Difference ways of herping

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Difference ways of herping

Postby Exotenparadies » Thu Mar 14, 2013 12:25 pm

In this thread viewtopic.php?f=149&t=31359 we have seen that euopean people like me have other vivarium setups then you. I think this is really interesting an maybe we can discuss about the WHY.

In my opinion wie have mor natural setups because we haven´t got these thinks in the nature. Looking out o the window I see this:
WINTER.jpg

and we wish to be in Southern Africa ore other places.

I have considerd that I would go out and collect a lot of contents for our ivs, when I would life in places like yours, but would i realy do so?
Maybe we try to build natural setups because it is not that easy. We have to search long time to find the right roots, stones and so on for our vivs.

I´ve been outside in the "woods" some days ago, searching for bark of dead trees. But it isn´t easy, its cold and there is snow eerywere and germans are so straight that there are no dead trees in the smal woods (you can´t really call it "wood").
so I searched for hours and doesn´t found a lot, so I have to go again and search more hours.
When the viv is ready i will be really really happy, but would I be if it would be easy?


This are just some of my thoughts, maybe your place doesn´t loo the way I think/wish.
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Hope you understand my english.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Jacquesvw » Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:47 pm

I think you are one of those foreigners that think everyone in Africa lives in a place that looks like this:

Image


In reality Africa looks like this, so there is not much left for us to construct vivariums with:

Image
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Exotenparadies » Thu Mar 14, 2013 3:46 pm

Ohhh I know about the situations you show in the second picture but does it look everywere around you like this ore are this just some parts?


Is no nature left? Same situation like here all oer the world? Humans are horible.
Hope you understand my english.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Serpent » Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:06 pm

No it does not! It is a beautiful country with varying climates and landscapes.

I wait until there has been big rains and then I go and collect driftwood on the beach, this makes excellent decor for vivs. You can also take branches off trees in a garden and dry them out yourself. You can also use pot plants in your vivs or potting soil with plants and ground cover. It really just up to each keepers imagination what they use in their vivs.

Looks very cold there.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Jamster » Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:38 pm

I know several spots here in pe alone where you can find beatifully weathered rocks, some of them hollowed out for perfect water bowls and even water features. Plenty really nice pieces of driftwood here and there as mentioned, I will send a picture of piece I have.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Exotenparadies » Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:53 pm

Souds good.

So there may be some hoper for the natures and for the animals.
Hope you understand my english.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Jacquesvw » Thu Mar 14, 2013 6:40 pm

Exotenparadies wrote:Souds good.

So there may be some hoper for the natures and for the animals.


All wildlife in Africa is at risk and even most nature reserves are not doing a very good job at protecting their animals. Especially rhinos are targeted and they will be extinct soon.

I live on a farm in SA and many species I used to find as a child are completely gone and I mean completely wiped out by the local township people living 10km away. I spent a fortune on FLIR thermal imaging cameras to try and catch the poachers, but that didn't really help much. I'm situated in the North West province of South Africa and nature conservation is not very high on the provincial government's list. Just look where most poaching are talking place.... in the North West of course. Wildlife farmers in the area are pretty much fed up with the lack of help we receive from the police.

In my younger days we used to find tons of animals when you went to the veld at night, but even with a thermal camera these days you are lucky to find a handful of creatures still living.

I'm rather bitter about the way things are progressing currently, so please excuse my negativity. I'm sure there are still a couple of places in SA where nature is relatively safe.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Exotenparadies » Thu Mar 14, 2013 6:55 pm

I do understand what you mean, same situation here. When I was a child (it is not so long ago, I´m 25 years old) I found a lot of Lizzards and Toads, sometimes snakes in "nature". Now there is nothing left.

In the city are some wild pigs eating wast, but outside, nothing.
Only agriculture and industry. I amvoolunteering as Karate trainer and when we are in the summer camp whith the children, we often go in to the woods, searching for animals.
10 years old kids can´t differenciate between a salamander and a lizzard, some of them not even between a snake and a lizzard.

And they can´t enjoy th bit o nature we can offer to them. They havn´t learnd it. They live in the big city ore near the city in clean houses with sterile gardens.


What I really enjoy is going to the Zoo, it´s just over he street and visit the animals bu thats no real wildlife.


But I see, the wildlie tourists can experience in Southern Africa is not the only reality.
Hope you understand my english.
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby cascade » Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:40 am

That is a stunning view from ones house.
You are very lucky, some people in SA only have 4 walls to look at.

But Every country is the same around the world. We all have big cities, small towns, vast open fields. forests, mountains.
Some places are more stunning than others.
There is plenty open space in SA, and yes some places are an eye sore.

To come back to natural set-ups. .
I think the Europeans have progressed to natural set-ups, you more advanced in the Exotic hobby, also your market is far larger and the hobby has been around longer, you have more things that are made for the hobby, like tanks and accessors you also have a much larger selection of exotics you may keep...
It is only recently in the past couple of years that South Africains have been getting into natural set-ups or nice looking display tanks.

This is one of my first natural set-ups, it is a communal of H.incei which is a dwarf species of tarantula.
DSC_0318.JPG
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Re: Difference ways of herping

Postby Exotenparadies » Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:46 am

Yes the market is big but the things they sell aren´t the things we put in our Vivs (except specila light). I have nealy nothing for the pet shop in my iv. And ost of us build their Vivaariums comletly alone ore let it do a glazier.
The tanks you get in the shops are to small and to expensive.
Hope you understand my english.
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