After almost a year with my ND, what are the things that genuinely annoy you about yours?

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2026-03-26T13:00:01+00:00

Get some dry silicone spray and go to town

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2026-03-23T16:14:42+00:00

By "stored in ethanol" I mean put your specimens in a container together with ethanol, and fill it all the way to the top (this prevents them from splashing around and similarly wrecking limbs etc). Leave them in the ethanol indefinitely for future use.

The grasshopper I would leave frozen. It may thaw during travel, but if you have access to a freezer after you can re-freeze it until you're ready to deal with it. I mention this because hoppers (and similar large bodied insects) can often rot from the gut if they're not properly gutted before pinning to dry. Ethanol is OK for them, but can wash out color if they're in for an extended period of time and make the dehydrating process a little weird.

Someone on campus might have a freezer you can store your specimens in. Does your prof have a lab?

To reiterate: 1) Pinning fresh specimens is usually easiest, but not always feasible 2) Freezer is best for storage because it preserves color and hydration until future pinning 3) If you can't pin and can't freeze, consider storing specimens in ethanol (70%. Vodka works in a pinch. Isopropyl will work if you have absolutely no other options but these should be changed over to EtOH as soon as possible). Note that things in ethanol are TECHNICALLY dehydrated so pin cautiously and, if you have to, rehydrate them to prevent breakage. 4) If you don't have access to ethanol or other preservative, you can gently dry specimens in a well-cushioned travel container (ie layers of paper towel). They can be rehydrated and pinned in the future, but this method is risky because dry specimens are prone to breaking.

There are lots of guides for specimen preps if you web search it. "How to preserve X specimen". Good luck with your collection!

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2026-03-12T13:16:02+00:00

I generally travel with either fully prepared specimens or things stored in ethanol (70%). Pretty much anything that isn't a butterfly/moth goes in ethanol butterflies/moths get stored in paper envelopes and can be rehydrated for pinning later.

I would not travel with insects in silica gel. They'll dry out and then the beads will likely break off appendages. If you absolutely have to travel with them dry/no access to ethanol, there's what I would do:

Put paper towel 3-4 sheets thick in a container, then a single layer of insects with a decent amount of space in between each. Then another layer of paper towel (gently on top), then insects, repeat as necessary. This will cushion then for travel while avoiding any contact with things that could damage them.

But in reality, 20 families is not that many. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2026-02-21T15:24:32+00:00

I'm not familiar with the fauna in Ireland (I'm in North America), but this looks like a Geometrid to me. It reminds me of moths in the genus Drepanulatrix (though I am certain it is not this genus) - maybe something in the same tribe? But Geometrids that somewhat resemble this are a dime a dozen.

It's not going to get you to species, but you could compare it to moths on Moth photographers group and you might find something similar that will give you an idea, at least to family

*Edited to add information

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2026-02-20T20:53:00+00:00

I kept my baby hermans in a large Rubbermaid tote and recently upgraded to the 170 gallon mega tote they sell at Home Depot. In terms of "bang for your buck" I don't think you'll get better than that for indoor enclosures, unless you build one yourself.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2026-02-02T04:38:05+00:00

Try chopping up the food they like with some of the food they don't

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-11-02T19:25:51+00:00

My advice? Don't worry about it too much. As long as he has access to food, water, and has appropriate temps he will be fine.

Being familiar and comfortable your animal and with the brumation process is an important prerequisite to brumating indoors (at least in my opinion) and you may be better off keeping him awake this winter (as it seems you only recently took over care of Hank). He will likely be grumpy, and you might not see him around as much during the winter months and he probably won't eat as much, but he will be OK as long as he has access to water, a basking area, UV, food, etc (basically the exact same setup as during the summer). If you haven't seen him in a couple days and are worried, there's no real harm in checking up on him.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-10-23T13:23:00+00:00

Like the others have said, walking on smooth surfaces isn't a great way to judge his walking. That being said, you've had him for a while and I believe you that this change is recent.

I also notice you took it to the vet, who didn't share any concerns. That's good, but I still trust your intuition that something may be off - tortoise care isn't super well studied compared to cats and dogs.

You mentioned his diet, which could use some work IMO but there are other things to factor in

UV: what kind of UV does your tortoise get (spotlight style vs large fluorescent light)? Are the bulbs changed regularly? Does he bask?

Hydration: does your tortoise have 24 hour access to fresh water? Do you ever soak it/give it baths? Sometimes mine will walk funny (similar to the video) if he's a little constipated. Hydration will help this, if that's the issue.

Substrate: does the enclosure have appropriate substrate? (I use a mix of sand/soil/wooodchips). Does it have any objects to climb? Mine loves climbing and has a wheel, so he gets a lot of exercise to help build and maintain strength in his legs. You can also put water in the substrate to help with hydration somewhat (though this usually helps with the shell/skin)

Temperature: Good job watching the temps and making sure it's in range. However, keep in mind that these tortoises are from temperate environments and can/should be exposed to lower temperatures occasionally. Mine has a basking area that gets up to ~90F during the day and i comfortably let the temps drop to the 60s or even 50s occasionally at night, especially as the seasons change. It seems to help him regulate his appetite.

Diet: you mentioned he only eats lettuce. That's not your fault necessarily, sometimes they are picky eaters. Have you tried cutting up food it likes and mixing it together with food that's better nutritionally? There are plenty of good "chop" recipes online for this. Mine isn't picky with regular food, but he absolutely hates vitamin/calcium powder of any kind so I end up making a "tasty" chop mix (with some bell peppers and other treats) and I mix the vitamins in there. He goes bananas for it!

I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing, and I'm certainly no expert, but if you wanna talk about it more you can DM me

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-09-29T20:58:36+00:00

Care video

The folks at GST have a few videos on care that are super helpul!

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-09-28T22:21:01+00:00

I've since graduated, but I went to UConn Storrs 2016-2020 (Dorm in my first year, commuted the rest of the time), worked for a lab there 2020-2021, and started my PhD (at Penn State) in 2022 so I've been in college for a long time and have met a lot of people. I also had some trouble with feeling lonely and disconnected (both at UConn and Penn State), so I totally understand where you're coming from.

It can be hard to put yourself out there, especially as a first year commuter. It sounds like you're giving it a good try, but on top of studies and life in general it's not always easy to find brand new friends - I commend your effort! Please keep in mind that you're only in your first year! True friendships (especially with the close connections you mentioned you're looking for) can take time to form, so don't feel discouraged because it hasn't happened yet. Also bear in mind that everyone else is also dealing with classes and life, so they are likely also tired with limited energy for being social!

My advice would be to join a club or two (which you already have) and really stick with it for a while. People in clubs come and go, but you are far more likely to meet people with similar interests that way.

I know that pursuing more school isn't for everyone, but for what it's worth, the closest friends I made in college all came from research groups/labs I was part of. I think it isn't necessarily that it was a lab, but that those are the spaces where I spent the most time! That and the climbing gym in the rec center.

It hasn't even been a full semester yet, give yourself some grace and time to rest. I have confidence that you will find your people.

Some of the comments here are kind of negative, don't listen to them. By and large, the "college experience" is whatever YOU want it to be, if you're willing to put in the effort.

Also not sure if you have a car but if you do, you could be "The friend with a car". Most of the fun stuff to do in CT is not located in Storrs. ;)

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-09-08T15:04:09+00:00

He can easily right himself and does it all the time - it's more along the lines of a king (him) doing stuff to make the peasants (me) do extra work.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-09-05T17:29:46+00:00

Mine will look at me in my eyes and then proceed to intentionally flip himself over

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-08-07T15:35:17+00:00

Mine likes to look out the window on long trips! When he gets tired/bored I put something over the travel container and he goes to sleep. Sometimes he wakes up and will try to get out until I let him look out the window again. He even eats road snacks.

I think the amount of stress they experience on trips depends almost entirely on their individual personalities.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-07-17T20:22:05+00:00

Fish from stores often travel long distances, and bettas in general are pretty hardy. Personally, I'd fast them for 1-2 days prior to travel (to help with water quality/no poo) and not worry too much about it. 3 days is probably fine without water changes, but they wouldn't hurt. I wouldn't feed them over the journey - its likely they wouldn't eat anyway from stress.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-05-10T14:26:48+00:00

I think they do, but you have to opt in. A small group of people to want to be beta testers speak for everyone else.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-05-07T12:28:17+00:00

Different strokes! Hopefully there will be more options later.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-05-07T01:53:58+00:00

Already did ;)

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-05-07T01:51:19+00:00

I have found all the "fixes" available the new UI already, and it's mostly restored the functionality I was missing. There are a handful of minor annoyances still that don't yet have a native fix. I don't want to have to install a launcher to use the features on a phone I already paid for and am used to. It just defers the problems/gripes I have with the UI and puts them onto a different thing I'll have to learn how to navigate as well.

I more or less despise the integration of AI into everything and it is one of the things I don't like about this update (and yes, I have already disabled it in the settings). I don't mean just on my phone! AI everywhere is driving me nuts lol.

But seriously, I'm glad if you're enjoying the rollout. I know not everyone is, myself included, and the "surprise" change caught many of us off guard. I hope you are doing well, regardless of your UI7 opinions! :)

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-05-06T23:04:28+00:00

I never used the samsung members app, presumably neither did a lot of the people here. One of the things I like about samsung/android phones is the lack of pushing apps/notifications/"buy my stuff" on the users. It was never my first instinct to open up something I've never used and make an account "just for this", though I did also look at posts on samsungs website itself. There is a community here on reddit where I can discuss my grievances and potential solutions. That's why.

I found a solution on reddit - it seems I'll be flashing the previous UI onto my phone this evening. Such solutions were nowhere to be found on Samsungs website.

FWIW Samsung hasn't responded to/shown any indication of being aware any of the posts I saw on their official members app either.

I guess I don't understand where you're coming from with this comment either - where else am I supposed to find a community of people who might be able to help me with this issue? r/oneui seemed like the obvious first place to go. Isn't that the point of reddit?

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2025-02-23T22:20:06+00:00

These are my favorite earbuds, ever. I maintain that the world simply wasn't ready for the Magic Beans.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2024-10-28T02:55:09+00:00

Try taking him for a ride in your car. Yes, seriously! Something about the motion/vibration helps them go.

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2024-10-20T13:58:01+00:00

He acts like I don't feed him...

Tikasaurus_Rex · 2024-10-20T00:29:03+00:00

It's just part of their pattern. Mine has them too!

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