What are your 'other' hobbies?

Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

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.

Originally Posted by AK907

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

Originally Posted by AK907

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.

Originally Posted by Payara

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!

Originally Posted by spygirl

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!!!

Reading and wildlife for me.

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

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.

Originally Posted by Matt2979

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

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

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.