HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: busc@quads.uchicago.edu (john richard buscher)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Rough (?) green snake inquiry <again>... te deum
Date: 26 Aug 92 13:35:58 GMT
Reply-To: busc@midway.uchicago.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations

recently i posted an inquiry for opinions on the green snake which i just obtained, and iwas thankful for all the assistance I received. 
however, strangely enough it died quite suddenly this morning, and i'm not quite sure why.

i had originally checked for any blemishes and such which might indicate illness or infection when i purchased it and found none, feeding hadn't been an issue (it was still deficating periodically so I assume that it had not digested its last meal...no pun intended) however there was an unuasual "bend" in its body about an inch below the head. I was wondering if it was possible that it had somehow injured itself or if it is more likely that there was some internal problem of which I was unaware?

I'd kep it's tank clean and used distilled water in its dish (the south side of chicago is not famed for the potability of is water) so i'm resonably sure that it did not pick up anything after its purchase...

thoughts and comments appreciated

J.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: tmohler+@cs.cmu.edu (Tim Mohler)
Subject: Re: Indigo snakes and filters
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 20:39:32 GMT

In article <17hsckINNt5m@darkstar.UCSC.EDU> wrfisher@cats.ucsc.edu (William Robert Fisher) writes:
>
>[ stuff deleted]
>
>On the subject of Sail fins

Well, on several subjects ackshully,

>>Well, I'm not sure exactly what an aquarium filter does.  Does it sterilize
>>the water? That's bascially what I'm looking for - something to sterilize
>>and filter the water he drinks from. I figure yes, I change the water, but
>>sometimes I'm not home for hours after he shits in the bowl, and I'm wondering
>>whether he might be spectacularly dumb enough to drink out of it.
>>
>>He's dumb enough to pull all kinds of stunts... I don't trust him with this
>>either.
>
>Me too, I'm not sure.  Having a warm bowl of infested water does not
>sound like a good idea.  No matter how often I check, the water is
>dirty.  I was planning on converting an Entertainment center into a cage.
>This would be about 4' long, 3' high, and 15" deep.  And have a ten gallon
>aquarium for its water pleasures.  I will be using a "whisper" power filter.
>It hangs on the side of the aquarium, sucks water up through a charcoal 
>activated cartridge.  I am sure dyrvm (said lizard) could not get into it,
>besides, it uses a magnet to drive it.  I've used this filter many times in
>fish tanks and trust it to keep the water clean.  I was also thinking about
>adding a few catfish and algae eaters, as Dyrvm shows no interest in eating
>fish.  


This was my first idea as well, but I'm not sure how putting an 10-gallon
aquarium in his cage would work. I`d think it would have to be shorter
than normal aquariums, or he'd get upset (he does not like deep water
and gets frantic when he can't get his feet on the bottom.)

On the other hand, I could breed goldfish in it for my garter snake!
(Always looking for new ways to cut on feed costs)

>>On another sad note, I still can handle him much. In fact, he tried to bite me
>the other day... sigh. It seems he gets more skittish the longer I have him. He's been really bad since I moved into my new apartment. Perhaps he is unsettled
>>by the new surroundings.
>
>How big or old is he?  I should I get worried my sweet baby lizard is going
>to grow up to be the Hydrosaurus amboinensis of death?


I have a savannah monitor, not a sailfin. But other than that little
matter he is a bit over 1 year and about 8 inches from snout to vent.

I'm considering trading him in on a baby one and see if it acclimates
better. Any comments?

Tim
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: philipla@microsoft.com (Phil Lafornara)
Subject: Re: Food for corn snakes...
Date: 21 Aug 92 23:40:05 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation

In article <2551@news.cerf.net> jde@nic.cerf.net (Jeff Ellis) writes:
>I have a young corn snake who eats 2 pinkey mice a week. If I feed him
>twice he only eats one if once a week he eats two. My question is
>when do I feed him something larger? He is about 18" long right now.
>He has shed 3 times since I got him if that is any factor.
>Also when he does go to something larger what should that be? Fuzzies?
>

    I may have given some bad advice in my previous post - I've
tried to cancel it, and we'll see if that works.

    When dealing with baby corns, the size of the food can make
a big difference in how much of it is digested, and whether or
not it is spit back up.  A baby snake can have a hard time with
a big chunk of food - it'll have a much easier time with two
littler chunks, spaced somewhat apart.
    I would recommend trying your snake on a fuzzy mouse, and seeing
how it does with that - but be prepared for it to either refuse
the mouse or spit it back up.  If it seems to handle such a large
meal well, then switch it over to fuzzies.  Otherwise, keep on
with the pinkies for a little while.

					-Phil


-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phil Lafornara         				1 Microsoft Way         
philipla@microsoft.com				Redmond, WA 98052-6399 
Note:  Microsoft doesn't even _know_ that these are my opinions. So there.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: pholland@iastate.edu (Paul J Hollander)
Subject: Garter snakes (was Re: Indigo snakes and filters)
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 15:57:00 GMT

In article <BtMH7L.13p.1@cs.cmu.edu> tmohler+@cs.cmu.edu (Tim Mohler) writes:
> (Deleted)
>On the plus side, I bought my first snake last night - a garter snake.
>Figured it CAN'T be difficult to keep a garter, and the price was right -
>$10. So far he's been terrifically active, and pleasant, so I'm pleased.

Garter snakes are good animals.  I started with a garter, and I have had
plenty of far more expensive and exotic snakes that I haven't like as 
well as garters.

>The pet store  told me he'd eat crickets, meal worms, flies, etc. Is this
>good for him? Furthermore, since buying crickets at 10 apiece is expensive,
> (Deleted)

This information is 100% *wrong*.  !@#$%^& pet stores.  Check Conant's
_Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of the Eastern United States
and Canada_ for diets of the various garter snakes.  Assuming it is an
eastern garter snake or one of its subspecies (_Thamnophis sirtalis_)
it eats mostly earthworms, frogs, fish and occasionally anything else it
can catch.  Earthworms can be dug out of a backyard (if you have one),
picked up at night after a rain, or purchased at a good bait store.  Get 
minnows at a bait store or feeder goldfish at a pet store.

Feed twice a week as garters like to warm up to 85-87 F during the day.
Turn off the heat and let them cool to room temperature at night.  Most
rodent eating snakes are fed once a week instead of twice, but garter food
usually has a higher proportion of liquid, and the higher temperatures
that garters like give them a faster metabolism than a corn snake (for
example).  Garters will take anything (pinky mice, strips of beef, etc)
that's scented with earthworm slime, but try to feed whole animals for 
best nutrition.

A 10 gallon aquarium with water bowl and hiding box is fine for most
garter snakes (see the snake care in the faq).

Paul Hollander    pholland@iastate.edu
Behold the tortoise: he makes no progress unless he sticks his neck out.
From: gt6511a@prism.gatech.EDU (COCHRANE,JAMES SHAPLEIGH)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: machine guns, my snake
Keywords: machine guns, snake
Date: 2 Sep 92 02:55:58 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology


     This doesn't have anything to do with herps, but I want to correct a
mis-statement I noticed... The license to own a machine-gun is not virtually
impossible to get, it just means that you have to go through a lot of hassle,
give up your right to privacy, and be able to PROVE that you are a responsible
member of society (through a background check) and can safely store the weapon
in question in such a way that it can not be easily accessed by anyone other
than you... I don't know if storing them in a cage full of rattlesnakes would
qualify.. Plus, I wouldn't subject any snake I know to having to put up with the
BATF :).  IF they don't change the laws before I have the oppurtunity/money, I
will probably try to get a Class III permit and a H&K MP-5 submachine gun...
     Now, about snakes... If anybody's interested, I have a baby Royal (Ball)
Python, 18" long, that I have had for 2 months... He (CJ) just graduated to
eating adult mice, and seems to be doing fine...  Of course, now I am beginning
to wish I had bought a Burmese ... Saw a pretty one in the store the other day,
but the handler I know said it was fairly vicious, and that most of the
more colorful Burmese pythons he had seen tended to strike frequently... This
is in comparison to Tiny, the 6 1/2' Burmese that they sold for $199... Wish I
had had the money... Of course, my girlfriend JUST got acclimated to my python,
and would freak if I got a large snake... *grin*

                                    Later all,
                                                 James
From: datri@egsner.cirr.com (Anthony Datri)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Indigo snakes and filters
Date: 27 Aug 92 22:18:09 GMT
Organization: Central Iowa (Model) Railroad, Dallas, Tx.

>Well, I'm not sure exactly what an aquarium filter does.  Does it sterilize
>the water?

Depending on the variety, they mostly do mechanical filtering.  They also
provide a place for bacteria to hang out, which facilitate the nitrogen
cycle.  Some of the e$oteric filter systems go to great lengths to
provide an environment for bacteria.  With the volume of waste that a
fair-sized herp will put out, though, I'd suspect that you'd need quite a
volume to even think about maintaining a closed system.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: debra@solbourne.com (Debra Frances)
Subject: Re: iguanas and savannahs together
Organization: Solbourne Computer, Inc.
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 15:14:39 GMT

I wouldn't risk it.  There's a real chance that the savannah will nip off a piece
of iguana foot, tail, etc...Weigh the convenience factor for you against potential
harm to your iguana, then decide....
                                 Debra
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: jim@gordian.com (Jim Van Vorst)
Subject: Re: Geckos
Organization: Gordian; Santa Ana Heights, CA
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 00:33:29 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.222122.1070@kronos.arc.nasa.gov>, hall@kronos.arc.nasa.gov (Michael Hall) writes:
> Can anyone recommend a tropical gecko to keep in a 30 gallon tall
> terrarium with two very large tropical treefrogs?  I need a gecko that
> likes temperatures from 60-88 with medium humidity, and that won't inflict
> wounds on the frogs, and that won't lose its tail or its life when the
> treefrogs pounce on it.
> 
> Leopard geckos are out, because they are desert dwellers.  Tokay geckos
> and Egyptian geckos are out, because they some of the most vicious animals
> on earth.
> 
> Any suggestions?
> 
> Or would this be like mixing monitors and iguanas?  Should I just forget
> about it?
> 
> -- 
> Michael Hall            \ "Advantage is irrelevant.
> NASA Ames Research Center\  Countermeasures are futile."
> hall@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov \  -Borg card counter

How about a pretty green Madagasgar Day Gecko?  Sounds like they'd fit
right in.  They're cute and cuddly lookin' but have delicate skin so you
can't play with them or anything but they like humidity.
-- 
@-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+@
   jim@gordian.com

   "If builders built buildings the way programmers write code
    then the first woodpecker to come along would destroy
    civilization."
@-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+@
From: kyle@CSLI.STANFORD.EDU (Kyle Wohlmut)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: bats, hog nose snakes, and other misc ramblings
Date: 31 Aug 92 18:08:10 GMT
Organization: Rocking Pig Enterprises

In article <920831170117_71162.3470_CHK93-3@CompuServe.COM> you write:
>Hey all,
>   Here is some misc. ramblings that I have...
>
>Bats:
>   At some point I would be interested in trying to keep bats.  Does
>anyone have any experience on these critters?  Does anyone know where
>you could get some (I've never seen bats at pet stores)?  Are there laws
>against bats in any states?
>

Hmmm, an interesting idea, although rec.pets.herp is probably the
wrong group to ask in.  Unless you take 'herp' to mean 'creepy,' which
it doesn't...

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
                       /               
/'''   Kyle Wohlmut    -  'Heute back ich, morgen brau ich, und       
c-OO                   /   uebermorgen hol ich mir der Koenigin ihr      
   \   Rocking Pig     -   Kind.  Ach, wie gut dass niemand weiss,
  -     Enterprises    /   dass ich kyle@csli.stanford.EDU heiss.'    
                       -                                              
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: sonny@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (joseph.j.de rosa)
Subject: Re: Indigo snakes and filters
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 19:48:05 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.140456.596@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> mattk@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (matthew.kaufman) writes:

>I saw some Savannah monitors at East Bay Vivarium last weekend (thanks
>for the recommendation, Valerie!) Gorgeous animals. Of note was the
>sign on one cage that said "Tame, a rare thing for Savannahs" or something
>like that.
>
>Of course, I was most impressed by the burmese pythons. How people can
>keep something that huge as a pet is amazing to me, but I guess people
>do it. One of the durn things looked big enough to swallow *me*.

Of course, MOST readers of this group don't know Matt, and so don't realize
the impressive SIZE of the Burmese pythons he saw. >;->

Joe 'it will take a **REALLY BIG SNAKE** to eat *YOU*, Matt' DeRosa
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: donb@igor.tamri.com (Don Baldwin)
Subject: Re: machine guns, my snake
Keywords: machine guns, snake
Organization: TOSHIBA America MRI, South San Francisco, CA
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 92 01:02:42 GMT

In article <67452@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt6511a@prism.gatech.EDU
(COCHRANE,JAMES SHAPLEIGH) writes:
>     This doesn't have anything to do with herps, but I want to correct a
>mis-statement I noticed... The license to own a machine-gun is not virtually
>impossible to get, it just means that you have to go through a lot of hassle,
>give up your right to privacy, and be able to PROVE that you are a responsible
>member of society (through a background check) and can safely store the weapon
>in question in such a way that it can not be easily accessed by anyone other
>than you... I don't know if storing them in a cage full of rattlesnakes would
>qualify.. Plus, I wouldn't subject any snake I know to having to put up with
>the
>BATF :).  IF they don't change the laws before I have the oppurtunity/money, I
>will probably try to get a Class III permit and a H&K MP-5 submachine gun...

However, since 1986, I don't think they can legally sell NEW machine guns.
That, and the background check amount, I think, to a virtual impossibility.
I grew up in Upstate NY, so I know how excessive gun control can discourage
gun ownership by responsible people....

>     Now, about snakes... If anybody's interested, I have a baby Royal (Ball)
>Python, 18" long, that I have had for 2 months... He (CJ) just graduated to
>eating adult mice, and seems to be doing fine...  Of course, now I am beginning
>to wish I had bought a Burmese ... Saw a pretty one in the store the other day,
>but the handler I know said it was fairly vicious, and that most of the
>more colorful Burmese pythons he had seen tended to strike frequently... This
>is in comparison to Tiny, the 6 1/2' Burmese that they sold for $199... Wish I
>had had the money... Of course, my girlfriend JUST got acclimated to my python,
>and would freak if I got a large snake... *grin*

Freudian slip, James? :)

There are some interesting snakes of intermediate size, say 8-10 feet.
Carpet Pythons, for instance, are interesting pets, don't grow so large
and have more tractable natures.  Don't get me wrong, I LIKE Burmese
pythons, they just get too big and string for my taste....

Cheers,

   don
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        "Government is not eloquence. It is not reason. It is a force.
        Like fire, a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
                                                   - George Washington
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don Baldwin  -  Software Engineer  - e-mail to:  donb@tamri.com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: mattk@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (matthew.kaufman)
Subject: Re: Indigo snakes and filters
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 14:04:56 GMT
Summary: Comments? Comments?

In article <BtntE1.EFD.1@cs.cmu.edu> tmohler+@cs.cmu.edu (Tim Mohler) writes:
>
>On the other hand, I could breed goldfish in it for my garter snake!
>(Always looking for new ways to cut on feed costs)

In a 10 gallon tank? Unlikely. Breeding size goldfish are *big*, 5-6"
long. They're bred in large outdoor ponds in commercial setups.
*If* you can find a pair of breeding-sized goldfish, you can milk them
for eggs and milt, mix the two together and raise the fry in a smallish
tank with lots of water changes and a good, stable crop of algae for them
to eat. I've seen this work.

I thought it wasn't such a good thing to feed fish to snakes? Wasn't
that discussed here before?
>
>
>I have a savannah monitor, not a sailfin. But other than that little
>matter he is a bit over 1 year and about 8 inches from snout to vent.
>
>I'm considering trading him in on a baby one and see if it acclimates
>better. Any comments?

I saw some Savannah monitors at East Bay Vivarium last weekend (thanks
for the recommendation, Valerie!) Gorgeous animals. Of note was the
sign on one cage that said "Tame, a rare thing for Savannahs" or something
like that.

Of course, I was most impressed by the burmese pythons. How people can
keep something that huge as a pet is amazing to me, but I guess people
do it. One of the durn things looked big enough to swallow *me*.

They also had a very small anaconda, and mata mata turtles, beautiful
tortoises, lots of iguanas,
geckos, skinks, some chameleons, anoles, and they
were barbecuing something "funny" outside.

Went to see corn snakes and didn't see one!
-- 
"I am the chosen one."  | Copyright 1992 mattk@usl.com. Permission for
                        | reproduction in printed media or by pay-for-read
"And I Choose to be     | services explicitly disallowed. Permission granted to
shopping!"              | USENET and like free facilities.
From: ruska@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Dave Ruska)
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 22:09:26 GMT
Subject: Re: Fast Food Return
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp

In rec.pets.herp, rjohnson@shell.com (Roy Johnson) writes:

> I don't know if I have good news or bad news.  Maybe both.
> 
> The good news is that putting a dead gerbil and my Ball Python in
> a paper bag with holes punched in it as the Vosjoli book recommended
> worked -- sort of.  This morning, I opened it up, and the gerbil had
> been consumed and regurgitated.  Ugh.  I've heard of them throwing
> up within a day or so if handled or kept too cool, but all in one
> night?
> 
> I suspect that temperature was the problem.  I put the bag on the
> heated portion of the cage, but it didn't feel as warm as usual this
> morning -- it wasn't cold, but I don't know if it was up to the
> recommended 85-90 degrees.
> 

My ball python ended it's 9 month old cerimonial "captive shock syndrome"
fast by eating a dead gerbil. Up to that time it had refused live, stunned
and dead mice and weened rats. I had raised the cage tempurature up to
about 88-90, and kept the cage dark for a few days prior to the successful
feeding. When I placed the 'freshly killed' gerbil in it's cage, it watched
it for about 10 minutes, and then swallowed it down (and kept it down).
Over the last two weeks it has eaten 4 'gerbil-scented' dead mice. Most
recently I tried a 'natural' scented mouse 'live' during daytime just to see
if the snake would run and hide in the corner. I was suprised when the
snake struck and constricted the mouse within 5 seconds! Over a few
weeks it has gone from my *worst* feeder to one of my *best* feeders
(knock on wood).

Well, to answer you question: keep the tempurature up and offer another
dead gerbil in the dark. I'd try it *without* the brown paper bag.
Also, if the snake is a wild caught individual and hasn't been de-wormed
you might want to consider that. Worms and other parasites are quite
common in and on an imported Ball Python, and it's hard to get a stool sample
from one if it won't eat.

Good luck,

Dave    (daver@hpgrrd.gr.hp.com)
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Sunday, 23 Aug 1992 17:59:17 CDT
From: <U32872@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Have new turtle, need info
 <1992Aug17.202502.15017@wixer.cactus.org> <92232.131303U32872@uicvm.uic.edu>
 <1992Aug21.071902.29220@wixer.cactus.org>

 >JENNIFER MERY |
 >Austin, Texas | guppy@wixer.catus.org
 >
 >In article <92232.131303U32872@uicvm.uic.edu> <U32872@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
 >>I have two read ears, both about 23 years old.  For the last 15 years
 >>they have lived happily on Purina Cat Chow and very little else.
 >
 >Wow! 23 years old! Seems that most people kill their turtles in the
I KILLED THREE BEFORE THESE TWO.  DID THAT WITH CAREFULLY PREPARED
EXOTIC DIETS INCLUDING FISH AND SO ON.
 >first year (from all my friends who are surprised how much mine's grown.
 >"Gee, mine never got that big" :). Does purina cat chow float? Does
YES, IT FLOATS.  AT LEAST FOR A WHILE.  SATURATED IT IS MORE OR LESS
NEUTRALLY BOUYANT.
 >purina make turtle chow? I know they make rabbit chow and goat chow.
 >It'd be cool if the turtle would eat it, since the cats wont. Those
 >turtle sticks are costing me about $12 for 300g.
IF ANYBODY FINDS TURTLE CHOW I'D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT IT.  THE CAT CHOW
LEAVES A BIT OF BONE POWDER ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK THAT COMPLICATES
THE FILTERING.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: adwright@iastate.edu ()
Subject: Re: Carolina Biological is pretty sleazy (was 5 lined skinks)
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 18:06:15 GMT

I did not get the previous postings for this discussion, but if it is fruit
flies you want, you could probably get some by trapping them near a fruit 
market, orchard, or just about anywhere. If you know someone taking genetics,
you could get some wingless mutants.

Culturing is easy, recipes are given in almost any manual on drosophila that
you could find in a librery. Making your own media would be cheaper by far
than buying it. 

Probably the easist way to get started is to peel a banana, lay it outside in 
a shady area for a few days to allow eggs to be layed on it. Then put pieces
of this in a cornmeal-molasses-rolled oats media made up in a Mason Jar. 


Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp