Leopard Geckos

Last September, I got a new pet Leopard Gecko named Sahara. In this post, you'll find some fun facts and tips on how to take care of these adorable lizards.
Note: The first half of this post is for those who just want quick info on leopard geckos and then continue on with their life. The second half is for all of you who are bored (stuck at home, in this situation) and have lots of time to sit back, relax, and read about leopard geckos.

Basics about leopard geckos

• Cold-blooded
• Cannot climb on smooth surfaces, unlike common house geckos (cicak)
• High falls (any falls around 7 cm longer than the length of head to tail of your gecko) can be fatal
• Normally are orangish-yellowish or white in colour
• Normal diet: crickets     Treats/snack: Super worms
• Nocturnal

Environment

Needs:

1. cool and dry area
2. moist hide (a place for Leo to moisten up. Check moist hide everyday and spray with water when dry. Moist hide must have moss, or wet paper towel as an alternative)
3. warm and dry area (for sunbathing)
4. shady area (for sleeping in. Make sure it is shady during the whole day)
5. newspaper floor cover
6. water bowl (drinking water)

Can add:

1. Play area and hideouts
2. food bowl (for live foods)
3. Decorative stones or sea shells (make sure they're not not too small so that Leo doesn't eat them)
4. Vitamin powder bowl (place in some powder for leopard geckos that you can find online and Leo will take what he needs)

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Hello! Planning on getting a pet Leopard gecko? Already got one? Well, this is the place!

Basic facts you need to know

Leopard geckos are cold-blooded, so they need a warm and cool place to stay so that they do not get too cold or hot. No, when I say cold blooded I don't mean they're mean. They are actually very cute, cuddly, and famous for their adorable smiles. Don't believe me? Take a look:

 credit: Google

Now what do you think? Anyways, as I was saying, they need a warm and cool spot to stay in so they don't freeze to death or become roasted lizards. They also need a moist hide, which is basically a beach for Mr Leo. It is where he chills and let all his worries leave him. Moist hides should be sprayed with water every time it starts drying up. You also need to give it a water bowl for drinking from and bathing in. Leopard geckos are also nocturnal, so they are active during the night. So if you are hand-feeding your gecko, feed him around an hour or so after sunset, or at 7:30 pm. They normally eat crickets, and as a little treat you can give them Super worms, aka king worms. Also, when you play with Leo, you should take care not to drop him. Any height about 7cm longer than their own length head to tail, could be fatal to it.  Also, don't expect him to be able to climb on smooth surfaces like the typical house gecko. He can't do that, because he doesn't have the same grippy-feet as they do. He should be okay with climbing on slightly inclined and rough surfaces like rocks.

Environment

Now is a bit more detailed description of what your gecko needs in his tank/cage to be one happy gecko.

  Leo needs a tanks to stay in, a newspaper flooring (not shredded), a moist hide, a water bowl, cool and dry area, warm and dry area, a shady area, and you can add some play areas or hideouts.

Moist Hide

The moist hide should be a kind of room filled with a moist substance like moss or even wet paper towel as an alternative if you don't have moss yet. Check the moist hide everyday and whenever it starts feeling dry, spray it with tap or drinking water. Make sure the moist hide is shady, because Leo doesn't like it too bright. If you want to make a quick moist hide, just find an empty plastic bottle or container that fits your gecko. Make a hole on the side, big enough for Leo to fit through. Then fill it with the moss or paper towel until right below the hole. Cover the top with something like black card to block the light.

Shady spot (for sleeping)

It is strongly recommended to give you Leopard Gecko a nice, shady, cool place to sleep in. My gecko, Sahara, loves the 'dome' I gave her, that belonged to my turtle (my turtle didn't like it). She sleeps in it everyday and seems to really enjoy it there. It is where she feels safe, and it stays shady even on a cloudless day. So that's basically a nice, cool bedroom for her.

Water bowl

Leo will need to drink, so get a nice little bowl or container and fill it with drinking water. Yes, the same water you would drink. She also uses that water to take a nice dip and bathe there. Make sure the container doesn't easily tip over, because Leo's cage should stay dry. Replace the water if it gets dirty and make sure it is quite full.

Flooring

For the flooring, I usually use newspaper, because if Sahara does a little... 💩💩💩, then it's easy to clean up. I just throw away the dirty newspaper and replace it with a new one. Once in a while, though, some of the waste will leak to the bottom of the tank. If that happens, I would wash the tank with non-toxic soap and water. Or if I'm in a rush, I would take a wet paper towel and wipe it clean.

Playhouse (optional)

If you want your gecko to be a happy one, give it lots of places to hide and play. This, however, is not necessary. If you are putting a playground there, make sure there aren't spots which Leo can climb that are too high. There should be some darks spaces it the playhouse to serve as a hideout.

That's pretty much all the basics to your gecko's happy home, so enjoy!

Baby leopard gecko
credit: Lucario 360

Hello, Lilo!

  Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since my last post, so I will write this post about Lilo, my first dog.

  You might have heard of Mimo from my previous posts, but just to be clear, she is not my dog. Mimo is a Pomapoo (Pom pom+Poodle), currently 5 years old. She is my auntie's dog. Lilo, on the other hand, is (probably) a Shih Tzu, and is about 1 and 1/2 to 2 years old. Why so uncertain with her breed and age? Because we found her on our street in the neighbourhood. Here's the story of how we found her.

  We were on the way home from a late lunch, when in front of our house we spotted a grey, shabby-looking dog. It camouflaged really well with the dry grass. She looked so thirsty and hungry, so we decided to let her stay at our house for the time being. She lapped her water lightning fast and gobbled down a handful of dog food in 30 seconds. She looked so happy. We called Mimo's groomers to come over to wash the new dog and to cut her hair, because her hair was all tangled up in bunches. From the colour of her fur, we concluded that she fell into the gutter, because we also found her on the edge of one. Finally the groomers came, and it took a whole 2 hours to get her clean! But then after that we dressed her up in a cute polkadot dress, and she looked just adorable. It seemed like Mimo was getting jealous, though. This new stinky dog drew more attention than her!

Lilo when we found her.

Showering...

All dressed up!

  We played with the dog all day. At night, we took her for a walk. We also asked around to see if someone lost a dog. But even until now, nobody claimed her. We still didn't know what to name her, but we decided to make it sound similar to Mimo. Since my grandma kept saying that she looked like an alien, I thought about Stitch, the alien from Lilo and Stitch. But that didn't rhyme with Mimo! So.... if not Stitch... then Lilo it is! We took Lilo to the vet, and the vet identified that a. Lilo was a female,  b. She was about 1 or 2 years old, and c. She was a mix of Shih Tzu and something else. So if you live in Jakarta, and you lost a 1-2 year-old Shih Tzu mix, please let me know in the comments section.  

Want to see more of Lilo and Mimo? 

Check out a_cup_of_milo on Instagram! 

Physalia Physalis

The Portuguese Man O’ War is a weird, jellyfish-shaped creature, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. In Australia, it is also known as the Australian blue bottle. P.S. A lot of stuff are named ex. 'blue bottle fly’. IT IS A SIGN TO NOT WASTE PLASTIC BOTTLES!!! It is blueish-purpleish-pinkish in colour, and looks like a - hmm…. Let’s see… drumrollll…. a blob. A blue blob. Or a jellyfish, I guess. But do not be fooled. That blob IS NOT FRIENDLY. Just one gentle touch can send you to the hospital. Don’t do one of those challenges where you take a video of holding a Portuguese Man O’ War and posting it on YouTube or something! I can’t promise that you will get any likes or viewers, but I can promise you this: you’ll get pain, poison, and an ambulance to the hospital. Although it is rare, its venom can even kill people. Again, RARE. (but possible. Don’t risk it!) Oh and remember when I said that it looks like a jellyfish? Well it is not one. While jellyfish are single animals, the Portuguese Man o’ war (now I will call it the PMOW) is many super tiny microscopic beings that stick to each other and make one animal. They are quite similar to corals. My summary? When you see something that looks like a blue\pink\purple jellyfish, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!! (or for your hospital fee.)

Note: Pictures from Wikipedia

Where's Turtle?

My dear pet turtle, Turtle, was missing one afternoon, so I told my mom. I was wondering how it got out of its tank, and then I realized that I had left the ramp (the one that Turtle plays on) leaning against the edge of the tank. I think my mom was thinking the same thing, because she suddenly asked, 'Ki, did you leave that ramp there? Turtle must have used it to crawl out!' We called my Dad and we started looking for Turtle. I was really panicked. "What if something ate it?" I thought to myself over and over again. We split up. My dad went to (what is now) the storage room, while my mom went to the garage and I went to the living room. We were searching for 5 minutes when my dad said, 'I think I found it!'. I would normally correct him and ask him to call Turtle either a he or a she, or a him or a her, but I was too happy to bother. My mom and I rushed to the storage room that used to be my play room. Turtle was hiding (all dusty) under the table!!!🐢😀 I was suuuper happy that Turtle was alright and I learnt my lesson. :)


Oh, sorry, I don't have any pictures. :(

Yellow-Lipped Sea Krait

I was simply and merrily swimming in the sea on our trip to Ora Beach, that is, until my mom said, "Ki, there's a snake in the water!"  "AAAAHHHHH!!!!" I shrieked. "I'm getting out of here!" So I climbed on to the boat. So did my mom a few minutes later. Then I asked her to describe the snake. She said that it was blue with black stripes. Wait a minute..... That was the yellow-lipped sea krait, the most poisonous snake in the world!

My (sadly inaccurate) drawing of a yellow lipped sea krait

 The yellow lipped sea krait is the most venomous snake in the world. Not to worry though, they are really shy, just like the bush snake, and only bite when disturbed.

 Yellow lipped sea kraits live in the waters surrounding Indonesia, Philippines, and in the . southern part of Malaysia. They usually hide under corals.

  The average length of a male is 875 mm, while the female is usually 1,420 mm long.

  The yellow-lipped sea krait's normal diet are small fish and eels. They usually hunt alone.

  Note: Pictures are from Wikipedia.

  

Bush snakes!

Hello! Last year, I was asked a question: 'What is your favourite animal?'
I knew that the category must be snakes, but which snake? So I researched about them. Then, on one of my trips, in Ora Beach, I came across the deadliest snake in the world; the yellow-lipped sea krait. So, that was my favourite snake, until I came across a documentary show on snakes. I was quite interested, so I continued watching. Then one day, I found the perfect snake: the bush snake.
Note: Pictures are from Google and Wikipedia.

The spotted bush snake, or philonthamnus semivariegatus is a non venomous snake and lives in South Africa. It grows 60-70 cm long. Its normal diet is small animals such as birds and lizards. It is usually found in trees and bushes, hence the name bush snake. It is small and can squeeze in tight places, and can even squeeze into your car door! Yup, just like a mouse. I would personally rate a bush snakes danger to humans 2 out of 5 stars, because it can still bite you. It is not recommended as pets, for they easily get shy, anxious and nervous. Here is a summary of the facts I have just mentioned:

•  Eats small animals                        
• Comes from South Africa              
• Lives in trees and bushes              
• Non-venomous snake                    
• Can squeeze in very tight places   
• Not good for a pet                          
• Grows 60-70 cm long                     
• Easily gets anxious                         
• Danger to humans: 2 out of 5 stars

Field Trip to Cinangneng, Bogor, Indonesia

 Grade 4 field trip today! I was so excited. We went to Cinangneng, Bogor. We bathed the water buffalo, planted rice, painted hats, learned traditional dances, and learned how to play traditional music! I've planted rice before, but I haven't done the rest. It was great!
  We used a bus to get there. The ride took about 3 hours. Before we did the first activity, they took us on a tour and showed us around the area. After that, the exciting thing happened; planting rice! The mud was surprisingly soft and was quite squishy. To my friends who went with me, I was a daredevil. They were all screaming and shouting at the sight of dragonflies and snails, whilst I was calmly stepping in first. Did they realize there were tons of dragonflies, snails, and spiders at school? Since I was brave enough, everyone gave me their rice. Geez guys, can you at least try planting one?
 

Pre-planted rice field

  Next, we (covered in mud) went to the river to bathe the water buffalo. We also took a tiny bath. The buffalo was actually quite nice and was tied to a rope, so no one was too scared of it. Some people got small scratches from the stones and got splashed in the eye, but it really depends on who you go with (most of the boys were rowdy and were the main cause of injury). After washing the buffalo, we went to wash ourselves. We took turns in using the shower.

The river

Can you see the buffalo?

After showering, we had lunch! It was noodles, rice, chicken, soup, kerupuk (a traditional cracker most of the time made with shrimp paste), and watermelon for dessert. It was really yummy!

After lunch, we went to paint farmer hats. We were allowed to keep it. We left it in the sun to dry.

Then we learned to play traditional music called Gamelan. Gamelan is similar to a xylophone, but it's plates are made of brass, and it is traditionally from Indonesia.

Next, we went to do a traditional dance. It was a dance with a scarf. What they taught us was a simple choreography. It was fun, yet a little bit difficult.

After the dance we went back to the place that we had lunch, and made special pandan cake and ginger candy. It was quite interesting and simple to make.

Then it was time to go home. It was the best field trip I have ever experienced!