HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: young@serum.kodak.com (Rich Young)
Subject: Re: A sick(?) iguana....UPDATE
Originator: young@sasquatch
Reply-To: young@serum.kodak.com
Organization: Clinical Diagnostics Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 92 13:20:32 GMT

In article <bzandrew.02d8@bbs1984.chi.il.us> 
  bzandrew@bbs1984.chi.il.us (Bill Zandrew) writes:

>Iguana problems:  You did not say what temperature the Iq is being kept at.  I
>had one go through a stage like this.  We basically babied it for a month or
>two.  We gave him warm baths, put him in the sun, fed him a mixture of greens
>and fruit along with calcium supplements.  When we let him out we put him on a
>heating pad.  After a while he started coming around and now is quite well and
>growing.

	As I recall, the temperature is a constant 85-90 deg. F.

	Anyway, it seems that the crisis is past.  The iguana in question
	now seems to be moving around its tank quite nicely, thank you,
	and has resumed its normal voracious eating habits.  No one knows
	what, if anything, was the problem, although the owner says that
	a few extra doses of calcium are what seems to have made the
	difference, but it might well have been an iguanid snit, who knows?!

	I'd like to thank all who posted and all who sent e-mail for their
	hints and support; there were a number of things learned which didn't
	have anything to do with the particular problem at hand...things like
	a pointer to an excellent reference book (recommended by two people),
	and some caveats regarding dietary supplementation, not to mention
	the timely discussion of the heat rock question.

	This is one of the Usenet groups which never fails to have useful
	information, and my friend and I appreciate all of your efforts.

	Thanks.


-Rich Young (These are not Kodak's opinions.)
From: bell-peter@yale.edu (Peter Bell)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Killing Food!!!
Date: 8 Nov 1992 15:24:10 -0500
Organization: Yale University Science & Engineering UNIX(tm), New Haven, CT 06520-2158
NNTP-Posting-Host: minerva.cis.yale.edu

<treky and tabatha's suggestion to suffocate food deleted>

Actually, you do quite a bit by suffocating an animal this way.  There was 
a very interesting post a bit back from a SCUBA diver who, as an experiment,
had tried breathing CO2 through his respirator once.  he described the 
sensation as being "like burning his lungs."  CO2 reacts with water to form
a couple of species of acids, carbonic acid and a second.  There is more than
enough water in lung surfaces for this acidification to be a plausible 
explanation for what the diver reported.

If you are interested in killing food at minimum pain to it as well as at 
minimum risk to your snake, hammers or walls remain the optimal solution 
as far as I can tell.  The electrocution device described a bit back sounds
a bit dangerous to the person using it, as well as unpredictable in the speed
with which it will kill the animal--a number of observers of electrocution-
performed death sentences have reported that it takes a very unpredictable 
length of time for it to work...  this phenomenon has also been reported by
those who have seen slaughterhouses that use electrocution to kill animals 
for slaughter.  If the prey item came back up before the snake has really 
gotten a secure hold on it, I'd expect it to be pissed.

--Peter
From: jwg0@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (JOHN WALTER GEWARTOWSKI)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Taming critters
Date: 5 Nov 92 19:30:53 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

I DO have some experience with anoles.  One of the few herps I do have
experience with.

I believe that HANDLING is the key to taming them.  I had anoles when I was
much younger, and hence, was able to take them out everyday and play with
them, hold them, stroke their heads, etc.  Eventually, they were extremely
tame, and if I placed them on my shirt, they would just stay there and hang on
as I walked around the house, watched T.V., etc.

So, I do believe that they are mentally prepared for this sort of thing; at
least mine were.
-- 

*--------------------------------------*
 Take a walk on the Wild side...Biffman
*--------------------------------------*

Did you hear how the Polish hockey team drowned?
    Spring training.
From: clewis@cs.cornell.edu (Craig Lewis)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Tortoises
Date: 5 Nov 92 15:16:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.1992Nov5.151652.24084
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853

I have been following this group for a while and have decided to make
the plunge in and get some sort of reptile for a pet.  I've been a little
skittish about snakes because I have young children and lizards don't seem
to be appropriate either ("Honey, have you seen the gecko?").  Anyway,
I was in a local pet store last night and they had several varieties of
Tortoises and I thought am thinking this is where I might start.  So, I h
have some beginner questions:


1) What are some good references for rasing Tortoises as pets?

2) How difficult are they to raise?

3) Are there any species easier to raise than others? Would I be better
off with a box turtle to start? 

4) My local pet store had Russion and Egyptian tortoises for about $80
is this reasonable? Are there any good breeders?

Any other comments would be appreciated.

---------------------
Craig Lewis
clewis@cs.cornell.edu
Phone: (607)-277-5745
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: tracer@carson.u.washington.edu (David P. Tracer)
Subject: Re: snakes in apartments
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 20:57:15 GMT

In article <1992Nov6.093100.5442@desire.wright.edu> jknife@desire.wright.edu writes:
>
>	I just read the post about the guy looking for a roomate, and while I
>can't be of any help there (living in Ohio) it reminded me of something I've
>been wondering about lately.
>	Right now I still live with my parents, but I'm planning on moving out
>next year.  How much trouble does anyone think I'll have finding an apartment
>which will accept me and my corn snake and boa?  From what I've heard so far, 
>most "no pets" rules apply to pets with fur.  Any comments on this?
>

When I was searching for an apartment, I looked at plenty of places that
advertised "no pets allowed".  I finally found one I liked, and told my
prospective landlady "oh by the way, I saw that you don't allow pets -
what kind do you mean?"  She replied only dogs & cats and asked what I
have.  I said that I keep reptiles (no specifics here).  She asked "are
they caged?"  I said yes.  She said as long as they're generally caged and
will not soil the carpets or scratch the walls then they're fine.  Me & my
18 snakes have now been happily living in this apartment for 2 years.
From: quest@iowegia.uucp (Steve J. Quest)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: No-PETS rules on keeping snakes / rodent prey.
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 92 12:16:17 CST
Distribution: world
Organization: Iowegia Public Access Usenet/UUCP, Clive IA USA.

jal41820@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Smiley) writes:

> jknife@desire.wright.edu writes:
> :)	Right now I still live with my parents, but I'm planning on moving out
> :)next year.  How much trouble does anyone think I'll have finding an apartme
> :)which will accept me and my corn snake and boa?  From what I've heard so fa
> :)most "no pets" rules apply to pets with fur.  Any comments on this?
> 
> Living on a college campus where about 1/4 of the population lives in
> apartments...
> 
> Actually, most "no pets" rules seem to apply to pets that don't normally
> live in an enclosed environment. Rabbits, birds, snakes, fish, etc, are
> often acceptable, but cats, dogs, or other run arounds are not. Of the
> usually acceptable kinds, the more "unusual" the animal, the less liklihood
> you'll have of getting into a "no pets" apartment with it. For example, all
> managers have heard of fish, and they know fish are more decorative than pets
> (in their eyes, anyway). Even the dorms here, which don't allow pets,
> allow fish. Most managers know about rabbits, and know they're pretty

        When I lived in an apartment, I was told that a pet (they 
said dog or cat) would require an extra security deposit and about 
a 5 dollar per month per pet increase in the rent.  I simply said 
that I don't own a dog or a cat (wink, wink).  When the trouble 
started was when the landlord came in unannounced to check the 
smoke alarms near the bedroom doors (two bedroom apartment).  
I bred the rats in an aquarium inside the fireplace (to reduce 
stink) and when the landlord saw this, asked me about it.  I 
simply thought quickly and said "Those are Gerbils".  That was ok 
I found out, but keeping them in the fireplace?  I explained that 
they had a bit of an odor to them and he said he understood.  I 
don't know (but can imagine) his reaction if I told him "those are 
rats- I use them for snake food".  Morale of the story, if you 
keep a vivarium, keep it in a room with closed doors.  If you also 
breed rats or mice, call them hamsters or gerbils and the whole 
world will treat you like a "normal" person..............sq

Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: meh0570@ultb.isc.rit.edu (M.E. Herman)
Subject: Re: Ball Python won't eat.
Originator: meh0570@ultb
Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 17:59:13 GMT

In article <lft3jqINNsh9@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> clinard@cs.utk.edu (Michelle Clinard) writes:
>
>This is for a friend at work, plese reply to "millerma1@ornl.gov".  He
>doesn't have news access.
>
>He has a ball python, about a year or so old, about 4 feet long, female.
>It hasn't eaten in about 6-8 months.  About 4 months ago they put a mouse in
>her cage, came back later, found a dead (but not eaten) mouse, and a 
>half-eaten snake egg.  Recently the snake has been quite active, so they 
>decided to try again.  This time, the little mousy ran across the snakes
>head while the snake was stalking the mouse.  Mousy bit the snake on the
>tip of its tail after terrorizing the poor defenseless snake.  Mousy then
>used the snake as a ladder to get out of the cage, while the snake was 
>attempting same.  The snake was hissing like mad, but didn't try to
>eat the mousy.  End result: snake balled up in one corner keeping an eye on
>mousy, mousy sleeping like a baby on the other side of the cage.
>
>My friend wants to know what he can do to help the snake get a meal.
>Force feeding was tried some time ago to no avail.  Could this have 
>something to do with the appearance of an egg 4 months ago?  Does
>the poor snake now have a phobia of mousies, destined to a life
>of rice cakes and tea?  Should mousie be stunned?  (Don't know that
>this will work, since the snake is terrified of sleeping mousy.)
>Should a different rodent by tried?  Crickets?  Dead mousy on a
>string?
>
>Thanks for all help, I'm sure my friend will appreciate it.  Maybe 
>even send useful-advice givers a free video of mousy vs. python II.

Ball Pythons are VERY hard to feed, run the usual checks 
such as temperture and so forth.

Then try another kind of food, gerbils, hamsters and the like.

AND FOR GODS SAKE KILL THE FEED ANIMAL FIRST!!!!!

JC
From: tracer@carson.u.washington.edu (David P. Tracer)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Comments about breeders
Date: 6 Nov 92 05:03:48 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Nov6.050348.10342
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <1992Nov4.024721.6027@igor.tamri.com> donb@igor.tamri.com (Don Baldwin) writes:
>From: Kit Cosper <cosper@seq.uncwil.edu>
>
>Subject: Re: Breeders' list
>
>Just some more data for you to consider;
>
>Typically, when shipping through the airlines, the minimum
>freight charge covers the first 100lbs.  So a 1 oz package
>and a 100 lb package cost the same.  Additional weight is
>also charged on a price per block basis.  After the first hundred
>some airlines break it down into 50 lb units, others stick with
>100 lb units.  Sometimes this can be worked to your advantage,
>especially if there are several people in an area looking to
>get something from the same breeder.
>
>Glades Herp-
>        I have had many thousands of dollars worth of transactions
>        with them over the last 5 years.  Nothing can be said except
>        everything is top notch.  You will pay a bit more, but the
>        old saying "You get what you pay for" has never been more
>        suitable.  Bill Love is one of the VERY few people I will
>        purchase from sight-unseen.
>

I won't go through my whole story about Glades Herp again (I posted it
several months ago) but let's just say that in my experience, the extra
premium that they charge for their animals is usually not worth it.  I've
paid their premium prices several times for animals that were quite
different from their description (not to mention extremely unhealthy).
If anyone wants to know the complete story, e-mail me.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: krogers@javelin.sim.es.com (K. Rogers)
Subject: Re: Plants for an Iguana tank
Reply-To: krogers@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 23:01:59 GMT

ss@panix.com (Steve Steinberg) writes:

>Was anyone able to come up with a list of poisonous plants for an Iguana
>cage?

I haven't but,

>The only plant I've put in so far is an aloe, but I would like to add
>other cacti & succulants.

I get the heebie jeebies at the thought of any spined plants in with
it.  All it takes is one panicy flight or a jump or fall off a perch
for the critter to become a pin cushion.  It may also just plain try
to climb up a (to us) clearly dangerous plant.  I like herps a lot,
especially lizards, but they are stunningly stupid animals with zero
reasoning ability beyond what's hardwired in the brainlet.

If you want a few more tough plants which can take some punishment and
aren't likely to be eaten, try bromeliads from the genus Cryptanthus
and the run-of-the-mill Dracena species.  Non-spiny succulents are ok
as such but they break off easily as a rule.  Not a problem with small
igs but as they grow and get heavier you'll end up with smashed plants
all over the place.

It's very unlikely you'll be able to maintain any plants in any sort
of decent shape for more than a few months.  They'll never thrive
unless you have something the size of a greenhouse and only one or two
small lethargic lizards.  I've messed around with plants and two
basilisks a lot in my 4'x4'x7' terrarium and the plants lose even with
animals which are carnivorous weighing only ~150 grams.  Even if the
plants can hold the weight the sharp claws shred the leaves over time.

Plants are cool but you'll have to view them as dispensible with igs.
-- 
Keith Rogers
krogers@javelin.sim.es.com
From: dhm1@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (DANIEL HILL MCCAULEY)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Killing Food!!!
Date: 6 Nov 92 04:38:55 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University


    I have a burmese python who will only eat freshly killed animals.  It was
    brought up this way from a baby because the breeder didn't want the mice
    to scratch or bite his prized snake, so now he only cringes away from live
    animals.  Well back to the point.  The problem I am having is that I do
    not know an efficient and quick way to kill my rats and guinea pigs.  I
    have tried electrocution(but the animal's fur was resistant to the 120 AC
    volts. ) Drowning took to long and seemed very unhumane to me, and I don't
    have the heart to break the sucker's neck with my pencil.  I would
    appreciate if anyone could give me some advice on how to quickly kill
    these vermin bastards.  Thank you very much.


            -Dan McCauley (DHM1@NS2.CC.LEHIGH.EDU)

      "Lair of Serpent Sam, Vicious Vicky, Spot, Spot II, and Lisa"
      -------------------------------------------------------------
                                            ******
      *****                 *****      *****      ******
           *****      ******     ******                 *****:=---<
                ******
                                      
-- 


                  *                      *
                  **                    **
                  * **********************
                  *                      *
                  *      --      --      *
From: ffn2@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (FREDRICK F NOECKER)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: FREE _REPAMP_ NEWSLETTER (HERPS)
Date: 5 Nov 92 20:14:10 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University


Hi,
   Seeing that you have opened this file to read, you must be interested in
   herps and or intersted in learning more about them.  Well my associate,
   Chris Zimmer, and I write an newletter that is about herps.  We write
   articles on all types of herps including snakes, amphibians, reptiles,
   turtles and tortoises.  The purpose of most of our articles is to keep
   people informed on how to buy healthy herps, how to properly care for
   herps, how to be responsible herp owners and generally answering questions
   about herps along with dispelling rumors.

   All articles are based in scientific fact found by reading up on research
   done by others and by doing our own fact finding research by constantly
   observing our herps.  Chris has worked with herps for over 10 years at his
   fathers pet store By The Sea Aquatics.  I have worked with herps for over 2
   years while working for Chris.

   THE NEWSLETTER IS ABSOLUTLY FREE AND NON-PROPHIT.

   If you have already signed up for the newletter then there is no need to
   sign up again because your name has already been added to the mailing list.

   If you are interested in contributing to the newsletter we will be more
   than happy to publish your articles as long as you are willing to do
   research and the article is written in good taste, etc.

   The _RepAmp_ is strictly paper for the time being so if you are interested
   please give me your full mailing address by responding over the server.
   We may switch over to Email for our net subscribers so keep your eyes
   peeled for the announcement in the _RepAmp_.

   Thank you,
   Rick Noecker.
From: bzandrew@bbs1984.chi.il.us (Bill Zandrew)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Plants for an Iguana tank
Date: 6 Nov 92 04:47:17 GMT
Organization: Not an Organization

Difinbacia (bad spelling) is a toxic plant.  
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: ss@panix.com (Steve Steinberg)
Subject: I need to find a herp store in Greater NY City!
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 21:40:23 GMT
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix, NYC

I live in Queens but any store in Manhattan, Long Island and of
course Queens & Brooklyn would be great!

Thanks
-- 
=====================================================================
=== Steve Steinberg   ==  ss@panix.com  == {cmcl2,apple}!panix!ss ===

              (The space below intentionally left blank)
From: dhm1@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (DANIEL HILL MCCAULEY)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Plants for snake tank.
Date: 12 Nov 92 05:11:26 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University

I have a ten gallon aquarium with a baby Columbian Boa(Boa constrictor
constrictor) and was wondering what type of plants (living of course) would be
okay to use in my snake tank.  As of right now, I do have a flourescent light
fixture lighting the tank, and a large heating rock.  Thanks!!!
-- 
*******************************************************************************
*Dan McCauley       (Lair of Sam, Lisa, Spot, Spot II, and Victoria)
*                              ...with carcasses of dead smelly vermin!
*******************************************************************************
From: pholland@iastate.edu (Paul J Hollander)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: crocs
Date: 12 Nov 92 20:51:59 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BxMFAr.52t
Distribution: rec
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA

In article <JTHOMASO.92Nov10104057@dante.nmsu.edu> jthomaso@nmsu.edu (THOMASON) writes:
>
>
>  Since we're all herp lovers, I thought you might get off on a little
>folklore. Yes, there have been documented cases of both retics (genus
>Python) and anacondas (genus Eunectes) intentionally attacking,
>constricting and digesting people. The anaconda, the larger ofcourse
>has even been documented eating men of up to 220 pounds in weight.
>This snake ofcourse has been known to grow up tp 37 feet in the wild,
>and has a head the size of a tea tray, could accomplish this with
>relative ease.

I'm sceptical of any snake being able to take a 220 pound man.  First, that's 
an enormous weight; James A. Peters (_Snakes in Fact and Fiction_) says that
100 pounds is about the maximum reliably reported.  Second, getting past a
man's shoulders is very difficult.  I'd *really* like to see a citation to 
such a report.

How big is a tea tray???

>(Deleted)
>
>  WORLD RECORDS

How did they (Guiness???) get the weights of these animals?

> Anaconda-37 feet, 467 pds.
>
>King Cobra-18 feet, 78 pds.
>
>Saltwater Crocodile, 38 feet, 2976 pounds (whew)
>
>Eastern Diamondback rattlesnake, 11 feet, 83 pounds

I don't believe this.  I looked up the record in Conant's Field Guide (2nd
edition), which gave a record length of 8 feet (243.8 cm).  Laurence Klauber
(_The Rattlesnakes_) gave a few records a few inches longer than eight feet, 
but he didn't give many comments as to their reliability.  He quoted Ross 
Allen, who said the biggest EDB he'd ever measured was 7 feet 3 inches long, 
15 pounds in weight.  And the weight is rediculously high.  A twelve foot
Burmese python weighed 56 pounds (Clifford Pope, _The Giant Snakes_).  Scaling
up that 15 pound EDB from 7 to 11 feet would give a weight in the 45-50
pound range.

>  More in future...

Yes.  I've got a literature citation to that 37 foot anaconda.  It was 
mentioned without a weight in Pope's _The Giant Snakes_.  Now to hunt up the
original paper.  *If* my library has that journal, and *if* I can make
head or tail of the paper, which is apparantly written in Spanish, ....
If anyone else, particularly a Spanish speaker, wants to look at it, the paper
is written by Emmett R. Dunn (Los generos de anfibios y reptiles de Colombia
III.  _Caldasia_ 3(1944): 155-224).

Paul Hollander    pholland@iastate.edu
Behold the tortoise: he makes no progress unless he sticks his neck out.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: rosen@news.cis.ohio-state.edu (jeffrey m rosen)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: iguanna digging
Date: 9 Nov 92 20:09:48 GMT
Organization: The Ohio State University Department of Computer and Information Science

My pet green iguana likes to dig up all the sand in the corners of his
tank.  Does anybody have any ideas why he might be doing this? is it normal?

Jeff Rosen (Rosen@CIS@ohio-state.edu)

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Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp