Caution: Metamorphosis in Progress

Please bare with me while this polli-blog transitions into adulthood!

After some prodding, I'm finally making the move to having a dedicated blog for all my herp-related posts. I'm in the process of testing out Blogger's settings right now and gathering up the herp-related content from my old blog (and Facebook). You'll probably see much of that old content (and pictures) come back in updated posts interspersed in the new content. Don't worry, there will be plenty of pictures of Pakku, the Grumpy Frog...and the new additions!

In the meantime, check out my series of posts on my trip to Repticon Dallas in April.

So, what else would everyone like to see on Paraherpetology?

Picture of the Week: Hey, There's Something on Your Nose

An oldie, but goodie. This picture was taken about two months ago. (Sorry for the water spots.)

Hey, Pakku, there's something on your nose!

~crosses eyes, snap~

You got it!

It's Feeding Time!

Today, I'm sharing some videos of Thing One and Thing Two being fed. After many unsuccessful (and quite laughable) attempts at getting video for these two, I finally ended up with two decent videos. As you can see in the first video, Thing One is a very enthusiastic eater and frequently targets the tongs. I am anticipating that Thing One is the most likely candidate to give me my first Pacman bite. Knock on wood, that hasn't happened yet. Thing Two, on the other hand, is quickly gaining the nickname Mr. Picky for his/her habit of ignoring bugs on the ground and only taking certain dubia from the tongs. But, he has the cutest way of opening his/her mouth for food when he does eat.

AsiaFest & Turtles at Haggard Park in Plano, TX

On Saturday, we spent some time in Plano, TX. We were there to check out the 10 anniversary of Plano's AsiaFest in Haggard Park, but we also did some shopping and sightseeing in the historical downtown district.

Of course, I spent most of the time watching the Tae Kwon Do demonstrations.

Black belts from Lee's U.S. Tae Kwon Do Academy going through forms in place.

Great front snap kick!
I really need to get back into martial arts classes. I'm missing breaking things...on purpose.

Picture of the Week: Pakku, the Ninja Frog

Ninja Pakku says "I'm Ninja Frog! You cannot see me....

...Why are you looking at me?...

~flash~

...Blasted human!"

Pakku croaked!

The good kind of croaking, that is. After weeks of swearing I heard random croaks coming from Pakku's terrarium, I finally captured a couple croaks on my cell phone.

 Pakku croaking 01

Sorry for the quality. It was a quick recording using my voice notes app. I'm hoping to catch him on video croaking with the HD camera and use the microphone attachment to get better sound quality. But, you know what they say about working with animals...

Next time I have to handle him, I'll check his front feet again for nuptial pads, but there weren't any discernible ones last time I handled him. His throat does look more grey and spotted than previously, so I've been leaning more and more towards declaring Pakku a male.

Picture of the Week: Lizard in the Garden

I found this little guy hanging out under a bush in the front landscaping. Sorry for the picture quality. I only had my cell phone on me at the time.

What do you all think?
American Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)?

Repticon Dallas, Part 7: The Texas Reptile Exchange

One of my favorite species of pet lizards is the Central Australian bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Being a popular and fairly easy to care for species, I was quite surprised that there weren't more of them available for sale at Repticon Dallas. A few posts ago, I shared a picture of one of the bearded dragons that were available for adoption from DFW Reptile Rescue. The only other vendor that had bearded dragons at Repticon Dallas (or at least that I saw) was The Texas Reptile Exchange...and I nearly came home with one.

The Texas Reptile Exchange is an authorized Exo Terra wholesaler and reptile dealer/breeder based out of Powderly, TX. See their website for a full like of available species or just give them a call with your wishlist.

Repticon Dallas, Part 6: R.A.R.R., N.E.W.T.S., and the Leander Rattlesnake Festival

In yesterday's post, I shared some pictures of the adoptable reptiles at DFW Reptile Rescue, a nonprofit reptile rescue run by Carrie and Melissa Caposello. On the other side of the building, two groups teamed up to raise money for a cause near and dear to their hearts through T-shirt sales and a silent auction (held on Saturday). If you missed my Herp Haul post last Thursday, check it out to read more about the silent auction and see what I won (another book to get my nose stuck in, of course).

Rise Against Rattlesnake Roundups (RARR) and Nature's Exotic Wildlife Tee Shirts (NEWTS) teamed up at Repticon Ennis to raise funds for the Leander Rattlesnake Festival--the first no-kill, educational rattlesnake event in Texas, planned for Spring 2014

The two groups represented at this mega-booth were Rise Against Rattlesnakes Roundups (RARR) and Nature's Exotic Wildlife Tee Shirts (NEWTS). RARR provided the personnel and message, while NEWTS provided the T-shirts for sale and showcased their own herps. (For more information about this two groups and pictures, read through to the next paragraph.) Proceeds from the silent auction and T-shirt sales this weekend went to the Leander Rattlesnake Festival Fund (click the link to donate towards this kick-start project). This fund was started by Leander local herp hobbyist Kenneth Reid to raise money for the first completely no-kill, education-based rattlesnake event in Texas. The Leander Rattlesnake Festival is planned for Spring 2014 in Leander, TX (a town ~30 minutes north of Austin, TX) and will include: educational displays of venomous snake species in Texas, guided snake hunts for wildlife enthusiasts, venom extraction demonstrations (by Kentucky Reptile Zoo), and some great Texas barbeque. The goal of this event is to show communities that there is an economical alternative to traditional rattlesnake roundups, as well as provide the area with a fun, family-friendly reptile event.

Repticon Dallas, Part 5: DFW Reptile Rescue

On April 13th & 14th, Repticon Dallas filled Ennis' KJT Auditorium with 20 vendors offering a wide variety of reptiles, amphibians, and other exotic pets for sale. You could find nearly every product you would need to keep your pet herp happy and healthy. The vendors at Repticon ranged from large pet stores with extensive inventories to specialty breeders/dealers featuring beautiful, rare morphs. Most were more than happy to talk (in detail) with visitors about their business and herp care. Several nonprofits were there to raise money and showcase their adoptable herps. It was a fun, successful event that I look forward to attending again in the future.

One of my favorite booths at this Repticon show was that of DFW Reptile Rescue. One of the few no-kill rescues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that takes in pet reptiles, this Burleson-based 501(c)3 nonprofit has been finding forever homes for the scaly since 2007. Carrie and Melissa Caposello are a pair of delightful gals with hearts of gold and a talent for describing the personalities of their rescues. They also own Caposello Photography...so I'll apologize in advance to Carrie and Melissa. My pictures just don't do these beautiful herps justice. Check out the gorgeous photographs on the DFW Reptile Rescue website and Facebook page.

Carrie (left) and Melissa (right) Caposello of DFW Reptile Rescue.