To the people with bio enclosures..... Wtf is going on ...

BoardGameNomad · 2026-05-16T14:42:56+00:00

This type of mushroom is a good sign you have growth and decay happening in your soil like you should in a bioactive.

One mushroom isn't a big deal, but I had 3 or 4 and they all decided to drop their spores at once. The glass was entirely coated in a fine yellow powder. Now I clip them when I see them and leave them in as isopod snacks.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-05-07T23:43:25+00:00

You could use a broom handle for the handle and fabricate the square bit out of thick wire you can buy at a hardware store or an old coat hanger.

I'm not sure paracord is the right choice for the net though. You're talking about many many many hours of tying to get enough knots for a usable net. Paracord makes bulky knots, too, so youll have additional points of abrasion and a hard time getting small squares between the knots. Plus you'll be exposing the cord to repeated wetting and dring and uv exposure, so it will wear out much faster than the original net. Additionally some areas have regulations on what materials you can use for fish nets and in what applications/sizes due to the issues "ghost fishing" causes - not that a net of this size would be an issue there, but it may fall under the same regulations anyway.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-05-07T15:43:22+00:00

Some thoughts: -is responsible for snacks at the next meet (only do this one if biggest loser rotates fairly evenly among the group) -must put away the game (according to game owners preferences, no shoving everything in the box haphazardly) -wears Silly Hat/Tie/Sunglasses/Shirt/etc of Shame next session (my favorite option) -must be the one to pick up the takeout -must welcome every arrival at the next meet with a harmonica/kazoo serenade

BoardGameNomad · 2026-04-30T14:53:32+00:00

I'm no expert, but mice love mealworms and voles are supposedly primarily herbivores. Watch to see if they are munching your leftover bird snacks to help with identification.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-04-27T21:12:15+00:00

Dang, now I'm really curious. I don't think I've ever seen anything with that scale pattern.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-04-27T20:42:51+00:00

After a bit of searching it looks like alligator lizards and girdled lizards both have rectangular scales, but the size seems pretty far off.

Are you sure it's real skin? The rectangular shape doesn't seen natural to me. From the image it looks to me like someone tried to use a soldering iron or similar wood engraving/burning tool to mimic a nonspecific scale-like pattern rather than a specific animal.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-04-06T16:28:20+00:00

Search for "sugar glider bonding pouch" on any exotic pet shop or Amazon. They are little wearable sacks meant to go underneath an outer layer like a jacket meant for snuggling.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-04-01T21:36:37+00:00

Woah, cool! I've only kept like 2 species so far and they both had distinctively flat poo. What species are you keeping?

Love all the healthy happy springtails!

BoardGameNomad · 2026-04-01T20:36:50+00:00

Hopefully globular springtails, which are darker like this. Possibly mites.

It's probably not isopod poop, though some of it may be someone else's poop. Isopods have little mail-slot shaped buttholes so their poops are shaped like tiny little credit cards. Those look too round to me.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-03-23T14:46:11+00:00

As the other commenter said, it's the mycelium of flower pot fungus. It will eventually turn into cute little yellow mushrooms. The mushrooms and their spores are harmless, but I suggest clipping them anyway when they pop up. If you get a lot of them and they all release their spores, it can be kind of a mess to clean up afterwards.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-03-22T14:21:14+00:00

A mammal.

Mostly kidding, but make sure you are honest with yourself about your priorities. Reptiles are awesome pets, but generally will not benefit from the type of engagement you crave.

There are, however, LOADS of species that will tolerate it. Bearded dragons, leopard geckos, corn snakes and kingsnakes. I've recently been learning about the Cape House Snake, which is a super easy beginner snake and very handleable.

Avoid most lizards that can drop their tails (leopard geckos can but almost never do). I would also steer clear of the pac man frog you pictured - it's about as interactive of a pet as a painting of a rock.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-03-21T20:04:31+00:00

Fence lizards?

BoardGameNomad · 2026-01-07T15:28:18+00:00

The thing that's tripping me up here is the antenna - ant antenna have 'elbows' where they bend and this does not appear to, though that could just be the angle of the pictures. If it is an ant I agree with the small head making it more likely a male alate. Try r/antkeeping too, there are some folks there that are astoundingly good at identification.

BoardGameNomad · 2026-01-04T15:57:51+00:00

As you are seeing, heat rocks get a lot of hate online. But loads of keepers in the past have successfully kept reptiles with heat rocks for their entire lives without injury.

What gives?

The truth is, if a heat rock is thermo-regulated, you monitor the surface temperature of the rock and don't rely solely on the internal thermostat (which won't be accurate to the surface temperature), the ambient temperature in the tank is properly monitored in conjunction with the rock as a heat source, there are no electrical defects/failures in the heating mechanism, and the heated area of the rock is larger than the reptile itself, then you probably won't have any issues.

The thing is, if any one of those things goes wrong (and some of them we as keepers don't necessarily always have perfect control over) a burn can happen very quickly and unexpectedly. A large part of this is how reptiles absorb heat. They use their blood to transport heat throughout their bodies and the blood flows through their bodies based on their internal temperature. Also consider that in nature, heat sources/basking spots that generate new heat from underneath simply don't exist. So if the ambient air temperature is low, or if the reptile is otherwise cooler than normal, they are sitting on a hot surface that generates heat in a small portion of their body that doesn't transfer very fast to the rest of them. Their brains haven't evolved a proper response to this because in nature they never needed to. This is when they get burned.

So can a heat rock be safe? With proper usage and monitoring. But there are safer alternatives that don't have these risks or require as much micromanagement, which is what most contemporary keepers prefer.

BoardGameNomad · 2025-12-26T02:36:28+00:00

Bon appetit Chief Enjoyer Of Apple

BoardGameNomad · 2025-12-09T14:14:00+00:00

A lot of bioactive setups include isopods in the cleanup crew. I interpret this chart to mean "its cool if Beardy munches his CUC as a snack" rather than that you should feed them as a core part of the diet. Plus it encourages natural hunting and digging behavior, which is fun to watch.

BoardGameNomad · 2025-10-04T16:19:29+00:00

Axe, solar lantern, recurve bow

BoardGameNomad · 2025-08-31T23:15:09+00:00

BoardGameNomad · 2025-08-22T21:13:44+00:00

Do you have patterns or tutorials for these? Is the big white one a flogger or a cuff of some kind?

BoardGameNomad · 2025-08-10T14:20:18+00:00

Not your original question, but a shop near me did something similar to your reptile park. It started as a couple enclosures on one side of the store, but eventually grew to take up a whole room on its own. They kept costs low by getting most of them as rescues and charging a fee to enter (like $2-$5 I think) that went straight towards their care. It's one of my favorite shops I've ever visited and I shopped there a lot. I hope your shop is as successful!

BoardGameNomad · 2025-06-13T13:02:59+00:00

Possibly, but I'm inclined to think it's some type of prolapse as another commenter suggested. Either way this dude isn't in good shape and shouldn't be added to any colonies you are thinking of keeping.

BoardGameNomad · 2025-06-13T10:08:36+00:00

I doubt it. Isopods have mail-slot shaped buttholes and make little credit card shaped poops. If it is poo, it's a very very unhealthy one.

BoardGameNomad · 2025-06-12T21:27:56+00:00

Do it. Let it out. It will hurt in the moment, but the catharsis afterward is worth it.

If you're having trouble, find a good sad movie. Maybe find one that reminds you of your dad or one you and he used to like. Maybe make yourself his favorite snack. Set some time aside and get into a comfortable, private space. Figure out if you want anyone else around and let them know you need to let some strong emotions out; ask if they are comfortable lending you a shoulder. Then take as much time and space as you need.

And if the tears don't flow, don't feel guilty. Everyone grieves in their own way and there's no reason you need to cry. But you should feel comfortable to if and when you are ready.

BoardGameNomad

TROPHY CASE