Shadow Void

Strays

As some of you know, I've been feeding a stray cat and her kittens and on that note I want talk about a major problem. The problem is with our pets more precisely our tendency to be a throwaway society. My purpose is not to cause any disgust or hurt your feelings instead I am simply trying to raise awareness. I'm afraid that my words aren't going to be enough, so I am going to use some cold hard facts. I apologize for the facts being a bit old. I can't find my book right now so I'll post it later so let's just jump right into the facts.

 

According to 2005 - 2006 National Pet owners survey, there are somewhere between 73 million dogs and 90 million cats in American homes. While the numbers don't surprise me, I want you to consider the following. An estimated 70,000 kittens and puppies are born each day. Now, the feral or free roaming pet population is said to be around tens of millions: (http://www.usps.com/news/2002/philatelic/sr02_064.htm)

It really blows my mind to think that we buy animals only to throw them away. I understand that we may hate the ideas of the shelters or the pound. There are 6-8 million cats and dogs that enter shelters each year. There are 3 to 4 million cats and dogs that are euthanized each year. Are you mad yet? Now consider this last piece of the animals that enter shelters each year only 30 % of dogs will ever be returned to their owners and only 2 -5 % of cats will ever make back to the owner.

 

Perhaps you think that turning them lose to fend for themselves is a good idea. It's not trust me. Those free roaming / feral really do find themselves in peril. They may not be able to find or not enough food. Some animals even turn to wild animals to feed themselves and their offspring. What's wrong with that, you might ask? Parasites and rabies! They can pick up roundworms, tapeworms, and a whole string of parasites. It's not pretty. These parasites can literally rob their bodies of nutrients. They can end up poisoned by coming across any number of possible toxic substances. They have no way to seek shelter out of the elements. The water they might drink may not be clean which again can deliver parasites and poisons. There is no real way for them to veterinary care, so an injury could mean the end. Not to mention the possibility of them being collected and sold to scientific supply companies or collected and used in dog fights. Now I want you to consider something else for a few minutes.

 

I want you to consider for a second that 70,000 puppies and kittens are born each year. Now remember that 6 - 8 million cats and dogs enter shelters every year in our country. Also keep in mind that 3 to 4 million are euthanized in our country each year. So what harm really comes from dog being feral or free roaming? We talked about something's in the above paragraph. I want to move on though. Feral dogs will often join up in packs. I've witnessed this myself on what I consider to be a hair raising moment. I was out bird watching and there was a group of dogs running around at the local lake. I didn't think much of it until they fairly close by and one of them say me. They immediately started to bark and started to move a bit closer. I decided that I didn't want to mess with them. It would have been 5 dogs to 1 human. Luckily I had my bike and took off. Yes, I had some distance between them and me. This little story lends itself to the possibility that a dog or a cat could get rabies. Animals that they might choose to feed on could give them rabies. Dogs can catch distemper. The chances of coming in contact with a parasite increases in feral animals. A feral animal or free roaming may fear humans and therefore it might be more likely to attack. Well, I said that but you have to realize that I'm not an expert. Escaped animals will seek out food. It might mean attacking wildlife which means the food web becomes messed up. Did you know that a pack of dogs is capable of taking animals as big as deer? Anyway, I may not have done this issue any good, but hopefully, you are more aware. Talk to you later!

 

I'm gone for now!

 

The Cat and Her Kitten Revealed

Desert Hairy Scorpion

Here is a short video of my desert hairy scorpion and her babies. The next day, I caught her eating the babies.

I'M A DADDY!!!

My desert hairy scorpion is giving birth. I won't know till later the exact number of young but it looks like right now there might be ten. She isn't putting them onto her back which is a bit bothersome, but I am suer, super, super, super excited!!!!!

Tarantulas who have molted

I just thought I would give you a run down on the tarantulas who have molted over the last three or so weeks:

My Aponopelma seemanni or Costa Rican Zebra molted on July 3rd, 2009.

My Acanthoscurria brocklehursti molted on June 30, 2009.

One of my Pterinochilus murinis or Orange Baboon Spider molted on June 15, 2009.

My Avicularia avicularia molted on over the July 1st, 2009.

So yeah that is the exciting news from my collection.

Pets 1 of 2 maybe 1 of 3

Golden Millipede Mating

The Mating Attempt and other Pet News

I went down to my neighbor's house with 2 of my spiders and my possibly gravid ( preggy ) scorpion. He got out his Orange Baboon spider which happens to be a male and placed him near the top of my female's tank. He got near her webbing and starting drumming with his feet and his abdomen. I was super excited and nervous at the same time. He entered one of her silken tunnels that she just happened to be in also. He entered the tube the wrong way, and only managed to meet her backside. Peneration in tarantulas is done from the front. All his showing off to her was useless. She didn't even react to him. All she did was walk out of the tube and that was that. There wasn't any mating taking place tongiht. So yeah, I am kind of sad but at the same time I am kind of hopefull. We would try again with her and him at a later date. On the other hand, I do have some good news. The scorpion that everyone was telling me couldn't be pregant is in fact gravid. My neighbor took one look at her and was said "She is gravid. She'll be busting any time now. All I can do is wait. I need to read up on what to do for them. He told me to wait for the 2nd instar which has to do with molting and size. After that they drop off the mother and they could become a meal for her. I want to try and avoid that if at all possible. I have more news for you. He gave me 10 hissing cockroaches, a mix of males and females. Yeah, I can now breed them and supplement my feedings. I don't have to rely on just crickets any more. My baby spiders got a meal of tiny cockroaches of another species today. Which by the way I have another story to tell you about that. I had bought my nephew a baby orange baboon spider. As I was droppign the baby roaches into it's enclosure, he tried to climb out of the enclosure and at one point was stuck to the lid. At point I thought it have escaped so I carefully stepped away from the area of my room that I was sitting and I called my nephews to come down and help me look for it. Right after I called them, I found the little spider at the bottom of it's enclosure. I was so relieved. One more story, I promise and then I will leave you alone I swear. I was feeding the last of my baby spiders and was ready to drop two of the baby roaches into the container for the sling ( baby spider ). I had the baby roach on one of my paintbrushes that I use for messing with my spiders. Any wa he didn't go after the roach, he literally attacked my paintbrush. He was trying to stink his fangs into it. I am so glad that it was not my fingers. He did this not once, but twice. Any way all is good. I guess that is all for today at least for now.

How Many Animals Are In The Zoo Now?

Yes dear readers, that was the answer that came to me today from a dear friend. Well, let me just say, that this huge massive interest in bugs or more correctly arthropods started in my childhood. However, I didn't get my first pet bugs when I was in my mid twenties. I got my first tarantula at about the same age. That first set of bugs were 3 hissing cockroaches. They lead the way for tarantulas, crabs, giant millipedes, giant centipedes, more hissign roaches, death's head cockroaches, scorpions, and of course the ever popular tarantulas. So now that you know all of that, how many animals now reside in the Shadowvoid zoo????? How many critters now call my little piece of the world home? Do you really want to know? Well Too bad, I'm going to tell you even if you don't want to know. 18 tarantulas 7 millipedes 1 centipede 1 scorpion Well now you now! What do you think of that? Want to know which one scares me the most huh?? Truthfully, none of them scare me but I do have much respect for both the scorpion and the centipede. Which one do I think is the coolest?? Hard question but I have to all ummm.......all of them. WHich one is the prettiest I have to say the centipede. Which one is the most vile, I have to say the centipede. But that is why I love him so much! Any way, that is what was on my mind and will be on my mind for a good long while. Good night!!

That Pet Bill

Remember me mentioning a bill that was going through sub-committee ( sp? )? Well it beat down in sub committee. YEAH! Now like my brother said, the fight may not be over yet but it's still freaking awesome.