Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[vencrypt]

Heyo!! I made some free linearts for leopard gecko and crested geckos c: here is the link! I put in the PSD files as well, I hope they work ?

ex:

[drift.]

^ Wow those are awesome! I'll probably make some art of my friends gargoyle boy :> ^

[Aj_cookie04]

This was my first bearded dragon, cinnamon.

[shadow~wolf]

all i want for my birthday is a ball python. no special morphs, just a normal bp. i've been so interested in snakes for the past 4 years and constantly watching videos of them, learning about them, etc. but my mom has a fear of snakes and refuses to let me get one :c help?

[Violently Violet]

all i want for my birthday is a ball python. no special morphs, just a normal bp. i've been so interested in snakes for the past 4 years and constantly watching videos of them, learning about them, etc. but my mom has a fear of snakes and refuses to let me get one :c help?

Some tips:

1. Join ball-pythons.net. do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. Show your Mom how knowledgeable and prepared you are.

2. Assure her that any snake you get would be in an enclosure with locks and no way to escape, and that you would only keep it in your room. Tell her she wouldn't even have to see it.

3. If she's squeamish about the rodents it would eat, let her know they would be dead (frozen) and consider getting a separate mini freezer for them. Not everyone's keen on the idea of keeping their food next to dead rats..

4. Prove to her how responsible you are. If you have other pets, let her see you take care of them more than usual, or do more chores to prove you're ready for the responsibility.

5. She might be more likely to let you have one if you'll be the one providing for it financially. If she doesn't like snakes, she might find it gross or a waste to spend money on it.

6. Pick your moment. It may sound kind of sneaky or underhanded, but I would suggest maybe asking for one ON your birthday, saying "it's all I want" "it would make this the happiest birthday ever" etc. Choose a time where she'll be more focused on you and making you happy than on the actual idea of getting a snake.

7. This doesn't work on some people, and can actually further their fear or make your chances less, but consider asking her to go to a reptile expo with you. If she likes lizards or amphibians she might go to see them but end up interacting with snakes. Many vendors allow you to hold the snakes at expos, and if you're reallllyyyy lucky, she may hold one as well and could realize how awesome they are, or be less scared of them. However, as I said before, some people would react negatively and it might further their fear towards snakes as they are trapped in a building with hundreds and you're trying to convince them to hold one.



I was in a similar situation (I've got a ball python of my own now) and you may have to wait until you move out before you get one, as some do. But I wish you good luck!

[justKowu]

I have a male ball python who's name is chernobyl because he is a nuclear morph^^ I love my legless noodle boy 💚🐍

[shadow~wolf]

thanks for the advice. if i can't get one until i move out then i understand- even though i'd like one so much right now.
there are benefits to waiting anyhow.

[kivr & fireflii]

all i want for my birthday is a ball python. no special morphs, just a normal bp. i've been so interested in snakes for the past 4 years and constantly watching videos of them, learning about them, etc. but my mom has a fear of snakes and refuses to let me get one :c help?

The biggest things I've found people don't like are:

1. Snakes in general. Usually this is due to lack of exposure. If you can get her to go to a reptile expo with you, she can see that they're very docile. Even better if you can convince her to pet or even hold one, but don't push it too much.
2. Escaping. Decide what type of enclosure you want and explain the security mechanisms to her. If you have to, it doesn't take much to go "above and beyond." For example, if you get a tub, you can use a soldering iron to poke holes into the top of the lid edge and tub edge, and then just lock it with an actual locker (like a combination or key locker).
3. Feeding rodents. Some don't like the idea of dead rodents in the freezer/fridge, so you can see if you can find a mini-fridge on Craigslist or Facebook market. You won't need anything big. Even if you buy in bulk, you can get like 25 adult rats on a single "food tray" (like the kind you would buy a chicken or beef on?). So it lays pretty flat and doesn't really take up room.

In the end, if she REALLY says no, I would not try to keep convincing her. Ball pythons can live 20-40 years, so if you go off to college--even if you've convinced your mom to let you have a snake--there's no guarantee she'd want to or even be able to take care of it for you while you're in college. You can't take a snake into dorms either, and I've seen a lot of ball pythons on craigslist from people who are trying to rehome them because they're leaving for school. :/
-fireflii

[rancidram]

Hello! I have a female leopard gecko who I rescued from my own sister. I have no clue how old she is and she went through a real tough time. So here is her story.

Couple of years ago, my sister begged my parents for a leopard gecko. For christmas, we each got the pets we have been asking our parents for so long. I got a fish tank (which I have gotten super invested in the fish keeping hobby), and my sister got her leopard gecko.
For the first year I believe, things went well. She was fed, her habitat was suitable, and she grew a lot! But as time went on, my sister stopped caring for her. The poor thing never had water, her daylight was missing (our house gets cold so we give her one for warmth), the tank was never cleaned, and it would be long periods of time before she was even fed.
My mom and I would get on her for not taking care of the gecko, but my sister blew it off and ignored us. Eventually, I was too mad to see the thing suffer any longer. So what did I do? I stole the thing from her room and moved the tank to the living room. I cleaned her tank thoroughly, gave her water, and fed her crickets with vitamin and calcium powder, and got her a new daylight. Now she is happy and fat! Or at least has put on weight, lol.
I still need to update her tank. At the moment I don't have a job, but I plan on getting her a new hide, more plants, and other things to make her life a lot better. I've done a lot for this gecko and I still need to improve her home, but it's so much better than starving to death in a tank and freezing.

[Sixx O'Clock]

Hello! I have a female leopard gecko who I rescued from my own sister. I have no clue how old she is and she went through a real tough time. So here is her story.

Couple of years ago, my sister begged my parents for a leopard gecko. For christmas, we each got the pets we have been asking our parents for so long. I got a fish tank (which I have gotten super invested in the fish keeping hobby), and my sister got her leopard gecko.
For the first year I believe, things went well. She was fed, her habitat was suitable, and she grew a lot! But as time went on, my sister stopped caring for her. The poor thing never had water, her daylight was missing (our house gets cold so we give her one for warmth), the tank was never cleaned, and it would be long periods of time before she was even fed.
My mom and I would get on her for not taking care of the gecko, but my sister blew it off and ignored us. Eventually, I was too mad to see the thing suffer any longer. So what did I do? I stole the thing from her room and moved the tank to the living room. I cleaned her tank thoroughly, gave her water, and fed her crickets with vitamin and calcium powder, and got her a new daylight. Now she is happy and fat! Or at least has put on weight, lol.
I still need to update her tank. At the moment I don't have a job, but I plan on getting her a new hide, more plants, and other things to make her life a lot better. I've done a lot for this gecko and I still need to improve her home, but it's so much better than starving to death in a tank and freezing.

Poor little thing! ;; Leopard geckos aren't even hard to take care of, and she couldn't bother with even that? I'm glad you decided to take charge and rescue the gecko. Oh, I'm not sure if you've already checked, but make sure she doesn't have any shed skin stuck anywhere. If she wasn't getting everything she needed, I don't imagine she had a damp hide to help with her sheds, either. If there's anything stuck (usually it will be on the tail tip or the claws), just soak the areas in room temperature or slightly warm water for a little bit, and gently try to remove the skin after about 5-10 minutes or so. You'll also want to invest in a hide that you can turn into a damp hide fairly soon. There are ones you can find at just about any pet store that come in two parts, a basin and a lid with a hole in it for your gecko to climb into. You can use that to make the damp hide with.