• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
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    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Several words about Uromastyx substrate.

Flatfish1

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Before I start, I want everyone to know that I am NOT an expert in any way. Just a guy with opinions. These are my opinions, not fact.
Like most people who have researched Uromastyx care, I found several sources who suggest millet or bird seed as a suitable substrate for Uros citing less risk of impaction with bird seed. They say this is a food they would normally eat anyway and it will digest and pass through like any food. So I bought into this theory and used bird seed as my substrate for my pair of Uros and it seems to work out fine. As I researched even further, I found someone who suggested that Uros may end up eating too much seed since it is always available under foot (high fat) and not enough leafy greens and veggies and fruit (good foods). If you had a bowl of potato chips in front of you and a bowl of broccoli, which would you eat?
Also, after a while, I just wasn't pleased with the LOOK of my seed substrate. So I began to wonder about the mental well being of my Uros on seed substrate. And soon after I found another source that claimed that seed is not a good substrate because the lizards cannot gain good purchase. They can't push off. They can't move naturally without the seeds giving away because they offer no resistance. This person claimed that it may even be detrimental to bone structure and muscular strength in the long run. This also makes sense to me. I also believe they just feel better on a more natural surface.
So this is what I did: I replaced my seeds with a mixture of washed play sand from Lowe's along with a small amount of landscaping sand (More variable grain/pebble size), some commercial terrarium plantation soil (helps thicken the mixture a little bit) and some excavator clay. I added no water to any of this. I figured the dry excavator clay might work as a clumping agent for the liquid urates, kind of like clumping kitty litter.
Remember, this is for adults only. I agree that hatchling/young Uros should probably be on a paper substrate of some sort to get started.
My Uros SEEM happier on this substrate. Of course, I really can't prove that in any scientific way. It's just a feeling I get. They seem to get around better and enjoy scratching and digging in the dirt!
And who's to say that ingesting a small amount of dirt or sand on occasion is not actually good for the uros? (Somebody probably will!) Many animals need gravel/dirt/sand in their diet. Most birds do. Still, I keep my food offerings in a dish just in case. I have on occasion seen my Uros eating some dried greens left behind on the ground. They are actually pretty careful to pick it up cleanly. Does anyone suppose that a Uromastyx mom or dad in the wild tells his kids, "Be sure not to eat any dirt out there, you don't want to get impacted!"
Hey, I did say SEVERAL words, not a few!

Sorry I couldn't cite any specific sources and give credit where credit is due. I just remember reading or hearing these things somewhere.

Wayne
 
You are absolutely correct. Substrates (natural not processed or mullet like shit) are always good for animals (and even at a young age too) and are NEVER the root cause of impaction. For that to happen, your animal is either unhealthy, or your care is inappropriate. Usually temperature is the biggest thing considering (in this case for uros) everyone says “oh 110 is perfect basking temperature.” When in reality on the wild these animals are caught basking at 120-130 degrees, and yes that 10-20 degrees makes a huge difference. So I agree with you as far as what you have said!
 
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