wisers-animals

[wisers-animals]

While I absolutely agree tank cleanliness is vital to the health of your fish, hard water stains (which are near unavoidable in most of america due to the hardness of the water) and algae (which will happen in practically any tank with a light) is ... blatantly false.

Neither of these are a sign of poor water quality. Hard water stains are a bad sign if you have a softwater fish, but are otherwise harmless. Algae, as long as its not super excessive, is also not a bad sign. Infact, its quite beneficial to a lot of fish, like otos, vegetarian-leaning-plecos, and shrimp (its a large part of diet, but should NOT be the only thing they eat). Diamtoms, the brown ‘sludge’ that grows on the glass, results from excess silicates, those typically come from sand, or can result from silicate-rich tap water. It’s also not a sign of a imbalanced tank.

Please don’t spread misinfo.

LESSON TIME: CLEAN TANKS

so apparently, my post about reminding people to keep their tanks clean is controversial? so…im going to talk about keeping your tank clean, and y’all can take my advice and have a beautiful tank (AND healthy fish!) or not, and look at algae all day

your filter is the only thing you need to worry about in regards to keeping beneficial bacteria alive. if your filter is big enough, and there are not way too many fish in your tank, it will have more than enough BB to allow for you to have a sparkling clean tank at all times (meaning no algae/BB/etc on your glass, or decor, or whatever) AND have 0 ammonia/0 nitrites. you have a good balance of plants? you also have 0 nitrates. and 0 algae. 

BUT HOW? literally throw out that filter cartridge that came with the filter, and stuff if 90% full with sponge filter media (or bio-balls if you want to spend a lot of money). this grows A HECK TON of bacteria. i mean, enough that you can wash 20% of it in bleach and not worry. the other 10%? filter floss/polishing pads if you want crystal clear water (this is not for blackwater tanks - if you want tannins, fill the other 10% with more sponge). ta da. all the BB you need. 

hey, jupiter, BB doesn’t get rid of nitrates! you know what does, and what sucks up other minerals/metals that get into your water? plants. they also oxygenate the water (=healthier water for fish) and there are so many out there that you can find a plant for literally any tank. plants are gorgeous. plants also compete with algae for resources. plants are your best friends in an aquarium. 

so. you figured out how to filter your water. you have plants. algae is might happen (if you are overfeeding/not water-chaning enough, it WILL happen), and there is absolutely no need for it (unless you like the look of it???…). what do you do? clean your aquarium. use a toothbrush, mr clean sponge, whatever. get those water spots/any kind of build up OFF because you, my friend, are on your way to figuring out how to completely balance your aquarium.

this is the bare basics. you like the look of mold/algae/calcium deposits? you do you and let your fish and yourself stare at that. i don’t, and i think its a sign of imbalance or laziness.

[wisers-animals]

What are must-haves for you in a dog? What are deal-breakers?

[wisers-animals]

What’s you’re opinion on neutering cones? I’ve had dogs my entire life and none ever needed one. Seems like another money-making idea by vets and companies..

Hm

I mean

I’ve literally had to help hold a dog’s intestines inside her body using sterile drapes, wrapped around her abdomen, as the vet helped lift her out of the car.

She’d had her spay surgery 4 days before but hadn’t worn her buster collar as advised. She’d chewed out her skin sutures, as well as her muscle layer sutures. She’d mostly eviscerated herself.

All because she could get to her surgery wound bc she hadn’t worn her “neuter collar” as you put it.

So yeah, they’re really pretty important and not at all for financial gain.

Miss me with that bs.

[wisers-animals]

Those bloody nature documentaries on big scary predators hunting and eating are nothing compared to videos of people feeding their puffer fishes using live animals

[wisers-animals]

Genetically unhealthy reptiles

So there are quite a few unhealthy reptile morphs out there and I only discovered most of them by fluke, so I thought I’d make a masterpost. There are likely many more which I haven’t heard of yet, so feel free to expand on this post with others.

Enigma Leopard Geckos

The Enigma morph is one that covers the Geckos body in little spots that look like freckles, very cute but it comes with a devastating condition known as “Enigma syndrome” This disorder affects a Geckos fine motor control and results in many secondary symptoms such as stargazing (looking upwards frequently), walking around in circles frequently, wobbly and difficult walking, seizures, and an inability to catch prey due to their aim being affected from this condition. Overall it significantly decreases their quality of life. An animal may not demonstrate this condition for many years, it can come on years into their life. This is a dominant genetic disorder meaning any animal which is an enigma will pass this onto offspring. Even ‘healthy’ appearing animals will carry this gene and pass it along to offspring. The Enigma morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Enigma have the potential to develop this disorder.

Sunkissed Corn Snakes

The Sunkissed morph is pictured above, rather striking in its vivid colouration. However the price for it is something known as “Stargazing Syndrome” which is pictured in the right side photograph. Stargazing syndrome is a vestibular syndrome (balance affecting condition) which prevents normal functionality of the central nervous system and causes these snakes to twist their necks and heads upwards towards the sky. Basically put, these snakes can’t work out which way is up and are often found upside down on their backs. It affects these snakes by causing difficulty moving, disorientation, inability to right themselves into a normal position if on their backs, and sometimes even tremors and seizures. Once again a genetic disorder, however since its recessive you often won’t know if the snake is a carrier or not. The only way to tell if a snake carries the stargazing trait is to breed them; any who prove to carry this trait should never be bred again.

Spider Ball Pythons

The Spider morph is absolutely stunning, characteristic of that ‘drippy’ black patterning on the body and a rather unique head stamp/pattern. It can come in many varieties since it’s commonly bred into other morphs such as pied, banana, etc. However it causes something called “Wobble Syndrome” which is a severe neurological disorder. This is hypothesised to be caused by an error in the neural crest during embryonic development. The neural crest is responsible for arranging neurons in the correct positions and depositing pigmentation. This morph alters where pigment is usually placed in the body, giving them the gorgeous appearance, however it consequently prevents neurons from reaching their correct positions, hence the neurological disorder. Wobble Syndrome causes many severe and debilitating issues to the snake. The most noticeable being ‘corkscrewing’ which is where the snake will flip it’s head and neck upside down, right way up, and upside down again in quick succession. However they are also affected by head tremors, difficulty moving, lack of coordination, inability to right itself if upside down, torticollis (neck spasms), poor muscle tone, and difficulty eating due to head wobbling and missed strikes. Wobble Syndrome is a dominant genetic disorder meaning any snake which expresses the spider phenotype will suffer from and pass on this disorder to offspring. It can range from barely noticeable to severe, and an animal may not suffer at first, but can develop the disorder after several years of being ‘healthy’. The Spider morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Spider have the potential to develop this disorder.

Jaguar Carpet Pythons

The Jaguar morph has to be one of the most visually stunning morphs out there, it’s characterised by it’s gorgeous spots which resemble a jaguars. However the price they pay for their beauty is once again, “Wobble Syndrome”. Jaguars are identical to Spider Ball Pythons in their suffering, and it’s even thought that the Neural Crest deformity is the cause for these guys too. It is important to note that there are several species who can carry the jaguar gene. The gene originated in Jungle Carpet Pythons but has since been bred into other Carpet Pythons (CP for short) species such as the Irian Jaya CP, Darwin CP, Coastal CP, and Diamond CP. Pretty much the only difference with the Jaguar morph is that it is not a dominant gene like the spider morph, and it’s not a recessive gene like the sunkissed morph. The Jaguar gene is a co-dominant mutation. What that means is that the Jaguar gene is visible along with whatever other gene the snake carries. You almost always have two genes for something, and in codominance neither of those genes are recessive to the other, and neither are dominating to the other either. This means both genes express, so to put that into a visual sense (but not genetically accurate!) if you bred a black and a white cat together, the offspring would be black and white if they were co-dominant. This just like the spider and enigma morph means any snake which expresses the Jaguar phenotype has the ability to develop Wobble Syndrome and will pass it along to offspring. The Jaguar morph needs to be phased out completely since all who are Jaguar have the potential to develop this disorder.

Silkback Bearded Dragons and Scaleless Snakes

Silkback bearded dragons and Scaleless snakes are exactly what they sound like, they are completely devoid of any and all scales and instead only have the layer of skin present beneath reptile scales. I admit I do not know much about Scaleless snakes, but assume they suffer the same affects as the silkback bearded dragons so have included them here. Silkback bearded dragons are produced when two leatherback bearded dragons are bred together. The leatherback gene is co-dominant (it can also be recessive) and if a dragon receives two copies of this co-dominant gene then they are a silkback. Co-dominance means two genes are working together, so one copy of leatherback and one copy of normal scales means together these genes create a dragon who has reduced spikes and scales but they still have scales! Two copies of the leatherback gene means the co-dominance has nothing to partner with, so the dragon we get is completely devoid of scales. Now, for an animal which is supposed to have scales, having no scales comes with many severe issues. The main being that they suffer extreme shedding difficulty and have no protection from sharp objects or other dragons. Scalesless animals can easily be cut or punctured from ornaments in a tank which are safe for their scaled or leatherback counterparts. Even a basking log, brick, or rock can cut them if they run against it wrong. This means their tank needs to be almost empty or only have soft, pliable decor which provides no risk of injury. This can be severely damaging to the animals mental wellbeing as there is no enrichment opportunities for the animal. Shedding wise, these animals need to be soaked in baths almost daily to maintain skin hydration, and when it comes time to shed their shed will shrink to their skin and it’s often for them to lose toes, bits of tail, or even get pieces stuck around their heads and necks which can cause severe damage. You can also not breed silkback bearded dragons (am unsure about Scaleless snakes?) pairing another dragon with a silkback will cause extreme injury. If the silkback is female, the male bearded dragon will cut her open with his claws as he mounts her and he will tear her shoulders and neck open where he holds her with his mouth. These injuries can be life threatening. Furthermore, if the silkback is male he may receive lacerations and cuts to his stomach upon mounting the female or he may be critically injured if she rejects him and bites or scratches in retaliation. If all of that isn’t bad enough these scaleless animals also have an increased risk of illness due to decreased immunity (immunity decreased due to unknown reason) and suffer extremely reduced lifespans. Scalesless animals are an incredibly unnatural and disgusting morph which needs to be completely phased out.

That’s all for my masterpost currently. There are likely many more unhealthy morphs I have yet to hear of, so please inform me if you know of any others I’ve neglected to mention and I shall research and add them here. Please do not ever support or purchase one of these animals as it encourages the breeding of severely unhealthy animals with significantly reduced quality of life. With so many healthy and wonderful morphs and species available there is absolutely no reason to ever purchase one of these.

[wisers-animals]

i found an ecology meme page on facebook so here are some highlights

[wisers-animals]

PLUS!!:

Toxic for rabbits: Anise, Clove, Oregano, Tea Tree, Wintergreen Safe for rabbits: Lavender, lemon, orange, fennel,  eucalyptus and peppermint, all should be diluted with water!

[wisers-animals]

Some shots of the 170 tropical. Small wiggly children are very wiggly.

[wisers-animals]

Okay…but…fish fat. 

Other places to see my stuff: INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / ETSY

[wisers-animals]

show me… a pupy

[wisers-animals]

Slorp

[wisers-animals]

Beautiful giant snakehead, Channa micropeltes.

[wisers-animals]

Not to mention, even if they were truly omnivorous, a vegan diet still misses the mark on some nutrients. This is the same case with humans. Vegan diets aren't complete, even with supplements. The same applies to animals that aren't strictly herbivores.

time to unstan Jackson Galaxy

[wisers-animals]

Plecos are probably the most abused fish next to Bettas. The next time I see a pleco shoved in a 10 or 20 gallon tank I’m gonna lose my shit.

[wisers-animals]

real aquarium girls will understand

[wisers-animals]

please. i’m begging you. turn up your volume to a reasonable level and watch this video.