Hello,

My Petco has been housing an armadillo lizard (Cordylus cataphractus) for a little while now (It's available for sale.), and last night she gave birth to 2 healthy babies. (They give live birth opposed to egg laying.)

The companies policy dictates that any offspring from retail animals can not be sold. As a result, they are placed up for adoption.

If you read this far already, you have likely guessed that they now reside with me. lol These little critters are pretty interesting and are from South Africa.

They are less than 24 hours old, but I did manage to snap a shot when I placed them in their temporary abode.



This is what they will look like as they mature.



For those that don't know already, I have taken a job at my local Petco caring for the reptile and fish departments. I do this in the mornings, which is why I haven't been online as of late in the am.

I instruct just about everyone (that is considering the purchase of a reptile) to join HC, so there may be a flux of users that reside in MA joining. I took the job for 2 reasons. The first was for the hours. They offer the 7-3 shift, which I needed to accomodate my lifes schedule. The other was to educate. Seeing as I am actively involved in reptile husbandry and education, I figured this would be a place where I could at least apply what I have learned over the years.

I still believe that no one should ever listen to a chain store employee. The vast majority of them are out for the sale, and you will never know who is genuine and who isn't. Just assume they all have no clue as to what they are talking about, and you will be better off.

To date, I have yet to see anyone leave with a bag of calci-sand after having spoken with me. I have also dettered at least 10 purchases of green iguanas through my store. While I can't change how the chain store houses the animals, I can assure that everyone is in a clean and healthy environment. (I clean each enclosure daily, feed and water the reptiles, and inspect for any illness or injury.)

I spend the vast amount of the day speaking with customers and educating them on proper husbandry. I actually enjoy that part of the job.

I also have a few perks. For instance, those armadillo lizards were adopted before anyone knew they would be up for adoption. (Jerry gave me a heads up on them.) I also get to take and incubate any eggs that the reptiles may have deposited. I currently have several green anoles incubating as well as bahama anoles. I should be adding some house geckos shortly. I haven't sexed the 2 Skunk Geckos we have yet, but I am watching them too.

Update: The Skunk Geckos (white lined) are both males. No eggs will be coming from them.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

Cute new babies Rich....changing the world...one Petco at a time LOL....enjoy your new babies!

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Awesome Rich....they are very cool lizards.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Congratulations Rich! They are adorable!
Of course you'd better be careful!
You may find yourself up to your ears in baby lizards!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

LOL, you are going to end up with a housefull, just like me

Congrats on the babies they are cute, as long as they are yours, lol.

And of course my favorite part, thank youi for saving those poor baby iguanas, as all know I am a little partial to the igs, lol.

Awww they are adorable Rich..Congrats.

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!

Thank goodness you're there! It's nice to hear that some of those people will be at least thinking hard about buying an iguana - or any reptile. Maybe they'll even take the time to do some research before hand.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

they're so cute! i tried to do my part on education when I worked at a petstore but man its hard when you're not there. good luck!

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yes i am a she ^_^

~My Babies~

1 Rosy Boa (male) Chaos
1 Snow Corn (male) Blizzard
1 Anertherystic Corn (male) Bullet
1 Senegal Parrot (male) Shadow
2 dogs (male) Spot and Bear

Hello,

I have visibly seen one of the babies eat already, so it seems that at least one of them is off to a good start. The other was out in the open basking, so I have little doubt he has eaten. I do not see any of the pinheads I tossed in this morning, but there is a lot of places for them to hide. (I left a piece of carrot in the tank for the crickets if anyone wanted to know. lol)

I am guessing that they have both eaten already prior to me seeing the consumption of a baby mealie.

The person who currently heads the reptile and fish department (the one I am replacing) is very knowledgeable about both sections. He too is an owner and breeder of reptiles with 20+ years of experience. It's the "floaters" that I worry about most. (I have spoken to several in the past as a customer.)

Many of them have little to no experience with reptiles, but they seem to feel free to answer any questions you may have. Even if they really don't know the answer. Of course, there are some that just tell you they don't know, but others "wing" it.

Monday through Friday, the reptiles are in my care. I believe Jerry has them Sat. and Sun., so I know they are being fed regularly and their enclosures are being maintained.

I do not know who works the second shift, so I don't know if they get any attention at all when we leave.

Merlin, I am not concerned about the baby anoles at all. I will take all of them.lol I do not intend on keeping them as pets. Rayne (my corn) has a liking to the anoles, and these babies won't see their 3rd (day) birthday.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

I must say it's wonderful that there's someone to educate people about what they're buying. Many petshops like that are virtual founts of misinformation, spreading such ideas as: goldfish are good for bowls, pangasius catfish stay little (they get huge, they're closely related to the largest freshwater fish in the world!), iguanas are perfect pets for little kids, turtles don't actually need UV lighting, a fish will only grow to the size of the tank you've got and be perfectly happy, etc etc etc... I've only known a couple petshops with employees that truly care about the animals they sell, but these have gotten all my patronage!