Empty Tank Syndrome...

[Sarahmooo]

Akiska

Hermit crabs... Enough said... When my sister is finished with my 30 I intend to set it up for a species only tat of blueberry hermits.

I like hermit crabs!
I miss mine.
What do blueberry ones look like?

 

[Foofy_Miru]

Ack! I'm stupid and I'm having URGES again!!!!

While browsing Craigslist on Friday, I came across an ad called "Pets for Free." It had popped up while I was doing the usual herp-based searches... Actually, while I was searching "frogs." Cool. So, I open it up. The person is fed up with taking care of all these animals the kids bring home. So, they're rehoming the 3 kittens (birthed by a stray cat who has taken to their home), a couple rabbits, and... Oh no... A couple white's tree frogs... And... Oh, worse... Two Russian tortoises.

I can wait on the tree frogs. No problem. I mean... I REALLY want a White's or two for my first amphibian experience, but they're common enough that I can wait. But the tortoises... I want them. I want to make sure they're healthy, and that they don't go to some %*^&$*% idiot that knows absolutely nothing.

I know I don't have space. I know it's a ridiculous idea. But I really want to give it a shot. After all, Christmas tree storage tubs are in stock right now and they make pretty good indoor tort enclosures. xP

I'm not sure I'll be able to resist.  

[Shanna66]

to me its better to get a turtle and the like while your young so yu wont have to leave it to someone when you die. get a storage tub!  

[Foofy_Miru]

Shanna66

to me its better to get a turtle and the like while your young so yu wont have to leave it to someone when you die. get a storage tub!

Darn it! You're supposed to be trying to convince me to be reasonable, not enable me... xD

You know what, to hell with it. I just emailed the person (and BCC'd my parents). CL claims they're in the Tacoma area, which is 2-3 hours away (sometimes longer, depending on traffic). I asked a crapload of questions about them, talked about my tort and herp-in-general experience, and asked whether they'd be willing to meet part-way since it's such a long drive..

I'm not sure I would even keep them "forever." I want to rescue them (it's a safe bet that they're probably poorly cared for), get them back in shape, and we'll see where it goes from there... Either adopt them out to someone qualified, or, when (if) we move in to my aunt's dinky little rental trailer on a gorgeous 5 acre plot of land, build a permanent, dog- and predator-proof outdoor enclosure for the summers and just keep them...  

[Foofy_Miru]

Awww, maaan.

The tortoises must have been taken already. I have yet to get an email back from the person, and the ad has expired and hasn't been put back up. I'm sad I didn't jump on it sooner... I was actually kind of looking forward to having a little tortoise colony out on the deck. =(

Oh well. Maybe once we get settled and have a tortoise pen built, I'll go looking for a rescue tort or two again. I love the cute little buggers, and what's one or two more tortoises?? It's not like Zoom can finish a tub of salad on her own before it goes bad...

(Lol--I think that's the logic that got me in trouble with snakes. "Well, it's not like Mallie can eat all these mice we buy in bulk by herself, especially when she's growing out of them so fast... What's two more corn snakes to help her out???")  

[Shanna66]

i love your logic  

[Foofy_Miru]

My logic is dangerous. I love it, too.. =)  

[Shanna66]

ill soon be using your logic. some people on another forum just talked me into getitng a red tail boa. ellie eats rats and rtb's eat rats, thus i wont have too many rats in the freezer.

have to wait until we move into the new house. right now im thinking of ways to tell the fiance i want an 8ft boa lol he thinks the ball python will be big at 5ft. my poor unsuspecting man XD  

[Foofy_Miru]

(BCI. BCI!!!! Boa Constrictor Imperator... Such a better term... Because "red tail boa" refers to all of them--BCI, BCC, BCA, BCO.... Especially BCI and BCC, but still.)

Do it! Do iiiit! If your fiance is worried about the size, get a male... And/or a dwarf. Hogg Isles, Nicaraguans, Crawl Cay, Cay Caulker, and a few others (basically, all "central american" ones) are all dwarf locales of BCI. Same species as the Colombian boas that are so common, but a lot smaller and, usually, different colors. Hogg Isles are a natural Hypo, so they're pretty orange, for example.

I can't wait to have a Hogg Isle pair!!

Look up Vincent Russo... He's probably the most reliable breeder of dwarfs. You can be sure they're pure if you get them from him. I've only heard good about dealings with and animals from him. =) (Link: http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/)  

[Shanna66]

thanks for the info. im going in more for their awsome personality than their size. something a bit bigger than a ball python but smaller than 8ft would be perfect. which type would be 6-7ft?

as you can see ive only JUST started doing research on them. right now im trying to plan out where such a huge enclosure would go

and thanks for the link!  

[Foofy_Miru]

I wouldn't call it a huge enclosure, unless you plan on spoiling it and/or think a 75 gallon or larger is huge. The minimum size for the average Hogg Isle adult is 4x2x2 ft (the minimum size for a male Colombian). A female Colombian needs at least a 6x2x2... Not huge unless you're trying to think about how many corns or leos you could fit in that space. ^.^'

Um... For that size range, I'd go female Hogg Isle or male Colombian. I don't know how big the other locales get... I've seen some absolutely minuscule adult male Nicaraguans at Expos--probably the size of Osiris, who's somewhere between 3 and 4 ft and a few pounds (perfect size for me!). Nics are generally much darker than the standard Colombian (IMO, kind of a natural hypermelanistic). I know, on a few of the locales' info pages on Vin Russo's site, he lists the size range. I don't think he does on ALL of them, but at least on some.

For choosing what you get, I would recommend you go with what appeals to you visually. They're all more or less going to have the same personalities as a standard boa, and they all stay reasonably smaller than a Colombian... Concerning size, you should be able to choose the gender of whatever locale that gets to the size you want (i.e.--Male Nic for very small, female Colombian for very large, female Hogg Isle for perfectly in between...).

Redtailboa.net is a supposed to be a good boa forum, by the way. =)  

[Shanna66]

the biggest tank i have is a 40gal for one of my leos and my ball python. housed seperatly of course. ok so one of those 40gals is only a storage bin but still, you get why i would thing anything 75 and up is huge.

i guess if i kept my fish tank as just a 20gal and didnt upgrade them to a 55gal then i could put the snake in the dining room. i want it somewhere where people could see such a beautiful animal, not hidden away in my bedroom.  

[Foofy_Miru]

Lol, yeah, that makes sense. My "biggest" tank was 20 gallons (long-style--the only other tank was a 20 gallon regular) when I first got Lucy's 75. I was almost afraid it wouldn't fit in the Durango! xD (We later found out that we can actually fit TWO 75s or a 75 and its stand in the Durango... God, I miss that beast! I want a Grand Caravan with Stow-and-go seating. My parents think I'm nuts... But, c'mon! You can probably fit FOUR 75 gallons in one of those monsters!!! =D ... Oops, sidetracked.)

Augh. I hate 55s because they're so thin... I hated it when Osiris was in the 29. 12 inches from front to back, at least for me, is NOT enough room to maneuver a larger snake... 18 inches, on the other hand, is turning out to be "just right," at least with a snake Osiris's size. To each their own, though--if you can maneuver inside the 55, it should work well enough. I think something deeper would be a good idea, anyway, with how thick boas get. Really though, given the choice, I would scrap aquariums and go with front-opening PVC plastic caging... Boaphile or Animal Plastics... I've also heard good things about Constrictors NW, which (bonus!) is actually local to me.

Christmas tree storage tubs are so awesome. Aside from being short and opaque, it turns out they're the perfect size for a medium-ish boa (teensy bit more floor space than a 75). I'm incorporating one into a rack for Osiris... Partly so I can sell the 75 she's in for a profit (I think it's the one we got, with screen and stand, for $20 at an auction), partly to conserve on space, and partly (largely) for an excuse to have xmas tree tubs on hand... (TORTIES!) xD  

[Shanna66]

i have a leaky convertable with a teeny weeny trunk, hardly enough room for a 20gal xp

and i would never house anything besides small fish and leos ina 55gal since those things are so thing.

ive still got my eyes on a 200gal tank. of course there is no where to put it but i can dream. it would be perfect for a boa. i think its about 4ftx4ftx3ft. im not sure though, thats just me guesstimating. i want it so badly, it would be perfect for a boa and i could amek it look so nice  

[Foofy_Miru]

Hahaha. I kind of have a car. My brother gave me his '82 diesel Mercedes for my 15th birthday... The diesel kept freezing up while he was stationed in North Dakota, and he felt like it would be assholish of him to just go sell it--my mom had given it to him as a "graduation" present... It's got a pretty good trunk, except the trunk is mostly full of the gas tank and the sound system he put in it.

Oooh, that IS big! That's something that deserves a place in the center of the room... Lol. =)