October 1-15, 2005 questions you asked Aqualand

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October already?

Ronnie Sims, October 1, 2005
LEOPARD GECKO DO NOT EAT PINKES. THEY ONLY EAT INSECTS CHANGE THIS INFO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A: Sure they do. They eat other things also. I’m sorry that you used up your entire year’s supply of exclamation points. LA

Leah, Iowa State University, October 2, 2005
We found a small (a little over a foot long) snake in the road today, and are trying to figure out what kind it is. Our best guess is a juvenile fox snake. I know you will probably know. We’re relocating it to a farm (a nice wooded and pasture area) where he’ll (she’ll?) be safe from cars and people, since it probably wouldn’t last long in our neighborhood. You might have to zoom in on the pic (at least I can on my computer).

Leah

A: Yup, fox snake (protected by the Iowa DNR). LA

Rogério Uhlig, Brasil, October 2, 2005
Hello, I would like to know if you deliver in Brazil, for example, if I buy some newts. I would like to know if you deliver newts here in Brasil where I am.

A: Sorry. We do not ship critters at present. LA

Bill, probably local, October 3, 2005
Several months ago at our apartment complex someone left residence and left their tank with 3 gold fish and one fairly large pleco. Two of the three goldfish survived and have been adopted as the property office pets. I took the pleco and gave him a home in my 35 gallon. Well, since then he’s gotten to near 8 or 9 inches and I know he’ll get bigger. I’m going to upgrade to a 55 gallon tank soon but that’s as far as it’s going to go gallon wise for me. I was curious if you know of anyone that would be willing to adopt him again because once he gets near full grown, I’m not going to have room for him. Thanks-

A: Bring him in when you get tired of him. I’ll put the little guy in with some of our big ones. LA

Darthbob, October 3, 2005
Hey I’m a very frequent visitor (daily) to your site, and I wanted to know if you’d be able to post a plated lizard care sheet as I plan to get one. I would also like to see some reptile cage setup and decoration tips/ substrate. Thanks for your time

A: Go to our skink page for the info you need. Plated lizards are skinks with a designer price tag. LA

Nick Williams, October 4, 2005
Hi, just wondering what your opinion is on keeping two ball pythons in the same cage. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, can you give me an idea of a small lizard? I want a reptile but my mom says (NO SNAKES!!!), so I had to settle for a lizard and it can’t get past two feet.

A: Sorry Nick, most lizards have four feet. I couldn’t resist. Most of the skinks will fill your mom’s demands. (And they look kind of snaky for your needs.) LA

Marge Jarnell, October 4, 2005
Do you have a tortoise for sale at your shop along with all supplies to care for one?

A: Yes. A cherry headed red foot. He is a bit pricey. LA

Kevin Smith, Winchester, VA, October 4, 2005
Was just searching through the net for some info on Tiger loaches and came across your website. WOW…what a great abundance/resource of information. I am definitely going to bookmark your site. Too bad I live in Virginia …I would love to visit your store. It is far and few in between to come across a superb pet store. I have to travel about an hour and a half to find a store near your quality. Well, just wanted to let you know that your information has come in handy.
By the way do tiger loaches pick on smaller fish? I have read somewhere that if you put them in a tank with small fish, i.e., neons, white clouds, etc, that the smaller fish may disappear slowly?? Again Thanks!!

A: Nearly any fish will eat any fish that will fit in its mouth. Some will bite off chewable chunks. Tiger refers more to their coloration than their eating habits. But, because of their switchblade knives, you can mix tigers with larger, meaner fish. LA

N.E. Adair, October 3, 2005
About two months ago I started up a 55 gallon freshwater tank. I’ve had a 10 gal, 20 gal, and a 30 gal before with no problems whatsoever. But this 55 has proven to be quite a bit of trouble. We first started out with some neon tetras, a few guppies, some mollies, two sun fire platys, a couple gouramis, and two plecos and 3 Chinese algae eaters. They were fine for about two weeks and then they all started to get bad ich. I treated that and only the gouramis, the plecos, the Chinese algae eaters and one of the sun fire platys (who gave birth to a small amount of fry after this) survived. The gouramis ended up eating the fry and then the platy died. So the gouramis lived for a couple of weeks with the bottom dwellers and I decided just to make a gourami tank. It went great for about 3 weeks and now there are only two gouramis left. About 4 just died and one (who was pregnant) jumped out of the tank between the hood and the filter. I don’t understand why the fish in this tank keep dying. I’ve done everything the same that has been done in the past but this time it isn’t working. The pH level hasn’t gone below 6.8 or above 7.2. Do you have any idea what I can try?

A (olde): Make 50% water change with aged water from another tank.
B (optional): Add two quarts of water siphoned from the under gravel filter of an African cichlid tank.
C (21st Century): Add five teaspoons of AmQuel and a packet of Bio-Spira.
D: Drain and store in your garage until your next garage sale. LA

Carolyn Hefty, October 3, 2005
I have a question and hopefully you will be able to answer. I am a new snake owner and am a little intimidated by him. I have a picture below of a snake in a position (it is not mine) and would like to know if it is a threatening position. If I should leave him alone when he does this.
http://www.dwherp.com/albino_flwr.htm
He does not hiss. He does stick out his tongue, so to me that looks like a good sign, that he is just checking everything out. But, this is new for me and I don’t really feel like getting bitten by a snake. lol
So, if you have time I would appreciate any tips or hints! It would help out a lot. Thank you so very much!

A: That is an albino ball python in a relaxed mode. They ball up when they feel threatened. Ball pythons are the least likely to bite of all the snakes. I’ve only been bitten by one (when I stirred up a batch of 13 in a white plastic bucket). LA

William Helzer, October 5, 2005
This may be a silly question, but do you think a red Thai crab would be okay with a Raphael Catfish and Golden Dojo Loaches? I know size and speedwise, the crab could not eat them but are there territorial issues that would cause problems? (The tank is a 55 gallon and the loaches and catfish are the only bottom dwellers.)

Avoid long-finned fish, slow-moving fish, and bottom-dwelling fish.
LA Quote

A: As a general rule, I don’t trust any critter with fish if I’m reluctant to hold same critter in my hand. LA

Hope Lynch, October 6, 2005
I have five young zebra finches I am trying to give away. Would you guys like them? If not do you know anyone who would take good care of them. They are a very healthy bunch. Thank you,

A: We would be happy to take them. LA

Evan, October 6, 2005
I’ve been keeping all sorts of fish over the years, discus, piranhas, gars, exodons. And I was wondering: off the top of your head what would be the price of a:
an amazon leaf fish?
vampire tetra (aka payara)?
freshwater barracuda?
If you could email me back that would be awesome, thank you.

A: $20, $40, and $60. Of course, size enters into the equation. LA

Darthbob888, October 8, 2005
Hey I apologize for all the emails but I must ask, is there a reptile convention in NY? If so when? Thanks

A: There are two in New York during October. You can find them by searching: "New York" + "reptile convention" LA

Michael Truong, October 9, 2005
One of your fish is not labeled, it’s the blue fish under the misc cichlids page 1. The fish that caption read, "can’t remember name of this fish" is called a placidochromis phenochilius. I have some really nice pics of my fish. Would you guys mind me sending some pics to you, so maybe you could use it for your site?

A: Thanks for the info. Your pix sound good to me. It will take me some time to work them in because my computer still needs more work. I’m a couple hundred of my own pix behind already. Also, tell me where you’re from and give me some info about yourself. LA

Angela Jiang, October 9, 2005
I am doing a project on Fruit Flies and I find the information you have on how to raise them very useful. I have to create a Literary Citations page, so I was wondering who the author of your site is. Also, it’d be great to know when the site was last updated too.

A: The author/photographer was the internationally famous Larry Arnold living in the internationally famous Des Moines, Iowa. The internationally famous fruit fly page was last updated in 2005. LA

Rick Catchman, Minneapolis, October 9, 2005
Do you have any of the spiny eels for sale? If so which species and how much $ for the eels? I am looking to purchase several. I am in Minneapolis, but I have friend that can pick them up and deliver to me. Thank you

A: In stock today at 6 pm I have only the zig zags (not named after the blunt papers) and a few peacocks in stock. Give us a call during working hours. Tell us what you want. If you want several, we can probably cut you a deal. (Three is not several.) LA

Marty Reaves, September 10, 2005
I would like some info on caring for fantail goldfish. Specifically, I would like info about what diseases/parasites they are likely to develop, and what products are available to treat them, and how to identify diseases/ parasites specific to fantails. I would also like info on what products I need to keep their tank healthy and feeding recommendations. Thank you very much,

A: You will need a container of water (bigger the better) plus two or three kinds of goldfish food. All the rest is optional. They are not likely to develop any diseases. Rather than write a thesis covering all possible (but not probable) contingencies, I would recommend a good reference book. I like the Barron series. LA

Benjamin Merritt, October 10, 2005
I read your guys’ pages on both the red clawed and fiddler crabs. I was wondering if you could tell me which one, in your experiences, is easier to take care of and which one is more active?
I am planning on setting up a ten gallon that has some brackish water with some sand sloping down into it. I also wanted to know: Do red clawed crabs burrow in sand? Many thanks

A: I like to set up the fiddlers on a sandy shore so they can burrow. And they take to crowding better. No fights to the death as far as I could tell. I set the red claws up aquatically (no burrowing) and find that if you crowd them they thin out the population themselves. The fewer the better for red claws. And they will nail you, too. Go fiddlers. LA

John, October 10, 2005
First of all let me just say that I love your site. I can’t think of any other place that’s more informative about not only fish, but pets in general. Recently I managed to breed two of my bettas, however, I have noticed a problem with the fry. They are around 3-4 months old and some seem to have developed some sort of case with lockjaw. Their mouths remain constantly open. I thought at first it might be because of the food I was feeding them was too hard. But since I put them back onto a diet of grindal worms, two more have developed the same case. Do you have any idea what might be causing this problem? Some sort of bacteria or improper water condition perhaps? I’d appreciate any help you could give me. Thanks,

A: Anytime I hear of problems with young bettas, I suspect velvet. It’s really hard to see -- especially on small bettas. Water with uneaten food or excess waste products encourages these little parasites to latch onto the stressed bettas. Prevention works better than the cures. Change your water (99%) with new aged water. Add a large snail to your clean up crew. And cull the herd. LA

Michael Coyle, October 11, 2005
I just recently bought two severum cross breeds. I bought these from an
Aquarium owner whom I trust greatly as she has gone well out of her way to help me as much as she can many times.
They just recently (like an hour ago) started the lip locking and tail
slapping which is described on your site as breeding behavior. One of the
fishes lips are now a little frayed. I fear that they may kill each other.
Am I right to fear or am I over reacting? If the fish are in danger what
would you recommend? Thank you

A: Not sure what you mean by a severum cross breed? I assume you mean a severum. Like most of the cichlids from their “hood,” they lock lips and slap tails to indicate mutual attraction and to ensure survival of the fittest. Not all potential breeders pass this fitness test. If they have plenty of room, both should survive the ordeal. Give them a surface to lay eggs on and warm them to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If they succeed, alert the media and buy a box of chocolate cigars. The fry will need live newly hatched brine shrimp and/or microworms. LA

Trica Burke, October 10, 2005
I received my Axolotl this past Thursday. He seems pretty klutzy. Is this normal? I put a goldfish in with him. He snaps at it if it swims close to his face, but he doesn’t try any harder than that. So far the fish is still alive and swimming.
Is there anything I can do about keeping the algae from getting out of hand?
Also, he has spots on him that look like your web picture:

LA
When you see those white spots appear, you should have changed their water yesterday.

I don’t know if it is from being in the dirty water that he was shipped in, but will it go away?

A1: Axolotls are Klutzy with a capital K. They have no trouble gorging themselves on worms, dead fish, or thawed foods. However, live goldfish easily elude them. I usually feed mine recently deceased goldfish by hand. (With 1,500 feeder goldfish on hand, there’s always enough floaters for them and the turtles every morning.)
A2: You can control algae by turning off your tank lights when you’re not spying on or feeding your axolotls. The product AlgaeFix works well also. But you still need to cut back on your light.
A3: When those spots appear, I change 90% of their water replacing it with aged water. I also add one teaspoon of salt per gallon. It clears up overnight. Beware of keeping these guys too warm. No heaters. LA

Pam Hickey, (probably local), October 12, 2005
My husband and I purchased an aquariam 2/3 months ago and it has sprang a leak. Do you have any warranty?

A: They are all guaranteed for a year. Even the $10 ones. LA

Aquila, October 13, 2005
Happened by your web page looking for info on eastern newts.
Then, pressed about any link I had time for.
I think I could spend weeks here.
I was fascinated by your wit and knowledge, which makes your site very readable.
God bless you guys and your business!

A: Gracias. LA

Nomi, October 13, 2005
You have a couple of pics of what you’re calling “fat tail” geckos. In
reality, these are adult Stenodactylus sthenodactylus. They have lots of
different common names, but you’ll hear them called an amalgam of “middle eastern-Israeli-miniature-dune-ground-geckos.” I have a colony,
have been keeping and breeding them for three years. I’m just passionate about my little guys and thought you’d like to know so you could be accurate. Best regards

A: Thanks for the info, Nomi. It’s always good to be accurate. LA
PS Most sources call fat-tail geckos Hemitheconyx caudicunctus.

Aquila 412, October 13, 2005
Happened by your web page looking for info on eastern newts. Then, pressed about any link I had time for. I think I could spend weeks here. I was fascinated by your wit and knowledge, which makes your site very readable. God bless you guys and your business!

A: Muchas gracias. LA

Larry Access, October 14, 2005
I’m looking to find several black Caecilian (rubber) worms. I prefer medium in size. Any help??

A: Not much help. They are just not available at this time. LA

Stacy Adams-Smith, October 14, 2005
I am kinda stuck and I hope you can help me. I have a very eclectic fresh water tank which includes barbs, cichlids, killies, puffers, balas, and a rope fish. For my birthday this year my mom bought a tire track eel to mix with the bunch. I can find no good information on this fish. Can you point me in the right direction to get more information before I end up killing this beautiful fish? Any help would be appreciated. Thank You

LA
Your tire track spiny eel loves community fishes -- especially swords and moons.

A: Guess you haven’t been to our Spiny Eels page yet. You’ll find they grow to two feet long. At 6 inches, you can put on underwater Chapstick™ and kiss your killies goodbye. At twelve inches, he’ll eat your barbs. I’m surprised your ropefish has not eaten your killies. And, puffers like to bite chunks out of all other fishes. LA
PS Your tire track will not eat flake food or pellets. He prefers worms and fish. LA

Jennifer, October 14, 2005
I was horrified when I read your page about mice. For one thing, they are not "stinky little critters" if you care for them correctly. I have over 100 mice, and NONE of them bite. They make absolutely fantastic pets. Not for kids? I beg to differ. I have been bitten by hamsters, ferrets, rabbits, rats, dogs, cats, but never by a mouse. Occasionally one will nibble on a fingernail, but that is just out of curiosity.
Where you stated that an escaped mouse becomes a "wild mouse" in a few days is completely untrue. I have had a few escape, and I have been able to walk over and pick them up with no problems. My last escapee walked right up to my feet while I was checking up on the other mice.
Your picture of the pinky stuck in a peanut shell is not cute or funny in any way. I'm sure it became snake food, but the poor thing should have been removed from the peanut shell and returned to its mother immediately.
It is true that male mice can be territorial, but this all depends on the temperament of the individual mouse. I have housed unrelated males together, and they have done just fine. They have even groomed each other and slept together in little "mouse piles". You just have to watch them carefully. Sometimes a male will decide to be the "alpha", and needs to be housed separately. You can almost always house male littermates together for life with no problems.
If your mice are piling up and suffocating each other, you either have diseased mice, keep them in a location too warm for them, or completely overcrowd them. Mice can die from heatstroke very easily. Just a few minutes in direct sunlight or being overheated can KILL a mouse. It is best to keep them in a cool location, such as a basement, and out of sunlight. I have cages housing several females, and none have ever "suffocated".
The "lab mice" cages are horrible. There is no room for a wheel or their much needed exercise. You should not recommend these cages to anyone. Mice need to climb and explore or they will live unnatural depressing lives.
I also noticed in all of your pics that the mice were on PINE shavings. Pine is horrible for mice. It causes respiratory infections that do not go away and eventually kill these poor little guys. I use CareFresh bedding. Yes, it costs more, but unlike you, I love my mice and do not just mass breed them for a profit. I keep all of my babies to keep them out of the hands of people like you and snake owners.
If you have been bitten by a mouse, it is probably because of the way you treat them. They are just nasty little "stinky" rodents to you. You steal the babies from the new moms and freeze them. I bet you pick them up by the tail too. Most mice can be easily picked up by hand without grabbing the tail. You probably have generations of unsocialized "feeder" mice that have been kept in poor conditions and are fearful of humans. It is apparent on your page that you don't like them at all. If I were a mouse, I would bite you too.
Anyone considering buying a pet mouse should NOT buy from you. Your mice are probably inbred and diseased. There are many reputable breeders you can find on the internet who love their mice and will only sell to pet homes. I was not able to locate a breeder near me, so I did buy my original mice from pet stores. It is important to thoroughly check a mouse before buying. They should have clear eyes, clean ears, and absolutely no scabbing of the skin. I have "adopted" a few from pet stores that had abscesses, and I took them home and drained the abscesses and applied antibiotic ointment myself, but I do not recommend this to beginners. Mice should never be shipped. I have read that only about 1 in 4 will survive shipping.
Mice are intelligent, gentle pets. Anyone doubting their intelligence should watch the movie "The Green Mile". Even an adult untamed mouse can be tamed easily within a few days. I have mice that literally jump into my hands when I feed them every night.
Your description of them is completely wrong. You are just a mass breeder looking to make a profit by killing these wonderful pets. A mouse has 1000% more personality than a snake. Snakes bite and stink, and several times have either eaten or choked small children. Have you ever heard of anyone being killed by a mouse? I noticed several pets on your website. I bet none of them would make good pets. You are worse than a puppy mill.
I am currently constructing my own mouse website. The address is http://www.geocities.com/jenlap76/index_mice.html?1129327386320 . I will be adding pictures of all of my mice for those who care to see what nice pets mice make.

A: I like people who keep mice as pets, but I still do not like mice. Good luck with your web site. The above links to your web site. Are you making a link to mine? LA
PS You’re a pretty good writer.

Donny Groninger, October 15, 2005
What kinds of salamanders do you sell and what are the prices for them? And do you ship animals out? Thank you.

A: We currently have only small (two-inch) fire salamanders @ $75. We do not ship them out. LA

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	Q&As -- Your Questions October 1-15, 2005 Aqualand's Answers

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THEY ONLY EAT INSECTS CHANGE THIS INFO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A: Sure they do. They eat other things also. I’m sorry that you used up your entire year’s supply of exclamation points. LA Leah, Iowa State University, October 2, 2005 We found a small (a little over a foot long) snake in the road today, and are trying to figure out what kind it is. Our best guess is a juvenile fox snake. I know you will probably know. We’re relocating it to a farm (a nice wooded and pasture area) where he’ll (she’ll?) be safe from cars and people, since it probably wouldn’t last long in our neighborhood. You might have to zoom in on the pic (at least I can on my computer). Leah A: Yup, fox snake (protected by the Iowa DNR). LA Rogério Uhlig, Brasil, October 2, 2005 Hello, I would like to know if you deliver in Brazil, for example, if I buy some newts. I would like to know if you deliver newts here in Brasil where I am. A: Sorry. We do not ship critters at present. LA Bill, probably local, October 3, 2005 Several months ago at our apartment complex someone left residence and left their tank with 3 gold fish and one fairly large pleco. Two of the three goldfish survived and have been adopted as the property office pets. I took the pleco and gave him a home in my 35 gallon. Well, since then he’s gotten to near 8 or 9 inches and I know he’ll get bigger. I’m going to upgrade to a 55 gallon tank soon but that’s as far as it’s going to go gallon wise for me. I was curious if you know of anyone that would be willing to adopt him again because once he gets near full grown, I’m not going to have room for him. Thanks- A: Bring him in when you get tired of him. I’ll put the little guy in with some of our big ones. LA Darthbob, October 3, 2005 Hey I’m a very frequent visitor (daily) to your site, and I wanted to know if you’d be able to post a plated lizard care sheet as I plan to get one. I would also like to see some reptile cage setup and decoration tips/ substrate. Thanks for your time A: Go to our skink page for the info you need. Plated lizards are skinks with a designer price tag. LA Nick Williams, October 4, 2005 Hi, just wondering what your opinion is on keeping two ball pythons in the same cage. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Oh yeah, can you give me an idea of a small lizard? I want a reptile but my mom says (NO SNAKES!!!), so I had to settle for a lizard and it can’t get past two feet. A: Sorry Nick, most lizards have four feet. I couldn’t resist. Most of the skinks will fill your mom’s demands. (And they look kind of snaky for your needs.) LA Marge Jarnell, October 4, 2005 Do you have a tortoise for sale at your shop along with all supplies to care for one? A: Yes. A cherry headed red foot. He is a bit pricey. LA Kevin Smith, Winchester, VA, October 4, 2005 Was just searching through the net for some info on Tiger loaches and came across your website. WOW…what a great abundance/resource of information. I am definitely going to bookmark your site. Too bad I live in Virginia …I would love to visit your store. It is far and few in between to come across a superb pet store. I have to travel about an hour and a half to find a store near your quality. Well, just wanted to let you know that your information has come in handy. By the way do tiger loaches pick on smaller fish? I have read somewhere that if you put them in a tank with small fish, i.e., neons, white clouds, etc, that the smaller fish may disappear slowly?? Again Thanks!! A: Nearly any fish will eat any fish that will fit in its mouth. Some will bite off chewable chunks. Tiger refers more to their coloration than their eating habits. But, because of their switchblade knives, you can mix tigers with larger, meaner fish. LA N.E. Adair, October 3, 2005 About two months ago I started up a 55 gallon freshwater tank. I’ve had a 10 gal, 20 gal, and a 30 gal before with no problems whatsoever. But this 55 has proven to be quite a bit of trouble. We first started out with some neon tetras, a few guppies, some mollies, two sun fire platys, a couple gouramis, and two plecos and 3 Chinese algae eaters. They were fine for about two weeks and then they all started to get bad ich. I treated that and only the gouramis, the plecos, the Chinese algae eaters and one of the sun fire platys (who gave birth to a small amount of fry after this) survived. The gouramis ended up eating the fry and then the platy died. So the gouramis lived for a couple of weeks with the bottom dwellers and I decided just to make a gourami tank. It went great for about 3 weeks and now there are only two gouramis left. About 4 just died and one (who was pregnant) jumped out of the tank between the hood and the filter. I don’t understand why the fish in this tank keep dying. I’ve done everything the same that has been done in the past but this time it isn’t working. The pH level hasn’t gone below 6.8 or above 7.2. Do you have any idea what I can try? A (olde): Make 50% water change with aged water from another tank. B (optional): Add two quarts of water siphoned from the under gravel filter of an African cichlid tank. C (21st Century): Add five teaspoons of AmQuel and a packet of Bio-Spira. D: Drain and store in your garage until your next garage sale. LA Carolyn Hefty, October 3, 2005 I have a question and hopefully you will be able to answer. I am a new snake owner and am a little intimidated by him. I have a picture below of a snake in a position (it is not mine) and would like to know if it is a threatening position. If I should leave him alone when he does this. http://www.dwherp.com/albino_flwr.htm He does not hiss. He does stick out his tongue, so to me that looks like a good sign, that he is just checking everything out. But, this is new for me and I don’t really feel like getting bitten by a snake. lol So, if you have time I would appreciate any tips or hints! It would help out a lot. Thank you so very much! A: That is an albino ball python in a relaxed mode. They ball up when they feel threatened. Ball pythons are the least likely to bite of all the snakes. I’ve only been bitten by one (when I stirred up a batch of 13 in a white plastic bucket). LA William Helzer, October 5, 2005 This may be a silly question, but do you think a red Thai crab would be okay with a Raphael Catfish and Golden Dojo Loaches? I know size and speedwise, the crab could not eat them but are there territorial issues that would cause problems? (The tank is a 55 gallon and the loaches and catfish are the only bottom dwellers.) Avoid long-finned fish, slow-moving fish, and bottom-dwelling fish. LA Quote A: As a general rule, I don’t trust any critter with fish if I’m reluctant to hold same critter in my hand. LA Hope Lynch, October 6, 2005 I have five young zebra finches I am trying to give away. Would you guys like them? If not do you know anyone who would take good care of them. They are a very healthy bunch. Thank you, A: We would be happy to take them. LA Evan, October 6, 2005 I’ve been keeping all sorts of fish over the years, discus, piranhas, gars, exodons. And I was wondering: off the top of your head what would be the price of a: an amazon leaf fish? vampire tetra (aka payara)? freshwater barracuda? If you could email me back that would be awesome, thank you. A: $20, $40, and $60. Of course, size enters into the equation. LA Darthbob888, October 8, 2005 Hey I apologize for all the emails but I must ask, is there a reptile convention in NY? If so when? Thanks A: There are two in New York during October. You can find them by searching: "New York" + "reptile convention" LA Michael Truong, October 9, 2005 One of your fish is not labeled, it’s the blue fish under the misc cichlids page 1. The fish that caption read, "can’t remember name of this fish" is called a placidochromis phenochilius. I have some really nice pics of my fish. Would you guys mind me sending some pics to you, so maybe you could use it for your site? A: Thanks for the info. Your pix sound good to me. It will take me some time to work them in because my computer still needs more work. I’m a couple hundred of my own pix behind already. Also, tell me where you’re from and give me some info about yourself. LA Angela Jiang, October 9, 2005 I am doing a project on Fruit Flies and I find the information you have on how to raise them very useful. I have to create a Literary Citations page, so I was wondering who the author of your site is. Also, it’d be great to know when the site was last updated too. A: The author/photographer was the internationally famous Larry Arnold living in the internationally famous Des Moines, Iowa. The internationally famous fruit fly page was last updated in 2005. LA Rick Catchman, Minneapolis, October 9, 2005 Do you have any of the spiny eels for sale? If so which species and how much $ for the eels? I am looking to purchase several. I am in Minneapolis, but I have friend that can pick them up and deliver to me. Thank you A: In stock today at 6 pm I have only the zig zags (not named after the blunt papers) and a few peacocks in stock. Give us a call during working hours. Tell us what you want. If you want several, we can probably cut you a deal. (Three is not several.) LA Marty Reaves, September 10, 2005 I would like some info on caring for fantail goldfish. Specifically, I would like info about what diseases/parasites they are likely to develop, and what products are available to treat them, and how to identify diseases/ parasites specific to fantails. I would also like info on what products I need to keep their tank healthy and feeding recommendations. Thank you very much, A: You will need a container of water (bigger the better) plus two or three kinds of goldfish food. All the rest is optional. They are not likely to develop any diseases. Rather than write a thesis covering all possible (but not probable) contingencies, I would recommend a good reference book. I like the Barron series. LA Benjamin Merritt, October 10, 2005 I read your guys’ pages on both the red clawed and fiddler crabs. I was wondering if you could tell me which one, in your experiences, is easier to take care of and which one is more active? I am planning on setting up a ten gallon that has some brackish water with some sand sloping down into it. I also wanted to know: Do red clawed crabs burrow in sand? Many thanks A: I like to set up the fiddlers on a sandy shore so they can burrow. And they take to crowding better. No fights to the death as far as I could tell. I set the red claws up aquatically (no burrowing) and find that if you crowd them they thin out the population themselves. The fewer the better for red claws. And they will nail you, too. Go fiddlers. LA John, October 10, 2005 First of all let me just say that I love your site. I can’t think of any other place that’s more informative about not only fish, but pets in general. Recently I managed to breed two of my bettas, however, I have noticed a problem with the fry. They are around 3-4 months old and some seem to have developed some sort of case with lockjaw. Their mouths remain constantly open. I thought at first it might be because of the food I was feeding them was too hard. But since I put them back onto a diet of grindal worms, two more have developed the same case. Do you have any idea what might be causing this problem? Some sort of bacteria or improper water condition perhaps? I’d appreciate any help you could give me. Thanks, A: Anytime I hear of problems with young bettas, I suspect velvet. It’s really hard to see -- especially on small bettas. Water with uneaten food or excess waste products encourages these little parasites to latch onto the stressed bettas. Prevention works better than the cures. Change your water (99%) with new aged water. Add a large snail to your clean up crew. And cull the herd. LA Michael Coyle, October 11, 2005 I just recently bought two severum cross breeds. I bought these from an Aquarium owner whom I trust greatly as she has gone well out of her way to help me as much as she can many times. They just recently (like an hour ago) started the lip locking and tail slapping which is described on your site as breeding behavior. One of the fishes lips are now a little frayed. I fear that they may kill each other. Am I right to fear or am I over reacting? If the fish are in danger what would you recommend? Thank you A: Not sure what you mean by a severum cross breed? I assume you mean a severum. Like most of the cichlids from their “hood,” they lock lips and slap tails to indicate mutual attraction and to ensure survival of the fittest. Not all potential breeders pass this fitness test. If they have plenty of room, both should survive the ordeal. Give them a surface to lay eggs on and warm them to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If they succeed, alert the media and buy a box of chocolate cigars. The fry will need live newly hatched brine shrimp and/or microworms. LA Trica Burke, October 10, 2005 I received my Axolotl this past Thursday. He seems pretty klutzy. Is this normal? I put a goldfish in with him. He snaps at it if it swims close to his face, but he doesn’t try any harder than that. So far the fish is still alive and swimming. Is there anything I can do about keeping the algae from getting out of hand? Also, he has spots on him that look like your web picture: LA When you see those white spots appear, you should have changed their water yesterday. I don’t know if it is from being in the dirty water that he was shipped in, but will it go away? A1: Axolotls are Klutzy with a capital K. They have no trouble gorging themselves on worms, dead fish, or thawed foods. However, live goldfish easily elude them. I usually feed mine recently deceased goldfish by hand. (With 1,500 feeder goldfish on hand, there’s always enough floaters for them and the turtles every morning.) A2: You can control algae by turning off your tank lights when you’re not spying on or feeding your axolotls. The product AlgaeFix works well also. But you still need to cut back on your light. A3: When those spots appear, I change 90% of their water replacing it with aged water. I also add one teaspoon of salt per gallon. It clears up overnight. Beware of keeping these guys too warm. No heaters. LA Pam Hickey, (probably local), October 12, 2005 My husband and I purchased an aquariam 2/3 months ago and it has sprang a leak. Do you have any warranty? A: They are all guaranteed for a year. Even the $10 ones. LA Aquila, October 13, 2005 Happened by your web page looking for info on eastern newts. Then, pressed about any link I had time for. I think I could spend weeks here. I was fascinated by your wit and knowledge, which makes your site very readable. God bless you guys and your business! A: Gracias. LA Nomi, October 13, 2005 You have a couple of pics of what you’re calling “fat tail” geckos. In reality, these are adult Stenodactylus sthenodactylus. They have lots of different common names, but you’ll hear them called an amalgam of “middle eastern-Israeli-miniature-dune-ground-geckos.” I have a colony, have been keeping and breeding them for three years. I’m just passionate about my little guys and thought you’d like to know so you could be accurate. Best regards A: Thanks for the info, Nomi. It’s always good to be accurate. LA PS Most sources call fat-tail geckos Hemitheconyx caudicunctus. Aquila 412, October 13, 2005 Happened by your web page looking for info on eastern newts. Then, pressed about any link I had time for. I think I could spend weeks here. I was fascinated by your wit and knowledge, which makes your site very readable. God bless you guys and your business! A: Muchas gracias. LA Larry Access, October 14, 2005 I’m looking to find several black Caecilian (rubber) worms. I prefer medium in size. Any help?? A: Not much help. They are just not available at this time. LA Stacy Adams-Smith, October 14, 2005 I am kinda stuck and I hope you can help me. I have a very eclectic fresh water tank which includes barbs, cichlids, killies, puffers, balas, and a rope fish. For my birthday this year my mom bought a tire track eel to mix with the bunch. I can find no good information on this fish. Can you point me in the right direction to get more information before I end up killing this beautiful fish? Any help would be appreciated. Thank You LA Your tire track spiny eel loves community fishes -- especially swords and moons. A: Guess you haven’t been to our Spiny Eels page yet. You’ll find they grow to two feet long. At 6 inches, you can put on underwater Chapstick™ and kiss your killies goodbye. At twelve inches, he’ll eat your barbs. I’m surprised your ropefish has not eaten your killies. And, puffers like to bite chunks out of all other fishes. LA PS Your tire track will not eat flake food or pellets. He prefers worms and fish. LA Jennifer, October 14, 2005 I was horrified when I read your page about mice. For one thing, they are not "stinky little critters" if you care for them correctly. I have over 100 mice, and NONE of them bite. They make absolutely fantastic pets. Not for kids? I beg to differ. I have been bitten by hamsters, ferrets, rabbits, rats, dogs, cats, but never by a mouse. Occasionally one will nibble on a fingernail, but that is just out of curiosity. Where you stated that an escaped mouse becomes a "wild mouse" in a few days is completely untrue. I have had a few escape, and I have been able to walk over and pick them up with no problems. My last escapee walked right up to my feet while I was checking up on the other mice. Your picture of the pinky stuck in a peanut shell is not cute or funny in any way. I'm sure it became snake food, but the poor thing should have been removed from the peanut shell and returned to its mother immediately. It is true that male mice can be territorial, but this all depends on the temperament of the individual mouse. I have housed unrelated males together, and they have done just fine. They have even groomed each other and slept together in little "mouse piles". You just have to watch them carefully. Sometimes a male will decide to be the "alpha", and needs to be housed separately. You can almost always house male littermates together for life with no problems. If your mice are piling up and suffocating each other, you either have diseased mice, keep them in a location too warm for them, or completely overcrowd them. Mice can die from heatstroke very easily. Just a few minutes in direct sunlight or being overheated can KILL a mouse. It is best to keep them in a cool location, such as a basement, and out of sunlight. I have cages housing several females, and none have ever "suffocated". The "lab mice" cages are horrible. There is no room for a wheel or their much needed exercise. You should not recommend these cages to anyone. Mice need to climb and explore or they will live unnatural depressing lives. I also noticed in all of your pics that the mice were on PINE shavings. Pine is horrible for mice. It causes respiratory infections that do not go away and eventually kill these poor little guys. I use CareFresh bedding. Yes, it costs more, but unlike you, I love my mice and do not just mass breed them for a profit. I keep all of my babies to keep them out of the hands of people like you and snake owners. If you have been bitten by a mouse, it is probably because of the way you treat them. They are just nasty little "stinky" rodents to you. You steal the babies from the new moms and freeze them. I bet you pick them up by the tail too. Most mice can be easily picked up by hand without grabbing the tail. You probably have generations of unsocialized "feeder" mice that have been kept in poor conditions and are fearful of humans. It is apparent on your page that you don't like them at all. If I were a mouse, I would bite you too. Anyone considering buying a pet mouse should NOT buy from you. Your mice are probably inbred and diseased. There are many reputable breeders you can find on the internet who love their mice and will only sell to pet homes. I was not able to locate a breeder near me, so I did buy my original mice from pet stores. It is important to thoroughly check a mouse before buying. They should have clear eyes, clean ears, and absolutely no scabbing of the skin. I have "adopted" a few from pet stores that had abscesses, and I took them home and drained the abscesses and applied antibiotic ointment myself, but I do not recommend this to beginners. Mice should never be shipped. I have read that only about 1 in 4 will survive shipping. Mice are intelligent, gentle pets. Anyone doubting their intelligence should watch the movie "The Green Mile". Even an adult untamed mouse can be tamed easily within a few days. I have mice that literally jump into my hands when I feed them every night. Your description of them is completely wrong. You are just a mass breeder looking to make a profit by killing these wonderful pets. A mouse has 1000% more personality than a snake. Snakes bite and stink, and several times have either eaten or choked small children. Have you ever heard of anyone being killed by a mouse? I noticed several pets on your website. I bet none of them would make good pets. You are worse than a puppy mill. I am currently constructing my own mouse website. The address is http://www.geocities.com/jenlap76/index_mice.html?1129327386320 . I will be adding pictures of all of my mice for those who care to see what nice pets mice make. A: I like people who keep mice as pets, but I still do not like mice. Good luck with your web site. The above links to your web site. Are you making a link to mine? 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