LA

A:  If he's still a waterdog (not a salamander yet) and you plan to release him, do it as soon as possible.  I'm assuming you mean Ambystoma tigrinum, not one of your scarcer Okie salamander larvae.  A. tigrinm's the only one I know about..  LA

A:  Yes, but not in the water.  They are also called mole salamanders because they dig underground to escape the ravages of winter.  If you caught him from the wild, return him to where you found him.  Otherwise, find a location near (but not in) the water.  He needs soft earth, a thick layer of leaves, and something like some small logs atop his winter hidey hole.  Take a spade with you so you can soften the earth to at least one foot deep.  Happy digging.  LA

A:  Every so often, I have to wade thru all the pages to update the links along the sides or for some other equally eldritch reason.  Anyway, they look okay from this end. But if I sometimes stumble across one of the pages you mention via Google, it looks weird to me.  Other than giving my PC a good shake, I have no idea how to fix the pages that appear non-standard.  The other possibility is that you have had a Mac attack and will just have to throw it away.  LA

A:  Some birds hate changes.  Your dove hotel is under new management, shuttled to new locations twice a day (three on shady days), with possibly a new chef providing the victuals.  On the other hand, ringnecks are not one of the nervous birds.  They do shed feathers, tho.  You usually have to sweep up after them every day (like high school students).  I wouldn't worry about them unless the male picks her "baldheaded."  At that point I would separate them.  LA

A:  Yup.  I like flowerhorns.  The adults look quite impressive.  I like the first one best, of course.  Nice pictures.  LA

A:  We don't ship fish.  We do stock gold nuggets occasionally.  Like last week, but not today.  Our price would be about three times the mail order price without the $30-$40 shipping but with a guarantee.  No mail orders though.  LA

A:  It's very hard to get food past a goldfish.  If you're feeding your knives at night, you're doing it right.  Now, you just need to be patient.  Your knives will start coming out when they feel like it.  If they feel intimidated by your goldfish, it may take a while.  If you want them to use their clear plastic "ghost houses," take out their other caves.  LA

LA

A:  You're an excellent writer for a 14-year old.  Sorry that you don't like mouse jokes.  If you've ever had a mouse gnaw a hole in a 40-pound bag of dog food, you wouldn't like them either.  There's a reason they're called "vermin."  Wait till I finish my leech page.  They're even smaller.  LA

LA

A:  Sometimes leeches don't realize they're supposed to be the food.  LA

LA

A:  I believe this guy tried picking them off his body and wound up with a dozen or so living in his throat.  LA

LA
Egg cases from several female mantids.

A:  Mantids prefer live insects.  If you hand feed them, they will learn to eat fresh dead insects (and other stuff).   Mantids, Newly Hatched.  Your female may last as long as New Years, but most die earlier so you might just as well leave the eggs on her lid.  I do not know how soon the mantiditos will emerge if you do not expose them to our winter season.  After she dies, just put the lid outside for a month or two then bring it inside.  Then, I still couldn't give you an exact hatch date.  Before they hatch, you will need too cover their cage with a very fine mesh because they will scamper out the slits in your critter keeper lid.  LA

LA
Three-inch leopard ctenopoma.

A:  I've seen these guys for sale under a variety of common names.  They're the most often seen of the Ctenopomas.  You can google them best if you sort for "Ctenopoma acutirostre."  The aquahobby.com site has some pretty good info.  I've got a trio of three inchers right now and hope to figure out how to spawn them.  They're living with a same size Osphronemus goramy.  As soon as they spawn for me, I'll wrap up my Ctenopoma page (which I started back in 2005).  Some of these pages take a little time.  LA

A:  You've got the basics.  They could live in there.  However, they really don't need all that water.  A low water dish would be better.  They'll also be happier if you provide a small cave  Then you could make it more attractive by adding a philodendron/pothos or two (or three).  But that's just personal preference.  Your salamanders could not care less.  LA

A:  If you google "Carolina Biologcal Supply," you can order them.  Unfortunately, they come in packs of 25.  LA

A:  Mantids prefer live insects.  If you hand feed them, they will learn to eat fresh dead insects (and other stuff).  Hold the cricket in front of your mantis by the cricket's two back legs.   LA

A:  I've never shipped a hermit crab -- with or without a bag.  I don't think misting them stresses them anymore than a brief rainstorm.  LA

A:  Sorry.  I don't trust most forums.  LA