lexotics

[lexotics]

Wee tiny rage!

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Smoothie got to grow up looking so serious, and his enclosure got seriously nice 😌

[lexotics]

Step four

Add substrate and moss

Step five

Add the plants!

I chose a bromeliad, rattlesnake plant, a calathea Bella, and a variegated pothos. These should do well in a high humidity environment.

I also have a grow light set up on top that has a timer.

New bioactive setup step 1

Fitting the background and attaching hardscape with expanding foam

[lexotics]

Step three

Add drainage layer (LECA) and substrate barrier

New bioactive setup step 1

Fitting the background and attaching hardscape with expanding foam

[lexotics]

Step two

Carving out the expanding foam and covering the surfaces with aquarium grade silicone and substrate

New bioactive setup step 1

Fitting the background and attaching hardscape with expanding foam

[lexotics]

I'm trying to write a post about tick safety and avoiding tick bites, but a lot of the info on websites is like "Avoid going in the woods, in plants, and where there are wild animals" and "Activities like hiking and gardening can put you at risk" and I'm like thanks! This is worthless!

As ticks and tick borne illnesses are expanding their range, I think it's important for people to be educated about these things, and I think it's especially important to give people actual advice on how to protect themselves instead of telling them to just...avoid the natural world

Rough draft version of Tick Advice:

Ticks don't jump down on you from trees, they get on you when you brush against grass, brush, bushes etc.

Ticks get brought to an area when they get done feeding from an animal and fall off them. In the USA, the main tick-bringing animal is deer, but I've seen plenty ticks on feral cats and songbirds.

Ticks get killed when they dry out so drier areas with more sunlight are less favorable to ticks.

The above is useful for figuring out whether an area is likely to have lots of ticks, and how vigilant you have to be in that area.

Wear light-colored, long pants outside. Tuck your pants into your socks, and tuck your shirt into the waist of your pants. Invest in light, breathable fabrics idc

IMMEDIATELY change out of your outside clothes when you come back from a tick-prone area, wash them, and dry them on high heat to kill any ticks that might be stuck on.

Shower and check yourself for ticks after coming inside. Hair, armpits, and nether regions in particular. You can use a handheld mirror or rely on touch; an attached tick will feel like a bump kinda like a scab

While you're outside, you can just periodically check for ticks by running your hands down your legs and checking visually to see if anything is crawling on your clothes. Light colors make them easy to spot, and they don't move fast.

Combing through each others' hair to check for creepy crawly critters is a time-honored primate ritual and is not weird. When hiking, bring a friend who will have your back when you feel something on your neck and need to know if it's sweat or a tick

If you're careful, you can usually catch ticks before they bite you, but if one does bite you, it's not the end of the world. Since tickborne diseases are different regionally i suspect this advice will differ based on where you are, but the important thing is remove the tick with tweezers (DON'T use butter, a lit match, or anything that kills the tick while it's still attached, please) and contact a doctor to see what to watch for. Most illnesses you can catch from ticks are easily treatable if you recognize them when symptoms first appear

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lots of african peach moths (egybolis vaillantina) | source

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Vampire crab paladarium

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #invertblr #invertebrates #bioactive enclosure #exotics #exotic pets

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Blue death feigning Beatles

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #invertblr #invertebrates #entomology #bugs #beetles

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Vampire crabs

Acclimating to their new Paladarium

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #invertblr #invertebrates #crabs

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This is the first short tailed python I've worked with, and I absolutely love their big personalities. Dolores is supposedly a bit "spicy" but I had no issues handling her or getting her out of her enclosure. She huffed a bit and was quite tense if you tried to pet her but otherwise was quite docile. Definitely not comfortable handing her to children just yet but she's an absolute dream 😍

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #python #short tailed python

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Dream life plans

Isopod colonies

Large bioactive enclosures

Big windows with lots of sunlight

Collection of plants

Animals with the best possible care

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New bioactive setup step 1

Fitting the background and attaching hardscape with expanding foam

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #gargoyle gecko #invertblr #invertebrates #grayson the gargoyle #bioactive #bioactive enclosure #terrarium #vivarium #planted tank

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I hate people who jokes and talks about wanting to kill someone's pet because it's scary to them. The way certain reptiles and tarantula owners gets treated is fucking horrendous. Yeah tarantulas may be scary to you but to someone who owns one or collects them they genuinely love and care for their tarantulas. How would you feel if someone threatened to kill your dog or cat? Yeah you wouldn't like it so why are you doing it to someone just because you see their pet as terrifying. Grow up.

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Grayson the gargoyle gecko

Fired up vs. Fired down

The enclosure in these photos is just a temporary critter keeper while working with him

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #gargoyle gecko #grayson the gargoyle

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My darling ♥️

#reptile #reptile keeper #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #grayson the gargoyle #gargoyle gecko #new caledonia

[lexotics]

#reptile #reptile keeper #invertblr #invertebrates #reptiblr #animal education #animals #creature feature #grayson the gargoyle #gargoyle gecko #new caledonia