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A story of Pictures! D/U Death! : )

triniian Apr 09, 2007 09:46 PM

Unfortunately I can't compete on the BRB level with Dave, but here's my story. It's somewhat OT...

Being of the Tropics (from the Caribbean), I have always been fond of all wildlife from the Tropics of the Western Hemisphere.

My first experience with BRB's came as a result of my Aunt, a biology teacher who keeps one as a pet. A few months later and Jeff Clarke shipped me my first two BRBs. I had to unload them to someone else as a result of Katrina but quickly got another pair when I resettled. These came from none other than Dave Colling! Now, both were a pleasure to work with and both have the among the BEST specimens out there.

Here is my "BRB Palace" that houses "Ying" and "Yang" - Original, I know. They're are from separate clutches of August '05.

My stars were swimming tonight so I decided not to disturb them tonight.

I am a fan of the "realistic setups"... here is a view of their house from the left. It's not quite as good as some of the other naturalistic setups out there, but this does well enough for me and allows easy enough cleaning.

and again from the right...

I am a worldy kind of guy and instead of sticking in Brazil, I opted to experience a bit of Africa. Enter my BPs... they're the standard, run of the mill, everyone has them snake - but I still definitely enjoy them! They were hiding tonight, so again - just a photo of their home.

Once again I felt the urge to travel, and this time I went across the globe to Australia! I was awestruck by a gold and black jewel and had to make them mine! Thus, I have a pair of JCPs. Sorry to keep boring you with the enclosures, but I didn't have time to get shots of them either!

Having traveled around the world and being limited on space, I have spent the last 6 weeks get ready to dip into another hobby!

POISON DART FROGS!

I have setup of two vivs and will be stocking them with inhabitants next week! This is my 10 gal. I did this one quite quickly just as "why the heck not, let me try this out and see"

Here it is again from the side... it currently houses 2 tilisandias, 1 bromeliad, 1 african violet, 1 philodendron, 1 bird of paradise, and one rescued orchid. They are all small plants that I am excited to work with.

Next is my 26 gallon viv that I have put just a little bit more effort into. I still can't get it to turn out like other pros I've seen.

Here is is again from the side. In here, I have 3 bromeliads, 2 orchids, 2 tilisandias, 1 venus fly trap, and 1 philodendron. I even snuck in a water feature running down the center of the exhibit.

This past week I got continue my fun by getting my fruit fly cultures up an running.

Now, I even went as far as setting up a small 10 gallon community fish tank to fertilize the water for my vivs...

In these 6 weeks, I've been lucky enough to rear my own youngsters - some Black Mollies! Not a big deal, but still fun.

And lastly, I thought I'd share a couple of pics of my reptile hobby taking over my studio apartment!


Does anyone else get addicted like this? ;p

Next time around, I'll prove individual photos of my snake stock! Thanks for reading!
-----
-Iman

1.1 BRBs (Ying and Yang)
1.1 JCPs (Striker and Sheila)
0.0.2 BPs (Spot and Speck)
5.5 Fish (Insert your favorite names here)
1.0 Miniature Daschund (Rue)

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

Stimulate debates, stifle arguments.
Please be nice always.

Replies (18)

Jeff Clark Apr 09, 2007 09:50 PM

Iman,
..Great looking animals and setups for them. We are all addicted to this hobby but all in very different ways.
Jeff

>>Unfortunately I can't compete on the BRB level with Dave, but here's my story. It's somewhat OT...
>>
>>Being of the Tropics (from the Caribbean), I have always been fond of all wildlife from the Tropics of the Western Hemisphere.
>>
>>My first experience with BRB's came as a result of my Aunt, a biology teacher who keeps one as a pet. A few months later and Jeff Clarke shipped me my first two BRBs. I had to unload them to someone else as a result of Katrina but quickly got another pair when I resettled. These came from none other than Dave Colling! Now, both were a pleasure to work with and both have the among the BEST specimens out there.
>>
>>Here is my "BRB Palace" that houses "Ying" and "Yang" - Original, I know. They're are from separate clutches of August '05.
>>
>>
>>
>>My stars were swimming tonight so I decided not to disturb them tonight.
>>
>>
>>
>>I am a fan of the "realistic setups"... here is a view of their house from the left. It's not quite as good as some of the other naturalistic setups out there, but this does well enough for me and allows easy enough cleaning.
>>
>>
>>
>>and again from the right...
>>
>>
>>
>>I am a worldy kind of guy and instead of sticking in Brazil, I opted to experience a bit of Africa. Enter my BPs... they're the standard, run of the mill, everyone has them snake - but I still definitely enjoy them! They were hiding tonight, so again - just a photo of their home.
>>
>>
>>
>>Once again I felt the urge to travel, and this time I went across the globe to Australia! I was awestruck by a gold and black jewel and had to make them mine! Thus, I have a pair of JCPs. Sorry to keep boring you with the enclosures, but I didn't have time to get shots of them either!
>>
>>
>>
>>Having traveled around the world and being limited on space, I have spent the last 6 weeks get ready to dip into another hobby!
>>
>>POISON DART FROGS!
>>
>>I have setup of two vivs and will be stocking them with inhabitants next week! This is my 10 gal. I did this one quite quickly just as "why the heck not, let me try this out and see"
>>
>>
>>
>>Here it is again from the side... it currently houses 2 tilisandias, 1 bromeliad, 1 african violet, 1 philodendron, 1 bird of paradise, and one rescued orchid. They are all small plants that I am excited to work with.
>>
>>
>>
>>Next is my 26 gallon viv that I have put just a little bit more effort into. I still can't get it to turn out like other pros I've seen.
>>
>>
>>
>>Here is is again from the side. In here, I have 3 bromeliads, 2 orchids, 2 tilisandias, 1 venus fly trap, and 1 philodendron. I even snuck in a water feature running down the center of the exhibit.
>>
>>
>>
>>This past week I got continue my fun by getting my fruit fly cultures up an running.
>>
>>
>>
>>Now, I even went as far as setting up a small 10 gallon community fish tank to fertilize the water for my vivs...
>>
>>
>>
>>In these 6 weeks, I've been lucky enough to rear my own youngsters - some Black Mollies! Not a big deal, but still fun.
>>
>>
>>
>>And lastly, I thought I'd share a couple of pics of my reptile hobby taking over my studio apartment!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Does anyone else get addicted like this? ;p
>>
>>Next time around, I'll prove individual photos of my snake stock! Thanks for reading!
>>-----
>>-Iman
>>
>>1.1 BRBs (Ying and Yang)
>>1.1 JCPs (Striker and Sheila)
>>0.0.2 BPs (Spot and Speck)
>>5.5 Fish (Insert your favorite names here)
>>1.0 Miniature Daschund (Rue)
>>
>>Loving to Learn
>>Learning to Help
>>Helping to Love
>>
>>Stimulate debates, stifle arguments.
>>Please be nice always.
>>

strictly4fun Apr 09, 2007 09:54 PM

I like these posts a lot cuz I always wonder what kind of other pets everyone else has and you are a true animal lover and that scores u a point in Bob's book. One question did you use ur frequent flyer miles or what? lol I love JCP's and can't wait for your tree frogs either. Keep those pics coming and soon enough your animals might be kicking you out cuz you got quite a few but that is great cuz they all look happy and that's what really matters.
Bob

FRoberts Apr 09, 2007 10:00 PM

careful the arrow frogs are quite addictive, i kept them for years, very addictive indeed, but a must "experience" in my opinion. I was so addicted I even kept the "rocket frogs" lol, and my fav dart/arrows was the "Bulldog" epidobates boulengeri... lol, not at all colorful but very fiesty indeed!!!
-----
Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

railrider1920 Apr 09, 2007 10:18 PM

Hey Frank,
What type of darts would be good to start with? Dendrobatids, as you mentioned? Can you suggest a good place for dart info, care sheets etc?
Thanks,
Rob
-----
"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-Ziggy
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.1 Normal corn
0.1 Black Pine - Spazz
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Gomer

triniian Apr 09, 2007 10:31 PM

Though I haven't any experience yet, all of my research has lead me to the following groups for starters...

Dendrobates Tinctorius (Several Different Locales) - Females, agressive - best kept in pairs. Hardy and breed easily. I don't think I have seen anywhere that didn't recommend these.

Dendrobates Azureus - Basically a "Blue" form of the Tinctorius and the same keeping info with those as above.

Dendrobates Auratus - Commonly available as "Green and Black" forms - these are slightly smaller and shyer than those above and are more tolerant of groups than the Tincs.

Other "beginner" species... D. Leucomelas, Epipedobates tricolor.

Most info has suggested that the Dendrobates Pumilio and Phyllobates families, while readily available are somewhat more difficult to breed.

Good luck! I'm right there with ya...
-----
-Iman

1.1 BRBs (Ying and Yang)
1.1 JCPs (Striker and Sheila)
0.0.2 BPs (Spot and Speck)
5.5 Fish (Insert your favorite names here)
1.0 Miniature Daschund (Rue)

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

Stimulate debates, stifle arguments.
Please be nice always.

FRoberts Apr 10, 2007 02:23 PM

this site is no longer updated but worth the look....
dendroworld

-----
Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

FRoberts Apr 10, 2007 12:52 PM

Here are a few web sites:

http://www.kingsnake.com/dartfrog/cs_smalldartfrogs.htm

http://www.nebherp.org/documents/dartfrogs.rtf

http://www.saurian.net/

These are two must have books, I have read them both cover to cover several hundred times, yes I am a compulsive reader when it comes to Herps, I have read every college book on Herpetology I can get my hands on. I also read lots of science textbooks as well, some people like novels, I like science.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780793802999&itm=1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/used/productMatches.asp?z=y&PEAN=9780793802524

Best Starter species are Dendrobates tinctorius/azureus, D. auratus, and D. leucomelas in my opinion.

-----
Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

railrider1920 Apr 11, 2007 12:05 AM

>>Here are a few web sites:
>>
>>http://www.kingsnake.com/dartfrog/cs_smalldartfrogs.htm
>>
>>http://www.nebherp.org/documents/dartfrogs.rtf
>>
>>http://www.saurian.net/
>>
>>These are two must have books, I have read them both cover to cover several hundred times, yes I am a compulsive reader when it comes to Herps, I have read every college book on Herpetology I can get my hands on. I also read lots of science textbooks as well, some people like novels, I like science.
>>
>>http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780793802999&itm=1
>>
>>http://search.barnesandnoble.com/used/productMatches.asp?z=y&PEAN=9780793802524
>>
>>Best Starter species are Dendrobates tinctorius/azureus, D. auratus, and D. leucomelas in my opinion.
>>
>>
>>
>>-----
>>Frank Roberts
>>Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research
>>
-----
"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-Ziggy
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.1 Normal corn
0.1 Black Pine - Spazz
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Gomer

FRoberts Apr 11, 2007 02:03 AM

...
-----
Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

atherisquamigera Apr 11, 2007 12:39 PM

www.dendroboard.com this place is great!
-----
-Jasmine

1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
(Mercutio and Kajika)

railrider1920 Apr 09, 2007 10:22 PM

I also like seeing the pictures of all the setups that people have.
The tank for your BRB looks cool. Please feel free to put up a few pictures of it.
Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread asking Frank about the dart frogs.
Rob
-----
"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa-Ziggy
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.1 Normal corn
0.1 Black Pine - Spazz
1.0 Bearded Dragon - Gomer

rainbowsrus Apr 10, 2007 12:10 AM

So is it Ian or Iman? My records all show Ian and I wouldn't want to call you by the wrong name.

And you can definately compete with me, you did in fact pick up one of my stunner males from 2005. That year was a GREAT year for males. I had sooo many hotties I couldn't keep them all. If memory serves me correctly, your male (SA-PO-07) was definately on a par with Phoenix (SA-PO-06), the one I kept. was hard to decide which one to keep.

I really like seing my babies go to good homes, thanks for sharing and they have a great home thanks to you!!
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
20.28 BRB
13.18 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

waspinator421 Apr 10, 2007 01:46 PM

Wow, that's a great story! I also enjoy seeing what other animals people keep. Don't you worry about them taking over your apartment, mine is also filling up. Thankfully I've still got room for, oh, say, 50 more snakes? LOL!

Thanks for the pictures, your natural set-ups look awesome!
-----
©

paulbuck Apr 10, 2007 03:26 PM

Love your enclosures. Keep an eye on those two BRB's in the tub; if they are of opposite sex you could be looking at babies in 5 months or so!
Paul

triniian Apr 10, 2007 09:22 PM

I felt it only fair to contribute back to everyone else's great posts.

I'm an amateur compared to what most of you have... zillions of snakes and frogs and things, but I'm still passionate!

Thanks for reading and thanks again for the kind words!
-----
-Iman

1.1 BRBs (Ying and Yang)
1.1 JCPs (Striker and Sheila)
0.0.2 BPs (Spot and Speck)
5.5 Fish (Insert your favorite names here)
1.0 Miniature Daschund (Rue)

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

Stimulate debates, stifle arguments.
Please be nice always.

coluberking25 Apr 11, 2007 10:06 AM

I can't help but chuckle when you said you were a fan of naturalistic setups and then show us your BRB Palace. I don't mean to be rude but honestly...it looks like the set up is that of a front lawn! I suggest you switch the flooring to cypress mulch..or even better(assuming it is heated by a heat pad) just cover the carpet with cypress mulch. It looks natural...and the snakes have a better barrier between them and the pad.

They might dig...but what can you do? It's natural for them and it stimulates their brain...resulting in a happier snake(and longer lived I might add). This is my opinion...it isn't scientifically proven to my knowledge...but I believe it does stimulate the brain.
-----
Scott

Reptiles
--------
1 Colombian Rainbow Boa (Rocky)
1.0 Ball Python (Sultan)
0.1 California Kingsnake (Leota)
1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle (Yugi)
0.1 Red/Gold Bearded Dragon* (Irwin, R.I.P.)

Other
-----
1.0 Betta Fish (Tyrone)
1.0 Hooded Rat* (Clubber, R.I.P.)
0.1 Albino Rat (Isis)

triniian Apr 11, 2007 08:09 PM

Chuckle all you will!!! You're a funny guy - you and that "lawn" comment...

All I can say is that it's more naturalistic than some others of newspaper, hide and waterbowl.

I have to be able to clean it easily and don't you worry - my "Stars" have all of the brain activity they need. I handle them probably almost too much!

I appreciate the concern... maybe all that caring for my BRBs will land you with one of you own.

Isn't this fun?
-----
-Iman

1.1 BRBs (Ying and Yang)
1.1 JCPs (Striker and Sheila)
0.0.2 BPs (Spot and Speck)
5.5 Fish (Insert your favorite names here)
1.0 Miniature Daschund (Rue)

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

Stimulate debates, stifle arguments.
Please be nice always.

coluberking25 Apr 11, 2007 09:07 PM

Still..even if they still are handled lots...nothing beats observing natural behavior like burrowing.
-----
Scott

Reptiles
--------
1 Colombian Rainbow Boa (Rocky)
1.0 Ball Python (Sultan)
0.1 California Kingsnake (Leota)
1.0 Eastern Painted Turtle (Yugi)
0.1 Red/Gold Bearded Dragon* (Irwin, R.I.P.)

Other
-----
1.0 Betta Fish (Tyrone)
1.0 Hooded Rat* (Clubber, R.I.P.)
0.1 Albino Rat (Isis)

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