Getting your Sulcata Tortoise!

Yay! First post in 2015!

We're gonna boogie oogie oggi, jiggle wiggle and dance with a Sulcata Tortoise. Yes, I am an animal lover and I also have a thing for reptiles. The number of reptile keepers are vast increasing these days especially in Sabah. So, this is my second guide about reptiles, go check out the first one which is on Guide to Bearded Dragons. 

Before I begin, Sulcata Tortoise can grow seriously big as in humongous, enormous, gigantic, supercalifragilistics huge! They are also known the African Spurred Tortoise. Sulcata are the third largest species of tortoises in the world. Baby Sulcata are pretty friggin' cute, trust me. Comparing to Sulcata in the wild, in captivity they grow 3-4 times faster. They can grow up to 80 cm in shell length and weigh 70 kg! I'll attached a picture of how big can a Sulcata get from google images later in this post.

Sulcata originates from the southern edge of the Sahara desert in northern Africa, and that is why they do not do well in wet, damp or cold conditions. They are very gentle and fun to play with. However, placing more than one male together in a housing can cause them to be slightly aggressive because they will ram into each other and attempt to flip them over. You MUST  always be cautious to make sure they do not lie on their backs because they might not be able to flip themselves over and eventually it might cause death. They love burrowing, climb and jiggle jiggle around in search for food. I just love to watch them walk around minding their own business. They're active, yes, very active.

Play and enjoy with them as much as you can when they're young because once they grow, it'll be harder to handle them with one hand due to their size and weigh. You can use brightly coloured edible flower or a piece of fruit to lure them if you need them to move. Baby Sulcata can be kept in vivariums or any dry aquarium. When they grow bigger, no aquarium can fit their size so, you can either build a tortoise house for them or just let them free roaming around the house/garden. If you're planning to put them outdoors, make sure you have secured fencing as they can be very strong and may take down your fences.
Also, make your that the house remains dry and it is best to raise the ramp slightly off the ground so it is not too steep for the Sulcata. Avoid steep inclines as it might topple the tortoise over it's back.

Here is what you need if you're going to get a Sulcata Tortoise.

UVB (Ultraviolet B) Lighting & Heating lamp

Fake grass as carpet or a mixture of soil and sand as substrate

Shallow bowl for water

Landscaping/Furnitures such as rocks/houses

Be reminded!

• African Sulcata Tortoises love to climb. Do not allow them to climb onto things that are too steep as they might topple over. Make sure your landscaping or furnitures are safe for them to climb on and off
• Sulcata love bright or colourful colours. It attracts them. So avoid having small colourful items that are accessible by them
• You have to clean their waste often. Daily is better. They might eat their own shit because shit happens haha!
• Water bowl must be shallow. Sulcata can't swim and get drown easily. They will also use it to soak their body so yea, just keep it shallow. Baby Sulcata love soaking their belly.
• Lighting is a MUST! Why? So they can produce vitamin D3 in their body for stronger shell and bones. Both lightings should be around 20 inches from the Sulcata's body

What to feed your Sulcata? 

1. Grasses (Main food) such as buffalo, bermuda grass, and many more. Do make sure that your grasses are of free pesticides
2. Flowers such as rose, hibiscus, mulberry and cactus (needles peeled/scraped)
3. Green leaves such as lettuce and choi sam
4. Fruits! They love fruits like smokers love nicotine and dessert after dinner.

So, where can you get your hands on them? There aren't many sources here in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah but I got mine from my friend Steven who owns an exotic reptile shop in Megalong. You can check out his Facebook page Exotic Reptile Paradise. Mind you, this is just a recommendation, not paid advertising. 

Once again, thank you all for your generous support! Do share our website to your friends and don't forget to like our Faceboook page! As always, be nasty, stay happy! Happy new year to all!

Picture Source : Wikipedia

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Happy Birthday Nasty!

Today is Nasty's 5th birthday.

Damn we miss him so much. He stayed with us for 3 and a half years since we got him. In Malaysia, dogs are not allowed in apartments. So if you're staying in an apartment, the only way to live with dogs is to make sure they're not a barker. As for Nasty, he is one hell of a barker alongside with Happy, they both go boom boom pow alot. 

Thus, we got complains from management and had to get rid of em. I was in pain, desperation, anxiety, depression but still I gotta find a way. Eventually things got sorted out now and then and both Nasty and Happy are currently living with my parents back in my home town. We miss them a lot, like a lot! Each time they see me when I go back, they go craaazeehhhh! That's why I got Happy, to accompany Nasty. Since born, Nasty was a home pup and never got exposed to other dogs or people. Happy then became his companion. They're like blood brothers.

So this post is dedicated to my boy Nasty. We love you so much. The only aim in my life now is to bring him back here united with everyone. Well that's it.

Once again thanks for being supportive guys, you are all awesome! Be nasty stay happy.

The day we fell in love with Nasty and brought him back home!

2 months old

He once had long long long fur.

Together they dominate my world.

He likes it rough

A picture of him last week

I love you Nasty, Dad.

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Guide to Bearded Dragons

Hello there again guys!

First of all, I would like to thank you a million for supporting nastyhappy.net. This blog wouldn't be possible without you.

So, I've done guides on getting your first puppy, now it's the Bearded Dragons also scientifically known as Pogona Vitticeps. They originate from Australia's desert regions. Bearded dragons love basking in branches, stumps or rocks and can grow 12-24 inches. Well I can go all day telling you their background but it'd be boring. Let's skip to the nice part!

Bearded dragons are awesome pets and they got their names from the bottom of their neck which turns into solid black when they're threaten or stressed out.

So, before getting one, you need to get the enclosure or which I like to call home. You can use any resources possible but I recommend Exo Terra (www.exo-terra.com). Be sure to check out their website for full product info. Below are the list of items needed to build a descent enclosure for your baby dragon.

1. Glass Aquarium (40-120 gallons) depending on the size of your bearded dragon. The bigger they get, the more space they need and they'll definitely be much happier :)
2. A heating and UVB/UVA bulb. Like I said, they seriously love sun basking. It makes them sexier
3. Calcium powder which will be mixed into their food as supplements so they can have stronger bones
4. A thermometer to monitor the heat and humidity which is very important to maintaining their health
5. Tank beddings such as paper, artificial grass mat and many more
6. Water bowl
7. Food bowl
8. Rock/Stumps/Hammocks/Hides for them to hangout on while basking   

Easy right? Next step is to choose the right bearded dragon. My suggestion, go with whichever you like or fell for at first sight.

They eat various stuffs. Juvenile beardies normally eat more mealworms, small crickets, dubia roaches and less vegetables. As they grow older, they consume more vegetables and less mealworms, crickets or even superworms. Just so you know, they love the crunchy stuffs and the juicy goodness of crickets and superworms.

Also, they love swimming in warm water. So do shower them at least twice a week in warm water. You'll also notice, each time they bath, they poop. It's normal because they're suppose to.

If you think you're ready, you are!

Here's a few picture of Richqi my beardie.

Richqi was pretty darn small
when I first got him.

Richqi's enclosure. This is at least what your beardie's enclosure should look like.

With the help of a dragon, I could rule the world. Joke joke :)

And there you have it! I'll be putting some videos of Richqi soon.

For any enquiries or requests, leave your comment in the comment section below or connect to us via e-mail or Facebook. I'll be more than happy to reply.

Go get your beardie now! As always, be nasty, stay happy!

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Dogs Breed Book Give Away!

It's that time again!

I'm giving out dogs breed book to two lucky readers thanks to Eukanuba. All you have to do is follow these simple steps;

1) Share this post out on your Facebook and include #nastyhappy and give your shoutouts!

2) If you haven't like Nasty Happy's Facebook page, go give it a thumbs up!

3) Be nasty, stay happy! 

4) Subscribe to the newsletter to keep up with future give away!

** Contest ends 20th January 2015. Winner will be contacted via Facebook.

No matter where you are in the world, I will send this book to you!

This give away is in conjunction of this post, check it out : 

http://nastyhappy.blogspot.com/2014/12/getting-your-first-pup.html

Also, a big thanks to Mabelstory for the handmade Nasty and Happy Chibis! Go check out her Facebook page ya'll!  https://www.facebook.com/themabelstory

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Getting Your First Pup!

Hey there peeps!

Thinking of getting a new dog as your pet or as I'd like to call them best friends for life, well you're in the right place. I remembered before I got my first pup, I bought tons of books on how to care for dogs. What I'm going to say here is based on my experiences with dogs. 

Here's a thought, why dogs? Is it because of their loyalty or is it because they're just cute? Well, either way, every dog needs a good owner. Provide your pets with proper attention and you'll get the same attention you deserve.

First, what breed of dogs do you wish for? What sizes? They can be as small as a teacup or even as big as a horse I suppose. If you're thinking of getting a big sized dog then you my friend need a big compound for them to run and exert their energies. You can't expect them to just sit in a cage and waiting for you to pat them. Even small sized dogs, they need to run and that's how they express fun.

If you're thinking of getting a dog and lock em up in the cage 24/7, don't even think of getting a pet fish. 

Second, did you know that you have to pay attention to their health which is very crucial for them to live a long life. Vaccinations and de-worming, food intake as well as environment are the factor you need to control when having a pet dog. You gotta make sure they get vaccinated according to the advice of your vet. Do not feed them with random stuffs, just like humans, they have allergies as well. For example, even feeding them bones could endanger their health because they might cut themselves in the process of biting and chewing. As for environment, as said, they need spaces, the proper temperature and even hygiene senses. If you're planning to let them live outside of your house, be sure to eliminate pests such as rats before doing so. Pests residues or bites can be very harmful.

Not forgetting, they need to be potty trained. It's not going to be as easy as it seem but once it is achievable. Puppies below 6 months old will be much easier to train. Mind you, puppies tend to bite on almost EVERYTHING. That's because their teeth are growing and it eases the pain when biting or chewing on stuffs. So be prepared to have holes in your shoes. Word of advice, go get a toy or artificial bones from pet stores for them to chew. 

Spaying and neutering is fine by me. However, I prefer not to meddle with their natural behaviour in which where they were born to be. So my solution is, instead of getting random genders, pick a gender if you're going to have more than one dog. By doing so, you do not need to spay or neuter them. I wouldn't like if someone meddles with my sexual organs so I assume they would feel the exact same thing. Nasty and Happy are both males. Still, the choice is yours. 

So, to summarize it;

• Identify your desired breed
• Making sure you have adequate space for your pup 
• Health - Environment, food intakes, vaccination & other form of medication
• Training - Prepare some sweet treats for them to be given each time they accomplish a task
• Spaying/Neutering (Optional)

Well, that sums about everything in getting a new puppy for the first time. I recommend adoption before buying. 

"They are an amazing creature because of their loyalty and obedience. They've changed my life. I did not adopt them, they adopted me" - nastyhappy.net

If you have any enquiries or guide requests, do not hesitate to drop me an e-mail.

Here are some pictures of Nasty when they were lil pups! :)

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