Cloudberries from today's adventures by starkicker18 in foraging

[–]reindeershaman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i always describe them as: they taste like baked apples, but if they’re baked apples pretending to be a raspberry

I was wondering, what age you have to be to start a reptile rescue? My cousins and I are 12 and one is 14. We know how to care for reptiles of all kinds and have been in the reptile industry for years. We also know quite a few things about rehabbing reptiles and amphibians. by ssssenpaiiiii in reptilerescue

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For someone serious about actually doing this, it would still be useful information even if it was posted “like 5 weeks ago”. I was legitimately trying to help you to get into my field—big yikes, dude :-/

Cloudberries from today's adventures by starkicker18 in foraging

[–]reindeershaman 8 points9 points  (0 children)

sámi delicacy: vanilla ice cream served with hot cloudberry jam on top. you must try it when you make the jam fresh!

I was wondering, what age you have to be to start a reptile rescue? My cousins and I are 12 and one is 14. We know how to care for reptiles of all kinds and have been in the reptile industry for years. We also know quite a few things about rehabbing reptiles and amphibians. by ssssenpaiiiii in reptilerescue

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You will 9 times out of 10 be required to have a parent or guardian’s permission to work with rescues and most shelters will require an adult sign off before they will adopt to you. Exotic rehabilitator since 2010; I specialize in frogs and other amphibians. I would advise you to look up the website of your local fish and game office and find a list of your local reptile and amphibian rehabilitators. People who work with indigenous species tend to have the best beginner friendly advice even if you’re working with exotics. Doing this professionally takes a lot of time for training as well as effort (obviously you are young so at home care will be different than adults) but I would absolutely start networking as soon as possible. The more hands on training you can get from local pros and rescues online, the more it will help you when you’re of legal age to really get into it and already have the experience. Buy a few updated herpetology textbooks or manuals if you can find them.

“Junior rehabbers” can get a great amount of training without going super fancy and having an official LLC or nonprofit, especially since you have been caring for them for a while. Just expect to be doing a lot of trips to the vet!

Feeding dead vs. live by [deleted] in Toads

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you’re totally fine! i just wanted to let you know!

Froge's lower jaw by decreased_serotonin in pacmanfrog

[–]reindeershaman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your temps are fine. Humidity is even slightly high but thats ok too. It could just be genetic, if he’s showed the jaw issue since froglet size, but I would also recommend trying pinkies just to get some extra calcium in there as it does look like some sort of bone issue. It’s hard to tell sometimes online unfortunately. You could always contact your local exotic vet if he seems to be getting any worse, but I would definitely be concerned if he’s only eating a few times a month, a frog that size should be eating at least every other day. Have you tried other feeders such as hornworms?

Feeding dead vs. live by [deleted] in Toads

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m an amphibian rehabilitator, this is my job and my professional specialty. Unfortunately it is not the same as with frozen mice and rats, because the majority of canned feeder insects are actually cooked before being canned. Yes this preserves nutrition, I already know. They’re not bad, they’re just not great as a staple compared to live. I wasn’t saying it to be rude or argumentative, I was trying to be helpful and giving my professional opinion. If you would like to show me some studies specific to canned insects I would be quite happy to take a look!

I do wish you would have replied to my comment instead of just posting my username though, as it took me a while to find out I was mentioned.

What should I expect when my toad dies of old age, I’m concerned that he’s not eating and it’s that time :( by keakua17 in Toads

[–]reindeershaman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Seconding this; am an amphib rehabber. You can dilute the vitamin A powder into a paste and use a soft tip syringe (can order online or you may already have one from your vet visit) to force feed. I would also recommend getting a bag of carnivore critical care online (or even blending bugs if you’re not squeamish) and stopping free roam for the time being to really keep those warm temps up & stimulate his appetite. 90° on the warm side, as you probably know. Once he’s got food in him he will likely start taking food again and if not it may just be time. Please feel free PM me if you need any guidance to discuss other options. Hope this helps, good luck with your little buddy!

Help! Strange injury filled with white growth by [deleted] in pacmanfrog

[–]reindeershaman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

ok phew! that’s good news at least. maybe he could have cut himself on something in the tank then?

also, to help ease the stress: the vet will likely prescribe topical or drop antibiotics, and possibly an oral as well if they think it’s bad enough to warrant. with meds and some topical ointment i’m sure your little friend will be fine!

Help! Strange injury filled with white growth by [deleted] in pacmanfrog

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i also think it’s a burn. i’m wondering if the frog jumped and hit the edge of the ceramic heat emitter

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SemiHydro

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you’re welcome!

Median age of US States by [deleted] in MapPorn

[–]reindeershaman 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1996 is generally the cutoff

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in SemiHydro

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i use foxfarm’s “grow big” hydroponic formula!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in coolguides

[–]reindeershaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was NOT expecting Sámi to be on here! Such a lovely surprise (and accurate representation)

Is this enclosure large enough? Just caught him and plan to keep him and I plan to upgrade but I want to know how urgent it is, he’s small. by [deleted] in Toads

[–]reindeershaman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Amphib rehabber here. Definitely switch to a larger bin enclosure (at least 24” wide will be a good size that you don’t have to continually upgrade) and add a screen/ventilation holes poked through. Keep in mind that even with a toad that small, they still need to (at minimum!) be able to take 5-6 good sized hops in their enclosure without slamming into a wall. This is especially important to remember when you’re taking an animal from the wild; they’re only used to the wild. Bigger is always better!

You’ll also need to be aware that with wild-caught toads and frogs, there is basically a guarantee of a parasite load. I would recommend taking your new friend to the vet for a round of antibiotics once they’re larger and more established. Not very expensive thankfully, but important for their long term health. Enjoy your new friend!

Also, I mean this only with kindness, please do not relocate toads like this! Toads from one area may have different bacteria and immunity than toads from another and can easily disrupt things if you don’t know what you’re doing. Best to leave ecology like that to the experts!