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Help! My
son has turned me into a Herp Freak!!
Being the voracious nature
lover that I am; fond of all God's creatures, and enormously opposed to
having undomesticated pets kept in captivity. My son, Lee, discovered
unknowingly the perfect medium.
Lee brought into our home an
adorable Red Eft newt, which, he claimed, followed him home. The
tiny creature did however, obviously appreciate Lee's attention, as it
continuously crawled over to him, directly into the palm of Lee's hand,
and nested down. Naturally, we had to do something to keep his new-found
friend. After phoning our veterinarian, and a bit of research on his
needs for a natural habitat; it was discovered that Lee's tiny new friend
was in the family known as Herptiles; affectionately referred to as Herps.
We soon found the viquarium as the perfect solution for a natural habitat
for Lee's new pet.
A viquarium is a large glass tank divided into a
land section or terrarium, and a section of water, best described as a
fish tank. It has a built-in filter system, consisting of a
waterfall that flows down a river, through the terrarium into the fish
tank. Like many Herps, newts need to be near and in running
water. They are found naturally in or near creeks and streams of
fresh running water. The viquarium supports the necessities for a
perfect living environment and enables cohabitation of such entities that
would not necessarily be together in the same place, such as anoles,
chameleons, water dragons, frogs, fish, and exotic terrestrial plant and
water plants life's.
Our viquarium became a perfect hobby in which
Lee and I could easily share. His main interest are in the
creatures, while I relish in the design of the little paradise I create
and maintain. My husband says that our little pursuit has become like a
dollhouse for me, as I am always, "fixing things up and making little
changes here and there." Lee catches the crickets for the
terrestrials and amphibians in the summer-time, while I maintain fashion
and cleanliness of the environment. We have created a serene and
complete eco system such as one might find in a rain forest. Just a
mom's note here: Always wash hands thoroughly after touching any
part of the viquarium or the creatures as the little creatures may carry
salmonella.
The terrarium is comprised of exotic plants such
as: miniature bromeliads, ferns, and vines of rose moss and philodendron,
herbal and flowering ground covers. The shells, stones, and tree
limbs, covered in living moss and exotic air plants, extending over the
fish tank adds to the esthetic and naturalness of the environment.
The waterfall splashes into the riverbed, then empties into the fish tank,
is both refreshing and melodic. It also adds moisture into the
room. Lee and I gathered flat river rocks from our local mountain
streams, washed them thoroughly and sanitized them, then lined them in the
steam and formed a bridge of steps from the bottom of the fish tank to the
terrarium, all held together with a clear caulking, which is used to
hold aquariums together. At the top of this bridge of steps are are
miniature lilly pads with blossoms atop the steps, and a branch reaching
across the tank, all tie the two sections of the viquarium together and
give a grandiose focal point to the paradise setting.
Housed in our
viquarium are in pairs, Colorado newts, "Bubba" and
"Gator;" fire belly frogs, "Kermit" and
"Jumper;" dwarf African frogs, "Fritz" and
"Freckles;" and assortment of exotic fan tail guppies, and one
Algae eating fish of sorts. We have had at one time Oranda gold fish and
Anoles. Unfortunately, the cute little Red Eft newt and the anoles
are very curious and squirrelly creatures and became little snacks for our
cats. :( However, all the others appear perfectly happy and content
to remain in their environment. In the past 3 years of this venture,
we also housed two large apple snails; however, they only lived about 2 -
3 months each. Not sure if that was the remainder of their lives or
if the others were too aggressive with them. The goldfish would have
been fine had it not been for my own negligence of the ph. in my changing
of the tank too swiftly on them.
will
finish up here
You
can get a viquarium from here
Information
for Newts and Salamanders
The
Somewhat Amusing World of Frogs
www.wildherps.com
Lots
of good information here
Will's
Cricket Breeding
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