Reptiles Education and Conservation

Reptile, amphibian and snake removal and relocation. This guy rescues the venomous ones too! Help control Hanta virus naturally. Give this guy a call.

Arachnids and venomous snake removal
Young Living Essential Oils resonate with me; they are the oils I use for home, personal wellness, pets and garden. #3064574

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Drakos YL
5/2015: Drakos meets Young Living Essential Oils. There were dogs, a hamster and a rabbit, but he was the only scaly creature there. 🙂


Don’t buy boots, jackets, bags, etc made from snake, lizard or the skin of any reptiles. It is inhumane, and it further upsets the balance of life on earth. Refuse to support killing reptiles. Please don’t support these industries. Let the reptiles live.

12/3/16
The Rain and Drakos entry: I owe much gratitude to those early days as described in WD. The recovery time spent with Rain the water dragon and Drakos the bearded dragon tell much. Rain from Petco November, 2001. Sure, the purchase of her could have been called foolish, irresponsible, an impulsive buy, etc (although I’m telling you right now, it was not impulsive.) Drakos in the summer of the same year from the store that was at that time called “Reptile Gardens.” “Through it all though, these little cold blooded creatures taught me a great deal. I don’t regret the decision I made to buy them that topsy turvy year of 2001. As described, by the end of that year I was heavily medicated and mentally ill. These scaly creatures taught me much, and I feel that I have become more responsible since then, having learned from many mistakes, and have also shared the gained wisdom. Also, there are corporations that do good things. Petco and Petsmart, “think adoption first.” Whole Foods- “Whole Planet Foundation,” to name a few.

2/9/16
Forward not backwards; because this world is far from ideal…
Ideally, reptiles shouldn’t be kept as pets. But then again, it shouldn’t be the norm that their habitat is being destroyed either. The rain forests shouldn’t be burned and logged. Deserts should not be made into oases. Bees and other pollinators should not be dying off at alarming rates to the point that farmers have to rent hives from beekeepers to pollinate their crops…

There is the cessation of the destruction that humanity has caused; then there is the responsible care and stewardship of living things and the earth after the damage has been done. Healing takes time. No one person can control what collective humanity does. We can only encourage and educate. Individuals can choose to assist refugee species that just might disappear from the earth otherwise. Sad but true. While I am hopeful and optimistic that we people are beginning to wake up, this is the reality of February, 2016. 1. Stop the destruction 2. Become the nurses and caregivers to the refugee species of animals and damaged ecosystems.

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Who says reptiles can’t feel the love?

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Who says different species, both reptiles and people can’t learn to coexist side by side? Who cares if the glass is dirty as we give it a go!

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Natural Reptiles E book:
Natural Reptiles. 55 pages, $3.00.






Natural Reptiles includes my detailed observations of caring for a variety of species over a ten year period. I introduce the basics of what providing more natural care for reptiles entails. Among the topics discussed are the benefits of live plants, how to cool and warm reptile enclosures naturally; that is, how to to decrease the amount of heating fixtures used by placing enclosures in rooms with different sun exposures. Also includes species profiles, including tips and ideas for natural methods on each species mentioned. I also share some funny experiences with herps that I have worked with through the years.

Includes photos.

NR tip: Please feed humanely euthanized, frozen/thawed prey items to larger reptiles. Live prey can cause injury and even death to your reptile. It is more humane to feed pre-euthanized prey, frozen/thawed.

I always have an interest in helping to preserve the natural world and education about how to do this. Understanding the ways people are so directly connected to the web of life-all life on earth is fascinating!

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Wellness Diaries is about striving for the health of people and the planet. Individual wellness contributes to global wellness, one person at a time. Accomplishing this is not nearly as hard as it may seem. It all begins right here with willingness to learn, progress and adapt.

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Here is an ongoing writing and educational project maintained about preserving the natural world and responsible care for reptiles. It is the Natural Reptiles e book. You will begin to see how these two projects all tie together. There is a lot of ground to cover, so don’t become overwhelmed. Just enjoy the journey.

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All these projects can be seen as different branches of the same tree; education, striving to live in harmony with all life and well-being of people and the planet.

Drakos

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Taiwanese beauty snake

Beardie Supervised in the Sun

Drakos is my Bearded Dragon for which I have provided care for a very long time. He is still going strong. I attribute this to his good diet as well as regular time in the summer sun.

As I also do with my Shinisaurus lizards, Drakos is given regular time in direct sunlight. Obviously, it is important to monitor him carefully when doing this. This I do. Doing this consistently over the years has rewarded me with a long-lived, healthy Bearded Dragon.
There are many beneficial UVB bulbs available on the market. However, for herp health, nothing replaces natural sunlight-nothing.
I believe this is the next best thing to housing reptiles outside, which, (at least in the U.S.) is not really feasible except in the southern most states.
Supervised time in the sun may appeal to many hobbyists who live in a townhouse, condo, apartment, or house with a small yard. There are ways of making use of the natural light available each day during the warmer months.
**Keep in mind I am right there the entire time, closely monitoring Drakos’ behavior. This is important to prevent escapes and overheating.
Be sure to check out my ebook! It introduces the Natural Reptiles concept in detail, one step at a time.


When Nature Calls
Greetings,

The Wellness Diaries memoir takes readers through a long journey from a diagnosed mental illness to recovery.

The Wellness Diaries memoir explains just how essential outside time is as part of well-being. As explained in the book also in detail during the time around diagnosis, I developed a strong fascination with the natural world, particularly with reptiles and tropical plants. I describe how therapeutic these were during the time of symptom onset and diagnosis, and how caring for pet reptiles and exotic plants helped me to cope.

They say hindsight is better than foresight. Now, having put the mental illness part of my life behind me, moving forward and onto living a full life, there are even now unanswered questions. For example, what if the fascination I had with plants and animals were fragments of a larger need not then met?
What if the ‘thirst’ that I had for the natural world was manifesting itself as mere parts of a larger whole, in the form of a desire to surround myself with exotic plants and reptiles?

Little did I know at the time, that I just needed to visit the rainforest! Obviously, this was not doable at the time; among many reasons, one being afraid to fly then, (not now,) However, what if I would have discovered the natural world then, at the time I so desperately needed it? What if I would have gone on a long hike, or spent some time in a forest? Would that have been as therapeutic, and more importantly, would it have been able to prevent the most difficult part of my journey, the time when I didn’t want to continue living?

I suppose I will never know the answer to these questions. This is okay because I am now here, having completed a journey. Now, more informed, have volumes to tell, and now I know just how essential the natural world is to well-being. It’s interesting that during a time of crisis and illness, I intuitively longed for at least parts of the natural world. At that time, these were exotic plants and reptiles. At the time, I may have not been prepared for a rainforest excursion, or a life changing trip to the wilderness. However, there was no mistaking the reptiles and exotic plants that did something for me that no one and nothing else could. I searched them out and held on like nothing else.

The irony is this: They proved wonderfully therapeutic. I couldn’t get enough. I kept acquiring more in attempt to fill thirst that seemed unquenchable. I continued with this since life was going quite well. This was the mistake I made, (desiring to acquire more and more.)

Then, life change occurred. It took this to make me realize that I had too many living things that depended on me for care. What had proven so therapeutic had been overdone. I reached the point where I simply could not do it all. I simply could not continue to give quality attention and life to all the reptiles I had taken responsibility for while continuing to also meet my own needs.

At this point, there was returned stress in trying to maintain all the life, (lives) I was responsible for. Part of the journey is practicing when it is time for each individual (different per individual) to say: “I am satisfied. I have enough.” Reaching this point is a beautiful thing because “enough” implies gratitude and satisfaction. Whereas insatiable wants are destructive and are born of imbalance and cause further imbalance.

So, summed: Discovered therapeutic value of natural world=quenched thirst=desire for more=lack of understanding and ability to coordinate=too much=returned stress….. Ironic…. An interesting cycle without a doubt.

This is exactly the message here, the very thing I am trying to teach people. The message of Wellness Diaries and Life Is Conscious is clear. The individual must know themselves while they acquire health, strength and growth, but keeping it simple (not the same per person) and being willing to shed the excess throughout the journey that begins to weigh down. My lesson learned was particularly difficult and painful since there were living things involved in the journey. This is a part of the message. I am willing to share my mishaps in hopes to help others learn from my mistake. Excess “stuff” in one’s life is one thing, rather easy to eliminate. It is much more in depth, with difficult answers and oh so many thin lines when other living things are involved. Always remember that enough/satisfaction/balance varies per individual.

The need for the natural world is real and it is a need we all have. We all have a need to be outside, among creation in some way, to some extent. Some may need this more than others, but all have a need to in some form, “return to their roots.” For some it is their garden. For others, it is a daily walk by a river, a beach, or through the woods by their house etc.

I invite you to go outside and particularly, go among nature, in as many ways as you can. Do this regularly. I submit that you will realize the miracle of creation, the miracle of earth and that you will understand the need to preserve the beautiful planet we all share.
Click the image to get the book:


My first book, The Wellness Diaries

Thank you for reading.
Owen


Cleaning, Inexpensive and Green

When I first began caring for reptiles, I used clorox to disinfect enclosures and water dishes. However, as I became more aware of the environment, and began to adopt more ecologically sound practices, I stopped using Clorox. It is very toxic (to everything) and really is overkill for most applications.
It is amazing how effective some of the most simple, everyday products are. For effective deodorizers and general disenfectants, may I suggest three of my favorites: good old fashioned Hydrogen Peroxide, white vinegar, and Baking soda.

These inexpensive products can be purchased just about anywhere, are very effective cleansers and are nontoxic. They are safe for reptile enclosures, people, and the environment.
Vinegar and baking soda can be added to some water as a cleanser and general disinfectant. This concoction also works well for food dishes, water dishes and pools. I use it for my Shinis’ pools, and I have used it for larger lizards’ pools such as Water dragons. The vinegar and baking soda begin to “sizzle” as they cleanse and disinfect the area. The baking soda provides a sort of “gritty” texture, and helps to scrub away grime.
I have even used this combination in water pans beneath lamps, where algae had begun to grow. The algae was easily cleansed away.

I use about 1/4 C vinegar to 1/4 C baking soda with about 2 C water, although I don’t use a specific measuring formula. The scent of vinegar dissipates within about a half hour, and voila! There is a clean, fresh surface.
For really tough cleaning jobs, about 2 T of Hydrogen peroxide can be added prior to the scrubbing with vinegar and Baking soda. I do not mix Peroxide with vinegar or soda; although nontoxic, the sizzling really erupts!
I use Peroxide first; rinse, and then add the vinegar and soda mix.

These products are inexpensive, readily available, safe for people, animals and the environment, and very effective. This holds true more often than not; that is, anything that is safe for the environment and people, still does the job, and also helps to save money, and often, in more than one way.
Thank you for visiting Natural Reptiles. Enjoy your herps!
Owen
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Natural Reptiles e book now available.

Owen

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