Oscar Jr and Senior: the Cichlids

I wanted to continue with the two largest Cichlids I've ever owned. Of course I've never owned any that I can remember but I also got some small ones that are called 'Convicts' cause they wear a stripe of clothes that looks like convict clothes. It's better than watching TV for me to sit and watch their movements. I rescued them from two different households as they were too large for the tanks they were in. So I just brought them home and put them in a nice large 75 gallon. They really love to eat live insects which I pluck from the air, or spiders that are trying to live off me for free. Boy are they in for a big surprise. They get gulped in one big mouthful by one of the Oscars either Junior or Senior.

Sometimes they race to get the food and bump into one another. They are graceful as can be, but I have only pictured the Senior one here as the other likes to hide unless he's eating. There are also the very small in comparison 'Convicts' but I will shoot them at a later date. I also dig up from my backyard a weird kinda of insect called 'Jerusalem Crickets' and they are mean looking but their bite and mandibles are not poisonous. I read that somewhere. They really like those as they have big fat juicy bellies that are probably like our filet mignon to them. But they have a purpose. I have also found little white larvae that are resting in the dirt until the right time, proper temperature when they can grow into an adult.

I first encountered these creatures when I first moved here to Los Angeles in 1990 and got really startled when I found one crawling on the carpet in my house. What a shocker, I thought it had come down from the cosmos as they look like something outta Star Wars. I thought I knew about most insects, well this one got away. I had never seen anything like it, was a little scary at first even for a large size man like me.

But I really respect them especially now after finding out their name and what areas they live in. I never saw one in Chicago from whenst I came because it's too cold in the winter, makes sense. Its habitat is mostly in warmer climates with sand mixed in with the dirt. They are amazing beautiful creatures but can give a wicked sting.

I regularly dig for them in my backyard soil now with my shovel. I uncover one every 25 shovelfulls or so, by sifting through until I discover one. Then lay the shovel down, using tweezers, grab them by their creepy crawly feet, carry them over to either the turtle or fish tank and drop them smack dab in there.



You see they are perfect feeder food for turtles and larger tropical fish like Oscars. They love them, the turtles and the fish both equally as well. There is usually a feeding frenzy as I have  seen two turtles each take a hold of each end and pull until it comes apart and each gets a healthy bite. Who knew? The Oscars don’t like to share and end up with a Jerusalem cricket whole. I wonder how they would taste fried, like the shrimp or the other dried fish sticks I bought for them.

They are much easier to spot than earthworms, because of their bright shiny color. I find them best in the fall/winter because they are hibernating and laying eggs. Tried to keep one but it crawled out of the container I had him in. Nobody sells them though. You can't find them like you can worms or crickets for sale. So I am attempting to breed them myself.

Please donate when you can in any increment if even a dollar. Money goes directly for electricity, pet food, vet needs, supplies for water, tanks, filters, and all other mechanical tools. I do not accept any compensation for myself as salary as I am NOT a non-profit or profit for that matter. This is NOT a business but rather I am doing this out of the feeling I have for the animals and no other reason other than to keep my sanity in a totally unstable economy.

Turtle Vision

I have begun a pet safe home for those of you pet lovers who initially found a pet and fell in love with it. Problem is they grow and take up more of your time as time goes on. You can't really ask Aunt Mary or Uncle Fred to take care of your beloved animal right? You can't give them to the zoo cause they have enough animals to take care of. You can't flush them down the toilet, that would be totally inhumane. So what's a pet lover to do.

Solution: Give them to me and I'll look after them as well or better than you can. I can give them the kind of care they need not only because I have the time: ( I am retired), I love animals ( have and will my whole life), they are special to me. I cannot take dogs or cats, mostly I am housing and caring for fish and reptiles and amphibians. I can also take some mammals like Guineau pigs, young ducks, chickens. These will be cared for and raised with loving care until their natural death.

I really love to take care of these animals especially after they have grown up and cannot go back to the wild. Sometimes a zoo can take them. But I can give them the same kind of care. Here is the turtles sunning.

This is a turtle that came to me with a vitamin deficiency on his shell as you can see. These brown scaly spots began to heal immediately after I gave him regular sun baths. They are almost gone. Will post more pix of him when all healed. He was found by a man who kept him for a few years and had two other large ones that needed a special home as they were sooooooo large. So I took all three, named them 'Moe, Shirly and Curly' as one was female. Here they are next all together in the their super large aquarium.

I have recently acquired two more turtles. One is blind and cannot see the food as well. But I place the food close to his face and he can smell it. I will give him extra care and attention. They are all placed in a pen or aquariums in the yard for sun every other day. I will build a pool in the backyard soon as soon as I can secure a rubber, metal or plastic pool I can sink into the ground. Any donations of materials, food, aquariums, heaters, sun lamps, etc would be greatly appreciated.

I have found that the one with brown spots cannot get along so well with the largest one who picks on him. So now they are separated. The one picked on will house with the newest turtle which is the largest of the bunch as I have two more smaller turtles that swim in a separate aquarium.

Here are pix of new brood sunning themselves together on a rock I floated in their water. As you can see they get along famously. There are actually three in the photo but one is underwater at the time. He scurried underwater as soon as I got too close with the camera. Maybe he's camera shy. But the others are not so much and really get excited when I show up with food. Feeding them a turtle pellet with multivitamins and minerals in it. Also catch flies, crickets and sometimes worms for their varied diet.

I have a great Magnum 350 filter that I acquired from the guy with Moe, Shirley and Curly that is astounding. It actually has rocks that purify the water of their urine, soaks it up and then I clean it later. This filter has to be cleaned fairly often like every 4 days with 4 turtles in there. I am a routine to change the water completely every week now as it does get cloudy with their defecation and feeding going on regularly. I have a simple method. Since their aquarium is in front of a window in the kitchen, I can open the window and feed a hose up into it and start it with the Magnum attached to the hose. Then I run all the water out of the tank into the lemon tree I have recently planted. Then take another hose and fill it with clean tap water and place them back in.

Please donate when you can in any increment if even a dollar. Money goes directly for electricity, pet food, vet needs, supplies for water, tanks, filters, and all other mechanical tools. I do not accept any compensation for myself as salary as I am NOT a non-profit or profit for that matter.  This is NOT a business but rather I am doing this out of the feeling I have for the animals and no other reason other than to keep my sanity in a totally unstable economy.