What are your 'other' hobbies?

[AK907]

Thanks,
Yes I sell pet rats locally.
Dwarfism is a recessive trait so making colorful dwarfs takes some time but not too long.
My black boy carries blue so I should get blue and agouti blue and agouti females that will carry the dwarf gene then raised up will be bred back to dad for some colorful dwarfs.

Of course, locally. Haha!

Any problems associated with the dwarves?

Wish we still had a pair of males we gave to a friend of ours in Texas. Both were babies when we gave them up. They grew into the two biggest rats I've ever seen besides a gambian pouch rat on the Discover Channel! They are bigger than most guinea pigs! Would have loved to play with that gene. Right now my wife is mainly just playing with hairless, dumbo hairless, patchwork, double rex and of course random productive pairs for feeders. Getting a colony of ASF started too.

 

[Focal]

Good looking kit, Nick! It has been a long time since I've gone 1 on 1 with a drummer, even longer since I jammed with a competent drummer. Got any recordings? Should send me some beats to play with if you do. Did that once with a couple online friends, unfortunately its all saved on my other laptop which took a crap on me a couple months ago.

Jerry, do you sell those rats? Those are too freakin' cute! My wife is getting into breeding rats. How in the world do you create dwarf rats?

Man, I wish I had a recording. We recorded a couple songs only to have them lost by the person who had the recording gear who was a friend of a friend kind of thing. I wanna get an electric setup and once I do, I'll send you hundreds

Of course, locally. Haha!

Any problems associated with the dwarves?

Wish we still had a pair of males we gave to a friend of ours in Texas. Both were babies when we gave them up. They grew into the two biggest rats I've ever seen besides a gambian pouch rat on the Discover Channel! They are bigger than most guinea pigs! Would have loved to play with that gene. Right now my wife is mainly just playing with hairless, dumbo hairless, patchwork, double rex and of course random productive pairs for feeders. Getting a colony of ASF started too.

That's crazy you mentioned big rats. I just got a litter of huge rats. At week one, they were weighing a tad bit more than many two-week old kittens. Now at two weeks, they are weighing on the higher end of weanling weight. I wanted to keep them to replace all of my breeder females but I think it may just be a good litter and not a trait. Last time all of the kittens were regular size.

 

[spygirl]

This is a great thread.

4. Falconry - I really want to get back into this. Haven't found a mentor so never went forward with it (yet). One day, I want to hunt with a crested eagle. Me holding a red tailed hawk.

Hey, you're not to far from me! I'm a falconer in Austin. Have you joined the Texas Hawking Association yet? Best way to find a sponsor in Texas. PM me if you need any help!

As for my other hobbies...

1.) Falconry. I can't imagine it not in my life anymore. Sadly, I'm not flying anything this year because I'm pregnant. The smell from cutting up food for the birds makes me sick. Not to mention these first 7 weeks, my head has been stuck in a toilet.

Here's a pic of the male American Kestrel I flew last year.


Titan, male American Kestrel by zpods_spygirl, on Flickr

2.) Dog stuff. I do agility and obedience with my Shih Tzu and do tracking and schutzhund with my Texas Blue Lacy. My TBL is also my falconry and hunting dog.

3.) Wildlife Rebab. One of the most amazing things I've ever done. In the past year I've gotten to work with all sorts of song and game birds, raptors, skunks, possums, and squirrels, just to name a few. I've learned a lot and its been pretty awesome.

4.) Cat showing. This is the newest of my ventures. We recently bought a sphynx kitten that I plan on clicker training and showing. I think our first show will be in February and it should be interesting. Kinda excited about it!

 

[Payara]

Hey, you're not to far from me! I'm a falconer in Austin. Have you joined the Texas Hawking Association yet? Best way to find a sponsor in Texas. PM me if you need any help!

As for my other hobbies...

1.) Falconry. I can't imagine it not in my life anymore. Sadly, I'm not flying anything this year because I'm pregnant. The smell from cutting up food for the birds makes me sick. Not to mention these first 7 weeks, my head has been stuck in a toilet.

Here's a pic of the male American Kestrel I flew last year.


Titan, male American Kestrel by zpods_spygirl, on Flickr

No I haven't joined it yet. I will be soon. I don't think I have the time or money for the mentorship right now. Applying to MS programs and working right now. But I really want to go on some hunts and volunteer my time with other falconers. The Kestrel is beautiful. Congrats and good luck on the pregnancy!!!

 

[The BoidSmith]

Reading and wildlife for me.

 

[Payara]

The final outcome...

Just thought I'd show you guys my finished work...

 

[garweft]

I have always had plenty of hobbies, but grad school really took all the fun out of life and drained my life force so I haven't been into things as much as before but am starting to trickle back as time goes on.

Guitar - Played in a few bands and was pretty good at one point. But I probably only picked up a guitar a few times over the last 3 or 4 years and have gotten really rusty. I have started playing a little more as the kids seem to like it and I did get the 4 year old his own to sing and play along with me. But something is really wrong when you go from playing along with the entire Randy Rhodes tribute album to barely being able to keep up with Nirvana.....

Photography - I still do this quite often when I get out field herping or just shooting the kids. This seems like one that you never really lose once you get it. I have not been as serious as before and don't have a darkroom set up anymore, or go on photo only excursions, but then again the kids take up a lot of that time.

Hiking, camping, field herping, fishing, birding, wildflower and plant ID, general outdoors - When I get the time and find someone else to go with. I field herp alone a lot, but there is snow on the ground as I type so..... This stuff will pick up soon anyway.

Sports - Yes, I am getting older and golf, but still play football and hockey when we can get enough old gezzers out. I am a football nut and am already scouting for next years fantasy football draft and keeping up with draft day talk and who will go 1st round and who the Steelers are aiming for.

Gardening - Not vegetables so much as flowers and landscape plantings. I like to have life around and this is my way of attracting wildlife around the house. I plant for birds and bugs and love to have my morning coffee in the garden.

Anymore though a lot of these have taken a back seat to spending time watching the kids play. But that's a pretty good hobby in itself. They are only 2 and 4 once and the other stuff will still be around later.

 

[Utta]

I love building furniture and cabinets, and I've gotten into rebuilding and modifying some old antiques. I enjoy learning to play guitar as a way to relax. Probably what takes my most time and money (other than my reptile collection) is racing R/C buggies and truggies.

Here are a couple of pics of my handiwork, and one of my many racing buggies.

OFNA? really? my dad has one, and the thing wouldn't steer to save its own life. had to get a newer serve to make it so it was at least drivable ill put up pics of my R/C nitros where when i find the time

 

[Cp3_Pythons]

Honestly Dont really have any other hobbies besides Reptiles
I mean I play the Xbox 360 Ps3 and the Wii, I go fishing camping (when time allows) I hunt,
I work on cars, play sports football basketball, But none of that compare's to the time I spend being a Father and nothing has came close to the feeling I get spending time with my Son

 

[MalinoisK9]

Train/Handle/Decoy for Police/Personal Protection dog sports. I primarily focus in French Ring but also did UKC/SDA dog sports, CCDSA's Dog Sport Open, and other bite work orientated trials. With my current/past dogs I have certified them in AKC's Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International. My current Malinois is also trained to dectect on cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. I plan on adding on ecstasy and meth on soon.

 

[Focal]

But something is really wrong when you go from playing along with the entire Randy Rhodes tribute album to barely being able to keep up with Nirvana.....

 

[garweft]

Wow, your hobby is getting attacked by a dog.... WTF....

 

[MalinoisK9]

Wow, your hobby is getting attacked by a dog.... WTF....

Haha yea... it's some good fun. It's better since I do both decoying and handling. That way I get to unleash my own on the other decoys too

That and it's a good way to hang out with your friends.

And a quick pic to show the lighter side them

 

[Matt2979]

Sheldon, I have to admit that I think you're crazy, too. My reasoning has nothing to do with the fact that you're being attacked by dogs. That part looks pretty cool (lol...as long as you have on the gear!), but the "crazy part" is that you're wearing full gear in warm weather and shorts in the snow!!!!

LOL...but seriously, awesome looking dogs there!!

 

[MalinoisK9]

Sheldon, I have to admit that I think you're crazy, too. My reasoning has nothing to do with the fact that you're being attacked by dogs. That part looks pretty cool (lol...as long as you have on the gear!), but the "crazy part" is that you're wearing full gear in warm weather and shorts in the snow!!!!

LOL...but seriously, awesome looking dogs there!!

Haha yea it must be that Michigan blood in me. I actually wore shorts today and it was 18F when I left the house this morning. If it is a sunny day I just want to pretend it's summer I guess.

 

[AbsoluteApril]

bringing this thread back up...

I started drawing again after 10 year hiatus and wanted to show off, I mean, share, yes share. It's sort of snake related...

 

[snowgyre]

April, that's awesome! I tried drawing people and, ironically, I can only get the hands right. I can't draw faces at all.

I've got several hobbies myself, although they're all outdoor related. I assist with a couple bird banding stations in Georgia which is a lot of fun, plus it's For Science! (Kudos to those who get the reference.)

This past weekend I was down at Jekyll Island, helping with the migration station they've got there. It was awesome, because I got to get my hands on one of these guys. Yes, those are my fingers.

Any of you bird nuts know what it is? Hint: It's endemic (meaning occurs nowhere else in the world) to the coast of the southeastern United States and has been suffering declines due to habitat loss and, believe it or not, pet trade poaching.

We had a respectable number of species this past weekend at Jekyll. A highlight was 8 Peregrine Falcons chasing each other overhead. Amazing sight! Here's me with a male American redstart. And yes, I wear a funny hat. It's waterproof and keeps the Georgia sun off me and I lurv it even though it's goofy!

Here's me with a rather irate female blue grosbeak at the banding station at Panola State Park in central Georgia. This isn't a migration-only station, so we catch birds here year-round. It's neat to see the various species come and go.

 

[Shadera]

*spaz* Painted Bunting? SO pretty, and I'm SO jealous.
And heehee, little bird bites are funny. I had a gouldian once who thought she was incredibly ferocious and would get the webbing between the fingers as I was trimming her nails.

Nice drawing April!

 

[charleshanklin]

I'm into random cuddling.

 

[snowgyre]

Love it, Charles! I had no idea I was going to be in Georgia for this long or I would've applied three years ago for the draw-only alligator hunt. It's been one of my dreams to go gator hunting!

Just out of curiosity, what do you do with the hide? Can you sell it or do you keep it?