not catch baby frogs – I’m positive they’d die. My general rule is that the bigger the animal (relative to its species) the more likely it is to survive.


Feeding:
If your wild-caught tree frog eats you are lucky. Here are a few tips to increasing your chances. Any, true exotics lover must have mealworms, if not bloodworms somewhere in the house. I need a constant supply of live ones for my other pets. Of the four frogs I kept I saw one eat two mealworms in two weeks and another one would eat live bloodworms every few days for the month I kept it. To offer these foods I attach a few, small, plastic ‘dishes’ (about 1cmX1cm) to the side of the aquarium and place the food items on them. For wild caught frogs the prey must be alive. If you insist on observing (as, I must admit, I do) I suggest you sit in a way that you are below the aquarium, instead of staring straight at the frog. I generally lie under the table I keep aquaria on with only my head poking out from under it. You must remember that free frogs are predominantly nocturnal, so they won’t eat if the lights are on too bright. I prefer to turn off the light and turn on a lampshade on the other side of the room (yes, I keep my frogs in my bedroom – and there’s nothing wrong with that!).


Final words of advice:
I have never ‘lost’ a brown tree frog. I mean this in two senses. First of all, these frogs are escape artists so make sure your housing is suitable. Secondly, none of my frogs – even though they were all wild caught – have ever dies while in captivity. However, the one that refused to eat did loose a bit of condition in the week I kept it. I have no way of knowing whether these frogs survive once I release them (which is why I’ve only kept four in the past three years). I have no reason to believe otherwise, but I do not have confirmation that they all survived once released. As with any animal you catch and then release, be rational. Don’t wait until your frog is skin and bones before you release it. Remember that worldwide amphibian populations are dwindling…

Why get a pet?

Those of us who own pets probably don't need anybody to tell them that keeping pets can have wonderful rewards. However, I think outlining these rewards may be a good way to start this blog. Those of you trying to convince your parents to buy you a puppy... enjoy! This list was developed in preperation for a seminar on "Dr. Dogs" I organised in my school. I can't claim to be an expert on the subject, but it's always easier to find references when you know what you look for.

Pets and the Aged

• Aged individuals with pets have been proven to lead longer lives as they have a sense of fulfillment and purpose.
• Pets reduce stress and chances of cardiac arrest.
• Pets aid the disabled both in terms of physically helping them with everyday activities (seeing-eye dogs) but also by providing unquestioning affection. Again, pets can provide the sense of purpose that sometimes seems missing in people’s lives.

“Doctor Dogs” (dogs that are for therapy in hospitals)

• They provide a sense of security, and are proven to help people open up
• They are directly useful in therapy (eg. communication, walking)
• They are good companions for people who are autistic and therefore find it difficult to relate to other humans.
  

People in general

• Pets may be used to ease family tensions and bring families closer together
• Teach sense of responsibility.
• Have been proven to reduce stress and stress-related conditions (such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disorders)
• According to an American survey, 57% of pet owners say that if they were stranded on a desert island they would rather have their pet with them than anybody else: a testament to the powerful companionship pets provide.
  

Pets in Class

• Induce relaxation and reduce stress.
• Teach students about the natural world (can be used as teaching aides)Permit the teacher to teach the students life-lessons such as respect and responsibility in a hands-on manner.

Blog Explanation

First of all, allow me to explain what made me decide to create this blog and certain reservations I have in making it.

I have a whole host of fascinating pets. They enrich my life and, as a High School student, help me relax. Living in the Philippines, this is where the vast majority of my true exotics come from. That means I don’t generally need to play around with temperature, humidity, etcetera. However, I also have a number of conventional pets – lovebirds, a cat, and so on. In this blog I will focus on the pets you are unlikely to find in a Western pet store. Having said this, I haven’t been to a “Western Pet store” in a few years, so I don’t quite know what’s available nowadays. Still, I am fairly confident you wouldn’t find Gray’s water skinks, Philippine Narrow-mouthed toads (Kaloula sp.), little file snakes, Philippine Hanging Parrots or wolf snakes (Lycodon sp.). Eventually I will write blogs about the trials as well as the rewards of keeping each of these and more.

However, I have certain reservations. It is not necessarily “easy” to keep some of these pets or, probably more to you interest, similar species. Many species have been pushed towards extinction by the unregulated pet trade. While the exotics I’ve got are not endangered, I’d like to make sure they stay that way. Please be responsible when buying pets that come from another country, as well as when getting pets from your own country. If possible, I suggest you only buy captive-bred animals. If you really want something unconventional perhaps you should consider a newt. I have two Japanese fire-bellies myself – wonderful pets. I know you can find newts in the pet store, but they still count as exotics!

In any case… I hope you find my blogs either A) informative or B) entertaining. I’m still not quite sure how this works so bear with me. Should you have any questions about keeping pets you think I might be able to answer e-mail me at naja[dot]nivea[at]gmail[dot]com or post a comment. I’m not an expert but even if I can’t answer a question myself I can post them on the blog or forward them to friends of mine who are somewhat more qualified in exotic pet care.

Cheers J