Only one word can be used to describe the month of November. HECTIC!!! Take this update for instance. We are just now getting around to having all calculations, graphs and pics done and we had to MAKE the time for it!! All data was collected at the usual time, it just took us a little longer to produce the fancy graphs and what not. This past month, life has kind of got in the way of our little Pyxie Project. For starters, I (Jeff) rotated to 2nd shift at the beginning of the month (I work a different shift EVERY month). This basically meant that anything that needed to get done on a daily basis HAD to get done before I went in to work at 1:30 pm. That said, every morning started at 6:30 am. November 1st also saw my return to the gym since injuring my shoulder back in July. So, my typical morning went a little something like this.
6:30-6:45 am: Wake, Floss, Brush & Rinse
6:45-7:45 am: First phase of animal care (remove poo, empty water dish’s, mist enclosures, clean glass & feed) to our 30+ Horned Frogs, Panther Chameleon, Sulcatta Tortoise, Red Tail Boa & Darts.
7:45-8:45 am: Breakfast & Gym
8:45-11:45 am: Pyxie Project
11:45-12:15 pm: Lunch
12:15-1:15 pm: Shave, Shower & Dress
1:15-1:30 pm: Check Email & Out the Door
Through all of this you might be asking yourself, “Where is Ella?” Well, the answer to that is simple. Working. We are pleased to announce that in late October, Ella was offered a supervisor position for a major restoration company near our home town. This is a great opportunity for her and for our future, but with us both being on two separate shifts this past month, it pretty much temporarily removed her from the project. As she assumes this highly stressful position, it is unknown exactly how much free time she is going to have to assist me with the project from here on out. So, this past month I had to do all the work by myself (with the exception of the data calculation and graph production). This month (now that I am back on 1st), hopefully we can resume some normalcy and the project will flow much smoother with us both pitching in and helping out. Given the time constraints each morning, I was not able to isolate each individual Pyxie in the feeding bin and offer dubia. They were offered gut loaded crickets, free roaming inside their enclosures. As a result of this, we experienced a decline in growth as opposed to the previous months where each Pyxie’s diet consisted primarily of dubia and their growth was much more explosive. This months data reflects our theory and once again confirms just how beneficial dubia roaches are as feeders. We did however begin supplementing rodents on Thanksgiving Day. We wanted their first rodent feeding to be frozen/thawed “fuzzy’s” as this was a nice size for both groups. We found a good feeding response from the majority of Group J as well as several from Group E despite the fact that they are (16) days younger and a little bit smaller. We offered the mice with feeding tongs, inside their enclosure as this is where they seemed more comfortable. This past month, the majority of Group J have started to bulk up and take on an almost all green coloration throughout their bodies. We also began the removal of the dividers inside the 10 gal. enclosures and began housing each frog from Group J, in it’s new, permanant 10 gal aquarium with a larger water bowl. This past month saw Group E’s P1 grow the most with a 13/16″ increase (SVL) and Group J’s P26 with a 9/16″ increase. In closing, we have also been pouring countless hours into another project that we will hopefully be announcing within the next couple of months. We are extremely excited about it and all the possibilities that it presents not only for us but for the rest of the fat frog community!!!
This came before turkey at our house on Thanksgiving. Yum.....
More then a mouthful.
They were offered the fuzzy's before the water was changed so pay no attention to that. It gets changed daily 
P1's growth from last month to this month.
P26's growth from last month to this month.
