Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just graduated college, and waiting to move out fast.
My dad just doesn't understand that you can't put wild caught herps with my other reptiles.

I come home from work to find a giant toad he found outside in my bearded dragon enclosure. He was insulted when i told him i don't want it in there. I tried to explain about parasites but he just doesn't get it.

THEN....the next day, even after i explain this to him, I find a painted turtle in my 75 gallon tank which holds 2 juvi RES's, a juvi map turtle, and a juvi red bellie. He doesn't understand that the parasites and bacteria can harm the turtle. Also, the painter might be agressive towards the other turtles.

Sorry just needed to vent!!

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0.0.2 RES's (The Boondock Saints)
0.0.1 Common Snapping Turtle (Aggro)
0.0.1 Eastern Red Bellie (Jake)
0.0.1 Map Turtle (Mappy)
0.2.0 Bearded Dragon (Yeungling,Killian)

Yikes!

You've just got to put your foot down on this one. Parents should have authority and that's fine, but he's doing things that are harmful to your pets and he NEEDS to understand that. Besides parasites, I'm sure that putting a toad into a beardie enclosure would dehydrate it rather quickly!
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)

0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

ah the wonder of parents just trying to help.

ask your dad if he's willing to shell out several hundred dollars to have fecal examinations and follow-up meds on all your reptiles. that might knock some sense into him.
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Ross

0.1 Bearded Dragon (Fuego, spent the last 10 months thinking she was a he!)
2.1 Roommates (require more cleaning up after than the dragon)

This reminds me of the time my brother had a 55 gallon salt tank in his room with very expensive fish in it.
My dad went fishing and when he came back with his bait bucket he had two dozen shrimp in it.
He always thought my brother did not feed them enough (which is why they were alive) so he dumped in the entire two dozen shrimp.
By that evening we had a stinky dead fish and shrimp soupy mess!
My brother nearly had a stroke!
My father has since passed away and we miss him very much but we will never forget that one.
You will eventually forgive your dad for these things but in the mean time I would rig some way to lock the tanks.
Sonia

it's all based around misunderstanding. Luckily my parents went through the vet bills because my dragon was infested with parasites (still is, and we're still suffering through the bills). That'll teach me to go directly through a good breeder next time. After further inspection of the reptile shop I got him from I found that sometimes the guy keeps the beardies (which are always housed in large amounts) with equal sized monitors...? Bottom line is I've gone through the crash course of reptile purchase and husbandry with my beardie, and I'll remember them next time, and my parents will remember them which helps them understand that reptiles are delicate creatures with costly vet bills. Just let your dad know this, because I know you don't want first hand experience.

im guessing you payed for all the supplies? if so, it is your right to choose who goes in whos cage. tell him that if somthing happens from what hes doing causes trouble he has to pay for the vet bills. i think this sounds fair.

At least it seems like your dad is interested in herps.I don't think my dad has even looked at my uro or bearded more then twice and I have had the bearded for almost a year and uro for like 4 months.My mom constantly keeps telling me that my reptiles are freezing at night in the winter when its only 70 degrees inside the house and she keeps saying why don't you leave their lights on for the night.I keep explainging to her why you can't do that and she keeps suggesting.

Is your mother related to my mother by chance? When my mother comes to visit she says the same exact thing, my house is kept around 74 year round.

I better not get started on my mother as I will be ranting for days. Thank god she doesn't know how to use a computer.

Guess what!?My mother can't use a computer either lol.

When I was young my mother used to tell me to be careful turning on the TV as I might break it. This was the same statement that she made with the VCR, the DVD player, my first computer, and my first Nintendo. It is the same statement that was out of her mouth when I first started using power tools and when I had to move my dad's car up 2 feet one day. It isn't limited to electronic or mechanical items. She also said the same thing when I fixed my first hole in sheetrock.

I will never forget the day she decided that opening the refrigerator door was somehow going to break it, which was a rough week. Then there was how I shouldn't neuter my dog as it will hurt him. Having his teeth cleaned will hurt him, getting shots will hurt him. My mother has a heart attack at the vet's office, while my dog lies on the floor bored out of his mind waiting to go home. Usually the scenario is a dog sitting in the office having a stoke and the owner falling asleep out of sheer boredom.

I can go on for days with stories of my mother. One of my favorites is that running a gas stove will eat the cigarette smoke in the house (my father smoked). I swear she could smell him smoking a whole county over.

She can walk around shopping for hours but the moment that you get to an area in the store that you actually found something that you are interested in and she is bored with she gets faint. The moment you move on to leave she finds something that she finds interesting and can walk around for another 3 hours after that without feeling faint until finally you find something else that interests you and bores her.

I have so many............