its a wild thing

hey friends! webinar is coming up this sunday, 11 am - 1 pm EST (recording will be made available for those who cannot attend live)

registration is $35

in this webinar i’ll be covering:

- some basic photography & editing tips

- how to proof a better stay for photos

- adding duration & distance to known behaviors to make taking photos of your dog thwhen you’re by yourself that much easier

- live training demos to teach a few basic tricks that make for adoptable photos such as catching a treat, sit pretty, chin rest, wave, holding an item, and jumping over or onto an object

this is meant for beginners who just want to get better at photographing their dog, so having a DSLR is not necessary. the things I will be going over can be useful for smartphones as well!

this is gonna be a fun one- hope to see you there!

Voldemort over feeds his reticulated python

wow. a picture of regality 

he makin that dumb face again. look at it. look how dumb it is. 

Today’s blog post is brought to you by the number

i want to give this maremma sheepdog a hug and tell him everything’s going to be ok

, but white

i want to give this maremma sheepdog a hug and tell him everything’s going to be ok

Having seen some births now i can say that dog birth is amazing cos they just slip n slide out one after the other like a little conveyor belt. And theyre so little and unformed. And then UNGULATE BIRTHS ... are amazing for the opposite reason which is that 10mins after being born they are filing their taxes. Unless they are goats, in which case they are committing tax fraud instead

Goats are what is called a precocial species, which means that shortly after birth they are able to do many thimgs on their own, such as standing, walking, eating, and embezzlement

As a goat owner, can confirm

looking forward

I've been doing a lot of research on proper heating for reptiles in preparation for upgrading my ball pythons to bioactive PVC enclosures. In the process I discovered that new research seems to suggest that under tank heaters (UTH), Ceramic heat emitters (CHE), Deep heat projectors (DHP), and radiant heat panels (RHP) are all inadequate as the only heat source. As someone whose been keeping my ball pythons on heat tape (like the majority of ball python keepers) this came as quite a surprise. Below I've included the arguments I've seen for why research seems to suggest we've been doing things wrong. I'm still learning, so if you have any questions or suggestions please let me know!

As reptile keepers we strive to do our best at creating a microclimate for our pets. Since reptiles are ectothermic, they rely on the heat provided by natural sunlight and absorbed by earth for their metabolism to function properly.  We already know that reptiles need certain levels of UVB radiation to properly metabolize calcium. Some reptiles need more UVB than others, with diurnal reptiles needing more direct sun exposure than crepuscular reptiles. However, we’re coming to an understanding that UVB is beneficial to all reptiles regardless of their daytime activity. Even leopard geckos and ball pythons get at least some sun exposure during the day, even if they’re more active at night.

In order to understand how reptiles use sunlight we have to break it down to its main components. Visible light, Ultraviolet light (UVB), and infrared radiation.

Typically we’re more concerned with actual temperature of the environment rather than the components of heat. We don’t tend to think of heat as being a component of sunlight. However, heat produced by the sun is composed of three major types of Infrared radiation. Infrared-A, Infrared-B, and Infrared-C, each type is absorbed differently by reptiles.

IR-A also known as ‘near infrared’ (NIR) is the shortest infrared wavelength and is the closest to visible light. It’s high energy and creates deep penetrating heat that is more readily absorbed by reptiles. IR-B has less energy and only partially penetrates into the skin. Finally IR-C is known as ‘far infrared’ (FIR), this is more of an after effect of IR-A and IR-B, like when you press your hand against a rock that’s been warmed by the sun. It’s only really effective as background heat.

A good metaphor I saw for this was the feeling you get when you’re in a heated room. You can be in a room heated to 75F and the warmth is more superficial, just in the air. It doesn’t penetrate into your body very well and it takes longer for you to warm up completely. However, if you go outside and stand in the sun at 75F the heat will warm you up almost instantly. Actual sunlight is more effective at warming you from the outside than just ambient heat.  It’s similar for reptiles.

Traditionally we’ve just focused on the temperature of the heat rather than the type of heat when we warm our enclosures. However, this research suggests that heating elements like UTH/CHE/RHP only produce IR-C, which is the most superficial type of infrared radiation. These work well for creating ambient temperatures, but are not effective on their own for basking.

 Deep heat projectors (DHP) are a relatively new product that produces a combo of IR-B and IR-C with a minimal amount of IR-A. This is more effective than the other heating elements, but it still doesn’t produce a sufficient amount of IR-A, which makes up the majority of the IR spectrum.

 Finally, Tungsten-halogen bulbs produce primarily IR-A as well as a large portion of IR-B and a minimal amount of IR-C.

This makes halogen bulbs infrared composition most similar to that provided by the sun.  Making them the best source for basking heat according to this research.

To summarize, it seems that we need to move more toward using halogen basking bulbs for our basking temperatures with UTH/CHE/RHP/DHP being useful as a supplement to raise the ambient heat. The research I have found suggests that providing this and using top down heat primarily is more naturalistic and beneficial for reptiles. The author of the main article I used for this suggested that the reptiles he switched to this system became more energetic and were less susceptible to disease like infections. I’ll include a link to the full PDF here so you can read for yourself.  

Moving over to this system seems like it will be most important for diurnal animals. However, this article suggests that crepuscular reptiles like ball pythons and leopard geckos will also benefit tremendously. Link to the full blog post here.

Arcadia reptiles also agrees with this new research. Their deep heat projector seems to be a move in the right direction. Link to their article here.

I personally will be moving all of my reptiles to this system, because it seems to be the best at providing naturalistic heat and may encourage more natural behaviors. Let me know what you all think, I’d love some feedback. I’m by no means an expert, but I wanted to write out what I’ve learned since this all seems very new and interesting.

Thanks for reading!

There are a few quick things I forgot to mention in my original post.

When using a halogen bulb you'll need a dimming proportional thermostat. There are two types of proportional thermostats, pulse proportional and dimming proportional. Pulse proportional turns the heating element on and off at a very fast rate to control the temp, while dimming proportional actually controls the voltage. You don't want to use pulse proportional on lights because this will create a slight strobe effect (even if it's not very perceptible to us).

Also keep in mind that halogen bulbs will provide the correct type of heat, but no UVB. You'll still need a UVB in your set up. For my ball python enclosures, I plan to have a RHP for ambient temps that will been on 24/7 hooked up to either a dimming or pulse proportional thermostat (pulse is fine for heaters like this). A halogen bulb with mesh guard for basking hooked up to a dimming proportional thermostat that will turn off at night for a nightly temp drop. Then a Arcadia Shadedweller for UVB on the same side of the tank as the halogen. Finally, a T5HO fixture with a full spectrum light for plant growth.

If you have any questions or suggestions please let me know!

I've been working on adding this to my website for months

we rly just stan ok

certified cute boi

When I started volunteering with a wolf preserve, something I learned very quickly is that a LOT of people like to think their dog is a wolfdog. This is seriously so so common to hear from people:

“Oh yeah I know how rowdy wolves are; I’ve actually got a husky/Timberwolf mix at home!”

I mean... maybe, but most likely no you do not. Wolves are misrepresented so often in media that it seems many people struggle to identify the features that come from true wolf genetics, as opposed to those from northern dog breeds. Irresponsible breeders know this, and they also know that claiming the malamute puppies they’re selling are 1/4 wolf will make those pups seem interesting and desirable to buyers. As a result, uneducated dog owners label their pet as a “Wolfdog” without knowing the serious consequences of doing so. It may seem like a harmless phenomenon but it really isn’t.

So why should we care if someone mislabels their dog a wolfdog? I feel there are 2 really big reasons why this is so dangerous

1- if you tell people your dog is a Wolfdog, some may believe you. They may think “Luna is just the most beautiful dog, sure she’s energetic but nothing I can’t handle. Maybe I should get a wolfdog too”. This is a problem because that individual could seek out a wolfdog to purchase and end up owning the genuine article, as opposed to your dubious backyard “wolfdog”. Wolves and dogs are SO different, due to the fact that humans spent thousands of years breeding out the traits that make them unsuitable for daily companionship. Wolf dogs will have a lot of those genes! They need a tremendous amount of space and diligent, specialized care from an experienced keeper. A rambunctious husky is not even close to the same level as a high content wolfdog. When unprepared people decide to own a wolfdog, it often ends very poorly. The sanctuary where I volunteered has had to take in several wolfdogs that were surrendered by owners who could not handle them.

2- The laws of ownership regarding wolfdogs are very different from those that govern pet ownership. Each state has varying legislation, with some requiring licenses based on the animal’s wolf content. If you claim that your dog is a wolfdog, they will likely be subject to laws that classify them as captive wildlife rather than a pet. Due to the fact that there is no approved rabies vaccine for wolves/wolfdogs, animal shelters that take these cases are often forced to euthanize any dog that has been classified as a “wolfdog” due to public safety concerns. There have been several tragic cases where dog owners mislabeled their pet as part wolf, and were unable to reclaim them from a shelter when the animal could not be certified rabies free. Telling people (even online) that your malamute a wolfdog can get it killed.

Wolves are great, dogs are great, and wolfdogs are great. We have devoted so much time to the study and care of all these animals that there is really no excuse for misrepresenting them. If you love your dog, love it for what it is! Mislabeling your pet as a wolf is really irresponsible and can cause misery for others that you never even see. For reference:

100% Grey Wolf

LOW content wolfdog

Absolutely 0% wolf 😅

Man sees crab for the first time.

does he…

Live in the

Some fucking

mollusk

pulls up

Elegant in repose 👌

it's handsome lad hours

My friend didn’t know that a dog’s breed can affect their behaviour. She has a dog. There needs to be more public education on dogs and general animal care.

This is so common it's almost terrifying. People get dogs all the time and then go "I didnt know he'd be like this" like dude that breed is known for being a nutty hyper mess what did you expect

Lilac-breasted roller - Coracias caudatus