Zookeeper Gabe’s Animal Thread Vol 9.0

the ambush said:
"These are the 10 best breeds of dog to choose if you are looking for a pet that will protect your home and family."
- David Hepburn
1. German Shepherd
2. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
3. Akita
4. Australian Shepherd
5. Boxer
6. Rottweiler
7. Mastiff
8. Dobermann
9. Beauceron
10. Tibetan Mastiff

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/these-are-the-10-best-alert-and-adorable-guard-dog-breeds-to-protect-your-home-and-family-3315289?amp
Click to expand...
No Cane Corso?
<WhoJeff>
 
@Zookeeper Gabe Why are snakes kept in such small cages? I've been watching reptile channels lately and the enclosures they use seem small for the animal.

For example, Snake Discovery is keeping boa's and retics in 8'x2x2' enclosures. From what I've gathered they're one of the best channels on youtube for reptiles so they know what they're doing. But it seems like the snakes can't stretch out all the way, are they comfortable always having to have one part of the body curled?
Time stamped.
 
jefferz said:
@Zookeeper Gabe Why are snakes kept in such small cages? I've been watching reptile channels lately and the enclosures they use seem small for the animal.

For example, Snake Discovery is keeping boa's and retics in 8'x2x2' enclosures. From what I've gathered they're one of the best channels on youtube for reptiles so they know what they're doing. But it seems like the snakes can't stretch out all the way, are they comfortable always having to have one part of the body curled?
Time stamped.
Click to expand...

This is an awesome question, short answer is people are cheap/lazy and think the absolute bare minimum is fine. Their rationale is, the snake is eating/drinking/mating so it’s happy

I have a 4’ ball Python and will be getting him a 6’ enclosure pretty soon, plus I make sure they have room to climb. Way too many people keep even ball pythons in racks and it sucks, luckily there’s a trend to start going towards larger more naturalistic enclosures at home as well as zoos.
 
Zookeeper Gabe said:
This is an awesome question, short answer is people are cheap/lazy and think the absolute bare minimum is fine. Their rationale is, the snake is eating/drinking/mating so it’s happy

I have a 4’ ball Python and will be getting him a 6’ enclosure pretty soon, plus I make sure they have room to climb. Way too many people keep even ball pythons in racks and it sucks, luckily there’s a trend to start going towards larger more naturalistic enclosures at home as well as zoos.
Click to expand...

It's weird when these channels have lizards, they give them a large enough enclosure but snake enclosures always seem small. Do some breeds feel more comfortable in smaller spaces?
Rack systems seem odd to me as well. The bins don't let light in, they're kept close to each other so disease & bacteria could spread easily, there's no room to provide things for enrichment, etc. Are racks more of a convenience for the keepers?
Do you have any good resources you could point a noob like me towards so I could learn more about the keeping of snakes?
 
jefferz said:
It's weird when these channels have lizards, they give them a large enough enclosure but snake enclosures always seem small. Do some breeds feel more comfortable in smaller spaces?
Rack systems seem odd to me as well. The bins don't let light in, they're kept close to each other so disease & bacteria could spread easily, there's no room to provide things for enrichment, etc. Are racks more of a convenience for the keepers?
Do you have any good resources you could point a noob like me towards so I could learn more about the keeping of snakes?
Click to expand...

That is the rationale(more comfortable in small spaces), it’s very outdated and racks are only convenient for the keeper. People get super
Bent out of shape about it too and there are a few species that do fine in racks but I don’t like them one bit.
If you’re on FB, there’s an awesome group called advancing Herpetological husbandry (they probably have a web page too).
 
Zookeeper Gabe said:
That is the rationale(more comfortable in small spaces), it’s very outdated and racks are only convenient for the keeper. People get super
Bent out of shape about it too and there are a few species that do fine in racks but I don’t like them one bit.
If you’re on FB, there’s an awesome group called advancing Herpetological husbandry (they probably have a web page too).
Click to expand...

I've seen some people put a soaking tub in their enclosures. Do you use distilled water in the tub or can you use tap water? Does chlorine or chloramine in the water affect them? Are certain minerals in the water bad for them?
Another thing I've noticed is people putting a penny in water dishes. I'm assuming the thought is that the copper helps keep the water "clean".
Thanks for the info, it's much appreciated.
 
CaptHANDSUP said:
Dont they have an insanely lethal bite? Why or how is she fuckin with that?
Click to expand...
This is my understanding: they're not venomous so you won't just drop dead. But you need to get treatment ASAP or else you'll probably get a nasty infection. They don't really have a reputation as biters unless you corner them. So this person is probably safe but stupid: it's still a wild animal and you can never know exactly what they will do, even when the animal is the one to initiate contact.
 
the ambush said:
"These are the 10 best breeds of dog to choose if you are looking for a pet that will protect your home and family."
- David Hepburn

2. Staffordshire Bull Terrier


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/these-are-the-10-best-alert-and-adorable-guard-dog-breeds-to-protect-your-home-and-family-3315289?amp
Click to expand...

Fuck no.

Ive had staffies all my life. They will lick someone to death, if in a loving family home they are the polar opposite of what everyone thinks. These are a poor example of a guard dog, there are many better breeds.
 
jefferz said:
I've seen some people put a soaking tub in their enclosures. Do you use distilled water in the tub or can you use tap water? Does chlorine or chloramine in the water affect them? Are certain minerals in the water bad for them?
Another thing I've noticed is people putting a penny in water dishes. I'm assuming the thought is that the copper helps keep the water "clean".
Thanks for the info, it's much appreciated.
Click to expand...
For the majority of reptiles normal tap water is fine, there are dechlorinators like reptisafe which is good for amphibians and sensitive reptiles. I would never use distilled, RO on some misting systems to prevent buildup but the animals need access to water with minerals in it.
I’ve never heard of putting a penny in a water bowl and think it’s probably dome sort of stupid myth.
 
CaptHANDSUP said:
Dont they have an insanely lethal bite? Why or how is she fuckin with that?
Click to expand...
They are responsible for a small amount of diver fatalities, they have large teeth and secondary infection is always a risk. Some wild eels become habituated to people, but interacting with any wild predator certainly carries a risk
 
Say hello to new newest edition to my family..

gorgeous-traditional-puppies-6110d394b6db0.jpg


3 kids and now 2 dogs

I must be fucking mad!
 
Zookeeper Gabe said:
For the majority of reptiles normal tap water is fine, there are dechlorinators like reptisafe which is good for amphibians and sensitive reptiles. I would never use distilled, RO on some misting systems to prevent buildup but the animals need access to water with minerals in it.
I’ve never heard of putting a penny in a water bowl and think it’s probably dome sort of stupid myth.
Click to expand...

Have you guys had trouble at the zoo getting certain meds?
I've been catching Northern Red Belly Dace's in the river by my house and I want to bring them home to put in an aquarium but I can't find any anti-parasite meds for sale locally. My state has a stupid law where I can't have praziquantel based meds shipped into the state and I have to buy it locally. My backup is usually levamisole hydrochloride (sp?) meant for livestock but of course everyone is out of that as well due to people being stupid. Antibiotics like Amoxfin are impossible to find as well.
This sucks because I've been putting minnow traps in that river for 15 years and I've never caught those Dace's before. I checked with the local game warden and he was surprised I was catching them by my house, he said they usually don't come this far up the river.
Is methylene blue used in the reptile hobby? Unfortunately the 2 companies that were making it for aquariums have stopped producing it. It works great on fresh fish eggs to stop fungus from forming. You can use hydrogen peroxide but it's more abrasive to the egg sac and usually leads to lower hatch rates.

Northern redbelly dace's for reference.
rfNorthern%20Redbelly%20Dace.jpg
 
jefferz said:
Have you guys had trouble at the zoo getting certain meds?
I've been catching Northern Red Belly Dace's in the river by my house and I want to bring them home to put in an aquarium but I can't find any anti-parasite meds for sale locally. My state has a stupid law where I can't have praziquantel based meds shipped into the state and I have to buy it locally. My backup is usually levamisole hydrochloride (sp?) meant for livestock but of course everyone is out of that as well due to people being stupid. Antibiotics like Amoxfin are impossible to find as well.
This sucks because I've been putting minnow traps in that river for 15 years and I've never caught those Dace's before. I checked with the local game warden and he was surprised I was catching them by my house, he said they usually don't come this far up the river.
Is methylene blue used in the reptile hobby? Unfortunately the 2 companies that were making it for aquariums have stopped producing it. It works great on fresh fish eggs to stop fungus from forming. You can use hydrogen peroxide but it's more abrasive to the egg sac and usually leads to lower hatch rates.

Northern redbelly dace's for reference.
rfNorthern%20Redbelly%20Dace.jpg
Click to expand...
Dace are really pretty fish and I haven’t seen one for years, I don’t think they have been having any issues getting meds. Since we order such large quantities our supply is pretty solid. as for blue meth, I don’t think so but I could be wrong. Chlorhex is used quite a bit
 
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