Sunday, March 24, 2019

Paper Spine Cactus (Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus)

The Paper Spine Cactus was first described in 1868 by Charles Lamarie. Native to western Argentina, the Paper Spine Cactus (Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus) is found growing naturally on the lower slopes of the Andes mountain range.
Also known as Spruce Cactus, each new segment emerges from the cactus aureoles, which protect the new growth with a circle of defensive glochids and one large papery spine.
This plant grows up to 12 inches tall. The pine cone-shaped segments loosely attached to each other and fall easily.
The new segments seem to be reaching out to the warm sun as they poke through the old segments. Soon, they will reach maturity, and take on the typical mature pine-cone shape.
If you’re intrigued by the unique look, shape, and growth habit of the Paper Spine Cactus, you can grow your own no matter where you live. Indoors or outdoors. Just remember LESS LIGHT = LESS WATER! Regardless, the Paper Spine Cactus will bloom and thrive in 10-to-12 hours of direct sun. This cactus does well in a container and planted in the ground.

Propagation…

The stems or joints of the Paper Spine Cactus can break off easily. Once they fall the ground, the stem can quickly take root and start an entirely new plant.
Otherwise, cut a paddle off the cactus at the joint, using a clean knife. Select a healthy paddle on an actively growing stem. The new paddles grew in spring typically root quickly.
Then lay the paddle on a paper towel in a location away from direct sunlight. Allow the cut to cure and dry out for one to two days before planting.
Fill a pot, which contains at least one drainage hole, with a cactus soil mix. Alternatively, make your own mix by combining one part peat moss with one part coarse sand. Water the mix until it is slightly moist but not wet or soggy.
Insert the cut end of the paddle into the prepared potting mixture. Insert up to a third of its length, or enough so that it stands up on its own.
Place the pot in a warm room where it receives bright but indirect sunlight. Water sparingly ensuring that the soil doesn’t dry completely.
Move the cactus to a full sun location once it roots, which usually takes between three and six weeks. A rooted paddle shows new growth and won’t pull from the soil when you tug on it gently.
Click to read more about When to repot a cactus.

Does The Paper Spines Hurt?

While harmless, the long (2 inches, plus-or-minus) white spines are in the shape of a dagger and have a barbed point that resembles a fish hook. Although the spine is paper-thin and harmless, watch out for the glochids. Those tiny spines are common on opuntia cacti.
The glochids are the secret weapon of the Paper Spine Cactus. Once a predator bites off a piece of the stem and gets the glochids lodged in its mouth, throat, and esophagus, it will never again crave a Paper Spine Cactus.

Does The Paper Cactus Flower?

New segments of the paper spine cactus, and also new flowers emerge from the areoles. At first, the flower segments look similar to the new cactus segment or arm growth. As the flower segment grows, the differences become more apparent.


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The Paper Spine Cactus produces remarkably beautiful white flowers. The flowers only last 24 hours.
Within a few weeks, the flower segment will develop petals that surround and protect its fruit. Then, as dusk approaches, the flower petals will open. The petals are a milky, pure white color, with hues of yellow and reddish-brown on some of the petal edges. Other petals are completely white.
The petals protect the bright yellow stigma, while the anthers and the filaments are parts of the stamen. The stamen is the male part of the paper spine cactus flower, and its anthers produce pollen.
During pollination, when moths, bats, bees, or other insects gather pollen, some pollen particles will collect on the stigma. The male reproductive cells from the pollen migrate down the stigma’s tube into the flower’s ovary. There inside the ovary, seeds become fertilized and they are surrounded by the fruit as it develops.

We Adopt ~ Breed ~ Rescue ~ Transport  ~ Rehabilitate
Crazy Critters Inc. is a Private Non-Profit, 501(c)3, Exotic Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Our Wildlife Facility is located in Eustis, Florida. We provide permanent homes to over 200 animals including lizards, turtles, skinks, geckos, birds, and assorted wildlife. Crazy Critters Inc. was established to provide non-domestic, non-releasable animals with a safe and permanent home.
Mostly Tortoises and Turtles call Crazy Critters Inc. home. What makes us unique is that after adoption, Crazy Critters Inc. continues to share the lives of the pets on social media. Providing an additional continued connection. When an animal finds its way to Crazy Critters, it has found a forever home.
Everyone in our community benefits when donors put their funds together to help protect animals and our environment. And the fact that the animals can call this a forever home makes it that much better. Your monetary donations help provide veterinary care, food, and supplies to the animals in our care.
In keeping with our commitment to a quality life for the animals here at the sanctuary, we provide a diet created specifically for each animal’s needs, the best veterinary care, enrichment programs for the animals, and maintain their spacious, safe habitats.
Click DONATE to make a safe Paypal Transaction, of any amount. Every single dollar adds up! We will contact you by email to see how you would like your sponsorship recognized. We appreciate our community! We are always looking for corporate sponsors who believe in a mission such as ours



REMEMBER: All donations are tax-deductible!

We Grow Crazy Plants To Care For Crazy Critters!

Feel free to contact us with questions requests and comments.
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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Plant Care Sheets... Crazy Plants For Crazy Critters!

No matter what species of plant you love, it is most important to learn about the environment to where they are native.
We constantly learn new things from growers large and small. We talk garden with our visitors. And learn something using the internet. We share it all on Crazy Critters Inc.

Please Choose The Topic Of Discussion…

Sunday, March 17, 2019

1st Annual Spring Thing Plant Fundraiser


Announcing the 1st Annual Spring Thing Crazy Plant Event

Dates: Every Tuesday thru Saturday in March 2019
Times: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Location: Crazy Plants Nursery
Address: 22919 County Road 44a
Company website: www.crazycrittersinc.com

You are invited to the 1st Annual Spring Thing Crazy Plant Event! This plant fundraiser is being held every Tuesday thru Saturday in March 2019 from 10am to 4pm. 

 


Crazy Critters Conservancy is a Non-Profit, 501(c)3, exotic animal rescue and sanctuary. The wildlife facility is located in Eustis, Florida and provides habitat to over 300 animals including lizards, turtles, skinks, geckos, birds, and assorted wildlife.


Crazy Critters was established to provide non-domestic, non-releasable animals with a safe and permanent home. Mostly Tortoises and Turtles call Crazy Critters Inc. home. Crazy Critters is completely private because they allow all the animals to live a naturalistic life. Since they do not have animals on display, they do not do "public animal tours". ,


What makes the facility unique is that after adoption, the facility continues to share the lives of pets on social media. Providing an additional continued connection as well as plant and animal information.


Proceeds from plants like succulents, cacti, and hibiscus grown at the Crazy Plants Nursery. located at 22919 County Road 44a in Eustis FL is used to fund the organization. Please come out to support this unique facility as it is currently adding to the bog system that was started last spring. The bog system recycles water from ponds in each enclosure. The system then pushes that water through the facility cleaning it naturally by using plants, rock, soil, and animals that work together efficiently.


In fact, this system is how the rescue and sanctuary can care for so many animals. If your company would like to sponsor Crazy Critters, please contact Ken or Cherrice Purvee at 352-589-5999.

Saturday, March 16, 2019

OurTrip To Smoothwater Wildlife Park

We took some turtles to Smoothwater!

Smoothwater is the most amazing place for reptiles! It is a dream world for herp lovers like us!

Thanks to a supporter named Bob, who went to Dunnellon to help us with the rescue of these two African Sulcatas, we have brought them to this amazing educational facility to live their entire life teaching kids and adults about their species.



Make this awesome place a stop on your spring break and summer vacations. And tell them Crazy Critters sent you.

Smoothwater Wildlife Park
4500 Reed Street
DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130

(407) 967-3768
Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/SmoothWatersWildlife/

Do not worry! If we did not call you, your turtle is still at Crazy Critters!

With that said, we needed to ale room for some special new turtles coming soon as well as the Mississippi Map Turtles needed a new pond. Thanks to our friends at Smoothwater Wildlife Park, we have lots of room again in the quarantine porch.

Click to see the porch pond video....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh_mOxPtr4k&t=288s

Crazy Critters Inc. was established to provide non-domestic, non-releasable animals with a safe and permanent home. The sanctuary has adopted over 300 animals including reptiles, birds, and assorted wildlife.

Once brought to the facility, these exotic animals are housed in naturalistic settings. Allowing propagation that relieves the need for wild caught specimens.

Currently, this facility houses 16 species of animals listed on CITES. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international treaty to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct because of international trade. Under this treaty, countries work together to regulate the international trade of animal and plant species and ensure that this trade is not detrimental to the survival of wild populations.

The Crazy Critters organization has produced offspring from species currently found on the IUCN's Red List. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.


Crazy Critters Inc. is a self-funded organization that depends on the greenhouse nursery to pay for the cost of housing exotic animals. The facility grows and sells species of plants such as succulent and cactus to support the care of the animals. Many too are listed on the IUCN's Redlist.

We Grow Crazy Plants So We Can Care For Crazy Critters!
__

Follow us on our journey as we build our Herp Haven called Crazy Critters!

We share as we build, make mistakes, learn, and grow! Find us on most social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and more!

WEBSITE: https://is.gd/QUUyyR
INSTAGRAM: https://is.gd/nsN9bh
YOUTUBE: https://goo.gl/V2bF1o
Crazy Critters on FACEBOOK: https://is.gd/UuKjNH
Crazy Plants on FACEBOOK: https://is.gd/yXqtkf
PINTEREST: https://is.gd/h9bzQc
TWITTER: https://is.gd/Oj0GDR
TUMBLR: https://is.gd/wFThLv
GOFUNDME: https://is.gd/STh3H5
We even have a BLOG https://goo.gl/TwBLnX

Please like, share, follow and subscribe.

 If you or your company would like to help a cause like ours, please contact us. Or use our donation page! https://crazycrittersinc.com/donate-to-crazy-critters-inc/

Feel free to contact us with questions requests and comments.

Crazy Critters Inc.
22921 County Road 44a
Eustis, Fl 32736
352-589-5999

We are Amazon Affiliates! Here are links to our recommended products. Shop from here and we will receive ten percent commission! That is the same as making a donation!!

If you do not like our recommendations, that is ok! Choose the brand of product you like after clicking these links We will still receive two percent commission! It is a win-win!

Plants!
Succulents https://amzn.to/2TrqQly
Cactus https://amzn.to/2DNNGPU
Orchids https://amzn.to/2TrkAKu
Soil https://amzn.to/2FyE0u3
Succulent & Cacti Care Book https://amzn.to/2qVQrGj

Animal Care Products
Reptile Calcium https://amzn.to/2qWCtnt
Reptile Lighting https://amzn.to/2OUP2sX
Reptile Water & Food Bowl https://amzn.to/2PGInYP
Soaking Pond https://amzn.to/2qXGZ5o
Aquarium Heater https://amzn.to/2OT4ENV
Pond Heater https://amzn.to/2qWmgin
Aquarium Filter https://amzn.to/2KpWKuR

Starter Kits For Your Animals!
Baby Tortoises https://amzn.to/2DOPVSX
Bearded Dragons and Other Desert Reptiles https://amzn.to/2Tt1tzN
Snakes, Frogs and Lizards https://amzn.to/2S3dvhP
Geckos and Insects https://amzn.to/2RYhlc6

Books!
Miles and Miles of Reptiles. Dr. Suess Book https://amzn.to/2PEDuPP
Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins Natural History Book https://amzn.to/2DBFoJI
Diagnostic Imaging Book for adults https://amzn.to/2DzFxxC

Friday, March 15, 2019

Feeding The Sanctuary Part 2

In part 2 of Feeding The Sanctuary, we feed the Leopard Gecko, Max the Blue-green Iguana, and the young Red-foot Tortoise group. Click to see part 1 of this series...https://youtu.be/zdTneMdJoY8


Click to read more animal care info from our website...https://crazycrittersinc.com/animal-c... Crazy Critters Inc. is a Private Non-Profit, 501(c)3, Exotic Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Our Wildlife Facility is located in Eustis, Florida. We provide homes to over 300 animals including lizards, turtles, skinks, geckos, birds, and assorted wildlife. Crazy Critters Inc. was established to provide non-domestic, non-releasable animals with a safe and permanent home. Mostly Tortoises and Turtles call Crazy Critters Inc. home. What makes us unique is that after adoption, Crazy Critters Inc. continues to share the lives of the pets on social media. Providing an additional continued connection. When an animal finds its way to Crazy Critters, it has found a forever home. The facility is currently building a natural bog system that will not only filter water naturally but it also will grow greens and other vegetables that will help Crazy Critters become self-sustainable. Crazy Critters Inc. grows and sells unique plants like succulents, cacti, orchid, and more and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the care of all the animals. Our plant nursery is located in our gift shop greenhouse. We are a private facility. We do not have animals on display like a zoo setting. We allow all the animals to live naturalistic lifestyles. So we do not do animal tours.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Feeding The Sanctuary Part One

Feeding animal is one of the most fun parts of our day. All animals have specific dietary needs that match what they may find if they were in the wild.

Click to read more diet info from or website...https://crazycrittersinc.com/?s=diet




Crazy Critters Inc. is a Private Non-Profit, 501(c)3, Exotic Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. Our Wildlife Facility is located in Eustis, Florida. We provide homes to over 300 animals including lizards, turtles, skinks, geckos, birds, and assorted wildlife. Crazy Critters Inc. was established to provide non-domestic, non-releasable animals with a safe and permanent home. Mostly Tortoises and Turtles call Crazy Critters Inc. home. What makes us unique is that after adoption, Crazy Critters Inc. continues to share the lives of the pets on social media. Providing an additional continued connection. When an animal finds its way to Crazy Critters, it has found a forever home. The facility is currently building a natural bog system that will not only filter water naturally but it also will grow greens and other vegetables that will help Crazy Critters become self-sustainable. Crazy Critters Inc. grows and sells unique plants like succulents, cacti, orchid, and more and 100% of the proceeds go directly to the care of all the animals. Our plant nursery is located in our gift shop greenhouse. We are a private facility. We do not have animals on display like a zoo setting. We allow all the animals to live naturalistic lifestyles. So we do not do animal tours. If your company would like to help a cause like ours, please contact us. Or use our donation page! Feel free to contact us with questions requests and comments. Crazy Critters Inc. 22921 County Road 44a Eustis, Fl 32736 352-589-5999 Follow us on our journey as we build our Herp Haven called Crazy Critters! WEBSITE: https://is.gd/QUUyyR INSTAGRAM: https://is.gd/nsN9bh YOUTUBE: https://goo.gl/V2bF1o Crazy Critters on FACEBOOK: https://is.gd/UuKjNH Crazy Plants Nursery on FACEBOOK: https://is.gd/1lVIYO PINTEREST: https://is.gd/h9bzQc TWITTER: https://is.gd/Oj0GDR TUMBLR: https://is.gd/wFThLv GOFUNDME: https://is.gd/STh3H5 We even have a BLOG https://goo.gl/TwBLnX Please like, share, follow and subscribe. We are Amazon Affiliates! Here are links to our recommended products. Shop from here and we will receive ten percent commission! That is the same as making a donation!! If you do not like our recommendations, that is ok! Choose the brand of product you like after clicking these links We will still receive two percent commission! It is a win-win! Plants! Succulents https://amzn.to/2TrqQly Cactus https://amzn.to/2DNNGPU Orchids https://amzn.to/2TrkAKu Soil https://amzn.to/2FyE0u3 Succulent & Cacti Care Book https://amzn.to/2qVQrGj Animal Care Products Reptile Calcium https://amzn.to/2qWCtnt Reptile Lighting https://amzn.to/2OUP2sX Reptile Water & Food Bowl https://amzn.to/2PGInYP Soaking Pond https://amzn.to/2qXGZ5o Aquarium Heater https://amzn.to/2OT4ENV Pond Heater https://amzn.to/2qWmgin Aquarium Filter https://amzn.to/2KpWKuR Starter Kits For Your Animals! Baby Tortoises https://amzn.to/2DOPVSX Bearded Dragons and Other Desert Reptiles https://amzn.to/2Tt1tzN Snakes, Frogs and Lizards https://amzn.to/2S3dvhP Geckos and Insects https://amzn.to/2RYhlc6 Books! Miles and Miles of Reptiles. Dr. Suess Book https://amzn.to/2PEDuPP Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins Natural History Book https://amzn.to/2DBFoJI Diagnostic Imaging Book for adults https://amzn.to/2DzFxxC