u/middleeasternboxer

What are your tips for triangle chokes? I have done BJJ for 1 year and a half now and came from an MMA background so I am way more comfortable doing D’arces and anacondas. However I have a very long legs so I want to start getting better at triangles.

When I do them my opponent often is able to posture and I’m not able to break the posture, I’m also not that fast in changing to a inverted triangle when needed so I’d love what you guys think about for triangles and your favorite way of shooting them.

I’m graduating soon with a degree in Building Engineering – Sustainable Building (in Sweden), and I’m curious to hear what others with a similar background ended up doing.

What do you work with today?
• BIM?
• Structural engineering?
• Project management?
• Infrastructure?
• Sustainability?
• Something completely different?

Personally, I want to work with BIM and 3D modeling, coordinating different disciplines and planning how projects should actually be built rather than just calculating every detail. I enjoy designing solutions, solving problems, and finding the balance between technical functionality, sustainability, and aesthetics.

My dream would be to work on projects such as defense infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, hospitals, skyscrapers, airports, or large commercial developments, helping to harmonize architectural and engineering solutions into something practical and buildable.

For those already in the industry:
• What does your day-to-day work actually look like?
• What software do you use the most?
• What skills have been the most valuable?
• Is BIM a good long-term career path?
• If you could start over after graduation, what would you do differently?
• what’s your tips / advice?
• do you like your job? If yes/no, why?

I’m extra interested if anyone is from Sweden, Scandinavia or England, so please don’t be shy to go into detail or write longer replies :)

I’d love to hear about your career journey, advice, and any tips for someone about to enter the industry.

I’m graduating soon with a degree in Building Engineering – Sustainable Building (in Sweden) and I’m curious to hear what others with a similar background ended up doing. What do you work with today?

• BIM?
• Structural engineering?
• Project management?
• Infrastructure?
• Sustainability?
• Something completely different?

Personally, I want to work with BIM and 3D modeling, coordinating different disciplines and planning how projects should actually be built rather than just calculating every detail. I enjoy designing solutions, solving problems, and finding the balance between technical functionality, sustainability, and aesthetics.

My dream would be to work on projects such as defense infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, hospitals, skyscrapers, airports, or large commercial developments, helping to harmonize architectural and engineering solutions into something practical and buildable.

For those already in the industry:
• What does your day to day work actually look like?
• What software do you use the most?
• What skills have been the most valuable?
• Is BIM a good long term career path?
• If you could start over after graduation, what would you do differently?
• Do you like your job? If yes/no, why?
• What are your tips and advice?

And if anyone is based in the Scandinavia or England please let me know extra much

I’d love to hear about your career journey, advice, and any tips for someone about to enter the industry.

After a lot of research, I’ve pretty much decided that my first snake is going to be a Brazilian Rainbow Boa.
I’m not planning on rushing into it though. My goal is to spend the next several months building the enclosure, getting the bioactive ecosystem established, and doing a full dry run so everything is stable before the snake ever goes in.

I’ve got a few questions for those of you with experience:

Personally, I’d love to build a bioactive paludarium rather than a standard terrarium. I like the idea of having a natural-looking pond or waterfall with shrimp and maybe a few small fish to create a living ecosystem and help keep the water clean.

For those of you running setups with filters, pumps, heaters, drainage layers, etc., how much maintenance is actually required once everything is established? Is it mostly just water changes and occasional cleaning, or is there still a lot of regular work involved?

My biggest question is about the water feature itself.
The enclosures I’m looking at are made from melamine-laminated particle board with glass fronts, designed for high-humidity tropical setups.

Would adding a permanent pond and waterfall increase the risk of mold or damage to the enclosure? If you’ve done something similar, what waterproofing methods or precautions would you absolutely recommend?

Thanks in advance! I’m trying to build the best possible home, so I’m happy to invest the time and money if it’s worth it.

Edit: removed the questions regarding the snake and tried to keep it strictly about the enclosure.

I’m curious what experienced keepers think. If you had to give up every other reptile and stick with just one group forever, what would you choose, Snake or lizard, and why?

Also, which species would you pick?

And what makes it the perfect “one and done” reptile for you?

Looking forward to hearing everyone’s opinions and their why you pick what you pick.

I've been researching snakes for a long time, and one species that has completely won me over recently is the Brazilian Rainbow Boa / Red rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria cenchria), it feels like it ticks all my boxes.

I'd love to hear from people who own or have owned Brazilian Rainbow Boas, so i have some questions:

1. How would you describe their personality?

2. Are they generally calm and easy to handle?

3. How often do you handle yours?

4. Is yours curious and active in it's enclosure or does it spend most of its time hidden?

5. Have you ever had issues with feeding or food refusal?

6. How demanding is maintaining the correct humidity and temperatures?

7. Have you had to make major adjustments during very cold winters or hot summers?

8. What does your day to day or weekly care routine look like?

9. Does the enclosure have any noticeable smell when maintained properly?

10. Would you consider them forgiving, or are they very sensitive to husbandry mistakes?

11. What's something you wish you knew before getting one?

12. If you could go back in time, would you choose a Brazilian Rainbow Boa again? Why or why not?

13. Pros and cons?

is this snake a good fit for me? I'm specifically looking for a snake that:

• Doesn't get massive.
• Is generally calm and handleable as an adult.
• Isn't known for being extremely defensive or bitey (I don't mind babies being nippy).
• Isn't overly fragile or unforgiving if you make a small husbandry mistake.
• Is visible enough that you actually get to enjoy seeing it, rather than hiding 24/7.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve completely fallen in love with emerald tree monitors and they’re currently at the very top of my dream species list. However, one thing that makes me hesitate is keeping live insects in my home.

Before anyone worries: I have absolutely zero intention of getting an emerald tree monitor unless I can provide the care it truly needs. If live insects are essential for their long term health and wellbeing, then I’ll simply not get one and just admire the species from afar.

That being said, I was wondering if anyone here has experience feeding them prekilled or frozen insects instead of live ones.

For example:
• Buying insects in bulk and freezing them.
• Purchasing pre killed insects.
• Using canned insects.
• foods like fish, shrimp, eggs, etc.

I understand that hunting live prey provides enrichment and mental stimulation, so I’m curious whether keepers replace that enrichment in other ways or if live insects are generally considered indispensable.
Has anyone successfully kept an emerald tree monitor on a diet consisting primarily of pre killed insects and other suitable foods while maintaining excellent health and body condition?

I’d really appreciate hearing from experienced keepers. I’m only trying to learn more before ever considering owning one, and I want to make sure I could provide the highest standard of care if I ever did.
Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm doing a lot of research about False Water Cobras, and I'd love to hear from people who actually own or have owned one. Care sheets are useful, but they don't always tell you what day to day ownership is really like.

Some questions I have:

• How long have you had your False Water Cobra?
• What does your daily or weekly routine look like?
• How often do you clean the enclosure and change the water?
• How active are they compared to other snakes you've kept?
• How intelligent and interactive do you find them?
• Are they social and handleable?
• How fooddriven are they?
• How defensive were they as babies, and did they calm down with age?
• What's the biggest challenge of owning one?
• Is there anything you wish you knew before getting one?
• If you could go back, would you choose a False Water Cobra again?

• How bad is their bite? Both a quick bite and a prolonged bite (I’ve read it could be dangerous if they stay biting you)

• Other snakes that interest me are GTP, ETB and carpet pythons so I’d love to hear the difference if you have owned a FWC and the others I mentioned.

I'm looking for honest experiences the good, the bad, and everything in between. The more detail, the better.

Thanks in advance!

Me and wife are trying to decide which semi-aquatic reptile would be the best fit for us longterm, and I’d really appreciate advice from experienced keepers. We are fully aware of what is required in terms of size etc so that is why this is a decision we are not going to act on untill about 2 years in the future. I recently made a post asking about semi aquatic reptiles water maintenance enclosures, now I'm curious about the animals themselves and what it's actually like living with them.

we are especially interested in species like:

• Sailfin lizards
• Caiman lizards
• Quince monitors
• Asian water dragons
• Australian water dragons
• Other medium to large semi-aquatic reptiles (i'm mostly leaning twords a quince or a caiman lizard).

I want a large enclosure with a big water area, but I’m trying to be realistic about the care, maintenance, cost, space, handling, temperament, and longterm commitment before choosing a species. some of the requirements we have are that it is ok with being handled, iintelligent, it prefers meat/fish/shrimps or greens/fruits and vegetables over insects, is hardy, good looking and not very sensitive. if push comes to shove being able to be left alone for a week max would be a pro but we have a friend who owns reptiles and wouldnt mind babysitting.

For those who keep or have kept these animals:

• Which species would you recommend and why?
• Which species would you avoid for a first semi aquatic reptile?
• What does day-to-day care actually look like?
• How difficult is the water maintenance? (with filters and pumps etc)
• How interactive or handleable are they?
• What are the biggest challenges people underestimate?
• What do you wish you knew before getting yours?

I’m not looking to rush into anything. I’m trying to learn properly before making a decision, so honest experiences and advice would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Hey everyone me and my wife are trying to learn as much as possible before eventually getting a medium/large semi aquatic or aquatic reptile. I’m especially interested in species that require a large water area, such as monitor lizards, caiman lizards, Asian water dragons, Sailfins etc.

One thing I’m curious about is water maintenance. For those of you who have invested in good filtration systems, pumps, canister filters, sump systems, or other forms of water treatment:

1. What does your routine maintenance actually look like?

2. How much time do you spend each week maintaining the water area?

3. What tasks still have to be done manually, even with a high end filtration setup?

4. Do you test water parameters regularly, and if so, which ones?

5. what did you wish you knew before getting your first large semi aquatic reptile?

6. How often do you have to completely drain and deep clean the water section?

7. Does the animal regularly defecate in the water?

8. If your filtration system failed for a week, how big of a problem would that be?

9. What species do you have and which one would you recommend and not recommend to someone getting their first large semi aquatic reptile?

We are not planning on getting one immediately. We are just trying to understand the reality of day to day care, maintenance, costs, and time commitment before making any decisions. Any experiences, advice, photos of your setups, or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated 😊

I’m interested in hearing from people who actually keep or have kept green iguanas. I know they can become large, strong, intelligent lizards and that they are not always the “easy beginner pet” people sometimes assume, so I’m trying to learn from real owner experiences so i have a few questions:

How has your green iguana’s temperament been overall?

Was it defensive, flighty, territorial, calm, curious, foodmotivated, or a mix depending on age?

How did you work on taming/socialising it? What helped the most, and what mistakes should be avoided?

Was taming difficult? And how long did it take before you started seeing real progress?

Have you been bitten scratched or tailwhipped often?
If so, was it usually from fear, territorial behaviour, breeding season, feeding response, or handling mistakes?

What does day to day care look like when they are small compared to when they get older?
How much did enclosure size, diet, cleaning, humidity, heating, UVB, and general maintenance change as it grew?

What are the biggest pros and cons of keeping a green iguana?

Do you regret getting one? If yes, why? If no, what makes it worth it for you?

And finally, why did you choose a green iguana specifically instead of another large lizard species?

Thanks in advance for the replies, hope you guys are all having a great weekend!!!

I’m interested in hearing from people who actually keep or have kept Nile monitors. I know they are large, powerful, intelligent lizards and not easy pets, so I’m trying to learn from real owner experiences so I have a few questions because i have read and heard how difficult they are but i met a guy at an expo who has several and out of his 200+ animals he prefers them and didnt find them difficult at all (i know they are all different and they are vary from each individual).

How has your Nile monitor’s temperament been overall?

Was it defensive, flighty, food aggressive, calm, curious, or a mix depending on age?

How did you work on taming/socialising it? What helped the most, and what mistakes should be avoided?

Also was taming difficult?

How long did it take before you started seeing real progress?

Have you been bitten often? If so, was it usually from feeding response, fear/defensiveness, or handling mistakes?

What does day to day care look like when they are small compared to when they get older?

How much did enclosure size, feeding, cleaning, humidity, heating, and general maintenance change as it grew?

What are the biggest pros and cons of keeping a Nile monitor?

Do you regret getting one? If yes, why? If no, what makes it worth it for you?

And finally, why did you choose a Nile monitor specifically instead of another monitor species?

I’d really appreciate honest answers, especially from long term keepers.

I’m currently researching different reptile species along with GTPs and I’ve recently become very interested in sailfin lizards. me and my wife are are making big renovations and in about half a year when we are finished we want to add 1 new lizard and a snake.

I know they are beautiful, active, semi aquatic lizards that can get fairly large and need a lot of space, humidity, UVB, heat, and access to water so I’d like to hear realistic experiences from keepers.

1. What is day to day care like?
2. How large of an enclosure do they realistically need as adults?
3. How difficult is it to maintain humidity and water quality?
4. Are they generally nervous/skittish, or can they become calm with regular interaction? because i've read that some are very skittish but almost every video i watch shows them being very calm with their owners.
5. Do they tolerate handling, or are they mostly display animals?
6. What is their personality like compared with other reptiles?
7. What do you feed yours, and are they picky eaters?
8. Are males significantly harder to keep than females because of size or temperament? and what sex would you recommend?
9. What are the biggest challenges people underestimate?
10. Do you regret getting one, or would you recommend them to someone who is well-prepared?

we are between a sailfin and an asian waterdragon. i’m especially interested in hearing from people who have kept them long term, not just basic care sheet information. I want to understand what they are actually like to live with, how interactive they can become, and what kind of setup is truly needed for them to thrive.

Any advice, photos of setups, breeder recommendations, or things you wish you knew before getting one would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, i wrote a post a week ago regarding GTPs and got some lovely responses so here is my part 2.

I’m researching Green Tree Pythons and trying to better understand the differences between the different localities/subspecies before I decide what to look for in the future. I’m not in a rush to buy one. I’m mainly trying to learn from experienced keepers and breeders so I can avoid misinformation and know what to ask for when the time comes.

From what I’ve read so far, a lot of the differences seem to be about appearance, size, pattern, and locality background. For example, I really like how powerful and robust Biaks can look, but I often see them described as more defensive, more bite prone, or harder to calm down compared with localities like Sorong or Aru.

At the same time, I know temperament is very individual. I keep seeing people say that GTPs “can’t really be handled,” but then I also see videos of people calmly handling theirs for 10+ minutes without any obvious issue. So I’m trying to separate myths/generalizations from actual keeper experience.

I’d love to hear from people who have kept or bred different types, especially:

• Biak
• Sorong
• Aru
• Jayapura
• Wamena
• Kofiau
• Cyclops
• Any other locality/subspecies you have experience with

A few things I’m especially curious about:

1. Have you noticed real temperament differences between localities, or is it mostly individual?
2. Are Biaks actually more defensive on average, or is that exaggerated?
3. Which types tend to be more handleable or calm, in your experience?
4. Are there any major care differences between them, or is husbandry mostly the same?
5. What would you recommend for someone who wants a healthy, captive bred animal from a serious breeder?

I fully understand that GTPs are mainly display animals and not “handling pets,” but I’d still like to know which localities tend to be more manageable and what realistic expectations should be since id love a combination of having one of these beautiful snakes, and when i want to handle them they are ok with it.

Any personal experience, breeder recommendations, book/source recommendations, or advice on what to look out for would be appreciated.

Thanks!

How is the Apple MagSafe battery pack? Is it worth buying or should inget a powerbank instead.

I travel a lot and my phone battery drains quick and a lot due to GPS and cellular usage abroad. I was thinking of getting the MagSafe battery pack instead of getting a new powerbank.

How long does it last, how does your phone act with it on, does it heat up while using the phone with the MagSafe battery?

Thoughts on the MagSafe battery pack?

I’m interested in potentially getting a Fiji crested iguana in the future and would really appreciate hearing from people who have actual owner experience with them. I live in Sweden and it’s legal here, I’ve also seen a couple of them for sale so I don’t think they are very hard to get here.

I’m in no rush to buy one. I’m looking at different lizard species and trying to learn as much as possible before making any decision. If I do eventually choose a Fiji crested iguana, I want to be fully prepared beforehand and make sure I can meet its needs long term.

I’m especially interested in:

- What day-to-day care is actually like
- How difficult they are compared to other iguanas or arboreal lizards
- Their personality and general temperament
- Whether they become comfortable with human interaction
- What handling is realistically like
- Whether they tolerate being out with their owner or prefer staying in the enclosure
- Enclosure size and setup recommendations
- Humidity, UVB, heating, and diet requirements
- Monthly costs for food and supplements, etc.
- Common health issues or mistakes new keepers make
- Anything you wish you knew before owning one

My goal is to find an apartment friendly lizard that is rewarding to keep and can become comfortable with its owner, without expecting it to act like a dog or cat. I mainly want honest experiences from people who have kept them, including both the good and the difficult parts.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone, I’m currently researching monitor lizards and would really appreciate hearing from people who have actual owner experience with one or more of these species:

• Emerald tree monitor
• Ackie monitor
• Kimberly rock monitor

I’m trying to compare them properly before making any decision. I’m especially interested in hearing about:

1. What day-to-day care is actually like
2. How they are with handling
3. Their general personality and behavior
4. How interactive/social they are with their owner
5. How difficult they are to keep compared to other reptiles
6. Monthly costs for food, electricity, supplements, etc.
7. Any unexpected challenges you didn’t know about before owning one

I’m currently just researching because I’d like to get one after the summer. Whichever species I choose, I want to be fully prepared before bringing it home so I don’t end up in a situation where I’m overwhelmed or have to rehome it. Im also open for other suggestions, I’m mainly interested in monitors and iguanas tho!

I’d really appreciate honest owner experiences, both the good and the bad. Thanks!