Working With the Fishes

Not much news to post on the reptile front. Isis, Hatshepsut, Sauron and the turtles are all faring well, I'm happy to say. As it's winter, they seem to be lazier than usual. The same could be said for me, too, LOL.

In light of the reptiles being sleepy, I'm working with the two bettas I have right now.
Wagner and Mozart are looking lovely, like always. Both are super delta males, meaning they have fins that almost make a half-moon shape when flared, but not quite. Wagner is a pink and red betta with a tinge of purple, and Mozart is an orange bodied male with cellophane fins. Wagner was one I had to buy, while Mozart was a WONDERFUL gift from a friend!

Both of my bettas were unexpected buys, so I didn't have much ready when I got them. That would be what I'm working on. For Christmas, I'm hoping to get Wagner a larger tank as he has currently outgrown the one he has. Mozart inherited Grim's tank, which is nicely sized, but I currently need to equip with plants (I just placed gold ribbon plants in Wanger's, which look wonderful). I enjoy having live plants in fish tanks, as they seem to benefit both parties.

Once they both have nicely sized tanks (1.75 to 2.5 gallons), I believe I will begin heating them, too. I'm trying a few new methods with my bettas to see if I can increase their lifespan and general activity. I will make sure to post my reports here in my blog as I continue on.

My Hair Might Fall Out

I am sad to report that my African Clawed Frog, Grim, has passed away. I have no idea why he did, as he was doing well, growing, and I was trying my best to keep him under great conditions. It seems I have hit a stroke of bad luck more than anything. First, I had to get rid of Annabel for her own safety, then my hognose died thanks to FedEx's flub up, and now I lost Grim. Thanks to this, I think I'll be holding off on getting any new pets for a while. Maybe now just isn't the right time for me to have another.

In good news, all of my snakes went into shed together this month. Isis got hers off quite nicely the other day. Now I am just waiting for Hatshepsut and Sauron to get theirs off. Sauron is extra moody with this shed, so much that he won't even eat. That's not particularly normal for him, but he does seem perfectly healthy otherwise. Just... frustrated.

Also, my kitten, Ninja, seems to be obsessed with snake sheds. I had one of Sauron's old ones in my floor and she went over, grabbed it up, and rolled all around in it. It was oddly adorable. She is certainly an unusual cat, but I couldn't love her more. She's usually my cuddle-buddy when I'm online typing up my blogs, but she seems to be elsewhere right now. She's probably taking a nap on top of some clean laundry. As is the life of a cat.

Clawed Frog Growth: Week One

Suggested by my friend, LupusDarkmoon, I'll be documenting the growth of my froglet. I was a little confused at first on how I was going to do this. I went through the typical things, like setting him next to a quarter or something... but of course, decided on something a bit different.

Years ago, I received a tiny temple statue that would be perfect for aquariums. It really is small. Here are a few pictures of it (including one of it next to a typically sized highlighter. Not one of the big ones. Pen sized, if you will.).


Well, I've set it in his aquarium and will be taking pictures of him next to it every week, after I clean his tank. Here is what he looks like beside it now. He's already a little bigger than he was when I first got him, but not by much.

(Yes, that is food next to him, lol.)

Sadly, though, he seems to be a bit shy about getting his photo taken. Notice his little hand over his face in this one.

Halloween: Ophidiophobia

Since today is Halloween, a post like this seemed the most appropriate thing to type!
I have noticed in the world, especially since I have gotten into reptile keeping, that people have an extreme fear of snakes. Much like the fear of spiders, it's not uncommon to hear about, especially in this country. Most people perceive reptiles as large, man-eating monsters that can spit venom from 10 feet away. This is just not true.

(My Sand Boa, Hatshepsut, is a great example of a
friendly snake. She loves to be held!)

The news is filled with images of massive pythons eating alligators and venomous snakes loose inside zoo facilities. It really is no wonder people are afraid. The biggest problem is, there is no reason to be so scared. Most snakes you will run into here in the US are non-venomous, small, and usually keep to unpopulated areas. They will not try to come after you, unless you are scaring or cornering them. You may have heard it before, but I'll say it again. They're just as scared of you as you are of them. Most native snakes can even calm down to someone handling them, but I would not recommend doing so unless you understand your reptile species.

If one you find happens to be venomous, remember this, they want to avoid confrontation as much as you. Their venom is a precious commodity. They could loose all their venom with one bite, thus most the time choosing not to inject it. It can take a day to as long as a week before the venom is remade. Unless the venomous snake is in your house or on your property, leave it where it is and let it keep on living. If it IS posing a threat to you and your family, call in an expert to remove it. There are many people willing to save the snake rather than kill it. You may not find them as beautiful as I do, but they are essential to the environment.

For those of us who own captive snakes, we could go on all day in support of our little friends. The snakes I own are just as friendly as any dog, and with better table manners then most. If you even get bitten by one, people can tell you that it's no worse than getting a scratch from a cat. If you have Ophidiophobia, you should try giving them a chance. You might just come to like them.

Dat Frog

I got my little African Clawed Frog in the mail yesterday! Unlike my last animal shipping experience, this was NOT a fiasco. He got here safe and sound. He's a cute little fellow... err, I think it's a fellow, anyways. He shows all signs so far of being a male Xenopus. Either way, he's adorable. He's also a very active little guy, and is already shedding! I have to admit that I already adore him.



















African Clawed Frogs hail from the southern part of Africa. Their scientific name, Xenopus Laevis, means 'Strange Foot' (Xenopus) and 'Smooth' (Laevis). When looking at the photos of my new little frog that accompany this post, you can see why. They are a fully aquatic frog, meaning you may never, or rarely find them out of water. Their name is according to the three unusual claws found on their feet, which are used to tear away at food. Food can be anything, as they as scavengers. They're from the Pipidae family, meaning they are a primitive type of frog that has no tongue or teeth.

I got my little guy from GrowAFrog.Com. They had the best prices on shipping out of anybody. You can either get the strange little tadpoles for the African Clawed Frogs, a froglet like mine, or even an albino froglet. I wouldn't suggest getting one of their set-ups, as they seem kind of small, but if you are looking to get one, PLEASE get an aquarium with a lid! I read a lot of horror stories about escaping frogs getting out and drying up.

Anyways, I'm planning on documenting his growth as I care for him. He's a beautiful little animal and a great example of the strange wonders of God.

New Blog and Number Explanation

I'll be slowly switching off from Snakes n' Barrels to do all my blogging over here. It'll be more convenient for me. It'll still be mainly snake based (as I'm mainly snake obsessed) but sometimes my other critters have to get in on the act as well.
I'm calling this blog Crimson Ark Exotics because if I ever get into the business of breeding and selling herptiles, that would be the name of my company. Fair and simple, don't you think?
(Before anyone says it, yes, herptiles is an actual word. It's a noun to encompass both reptiles and amphibians.)

First of all, if you look to the right of the page you will see a list of the animals I currently own. I'm quite sure the numbers are a bit confusing at first glance for some of you. Let me explain: This is how an exotics breeder sorts out their animals by gender.
For example, I have 1.1.0 Red-Eared Sliders. This simply means I have one male, one female, and zero unsexed Red-Eared Sliders. If you met someone with 2.3.1 Leopard Geckos, they would have two males, three females, and one that's unsexed. It's not too baffling once explained.

(My Red-Eared Sliders)

Anyways, I hope that you enjoy the things to come with this blog, and I hope that I can actually keep it updated. Thank you for reading! Over and out~