Escape from the ABCs

Javan Rhino said:
I don't know how common they are (I've heard that they are not very easy to get hold of in the UK), but I may be getting a trio of fire-bellied newts (not sure whether Chinese or Japanese) soon in the hope of breeding them. It all depends on whether the shop wants to sell them straight away, or use them for breeding (they only came in today).
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I've definately seen fire-bellied newts of some description for sale locally; I think they are one of the commoner newts in Britain. I would recommend ordering one of the back issues of Practical Reptile Keeping, where they have some substantial information about fire-bellies. If you are interested and want to know the exact issue, just send me a PM. :)

Carrying on with the private ownership of rarer species, I was just doing some internet searching and recently found an American website that sells among other animals giant otter shrew (Potamogale velox)! I never even knew this species was kept in captivity; does anyone know of anywhere else that holds this species?

Now, to get completely back on topic. I was investigating Zootierliste, and I noticed how Palma Aquarium in Mallorca is listed as having both devil fish (Mobula mobular) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). I was wondering if there was any truth to this at all, because I can find nothing else about either species anywhere else.
 
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DesertRhino150 said:
I've definately seen fire-bellied newts of some description for sale locally; I think they are one of the commoner newts in Britain. I would recommend ordering one of the back issues of Practical Reptile Keeping, where they have some substantial information about fire-bellies. If you are interested and want to know the exact issue, just send me a PM. :)

Carrying on with the private ownership of rarer species, I was just doing some internet searching and recently found an American website that sells among other animals giant otter shrew (Potamogale velox)! I never even knew this species was kept in captivity; does anyone know of anywhere else that holds this species?

Now, to get completely back on topic. I was investigating Zootierliste, and I noticed how Palma Aquarium in Mallorca is listed as having both devil fish (Mobula mobular) and shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). I was wondering if there was any truth to this at all, because I can find nothing else about either species anywhere else.
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It's alright, my girlfriend has collected it from the start so I can easily see an issue, I'll just search it out next time I'm round :).
 
DesertRhino150 said:
I was just doing some internet searching and recently found an American website that sells among other animals giant otter shrew (Potamogale velox)! I never even knew this species was kept in captivity; does anyone know of anywhere else that holds this species?
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Very interesting, unless it is African scam. I heard about zoos unwilling to import warthogs from West Africa as they were afraid of losing their money!
 
Jurek7 said:
Very interesting, unless it is African scam. I heard about zoos unwilling to import warthogs from West Africa as they were afraid of losing their money!
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I am not sure if this is a scam, to be honest. It looks like the guy who runs the website is definately in the exotic mammal business. If you are interested, check the link below (the otter shrews are mentioned under the picture of the Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat).

Servals, Bat Ear Fox, Cavy, Cloud Rat, Otter for Sale
 
DesertRhino150 said:
I am not sure if this is a scam, to be honest. It looks like the guy who runs the website is definately in the exotic mammal business. If you are interested, check the link below (the otter shrews are mentioned under the picture of the Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat).

Servals, Bat Ear Fox, Cavy, Cloud Rat, Otter for Sale
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Really dont like the fact that "the new gambian pouched rat" is in brackets beside the Cloud Rat! Yes, there are alot of Gambian Pouched Rats in captivity, and many look after them well, but I would not like to see Cloud Rats become as common as the Gambian/Emin Pouched Rats.
 
everything I have read says that giant otter shrews do very poorly in captivity and don't live long. There are some very interesting species on that site, and I noted this care advice for three-banded armadillos on the site: "The Three Banded Armadillo stays tiny, and can be housed in a 75gallon tank with mulch." (that's only a four-foot tank!).
 
I don't want to accuse anyone falsely. Simply too many scams are done in West Africa and now people are suspicious about anything offered for sale which comes from that region.

If this is for real, presumably somebody in USA already has/will have them on photo.
 
the company (judging by their site) is importing birds directly from Africa, so they potentially could be bringing in the otter shrews (or have been offered them) but I doubt they would survive long given the species' previous track record in captivity
 
lee456 said:
Shoebill
Tentacled Snake
Green Tree Monitors
Bush Master
Indian Marsh Crocodiles
Klipspringer
Tree Kangaroos
Northern White Rhinos


(A list f rarities and personal favourites of mine)
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Of this list, I especially adore the tree kangaroos and Klipspringers are on my list of species I'd love to see. Speaking of Monitors, I'm lucky to live within an hour of some Black Monitors at Toronto (not sure if they're a rarely kept species or not). Very neat species and definitely overlooked at the zoo, whenever I've been there. In fact I rarely see anyone in the reptile wing of the Australasia pavilion (by the Komodos).
 
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With this thread, do we mean species rarely kept or species that, even if they are widely kept, are generally overlooked by the general public?
 
both but mainly the latter. Its more interesting if it is species you've seen and can link your photos to
 
 
Javan Rhino said:
With this thread, do we mean species rarely kept or species that, even if they are widely kept, are generally overlooked by the general public?
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I originally started it simply as a break from pages of (entirely valid, I should stress) discussion around the same dozen or so species (apes, big cats, elephants). So both 'rare' and 'overlooked' species are fine (though as Chlidonias says, the 'overlooked' species are closer to my original inspiration!).


Basically, the fewer posts or photos the species has on here, the better! :D
 
escape from ABC

I try to go to zoos that have animals i`ve not seen
Some that i`ve been lucky to see

Sumatran rhino
Giant otters
Banteng
Aye aye
Kowari
Bilby
Duck billed platypus
Komodo dragon
And i`ll always remember seeing my first maned wolf in a cage with cement floor and bars at zsl in either 1950s or 1960s
 
I recently saw Tibetan and Himalayan Wolves at Sikkim Zoo and Darjeeling Zoo...
 
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