Ask ScalesTailsWingsandThings

Because my main blog was getting so many asks I made this page! I have worked with fish, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, and birds for over 10 years in both a professional and private setting. I specialize in freshwater fish and reptiles but can also help with parrots, small mammals, dogs, cats, or invertebrates. Anon is always on. :) However, before you ask a question, please search my blog to see if your question has already been asked. Also search "master post" for the list of all the things I've written, your question may be answered there as well. My pet blog: http://scalestails.tumblr.com/ My personal blog: http://scales-talks.tumblr.com

[askscalestails]

Is my betta too skinny?

Hi there! I just got a new fish friend, a female betta. She's very active and inquisitive, and appears to be in good health. I've had her for 3 days now, and am taking great pains not to overfeed, which is hard because she's so adorable, and she's taking food from my finger already, and I'm just besotted, okay? :)

After looking at your betta body condition post, I started wondering whether my fish is a tiny bit on the skinny side.She's got a bit of a sunken in area on her right side, and I feel like her body tapers a bit too quickly past her head.

Would you have a look at the photos and share your thoughts please?

More pictures: whatthegeck.tumblr.com/post/634079014577946624/fish-spam

-------------------

She looks to be a healthy weight to me! She does have a slightly crooked spine, which might be what you're seeing. It's nothing severe though and doesn't look like it'll cause any issues at all.

[askscalestails]

I’m feeling really bad about my past fish care. I used to have a sorority that ended badly. I tried my best to take the advice given, but my dad refused to accept any of it, resulting in one of my fish dying. I now have one 20 gallon, a 10 gallon, and a 3 gallon. Do you know how I can move on from my past mistakes? :((

Believe me, we’ve ALL been there. No one is born knowing everything and even the most well-intentioned people can make fatal errors.

Just allow yourself to grow and learn from your mistakes, and know that you are actively trying to better yourself.

[askscalestails]

Hi. I just rescued a betta living in a cup and upgraded him to a 5gal tank. The temp is at about 70 degrees right now but I am terrified to put a water heater in because every small heater has at least a few reviews of overheating and killing the fish. EVERY SINGLE BRAND!!! Do you have a heater you recommend?

Ok so you're right to be cautious. Heaters can/do malfunction. Through no fault of your own, they can kill your fish.

The best heaters (with the lowest failure rate) are adjustable ones. Not those pre-set ones. Look for a brands that have a little knob at the top for adjusting the temperature.

It's also important that they are fully submersible. The ones that hang on the side of the tank are cheaper.

And honestly, you usually get what you pay for with heaters. The cheaper brands TYPICALLY have the worst quality.

Its tough with. 5 gallon. Your heater should be no more than 25watts. Not many heaters are that size, and they're a bit big. But even if they are a bit unsightly, it's important to keep the temps up to 80F.

[askscalestails]

Do you have any experience with Loaches?

Yes! Any specific question about them?

[askscalestails]

Can we hear about how jorts is doing?

who the FUCK is jorts???

[askscalestails]

Do you know a nice way to get rid of a betta fish? My partner hates mine and keeps doing stuff to the water and I need to get him to somewhere safe before he gets killed.

This blog is still inactive BUT ok definitely get your betta someplace else!!! I have to say if this is true your partner has some MAJOR issues and you need to make sure to keep yourself safe emotionally and physically, anon.

I don’t know much about your situation but actively and intentionally harming your PET is SERIOUSLY disturbing behavior. NOT OK.

Try asking friends or family first but if that fails, you can try to rehome your betta yourself. Post things about him online (facebook, tumblr, etc.) and see if there are any takers.

If that fails you can try calling your local fish stores and ask if they will take him on donation. Many small stores will do this, but chain stores often don’t.

Anon, if this is a serious problem and you cannot re-home the fish in any of the ways above, please contact me off anon and I can take him if you are able to ship a fish (I can help with shipping). But PLEASE try to rehome him yourself- I say this because it will probably be faster and less stressful on the fish if you can.

[askscalestails]

So I will preface this by saying that I have experience with adult beardies (i would take on senior beardies that families didnt want to protect their kiddos). I have been given my first baby beardie and I was wondering if it was normal for these guys to have black holes for stomachs and to double in size like every week or two? I can barely keep up with the food intake and I swear he was half the size a week ago and I'm starting to think I'm going insane

Yes and yes. They can/should eat as much as they can in a sitting and grow very fast!!

[askscalestails]

Do you have experience with bearded dragons? I have one and I'm confused af about something but im not entirely sure who to ask about it

I do, ask away!

[askscalestails]

Care for a baby Chinese water dragon?

Chinese water dragons (Physignathus cocincinus) can be pretty easily stressed, so a good environment is especially critical for them. Always, always get a captive bred animal.

You’ll need

20 gallon long enclosure (with mesh lid)

24″ Flurorescent UVB bulb+fixture (5.0/6% depending on how your brand rates their UVB output) Really should be a long tube, not a CFL.

75-100watt heat bulb+fixture

Digital thermometer or temp gun(analog ones are highly inaccurate)

Digital hygrometer

Paper towels, reptile carpet, or cyrpress mulch for substrate. Paper towels/reptile carpet are best for initial set ups so you can monitor feces easier

LOTS of fake plants. I mean lots. Think so many that you pretty much can’t see the little guy in there without looking really hard.

Either real or fake wood/branches to climb on. They are arboreal and definitely use these.

A large water area. They have their name for a reason. They should have a large and deep enough water bowl so that they can fit in it fully.

A spray bottle

Calcium powder

Calcium+D3 powder

The basking area should be about 90-95F. The rest of the cage can be 75-80F. Humidity should be about 80% throughout the day. 

Babies should be eating every day, as juvies they’re eating all protein. This should be in the form of gut-loaded and calcium dusted feeder insects. Try to rotate between at least two. Crickets, locusts, mealworms, roaches, and phoenix worms are all good. Also remember that adults are omnivores and should be getting veggies like kale, mustard greens, dandelion greens, etc.

Feed them as much as they’ll eat in a sitting, babies should be able to eat as much as they want!

Handling should be kept at 0 for a week until the animal has acclimated to the new enclosure. Then it should still be kept fairly minimum, only about 10 minutes a day. But regular handling is good to keep the animal socialized, which can be important for vet visits and other necessary but potentially stressful situations.

And remember, these guys get pretty big (2-3 feet long) and need a 6 foot enclosure as adults MINIMUM! They are not easy to house as they grow and are expensive to set up honestly.

X X X

[askscalestails]

I saw someone ask about 'mystery bloat' in bettas, could you explain what that is?

Copypasta from an old post of mine

“The bloating, which looks like the fish swallowed a marble, is caused by failure to osmoregulate. Osmoregulation is what all fish do to survive in water. They allow water to pass through their cells. Several organs facilitate this, including the heart, gills, kidneys, liver, and intestines. Is one of these organs were to fail, the body retains fluid.

From previous necropsies, we know that the fluid contains granulomas, which are the bodies way of responding to infection. It is thought that it’s caused by mycobacterium, a particularly hardy type of bacteria as well as flagellates. It is resistant because of it’s cell wall, which is not gram negative or gram positive. Assuming it IS caused by mycobacterium, the most effective medications would be mycin family antibiotics.“

Pretty much, it’s fluid retention that looks like the betta swallowed a marble and it’s pretty much always fatal.

[askscalestails]

I know how to do an epsom salt bath, and for how long at a time. But how many consecutive days is it safe to give them baths?

You can do salt baths until the swelling is gone in most fish, unless they’re very small and fragile like tetras.

[askscalestails]

Do you have any tips on keeping Betta fish alive for longer than a year? Mine always die after that first year mark.

Bettas live 2-4 years and can be as old as 1 year when you buy them from a pet store. Genetics play a big role, typically short finned bettas and bettas not bred for fancier colors (like metallics/dragons) live longer.

[askscalestails]

Can a Pacman frog live in a 20 gal long, or would I be better jumping up to a 40 gallon? Thank you so much!

20 gallon longs are the minimum tank size for a female, meaning a 40 gallon would be an excellent choice instead!

[askscalestails]

I go to an agricultural school, which means we get to learn about animals (and other agricultural areas, but my major is animals) in addition to regular high school. Recently, we got a chameleon, and now I'm really interested in owning one. I've never owned a reptile before, though. I know their basic care due to my help/avian class, but we never went in depth on chameleons. What level do you think it is? Beginner, intermediate, advanced? Do you have any good articles to read about their care?

The care of captive chameleons has come a long way, especially since they’ve been bred in captivity. But depending on the species, I’d consider them intermediate to advanced animals for sure!! It’s not impossibly to start out with one but... you really need to do your research and get your animal from a responsible, captive bred source.

There are lots of species, so I can’t really give out too much general info other than you’re probably going to want a large mesh enclosure with TONS (and I mean tons) of fake plants (did I mention plants? PLANTS). Temperature and humidity vary depending on the species.

IMO Veilds are the easiest to care for but get quite large.

X X

[askscalestails]

You've advised against dart frogs in 10 gallons before but I've seen mult wubsites say dendrobates auratus are less arboreal than others? Does that make them more suited to a 10 gallon perhaps? thanks!

I literally have no idea lmao. I know very little about dart frogs!!

[askscalestails]

hello, my female betta seems to have 'mystery bloat'. ive barely had her for even a month, and within days of acclimating her to her new tank, she swelled up and just kept getting bigger and bigger. now she's extremely lethargic and has no appetite. i cant get a needle small enough to get the liquid out of her, and im trying epsom salts for her to see if that helps. but is it true that it will never go away? should i think about euthanasia if she's going to be like this her entire life?

It is, currently, almost always fatal. I’m very sorry. Euthanasia is up to you, and I in no way judge you for choosing to or not to euthanize.

[askscalestails]

How many plants would you recommend in a 10 gallon tank? I’ve started doing some research and I want to do a low-tech tank and eventually possibly get a betta to add in. I’m thinking maybe 1-2 marimo moss balls and maybe some anubias (?)—those seem like the most commonly recommended from what I’ve read so far. I’m still foggy on some of the details, so any extra advice would be super appreciated!

That really depends on what you like, and what kind of fish you’re keeping. As a general rule, you’ll want the back of the tank to be full of plants and the front nice and open for swimming. So you can start out with 5-6 small Anubias. in there and let them fill out! I go in depth about planted tanks here, if you’re interested. I also link to some good reads and resources in there.