Your Questions, Answered

I realize that I have been getting a few questions in the comment box, and I haven't been sure how to answer them...

UNTIL NOW..

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAA...



Anonymous writes:

"If you day job got crazy and you had to downsize your collection down to 1 rack of 10 animals. What would you keep?"

That is an excellent question.

It would be

1) Spinnerblast male
2) Pastel Crystal female
3) Super Mojave Super Fire female
4) Spinnerblast female
5) Super Pewter female
6) Black Pewter het Hypo male
7) Pied het Hypo female
8) Bumblebee het Hypo female
9) Pastel Pied male
10) Unagi (Normal female)

But in all honesty, I would figure out a way to make things work so that I could keep at least a good chunk of my collection. Half, maybe...



Jackie writes:

"Hey Heather, how do I get my boys to do their jobs? This is as close to a lock as they seem to get:
Are the girls the problem? Is it just too soon? Is my boy George here just a dumb-dumb who doesn't quite know what he's doing yet? (He tried mating with her head last winter while I was cleaning their tanks.)"

 Males tend to be either late bloomers or really really randy.

A few tricks to try, even though it still may not help (He could be making plugs, but that doesn't mean he knows what he is doing), are as follows:

-Sperm plug from competing male on the female in questions back. Also, a competing males shed skin in the same tub as the female may also spur the male that you want to work it out.

-Feed him! Cool him! Get him bigger and see if he gets the idea later in the season.

-Combating. I do not advocate this method, although apparently it can work. I just don't like the idea of having males fight. I've never done it.  I'd rather have it work out naturally.


Jackie writes:

"Hey Heather, you mentioned you clean with chlorhexidine on bp.net. What the heck is that?"

Chlorhexidine is classified as a disinfectant or cleanser. It is used both to treat environmental surfaces, and in less concentrated forms, to treat the skin, ears and oral cavity. It is effective against bacteria, fungus, yeast and viruses.

The typical type I use (which is cheaper) is Chlorhexidine gluconate.  This is typically included in your oral rinses and antibacterial wipes. I have a gallon that I use and dilute to a 1:10 solution in my spray bottle. It lasts a while, and does very well! Smells good too.

Novalsan is the more expensive alternative, and  is Chlorhexidine diacetate. I understand this is stronger and more effective against viruses, including HIV, but I could not find any internet resources that were straight forward. So take that with a grain of salt, and do your own research.

So I hope this answered a lot of your old questions.

I do plan on touching on topics that people have asked me over the next few weeks. Incubators, more baby photos, and care.

Have a fantastic day, my friends!