the-saurian-specimen

[the-saurian-specimen]

Me, if you even care.

lizard pngs ! free to use! credit not needed but appreciated :)

[the-saurian-specimen]

Damn those scaley puppies and their hemorrhagic venom.

[the-saurian-specimen]

I just finished planting my terrarium for a gargoyle gecko that I plan to get some months in the future. There’s some powder orange isopods, and springtails in there somewhere! How’d I do?

[the-saurian-specimen]

THE GIRRRRLLLL IS BAAAAACK!!! IT IS ONCE AGAIN TIME TO POST CRAPPY PICTURES OF HER!!!

[the-saurian-specimen]

thoughts about snakes (not totally anatomically accurate, but whatever)

[the-saurian-specimen]

[the-saurian-specimen]

This is a terrible quality photo of my girl Ambrosia. She likes using her face as a shovel and blowing bubbles in her water dish. I don’t know why she does this, and was admittedly concerned the first time it happened.

[the-saurian-specimen]

This Tumblr user hacked my brain and made a post about what they found in there. I love my ball python Ambrosia so much.

i love my snake. she's a little lady! sliding around! flicking her tongue at stuff! staring at shiny things! snake stuff!!!

[the-saurian-specimen]

Rack Systems Are Not The Best For Your Ball Python

Ok, lets be honest. We all know why rack systems or tubs are popular. They’re cheap, they’re pretty dang easy to clean, and if you’re anything like me you were told that ball pythons thrive in the confinement of this types of system. After all, wild ball pythons spend all their time cooped up inside of abandoned termite mounds, right? They feel safer in more confined spaces, right? Well, not exactly. According to some information I found on the Conservation Society of California’s website and some other websites (that I will link) not only are BP’s very capable climbers despite being a non-arboreal species, but they really only stay in termite mounds of this nature during the day while they sleep if at all. Termite mounds are great places for reptiles because they keep fairly warm and several other species of reptile use the same technique for nesting and sleeping. None of these reptile (which include monitors, rock pythons skink and cobra by the way) are forced into tiny living quarters due to the habits of their wild counterparts, so why is this the case for ball pythons? Yes, pythons enjoy having spaces where they can curl up and hide, but that’s what tank furniture inside of an enclosure is for, not the enclosure itself. Your snake’s cage is almost its entire world, shouldn't they at least be afforded the space to stretch their entire body out?

Also, these snakes are inquisitive and intelligent. This is pretty common knowledge and what makes them so popular in the pet trade. Anyone who’s been keeping snakes for awhile could tell you about the differences in behavior when a snake is introduced to a space that it can really stretch out in for the first time, I know I could tell you all about it, given my own experience with my ball python. I will admit that in the beginning of my snake keeping journey, I was also led to believe that these snakes required very little space, but seeing my girl roaming the new enclosure I bought for her after a couple years of keeping her really changed my perspective. She’s more active now, uses her little face as a spade to dig around in substrate occasionally, and has long since stopped doing that “glass surfing” behavior she used to. My personal anecdote isn't even the end of the story. There are studies that can be easily accessed that discuss the natural behaviors being demonstrated in a well furnished terrarium that are more rarely displayed in a tub or rack. Abnormal behaviors that could indicate boredom or motivational frustration are exhibited almost exclusively when the BP is housed in a rack system. Not to say that there aren’t exceptions, but as a general rule, it seems that rack or tub systems does not allow this animal that we are tasked with keeping to thrive.

The bottom line is that ball pythons (to the extent that any reptile is capable of) seem to be happier in a well furnished terrarium/vivarium compared to the rack system that is popular among breeders and pet stores. Your snake should be climbing, digging in basking as it would in the wild and most rack systems simply do not provide adequate means by which to indulge and such behaviors. Sure they might be cheaper, but that does not necessarily mean they facilitate the highest quality of life possible. This animal relies on us as keepers, and shouldn’t we strive to provide the best for our scaly buddies?

[the-saurian-specimen]

Can confirm.

[the-saurian-specimen]

It pisses me off that Komodo Dragons have such a crazy method of killing prey. I mean, they literally are one of the only lizard species in the world with a venomous bite, and it doesn’t kill prey instantly. It causes prey to bleed to death over the course of several hours, all while the dragon tails it’s meal. It’s so messed up, and yet??? Komodo Dragons are fucking adorable??

Look at them! You’re telling me you wouldn’t want to kiss one of these chunky scaly puppies on the nose if given the chance? Bullshit.

It’s so sad that they’re so dangerous, because I want to hug one so badly! I don’t even care that they could steal my blood’s ability to clot, I want to cuddle with one!