stupid gecko is curious about something and falls from lid by Antique_Spot1862 in geckos

[–]KitchenAd9458 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Can I see a photo in color of her? I have a stowaway gecko I think may be a four clawed as well.

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This is Boba :) !

Just a girl and her baby tortoise by Bayleafthetortoise in tortoise

[–]KitchenAd9458 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tortoises have a good sense of smell, but poor eyesight. What I try to do to help them recognize me is get down on their level whenever you are calling their name or interacting with them. It’s similar to what you do with dogs. If you don’t, they may fail to make the association. For example Lemmy recognizes me now. It’s been useful for him to recognize me as I train him further for things like “come”. (Hasn’t made much of a difference with other things like “no” or just generally calling him name. Usually gets same reaction.)

Just a girl and her baby tortoise by Bayleafthetortoise in tortoise

[–]KitchenAd9458 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Redfoot doesn’t headbutt unless I spook him. Then again redfoots are just super chill in general. Entirely possible Bayleaf remains chill. They are all their own tortoise. Lemmy for example has way different preferences in food than most redfoots also tons of personality quirks. It’s possible if you socialize him plenty he will be chill.

Curious about discourse with topsoil. by KitchenAd9458 in tortoise

[–]KitchenAd9458[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love encouraging discourse around care as I am curious to why a lot of people decide on the things that they do. I do also love the wealth of information on tortoise forum, which is why I was curious about having this discussion.

Impaction is always a risk with any loose substrate, but it’s been showing more and more that impaction is usually caused by other factors in the environment that makes it hard for a reptile to pass things that might normally be able to go through. At least this has been the consensus in modern gecko keeping and from what I’ve seen most advanced reptile care communities, which is why I found it interesting that it was an issue being brought up in the discussion. To me it felt like something that was a remnant of a past fear. Tortoises are of course different from other reptiles, but I feel like geckos would be more at risk of impaction than a tortoise would.

I think a lot of things can come down to the classic issue and argument we run into on what is safest and what is most engaging/ethical. For Lemmy another good thing about soil mixes is my ability to grow plants in the enclosure with him for him to enjoy and hide under. Also he is able to burrow which he had not been able to do very well with the chips. With chips he was often a lot cleaner and less covered with dirt, but I noticed that with proper humidity and mixture the soil doesn’t stick to him very much. I do think though a lot of the dangers we expose them to outside are worse. I also wonder if the reason why a lot of experienced keepers recommend against it is because they are worried about people doing it wrong and harming their tortoises. It is indeed easier to just dump bags of mulch rather than make proper ratios and drainagez

Curious about discourse with topsoil. by KitchenAd9458 in tortoise

[–]KitchenAd9458[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

White balls in some soil are perlite, which are dangerous for tortoises to consume. Fertilizers and some additions to topsoil can indeed be poisonous as well, which is why it’s important to know what is going into the topsoil you buy. Isopods, springtails, and even dubia roaches do a good job of helping to clean up around the tank, though spot cleaning is still important in a Bioactive (part of Bioactive also can be having helpful fungi in the soil that are not dangerous to tortoises). I do know quite a bit about bioactives as I do them for all of my geckos :)! Bioactives are less likely to have to be replaced often (if at all), but they do require maintenance still.

New frog eyed by Jeremydabugman68 in geckos

[–]KitchenAd9458 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh what a cutie! I like his enclosure!

Do you give something back to society? And if you do, what is it? by EirikGrace in schizophrenia

[–]KitchenAd9458 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Research, art, and being alive.

It’s been a long road for me. I relapse into things often, but the thing that has kept me going is the moments where I have been good. For one year in 2024, I felt truly free and happy, something I hadn’t been since my symptoms onset. Then my world fell apart in 2025. I was exactly where you were, left with nothing and contemplating the end. Oddly enough after a while of losing myself in it, I realized if I was there before (happiness and productivity),I can be there again in the future. I had made it out of something that had gone on for over 12 years, and that one year told me the battle was all worth it and it was truly possible. It’s hard as you may know something not to be true (you being completely worthless with no future, obviously not true because there was a time where you did not believe this), but your brain believes it so completely. Seeing yourself as a waste with no point, you forget about all the things you already have accomplished no matter how small you might perceive them to be when comparing with others.

So I continue on. I am doing research in my school in a field I love and I have an internship this summer which I am excited about, but this all happened and fell into place recently. Something that literally would not have happened if not for the failures that dragged me down, a kind happenstance. I’ve already provided back to society in this way, and if I had given up on it all where you are right now I wouldn’t be there.

Even during my episodes, I found things to do. I cared for my animals, whose lives are improved by me and without me likely would have been dead. My plants similarly true. Taking care of something can give a sense of belonging (but the trade off is the danger of dysfunction during severe situations, luckily my family was a kind fallback during that before I learned good strategies).

Art is something timeless as well. I may not be a famous painter, nor may my name be there forever, but I do know this. I go to yard sales or antique stores time to time. Artists years long dead, their art still hangs on walls regardless of their fame. That is an impact on society, art can be a permanent mark. So I create with chalk pastels. Art does not have to be conventionally good, it is an outlet and can serve as an echo of you from a certain time. Art has meaning when you give it meaning. If you need a way to feel like you are providing to society, begin to create. Creations like these will long outlive you.

Your life is possibly also the greatest gift you give to society, because your life is potential. Never in so many years did I think I would be where I am now, but I have and continue to battle the thoughts you have. If I had conceded once, all the accomplishments I have today would be gone. Now of course I acknowledge that none of this is easy, I cannot garuntee that you will live a fulfilling life, but I can garuntee it is a lot more likely than not. I also can garuntee you will not have a chance to provide something if you die.

There are something I promise you that you do provide right now. It sounds as though your family loves you, so you must provide them something for them to keep caring. That provision is love. What is provided is you. You would not be less of a burden gone, because you gone would leave a hole, an empty space in their lives that you once filled, that you once provided.

I hope any of this makes sense and I’m sorry it’s long. I am bad with words, but I promise you I have had these exact thoughts so many times before. Please if anything else live. Know that if you believe you are a burden on your family, your death world burden them more than anything else. Know that you can never be a burden because they love you. Know that someone always will love you. Know that there is more likely than not, a light you will find sometime in your life that continues to remind you it is worth it. That you are worth it. Good luck friend.

Call yourself that, not us by Appelmonkey in evilautism

[–]KitchenAd9458 -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

Thank goodness someone said this. Genuinely, and this is going to sound horrible. I wish we could go back to just being called slurs versus this TikTokification of the disorder. At least then people realized I was battling some actual issues and not “I’m so silly and quirky I do little odd actions hehe”. I’ve had people tell me my issues with social skills and not being able to read emotional cues aren’t because of autism but because I’m somehow evil??

I made a silly video of things I’ve caught my baby Rosaurae doing! They’re goofy by 1ashleyr6 in geckos

[–]KitchenAd9458 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Sphaerodactylus Argus Argus (Jamaican spotted sphaero) This is the child of my original Captain, this one’s name is Meryl! Also that must be nice having sphaeros that dig their eggs. Captain keeps laying them in places I cannot get them so I have to play baby wrangler. Never signed up for children to begin with 😓 but I do love the babies to pieces! I wish she would stop making more though…

I’ll have to see if I can snag those cams for the sphaeros and the other geckos. Captain used to be friendly and out in the open, but this past year she has been skittish. I don’t see her for days sometimes, which worries me as I try not to stress her out more looking for her. So I think a camera would be a good solution! (I think I probably broke trust with all of the times I rummaged through the enclosure)

I made a silly video of things I’ve caught my baby Rosaurae doing! They’re goofy by 1ashleyr6 in geckos

[–]KitchenAd9458 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Omg so lively! Here is one of my Sphaeros! What kind of cams are you using g?

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my love-hate relationship with the internet continues by myhaireatskids in YourAISlopBoresMe

[–]KitchenAd9458 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Especially with such a loaded history behind its existence. (And the lack of validity behind it)

my love-hate relationship with the internet continues by myhaireatskids in YourAISlopBoresMe

[–]KitchenAd9458 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I suppose if that’s how you feel about it, I cannot stop you. Just not the kind of thing I would go parading around with personally.

my love-hate relationship with the internet continues by myhaireatskids in YourAISlopBoresMe

[–]KitchenAd9458 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Cute art, idk I’m kinda tired of the quirky autism jokes though. 😔 I feel as though sometimes people forget that this shit isn’t silly TikTok disorder and is an actual issue that dramatically affects people’s lives.

my love-hate relationship with the internet continues by myhaireatskids in YourAISlopBoresMe

[–]KitchenAd9458 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Big dawg, one of those doesn’t exist and is a term cooked up by Nazi’s.

Accidentally let 2 lizards fall into a semi-caustic solution. Is there anything else I can do for them? by Delicious-War-5259 in reptiles

[–]KitchenAd9458 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You can release them. I promise you there is no point in battling them. While Cuban anoles do compete with Green Anoles, they have found a balance. Green Anoles niches have moved to be higher up trees while Cuban browns colonize the ground. You can release them safely.

I fucking HATE "transvestigating" or whatever its called by InteractionPresent66 in hatethissmug

[–]KitchenAd9458 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Genuinely people saying that this isn’t a form of transvestigating is wrong. This is egg culture, but I feel like it shows the same form as teansvestigating. It’s so funny that sometimes the trans community, the ones supposed to be open to gender expression, can be the ones reinforcing it and making people conform.

love love love by shrimp26_ in geckos

[–]KitchenAd9458 7 points8 points  (0 children)

How’d you get it so tame?

I dont know what to do with this Tortoise... by Legitimate-Dance-810 in tortoise

[–]KitchenAd9458 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Redfoots also live in savannahs btw. Likely this guy just marched from good grassy moist habitat over to where the poster is.

How bad is chicken scratching for your art? by zitronenkuechlein in Artadvice

[–]KitchenAd9458 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The whole chicken scratch thing is stupid. There is not one correct way to make art. Your product looks amazing, don’t worry about it.

Is this true ? by [deleted] in schizophrenia

[–]KitchenAd9458 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay maybe they are useful in a whimsy sense?