This is how started an email I got from Germany, it was sent by a zoo employee that has been trying to breed capra’s for years, with no results.
The gentlemen went on and explained how they housed them in large planted displays with all the fancy and expensive lighting systems and sprinklers. He said that after reading most of my posts, he and fellow keepers came to the conclusion that I was either delusionated or very good, he thinks that I am not sharing every thing that leads to my success (this is very true, I will explain why later) he then asked me politely if I could give him information’s that he and his colleges will understand and mostly will allow them to progress. I will try to do this now but I don’t know if anyone will pick up on this or not, as I cant seem to get thru all of the bad husbandry practise that has been implanted on us by literature.
Ok hear goes!
Yes its true that I don’t say every thing on these forums, the reason is simple, most of you would not understand, and some would take me for an idiot, in the past many have slandered me for sharing my work, these are peoples that don’t know me from Adam, yet they didn’t understood and made a fool of me.
The photo shows how I set up pairs or trio for breeding, it’s a basic 6-3-3feet cage with only one 65w flood as both heat and light, nothing else! No heat matt, no ceramic nothing. The cages is closed so it keeps hydrated 50-80% I don’t really bother about it.
This cage is lined with wood chips, cheep easy to change and ordinary hard wood chips.
No plants, no foliage, no hiding simply a few easy to access branches.
Why so little? Because when hiding lizards do not bask, lizards that do not bask don’t get there metabolism going, they are in slow mode, slow mode is no good when breeding is your goal. Slow mode is terrible for the immune system.
These lizards you see, spend the day basking and running around this cage, they jump run each other and search for food all day long, they have no fear of what’s behind the next tree of leaf as they see the entire domain, they even see me coming from across the room, so no stress at all, nothing that keeps them from heating feeding drinking all they want and when they need.
They actually bask at 120-130f and love it, if I was to advertise these temps most would not believe me, many would try to discourage you from even trying this type of husbandry, they would advise you on the foggers and hides and extra-ORDINARY bulbs and then when your lizards start going down death valley, they blame the bad parasites.
Did you know that in the last 7 years I haven’t treated a single reptile in at least 600 heads and have lost only one to an ulcer, don’t go thinking that I always get the good looking animals, most I get on discount because the dealer thinks they will die.
So hear you have it, I really don’t know how to make any of my husbandry simpler.
Oh yes I do use rep-cal d3 however I do not use vitamins because as in humans vitamins supplements are a myth, we get all we need from vegetables and fruits, feeder insects get all your lizard needs from the good food you feed them.
Best regards and hope you all do better with your captives.
Ps. I get many emails every day, the most common comments I get are about me being radical in my methods, my experience is perceived as theories, my posts ridicule but interesting, sorry but I will let you peoples figure it out on your own from now on.
No need for the hate mails, I am closing my account.
ideas.