It Came From The Desert

We have seen that the Gallotia did not work out and a vivarium was free and just asking for a new inhabitant. 

The G.galloti pair were purchased because we wanted to work with a herbivorous species. Our spotted pythons' diet consists completely of rodents and the Storr's monitor lizard is equally focused on meat.

Carnivorous or omnivorous lizard species outnumber completely herbivorous examples. True iguanas are perhaps the best known saurian herbivores and in recent decades the green iguana has been readily available. This species can reach 2 metres in length, however, and vast numbers found themselves re-homed when they became too big and aggressive for their owners to handle. Admittedly two thirds of the length is tail, but this appendage can be used as a highly effective weapon and the claws are razor sharp. Yes there are very tame green iguanas, but this is not an ideal species for children to work with - not once it reaches a certain size. 

Other truly herbivorous iguanas include the galapagos land iguana, rhino iguana and marine iguana (also of the galapagos). The latter is never found in captivity on account of its protected status. Even if it was available they would need marine conditions to thrive and, being large animals, this is completely impractical. This is one animal best off sitting on the salty rocks of those strange islands. 

The galapagos land iguana is a large species sometimes encountered in zoos, but never in private collections. It is also protected and too large to make a simple pet. The rhino iguana is certainly available (and very expensive) but also bulky and powerful. If we are seeking something suitable for young children to handle then none of these fit the bill. 

Galapagos Land Iguana

There are Fijian iguanas, absent from captivity for a long time and now produced in reasonable numbers, but they remain very pricey and also need sizeable, arboreal enclosures. I tend to prefer desert species because they are rugged, hardy and able to look after themselves well enough if you go away for short periods. 

Cunningham skinks (Egernia cunninghami) and certain other members of the wider family tend towards herbivory as adults and I did own a lovely pair of Cunningham's skinks years and years ago. These were extremely tame, but that is the exception rather than the rule. The species is, more often than not, flighty and not ideal for handling. 

That left me with two possibilities - the chuckwalla (genus Sauromalus) or the spiny tailed lizards (genus Uromastyx). Both are plump, sensible sized animals, which often have calm temperaments. 

Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater)

Neither of these species are offered with any regularity and a decent adult, with an equally decent temperament, is hard to come by. So I was pleased to source a beautiful yellow phase 3 year old male Saharan uromastyx (U.geyri). He was part of a trio and had successfully fertilised a previous clutch, but only one of these three was female and our little fellow had started biting his rival quite badly. As the other two were red phase, the keepers decided to focus on them and move him on. Their loss and my gain, because he ticked every box and I quickly struck a deal. 

The boys love him and we have worked hard to create a naturalistic setup, which includes a burrow below ground level. These are desert animals and rarely, if ever, drink water. All their moisture requirements come from the vegetation they consume, they even have nasal glands designed to excrete salt and maximise water retention. 

Feeding him has been remarkably cheap thus far, because spring has delivered a bounty  of edible weeds like dandelions. The flower heads, stalks and leaves are all extremely nutritious and ideal as staple fodder. 

Many Uromastyx are shy and skittish and don't appreciate their backs being touched. Oogwe, as we have called him, is not too bad and that is absolutely essential for the kids. 

Gallotia gallotia......gone!

We had a spare vivarium (used to house our hatchling Storr's monitors until they were sold) - it seemed the right time to utilise  this space and introduce a new captive bred species.

I had my eye on a member of the Lacertidae family (true lizards) and narrowed down the options until I reached a really cool, rarely encountered, insular species - Gallotia galloti. Inhabiting Tenerife in the Canary Islands they are an unusual Lacertid, eating significant amounts of plant/vegetable matter. In fact the adults are almost entirely herbivorous. 

Male G.galloti

Animals are often trapped or poisoned by farmers because they eat significant amounts of grapes from the vineyards. Gallotia galloti is a sizeable lizard and our native Zootoca (formerly Lacerta!) vivipara is dwarfed by the adults of this species. G.galloti is itself dwarfed by the Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (G.stehlini), which also inhabits those mysterious, volcanic isles. The latter can reach sizes in excess of Eyed Lizards (Timon Lepida/Pater) and are also primarily herbivorous - if G.galloti annoys farmers by helping itself to a grape or two, then adult examples of G.stehlini will really have them up in arms!

Male Gran Canaria Giant Lizard (G.stehlini)

Not offered for sale very much, and at sensible prices when they are, it seemed a decent opportunity to work with an unusual species. 

The male of the species has a blackish background with blue spots down the flanks. These spots become more vivid during the breeding season and seem to be associated with attracting the opposite sex. The females may or may not have blue spotting, but it is generally less noticeable than the males and physically they are smaller with more refined heads. 

Female G.galloti

Sadly this species proved less than ideal for our circumstances. All animals kept in our collection must be suitable for handling by children. The kids are of an age where they really love to be involved in the captive care of our pets and enjoy the interaction. 

The animals were perfectly tame, once captured and sitting on the hand, but they were too flighty when people came into the room. I knew the species could be wary when young, but it was far more extreme than I had been led to believe. They would dive for cover at the slightest sound and often remain hidden in the substrate for hours or days. They were also impossible for the boys to catch and one of them would surely have shed its tail if they tried.

The two main tanks reside in the boys' room and it is important any pets are relaxed and on display. Unfortunately this pair was not going to cut it and we did not have the luxury of waiting years for potential improvements. G.stehlini can become dog tame as they mature and, whilst G.galloti will settle with time, the result is more variable.

So I had to look beyond my own interests and move for a different species. The lizards quickly found a new home and I turned my attention to alternatives. Previous blog entries reveal the cuplrit and we will soon hear more about this replacement. 

For now the genus Gallotia (very underrated) remains, for me, as obscure and distant as Teidae volcano on the island they inhabit.

The Egg

The boys' grandmother (mor mor = literally mother's mother in Norwegian) arrived yesterday. They always get to choose a little present of some description and Todd opted for a Dino Magic egg. The idea is a good one - you unwrap the egg and place it into warm water, this triggers a chemical reaction and, after some fizzing and bubbling, the model dinosaur is revealed. There are 28 to collect and these are split into 4 categories:- common, uncommon, rare and ultra rare. Todd did well with his first selection and managed to land a rare Postosuchus. 

This little toy allowed us to discuss chemical reactions and reinforce an already excellent knowledge on population densities and extinction. Not a bad choice all in all. But perhaps the most poignant discussion, when considering this effervescent treat, is the very miracle that is an egg. 

We can categorise reproduction in four main ways:

Viviparity - nutrients are provided by the mother, often via a placenta.

Oviparity - internal fertilisation occurs and the mother lays eggs e.g birds

Ovuliparity - external fertilisation occurs and the young hatch from eggs e.g most frogs

Ovoviviparity - internal fertilisation and the eggs are retained in the female's (or male's in the case of seahorses) body until they are ready to hatch. They enter the world as fully formed, live young.

Let's focus on the reproductive modes associated with external egg laying - Ovuliparity and Oviparity. Most frogs and all birds utilise these methods. I am sure not many people exited childhood without ever noticing (or deliberately seeking we hope) the reams upon reams of spawn that fill even the tiniest of ponds in early spring. Likewise we only have to enter a supermarket to gain an appreciation of the ovum structure developed inside the bodies of our feathered friends. 

Amphibian's are closely tied to water and cannot successfully reproduce without it. The delicate swathes of jelly, which encase and protect their fragile inky-black beacons of life, will quickly dessicate if removed from water for any length of time. Amphibian spawn doesn't need much water to facilitate  successful hatching of offspring, in fact some species can utilise little more than a puddle nestled inside a leaf, but remove it completely and it is game over. 

Birds, on the other hand, have evolved to produce eggs with solid shells and rigid structures. This ensures they do not require an aqueous environment and can survive far more severe, fluctuating conditions, but it also means they break easily if dropped from a height. As with most things in life there is a trade off. Bird eggs may appear completely sealed to the naked eye, but they are covered in microscopic holes, which facilitate gaseous exchange and connect the egg directly with the world outside. These minute pores mean a bird egg dropped in water for a prolonged period is doomed to failure, unlike our artifical dino egg, which requires water in order to successfully release its cargo!

As a child I bred jewelled lizards and far more recently I hatched a couple of Storr's monitor lizards (V.storri storri).

Unfortunately a faulty digital thermometer doomed five of the eggs to failure, but the two that made it went on to become strong, active little creatures. Leo was too young to remember much about the event, but Todd excitedly observed one pulling itself free of the white, leathery prison and venturing into the unknown. Looking at those eggs it was hard to believe they could contain 4" baby lizards, but an egg is a miraculous thing. Little more than a leathery shell, albumen (white) and yolk, the egg completes its task as an external vehicle for life - assuming the conditions stay within certain limits. 

Behold a baby Storr's monitor lizard! Miraculous, especially when the thermometer was reading 4 degrees C lower than the true temperature. I was lucky any made it at all, but here we saw that other cliche of life, one which rings true whether brought into this world through viviparity or oviparity - only the strongest survive to take their genes further.

Tadpoles!

The first of the tadpoles have hatched and greedily begun to munch the jelly, which entombed them for many weeks. About 30% of the spawn was infertile and is now providing nourishment for the shimmering haze of black. We ventured outside to check on their progress while mum was busy preparing party bags for Todd's birthday.

Slugs keep finding their way into the water, in spite of there being a sealed lid and seemingly no gaps for them to squeeze through. I suspected Leo may have contributed a few finds to our mini aquarium! But in all fairness he was always with me when we went out in recent days and there would have been no opportunity. 

Anyway, we have added a few sprigs of tadpole food to the pool and they seem to be doing well. Hopefully we can help a decent number to thrive and complete metamorphosis come summer time. 

Trip Down the Lanes

It has been a beautiful spring weekend and a trip to see Nanna and Grandad was very much in order. Todd's friend Alex accompanied us on the voyage down the lanes and, after some lunch and a few games on the computer, it was time to head outside.

First stop was the honey man, who unfortunately was not home. We peered over the back gate but all was quiet and, with their kids at Uni now, it is likely our sugary proprietor was away tending his private wood or fetching supplies for the ferrets. 

On we went to the duck pond and the wide open fields. On the way all three lads were collecting dandelions, which could be taken home and used as food for our new pet uromastyx. We didn't think to bring a bag, but Nanna's hooded top proved extremely useful!

We walked along the pond bank and paused to take in the glorious weather and allow the kids to let off some steam with a game of duck, duck, goose. 

We ran and played for a long time before venturing back to HQ for refreshments. Next stop a trip to the playing fields and a carrot or two for Jack the horse. All in all a lovely day.

So what of the dandelions that filled Nanna's hood to the brim? 

They were washed, divided into portions and frozen. We kept some fresh so they could be offered today and our new addition happily munched a couple of large leaves and an entire flower head plus stalk. The places we picked them were very wild and I can't imagine any pesticides had been used. 

He ended his day in typical uromastyx fashion - heading back to his burrow for a slumber and blocking the entrance with a fat, spiny tail. There will be more on this fella soon!

Early Morning

I was up at the crack of dawn with the kids, as usual, and the morning was incredibly peaceful. Misty accents hung thickly in the air and the earliest birds had already started their territorial songs.

Everywhere the garden is bursting into life - the cherry plum tree and forsythia standing out in a blaze of cream and yellow. Speaking of vivid yellows, we yesterday acquired a new lizard species - Uromastyx geyri. This species is a desert dweller from the Sahara and used to a tough life with little or no water.  Todd is old enough to get involved with the daily maintenance of our pets now and Oogwe, as we have named him, fits the bill. 

Whilst the pythons were reaching the end of their active, waking period, the lizards (Rex - V.storri and Oogwe - U.geyri) were still fast asleep in their burrow/cave. Both waiting for the rapid warming of their enclosure, which comes with the timer activated UV and spotlights. 

 Lizards very much follow a routine in captivity (both our lizards are captive bred) and are extremely interesting to watch. They dig, feed and explore in a manner far removed from the pythons, which like most boids are profoundly boring. The more active snakes like garters, grass snakes, ribbon snakes etc.....are much more fun to observe. 

We were lucky to acquire a proven male Uro, who is extremely friendly and beautiful. Not all Uromastyx have good temperaments, but Oogwe's is excellent. Quality adults of this species are rarely offered. The tanks are peaceful now, they match the ambience outside, but shortly the lights will burst into action and, when they see fit, a yawning pair of reptiles will advance from their quarters and begin the morning bask. 

Metamorphosis in Action

One of the nicest beacons of spring must be frog spawn. The snow drops arrive first and then comes daffodils, that most essential of spring flowers, and amphibian spawn.

Last year we designed a small barrel pond and managed to attract frogs, newts and a variety of water insects. Unfortunately, come summer time and beyond, it mainly consisted of mosquito larvae. This naturally led to a plethora of winged assassins hanging around the garden and sneaking in to get me while I was sleeping! It is always me who gets bitten first and clearly my blood is far sweeter than the wife's!

Unfortunately a decision had to be made and we opted to fill in the barrel with compost and grow wild flowers instead. This move, whilst eminently sensible, placed us in the uncomfortable position of  being without spawn as spring advanced swiftly upon us.

Now we could not have that and the solution is ever so simple. From my Uncle's pond, which was full to the brim with amphibian eggs, my mum extracted a couple of small clumps and transferred them to a bucket. It is essential to keep spawn in pond water, as you can guarantee tap water will finish it off in record time. 

Our interest in reptiles means we always have a plastic tank or two kicking around, so in went the spawn and pond water. The tank, a really decent size but not so large it will get in the way, is now residing under one of our mini wooden benches in the corner by our back gate. The boys are enjoying making weekly checks to watch the little black dots morph into slightly larger black dots with tails! We will kit it out with rocks and a couple of water plants, so they can watch the full wonder of metamorphosis. Once the process is complete we will drive down the lanes and drop off the little ones at their parent pond. 

Anyone who doesn't do this sort of thing with the kids is really missing a trick.