Uromastyx maliensis

Ever since I first laid eyes on a Uromastyx in a Charlotte, NC pet shop, I’ve wanted one. From the tortoise-like head to the dinosaur-like, menacing, spiky tail that reminded me of a Stegosaurus’ defensive whip, I craved to  have one and to create my own mini Jurassic Park at home.

Yes, I know that this feisty 6″ long desert reptile is not even remotely closely related to those 20′ long, 10 ton behemoths which lived 200 million years ago, but darn it, it’s almost certain it’ll be as close as I’ll ever get to one – and The Flintstones for that matter – and being the animal lover I am, I wanted one dammit!

Actually, the Uromastyx (Uros, as they are known) and Stegosaurus are really not all that different. Both are herbivores, meaning that they eat mainly plant matter (salads and the like), both live in semi-arid climates and both use their muscular, spiky tails as their primary defense against predators. Well, I suppose the similarities end right about there.

Nonetheless, boy do they look cool!

Tim Buk Tu

At the time, my reptile raising resume’ was rather limited with only a few anoles, a couple box turtles I unearthed as a kid in Ohio, and a handful of those silver-dollar sized dimestore turtles that are illegal now to own (since small children were known to have put them in their curious mouths and contracted diseases) to my credit. I went home and did some research on the care for a Uromastyx and soon realized with my experience, I’d be much better off right now to settle for a gecko. Which I did…thank you very much…and learned what a joy geckos are to own! (See my post of Leopard Gecko keeping HERE)

Well, after a couple years of healthy gecko rearing and continued Uro yearning, my loving wife urged me to go ahead and get one if I was ready. (Thanks, honey!) I am so glad I did.

While the gecko is nocturnal and lounges around all day – and most of the night, too, I might add – my 9 month old Uro (Tim Buk Tu, named after his native land in Mali, West Africa) is up at the break of dawn prowling and canvassing his territory, that is, when he hasn’t suddenly napped off as he is prone to do on occasion.

Tim suddenly napping

Tim suddenly awake

He’s unbelievably tame and loves to take a bath – which I had to give him after he devoured two blackberries and flung berry juice all over creation. He needs no water per se as he gets all the H2O he requires from the vegetation he eats. It’s a good thing, he’s not the cleanest eater – rather messy, actually – he scampers through his food trough and scatters veggies everywhere. He goes back and cleans up though, so at least he’s polite.

He absolutely loves flowers! No, I don’t decorate his enclosure with bouquets – He’d EAT them! Honeysuckle, dandelions, lilies, roses…just the sight of me bringing them to him from across the room makes him jump and try to climb the glass.

During his berry feast

His species, Uromastyx maliensis, will grow to 12″-14″ and can live upwards of 35 years, maybe more, so I hope my son likes him as he’ll most likely inherit him.

Uros, for the most part, have not been kept in captivity for very long (since the early 90′s, I believe) so not a whole lot is known about them. I have read and researched all I can on these wonderful little beasts but would like to hear about what other keepers have experienced with their Uros. I know there’s much to learn and I’m sure it’s going to be an interesting journey.

Just checkin' the temp

One thing is for sure…they like it HOT!

Have questions or want to share your thoughts? Please send a comment.

As far as my experiences with Tim, I’ll keep you posted…

©dbhewitt

GASTONIA, NC – If you’re a pizza fanatic and have traveled down Franklin Blvd. in Gastonia recently you surely have noticed that Gastonia’s best pizza parlor – Fuel Pizza (located at Franklin Square) – has changed names. Several weeks ago my disbelieving eyes read the horrifying sign which now hung where the so-familiar Fuel Pizza signboard once stood: GASHOUSE GRILL NOW OPEN.

Instantaneously, I erupted into a cold sweat and commenced to tremble and quake in terror.
“What the #&%@!?”
Shock and panic were the first reactions I recall as I slowly began to regain some sense of consciousness. Impulsively, I began to experience a strong sense of dismay and trepidation about the reality of what this ominous, foreboding omen was revealing to me.

“F-F-Fuel P-P-P-Pizza is gone,” I somehow eventually managed to stammer to my wife.
“Where?” she replied.
I couldn’t answer. Heck, I couldn’t speak (still can’t but that’s another story) so I pointed my palpitating finger in the direction of this demonic harbinger of doom.

“Fuel Pizza’s gone,” she exclaimed.
I nodded albeit in a rather befuddled and mystified state.

She instinctively knew the next step – we pulled in to the parking lot and went in to get the scoop.

Everything pretty much looked the same – automotive motif still prevalent, gas pump intact and stabilized…bar in the same location. Okay, but what about the PIZZA?

Not having the time as we were on our way to an appointment which we were running late for anyway, we couldn’t stay to sample a slice of pie but were determined to figure out just what the #&%@! was going on. So, the wifey (the most coherent, congenial and stable one of us at the time) began to interrogate the first hireling she could corner.

After a nice, calm consultation we were enlightened and subsequently – for the time being – cautiously soothed by the fact that the proprietorship had not changed, only the name and some of the menu items.
Okay, but what about the PIZZA?

We were advised that the Fuel Pizza recipe we had become so enamored with was indeed the same recipe that Gashouse Grill would be using in their menu.

“It’s the same recipe – we’re not changing anything,” we were told.
Hmmm, I thought, sounds fishy to me. We’ll have to wait and see.

So, after paying late dues for my tardy engagement appearance we decided to scrape together the last funds we had and go get us our favorite Whole Engine (green pepper, onion, mushroom, sausage, meatball, pepperoni, mozzarella) and make our verdict.

After a couple nice tall draft beers and 8 slices later the verdict came in.
It wasn’t the same.
Similar, but different. Very similar, actually. What was missing? The dough was the same, the toppings were the same, the red sauce the same, still fresh mozzarella…
Something wasn’t right we both agreed as we went home perplexed.

“I liked it – it was good,” I moped as I tried to convince myself all is not lost. “But something is missing.”
Little Miss Wifey agreed.
“We’ll have to go back and try it again.”

For the next several days and nights I pondered our query. Perhaps it was the name – Fuel Pizza - that was missing. Was it that?
One evening while chopping broccoli it hit me -

“Veggies!” I blurted out from above the chopping block startling the dog and awakening the wife who was asleep on the couch watching Ghost Whisperer. “It’s the vegetables – they’re sliced smaller!” I declared. “Remember before there were large slices of onion that fell off the pizza and we had to eat ‘em with our fingers?”
“Forks, my dear…forks.”
“But yes, I think you’re r..i…g…h…..t,” her words trailed off as she resumed watching with her eyes closed before nodding back off.

So that was it. I’ve solved the case. Now it was high time to go check my hypothesis.

Again, the Whole Engine was ordered this time along with an appetizer and a Hawaiian pie to take home.

“Much better this time, huh?” I coaxed her.
“Yes, dear.”
I could tell she was sincere as we polished off the whole engine plus the appetizer and a couple beers.
The crust was cooked to perfection, the mozzarella was fresh, the leftovers heated up just grand the next day – and the veggies were of ample amplitude.

On appeal, the Gashouse Grill wins. The pizza is the same as it was.
Only the name has changed. Perhaps it was just the loss of a good friend – that rusty ol’ Fuel Pizza sign missing – that was lacking on that first visit.

Either that or we had a skimpy vegetable chopper that night.

Either way, we welcome Gashouse Grill as our new friend and will be re-FUEL-ing (hehe) there again next lap around.

Your favorite pizza? I want to know. Best restaurants around? Tell me…Please!

©dbhewitt.2009.

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Eublepharis macularius for your very own

Ever thought of having a pet gecko? You know, just a cute little lizard of your own that would talk Australian and try so politely to sell you insurance? I know you have, just like everyone else, however, let me guess…you’ve never had a reptile before and you haven’t the first clue as to how and what to do to keep, maintain and raise a mini-dinosaur. Am I correct?

Well, let me be the first to tell you…Nothing Could Be Simpler!

First answer this questionnaire:

(add one point for each yes answer)

1. Do you want a pet gecko?
2. Can you spare a few moments 3-4 times a week to feed a pet leopard gecko?
3. Do you operate an in-home shelter for stray cats?

OK. You’re done.

Now, grade yourself…
If you answered the first two questions “Yes”, then you’re a prime candidate and well on your way to being a master gecko keeper.

If you answered “yes” to question three, well, maybe a gecko is not for you.
Either way, let me tell you how easy it is to keep your own pet leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius). First, I’ll cover some common concerns.

Do they bite?

"My gecko bit me!"

No, geckos do not bite. It’s better described as an attempted oral grip. If your gecko does attempt a nip at you you’ll most likely just want to say, “Wow! My gecko just bit me!” Something to bring up to friends over a beer, but nothing more. Let your gecko chew on your fingertip a couple times and he’ll soon realize you aren’t a cricket nor a mealworm and he’ll remember in the future you aren’t a meal.
Which brings me to…

What in the heck do geckos eat?

Two things: Crickets and mealworms. OK, crickets, insects and mealworms. That’s three. But crickets and mealworms are insects so, actually it’s one.

…….. Eeeeeewwwww! I don’t like worms!

Don’t fear, mealworms are not worms, but the larvae form of a beetle (Tenebrio molitor). They (the mealworms, nor the beetle – or the gecko for that matter) are not slimy nor yucky. The just taste good to geckos (and are popular street fare for humans in Thailand).

Eeeeeewwwww! I don’t like beetles!

If your mealworms do metamorphosize (after several months of not being fed to your gecko) what you will have is one dumb beetle that can’t fly and if he tumbles over onto his back, he’ll most likely just lie there forever kicking his miniscule getaway sticks in the air in vain. An easy-to-hunt meal for your gecko.

Won’t my pet leopard gecko poop everywhere?

Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, leopard geckos may be the tidiest little homemakers in the animal kingdom. Once they move in and take occupancy of their new residence your leopard gecko will first take a long and thorough walk-through inspecting his/her new abode and then promptly designate one specific corner as its lavatory.

Excrement bundles in the designated poop corner

All bodily wastes will be packaged together in one small excrement bundle in the designated corner. This bundle (average 3-4 times per week) can easily be removed with tongs, or a mini scoop. They don’t have to be house-trained nor taken outside although shoulder harnesses are on the market if you desire to take your gecko out for a stroll. (The little poop bundles are dry, they do not smell, and once extracted they are wonderful fertilizer pellets for your houseplants.)

All in all, poop is not an issue.

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How big do they get and how much space do they need?

A leopard gecko can attain a length (from tip of nose to end of tail) of about 7 inches. An adult leopard gecko will have more than enough room to live in a 20 gallon long aquarium.

What do I need to buy?

An aquarium with a screened top so the cats don’t get in, an overhead night light for heat, a sand substrate for reptiles, a water dish…and a gecko.

So, there you have it.

Adults will eat about 6-8 crickets/mealworms per feeding, only need access to a water dish for infrequent sips, needs no grooming (IE: haircuts or nail clippings, although periodic baths may be a good idea), they do not bark or beg for food, don’t shed (well, actually they do shed their skin every few weeks, but they eat it so there’s no clean-up), are happiest being solitary rather than with a mate, are inexpensive, live long (can live 20+ years), and are fascinating to watch for hours on end (when they are not sleeping).

Leopard geckos aren’t the most skilled of hunters and it is quite comical to watch them as they try to catch half a dozen rampant live crickets who are scared out of their wits after being dropped into The Gecko Den. However, they do win in the end as a hungry gecko always gets their cricket.

Hypo Tangerine Carrot-Tail

Pre-shed color fade

Leopard geckos have been bred into many different color patterns (morphs) over the past several years with the intensely orange-tailed “carrot-tail” being one of the most sought after. Leopard geckos (Leos as they are known in the trade) however will fade in color a day or two prior to their regular shedding – the next day you’ll awaken to a freshly-hued bright and shiny, happy Leo – and as I said, no shedded skin to clean up!

With the many varieties available, you will have no problem finding one who accents you home decor.
They are known as the consummate lounge lizard as they will lie sprawled out napping seemingly without a care in the world.
And you will be too, if you decide to get a pet leopard gecko of your very own.

Now, you aren’t skeptical about keeping a reptile anymore right?

Good.

…

(If you do plan on keeping a pet gecko do yourself and your future pet a favor and research the many leopard gecko care articles and websites. They are most helpful.)

©dbhewitt.2009.

Archocentus nigrofaciatus (Black Convict)

Thorichthys meeki (Firemouth)

New Life Spectrum

Fish Food

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For Omnivores, Carnivores AND Herbivores? C’mon now…

THIS IS NOT A PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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You’ve got to be joking, right? I mean I’ve read lots of stuff about feeding fish and all the books and magazines say to feed a varied diet of “quality” flakes, feed sparingly, don’t overcrowd your tank and if you do REGULAR AND FREQUENT WATER CHANGES you will be rewarded with a happy little fish and years of wonderment and fascination in the world of fish keeping. Well, I want to be the best fish feeder around and make my little fish just as fascinated with me as I will be with him so I get the best fish food I can find at the pet shop.

I haven’t been a fish keeper for years but I’ve done my time with a goldfish or two now and then, but now I’m going in headfirst and darn it, I’m gonna serve only the best! I’ve researched what each species eats in the wild, what makes them want to breed (’cause I want to have baby fishies) and what foods make their colors so pretty. I know that carnivores eat meat, herbivores eat vegetables (certainly NOT meat) and omnivores eat anything. I’ve also learned that Lake Malawi cichlids (I told you I was going in headfirst) are strict herbivores that eat algae and that meat will give them Malawi Bloat and will die. So I buy algae wafers and spirulina algae flakes.

Well, my little fishies look pretty nice in their stripes and everything so I know I’m doing a good job. Sometimes I’m even fascinated – they look so pretty.

But now you tell me there’s a better food that all kinds of fish will eat and will look, act and be healthier? You’re full of baloney.

So, there I was…skeptical to say the very least.

However, a few days later I read an article written by a professional fish keeper I respect and he stated that his fish all are fed Spectrum fish food exclusively. Nothing else. Ever. Period. Even his Lake Malawi mbuna.

How can this be I wondered. His fish are show winners. They have to eat algae and algae only. They can’t eat the same fare as plecostomus catfish, pacus, and oscars. But they do he told me. Not only do they eat it but they thrive.

OK, I’m all for trying something new and hey, gotta vary their diet, right? So off I go to the pet shop to buy some. However, apparently the makers of Spectrum don’t advertise much and their product is only available in top-of-the-line aquatic supply shoppes and via the Internet. Well, to make a long story short, I managed to get some and then researched the New Life website on proper feeding directions. The next day I began my month-long exclusive feeding of Spectrum.

Doggone! The fish went bananas! Even the finicky eaters and the juveniles who don’t stray out with the big boys much – especially at feeding time.

In two weeks and after I returned from vacation, I couldn’t believe what I saw! All, I mean ALL of my little fishies (adults too) looked amazing! Colors I didn’t know they had began to gleam. All my mbuna were frolicking together happily, no one was hiding and they all looked, er, healthier than I expected after my absence.

Happy Mr. Labidochromis careleus!

I was told I’d begin to notice improvements in about two weeks. Heck, in two weeks I hardly recognized my Tropheus! After a month I was ready to take them to shows!

Anyway, six weeks on and the improvements are still continuing and my Firemouths (who have tried spawning for 2 years to no avail) have finally succeeded! Not only once, but TWICE in six weeks!

I won’t go into all the details of how and why Spectrum works, their website answers all those questions better than I, but it does! I am a true believer now and yes, I AM fascinated and in wonderment not only with fish keeping and my little fishies, but with New Life Spectrum!

Watch an explanatory video on Spectrum

I encourage everyone who has a fish tank or tanks to get some Spectrum today and feed it exclusively to your fish. Just look at these photos and judge the effects for yourself.

You, too will be fascinated.

Not affiliated in any way with New Life International Inc.

©dbhewitt.2009.

xxx

The “Flaring of the Dewlap”

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A male anole’s foreboding display of impending sex

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OK, you’re right. It’s not exactly anole sex, but it is anole courtship – anole foreplay if you will. Known in the herpetology world as the “Flaring of the Dewlap”, (a rather garish expansion of rose-colored throat-skin) this display by male anoles (Anolis carolinesis) is performed towards the female anole mate of his choosing as an ominous notification of impending sex and is usually accompanied by a series of “push-ups” intended to, I must assume, display his strength, agility and athletic prowess – apparently much desired characteristics for desiring male suitors. This flaring matinee is obviously meant to be viewed by a reciprocating female as a scintillating exhibition of his erotic worthiness and endowment. However, to the female this is not always the case.

This rather amusing audition of male anole burlesque more often than not (actually, a vast majority of the time) sends the horrified female fleeing for cover in the nearest branches, leaves or anywhere she can camouflage herself out of harm’s way. While cowering away in hiding after (in her opinion) such a crude and obtrusive sleazy gesture, she will veil herself and stay obscured from the male’s sight until the apparent sexual threat has waned.

In time, after searching unsuccessfully for his intended, the male will concede that his quest for sexual gratification with the Chosen One is lost and he will begin searching for another potential mate.

That is, until He spots Her again.

©dbhewitt.2009.

Can anyone please help in identifying this individual?

This photo is the only unidentified image in a collection of images taken by my grandfather, John LaDow of Elyria, Ohio c.1927-1932. All the rest have been identified yet this player needs a name. Other players photographed include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tris Speaker, Lefty Grove, Earl Averill, Goose Goslin, Roger Peckinpaugh, Tony Lazzeri, Bill Dickey, and many more. Any help in identifying the player in this photo would be greatly appreciated. Please comment below or e-mail me directly.

Unknown St. Louis Brown c.1927-1932

The story behind the photos

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John LaDow was born in Hym, Hungary 1908 and immigrated to the United States aboard the R.M.S. Carpathia via Ellis Island, New York in 1910. Settling in and around the Cleveland, Ohio area he married his wife, Lois Lucille Crayton, in 1933 in Elyria, OH where they lived for 51 years.

Baseball was always a passion in his life and he always found ways to be involved in the nation’s pastime. Whether going to Cleveland Indians games, traveling to other stadiums, watching and listening to televised or radio broadcasted games, playing billiards with the players in pool halls before or after games, or volunteering his time as a coach or umpire and scorekeeper for local Little League games, baseball photography was always a major interest.

This image and all of the other photographs in the collection were all taken at Dunn Field (aka League Park) in Cleveland, OH when my grandpa was between the ages of 19-24.

For many years, these photographs were believed lost and remained a memory until they were discovered in 1980. Several of the photos including images of Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb are now in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Archives.

He passed away in Elyria, Ohio in 1984 at the age of 76.

In 1994, Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns, an 18½ hour long epic documentary was broadcast as a series on public television and released as a 10-DVD set. During the 4th Inning, documenting the 1920′s and Babe Ruth, Ken Burns chose John LaDow’s photograph of Ruth and Lou Gehrig together in the New York Yankee dugout from the National Baseball Hall of Fame Archives for use in the film and with the “Ken Burns Effect” and commentary overlay.

In 2009, my father, Geoffrey Hewitt, met Burns in Akron, OH and brought up the subject of the chosen photograph and of his relation to grandpa in conversation. Burns excitedly recalled the photo and was eager to know more about the photo’s origin and photographer. Burns was the director, producer, co-writer, chief cinematographer, music director and executive producer of Baseball. Four and a half years in the making and 18½ hours in length, the film covers the history of baseball from the 1840s to the 1990s. Through the extensive use of archival photographs and newsreel footage, baseball as a mirror of our larger society was brought to the screen over nine nights during its premiere in September 1994. It became the most watched series in PBS history, attracting more than 45 million viewers. Baseball received numerous awards, including an Emmy, the CINE Golden Eagle Award, the Clarion Award and the Television Critics Association Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sports and Outstanding Achievement in Movies and Mini-Series.

For what was once only a memory, grandpa’s involvement in baseball – and his photography – endures and will reach millions of more fans for many, many years to come.

©dbhewitt.2009.