u/OpalEverwood

Hi turkey fans! I've seen several posts of pet turkeys here and thought it's time to introduce our Vivian! During pandemic lockdown, I was working at an animal care facility that remained open. An individual found a "baby chicken" on the side of the road & drove 50 miles to deliver baby. He said everywhere else was closed. Baby chick went to an enclosure in the poultry & waterbird room. I can't remember when I decided to bring her home (we had & have chickens), but I was back at work when my wife texted she didn't think it was a baby chick (1st pic). And she wasn't! We had a baby turkey, and that baby is still our baby. She's been an amazing addition to our farm/zoo/mayhem.

She keeps the actual chickens in line. She keeps them safe. She chased off a fox! We've learned to pay attention to her sounds. She's alerted us several times to copperheads (we don't kill them, just encourage them to move on). If we're having an important conversation, she stands right by us & becomes very attentive. She can be big bird mad at us, but if we start doing a leg/foot inspection, she gets serious & allows it to happen. I can go on forever about her.

I hope this pic is good enough. I saw the moth and saw my chickens nearby. So grabbed a quick snap before moving the pot away from chickens. Gulf coast region, TX tia!

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Hi Pepper People! I asked for pepper recommendations maybe 2 wks ago. Several recommended lemon drop. So I ordered a packet of lemon drop seeds. Please help me understand this. The seed packet says Ají limo/lemon drop, but AI and other sites say that Ají limo is not lemon drop. Ají limo is chinense, and Ají Limón is baccatum. My eyes are starting to cross. What did I actually end up with? Will I be sad? TIA!

I've seen several posts with shishito harvests. Here's my contribution! From one plant, and it's loaded with small ones. My first yr to grow them, and man! I gotta have maybe 9 more! Did i pick them at good size? Can they be overwintered?

I love these little peppers (TX, Gulf coast region)

Anyone else grow & eat these? I love them! (TX, Gulf coast region)

Can someone confirm - Harmless DeKay's brownsnake (*Storeria dekayi**)? [TX, Gulf coast region]

How so cute?! Returned to the garden after photo shoot.

I almost stepped on this cutie. So small! Is it a 5-lined skink? (TX, Gulf coast region).

A big one! I'm surprised I haven't seen it before now. Ready to make a chrysalis soon, I would think. 😃🐛🦋

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Hi! I have 2 shishito pepper plants that I started from seeds and got into the ground about 6 wks ago. They're both about 3 ft tall and producing. My questions are - I'm in Tx zone 9a. At what temps will they need shade cloth? They don't seem bothered at all right now with low-mid 90s F, like my jalapeños do. Also, do they typically produce well through fall? They're loaded right now for such small plants.

I've seen this beauty passing through my property 3 yrs now! I'm always so happy to see that they're surviving. No worries after the most recent pic - I put her into the edge of my woods, which is the direction she was heading. She took off! ❤️ 🐢 (Magnolia, TX)

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Hello! This is my first post on Reddit! I created an account just so I can keep up with this subreddit. I hope I do this properly. Re the pics - boxes aren't just for the cats!! Briefly, we've had Mochi Snek for 4 yrs. We didn't expect to be ball python caretakers, but we intervened in order to give her a stable and safe environment. We love her very much.

I've learned so much through this community. I wish I found you all when we took Mochi in, but we're learning & trying to continuously improve her environment and her life. Ok! On to the question -

If I'm adding something decorative to the outside of her enclosure, do I need to worry about off-gassing of aquarium silicone inside the enclosure? The items are being attached to the outside only. It's a Zen Habitats PVC 4x2x2. (Yes, I've discovered they aren't great. We've had the enclosure for 4 yrs and didn't find negative experiences when doing the initial research. Fortunately, we haven't had the security, safety, quality issues that I've recently found they have. She has never escaped. It's not a flimsy enclosure. An upgrade is in the plans.)

Thank you so much for being here!