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Monday, May 31, 2010

Another Tokay Geckos for Sale -------- SOLD OUT!!!

Sell 2 Tokay Geckos (House Gecko) with the specifications:

* Width approx. 3 fingers of an adult person
* Length approx. 38 cms
* Healthy
* Approx. Weight 300 - 320 Grams

Price IDR 350,000,000.00 Each.

Note: For buyers, you may check the availability and exact condition of the gecko before completing the transaction in order to make sure that whether the gecko matches to your qualification in term of size.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Tokay gecko Health Issues


Typical Ailments and Causes

* Just a little slow

1.Cage temperature may be to low
2.internal parasites
3.insufficient diet

* Stomatitis or mouth rot

1.Possible bacterial or fungal infection
2.Internal or external parasites
3.Foreign body lodged in mouth,broken jaw
4.Cancer
More on mouth rot here

* Not shedding properly

1.Not enough humidity. Provide a very humid hide box
2.Temperature too low
3.Diet not correct


Source: www.squidoo.com

Care and Feeding your Tokay Geckos


Time for your Tokay Geckos to Shine

Tokay geckos are mostly carnivorous with the occasional sweet tooth. You can choose crickets to mealworms to pinkies.Generally the faster it moves the faster it goes down!

Always preload and vitamin dust your offerings,this guarantees proper nutrition.Tokay geckos tend to eat alot and with some authority. You can easily expect to feed them a dozen large crickets every other day.Try to put some fruit baby food in the cage once in awhile.

Your Tokay geckos will most likely not drink from a still water source. I would try one elevated in the cage but not on the substrate.There are waterfall and other flowing water appliances you could try, so plan on misting the Tokay tank at least twice a day.

If your tokay gecko shows signs of trouble shedding, check the humidity of its tank. Also add what I call a sweatbox. Basically its just sauna. Take some cork, the rounded half log type works best, and place it over some moistened moss.If nothing seems to work try spraying some Shed-Ease on it. This should help but remember not to try to pull it off yourself.


Source: www.squidoo.com

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Giant Tokay Gecko Weighted 64 Kgs, Believe It or Not!



Here is an image of a giant tokay gecko weighted 64 kgs captured by a teenager from the borders between Borneo, Indonesia and Malaysia.


According to tribunnews.com, It's been sold out already for IDR 179,000,000,000.- to a buyer from Indonesia.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Your Tokay geckos new home


Cage, Temperature, and Humidity for your Tokay gecko

So now you found the perfect Tokay and got it home.Its quarantine time!Even if you know for sure that your Tokay is captive bred this should still be done to insure your other geckos health. Most all tokay geckos are wild caught and have a parasite of one kind or another.This can be checked by fecal analysis with a qualified veterinarian.

A basic 10 gallon tank will work for your tokay gecko this point.The temperature gradient of your Tokay enclosure should have a warm area of 85-90°F and a cooler area around 70°F during the day with night time temp of no lower than 65°F.A black(nocturnal) heating lamp should be utilized. Since Tokay geckos are nocturnal, no special UV lighting is required.Tokay geckos should have a relative humidity between 55% and 75% with no less than 50%.

Their permanent home should be at least a 20 gallon vertical tank to each gecko with only one male Tokay in each set up. Tokay geckos are very territorial, and this is a bare minimum area requirement.If at all possible you should put your tokay geckos in their new vivarium at the same time to prevent territorial disputes.

Provide in your enclosure some sturdy branches and vines for climbing and hiding. Be sure that your cage has a decent temperature range.Your tokay geckos will use the warmest part for basking and that helps them digest. Some companies offer heating pads that stick to the side of your cage and they are the best choice for these geckos.

Your tokay enclosure should be ventilated either by screens or artificially by a fan.There are cross-ventilated terrariums out there but they are harder to keep the humidity in. Adding moss or another natural substrate will help with retaining moisture.Also consider using tape or plastic to close off some ventilation to assist getting the humidity to appropriate levels.


Source: www.squidoo.com

Handling Tokay geckos

Your Tokay gecko doesn't like you

Tokay geckos have nothing but attitude! They don't like to be held and it should be avoided if possible.Tokay geckos have one powerful bite and will latch onto you like a pitbull, not wanting to let go. Their bites could cause great injury to children.

Never grab your tokay from behind! As with all geckos, the Tokays tail can be autotomized or dropped. Its tail will eventually grow back but never be the same again.

Every so often you may find an adult Tokay that will tolerate being held but thats a great exception. Your best bet if you want to hold your gecko is to get a baby.Then you have a chance at taming it. Its gonna be a pretty much hands off pet though but they are beautiful to look at!!


Source: www.squidoo.com

Selecting Your Tokay gecko


What to Look for in a Tokay gecko

Healthy Tokay geckos are plump bulky little creatures. You should not visibly see any bones. You should also safely try to pick one up to see how much he fights you as this is a good sign of overall health. Tokay geckos do not like to be held and should bark or try to bite you.

When the gecko has its mouth open check it out. It should be black and bright pink, if its red and irritated it may have stomatitis (mouth rot). If the tokay in question is limp or don't seem to care you will want to pass on it, or take as a project to save.

If you can feel the gecko for any physical abnormalities like bumps or weird hard spots, do so.This will tell you of broken bones or possible impactions.

Male Tokay geckos are easily identified by a prominent row of preanal scales. Males also generally tend to have thicker bases to their tails.


Source: www.squidoo.com

What is a Tokay gecko?


Tokay geckos origin and description

The Tokay gecko or "Gekko gecko" is a lizard thats natural range is found from northeast India to southern China, the Malay Peninsula,the Andamans, the Philippines, and much of Indonesia. They have also been introduced to some tropical and sub-tropical regions such as southern Florida.

Most Tokay geckos are a steely, bluish grey with orange, rusty colored spots.There are some nice morphs available. They generally grow to about 12-14 inches long. Females tend to be a little shorter. Tokay's are an arboreal species that will climb everything, including glass, and are edificial tending to hide in crevices.

Tokay geckos are cold-blooded and nocturnal or night creatures.This is when you will see most of thier activity and you may hear them sing as they do!

The typical lifespan of a tokay gecko in the wild is 7 years. In captivity they can live much longer. I'll tell you about proper terrarium set up and daily care requirements to ease your Tokay geckos stress level. Reports of 20 to 23 years have been noted.


Source: www.squidoo.com

Show Your Love for Your Cat by Feeding Him/her Nutritional Cat Foods and Avoiding Bad Cat Foods




When you visit a supermarket to purchase food for your family and you see a new product that you think might be a healthy choice, your first decision is to read the label to identify the ingredients and decide if the ingredients are healthy for your family.


Don’t you think it would be prudent to read cat food labels and determine whether it’s a bad cat food or a nutritional cat food? A cat food with any of their first five ingredients listed as a carbohydrate is bad cat food and it is harming your cat.


However, most cat owners fail to read cat food labels and as a result, you feed your cats many bad cat foods with harmful ingredients that are causing premature cat deaths.


Since most cat caregivers consider their feline friends as family members, don’t you think you should show them the same consideration? Feeding your cat bad cat food that leads to premature cat deaths is not showing love for your cat.


Cats are carnivores and their physiology demands a meat-based diet as this will closely mimic their natural diet. It’s imperative that you remember and abide by guidelines that will benefit your cat and help him/her realize their longevity. Bad cat foods will not do this but nutritional cat foods will.


Such foods as carbohydrates will damage your cats’ digestive system and cause food related diseases that will severely shorten his life. These are not nutritional cat foods but rather bad cat foods and they are the main cause of premature cat deaths


For your educational benefit as well as your cats’ lives, let’s take a look at some cat foods and examine their ingredients.


Avoderm

Use of Carbohydrates which include;

Oat Bran and Rice Flour also included is

Avocado oil and Guar gum

Oat bran is the outer husk of the oat grain – it is a carbohydrate.

Rice flour is a form of flour made from finely milled rice – another carbohydrate.

Avocado oil is oil pressed from the fruit of avocados. The fruit, leaves, bark and seeds of avocados have been reported as being toxic to cats. The toxic component in avocado is “Persin” which is a fatty acid preservative. Oat bran, rice flour, avocado oil and guar gum are all bad cat food ingredients




Eukanuba

Use of Carbohydrates which include;

Brewers Rice and Corn Grits also

includes Beef-by-Product, Dried Egg

Product, Dried Beet Pulp and Menadione

Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite


Brewers rice and corn grits are starchy carbohydrates with no nutritional benefit to cats

Beef by-product is the parts of the cow other than muscle meat. It could be organs and skin. Its origin is Rendering Plants.

Dried Beet Pulp is free from crowns and leaves extracted from the process of manufacturing sugar. It’s mostly used as a filler in cat food.


Dried Egg Product – Cheap source of protein - waste product of the egg industry. It could include undeveloped eggs, shells and other tissue deemed unfit for humans. Brewers rice, corn grits, beef by-products, dried egg products, dried beet pulp and MDB are all bad cat food ingredients.


Fancy Feast

Use of a Carbohydrate; Wheat Gluten

also includes Meat by-Product and

Menadione Sodium Bisulfite


Wheat Gluten - The tough, viscid nitrogenous substance remaining when wheat is washed to remove the starch. Wheat gluten is a cheap by-product of human food processing, the starchy liquid left after washing wheat. It is used mostly to bind food together. Wheat gluten is included in a number of human food products, as well as pet foods. Contaminated wheat gluten from China has been found responsible for a large number of the reported sicknesses and death of pets from melamine toxicity.


Meat by-product – Is the product that’s derived from Rendering Plants; road-kill, and the four Ds (dead, dying, diseased, disabled) and decaying animals flesh.

I’ve already explained what menadione derivatives are.

Wheat gluten, meat by-products and MSB are all bad cat food ingredients.


Friskies

Use of Meat by-Products, Poultry

Giblets, Poultry and Bone Meal,

Vegetable Gums and Onion Salt,

I’ve already defined meat by-products earlier and we all know what poultry giblets are, correct? In case you don’t know, it’s the gizzards and hearts of chickens and turkeys provided that’s their origin but we don’t really know, they could come from buzzards as their source is not identified.

Bone Meal is another unidentified ingredient. It could come from the five Ds (dead, dying, diseased, disabled and decaying) animals that are products of Rendering Plants.

Vegetable Gum is another carbohydrate and its main purpose is a thickener or binder and it serves no nutritional purpose for cats and it could be toxic.

Onion Salt – No form of garlic or onion should be used in cat foods. Onions contain Thiosulphate which is toxic to cats.

Meat by-products, poultry giblets, poultry and bone meal, vegetable gums and onion salt are all bad cat food ingredients.

The above cat foods and their ingredients are a mere sample of what’s available as cat foods. Now that you have some information to improve you cats’ diet, use it and your cat will appreciate you taking their health into consideration.


Stop feeding your cat bad cat foods that are harming them. Stop buying bad food for your cats and lining the pockets of commercial cat food companies because they are laughing at how uninformed cat owners really are by actually purchasing the stuff they call food and feeding it to your pets.


It’s unbelievable that caring pet owners could actually create a market for bad cat food. If we don’t stop buying bad cat foods and start feeding our cats nutritional cat foods, our cats’ mortally rate will continue to skyrocket.


Since uninformed cat caregivers are the ones that created the market for bad cat food, what do you think would happen to the commercial cat food companies if suddenly cat caregivers became informed and stopped buying their bad cat foods?


They would stop making bad cat foods and begin making nutritional cat foods or go out of business.


Most cat caregivers are not that responsible. They have refused to stop buying bad cat foods and each year the commercial cat food company’s profits continue to increase. At this rate, the pet food industry will never act responsible enough to produce nutritional cat foods.


Because of convenience, cat caregivers buy bad cat foods that are loaded with toxins. A bag of dry cat food is killing your cat but do you care? Do you prefer your convenience over providing your cat with nutritional cat food?


The commercial cat food industry is banking on their research and it suggests that cat caregivers are uninformed relative to nutritional cat foods and they are more concerned with their convenience. Therefore, there is no incentive for the commercial cat food industry to produce nutritional cat foods so they will continue producing cheap and bad cat foods and you will continue buying it and they will continue laughing all the way to the banks and your cats will continue dying prematurely


Source: ArticlesBase.com

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Turtles' Fast Fact


1. A group of turtles is called a bale. Historically, turtles have been the symbols of patience and wisdom. In the Hawaiian the word “honu” means sea turtles and represents long life. Turtles have been alive for more than 200 million years. They have been alive longer than mammals, birds, crocodiles, snakes and lizards. The earliest turtles had teeth and they could not pull their heads into their shells, but other than that they were very similar to the turtles that are alive today. Some people believe that the turtles’ shell is what has allowed them to successfully survive for so long.

2. There are many species of turtles. Several species of turtles can live to be over a hundred years of age including the American Box Turtle. There was an adult Indian Ocean Giant Tortoise that when captured was estimated to be fifty years old. It then lived another 152 years in captivity. Age 80 is middle-aged for Galapagos tortoises.

3. North America contains a large variety of turtle species, but Europe contains only two species of turtle and three species of tortoise. Turtles will live in almost any climate warm enough to allow them to complete their breeding cycle. Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica. While most turtles do not like the cold well, the Blanding's turtle has been observed swimming under the ice in the Great Lakes region.

4. Turtles can range in size from the 4 inch Bog turtle to the 1,500 pound Leathery Turtles. Kemp’s Ridley is the smallest and rarest of all sea turtles and is an endangered species as is the leatherback turtle. The Hawksbill turtle has nearly been hunted into extinction because of it’s unique and beautiful shell.

5. The shell of the turtle is what makes it unique. The top domed part of a turtle's shell is called the carapase and the bottom underlying part is called the plastron. The shell of a turtle is made up of 60 different bones all connected together. These bony parts of the shell are covered with plates that make the shell stronger. The turtle’s shell also has nerve endings in it. If you touch the shell, a turtle can feel it. Turtles pull their heads and feet into their shells to protect themselves. Some Box turtles can eat so much that they no longer will fit into their shell. Hingeback and box turtles each have hinges on their shells that actually allow them to completely enter their shell by closing up the openings.

6. All turtles lay their eggs on land. When in the eggs, turtles take about 2 months to incubate and their sex is determined by the temperature. Under 29 degrees they become male, over 29 degrees they become female. Female turtles mate with several males in the ocean and store the sperm inside them, so a single nest may hold babies from different fathers. Only one out of one thousand sea turtles survive after hatching. Baby sea turtles circle their nest once after hatching before heading toward the ocean. Once a male sea turtle hatches and enters the ocean, it will probably not step on land again. A female turtle laying eggs will dig several empty nests to throw off predators trying to eat the eggs.

7. Most turtle species have five toes on each limb with a few exceptions including the American Box Turtle of the Carolina species that only has four toes, and in some cases, only three. Turtles have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell. Hearing and their sense of touch are both good. Sea turtles excrete salt absorbed in sea water from their eyes, which is why they seem to cry. Many snapping turtles have been known for biting for no reason at all and not letting go.

8. There are differences between a turtle and tortoise. A turtle spends most of its time in water. Turtles have webbed feet for swimming. A tortoise is a land dweller. Its feet are not webbed. Turtles have flatter backs than tortoises. Terrapins are creatures fall in between. They spend time both on land and in water.

9. Some turtles can live for more than a year without food. Hawksbill turtles feast off sea sponges which are highly poisonous to most sea animals, but not to this turtle. A tortoise's diet consists mostly of shrubs and plants.

10. Some aquatic turtles can absorb oxygen through the skin on their neck allowing them to remain submerged underwater for extended periods of time and enabling them to hibernate underwater. The soft shelled turtle uses it's long tip nose and nostrils like a snorkel to breath under water. The green sea turtle can stay under water for over five hours without coming up for air. When in danger the green turtle can swim almost 20 miles an hour to escape. Some land turtles can actually out run a human on level ground. The desert tortoise is probably the slowest of all tortoises. It can only move 2 feet each minute.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Clownfish


Beautiful Friendship
Bound in an alliance of mutual benefit, clownfish and their host anemones are the crown jewels of coral reefs.


By James Prosek
Photograph by David Doubilet

When Andrew Stanton set out to make an animated children's movie set in the ocean and faithful to "the real rules of nature," all he needed was the perfect fish for his main character. Combing through coffee table books on sea life, his eye landed on a photo of two fish peeking out of an anemone. "It was so arresting," Stanton says. "I had no idea what kind of fish they were, but I couldn't take my eyes off them." The image of fish in their natural hiding place perfectly captured the oceanic mystery he wanted to convey. "And as an entertainer, the fact that they were called clownfish—it was perfect. There's almost nothing more appealing than these little fish that want to play peekaboo with you."

So a star was born. Finding Nemo, the Pixar movie Stanton wrote and directed, won the 2003 Academy Award for best animated feature and remains one of the highest grossing G-rated films of all time, taking in over $850 million to date. Nemo—a clownfish of the species Amphiprion percula—introduced millions of children around the world to a wondrous tropical ecosystem: the coral reef and its denizens.

Clownfish get their name from the bold color strokes on their body (from rich purplish browns to bright oranges and reds and yellows), often divided by stark lines of white or black, quite like the face paint on a circus clown. Seeing clownfish darting among the tentacled folds of an anemone is like watching butterflies flitting around a flowering plant in a breeze-blown meadow—mesmerizing.

Twenty-nine species of clownfish live among the reefs from East Africa to French Polynesia and from Japan to eastern Australia, with the greatest concentration of diversity on the north coast of New Guinea in the Bismarck Sea (where with a little luck and a competent guide you can see seven species on one reef). On a recent diving trip to Fiji, Gerald Allen—a research associate at the Western Australian Museum and the world's clownfish authority—discovered the 29th species, Amphiprion barberi. That brought his lifetime total to seven clownfish (and nearly 500 species of reef fish). "I still get a huge buzz when I find something new," Allen says. "Amphiprion barberi is a beautiful clown, orange and red like a blazing ember on the reef."

Among scientists and aquarists, clownfish are also known as anemonefish because they can't survive without a host anemone, whose stinging tentacles protect them and their developing eggs from intruders. Of the roughly thousand species of anemones, only ten host clownfish. It's still a mystery exactly how a clownfish avoids being stung by the anenome, but a layer of mucus—possibly developed by the clownfish after it first touches an anemone's tentacles—may afford protection. "It's a slime that inhibits the anemone from firing off its stinging cells," Allen says. "If you ever watch a new little anemonefish coming into an anemone, it makes these very tentative touches. They have to make contact to get this chemical process going." Thus shielded, the clownfish, in effect, becomes an extension of the anemone—another layer of defense against anemone-eating fish, such as the butterflyfish. What's good for the clownfish is good for the anemone, and vice versa.

Clownfish spend their entire lives with their host anemone, rarely straying more than a few yards from it. They lay their eggs about twice a month on the nearest hard surface concealed by the fleshy base of the anemone, and they aggressively protect the developing embryos. Just after a clownfish hatches, it drifts near the surface for a week or two as a tiny, transparent larva. Then it metamorphoses into a miniature clownfish less than half an inch long that descends to the reef. If the young fish doesn't find an anemone and acclimatize to its new life within a day or two, it will die.

A dozen or more clownfish of the same species, from juveniles to mature adults up to six inches long, can occupy a single anenome. (Allen has seen as many as 30 on specimens of Sticho­dactyla haddoni.) Cruising around their anemone, they snag plankton, algae, and tiny creatures such as copepods, often hiding within the folds of their host to eat the larger food items. In the wild, where grouper or moray eels threaten, clownfish rarely live past seven to ten years, but in the safety of captivity they can go much longer. My neighbor keeps a spry 25-year-old, which used to bite my knuckles when I cleaned out his reef tank years ago as a kid.

Clownfish may or may not become sexually mature adults. A strict hierarchy exists among the occupants of each anemone, which hosts only one dominant pair at any time. The female is the largest in this "family," followed by the male and the adolescents. A mature pair assure their continued dominance by chasing the juveniles, causing stress and reduced energy for food foraging. "During courtship especially, there's a lot of chasing between the dominant pair," Allen says. The female occasionally reminds the male who's boss by nipping at his fins.

Many reef fish have the ability to change from one sex to another. Most, such as wrasses and parrotfish, change from female to male. But the clownfish is one of the few known to change from male to female: If a dominant female dies, the dominant male will become the dominant female, and the largest remaining juvenile will assume the role of dominant male. No one has yet identified the hormones responsible for this sexual plasticity. "It's a really good adaptive strategy to make sure the species is perpetuated," Allen says. "There will always be a breeding pair at any given anemone."

The clownfish and the anemone—their relationship has captivated home aquarists since the 1970s, when improvements in the shipping of fish and in tank design and filtration caused a boom. But never before has a fish had a bigger boost than the clownfish in the wake of Finding Nemo (unlike the notoriety of a very large mechanical killer with teeth). At first, fear spread through the aquarium industry that the story line would cause a backlash: Nemo is captured and held in a tank in a dentist's office, and his father spends the rest of the time trying to rescue him. "I'm here to tell you the opposite happened," says Vince Rado of Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums (ORA), a hobby-fish hatchery and wholesaler in Fort Pierce, Florida, whose sales of A. ocellaris—a Nemo look-alike species—jumped by 25 percent. "Thank God for little Nemo!"

Stardom has been a mixed blessing for clownfish themselves. For years it has cost much less to catch and ship wild-caught clownfish than to raise the fish in captivity. Breeding them in tanks presents certain challenges—getting the larvae to feed, for one—and it takes at least eight months to grow them to marketable size.

But the economics of wild clownfish have been changing: Rising fuel costs have made shipping them more expensive, and populations have been declining. Overharvesting and invasive collection methods, such as the use of cyanide to stun and capture fish, are destroying reefs and their inhabitants. In the Philippines and Indonesia, for instance, clownfish have been severely depleted. Loss of clownfish leaves anemones exposed and vulnerable to predation. When reefs go bad, one of the first things to disappear is anemones—and their clownfish. "They're a really good indicator group," Allen says.

Besides spurring demand for clownfish, Finding Nemo helped fuel the explosion of websites and chat rooms devoted to raising reef fish in captivity. ORA breeds 13 clownfish species, as well as designer exotics such as the Picasso clown. Rado says he sells some 300,000 clownfish a year—"that's several hundred thousand that won't be taken from the wild."

Despite the reef degradation Allen has witnessed during his 40-year career, he says that in some areas "there's incredible hope. Many reefs are almost pristine and very healthy." His focus now, as a consultant for Conservation International, is "to identify these areas and help with their preservation before it's too late."

Although the movie may have harmed native populations, Stanton's colorful little character also created a new group of nature lovers, eager to preserve clownfish and their reef homes. "I hope it increased awareness," Stanton says. "I know it's precarious out there." 




Source: National Geographic

Tokay Gecko for Sale

Currently I have 14 Tokay Geckos, all of them are House Geckos.

I want to sell just 1 of them because that's the only 1 that has width about 3 adult fingers and the length is approximately 35 - 38 cm.
Price is at IDR 350.000.000,-

If anyone of you are interested, you may call me at 62.8134.2000.570 at anytime.

How to Show Affection to a Cat

Cats love to give and receive affections. They are a true companion for those who are shut in, living alone, or cannot go outside and walk a pet. They enjoy nuzzling, and will let you know when you are holding them too tightly. Learn to show them affection and they will respond two-fold.

Steps

1.Never be afraid to nuzzle up close. Cats who are used to you love a little contact every now and then.


2.Play with the cat. Toys that they love are ping-pong balls, strings with a bell or feather at the end, large (too large to eat!) crunchy candy wrappers, (plastic) bottle caps, laser-pointers (prevent shining in the eyes and mind the condition of younger cats as they will not stop playing), and the plastic things that you take off a milk jug in order to open it (use only those that come off as an intact ring; cats can swallow the ones that break). Toss the balls around. Dangle the string and run it along the floor with the bell or feather gliding along the ground. This will pique the curiosity of most cats and they will follow you to see what happens next.

3.Pet the cat and be affectionate. Cats like to be petted gently, and some prefer being scratched instead of stroked. Their favorite spots to be petted are under their chin, on their cheeks (rub them just as they rub their faces on corners), on the bridge of the nose (only if they really trust you), behind the ears, the thinly furred patches in front of their ears, and on the back. Some cats like their tail, stomach, or paws petted, but many don't.

4.Do not be afraid to use a high pitched tone. Although it may make you feel awkward if you are not used to cats, they MAY love it if you talk to them in a "baby voice". A cat's tail is the best way to judge their likes and dislikes. A curl at the end signals pleasure, whereas a straight tail shows dislikes.

5.Many cats enjoy being brushed, but make sure you obtain the proper brush. Cats are tremendously variable in the sensitivity of their skin. Some prefer very stiff, scratchy brushes, scoffing at less, while others can only tolerate very soft ones. Experiment to find what your cat prefers. Don’t give up! Eventually you will find the one that gives that delicious feel that will make your cat love being brushed.

6.Make sure that you treat you cat like a cat: gently pet it and ask the cat's owner if they like being picked up, scratched, etc. Cats are so different from dogs in ways such as: Cats will not play fetch. Most cats won't run with you. If you try to wrestle with a cat, they may not like it, and even if they do like it, you'll probably end up getting hurt.

Tips

* Don't aggravate the cat. If he or she starts baring its teeth or hissing or moving its tail back and forth quickly, back off and change your approach. Try again with something the cat will find less threatening.

* Don't chase a nervous cat. Many cats will be more likely to approach you if you ignore them. When they finally do come close, let them smell you before trying to touch them. If the cat's ears are moved to the back of its head it means they dislike what you are doing to them, so come back and try something else that they might like.

* Looming over a cat makes them nervous; it is what predators do just before they attack. Take yourself down to the cat’s level. Sit or squat so that they can be more or less face to face with you. When petting, rather than lowering your hand down from above (too much like a hawk swooping down), bring it in from the side or below, and gradually work your way to the top of the cat.

Warnings

* While cats may adore rubber bands and hair bands, they are likely to eat them, which is very dangerous. Avoid these!
* Make sure string and similar toys are played with only under supervision. If swallowed they can cause serious damage to a cats intestines. If your cat does swallow it, do not pull it out of their mouth or rear end.
* Don't show a cat affection through food. Giving cats treats in the form of titbits often leads to an unhealthy cat.





Source: Wikihow

Multiple Iguanas


The short answer to the question of whether or not you may house multiple iguanas in the same cage or living space is "no". The longer answer is that all iguanas have different personalities and some will get along well and some will not. As juveniles, most iguanas tend to live in harmony amongst one another. Do keep this in mind when you are considering adding another iguana to your pet collection. An apparent "friendship" between juvenile iguanas may turn sour within just a few months as they both mature. Males tend to be the most aggressive and territorial. Adult males frequently quarrel, and male/female groups can also get quite rowdy if the male is interested in mating. Groups of females tend to get along better than groups that contain even one male, but females can be territorial as well and problems might arise. Sometimes iguanas can hurt each other quite badly, so if you are thinking of purchasing more than one iguana you must be prepared to separate them if their situation calls for it. This means being prepared to have two separate cages for them, two separate heating and lighting systems, and two food bowls. If your time, space, or resources will not allow this, I suggest keeping only one iguana. You never know, without experimentation, how your particular iguana will react to another iguana.

Ventilation

A factor in iguana cage design that is frequently overlooked is ventilation. If your iguana lives in an "open-air" cage that is made out of wire or screen on the sides, ventilation surely will not be a problem for you. Even aquariums with screen lids usually have enough ventilation. Do not, however, use an aquarium with a full hood, such as is used for fish. These will not permit air flow in and out of the aquarium. We have all been in overcrowded subways or buses that were so stuffy that we thought we might suffocate. Now imagine the subway at a temperature of about 90 degrees fahrenheit, probably with food or feces at your feet. Your iguana would not like this scenario any more than you would! So make sure there is an air source in your iguana's enclosure. There are some aquarium-like iguana cages on the market that are glass on the sides and the top, with vents spaced around the sides. These cages seem to have satisfacory ventilation. However, if you have a glass top on your iguana's cage, ultraviolet light will be filtered as it passes through the glass. You need to have a cage that is well-ventilated and that is able to pass UV light through its top or sides.


By Melissa Kaplan

Humidity

Iguanas come from hot, humid areas of Mexico, Central and South America. Many places north of Mexico are relatively cool and arid. The high relative humidity is good for your iguana's skin, but it has proven difficult to effectively maintain high-humidity environments for captive iguanas. Not only can it be tricky to raise the humidity to the proper level (iguanas feel right at home when the humidity level reaches 85-95%) but it is difficult to keep such enclosures clean. Hot, humid areas are succeptible to bacterial growth, and with food and feces in such close quarters, the humidity can prove to be dangerous. Subsequently, most iguanas are kept in environments that have low relative humidity, and seem to suffer no adverse effects except perhaps dry skin. This condition may be evident by the appearance and feel of the spines along your iguana's back. When the humidity is high, shedding is accomplished easily, and the dead layer of skin on the spines can be pulled right off without any problem. When the skin is dry, the spines often appear white (due to the dead skin) for long periods of time, and the skin on the scales sometimes comes off in part rather than in whole. Still, this does not seem to be detrimental to iguanas in captivity, and the dry skin condition is preferable to bacterial growth!

If you do wish to try to raise the relative humidity in your iguana's enclosure, there are a couple ways of doing so. If your iguana has a large enclosure, you can simply purchase a humidifier to add moisture to the air. If your iguana lives in a smaller cage, you can add humidity in a few different ways. You can either use a spray bottle to mist the iguana and the cage once or twice a day, or you can place a large bowl full of water in the cage which will evaporate and raise the humidity level. If you choose the water bowl method, you may wish to place a heat lamp above it to speed up evaporation, or placing an under-tank heater underneath that area will create the same effect. To help your iguana with its shedding, you may also soak it in warm water. You can gently rub your iguana's skin to help remove dead skin, but never pull off any skin that is still "stuck" on.


By Melissa Kaplan

Heating and Lighting


Heating and Lighting

Heating and lighting the iguanaís enclosure are two problems that many people choose to solve at the same time. Incandescent (regular bulbs that screw into regular light sockets) spotlights, available from your hardware or lighting store in a wide variety of wattages, can keep your iguana's cage both warm and bright. This is my heating method of choice. By placing a spot light at one end of the cage, you can create a nice temperature gradient for your iguana, which is essential to its well being. The area directly under the light would be the basking spot, where your iguana will go to warm up early in the day. The basking spot should be in the mid-nineties. (Degrees Fahrenheit.) You might want to invest in an aquarium thermometer so that you may test the temperature at all parts of the cage. As the iguana gets farther away from the basking spot, the ambient temperature decreases. The coolest part of the cage should be around 80 degrees. As a general rule, iguanas need to maintain an internal temperature of 88 degrees for about 10 hours a day if effective digestion is to take place. My favorite way to mount the spot light is to screw it into a shop-light fixture, and set it right on the screen or wire top of the cage. Lights should never be placed inside the cage because iguanas will climb on them and burn themselves. If you do not have a screen or wire top to your cage, you could shine the light through a screen or wire side. (Some part of the cage must usually be screen or wire, or else there will not be enough ventilation! See Ventilation section.) If your cage has no screen or wire sides but still has effective ventilation, you could place a light bulb or ceramic heat emitter (which screws into a regular light bulb socket but emits no light) in the cage, but make sure to put wire or screen around it. You must use a thermometer, however, to make sure the inside of the cage is at the correct temperature.

There are also under tank heaters made to be placed under aquariums to warm the floor, which is suitable for young specimens that spend much of their time sitting on the floor of their cages. They are not very effective at warming up the air temperature inside aquariums so if you have an iguana that spends its time on branches or rocks that do not come into contact with the floor of the aquarium, an under tank heater will not do you much good. If you do invest in a floor heater, human heating pads are much less expensive and easier to control than the ones marketed for reptiles in pet stores. In addition, I recommend against using "hot rocks", as they are notorious for over-heating and burning reptiles on their ventral sides. Also, wild iguanas obtain their heat from the sun above, not rocks below. Hot rocks are kind of neat ideas in themselves in that the manufacturers have given you a mini heater in the shape of a rock, which might seem perfect for a reptile cage. But remember - the rock is just a heater, and in the author's experience, an unstable one at that. All of my hot rocks have "burned out" and are now useless except for decoration - probably because it is impossible to keep them from getting wet. I know several other people whose hot rocks have overheated, thus resulting in burns on their iguanas. In conclusion, the only really suitable methods I have found for heating iguana enclosures has been incandescent spot lights and regular space or room heaters. If you use a heater, make sure that the iguana cannot come into contact with it and knock it over or burn itself. Iguanas seem to be the happiest when they have a basking spot, so you may use a space heater to help heat the iguanaís area, but the iguana should really have a basking spot as well.

Vegetable matter contains a large amount of cellulose (which is the main component of plant cell walls) which most animals cannot digest on their own. Iguanas have microorganisms living in their hindgut which break down the cellulose for them. These microorganisms need hot temperatures in order to do their work, so if you keep your iguana too cool, one of the effects will be poor digestion, which will lead to problems stemming from malnutrition.

Ultraviolet Light

It is absolutely essential that your iguana be provided exposure to wide ranges of ultraviolet light. Natural sunlight is best. Iguanas' bodies synthesize vitamin D3 with exposure to UV-B light, and vitamin D3 is essential for calcium absorption. It is also speculated that there are many other physical and psychological benefits of UV light. If you can, you should take your iguana outside on sunny days, even if it not particularly hot. If your iguana does not usually live outside, you must purchase "full spectrum" fluorescent bulbs. There are many different brands on the market, and your local pet store can probably order whatever brand you want. (Lighting stores are generally useless for full spectrum bulbs.) You need a full spectrum, not broad spectrum, light, and if possible, you should buy a few bulbs, all different brands. None of the bulbs radiate exactly the same wavelengths, and like with diet, the widest range you can offer is the best thing you can do for your iguana.

These full spectrum bulbs can be inserted into any fluorescent "tube" light fixture. You can leave these bulbs on all day, for the same amount of time that you offer light. You must, however, offer UV light unfiltered through glass or plastic. If the light fixture you have has a plastic "shield", it must be removed. In addition, if your cage has a glass or plastic top, adjustments must be made so that your iguana can be exposed to unfiltered UV light.

It has been shown that incandescent "full spectrum" lights are nothing of the sort, and you should stick to the fluorescent (tube) variety.


By Melissa Kaplan

Caging Iguanas

Generally, owners of juvenile iguanas choose to house their lizards in aquariums or other types of cages. Small lizards are likely to get lost when released into large areas, so an enclosure of some kind is recommended. Aquariums tend to be the most popular choice, probably due to their availability. Glass surfaces are also easy to clean, and allow for high visibility. Some iguana owners opt to build cages for their lizards. A common type of custom cage is one with a wooden frame, with the sides made of cage wire or plexiglass. Glass can also be used, as it won't scratch or bend, but it is much heavier when coupled with the wooden frame and is more fragile during construction and when moving. Glass and plexiglass are popular because they tend to look nicer than cage wire, allow for optimum visibility of the lizard inside, and they also keep the heat in the cage. Cage wire, however, may be favored by the iguana because it will provide a climbing material, and also because it allows for ventilation. (It is also much less expensive.) It is crucial to keep the cage warm, but it is also important to allow the animal inside to breathe. In general, when constructing your iguana's cage, you must take many factors into consideration, which are discussed below. If you find that you cannot meet the requirements that are given, it would be a good idea to try to find your iguana a different home. Many people buy iguanas not realizing how much time and money they will need to invest in their new pets, and it is always best to find a better home for the iguana than put a half-hearted effort into caring for it.

Cage Size
As a general rule, you should offer your iguana the largest enclosure that you can possibly afford and have room for. Adult iguanas are arboreal, which means that they spend most of their time in trees in the wild. As juveniles, iguanas spend much more time on the ground, so smaller, shorter cages are acceptable for a while. But as iguanas grow, they want to climb. This means that you must provide an enclosure that has very much vertical space. If faced with the choice of one or the other, it would be better for you to provide a cage that is 7 feet tall than 7 feet wide or long. You may find that this sort of cage structure is advantageous to you as well, as you can then devote less floor space to your iguana's enclosure. If you are not sure if the cage you have in mind is large enough for an iguana, there are some general guidelines that can be followed: the cage should be at least as tall as the iguana is long. (Including tail.) Preferably taller. It should be about 1 1/2 times the total length of the animal in length, and 2/3 the total length of the animal in width. The iguana should have ample room to walk, turn around, and climb. These guidelines should be considered minimum standards. Your iguana will probably become quite depressed if it has less room than this in an enclosure that it will be spending much of its time in. (As a side note: I house my four iguanas in a cage that is six feet tall, eight feet long, and three feet wide, and I let them out frequently for exercise.)

Cage Toys
Your iguana will not be happy if it doesn't have anything to do besides sitting on the floor of its cage. You must provide branches for climbing in the cage. The branches should be a little larger in diameter than your iguana at its largest point. Alternately, you could provide a different kind of climbing material such as a 2"x4" covered with carpet or with grooves cut into it. Climbing is a favorite pastime of green iguanas, and you must not deny them this option. The branches should sit diagonally within the cage. Most iguanas seem to like to sit atop high horizontal surfaces such as shelves, so you may wish to install a shelf near the high end of the branch. You may wish to make a place like this into your iguana's "basking spot", which will be discussed next. In addition to branches and shelves, some choose to add ropes or rope ladders. These are usually used for juvenile iguanas only. You must be careful with large iguanas because due to their weight, if they get tangled in a rope they can injure themselves. Make sure all the items in the cage are safe and secure to avoid any accidents!

By Melissa Kaplan

Housing Iguanas

Free-Roaming

Many iguana owners like to allow their lizards to roam free throughout the entire house or apartment, or at least one or two rooms. These are viable situations, but many important precautions must first be taken into consideration. As I will discuss shortly, iguanas need to live in very high temperatures if effective digestion is to take place. You will need to heat the areas that the iguana will occupy. In addition, it is not always particularly easy to potty-train iguanas, who generally defecate daily. Some iguanas will choose a particular spot (or maybe two or three particular spots) and use it faithfully. In that case, you can place a litter box or newspaper in that spot for easy cleaning. Other iguanas may use a certain area sometimes, but frequently stray from it. Still others will return to a particular spot thanks only to sheer coincidence. You must be prepared to deal with these daily clean-ups. Iguanas' stools can stain and many iguana owners already know that some of their lizards' favorite spots to relieve themselves are on beds and stacks of clean clothes. In addition to the problem of staining, general hygeine is extremely important. It is easy to put off cleaning an iguana mess if it's in the corner of a room, but that corner will soon become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

Another important consideration is iguana-proofing the rooms. Iguanas can be even more curious than cats, but unfortunately, tend to be much less graceful. If you have fragile objects on shelves, they are likely to be knocked over and possibly damaged by your iguana. Climbing is facilitated by your iguana's use of its claws. If much of your furniture is slippery (wood, as opposed to upholstery) your iguana will likely slip off and possibly injure itself. Electrical outlets can also be hazardous. Iguanas can get caught in between radiators and walls, get tangled in stereo wires, burn themselves on lightbulbs, or even decide to hang out underneath heavy furniture for several days at a time, thus missing meals and cooling down. You must also consider the iguana's general happiness: iguanas are arboreal, which means that they are tree-dwelling in the wild. They will want to climb the furniture, which may be impossible for them if their claws don't have anything to grab onto. Alternately, their claws might tear holes in your upholstery if too much wanton climbing takes place.

Despite all of the above warnings, there are indeed many iguanas that do share their living space with their owners. A suitable environment can be created if you carefully consider the above precautions. You might even consider adding some large branches to your decor for your iguanas to climb. You might also section off one corner of the room for use as an open cage. If you heat that area, supply branches and feed them there, they may spend much of their time in that area, only leaving for temporary changes of scenery and for exercise. One option is to hang a heat lamp from the ceiling, above your iguana's basking area. Iguanas like to bask in hot light (like the sun) and generally prefer to do that over merely sitting in a heated room. Some iguana owners are able to devote an entire room to their free-roaming lizards which can be completely iguana-proofed and decorated iguana-style. The air temperature in that room may be raised using a heater, but you should still provide basking sites. If you do choose to let your iguana free-roam, please read the rest of this section so you can learn about their light and temperature requirements.


By Melissa Kaplan

Iguanas as Pets - What to Expect From a Pet Iguana

Iguanas are certainly one of the most popular lizards to be kept as pets. There are a multitude of online resources available to iguana owners or potential owners.

The pages listed below cover the basics (and sometimes in-depth) considerations for iguana care, certainly far better than I could. There are a few points that I would like to cover before listing some of the better iguana pages on the Net.

Iguanas are one of the more recent "fad" pets, becoming readily available in many pet stores, often at very low prices. These are young iguanas that don't seem to be too difficult to care for, a myth often perpetuated by retailers hoping to sell them. Of course, they are very cute too! But, as with all reptiles, iguanas have fairly strict feeding and housing requirements. And they grow, often very large (if they survive) and they can be difficult to tame and become aggressive. This is not to say that iguanas cannot make good pets - but they need the proper care right from the start, and owners need to have the right expectations. Melissa Kaplan, who authors what I would consider to be the best reptile site on the Net, has written an article entitled "So, You Think You Want a Reptile." Although not specific to iguanas, this article examines questions and considerations for every potential reptile owner. As well, Jennifer Swofford has a nice article at The Basking Spot called "Should I Get an Iguana," which looks at the considerations specific to Iguanas.

Also, it has been found that many reptiles carry Salmonella, meaning it is present in the digestive tract without causing disease. Following common sense hygiene practices when handling iguanas should prevent problems, but if there are young children, pregnant women, immunocompromised people or elderly persons in contact with the iguana, extra care will have to be taken to prevent Salmonella infections, or perhaps a reptile isn't the right pet for your household.


Source: From Lianne McLeod, DVM, former About.com Guide

Green Iguana





Green, or common, iguanas are among the largest lizards in the Americas, averaging around 6.5 feet (2 meters) long and weighing about 11 pounds (5 kilograms).

They are also among the most popular reptile pets in the United States, despite being quite difficult to care for properly. In fact, most captive iguanas die within the first year, and many are either turned loose by their owners or given to reptile rescue groups.

The green iguana’s extensive range comprises the rain forests of northern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and southern Brazil. They spend most of their lives in the canopy, descending only infrequently to mate, lay eggs, or change trees.

Primarily herbivores, iguanas are active during the day, feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit. They generally live near water and are excellent swimmers. If threatened, they will leap from a branch, often from great heights, and escape with a splash to the water below. They are also tough enough to land on solid ground from as high as 40 feet (12 meters) and survive.

Iguanas' stout build gives them a clumsy look, but they are fast and agile on land. They have strong jaws with razor-sharp teeth and sharp tails, which make up half their body length and can be used as whips to drive off predators. They can also detach their tails if caught and will grow another without permanent damage.

Other members of the iguana family include the Fiji Island banded iguana, the desert iguana, and the Galápagos Islands marine iguana. Their appearance, behavior, and endangered status vary from species to species.

Fast Facts

Type:
Reptile
Diet:
Herbivore
Average life span in the wild:
20 years
Size:
6.6 ft (2 m)
Weight:
11 lbs (5 kg)
Did you know?
In Central America, where iguana meat is frequently consumed, iguanas are referred to as "bamboo chicken" or "chicken of the trees."
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m)




Source: National Geographic

Tokay Gecko, Little Introduction


Indonesia is one of the island country of immense natural and cultural charm. Despite the political and economic conditions are far from stable, Indonesia was still able to enchant the world, with all kinds of charm. Tropical climate is quite distinctive, making it a perfect place for different kinds of exotic and amazing fauna to live. And these amazing reptiles, may be one reason that could be popularized to the world of Indonesia's natural beauty.
Gecko, yes that's a popular name in the community. This reptile turned out to have a lot of amazing stories. Perhaps this is also what makes geckos have a very high value in various circles. The various stories and myths accompany the gecko in its history. Starting from the myth of the tokay gecko as a talisman of luck, and or the rumors that have emerge saying that this nocturnal reptile can cure AIDS. If the first house geckos are not very popular in society, but unlike today, because whether it is caused by anything; that this explained, tokay gecko in the last couple of years became a topic that lot of people talk about. Starting from the village to elite executives in the big cities have discussed this tokay gecko rumor. So that automatically makes the gecko a commodity with a very high price. In Indonesia itself, has a lot of news stories and discuss the advantages and benefits of this reptile. With rumors circulating that the house geckos are able to cure AIDS, making the price reaches millions to billions of rupiah. Although there is no scientific evidence or research that says the house geckos are able to cure AIDS, but high demand for it often appeared in public. Indeed, it is evident in Chinese medicine techniques, geckos are able to cure some diseases. Diseases such as porters, and as a supplement to add strength. Even some house geckos skin is used as craft and decoration materials. Until this very day, the house geckos phenomenon continues. With a variety of excuses that circulate in the community, making the price of the higher reptiles. It's much buying or selling a house gecko is happening in Indonesia, and mostly done by foreign buyers from other countries. About the truth of this, I, as the owner of this blog is still not know for sure. And this is one of the reasons I made this blog, to share information with the world.
Looking at current conditions, particularly in Indonesia's population own a house gecko has been reduced. According to Indonesian agriculture official, house geckos great potential to reduce insect pests that often interfere with the farmers, because it is the staple food of most geckos are a variety of insects. So, is geckos will eventually become endangered animals? With the increasing buying or selling a house gecko is happening in Indonesia and other countries, the scarcity of house geckos are likely to occur. It is just a matter of time.

What Makes it So Valuable


The last few months in Indonesia, was widely circulated about geckos business that are booming. It was said, the price of a kilogram of geckos size could reach billions of rupiah. Because of the great fortune, lots of people trying out this business. But do not be tempted trigger first, this business is still all covered with dark. What is clear is that there is high demand in the market for the geckos, and there is a lot of transactions conducted on geckos sale in Indonesia.

Gecko had only used as an insult to predict the weather by some people in Indonesia, and now suddenly became most wanted reptile that has a high price. Although the market is limited, but demand for geckos seem to increase. You may believe it or not but this is a fact, because I have witnessed the transaction. Around the end of January 2010 yesterday, I asked one of my friends to the area of Pasuruan, East Java to deliver one of the guests who came from Jakarta, which he said looking gecko with 4 ounces of weight and he would appreciate with the price of 100 million rupiah. And sure enough, when we go to Pasuruan Warungdowo to the house of the gecko owner, after considering the weight and the result ared 4.2 ounces of my friends guest had taken a direct phone and call somebody and told him to transfer a sum of 100 million rupiahs to the account of the gecko owner. He had checked his account within one hour, and sure enough after half an hour talking, the gecko owner immediately checking his bank account and , a hundred million dollars has been included in the bill. With a little gasp with pleasure the gecko owner said "I'll find some more geckos again for you, sir!" No need to get a kilo, geckos weigh three to four ounces allready sell at a price of 100 million to 150 million Rupiahs. Only gecko weighs three ounces valued least expensive, while the weight just a little less price has fallen dramatically. Even now, I still having hard time to believe, but it really happened. This really makes me wonder what really makes the house geckos have become so expensive.

Various new phenomena of the house gecko often accompanies the trip of the house gecko that penetrating the business world. Various rumors and the reasons often put forward by various parties for a large profit. Some of the reasons that make house gecko prices soared among others are,

1. Circulation of rumors about the gecko's ability to cure HIV-AIDS, this story of origin is not clear because there has never been research and the news from any media that describe the research on this reptile's ability to cure AIDS. But it is clear that rumors have been circulating actually makes geckos prices soared, especially those who have sought is 3.5-4 ounces of weight.

2. Indeed the Chinese medical techniques, some animals are able to cure human diseases. In the geckos, can cure some skin diseases such as itching and eczema. There's even a mention that the house geckos have enzymes capable of curing the tumor. But, the program is not clear truth.

3. In addition, meat and skin of the geckos also have a fantastic price. In Indonesia, on Probolinggo area gecko breeders who obtain orders remain in considerable numbers from an importer from China. So, no wonder if the price could be costly.

4. Another rumor is a lot of geckos are also sought by the Japanese, who allegedly said to be used for the completeness of a royal ritual in Japan. This is because Japanese people believe that the gecko is another incarnation of the dragon, maybe that makes them willing to pay a high price.

Various reasons and rumors have been delivered over the house geckos and soon can become an icon and deliver the geckos to be high priced commodity. And it is frequently used by those who are crazy money. I myself, now has FOURTEEN GECKOS in my house. Perhaps there is no harm in hoping that I will keep the gecko is sought and bought with a high price. However, do not worry I still like the existence of these reptiles continued in nature, so I took the initiative to start breeding them.
Hopefully, I can make it...

Myths and Legends on Geckos Railway


As one of the reptiles that may be less popular as pets, geckos proved to have a background that was impressive. In fact, these reptiles often helped color the human life in various aspects. In society, especially in southeast asia geckos have many legends and myths in people's lives.
In Indonesia, especially Java many people who believe if there are geckos that occupy our homes, it is believed that the house has a high air of magic. Where possible in the house are heritage objects are believed to be maintained by the geckos. Other Javanese legend also mentions, that the people whose house is inhabited by the house gecko is believed will always have good luck. Especially when the geckos often barking at night.

In Chinese tradition is also believed, geckos, which have a bark as much as 7 or 9 times is a gecko that can bring luck to its possessor. And indeed, usually a gecko would bark with the same amount, no less and no more. Strange, but it's real.

Even in the land of Java there is such a spell to call the geckos in the woods, it is said that the geckos are capable of showing the location of a powerful heritage objects.

Different with the Japanese, they allegedly glorifies these reptiles because they believe that the gecko has a dragon gene, or in other words the reincarnation of the dragon. So that these reptiles often sought to be used to complement an imperial rituals in Japan.

Maybe, there are many other legends and myths that accompany these reptiles, and it was still very trusted by some people in various parts of the world. This is also the cause for geckos to have a high value on the market, for some circles.

For me, the gecko is one of the natural resources we must preserve with proper. Who knows someday geckos would give real benefit for humanity. Maybe one day geckos actually have the ability to cure AIDS.

For the Indonesian, especially Javanese people, preserving geckos also means preserving traditions and cultural from our ancestors.

Several Myth About Indonesian Tokay Gecko In Indonesia

The following will be described myths surrounding the sunter geckos came among communities, some believe there is not. what about you?

Myth 1: Gecko is one animal that knows about the future of the human self.
Many people who try your luck with asking the geckos geckos read. like a rich, promoted, or until the marriage broke up though.

Myth 2: Gecko considered a good luck animal.
many people who assume animal geckos are good luck, as for the features that are trusted by the public which reads odd gecko, geckos who have forked tails facing the sky, etc..

Myth 3: Perceived Gecko can cure AIDS
Recently was widely rumored that the gecko can meyembuhkan aids. some people believe one of the saliva, tongue ato even blood can increase the body’s immune pernyakit that can cure AIDS, although until now there has not issued any agency statment that the gecko can cure AIDS. at least there are some people who tiba2 a gecko milioner akibar sell billions prices.

Myth 4: It is Animal Gecko Dragon Descendants
Some people in Japan believe that the gecko is the animal incarnation of a dragon. therefore there are some people think that gecko is a sacred animal.

How to Catch YourTokay Gecko


There are several ways you can use to catch geckos to survive because if we are wrong then the gecko would catch him stress and weight will decrease
how to catch geckos:


1. Fishing With Feathers
gecko loved small feathers, because the thought of insects. Gecko seekers, fur was used as a fishing tool, so that these animals out of the nest.
“Gecko’s like the same hair, mistaken for food. Usually we put the fur on the end sticks or bamboo, and stirred in front of the hole geckos,”
However, it should also be noted, do not be vain to catch the animal using his bare hands, because if the bite is very hard to be released. Thus, additional equipment required, such as tweezers to catch

2. Make Gecko drunk with tobacco
The equipment used to catch geckos as easy, just a stick and a cigarette. Way, cigarettes tied at one end of the stick and then fed to the geckos.
To attract the attention of geckos, rocking a cigarette in front of his eyes. When eating, gecko would get drunk and ready immediately arrested. use fishing nets when the gecko already drunk

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Tokay Gecko, About

There are approximately 800 different species of gecko, which can be divided into four sub categories. These are Diplodactylinae, Gekkoninae, sphaerodactylinae and Eublepharinae. The largest of these is the gekkoninae family that has over 550 species living all over the world.

Geckos are widespread and adaptable and pose no threat to humans at all, they will live happily side by side with humans usually making a home where they can easily access a ceiling light that attracts insects.

The gecko is found in many warm climates around the globe. One of the main differences between a gecko and other lizards is the way in which they communicate with each other. Gecko’s make loud chirping sounds when they are socializing with others from their species.

Another difference between geckos and lizards is they have no eyelids, instead they have a transparent membrane that they clean by licking with their tongues.

Geckos can walk across ceilings upside down with ease as they have special pads on their feet. In warm climates, many geckos make their home inside of human’s homes as it can provide protection and shelter. There is a gecko named the ‘house gecko’ that is well known for living inside peoples home, they are rarely discouraged from doing this as they are great at ridding other insects that could pose as a problem.

Some species of gecko can change color, similar to how chameleons do, to blend in with their surroundings or adjusting with the temperature. There are many different colors of geckos, some brightly colored that display wonderful patterns across their bodies.

Life in the wild for geckos is often fraught with danger and the day geckos have many predators, which include snakes, birds and other large lizards. Even without these added dangers a geckos time is spent hunting for foods and if male, attempting to keep hold of a territory while overcoming violent confrontations from other geckos wishing to invade. The territorial disputes can easily lead to the gecko being injured by bites and tearing wounds, as they have a fairly delicate skin.

Gecko's Anatomy


Geckos are the only lizards that have a voice. Some species of geckos make a squeaking or clicking noise that sounds like “gecko,” hence their name. Most geckos are nocturnal (they are most active at night); they have large eyes and excellent vision.

Anatomy: Geckos have short, wide, fleshy toes with large, backward-curved claws. Most geckos have sticky toe pads, composed of microscopic Velcro-like hooked bristles (called setae) on the bottom of the feet; the bristles allow them to climb well, even on smooth surfaces or upside down. Desert geckos have fringed feet that let them run across sand very easily. Flying geckos (genus Ptychozoon) have wide flaps of skin extending from the abdomen and have webbed toes, legs, and tail that help them glide gracefully through the air.

Geckos range in size from 1/2 inch to about 14 inches (1.5 to 35 cm) long; the largest gecko is the tokay gecko (Gecko gecko). The wide tail stores fat. The gecko’s eyes are covered and protected by a transparent membrane; the gecko cleans this membrane with its long tongue.

Diet: Gecko are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat mostly insects (like crickets, springtails, and cockroaches) and mealworms, but they also eat young birds, eggs, and tiny mammals, hunting for their prey at night.

Predators: Snakes are geckos’ main predators. When a gecko is caught by its tail, it releases the tail, which twitches for a while, allowing the gecko to escape capture. The gecko will later grow another tail.

Habitat: Geckos live in a variety of warm habitats, including rainforests, deserts, grasslands, and marshes. They are now found all over the world as pets (especially the tokay gecko).

Reproduction: Geckos hatch from eggs. Females usually lay 2 white, sticky eggs. The eggs are soft at first, but harden quickly. There is no parental care. Geckos will sometimes eat their own eggs.

Classification: Class Reptilia (reptiles), Order Squamata (lizards and snakes), Suborder Lacertilia (lizards), Family Gekkonidae (geckos), about 400 species.

Lizards are vertebrate animals that similar to humans have a backbone, skull and ribs. Of the 3000 plus different species of lizard that have been discovered there are considerable differences in the shape, size and lifestyle of these lizards, there are however some common characteristics that bind them together. Of their external features they all have skin, a tongue, ears, eyes, limbs and a tail.

Skin
The skin acts as a protective coating that prevents the lizard from dehydrating. The formation of the scales varies from species to species, in some it allows the lizard to change color to adapt into the environment.

Tongue
Their tongues are short and fat, although chameleons and a few others have a longer tongue. The tongue works in conjunction with the Jacobson’s organ and analyses and tastes whatever comes in contact with it.

Ears
Most lizards have a visible external ear hole or opening, sometimes it is covered up by a tympanum (ear drum).

Eyes
Most lizards can blink and shut their eyes, this is dissimilar to snakes who have no moveable eyelids. There are a few burrowing lizards that have no eyes at all. There are also special adaptations between species such as the gecko, which has large eyes to aid their night vision, and chameleons that have independently moving eyes.

Limbs
The limbs are specialized organs and the fingers and toes are adapted according to the species and lifestyle. An example is most geckos have adhesive pads on the tips of their digits to enable them to climb many surfaces such as trees, walls and ceilings.

Tail
The tail is also used differently depending on the species, it can be used for fighting, grasping, balancing and storage of fatty deposits to name a few. The tail can be shed as a means to defend from a predator, this is a good reason why you should never pick your lizard up by it’s tail.

Internal organs
The lizard is equipped with organs very similar to those of mammals. They have a skull that houses their brain, lungs to breathe air just like we do, a liver to remove toxins and the alimentary canal to process its food.

Thermo regulation
Lizards are totally reliant on the external living conditions. Unlike mammals they do not have the equipment to internally generate heat, they are therefore cold-blooded, also known as ectothermic.

Lizards thermo regulate (warm up and cool down) by moving around their habitat. When it is cool in the morning they will seek out the suns rays or the heat pad or spotlight in your vivarium so they can bask in the heat and recharge their batteries. Once they reach their optimum temperature they will then move on to hunt for food and patrol their territory. On hot days they will avoid overheating by resting in the shade, cooling off in water or seeking the coolness of their retreat or burrow.

Tokay Gecko



Now a research group in China has found that Gecko powder can inhibit EC9706 and EC1 growth and proliferation.

Gecko can also decrease vascular endothelin growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor expression in tumor tissue and induce tumor cell apoptosis.
As is known, the effect on anti-tumor of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is related to more pathways and more targets. Most studies on action mechanisms of TCM in anti-tumor showed that TCM could inhibit tumors though supporting the healthy energy and strengthening the body resistance.

The research team, led by Prof. Wang from Henan University of China, showed that Gecko could not only reinforce immunity of organism but also induction of tumor cell apoptosis and the down-regulation of protein expression of VEGF and bFGF.
Chemotherapy, one of the major methods to treat cancer in Western medicine at present, has a poor selectivity and strong toxic and side effects, thus influencing its anticancer effect. In the past 40 years, Chinese experts have gained remarkable achievements in cancer treatment by integrating TCM with chemotherapy. This article gives us pharmacological studies of Gecko about antitumor and thus may provide foundation for its effective constituent.

Dog Behavior

Dog Behavior. Instinctive behaviors of the domestic dog are comparable to those of its wild relatives, the wolf, coyote, fox, and jackal. Unlike trained behaviors, such as being housebroken or responding to human commands, instinctive behaviors are those that dogs do without being taught and include vocalizations, body language, and marking.

For example, by four weeks of age, puppies bark, whine, growl, and howl—-just like their wild relatives. Even the African Basenji, known as the barkless dog, yodels when aroused. These sounds, whether elicited in excitement, fear, territoriality, or pain, are one way that dogs communicate with one another and with other animals and people.


Dogs also communicate through their use of body language. Facial expression, ear posture, tail carriage, hackle (hair on back) display, and body stance signal a dog’s state of fear, excitement, aggression, or submission. Understanding the meaning behind these signals can be important.
Signs of potential hostility in a dog include bared teeth, flattened ears, erect tail, stiff legs, and bristling back hair; the dog may also growl or bark. People observing these behaviors should keep their arms at their sides and slowly back away, while firmly saying “no.” When approaching a strange dog, first ask the owner if the dog may be touched. Once given permission, hold the hands low and speak softly. Staring directly at a dog may arouse intimidation or aggression, so eye contact with strange dogs should be avoided.

Dogs typically mark their territory with urine as part of the social communication between animals in general and among the species. A dog may defend the territory by growling, barking, or assuming aggressive body language.

In addition to these instinctive behaviors, dogs are capable of learning certain trained behaviors, such as following obedience commands. The domesticated dog is able and willing to learn appropriate behaviors and is highly motivated to please its owner, critical factors that have contributed to the success of the domestic dog as a companion.

The Proper Care for Cats

Just like us, cats have needs and their needs must be provide especially if you have them as pets. Their needs are just normal when it comes to the basic and as well as material. What matters most is the affection and care you share for these animals. When they feel that you are sincerely taking care of them, they would really feel it.

What do cats need?

The following are the things cats needs for better growth and development:

* Cat food

- Cats could be very greedy but you have to watch their diet. There is this right amount of food. When cats are younger than 12 weeks, they need to have 4 small meals but when they grow as old as more than 12 weeks; you could gradually trim down the number of meals to 2. Water must also be provided but milk is not encouraged for it would only cause diarrhea to cats. Feeding them with grass from time to time could also help out in their digestion of food.

* Cat belongings

- There are items you need to provide to your cat that would surely make it feel the comfort and in effect these things are sure help for you to have a clean and orderly home. One of the most important things you have to provide is the litter container. Well, cats may be clean animals but just to make sure, you place a litter container for your pet to use. This would let you overcome having a smelly home.

- A post to scratch is another thing that must be provided by the pet owner. This would let the home furniture stay away from the scratches of cats when they are growing their nails.

* Cat grooming

- They also need to look good. Proper grooming must be given to cats. When they feel pampered, they would radiate it and echo it to you. When your cat is long-haired, see to it that you comb the hair daily and give your pet a generous bath from time to time. When your pet is short-haired, just see to it that you get rid of fleas and other parasites. They have to remove as much as possible for they may also go and stay in your belongings at home like carpets and others. Tooth brushing is also very hygienic.

These three important points must really be remembered for they would definitely make your cat pets live the best life with your care and your affection that they may also return the kindness back.

Physical Characteristic of Dogs

Physical Characteristic of Dogs. Domestic dogs vary widely in appearance, particularly in size. The Shih Tzu, for example, is 20 to 28 cm (8 to 11 in) in length and weighs 4 to 7 kg (9 to 15 lb). The Irish wolfhound is at the other end of the scale, measuring about 71 to 94 cm (about 28 to 37 in) at the shoulder and weighing up to about 61 kg (about 135 lb). Coat color, length, texture, and pattern also vary greatly. The muzzle may appear shortened, as in the Pekingese, or elongated, as in the Doberman pinscher. Limbs are relatively short in the basset hound and dachshund, but long in the greyhound. Ear shape and carriage also vary, but these characteristics may be influenced by a dog owner’s decision to crop, or cut, the ears to make them stand up. Some dogs, notably the chow chow, even have a naturally blue-black tongue.

Despite these differences, all breeds of the domestic dog are essentially identical in anatomy. The skeleton of the domestic dog has an average of 321 bones, with variation reflecting differences in the number of bones in the tail and the presence of a dewclaw, an extra digit on the paw that not all breeds have.

The rib cage consists of 13 pairs of ribs; the spine has 7 cervical vertebrae, 13 thoracic vertebrae, 7 lumbar vertebrae, and 3 sacral vertebrae. Rear paws have four complete digits and front paws have four or five digits. Most puppies have 28 temporary teeth, which are replaced with 42 permanent teeth at about six months of age. Some breed differences evolved to help dogs survive in their native environment or occupation. For example, dogs that lived and worked outdoors, such as the Komondor of Hungary, needed a thick, weather-resistant coat to protect them from the elements and, perhaps, the biting teeth of predatory animals. Similarly, the Labrador retriever developed an oily coat, webbed feet, and a rudder-like tail to help it perform better in recovering downed waterfowl. Just as distinct physical characteristics became trademarks in some breeds, unusual sensory abilities characterize others. Most dogs are able to detect scents and hear high-pitched sounds that are beyond human perception, but some breeds have especially acute sensory skills. The bloodhound, for instance, can follow a four-day-old track using its highly developed sense of smell. Other breeds with a keen sense of smell include the German shepherd, golden retriever, beagle, and Newfoundland. These dogs have been trained for such varied duties as detecting hidden drugs, explosives, termites, and even a decomposing body immersed in deep water.

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Copyrighted by Asian Brain, LLC

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Free Dog Training Guide

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Excerpt from the Dog Training Guide:

"Dog training is not merely a collection of isolated sessions. Dog training is an ongoing process that occurs during specified training sessions and through the rest of every dog's day. The lessons taught during dog training times should be reinforced at all times. Additionally, an owner should recognize that there is no particular time frame for dog training. It is a process that literally lasts the lifetime of the dog/owner relationship. Those who see training as a discrete step or defined moment in a dog's life are likely not to get the results they desire from their training regimen. Dog training not only lasts a lifetime - it occurs over the course of a lifetime."




Source: I-Love-Dogs.com

Dog Health Guide!

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* Hollywood Dogs
* How To Control Incessant Dog Barking
* Lesser-Known Dog Breeds
* Non-Shedding Dog Breeds
* The Many Sizes Of Poodles
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* Understanding Your Dog's Anal Gland
* Choosing A Toy Dog
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Source: I-Love-Dogs.com