BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Exotic Pets Don't be shy, introduce yourselves!

Jessica,
Good to see you again! Beautiful cat, and big picture:) We have a couple of digitals, and have had a lot of opportunity to compare them. When your ready let us know. Some out there are really bad while some are getting pretty close to almost great. Another words, digital cameras have a ways to go before perfection, but are certainly handy in my profession!
Diana

Hello all:
My name is John, and I am an Aviculturist - that is to say, I specialize in exotic birds - primarily Macaws. While I may know more then most people, I still don't call myself and expert, as there is always someone more qualified just a few feet away. lol

I have been a companion to a couple of Macaws, theya re:
Athena a Female Glue and Gold Macaw, with a very rare set of brown eyes. This is froma double recessive gene combination, as most B&G's eyes usually turn a slivery-grey color at about 6 months - my girl has brown eyes just like me.
She is a very intelligent, with a well developed range of emotions that are just as noticeable as if she were human, not Avian. She is my number 1 baby girl. MY first bird I ever had - I adopted her at 5 months, and now she is turning 6 this december. But I wont be there for her hatching anniversary <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> , as I am going to be busy in Australia for the next 6 months or so. I have the opportunity to go and visit some family, and get a chance to observe some species of birds only found in Aus. I am glad about that!!

I also am a companion to a wonderful and "cheeky" little Hahn's Macaw named Sylvester - the smallest of the surviving Macaw species. About 10-12 cm long and only 0.2 lbs - but he has everybit the Macaw personality of the bigger macaws. I prefer to think of Sylvester as a Macaw Boullion. While he is also a Macaw, and has soooo many traits in common with Athena, there are striking differences - the Hahn's are much more territorial then a Blue and Gold, and much more outgoing in personality.
But he is also more likely to bite and get some blood then the Blue and Gold. Whether it is Napoleon Syndrome cause he is so short, or just the fact that he has almost the same bite pressure, but spread over a much smaller area I don't know for sure. But he also has a very huge loving heart - Once HE gets to know and trust you.

Once I have Sylvester off his cage, and i do mean "his cage", I can litterally pass him to anyone and let them hold him. He will chirp away, talk to you, whisper at you, and just be a very outgoing love bug ( just don't try to take him off of me, or his cage till he really knows you.) But Athena is a different story, she usually don't step up to anyone, with about 3 exceptions, Diana being one of them.
She is very much bonded and attached to me, in just a few minutes you would be able to see just how much she does love her companion, but when she is in her cage, she is willing to play with almost anyone - as long as they know how to play with Macaws, and able to read and understand Macaws body language.

I have been working with Macaws for nearly 7 years, published some articles on the net before, and some in the old Bella Exotic Pets forum, If you have some questions, please ask, I will try to answer them as openly and honestly as possible, and If I don't know the answer, I will also let you know, but will endeavor to find out and help where I can.

During the next few weeks, I may be here sporadically, as I am in the process of getting ready to leave for Australia, but I will answer your questions.

John <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Hi
Im Alison,from yorkshire,uk.
Im new here so please excuse any mistakes i make.
Well in my house we have 2 snakes-1 garter and 1 corn snake and a couple of weeks ago i got a baby bearded dragon.
I did have anoles but a couple died,1 was egg bound and the other 2 im not completely sure,so my remaining female we gave to some-one who'd managed to keep 3 anoles quite happy,1 male and 2 females,so now he has 3 females to keep him happy.
I call my little dragon BO,i dont know why,but i just gave her a name.
Shes wonderful and eating well,but any comments from bearded dragon owners would be most welcomed.
We also have 2 dogs,a german sheperd and a rottweiler x gsd that we homed from the r.s.p.c.a.
Very much like my children or those 2,always up to mischeif.
Well sure ive bored you enough with my pets.

Thanks ally

I wish you a safe vacation. Please send us all pictures from your trip. It is wonderful to see you back in the forum. "We" will all miss you very much. Glad we will have all the umbilical cords attached via computers, it'll make this trip far less painful. Ok, not far less, but maybe a little. My two very special little friends are going through yesterdays mail for me and running the junk through the shredder <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Opps, there goes the gas bill, darn.

You mentioned smallest surviving species of macaw. Do you know of others smaller than Sly and very much about them? Just courious. Before we talked about another macaw that was now thought to be extinct, what was is spinx? The beautiful light blue macaw you posted a picture of in the past.

I'm on my way to cook veggies for my "cheeky" house guest, talking about being wrapped around a little foot.

Talk with you soon, and thank you very much for coming by the forum. Many people have questions on parrots and macaws and it is wonderful to have you vast knowledge to help.
Diana

Ally,
Welcome to Exotic Pets Bella Online!!
Never bored about hearing about others pets. Sounds like you have a happy household. Keep us all posted on your new baby bearded dragon, I think they are beautiful animals.

Can you tell us all more about a anole? It would make an interesting addition to Exotic Pets articles. Speaking of new articles, I should write a new one today. Again Welcome!
Diana

Hi
Well my gren anoles werent the sort of lizard that you can hold-not like my beloved bearded dragon BO.They're quite small,i had mine for approx 1 and half years.
The first 2 i got as a pair and they must've been happy as they mated-we saw it happening.
But then my female looked as thou she was having contractions,so we phoned vets,london zoo etc and did what was advised-putting her in a bowl of warm water,this seemed to southe her,but the next morning we found her dead.
I then got another female,as it wouldnt have been fair on my male,never saw them mating and we put thm in a bigger cage,they werent very happy,you ever saw them near each other,but then just after id ordered another female to go with them-as 1 male can live with a few females,but only 1 male hould be in,i found my male dead.I have no idea why...But just recently i found 1 of my females had died,no warning signs nothing,so i presume there was something i just wasnt getting right.
So my boyfriend knew someone who kept green anoles,so we thought it best to rehome her,as i got so down loosing my pets.
So when we decided on a bearded dragon,i got my full set up,played about with the temperature etc,then when things were right i purchased BO,who most of the time looks great,she doesnt mind being picked up,she has a warm bath-well a bowl with a few mls of water in,then she gets sprayed and stroked.
Sometimes she looks unhappy,i worry,but i hear you'll soon know if theres anything wrong as she wont eat,but shes eating great.
I got her and the crickets sweet potato which for BO i grate with some grated carrot and put calcium powder on,shes eaten that.I got her some green,cant remember off hand which one it was,but i hand fed her some,which she ate,but shes had none since,red cabbage shes not touch or the other vegs i got for her,anyone know what to recommend.
I put her food on the floor,is this wrong and if anyone knows a better way please let me know.
She eats mealworms,but not everyday,she has crickets everyday and is eating quite a few.

Any more ideas anyone please.

Thanks Ally

That is curious, were the anoles ever autopsied? What is their average life span?
Diana

Hi , my name is Allyson from MA and i'd like to say thank you to all of you for posting all of your pet info on here, i am so glad i came across this site. My poor husband never knows what i am going to bring home, and it helps to know there are others out there who just can't say no to a cute face in need of a home. i dont really own 'exotic' pets, they are pretty normal (2 dogs, 2 cats, fish, parakeets, hamster, fish, bunnies, chickens) but i do have a bull,(his name is Moo Montana) and he gets a ton of attention because he's trained! he is truly a dog at heart, so sshhh please dont tell him he is over 2000 lbs! ive got pictures of all of my pets, including him, but i'm not sure how to upload them onto this posting. He's got typical black and white cow-like markings, and is often mistaken for a cow, until they see his giant horns. I took my children to watch a cow give birth at a milking farm, and when he was discovered to be male, the farmer instructed his assistant to take him out back (they had enough bulls and only wanted milkers) he was to be sent to butcher immediately. Well, i said no way jose, and we made the farmer promise to keep him for 2 days so i could get set up, and i went back and brought him home in my ford explorer and bottle fed him for 4 months every 3-4 hours. he has never been around anything but humans and dogs, hence him believing he is a dog. He comes when called, moo's at us for attention, loves to be brushed, runs along side the kids, walks on a leash and kicks a ball! please consider that all of these animals big or small have intelligence, personality and feelings. My kids have learned so much from this pet. He is a real sweetheart.

I am in the same boat, my family is never sure what I will bring home. We all have a great deal to learn from our critter friends. They have much to show us, like how to get along, how not to distroy the earth, ect.
Diana

Well, Im new to the exotic Pet forum, and I can't say I've got much to tell.

My name is Megan and Im from Canada. Im 15 years old and just starting to smuggle pets into my room. I have two beautiful betta fish. One is a Blue Veil tail named Tie, and the other is a bright, vibrant red, and I named him Pon. I had another red boy, but he was a jumper, so I check TWICE to make sure the lids are down...

I just got a hamster a week ago. She's gray, furry and F-A-T. I named her Hooch. She's got such a personality. Such as pooping in her food and sleeping UNDER her wheel. *rolls eyes*

I had a tortoise Shell cat. Her name was Ginger. then Porky, but she, ummm, disappeared last April. I think she got into a fight. For a while I hid a stray tom cat in my barn. He was such a sweetie. Followed me everywhere. He was Frank, but he went missing the same time as Porky <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Living outside, I have a purebred Siberian Husky named Rex. He has the most beautiful blue eyes. He can do the following tricks: Sit, Shake-a-paw, Shake the other paw, lay down, and speak. Not only in English, but by hand signals and in French. He's my precious pup.

Thats all, but Im trying to find a way to get a hedgehog in this summer.

Muahahahah <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />