I got an Internship at a Refuge! (HUGE DUW)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1459.jpg

uh oh. might be having redfoot babies soon?

How are the snakes and other reptiles doing? Are they all now in proper caging with the right heat? I hope that you were able to get the right info here and let them know hwo to properly heep them. :)
I would definately make sure that this is all improbed before breeding any of them.. but I am sure that I am just worried for nothing.

its funny you asked about the snake caging. i asked one of the head ladies today about it. she said if i draw up some plans (try to keep it withing budget), she will hand them over to the main director and "make" him let me do this, as well as have them pay for everything through a grant.

there are 40 snakes, including his personal collection, which i will need to have put into racks. i was thinking 2 big racks with 4" belly flexwatt on the back. heres what we are lookin at

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1479.jpg

a rough sketch. PLEASE let me know if you know of a better, cost effecient layout!!!
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1478.jpg


a few random shots i took today.

i fed these guys once and now everytime i look at em, they do this
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...HPIM1477-1.jpg

what are YOU lookin at
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1469.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1468.jpg

he followed the hose and made me spray him for about 5 minutes
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1474.jpg

oh yea, one small thing...

I GOT TO PUT SOME TURTLES IN TODAY

only 4 right now..the ones that were the biggest and most cramped, as well as the most badly injured

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1487.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1485.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1489.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1492.jpg

more will be going in soon, i hope. words cant express how good i felt when i watched them swim laps in that thing. whew. the hard word paid off for sure.


see yall soon

I cant believe they are allowing them to breed.

Whoooooo hoooo!!

Thats awesome man! I think I speak for everyone here in saying you are doing a wonderful thing for the Refuge and the animals that are residing there.

Good luck and as always more pics! :rockon:


Mike

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jamesw

I cant believe they are allowing them to breed.

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the sulcatas breed all the time. they take the eggs, put them in a container filled with special dirt, and let them sit. to my knowledge, the containers have never been opened.

Looking good.


A few comments on the rack idea....if all the snakes were the same your plans would be fine...but since they aren't you will have a hard time regulating the correct temps and cage size.

I would suggest you take an inventory of what you have first and build around that. For example build a corn snake (smaller snake) rack, then a ball rack, then a larger rack or aboreal rack. You will also need to think about how you want to house the burms and retics...you can make racks but the layout is much different as the tubs are huge and heavy.

If you send me a list of what you have I can help you figure out what might work.

The advice about the different racks is great. Seems like your getting a lot done there. Glad to hear your still at it!! I love all the updates on your progress.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Looking good.


A few comments on the rack idea....if all the snakes were the same your plans would be fine...but since they aren't you will have a hard time regulating the correct temps and cage size.

I would suggest you take an inventory of what you have first and build around that. For example build a corn snake (smaller snake) rack, then a ball rack, then a larger rack or aboreal rack. You will also need to think about how you want to house the burms and retics...you can make racks but the layout is much different as the tubs are huge and heavy.

If you send me a list of what you have I can help you figure out what might work.

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yea your right. the only reason i wanted to keep a smaller number of racks is so that the flexwatt could run longer, making less wiring issues. but you make a good point. different snakes need different heat, tubs, etc. next time i go, ill take pics of all the snakes and we can get to the hard part...IDENTIFYING THEM! haha

yesterday i NICE looking ball was dropped off to us. seems a homeowner found him/her under her porch fighting with her dog! i hopeeee they let me have him/her. it is gorgeous. but man, does it have an attitude!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1502.jpg

yesterday we also received 2 softshells. its dry around here lately and it seems more and more turtles are having to leave their now-dried-up ponds to find water. these guys got hit by a car and still lived! softshells!

my foot is there for comparison, size 13
the small guy
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1500.jpg

the big guy
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1501.jpg

and i kinda got "promoted" to being able to feed the deer today. one more thing i can do around here is good for me

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1503.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1507.jpg

(he was tellin me that that white tail over there thought i looked hot)
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1505.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NotAnotherHonda

yesterday i NICE looking ball was dropped off to us. seems a homeowner found him/her under her porch fighting with her dog! i hopeeee they let me have him/her. it is gorgeous. but man, does it have an attitude!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1502.jpg

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You have a dog harass you , you would be pissy too!! He should setle down.:D Those are some nice size soft shells.

i cant wait to hold him (hopefully its a her)

perfect weight, size, and looks!

That is awesome with the deer; wow, to be that close to deer! Although the only deer I have seen were wild and hunted ones.
It must have been great to put the turtles into your pond; that is truly awesome too.
That is some BP; fighting with a dog! I bet that it was striking defensively; but I would have done that too, hehe.
If you want to make some money for them, why not sex the BPs definately, and put some up for sale? If you've got breedable females, someone would be willing to pay for one I would bet; males could go for pets to someone too. This is all after making sure that they are parasite-free, and healthy and vetted of course.

So the tortoise eggs, are they being incubated, or hatched out at all?
Also if you can list the animals husbandry needs, I can see if I can geta rack together for you. Please let me know what I can do to help.

Here is some pic of the racks we build,they have rubbermaid 28quart tubs in them. The baby rack has shoe box Iris tubs in it. Both have 3" flexwatt belly heat. Would something like this help?

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture001.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture002.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture003.jpg

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture004.jpg

(cross your fingers I hope you can see the pics)

genevive-

all the bp's have been sexed. we have about half and half male and female, and the females are all fat and ready...looks wise anyways.

we are just getting over a huge mite outbreak so none are ready to leave, and i dont know if he honestly wants to get rid of any, or just talks about doing it.


kellysballs-those racks are perfect. exactly what we need. we have mostly corns, bp's, and assorted pythons, and about 6 copperheads which have to be in lockd enclosures. those racks are stunning and would be perfect for the space. im worried about price though! :(

maybe we can talk through pm and see what we can do?


thanks so much guys. i dunno where ide be without yalls motivation and support

Email me kellyl519@yahoo.com.
I have a gift card I got for christmas to home depot so I should be able to get the materials no prob. I you give me a tour of the facility I will build them and deliver them. PS I have a six year old that really wants to bottle feed that deer!! :)
Oh and I would need to pin one of those signs on the side of then saying we donated it :P :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kellysballs

Email me kellyl519@yahoo.com.
I have a gift card I got for christmas to home depot so I should be able to get the materials no prob. I you give me a tour of the facility I will build them and deliver them. PS I have a six year old that really wants to bottle feed that deer!! :)
Oh and I would need to pin one of those signs on the side of then saying we donated it :P :D

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whatever you want. whatever you want!!!

she needs to be bottle fed several times a day, so thats no problem!

what about flexwatt costs? i cant have you pay for all that too.


im sending an email right now!

awesome thread. hand't seen it in a while and checked it out from the start....great work on the pond.

keep kickin ass...

hey guys. havent been on here in a while- work and school have been killin me! anyways, i had enough of the poor turtles having no light or heat whatsoever. so i went out on my own money and bought 2 uvb lights (still need one more). i cleared off an old rack we had layin around and made what you see here. not all the turtles fit on here, so i had to pick the ones that were already showing signs of MBD :(

heres some cell phone pics

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...da/lights1.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...da/lights2.jpg

With all the stress and expenses over the UVB, why not just build an outdoor pen? You could build a decent pen for $100 and let the turtles be exposed to the best UVB producer around (the sun).

i asked. he wont let it happen. and, he didnt even approve of this. i took a chance and just did it. hoping he wont get mad.

I think that he has no right to get mad at you for (out of your own pocket!) improving the animals' conditions to par, especially if you are given permission to volunteer there... If he ahs anything to say, maybe a visit from animal control is in order? I usually hate to even recommend involving the SPCA in herp cases, because generally they don't know anything and will end up daclaring that all of the animals are sick and need to be put down.. but it rubs me the wrong way that this guy seems to not approve of houseing his animals right.. argh!

we just passed inspection with flying colors, because, according to everyone, all they care about is the "birds of prey"

Okay, we finally got the rack done. It will house 9 snakes. I emailed you yesterday, here are some pics. Sorry it took so long but my BF lost his jobright after we first talked and we needed to get back on our feet before building this. We are going to the orlando FIRE expo next weekend if you want to go we can bring this with us. If not we can come up the next weekend.
I understand this is a rescue but does the owner adopt out the animals once they are rehabed? Just a question. Here are the pics.
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture012.jpg
That is where the tubs go. It has heat tape.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture011.jpg
That is the whole rack with the tubs on top. It has wheels for easier moving.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...Picture013.jpg
This is my boyfriends genius at work, it is a dimmer switch that is hard wired into the heating system. The only thing needed is a couple of thermometers with temp probes to keep this bad boys temps at the proper levels.

I really hope this will do the trick. Let me know how we can get it to you.

wow. i think i love you. haha

im sorry i havent kept in touch. ive been so busy but i know thats no excuse.

that thing looks incredible. im going to print out that pic and show my director and see what he thinks. either way, im beyond excited.

yes, we do adopt out the snakes he just never has time to do anything and doesnt trust us to do it. ill email you some contact info and maybe you can talk to him personally.

thank you so much man. i dunno what to say besides thank you.

I have an idea for your Refuge, why not make an online website, and make a donation area on there. And if anyone working there has a paypal account, the money would automatically be transferred to the account. Just an Idea.

we have that already. however, i am reluctant to give the name and contact number of the place i work at, as many people could call and complain. this would get me in trouble with school and work, as i AM NOT allowed to take pictures, especially if they are used in a way that could get the place fined/shut down

Yeesh, what an undertaking! You've done some really exceptional work there. I have a suggestion for you, if your boss would go for it. A great resource is local Boy Scout troops. Scouts need a certain number of community service hours for their ranks. If you guys need some of that new acreage landscaped they would be a big help. Young men going for their Eagle Scout also are required to find their own major community service project which they have to plan and fund on their own. If you need cages built for example, providing an Eagle candidate with the know how would get some results. These projects usually cost the Scout around 600-1000 dollars, and they are usually funded by donations from local stores and warehouses. We used to build porches for elderly people, ramps for disabled people, even storage cabinets for church playgrounds. After seeing all the hard work you put in, I couldn't help but wish we had such an interesting and important project. That rack that kellysballs built looks fantastic!

Great work, you will get recognized for your efforts!

thanks for the idea! im actually an Eagle Scout myself. i shoulda thought of that :confused:

heres a mini update...just been doing my thing, tryin to make changes. if you guys didnt see what i did to the turtles in the chelonia thread, check it out. i added uvb lights and make a "rack" to save space and increase the efficiency of the bulbs.

here is one of the monitors before i got there, and was fed "whenever needed"

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1188.jpg

and after i started feeding him mice and mealworms. 110% more active. yes, i know his tank isnt setup correctly, but its the only way the director wants it.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1890.jpg

the red tegu that went from skinny to plump :)

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1885.jpg


and i found a nice sized tank laying around, along with a box full of aquarium supplies. i asked some coworkers what they though if i threw in some baby red-ears and yellow bellies in there. they said it was ok, so i went out and bought a uvb light, heat lamp, and fixture, and it was done!

from this
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1892.jpg

to this
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1886.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1895.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1896.jpg

much happier :)

man, im so excited. so yesterday, i met with kelly and her boyfriend marc (username: kellysballs). they drove 5 hours to come to the refuge and deliver...........


THIS!

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1913.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1914.jpg


these guys will be going in the tubs.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1911.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1447.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1193.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1161.jpg

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/HPIM1180.jpg

and some more!!


its got heat tape and a dimmer all set up! they DONATED this to us and delivered it for free when they saw how the snakes we being kept. words cant express how grateful i (we) am. i gave them, along with kellys daughter a tour of the place, and they loved it. kelly said some changes did need to be made, but their heart was "in the right place". i think shes right.


THANK YOU SOOO MUCH KELLY AND MARC!!!

Kudos to Kelly...she rocks!!! (and Marc too :D)

We wanted to help make a differance for the animals, I think that anyone here who had the means would have done the same.
We helped by bringing back a yellow rat snake that needed to be released in central fl. He now has a great home. He was released in a lightly wooded area near a farm in se sumpter county. My grandparents live out there and the farm and wooded area in on the other side of their back yard. My grandpa was happy to have "a ole rat snake around" to keep the rodents down.
Honestly I was expecting the place to be worse than it was. I still believe after talking to the manager/owner that he could do things much better but I do feel that his heart is in the right place and hopefully this will help him get things turned around for the reptiles. My daughter Sierra is still talking about the deer and feeding the baby birds. I just wish we could do more.
Oh and my Boyfriends name is Art. (It's okay he mumbles :D )

Art...Marc...sounds the same :D sorry mang

+1 for you guys.

oh man im embarrassed! ahha

i totally agree kelly. but hopes and dreams wont fix anything until he is willing to actually do it, ya know?

thank you soooo much!

Moved Them to their *NEW* tubs yet?




I know if you go garage saleing, you can normally find reptile tanks, supplies, and a lot of storage containers like sterlite. Just an idea.



And what major city are you around? i will look for containers and cheap stuff in your area.

ANY updates?

nope. they arent in yet. i dont know what to say. ive asked and asked. im working on it. the guy is.....i dont know what to say

WOAH! I just looked through this ENTIRE thred just to see. That is amazing what you are doing! I would do the exact same thing. ._.; From what I hear that owner really kinda... ticks me off? I don't know,it seems like his heart is in the right place, but I would no patience fo4r someone like that. That pond looks AMAZING! And those turtles must be having a blast, haha. What you are doing just makes everyone want to smile, grab their phonebooks, and want to help out. :P I really hope those snakes go into their awesome new tubs. I don't understand why you have to keep ASKING him to do it, when it would obviously be good for them? But what do I know, I'm young. >_>;

Woops double post! I edited this one to say sorry!

Kelly you guys rock! Thanks for taking the time to help another ball-python.netter :carrot:

only 2 days left on my internship! :(

if i was you i would take all the stuff that you gave back. since the guy seems very rude and doesnt appreciate your help.

So what had happened?

update? i read all this.. and no finally??

I feel the same way.. But if the intership is over, i do hope your still checking on the animals if you can.. I am glad to see some one was trying to give the nonnoise making animals a voice.

So what happened did you ever get pics of the snakes in the new rack. Or what these people went out of there way to help out build the rack bring it down. Now no one even knows if the rack was even used. Any proof that it was use at the refuge and not sold or taken home by one of the workers.

ill tell you what from what ive read here you guys are great for trying to help out but i dont think the owner will ever change anything i personally would call and report this!

I started to read this thread and offered help through a PM before i got to page 5, so i was all for helping the animals. Know that I got to the end of the thread I feel bad for the animals because they do not have the help from this college student who gave them the best he could to improve their lives. i just hope the animals are in good hands, and I cant wait to hear from "Notanotherhonda".

I would still like to help, because me and my brother's frat can make a real difference in that refuge by helping out and donating whatever we can.

oh man guys, im so sorry i havent checked up in a while. i graduated FSU and the internship was over. they offered me a full time job...for $7/hr, and thats realistically not feasible. I moved back to jacksonville and work as an environmental scientist which has NOTHING to do with animals. im waiting until something opens up at a refuge/zoo here in town.

now about the refuge


i have been going back to tallahassee about every 3 weeks since i graduated august 8th. i go to the refuge every time im in town. the first few weeks were great. I showed up unannounced and everything was clean. They hired a student there that seems to know his stuff. all the snakes were somewhat healthy. lizards didnt look starved, and the cages were pretty clean. I left that week thinking that i might have made a change in their work ethics and motivated them to make it a better place for the animals......

I went back 2 weeks ago and it was a wreck. The girl who i put in charge of feeding the lizards told me "itde beena while" since they had been fed. The snake cages were covered in feces (the newsp[aper dates were the same as when i had visited last, which was 4 weeks ago, due my car breaking down and not being able to visit.) the director told me that some of the snakes had "died unexpectedly" , so he didnt want me to change the cages, thinking ide transfer whatever it is he thought they had. I changed them wheh he left anyways, because they realistically wouldnt have been changed for another month. I find out the student had been bit bad by our 5 ft burmese python about a month ago, which leads me to believe that he is scared to handle snakes now.

I hate this job that i am in now, and when i go to work at the zoo or refuge that im applying for now, i am going to need the directors recommendation, and this guy isnt the nicest in the world. Now that the internship is over and i have graduated, i ask you guys...what should i do?

tommy