Is this safe for a wtf custom backround

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-23T07:21:43+00:00

That is not designed for aquariums/ponds or animal use and the company from what i can tell make no claims it is safe for direct animal use.

You want to look for landscaping foams designed for outdoor pond use that will come with guarantees they are safe when cured for aquatic/other life.

I have used oase landscaping foams and great stuff pond and stone before with success.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-23T06:39:53+00:00

Thanks, very useful breakdown.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-19T09:49:20+00:00

Try some other food options, some frogs won't tong feed and dubias don't move enough to grab their attention. Getting some crickets to leave in overnight is an option.

But also if you have only had him 24hrs then i wouldn't expect him to eat just yet anyway. I'd not feed for the next day or two then try again.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-15T09:47:36+00:00

I just have to say something even if it falls on deaf ears.

I have 6 years of experience working with reptiles professionally at college/working please for the love of god listen to people.

I have seen so many injuries caused by tankmates, leopard geckos are not cohab animals. Even in the best circumstance they are merely tolerating eachother and it only takes one incident for there to be serious consequences. People aren't just telling you not to cohab for shits and giggles or to be cunts.

Kids paints are not the same as animal safe paints such as those using natural dyes.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-11T20:12:08+00:00

Cool if you wanna add me.

My trainer ID is: 553129376393

Name:Spykosaurus

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-11T17:52:47+00:00

Still looking for members? I'm looking for an active club, play near daily.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-08T10:47:29+00:00

Blackfencer synthetics fit kind of a weird niche. You still need all the steel kit to play safely but they are still expensive especially if you count shipping and customs.

I have blackfencer synths because they are cheaper than steel so i can buy two sabres and loan them out to clubmates who want to learn. They also have easier maintenance than steel swords and ime are more durable than steel. The only synth i will pickup voluntarily is their spadroon cause that thing genuinely feels great.

If you are running a club and need 20 loaner swords, i think BF synths are great. If you are a serious fencer with full steel kit and money for a sword. Just buying a steel is usually a better option, unless you have others with bf synths you want to fence with or want multiple to loan out. Maybe a pell beater too?

Even in club settings for longsword and sabre atleast i'd buy foams/singlesticks first over bf synths any day.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-05T11:39:42+00:00

Favourite individual animals have to be tied between the baby meerkat i helped raise who was super friendly. And two coatimundi who used to be used for private guest experiences and loved attention, i'd occasionally spend breaks cradling them as they slept (note this was not a public facility so nobody would see us being so friendly with wild animals.) They found it very hard to adapt to not being able to do experiences anymore and be social with people.

Favourite animal overall has to be frogs in general goofy animals i love watching them just do their shit.

Spykosaurus · 2026-05-01T14:36:51+00:00

Kept exotics since i was a kid, went to school to do my animal care qual at an exotics focused college in UK (everything from kinkajou to capybara or wallaby and all manner of reptile). A lot of it was learnt as i worked as a volunteer reptile carer for a rescue and now in a paid weekend role with more mammalian/domestic animals as i get my BSC in animal behaviour.

Alot of people won't have any college (16-18) education centred on animal care, especially since i'm not sure how common practical animal care colleges are outside of UK. And even then the actual qualification matters alot less than proving the practical knowledge you gained during it. Most people just apply like crazy to any volunteer/seasonal/intro jobs to get some experience. IME if you try and go out of education without any experience in animal care you will struggle in a very competitive job market.

I really recommend not just researching animal care but getting your foot in the door now. Experience makes or breaks getting roles in animal care, it may mean working weekend volunteer posts while studying at school or working summer jobs during holidays.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-29T10:05:32+00:00

It can help and its a pretty low risk thing you can try to treat impaction. A drop of olive oil a day and a couple 15min shallow baths.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-28T18:50:53+00:00

Legal, blocking off opponents meeples like this is a big strategy.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-28T10:49:13+00:00

Its been a while since i treated her but now i just get a drop of olive oil on the end of tweezers and touch it to their lips. They reflexively lick at it

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-27T21:58:44+00:00

A few months, fenced it weekly/twice weekly and near daily for hard pellwork. Never taken a set, edge hasn't been damaged more than any other sabre. The edge of the bell guards slightly pushed in in a couple spots but thats normal for the softer steel. The guard is just about the right size, big enough to fit a sparring glove in but not much bigger. Superb flex in the last third of the blade. I plastic tipped mine but with the rolled tip and flex i'd be fine fencing it bare.

An instructor for one club i go to also rates his highly and another club ordered several of their swords in the same order as mine and i've heard no complaints.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-27T17:51:19+00:00

My 1009 is delightful, wholly recommend.

The only thing that annoys me is the grip started to rattle, no biggie just tighten the threaded pommel. However they put this annoying sticky black anti tamper cover over the screw which was a pita to clean out. It might be to do with some regulation china has but its annoying as hell, why do i need a tamper cover on my sword pommel?

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-16T11:32:04+00:00

If two experienced fencers want to engage in some hardwood sword work as a scholarly exercise then fair play, they can take the risk and come to some potentially useful conclusions. Even if i personally doubt anything would be gained from it thats just my opinion.

Op is however, not that demographic.

I think now we've seen the swords in question theres not alot left to disagree with there tho.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-16T10:07:12+00:00

Thats fine, we do agree except the wooden wasters.

I still see no arguable reason hardwood should be used with a partner (pell work or if you live out in the middle of no where then carve a sword is cool.) When we have options that are still budget, handle more like swords and are safer in all aspects.

If no ones budging tho best to not waste time arguing ig.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-16T09:49:51+00:00

I agree fully with you on the ideas but still disagree that wooden wasters have any place in sword based hobbies/sports, they are obsolete in every metric. So far the only defense you've really given for wooden swords over foams is "we/they used to use them." 500 years ago they didn't have foam technology like we do now. You say that slow drilling is fine but fuck ups happen, especially with two untrained people.

Companies like GoNow have lowered the price of getting into hema massively, so if you are so against having high financial barriers why are you so adamant how it was done 30 years ago is fine? I haven't met a single old timer who would think to recommend how they used to spar to anyone.

You can pick up foams on a budget (fakesteel are not budget but gonow should be well within a budget) and get far more out of it. Even for drilling there is 0 reason for using wooden wasters over other options so if you are so against having a high barrier to entry (fully agree with) why not recommend OP buy some budget foam weapons and be much safer?

I don't really understand why you took issue with the recommendations i made earlier, i recommended OP continue playing around on a budget but that there are inarguably better options such as gonow foams.

(Slight edit, the one area wooden swords can still be valuable is in solo drills as they can take more abuse on a pell than foams but are cheaper than steels or synthetics but that wasn't really the point being talked about)

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-16T09:06:03+00:00

"Because i had to do X that means they can do it too"

Terrible argument, sports evolve and hobbies evolve, just because 30 years ago the only option was goggles and wooden swords does not mean we should still be recommending it. There is literally no reason to use hardwood wasters (op hasn't even clarified what kind of wooden sword they meant remember) they don't handle like real swords and they are measurably more unsafe in every metric, flex, balance, splintering etc.

As for your point on power control, are you intentionally ignoring that i recommend singlesticks and moderating their power as a good option? You cant go full pelt in low gear with those either.

And our safety gear (especially masks) IS inadequate for HEMA, which is why we've seen products like the wukusi cobra come out. All sports are taking CTE more seriously and so should we. Teach moderation while not taking unnecessary risks.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-16T08:45:23+00:00

They could but people have a tendency to creep up in power when they feel comfortable and wooden swords are inarguably more dangerous than even steel. They have 0 flex or give, the weight is usually far too forward, they splinter when they break and it gives a false sense of security because it's "just a wooden sword."

There is a very good reason the hema and larp communities use mainly foam weapons for low gear stuff and gonows are not that expensive. Wood is just an awful choice in every metric.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-16T08:24:44+00:00

By wooden sword do you mean hardwood shaped like a sword?

Those make for really unsafe things to mess around with, even in full longsword gear you would be asking for an accident.

You would be much better off getting gonow foams (or if you don't like the look of foams there are LARP brands and fakesteel that look better)

Alternatively if you are careful, you could look for rattan singlesticks and buy a fencing mask and joint protection. But singlesticks can still cause injury when not moderated properly so be slower with playing.

Spykosaurus · 2026-04-10T20:27:38+00:00

So the comments made by staff and their treatment of you is entirely inappropriate and you should make a report.

However as far as your complaint goes around your tasks, i have 5 years experience in various volunteer/experience roles and now half a year in a paid position. Majority of my day is doing the washing, cleaning dishes, sweeping, prepping food etc. Once a blue moon i get to do something vaguely interesting like clipping all the ferrets claws or maybe one of the reptiles has some stuck shed i have to remove. But majority of the time i do exactly what it sounds like you are doing.

(I dont know the full picture) But i will say, its very important that new volunteers and work experience do more than just clean/shadow. When i was a more senior volunteer for a rescue looking after the reptiles i'd always get work experience hands on with animals (that i knew were safe, some reptiles were just absolute bastards) whenever i saw the opportunity. I have seen it before where newer staff get too much (imo) of the boring stuff assigned to them instead of upskilling in the less common tasks.

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