Another rescue.

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SHBailey

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Glad to hear that Fluffy is doing so well, but sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble with the remodeling. It sounds like you could do a better job than the "professionals" if you did the work yourself, if you were physically able.

My husband and I had a similar problem about 15 years ago -- we made the mistake of putting a piece of furniture against an outside wall and creating a nice little compartment for condensation in the winter when the wall got cold, and I don't know what kind of mold or mildew we ended up with, but it was pink and green and my husband was allergic to it, so we needed to replace a whole section of wall. My husband knew how to do it but shouldn't have physically gotten near it. Some guys from his church came over to help, but he had to stay in the room and tell them what to do, so he still ended up breaking out in a rash. But the difference is these guys didn't charge us anything because they weren't professional contractors, nor were they pretending to be. In fact, one of them told my husband that if he needed a project like that done in his own house, he wouldn't even attempt to do it himself -- he'd call in a professional to do it for him. At least we got it done reasonably well, my husband recovered, and we rearranged the furniture in the room so it wouldn't happen again.

Anyway, I hope you can find a way to get someone to do a decent job with the rest of your remodeling.

I understand that the latest consensus among the so-called experts is that lizards can dream, but they don't seem to think that snakes can. I googled it a while back because my little snake had come charging out of his hide all of a sudden all ready to strike at whatever for no apparent reason, and I'd wondered if he'd had a bad dream because he was usually pretty mellow, and had learned that my puttering around near his tank did not mean that something bad was going to happen to him. I suppose it's also possible that my movements had startled him out of a sound sleep -- it's hard to tell if a snake is asleep or awake because they don't have eyelids.

It seems like the more we learn, the more we realize that animals are smarter than we have been giving them credit for.
 

kingofnobbys

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I've decided to wait til the April holidays are all done and finished and the schools go back for term 2 , and I'll not be using HiPages to seek out quotes from now on - not one of the tradies who have even contacted me through that site have been even remotely anything like reliable and those who actually quoted wanted to work on an hourly basis ( red flag no.1 ) and wanted a huge deposit up front ( red flag no.2 ) and never showed me their "licences" ( red flag no.3 ) and couldn't tell me when they would start and finish (red flag no.4) ie they were BSing me and trying con me .

I wasn't born yesterday and I've managed multimillion dollar plant (furnace and process control system upgrades when I was working and renovated this house before (and learnt from my mistakes) and I know my around tendering and contracting and project management and scheduling. These might work with little old pensioners who are too easy to con , but not me.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
So what do you have in the way of regulatory agencies for this sort of thing there in Australia? Around here, such behavior would be likely to get them reported to the "Better Business Bureau" sooner or later. Our state (Alaska) department of commerce also maintains a public access website where you can check on business licenses as well as whether or not they have a good record, etc. My husband used to work for them so he learned how to use their available resources to find out if various types of contractors are reputable. But even for all of that, we still have a hard time trying to find someone who can do a decent job when we need something done around the house and yard that we can't do ourselves. Seems like there ought to be a better way. :roll:

Hopefully all your lizards have managed to stay out from underfoot through all of this.
 

kingofnobbys

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SHBailey":1j7wcp84 said:
So what do you have in the way of regulatory agencies for this sort of thing there in Australia? Around here, such behavior would be likely to get them reported to the "Better Business Bureau" sooner or later. Our state (Alaska) department of commerce also maintains a public access website where you can check on business licenses as well as whether or not they have a good record, etc. My husband used to work for them so he learned how to use their available resources to find out if various types of contractors are reputable. But even for all of that, we still have a hard time trying to find someone who can do a decent job when we need something done around the house and yard that we can't do ourselves. Seems like there ought to be a better way. :roll:

Hopefully all your lizards have managed to stay out from underfoot through all of this.

I'm VERY cautious about the tradies (builders) I deal with, I had an issue once with a concreter who I commissioned to lay the slab for my garage , he showed up one day only , dug about a bit and never even completed the formwork , then disappeared for 2 months and I was compelled to find someone else to lay my slab. He then showed up expecting payment for the work done , so I essentially told him to whistle Dixie .... since he wanted payment for work he hadn't done as well as his 2 hrs of work with the digger. I never paid him and he never chased it.

I don't give deposits in cash (period) , it's either a cheque or I transfer funds from my acct to their account).
No proper quote and material list and schedule ==> I wont commission them to do the job.
If they are unreliable ( don't show up to even measure and quote) ==> I wont commission them to do the job.
If the tradie wont give me a full quote for the job, expects payment on an hourly basis ==> I wont commission them to do the job.


No money generally changes hands before work starts unless they need to get materials to start (if I can get the materials as an "owner builder" (at trade prices) I make my old material supply orders up ( lots don't like to have me do this , if they wont - it's a deal breaker and I go elsewhere).
Ie the stone mason for the new benchtops - I gave a deposit to cover cost of the slab that had to be ordered specially, the window manufacturer required a deposit too.

I know too many people who have been ripped off by small time con artists in the building game.

Yes there are ways of getting compensation and I only want licenced tradies working for me. Not worth the hassle getting in parttime tradies or handymen who are not licenced / fully insured.
 

kingofnobbys

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I think Fluffy has finally decided she trusts my wife, for the first time she voluntarily crawled off me onto my wife's hand to go back into her 100L tub for bed-time.
Usually takes a little coaxing to stay on her , and doesn't stay on her for more than minute before deciding she wants to come back to me. Tonight my wife placed her hand infront of her and Fluffy sniffed her and then climbed on and stayed there long enough for my wife gently deposit her in her big tub for the night (usually has to place her free hand over Fluffy to stop her from leaping off.

None of the pet BTs , Fluffy or Peppa are showing any signs of wanting to go down for the count for winter, everyone is up and basking by 2pm every day , and all are still interested in food .

I thought Fluffy might decide to brumate (since she spent the most of her live wild and all her cousins have now the days are shorter , even though it's been the warmest and driest April on record her - I'm still in shorts and tee-shirts not needing to wear boots or thick socks yet). But she's wide awake and enjoying her life now as kept skink who is spoilt rotten.

She's so happy in her 100L tub that most nights she simply goes to sleep in the open ontop her piece of bluegum bark (usually while watching the TV) or at the back (cool end) of the tank.
Much the same behavior shown by Lucky and Wriggles (who was an adult water skink when rescued after she was accidently injured by the edger too).
 

kingofnobbys

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In shed AGAIN .... and still good on the tooth , loves her whole medium or large crickets (and feeding herself .... she takes the jumping legs and the heads off first and eats them , then eats the rest of the 2 crickets per day at her leisure later - often about 8pm when she wakes back up and discovers she's thirsty and hungry).
If I move the crickets , she has a great memory and goes straight to where she saw them last , then gives me the stink eye if they are aren't there and goes looking in her food dish for them.

This is how she went to sleep last night :
P5080022.jpg
 

kingofnobbys

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Original Poster
Fluffy this evening after I'd dealt with latest consignments of 1000 medium crickets & 300 bsfl & sorted / fed the latest batch of 70 silkworms , and replaced the wheatbran the superworms are living in ==> messy coffee table and laptop ....

P5100002.jpg

Wanted to visit and look at the superworm and silkworm tubs , the checking out the laptop ....
P5100003.jpg

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checking out what I'm looking at .... look how well her back has healed :)
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and how good her bad eye looks now .... :)
P5100008.jpg


Fluffy says "howdy , wat ya doen ?"
P5100009.jpg
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
It's my understanding that brumation is a survival strategy for getting through a season when there isn't much food available, so yeah -- why do it when you've got a human slave that feeds you as much as you want?

She looks really good, and it's sounds like she's getting curious about where the food comes from -- maybe planning to help herself if she gets the chance. That's funny how she saves part of the crickets for later and amazing that she remembers where she put them and gives you a dirty look if you move them for her. :lol:

If you let her play with your computer too much, she's liable to figure out how to use the internet to order herself some more bugs. :wink:
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Wow, I am amazed that this is the same reptile! :D She has seriously thrived under your care. :) How long have you had her now?
 

kingofnobbys

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HippieLizards":3lwphpau said:
Wow, I am amazed that this is the same reptile! :D She has seriously thrived under your care. :) How long have you had her now?

Found near dead on 14 November 2017 , so 6 months so far. Couldn't bare to part with her now.
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Wow.. that is an amazing recovery. :) and It is VERY easy to become attached to an animal quickly. :D
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
It's hard to believe it's been that long, but I see her tail is all grown back now, and that must have taken a while even though it seemed to happen really fast -- probably has something to do with all the good nutrition you've been giving her.

Yes, I've also noticed that you can fall in love with these little critters very easily, sometimes when you're not looking, and unfortunately you often don't realize it until you come close to losing them. Gotta cherish every minute with them... :love5:
 

kingofnobbys

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Hungry Fluffy

P5160003.jpg

P5160004.jpg

licking cricket juices from the inside of her feed bowl

P5160006.jpg

sniffing out a disabled (head squashed cricket) .... YUMMM !!!

making fast work of it
P5160007.jpg


Her routine :
She's usually up checking the food bowl about 9am , then she'll have a long soak in her warmed water dish (it's on the cool end of the heat-tile and directly under basking and uvb200 globes, I get her out for a bit of play time about 4pm , into the 10L tub with her food , usually polishes of 2 or 3 medium or 1 large cricket , wash it down , then retire into little house , back out 7pm when we have " interesting sounds and smells" from the kitchen (up on top of little house and lots of tongue flicking and stretching up to sniff the lid's air holes and standing up against the side of the tub to watch proceedings)., another cricket or two, watch us and TV for about 1 hour , retire back into house , transfer back into 100L tub 8pm and she usually comes out to raid food dish again , and "talk to me" before curling up under her piece of gumtree bark.

If I fail to get her out she soon lets me know by standing and scratching at the corner until I pay attention and comply with her wishes.
 

SHBailey

Gray-bearded Member
It sounds like you and Fluffy have settled into a routine that works pretty well for both of you.

Either that, or she's got her favorite human slave trained just the way she likes. :wink:
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
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I think she's adapted nicely to her new life with some quite kind humans and seems very happy and secure with us.

Got me very well trained too.

She's got Peppa , George and Mildred sussed and she's put them all in their places and they all know she's boss lizard in the this home, it just takes a few quick head nods and a glare and they know.
 
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I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
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Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

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