Tag: Murph

diet

No Butternut Squash For My Beardie

Dawn Renee10 Comments

Sigh.

It was a great looking squash.

It held a secret.

There was an intruder.

No signs of forced entry.

No apparent abrasions.

The crime: Butternut Battery.

The sentence: Death by refrigeration.

The Perp:

Exhibit A:                                                                     Exhibit B:

ech, sad way to go
poor whatever it is

This squash was purchased last week. Murph was going to enjoy the final 1/3 of it, but not now. What I do, is after washing my darling lizard’s veggies, I slice off that which will be eaten & then toss the remainder into the refrigerator drawer. When I use it again I slice off the air-dried tip, toss it outside for a wild creature to eat & give to Murph another section of stated vegetable.That means this food has been cold for quite some time.

After purchasing the groceries & getting them home, I placed most of the vegetables into the refrigerator immediately. I do not know if the multi-legged perpetrator was DOA or if the coldness killed him or her. I know that insects will often get so cold they cannot move, so in case it was alive I put the whole thing outside. It resembles a superworm, a commonly purchased food supply for lizards:

3. Stages of Super worm Source:https://www.shutterstock.com/search?search_source=base_landing_page&langua ge=en&searchterm=super+worms&image_type=all

…except it was darker, with a shorter body, and legs more like a caterpillar’s. I was grossed out by the unwarranted surprise, but wished (if it was dead as it appeared) it had passed away untrapped in our squash… outside, perhaps in the sunlight.

When I sliced the squash, it appeared as though a nasty bruise was in the flesh of it.

I hypothesized that it looked like no ordinary bruise.

I investigated.

I performed an autopsy with a surgeon’s accuracy, slicing carefully at the exact spot of suspicion. As seen in Exhibit B, the lighting of such reveals an unmarred insect individual.

My conclusion was correct.

The moral of the story is this: A bruise may tell a much deeper story, not all bruises are from bumps, not all bruises are visible, and finally, the living or the dead can be discovered at any moment – when or where we least expect it.

dav

Lil’ Murph will be happy with his medley of food without the squash. I have to tell you, the next food items I prepared were organic arugula & a banana. Guess what. The banana was horribly bruised & soft. I had a passing paranoia directly after the encounter within the squash, so the banana was launched. It had a graceful flight out the back door to land as a meal for a critter or improve soil quality, or something, I don’t know. Check those bruises!

 

*superworm photo from:    https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Stages-of-Super-worm_fig4_328551486

 

 

“Give me Lizardry or give me Death! – ♥ Dawn Renee

 

 

 

 

Lizard Facts

Do Lizards Have 20/20 Vision?

Dawn Renee8 Comments

I think it would be interesting to see the world as every other creature does, if only for a fleeting moment!     So what do lizards see?

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Well…. Lizard (including geckos) and turtle retinas contain multicolored oil droplets in their photoreceptors, so   they can perceive color.    The opsin proteins in the cones in the eye are “calibrated” to detect different wavelengths. In many species, this enables them to see into the higher wavelengths beyond the scope of unaided human vision: into the UV range.

Nocturnal reptiles usually have smaller eyes than diurnal ones, but relatively large pupillary and lens aperture and cornea. This improves their light-gathering ability, but at the same time reduces visual acuity.

Lizards can focus on near and far by squeezing or stretching their lenses, using the ciliary muscles and annular pads. Pupils dilate and contract in response to light. Nocturnal geckos like the tokay have a stenopaic pupil: contracts into a vertical slit composed of a linear array of dots. Some nocturnal lizards have slit pupils, others are round. Lizards, unlike other reptiles, have a choroid body, called the conus papillaris. Projecting out into the vitrious humor, it nourishes the cornea.

*Thank you    http://www.anapsid.org/sight.html

The spectrum of sunlight includes infrared, “visible light” (the colors we see in the rainbow) and ultraviolet light, which is subdivided into UVA, UVB and UVC.

UVA, is essential. Many reptiles have extremely good color vision. Humans have three types of retinal cone cells for color vision, and their brains combine the information from these cells and perceive the blend as a certain color. Most reptiles, however, have a fourth cone type, which responds to UVA. These reptiles see a much more colorful rainbow than humans do, which makes providing natural lighting quite a challenge. This extra color perception is especially important to many reptile species in recognizing others of their species and even food items.

Some nocturnal geckos lack the red-sensitive cone, but their green-sensitive cone also responds to red light; they can certainly see it. Studies have even shown that some use their cone types for color vision in light similar to dim moonlight. Thus it is possible that “moonlight blue” or “red night light” lamps, which usually are much brighter than moonlight, alter these animals’ view of the twilight world.lighting-2-500

Sunlight also has effects unrelated to conscious vision. A reptile’s eyes, and the parietal eye (third eye) in those species that have one, transmit information to other parts of its brain responsible for setting circadian (daily) and circannual (yearly) rhythms. There are even light-sensitive areas of the reptilian brain that respond directly to sunlight’s glow through the skull. The length of day and night, the sun’s position in the sky, and the intensity and amount of blue in sunlight all give precise information about the time of day and season of the year. In response, a reptile adjusts its activity levels, and daily and seasonal behaviors, such as its reproductive cycle and thermoregulation needs. Even nocturnal species govern their behavior by monitoring day and night from their daytime hiding places.

*Thank you   http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Habitats-Care/Reptile-Lighting-Information/

…So what have we learned if the study and testing conclusions are accurate?

  1. Lizards do see colors.
  2. Most reptiles actually see a much more colorful rainbow than we!
  3. Most lizards have a parietal eye, known as the third eye, which is a photosensory organ.
  4. Also, their pupils dilate and contract, same as ours, to focus on things near or further away.
  5. I will further add to this by stating a lizard (specifically Bearded Dragons) close their eyes for 4 reasons:     a) You are overstimulating at the moment OR they don’t like you AND they want you to go away.    b) They are sleepy.    c) They are at this very moment, in perfect peace with their environment & existence.      d) They are feeling love from or toward you right now.
    dav
    “Yes, I can see very well with my cute eyes!”
    img_20191026_141532.jpg
    “I see Mommy has a lighting obsession.”
    mde
    “I see brother Dog is…being dogly.”

     

    20190818_203316.jpg
    “Mommy wonders how I see this double rainbow.”
    “Give me Lizardry or give me Death!” – ♥Dawn Renee
Behavior · care · enclosures · Moody Lizards

Do Lizards Get Bored?

Dawn Renee10 Comments
sigh
img_20190324_200526.jpg
“I’m bored. Bored. Bored”
dav
“Did you say something?”
img_20190324_200230-e1571662434389.jpg
“What, Mommy?”
img_20190324_200100-e1571662502356.jpg
“We’re going outside to enjoy the lightning bugs? Hooray! Yes, I know, Mom… it’s detrimental for me if I eat one, I don’t want to anyway.”

Yes, folks, lizards do get bored. They also have moods and get depressed. I’ve seen it many times. One example of a depressed lizard is when I left the country for 2 weeks. Lil’ Murph nearly stopped eating and pooing altogether, he became lethargic, and worried his caretakers. Four people were seeing to his well-being & keeping logs, so they were all informed as to when Murph did what.

The reason for this was if too much time lapsed in persuading him to eat, or if he would not poo, causing a concern for impaction, these care-takers (or Murph-sitters) could ‘draw straws’ to determine who would call me with concerning news before contacting his exotic animal veterinarian. (*note: it isn’t strictly the consumption of substrate which may cause it.)

It took quite some time upon my arrival home for Murph to become his happy self again. Reptiles can and will love (in their own way) the humans that love them. They are far more intelligent than many people would assume due to not having witnessed the proof.

You too can see the proof pertaining to reptilian moods. Have you been to an awful pet store and actually looked into the eyes of some reptiles, frogs, snakes, or any being, just lying there?

If it’s not night time, when lizards would be sleepy, and if they are not in brumation, they should not look like that. They are in a prison with no love, no freedom, and no change of scenery.

That’s why it’s important to pluck them from their imprisonments to enjoy the warm sunlight with you, while diligently remaining their protector. This is good for their physical and mental well-being.

My lizards have been my companions as I do dishes and other chores. I make sure they do not stray far. I have placed them on a cushion at the opened, but screened window next to me while I toil  (I set a sturdy prop under windows for extra security – maybe I’m overly protective, but if a window gave way in it’s track, that would be horrible, awful).

Sometimes a creation with household items to contain them within an area larger than their cage can be constructed. This helps them to get exercise if the weather outside is too harsh. Such also protects them from going where they should not.

If a dangerous pet, children or clumsy adults are around, don’t let your scaly darlings out of their cages – for their safety. Some daily time with their families is important. It is however, vital to remember that they need a minimum of hours of exposure to special heating and lighting (an informative post about that) and/or proper exposure to the sun’s rays every day.

Change a bored lizard’s scenery:

Lil’ Murph (shown above) has an enclosure with a view. He watches birds at the feeder & cars drive by. When the weather is pleasant, the window is opened for him. The enclosure that is now his is not glass (he gets his heating & lighting needs – but more on that later) this allows for sun exposure or the enjoyment of a breeze.

Ever seen a cat or other creature’s intrigue about the room that has just been redecorated? You can… yes, I am about to throw it out there… redecorate your scaly friend’s place for them!!

Make sure, if she/he/they have any favorite items, such as a hammock, perch, blankie, or whatever, you leave them in there. Keep in mind the design possibilities, in that they are not too close or far from the heating and lighting sources.

Your lizard has preferences too, and you will both be aware what they are after a couple of days. Your lizard will appreciate the change, be visibly annoyed by it, or appear to accept it. : )

I cannot stress this enough. In regards to the moods of lizards, more explicitly depressed lizards in pet stores and the mills that supply the pet stores, please click on our post links below to watch these videos & know what’s really going on in the world. This is not common knowledge. The Cruelty To Reptiles and If We Love Animals, We Must Not Support The People Behind The Animal Mills.

People can adopt reptiles that need a family. It’s similar to visiting a humane society to find a furry friend. Just as we can give a good life to a cat or dog that is residing in a shelter (often for a short time before it’s euthanized), you can choose (won’t be easy) the special reptile(s) or other exotic animal(s) whose lives you will make better.

Internet search engines can be helpful in finding such facilities. Hopefully, there is a location near you. If assistance may be helpful, please contact Lizardplanet.com via the ‘Contact’ page.

 

 

“Give me Lizardry or give me Death!” -♥Dawn Renee