Reptile Expo Loot

[Synirr]

For those of you who thought Vakasa was small...

...meet Bekele Looks big, right?

WRONG!

Just a little hatchling . He's a mate for Vakasa, when he gets bigger. Only $15!!! The cheapest I could find online were $50, plus shipping!

And it was my lucky day... a lone male Malaysian cat gecko too!!! I originally ordered a pair, but the first male died of unknown causes shortly after I received him... just stopped eating. The female is still doing fantastic, so I assume it was just one of those flukes. Anywho, the seller had a pair for $300, then this guy... for $50! He assumed no one would want a lone male, but he was wrong! They are normally around $120, and my female was $75, so that's a fantastic deal.
Still in his container while I rearranged the tank and added the new wood I got. That's the female's tail in the corner, I put her in there so she'd be out of the way for a minute.

In the tank

He's much prettier than the original male, who didn't really have a pattern and was dark brown.

Lookin' stoned

This is the female, she's a bit darker... I think they go well together

 

[Dibari]

I think I just fell in love with that male cat gecko.


Beauts, all of them, Synirr. Congrats.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

A. felinus is a lovely species. Congratulations on finding a male at that price! Maybe some eggs will be on the cards in the future

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

Oh man I want a snake soooo bad!

Do you need a license to own reptiles in the US?

 

[Synirr]

Nope! Hell, in my state you don't even need one to own venomous

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

Wow they are heaps strict about certain pet ownership in Aus. Have to have a license to own any reptile or exotic animal..some parrots you need a license for too. And the license has to be renewed every few years. Reptiles have to be bought from breeders too. Never find them in pet shops.
Its a good thing though. Would probably stop just any old person from buying a reptile who isnt going to look after it properly.

 

[lljdma06]

Wow they are heaps strict about certain pet ownership in Aus. Have to have a license to own any reptile or exotic animal..some parrots you need a license for too. And the license has to be renewed every few years. Reptiles have to be bought from breeders too. Never find them in pet shops.
Its a good thing though. Would probably stop just any old person from buying a reptile who isnt going to look after it properly.

Yeah, sometimes I wish they had stricter laws, as there are so many escaped reptiles in my neck of the woods now. I swear, half the reptiles I see in my garden are not from FL.

Great looking snake and cat gecko, Synirr. Good deals, too. Lucky girl, you are.

 

[xautomaticflowersx]

Another pesky thing about Australia is the uber-strict laws regarding non-native animals. Understandable when you think about the cane toad, but it makes it hard on hobbyists who want to keep non-native species. So I feel for you -cAtFiSh-! Although there are some awesome Australian geckos, like Oedura, Nephrurus and Strophurus (would love some Strophurus williamsi) .

 

[Synirr]

I WISH the US required a license, at least for parrots and larger reptiles. There was an exhibit at the expo of several large guys that were poorly cared-for and suffered permanent damage because of it... it made me want to cry . There was a snapping turtle whose shell was actually concave and his flesh came up around the edges of it, an iguana with horrible skeletal abnormalities from poor nutrition, a beardie with an upper jaw that was too short for similar reasons, and a python with a mangled eye because he had retained an eyecap when he shed and his owners thought it would be a good idea to remove it with tweezers, destroying his eye in the process. They were all abandoned by their owners because they were no longer perfect. All of them had a great caretaker now, but the damage was irreversible. Parrots also frequently suffer malnutrition and go insane from neglect and lack of interaction; they're far to intelligent for the average pet owner to want to deal with, but their bright colours and ability to mimick human speech make them highly sought-after pets. It's literally like having a 3 year old for the rest of your life, they NEED your constant attention and NEED to be a part of your family.

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

Yeah parrots are veeery expensive here which I guess would also assist in stopping irresponsible people buying them (apart from budgerigars and cockatiels which are native to Australia and are very easy to get hold of). But even native birds such as cockatoos and eclectus parrots are expensive. I've seen eclectus (a parrot I would love to own one day) for $AUS800, and that's cheap! There's a breeder near me who sells blue and gold macaws for $AUS7500. Other exotic South American parrots are also really expensive, even some of the small varieties. Are parrots as expensive as this in the US and UK?

 

[lljdma06]

I WISH the US required a license, at least for parrots and larger reptiles. There was an exhibit at the expo of several large guys that were poorly cared-for and suffered permanent damage because of it... it made me want to cry . There was a snapping turtle whose shell was actually concave and his flesh came up around the edges of it, an iguana with horrible skeletal abnormalities from poor nutrition, a beardie with an upper jaw that was too short for similar reasons, and a python with a mangled eye because he had retained an eyecap when he shed and his owners thought it would be a good idea to remove it with tweezers, destroying his eye in the process. They were all abandoned by their owners because they were no longer perfect. All of them had a great caretaker now, but the damage was irreversible. Parrots also frequently suffer malnutrition and go insane from neglect and lack of interaction; they're far to intelligent for the average pet owner to want to deal with, but their bright colours and ability to mimick human speech make them highly sought-after pets. It's literally like having a 3 year old for the rest of your life, they NEED your constant attention and NEED to be a part of your family.

Agree, agree, agree. Every pet needs the same care you give to a dog or cat. There is no difference. I'm glad these reptiles have a good home now. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to have pets. You should see the 5 foot iguanas roaming free at the zoo.

Yeah parrots are veeery expensive here which I guess would also assist in stopping irresponsible people buying them (apart from budgerigars and cockatiels which are native to Australia and are very easy to get hold of). But even native birds such as cockatoos and eclectus parrots are expensive. I've seen eclectus (a parrot I would love to own one day) for $AUS800, and that's cheap! There's a breeder near me who sells blue and gold macaws for $AUS7500. Other exotic South American parrots are also really expensive, even some of the small varieties. Are parrots as expensive as this in the US and UK?

Many of the tropcal parrots are quite a bit cheaper in Miami, FL. I've seen Macaws for as little as $500 in Miami, FL, and galas for about $800. But many tropical birds are hand-raised here, the climate is just ideal for this. We have an escape population of Blue and Gold Macaws in Coral Gables, in the university where I did my grad work. We have escape populations of nearly every bird available for trade.

What I'd love is a Common Minah bird, another bird that's established a local escapee population. I see them all the time in parking lots and they are super cute and fun. But I'm way off topic.


llj

 

[Synirr]

Oh my yes, mynahs are lovely birds
Even here in Austin, TX we have escaped populations of quaker parrots

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

Wow the mynah birds we get here would be the last thing I'd want haha. Though they are Indian mynahs:

horrible feral birds that are EVERYWHERE and I often see them attacking native birds and giving them a hard time.
You're probably talking about a different type of mynah though..

 

[lljdma06]

Wow the mynah birds we get here would be the last thing I'd want haha. Though they are Indian mynahs:

horrible feral birds that are EVERYWHERE and I often see them attacking native birds and giving them a hard time.
You're probably talking about a different type of mynah though..

Nope, that's exactly the type I'm talking about. Before they became ferals, they were actually popular pet birds. Their vocal ability is tremendous, and they are quite cute. But I've got huge native grackles (common and boat-tailed), bad-tempered mockingbirds, and obnoxious blue jays as well, so they give the Mynahs a run for their money and are actually more dominant. So mynahs behave in my neck of the woods and stick to making nests in the store signs and public areas.

Catch one and send it to me.

llj

 

[-cAtFiSh-]

Oh haha fair enough!
I've just always considered them yucky and feral so never expected they would make good pets.

If I could I'd catch ALL of them and send them to you haha