User: claire

Hey... what do you all think about the poll? How'd you answer?

========== In Reply To ========== Great polls but how is Glory prettier than the oh-so beautiful Darla? You lot need your eyes testing.

I agree, Darla is the prettiest vampire but I think Faith is very pretty too.

Does it really matter, Reg? This board is now hopelessly infested with children, young and decidedly not so young. It's a game: writing whatever you feel like writing about parental spanking, and playing the same "is it fair? how do others do it? my daughter has just been spanked, and thanks to all of you for your advice" tune over and over and over again. Oh, and then there's Tanya - whose last name just happens to be "Goode." Tanya Goode. Ha ha. Big joke. ========== In Reply To ========== Another one spanked and diapered. Or is it Kaiti again in disguise?

Hi, Enjoyed your poll,however a lot of the questions I answered pertaining to the pet store where I got my Iguana I already had the answers to before hand due to my research prior to making my purchase. I deal with several pet shops in my area for my reppies needs (ie: food-bedding-accessories) and I have found that if you the purchaser sometimes don't ask the right questions the info is not always forthcoming. I have also found that a lot of the time the info offered by the pet store employees is very basic and limited. (ie: Temp to keep my collared lizard emerald swift-I was only told hot-dry-dessert...that can mean a lot of things not necessarily good for their health!) I feel this is due to the fact that they deal with so many various types of animals as well as employee turn over. I can't stress enough RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY enough! I have several babies! And have researched each and I swear I still don't know all I want to know about my lizards-frogs & turtle! And even knowing what I know sometimes the rules in general don't always apply to the animal! For instance I have a Pac Man frog who refuses to eat anything but crickets. Not a very well balanced diet-solution buy the largest crickets I can find & stuff them with other edible critters- meal worms etc...no matter what I try he will not eat whole pinkies so I stuff pieces of them in the crickets too! It's micro surgery & tedious. & no I don't sew the crickets back up...just gut & stuff, dangle & feed. Sounds gross, but you gotta do what you gotta do to correct someone else's bad feeding care habits. He's (his name is Pig) thriving, happy and most important healthy. He was a rescue frog. I got him for free from a pet shop because someone just left him there one day and the pet shop had no clue what to do with him! Nice huh? NOT! Pig is the only pet I've gotten where I wasn't totally researched beforehand I had read about them in several magazines & thought "Wow! What a cool looking frog! Man! It's huge!! One day I'll get one or two" Well one day came sooner that I expected. I had a lot of experience with other frogs-barking tree-red bellies...so I had basic knowledge and a clue as to what I was getting into when I brought "Pig" home. Pig is very docile as pac man frogs go has never tried to bite and loves to sit in his pool most of the day. He prefers half water/half dirt. He's like to hid & dig & that's fine with me! I can always find and see him! Even though most of my friends go "where is he? I don't see him!". Well, look harder he's right there! Another problem pet is my iguana- Luna. A lovely lady, but a very picky eater. Again bad pet store feeding habits. I'm not feeding my iguana a canned dog food diet no matter what you say ! It took me months to wean her off that crap! I had to feed her 5 to 6 times a day, little tiny bits of veggies & fruits and sometimes it was buy hand...rub gentle on nose..sniff..sniff...that look of "Oh! You want me to eat this! OK! Yum!" It was trying & time consuming but well worth it! Luna is now beginning to eat a well rounded diet but sometimes still reverts to not eating what is being offered a gentle rub of food on the nose or placing her in the food bowl usually entices her to gobble down her food. Took her to my reppie vet and there is nothing wrong with her medically. She's just a mess psychologically! Wasn't handled much in the pet store and was living with all her brothers & sisters- separation anxiety and lonely. Which leads me to comment on the word "taming". I think the words "Tame, taming, tamed" are a bad choice and is incorrectly used when referring to the reptile population in general. I don't believe not matter how much we love our reptiles that they can be "tamed". Conditioned yes...tamed no! As pet owners we tend to attribute conditioned behavior as tamed behavior. I'll admit it I'm guilty of it too !! "Aww look! Buddy's sitting up! What a cute trick!". More likely Buddy is too hot & is just cooling himself down !

Luna is short for lunatic befitting her reactions when I first got her. You couldn't even go near her enclosure without her freaking out and flying about her cage. She flew out of her cage a few time too! Took me hours to find her. It has taken a lot of patience to get her calm enough to handle. And I do mean a lot of time. Sometimes she will still get spooked. She prefers to hide under my shirt, however it's not to comfy for me! So I gave her a wubbie, which is an all cotton (its smooth cotton, not looped so her fingernails won't get caught in it) dish towel. She likes to be wrapped up in it and then she falls asleep on my chest while I'm watching TV petting her chin! I hope in time she totally accept me as she grows and becomes an adult but I don't believe she will ever be "tame". Conditioned enough (I hope) as so not to be dangerous and harmful to me the handler. My emerald swift "Emmet" is not much better at wanting to be held. He tolerates it, but prefers to be left alone so I respect his wishes and don't maul him. I only handle him as needed and he seems to prefer this he doesn't run any longer when you near his enclosure. He has also become calmer since I got Buddy who lives with Emmet in the same cage. They get along wonderfully!

The only lizard I have that I can honestly say is totally conditioned is "Buddy" my collared lizard. And he came that way, meaning I think his brain is wired for sociability. When I got him he was very small and very friendly naturally. The other collards in the same enclosure ran and hid but Buddy stood his ground and walked right onto my hand...then up my arm and climbed up my hair and sat on top of my head! My reaction---He's mine! All mine!!! Gimmie...gimmie...gimmie! In fact he is sitting on top of my head right now as I type this ! I don't think Buddy is "tame". I just think he was born calmer than most lizards are. He's quicker to adapt and generally likes contact whether it be human or with another lizard. Bubby can and does occasionally get spooked and this is only natural he is after all a wild animal.

I believe my babies should remain natural, act natural with some conditioning to trust me as there handler at that I'm not the predator who's going to eat or harm them. They are much more interesting and enjoyable to watch as they interact comfortably and naturally with their provided environments. My babies appear to feel and be comfortable that I'm not going to reach in and grab them every 10 seconds or take them on outings to town or the grocery store or let friends and strangers paw all over them! I don't think that's cool! I don't maul my reptiles...that's what I have the cat for! I feel my reppies are relaxed & comfy and do what they do best act natural and be themselves! Don't get me wrong here...ok...I find nothing wrong with the experts that take their reppies to schools and exhibits that's their vocation they're (hopefully) trained educated professionals that know what they're doing and their animals are conditioned to feel comfortable in that situation and environment. This is just not my bag or something I wish to do or expose my reppies to. I'm a naturalist with regard to my babies and other people...lookie,lookie but no no touchie!

My goal is to create 2 rooms for them. Dessert and tropical. I have been designing for it for a year now & have been saving my pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters. What I want for them is a realistic living space with indigenous plants, running filtered water, heat & climate control so they can thrive and be happy! And if they dig up and eat every edible plant in sight...cool! That's what they're supposed to do! It's been a lot of massive research so far and it's still going on...but it's a lot of fun!! That's how much I love & enjoy my reptile! It's the least I can do from them after all they've given me! These are just my opinions guys...OK...Input is appreciated...But flaming is not! So be polite & considerate! OK! Respect my opinions as I will respect yours.

i agree with the doctor. most of these messages on this board are complaining about things that they should have asked questions about. i was aware of the possibilities of the side effects that these women are mentioning before i took my first shot. some drugs don't work for certain people. i think the girls looking for advice her should go to planned parenthood or a doctor or two and ask them if it's right for you. give it a try. the worst effects that i have had from taking it is frequent-yet occaisonal bleeding. my little sister, who is 16 is taking it and we are both doing fine with it. bear