June 5, 2022 • 42 mins
Happy Pride Month! In this week's episode of the Pet Owner Diary Show, Co-Host Tay Shoemaker talks to Jess Anderson, creator of @stressinabox on tiktok and the highly credited Keepers Series. Tay and Jess talk about keeping axolotls, what it’s like to be an openly queer creator, and how important that is for their audience. Join the mother of frogs and the mother of axolotls to start off our pride month celebration!
Guest Links:
Website: https://www.stressinabox.com/
Mercy’s Light: https://www.keeperseries.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stressinabox?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdvrpukV/
Guest Links:
Website: https://www.stressinabox.com/
Mercy’s Light: https://www.keeperseries.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/stressinabox?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdvrpukV/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to the Pet Owner Diary podcast, a show about helping you become a
better pet parent. In each episode, we deliver raw, honest, funny,
and insightful advice on how to bea great pet parent for any type
of pet. Now, here's yourhost, America's Pet Owner Coach Janelle Young.
While going back to the pet OwnerDiary show Pet Family, I am
(00:24):
t Shoemaker and I'm going to beyour co host today. Now, before
we get started with our guests,we hear a pet owner Dari want to
wish everyone a very happy Pride Month. All month long, we'll be honoring
lgbtqi, A plus creators, businessowners, pet parents, and many more
amazing people. We want to empowerfellow animal lovers and learn about their stories
(00:47):
as well. To start the monthoff today, we have an incredible guest.
You've definitely seen one of her videospop up on your for you page.
With two million followers on TikTok alone, an Oxelttle Army, and a
highly rated book, she's become aninspiration to gay youth everywhere. I'd like
to welcome Jess Anderson, the creatorbehind at Stress in a Box. Hey,
(01:11):
Jess, how are you doing today. I'm good. That was quite
an intro. Thank you. I'lltry so. Jess and I have been
friends for a little while. Wemet through TikTok and we've had some amazing
opportunities to do collapse together. Jess, you have many talents, but since
this is a pet show, we'regonna start off with the oxelotles first.
(01:34):
Some of you are probably sitting herethinking, what the heck is an axelotal.
I've never heard of this, saynone before. So for those who
don't know, Jess, could youdescribe, to the best of your abilities,
what an axelotle is. I mean, I could just say like water
dragon that you want like more likelike, yeah, I think they look
(02:00):
like water dragons, but they area fully aquatic salamander from Mexico and they
are technically always in their larval stapeso they never you know, become drest
real adults, so they're constantly,you know, just swimming in the water,
so one hundred percent aquatic, andthey're super cute and I think they
kind of look like Whooper the Pokemon, so yeah, they do. They
(02:22):
have the big frills which are actuallytheir gills. Their girls are on the
outside of their head, which ispretty cool. They look very fluffy,
but they're not. I like itwhen people call their gill frills. They
call it hair and I'm like,yeah, yeah, okay, it's on
the side of their head though,so it's kind of like those little just
rounded with a bald spot on top. It feels like they're balding on the
(02:45):
top. Yes, and family,If that sounds familiar, or you've got
little kids, or even play yourself, you've probably heard of the Minecraft acts.
Mottele. I think that's UM introducedpeople to them, and while they're
not I'm very accurate to the reallife. They're very cute and they are
based off the real thing. Sohow many X levels do you have currently?
(03:07):
Does currently? I have nine?On that for a second, no,
I honestly, I was expecting youto say into the twenties. So
that's very um. That was whereit was at for a while. But
I have downsized since I did,Like I moved across country like twice in
the last six months, so Idownsized quite a bit. And my sister
(03:30):
actually has I think about eight ofthem at her apartment. Okay, okay,
that makes sense. Yeah, No, I feel that I'm moving to
DC soon, so I'm gonna haveto do that with my like twenty five
frogs in my house right now,So it's m moving is a lot with
animals, especially at animals. Ohyeah, so yes, And I've kept
(03:53):
X levels before. They're kind oflike frogs, you know, being in
the amphibian family. And the onesyou'll often see and the ones I feel
like get the most representation are thelittle pink ones. But there are tons
of different colors, oh yes,all different colors of the rainbow. And
(04:14):
I swear to you there are newmorphs being found, like every other day.
I will be scrolling through Facebook andI'll be like, I've never seen
that color before, right, Butthere's so many. I couldn't even put
a number on how many colors andcombinations there are. But yeah, the
the lucistics, which are the pinkones, they definitely get the most representation,
(04:35):
like any type anytime you see aplush, anytime you see them in
the media, it's always the pinklucistics. And they're they're not even my
favorite, my favorite of the goldenones. They're so pretty and they're so
spark light. But yeah, Ilove the little black ones a little wild
Morphs or the Melanoid I think they'recalled I love. Yeah, they remind
(04:56):
me of Toothless from How To TrainYour Dragon. And I think that's also
like the number one name Roxletles.Oh for sure, there's so many ex
lettles. I member, my firstone was named Toothless. I don't even
guilt do that, so no,but it's just such a good name because
they look just like Toothless exactly.Yeah, that is definitely I mean,
(05:17):
yeah, yeah, I mean I'vegotten bitten by many of them. They
definitely don't have teeth. It morefeels like velcrow like and if you get
bit in the right spot, reallylike an irritate. It's part like when
you run lt like the hard partof vilcrow over your arm or something.
It feels like that. Yeah,so it doesn't hurt. Um. They're
they're extremely cool animals. And Imean when you look at them and all
(05:40):
their abilities, they really sound likealiens. I mean they look like aliens.
Um, but they're actually native tothis planet and they're found in Mexico.
What is their natural habitat like outthere? Ah? Yeah, they
are actually native to a single lakeoutside of Mexico City, Lake it's the
only place that you would find themin the wild. Unfortunately, they're very
(06:05):
endangered, but that is the onlyplace you'll find them. So anytime someone's
like, oh, I think Ifound them in my backyard, it's normally
like a juvenile native salamand or likea tiger salamander or something. I get
a lot of those in the spring. Yes, yeah, and and so
(06:25):
they're habitat they're endangered right now becauseum Lake Sochi Meco. Again, they're
only found in one lake and it'spretty polluted, isn't it. Or yeah,
it has a heavy pollution going onbecause it's right outside of a major
city in Mexico. And it alsohas a lot of invasive species in it,
so a lot of different types ofcarps just from people releasing them in
(06:47):
there. And yeah, I thinklast I checked, when they tried to
do a m what is the wordI'm thinking of, They tried to do
like a census everybody, It mightnot be the right word. They tried
to do a census of them.They couldn't even find any, but they
didn't want to declare them extinct yetbecause they could still be hiding because the
(07:09):
like you know, lots of placesfor the x lots like to hide,
last places to hide. Yeah,but yeah, with pollution and invasive an
invasive species, they have become extremelyendangered in the wild, but they are
thriving in captivity. So yes,no, that's what I was gonna say.
I mean, I think, um, this is gonna be one of
the cases where you know, thespecies may go extinct in the wild,
(07:31):
but we will have generations of generationsin captivity. Definitely. People are breeding
them all the time. You youdo some breeding as well, don't you.
I did for a while. I'mplanning on maybe doing like one clutch
this year just because my toothless passedaway. Um while I had to put
(07:51):
them down earlier this year due toa tumor. But um, it was
very sad day for everybody. ButI have one of his children that I've
bread a couple of years ago thathe had and its name is Bruney,
and I want to have like athird generation so I can only keep that
line going from like my first axelttlethat I ever had. So I am
(08:13):
gonna do like one at least oneround of breeding this year, and that'll
be That'll be a clutch with bruney. I just have to figure out like
who I'm pairing him with and allthat jazz. It takes a lot of
thought and I have to go througha lot of like genetic paperwork, which
ones I want to put together.So but I'm hoping to do just the
one flutch this year. Okay,Yeah, No, it's it's a lot
(08:37):
of work. I mean I havethought about breeding frogs before, and I'm
like, how many they have?Like almost a thousand eggs in them?
Like, I don't know about that. I end up x lattels will lay
anywhere from like one hundred to likea thousand plus, and I end up
I'll keep like a small amount andthen I'll like sell the rest of him
(08:58):
to another breeder who has the spaceand the ability to take care of that
many. There's like two specific breedersthat always end up with like a majority
of the eggs from every clutch Ihave, because I don't have the space
or the time to take care ofa thousand babies. I think the most
I did it once it was twohundred, and that was like, oh
yeah, yeah, no, that'sa little too much. But that's crazy.
(09:26):
Yeah No, but I think it'sgood that you know you can pass
them on to someone who has morespace and time. That's sweet and okay.
So the one thing that I thinkpeople are going to ask after they
hear that they're in the wild,can you find the pink ones in the
wild? I know that's a littlebit of a ridiculous question, but I've
seen people ask this. No,you cannot. Most of the colors that
(09:52):
you have in captivity you cannot findin the wild. If the only ones
that you'd be able to find inthe wild are the wild type coloration,
which is like that spotty specially greenand brown. All the other ones are
done through specific breeding for specific geneticsand sometimes even cross breeding with other types
of salamanders. So the ones inthe pet trade are not actually like one
(10:15):
hundred percent true axolotls like your DNAwould not be the same as those you
would find in the wild. Soanytime you see like a pink one,
or a golden one, or acopper one, even mellanoid, you're not
going to find those in the wild, and they would have a very maybe
then mellanoids would be okay like inthe wild, but goldens and lucistics like
no they'd be like high predator there. They just you PLoP them in there
(10:41):
and then like two minutes later.No, that was very of it.
But yes, and we'll talk moreabomptist after our little right here, So
we will be right back with JessAnderson, Friend, Stress and a ball
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navapets dot com, you can spoilyour pet with goodness, treat your pet
like they treat you. Welcome backthat family. We are back from our
(12:15):
break and work here with Jess Andersonfrom at Stress in a Box that's at
Stress in a Box on TikTok andInstagram, and we are talking about axlotls.
So I want to get a littlebit into their care because I know
the number one question that you probablyget is where do I buy these things?
(12:37):
And how do I care for them? Because I know I get that
like every single day in comments,Instagram, dms, all the whole back
yards. It's all the same questions. But I'm like, there's too much.
I can't tell you it all righthere. And their pretty sensitive animals.
We know, you know, they'reonly found in one lake, so
(12:58):
they need very very certain um watertype and um what's the word? Um?
I forget the word, but theyneed a certain parameters, yes,
water parameters. Yes, you've gotit, um. And I don't want
to say any pets are easy orinner pets, but would you consider accels
(13:20):
to be an advanced pet? Orlike, you know, if you do
enough research, you can get thembecause there are some frogs where I'm like,
you can do research, but youneed a lot of money in time,
and I wouldn't consider them for beginners. I would not consider them a
beginner pet at all. Um.I mean there are people who can jump
(13:41):
into them as like their first aquaticanimal. Um. But I like to
say they're very easy to take careof but also very easy to kill.
So UM, I don't. Iwould like try a beta fish first,
or a goldfish or like some sortof a quat maybe I even a water
bud like uh, something aquatic,keep it alive for its lifespan, and
(14:03):
then get an ax flatle um becausethey they are very sensitive and the temperatures
and everything with their habitat has tobe very specific. Um. And yeah,
like I said, very easy totake care of, but also very
very easy to kill if something youdo one thing wrong like yeah, and
(14:26):
I mean it's it's kind of thesame with frogs. Um. You know,
actually started with beta fish and thengot an xlddle So I feel that
I think you need to understand howto do a water test and like keep
nine breaks down, keep your ammoniadown, um, before you jump into
an axlettle because they're very sensitive toammonia. Yes, I actually get scared
(14:46):
anytime someone buys an aquatic animal anddoesn't know what cycling your tank is.
Yeah, because last episode, alast couple episodes, we talked with Nick
Animalia, we did a Christmas collabwith and he yes, he said the
cycling your tank is important and soI already know this. But for the
(15:09):
people that don't, is cycling importantfor ax levels? Oh yes, very
very very much. So you donot want to put them in an uncycled
tank and you want to maintain thecycle. Yes, And just a jog
everyone's memory for the last couple episode, what is cycling your tank? It's
(15:31):
basically the you got to build upthe beneficial bacteria in your tank so it
can break down the ammonia and turnit into you know, nitrates and nitrites,
and a good, good cycled tankwould have zero ammonia, zero nitrites,
and you know, any I wouldsay, you don't want to get
above twenty ppm on the nitrates,and I mean pH is part of the
(15:54):
water parameters, but I wouldn't necessarilysay it's part of cycling your tank.
But you do need to pay attentionto your pH as well. But yeah,
it's basically just building up your beneficialbacteria so it can break down the
ammonia from any extra food or wastefrom your animal. And axe loddles are
considered a high waist animal, soyou want to make sure you have a
really good build up of beneficial bacteriain that tank. Yes, and so
(16:17):
poor the tank. Let's say we'resending up a tank. What kind of
habitat? Do they need a captivity? Yeah, so for a singular axe
lottle, you need to have atleast a twenty gallon long tank. I'm
going to put emphasis on the long, not tall long. They are a
bottom dweller, so they like tohang out on the bottom of the tank.
They don't I mean they do swim, but they don't really swim.
(16:41):
A whole lot might tend to likesit and stare at a wall for five
hours and make you concern that they'relike, like are they alive? But
they are bottom dwellers. You wantto have a twenty gallon long for minimum
for one, I would say,though, going up to a thirty gallon
long or even a forty gallon breederfor a single ax Lettle would be a
(17:03):
fantastic choice. They also don't reallylike lights, so you can't have a
light in there for when you feedthem, or you know, pictures whatever.
Mine is usually only on for whenI'm filming the tank. A lot
of people ask me that, like, xels don't like lights, what do
you have lights on? Well,I'm filming, so you need to be
able to see them sor right.And also you want to have hides in
(17:25):
there. And they are cold wateranimals, so you don't need a heat
or anything. You actually want tokeep their temperature of their water in the
mid sixties. So if you livein a place that is like a warmer
climate, you might have to investin a chiller for your tank, which
is very expensive. I might actuallyhave to get a chiller because I moved
to Georgia in November, so Imight actually have to get a chiller.
(17:48):
I'm hoping that because a chiller forone hundred and twenty gallon tank, it's
gonna be very expensive. Yes,I remember when I hit my x letels.
I live in very South Texas islike literally on the coast, and
I had those little fans that linedup all across the top and they worked
pretty well, thankfully, so Ididn't have to get a chiller. But
(18:11):
I was like constantly like, Okay, I'm gonna try the tank fans at
the top two and those help becausethey help evaporate the water, which is
what cools it down. So um, I'm definitely gonna try those before I
get all. They went so far, so good. I feel like it's
(18:32):
easier to keep a bigger tank coolerthan a smaller tank because we've been getting
up to like the nineties here.Um, but my tank has been at
like sixty eight, which is likea good, good zone in my opinion.
Yeah, so I haven't I haven'tfelt too worried, but I have
no idea what's going to happen whenwe get into like the heat of summer
and it's like a hundred and tenoutside. Yeah, welcome to the South,
(18:56):
it's oh yeah, um, sookay, So it's there anything that
they cannot have in their tank,Like what when you tell people to stay
away from when they're setting up theirtank, anything they can fit in their
mouth. Do not anything it doesn'trocks, gravel, Do not put that
(19:17):
in there because they will eat it. Even if you say they're not going
to eat it. Oh, theywill eat it anything they can fit in
their mouth. Um. Even likeif you have like weighted fake plants,
um, you need to like payattention to them to make sure those weights
don't fall off because like they popwill try to eat the weights. Um,
any type of decorative stone anything likethat. And then UM, I
(19:38):
also try to push more silk orlive plants because plastic plants can have pieces
break off that they can eat aswell. UM, So pushing towards you
know, the silk and the liveplants is definitely you know what you want
to do. And also with thesilk and live plants, you don't have
to worry about rough edges. Theydo have a very sensitive skin, so
(20:00):
they can rub on pretty much anythingand hurt themselves. Right. So yeah,
rough edges, rough plants, anythinglike that, you want to make
sure those aren't in there. Yeah. No, they're just like frogs and
I don't I don't think they havethe best eyesight either. And with an
opportunistic eater, they will literally eatanything even if it doesn't move exactly it
(20:22):
touches their mouth. You know,exactly are they trying to eat my fingers?
If I wiggle my finger out thetank. Food food, everything's food.
No. Frogs are the exact sameway. Um. I think they
have slightly better eyesight than axolottles,but they literally they don't care. They'll
just eat whatever, even if it'snot moving. I've seen them try to
(20:45):
eat like their water bowl and stuff. So um. Yeah, but we
do have to take another quick breakhere, so we'll be right back with
Jess intersting from stress in a block. We all know that a dog is
(21:07):
man's best friend, won't Why stopthere? We think that all pets make
our lives a little easier, whetherit's a cat, gecko, or even
a horse. We want to learnwhat makes your pets so special to you.
Maybe they have an eccentric personality oreven give good cuddles. Whatever it
is, we want to hear aboutit. After all, our pets deserve
a moment in the spotlight. Whynot share an interesting story about your pet
(21:30):
with our host, pet coach JanelleYoung, No matter how big or small,
we'd love to hear from you onthe Pet Owner Diary Show. We're
looking for the next pet celebrity superstaror that unique animal story for TV and
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pet Line at four oh seven nineoh six fifty seven twelve or email us
(21:52):
at pet owner Diary at gmail dotcom. The possibilities are endless. Maybe
you and your pet will be ournext featured weekly guest on TV or radio.
Let's give our pets the attention theydeserve. Welcome back, pet family.
(22:18):
We are still here with Jess Andersonfrom Stress in a Box that is
at Stress in a Box on TikTokin Instagram, and so, Jess,
I want to talk about you aswell because we are honoring our LGBTQI A
Polus listeners and creators this month.So you are ACE and for our older
(22:40):
listeners, they may have never heardabout the sexual orientation. So what does
being ACE mean? Being ACE ora sexual basically means that you don't have
sexual attraction to any one. Doesn'tmean you don't have romantic attraction to people,
but you don't have sexual fraction anybody. It's just like the lack of
(23:02):
it. It's just not there.Um, So that that's what it means.
Okay, Yeah, And I feellike I never see any ACE representation
other than you know, in nichegroups on TikTok and way back in the
day on Tumbler. For those whoremember the fun times on Tumbler, I'm
like, when you came out onTikTok to your audience, what was their
(23:25):
reaction. I was actually surprised athow many ACE people actually followed me for
one that was really crazy, andI kind of did it in like a
nonchalant way, like oh yeah,no type of things. I don't think
I ever actually like didn't tell Ididn't actually like come out in a way,
but I like just strategically wore likean ACE T shirt and then people
(23:48):
were like, are you Ace?They got they got it. And then
I made a video and I waslike, yeah, you didn't know,
um, but there was a lotof people who just didn't know what it
was, and which was kind ofit was surprising but not surprising. But
it was also really cool because Ididn't actually have to answer it because my
followers who did know would go throughmy comments and would answer the question for
(24:11):
me. So it was it wasreally cool like in that aspect that I
didn't have to like make a videoor anything explaining it. I think it
probably would have gotten flagged if Idid but yeah, gotta love TikTok.
So it was really cool, justlike watching other people answer the questions for
me. But for the most part, it was a pretty pretty cool experience.
(24:34):
I obviously being as you don't haveto deal with a lot of like
the political and religious stuff that peoplehave towards sexual orientation. Um so I
will say I'm very privileged in thataspect. But it was more I think
of like an educational opportunity for myfollowers and those who were, um you
know who did who weren't familiar withit. So it was it was it
(24:55):
was very pleasant and cool to likewatch I follow where it's kind of like
educate each other. It was.It was very interesting to watch. Oh
that's so sweet and you and soyou have over two million followers, which
is one insane And I would probablysay that you have a younger audience because
I know I certainly do you knowanimal people? Uh, you know,
(25:18):
children love animals. Um, sohow amazing is it knowing that you are
an inspiration to queer kids everywhere.I never really thought of it like that,
but it is right, you know, yeah, I will I will
say I do have a very largeLGBTQ plus like fan base, I can't.
(25:40):
I can see that like when I'mposting and and um and what I'm
interacting with them, and whether it'sonline or in person. So I never
really thought of it like that though, to be honest. Yeah, no,
I mean, especially when you havetwo millions. Like even for me,
I see, you know, conversationsof young kids in my comments,
(26:02):
and I'm bisexual and non binary,and so you know, I have a
lot of people who are not verynice to me in the comments. But
every time I see that, therewill be someone below them, um,
who's like way younger than than them, just like defending me and being like,
hey, this isn't okay, umand I and I I love that
so sweet that we that we getto, you know, show show the
(26:26):
youth what um, actual gay peopleare like and not you know, whatever
their parents or media says. Ifeel like the animal community too, we
have a lot of we have alot of representation in that aspect. Now
that I'm like sitting here and thinkingabout it, yeah, because I don't.
I'm gonna got don't really think oflike sexual orientation when I meet people,
(26:48):
Like it's not like the first thingthat comes to my mind. So,
like, actually sitting here thinking aboutit, I'm like, you know
what, we do have a lotof representations, a lot of the people,
and the friends I've made through theanimal community are a majority of them
or LGBTQ plass. So that's actuallylike a cool realization I'm having right now.
Yes, it's very nice because Ifeel like we have a bubble.
But then when you step out ofthat bubble and realize, oh, not
(27:11):
everyone is like this, then you'relike kind of scary outside of the bay.
Yeah, it is, um.And speaking of you know, helping
LGBTQ youth, you have a bookout right now called Mercy's Light and there
are multiple queer characters in it,right, yes, actually that is correct.
(27:33):
Yeah, could you give us abrief summary of what Mercy's Light is
about? Just as I hate thatquestion, it's like, so what someone
asked me, like, give mea summary of the book. My brain
just goes blank. There's a millionthings. Yes, yeah, So I
am a lot better with the firstbook that I am with the second book,
though, which is great. So. Um, the first book basically
(27:56):
follows our main character or title character, Mercy, who is actually ace like
Meum, that is Cannon for everybodywho has theorized it. It is Cannon
and his journey into basically kind oflike accepting who he is as as a
person to his community, um,and not so much with that, but
(28:19):
like magic twise, So I'm reallybad at this. Oh my god.
So anyways, So my fantasy novel, it follows the protagonists Mercy, who
is basically the last Keeper of Light, which is a type of magic in
my world that I've created, andhe is basically just trying to save the
(28:40):
world and he does alongside with hisbest friend Silas Um and then a shadow
Keeper who is also um the princeof the dismal system that they're a part
of. So yeah, the maintrio all is some sort of representation of
LGBTQ plus uh Mercy's ace um Coligo, which is the prince of the entire
(29:06):
planet Um. He is by sohe's bisexual. Um, he's also a
double ampute so fun fact um.And then Silas is still trying to figure
out exactly like who he is.All he knows is he likes guys.
He's trying to figure that out,and I'm also trying to figure it out
with him. So I having figuredout where he fits in the grand scheme
(29:33):
of things. But um, Ifeel like we're figuring it out for silence
together as we go. Oh that'ssweet. And you so you have another
book coming out, which is Mercy'sRain and that is a sequel to Mercy's
Light. Yes, correct, andthat is coming out this month. Yes,
I was gonna say. If youguys want to check out and learn
more about Mercy's Light and the Keeperseries, you guys can go to ww
(29:59):
dot Keeper's Series dot com and lookout for Mercy's Right, coming out on
June twenty fourth. The website hasmuch better descriptions of Yeah, someone I
escaped. Yeah, it's really prettytoo, Like the colors are very satisfying.
Um, yeah, I love thecollars for the second book. They're
so pretty. Yes, and youeven died you're here to match the colors.
(30:22):
I think it looks so good.I did so when I was wearing
my Ace shirt I think it wasyesterday in a video, I realized,
like my entire outfit was the Aceflag. Oh, I have the black
and purple hair and then my shirtwas like black. It was I was
like, I'm the Ace flag rightnow? Yeah, I mean, it's
prime month, perfect time to doit. It's perfect, yes, and
(30:44):
and your opinion, I want toknow how important is it for youth in
our community to have these characters andand us influencers in their life. I
think it's it's super important. Um. And I was even talking about this,
uh in like a podcast I didlast week about the representation people like
(31:07):
being able to have other people theycan idolize and like look up to his
role models or even just understand andput like like I don't want to say
put a label, but like puta name to how they're feeling. M
yeah, because that was that washow I thought. I didn't really know
what what asexual was until I thinka couple of years ago when it started
(31:29):
showing up more on like my feeds, and then like I felt so relieving
to like have a word to describethat. And I think that's just really
important, especially with how many differenttypes of sexualities there are now, and
I think it's important to have thatrepresentation so younger audiences can start to understand
themselves a little bit more and realize, like, hey, other people feel
(31:52):
like this, Other people are attractedto these types of people. And I'm
not alone like type of thing,and I think it's really really important for
that, and that was one ofthe reasons I was so like insistent on
having LGBTQ plus rep in my book. I will say, like the main,
the main LGBTQ plus like relationship inthe first book, which I don't
(32:15):
want to say because I don't wantto give out spoilers. Um was like
actually, like I wasn't planning onit to be entirely on this. Um,
it just kind of happened as Iwas writing, like naturally, and
that's like that. I think that'sthe best thing when it's not forced,
it just kind of like naturally happens. Yes, Um, But I do
(32:36):
think it was like one of thebest like natural occurrences to happen in that
book because it just a lot ofpeople really relate to them and love the
characters. So I think having thatrepresentation is just extremely important, especially for
younger people with younger audiences. Ohyes, and we'll be right back to
talk more about Marcy's White and whatit means to be an LGPE creator with
(33:00):
Jess Innocent At Nava Pets, weknow how important your furry companions are,
so we want to help keep themhappy and healthy. Our organic hemp products
are especially formulated to enhance the wellbeing of your beloved pet. But don't
(33:22):
worry. Our hemp supplements don't containany of the psychedelic stuff, so your
animal will receive all the health benefitsand still be the pet you know and
love. Your furry friend is sureto enjoy the organic pet Hemp tincture,
which infuses anti inflammatory plant properties andomega fatty acids, providing for a more
(33:43):
mobile and energetic pet. Will alsoassisting with any chronic pain or medical conditions
your pet may be experiencing. Ourhemp products also give a natural calming effect,
perfect for the continuous barkers or thosestressed out cats. We also offer
a range of flavors including bacon,peanut butter, and salmon. What's not
to love At Nava pets dot com, you can spoil your pet with goodness,
(34:07):
treat your pet like they treat you. Welcome back, pet family.
We are back again with Jess Andersonfrom at Stress in the Books, on
(34:28):
TikTok and Instagram, and we weretalking about how um you know important it
is to have um lgbc q Iplus influencers and characters and books and movies
and UM. On one thing Idid I did UM realize, you know,
when we were having our conversation aboutwhat it's like to be UM an
(34:52):
influencer in the pet community, especiallybeing um you know, in the in
the queer community. UM is youknow how many people we actually have in
our community that are um, youknow, in the queer community. And
I think I've come to realize thatit's probably because we can relate to these
(35:14):
animals, you know what I mean, Jess, Yeah, I can kind
of see that. I also thinkpart of it's like I don't need like
the animals going to love me nomatter who I am. It's kind of
like, yeah, yeah, Ithink for me, I gravitated towards frogs
because, um, you know,I I was always kind of weird kid,
(35:35):
you know, UM, not reallyunderstanding my gender, not really understanding
UM you know why I liked girlsso much, UM and frogs that you
know, they're weird, they're quirky. People think that they're you know,
ugly, but a lot of peoplethink they're cute. And I found kind
of soulless in the fact that Ithink they're cute, and so that's what's
(35:57):
important to me. Sorry, ifanybody ever called a frog ugly near me,
I'd be really angry. You shouldsee my comments. Frogs are ugly,
they're that That wasn't the point butof me. No, But I
mean, you know, it's like, who would who would think that being
(36:17):
gay is ugly? Like that's true, it's so similar that, you know,
we just gravitate to these misunderstood animalsbecause we feel misunderstood ourselves. Um.
Maybe I'm digging too deep into it, but I feel for myself.
You know, I don't think youare. I don't think you are.
I'm getting into the psychology of it, you know, And I want to
(36:38):
know, Um, what would youtell anyone listening who is maybe stuck in
the closet for one reason or another, or is afraid to come out at
this moment because it may be dangerous. What what would you like to tell
them who? That's a hard one, Uma. I know a lot of
(37:00):
I know a lot of people likethey're not in a good spot or in
a place where they can be honestwith the people around them, or they
don't have the support of their familyor their friends. I mean, I'm
I'm very blessed that I have suchan amazing family and I have such amazing
friends, um that I don't haveto worry about that. Um, but
(37:22):
there are people out there that do. First off, get better friends.
If your friends are gonna judge youfor your sexuality, get better friends.
You know, you choose your friends. You know they don't that that's you
have power over that. Remember that. So if someone's treating you badly for
whatever reason, um, you don'tneed them in your life. As far
as family goes, though, that'sa really, really tough one and I
(37:44):
think, um, some people justaren't in a space where they can feel
safe with that. And if you'reyou know, under the age of eighteen,
you can't really separate yourself from yourfrom your toxic family. And that
is a really tough situation to bein. And I've personally never had to
be in that situation. So Idon't really know what I would say to
somebody in that other than it getsbetter. I Mean, I definitely had
(38:09):
you know, hard time growing up, not for you know, my sexual
orientation, but for other things.I had difficult time growing up. You
know, bullies didn't have the bestfamily life growing up things like that,
and you do feel stuck and itis a very scary feeling and it's not
fun. And just know that youknow it will get better. You will
(38:30):
get out of these situations. Andsometimes you do just have to wait for
the system to allow. You haveto wait till you're eighteen. And when
I was eighteen, I moved outof the house. Within like a month
of graduation from mysel I was goneand I lived on my own for ten
years. And it took me andmy parents some time to kind of you
(38:51):
know, you know, be okaywith each other again. And I'm actually
living with my parents again and theyare fantastic people and we understand each other
a lot better now. But um, yeah, it's it's you just gotta
wait it out and things will getbetter. It's not going to be crappy
forever. I think it is thebest thing I can really say. Yeah,
(39:12):
And I mean, you know,touching on the you choose your friends,
not your family. Um, whenyou come out and when you are
in this community, I feel likeyou you have another family. And you
know, if one family doesn't acceptyou, that's okay, because you know
you'll have another family that will alwaysbe behind you no matter what. Chosen
(39:32):
family. I love chosen family.That's a that's a big thing, and
that's even in my book. That'sa big thing in my book. I
stress chosen family that if you comefrom a crappy family, familiar background,
you can find those people that willunderstand you, um down the road and
they'll help you be a better personand help you accept yourself in ways you
(39:52):
didn't know that you could. Sochosen family is extremely important for everybody,
and U everybody will eventually find thatchosen family. I think, Yes,
that's so sweet. What a whata perfect way to wrap up our show.
Is there anything that you any advicethat you would like to give people
who are, um, you know, going about their sexuality? Um,
(40:17):
you know, I don't know,you're asking the hard questions here at the
end, like all right, allright, um never, I guess just
keep keep exploring, you know.It's like I said earlier, there's there's
so many different sexual orientations and stuffthat you probably don't even know exists,
(40:39):
and um, keep just educating yourselflearning. I need to educate myself at
the time because sometimes people say thatthey're they're sexuality I'm like, what is
that. I've never heard that onebefore? Please please explain. Um.
Like when I was doing the Pridecollection for my Merge store, like if
people were requesting flags, I waslike, I haven't heard of that one.
(41:00):
Someone explained I don't know, um, And that's definitely. I always
always just keep learning because there's differentdifferent types of everything. So um,
keep exploring, keep keep thinking aboutit, and just talk to talk to
your community, and you'll you'll findyou know, you'll find where you belong.
Yes, definitely, Thank you somuch, Jess. Please take this
(41:22):
time to plug whatever you want toplug. Oh I'm supposed to talk.
Sorry, I thought, well,we plug my social media. It's at
stress in a box on literally everyplatform including Twitter that we don't do a
lot over there. Sorry. Anddefinitely check out my book that's coming out
this month, Mercy's Reigned by Jessellam Anderson's coming out June twenty fourth.
(41:44):
So yeah, awesome. Thanks somuch for spending time with us today,
Jess, and thank you so much, pet family. We will be back
here, same time, same placenext week on the pet Owner Diary show.
Goodbye. Thank you for joining uson pet Owner Diary make sure to
visit our website, pet Ownerdiary dotcom, where you can sign up for
(42:06):
our newsletter, view show highlights,and download each episode via SoundCloud. Make
sure to subscribe to the show onyour favorite podcast app too, so you
and your pet never miss an episodePet Family. If you like what you
hear, please share on your socialmedia and tell a friend to tune in
on behalf of America's Pet Owner coach, Janelle Young. We wish you love,
(42:29):
peace and harmony with your pet.We'll catch you in the next episode.
Welcome to the Pet Owner Diary podcast, a show about helping you become a
better pet parent. In each episode, we deliver raw, honest, funny,
and insightful advice on how to bea great pet parent for any type
of pet. Now, here's yourhost, America's Pet Owner Coach Janelle Young.
While going back to the pet OwnerDiary show Pet Family, I am
(00:24):
t Shoemaker and I'm going to beyour co host today. Now, before
we get started with our guests,we hear a pet owner Dari want to
wish everyone a very happy Pride Month. All month long, we'll be honoring
lgbtqi, A plus creators, businessowners, pet parents, and many more
amazing people. We want to empowerfellow animal lovers and learn about their stories
(00:47):
as well. To start the monthoff today, we have an incredible guest.
You've definitely seen one of her videospop up on your for you page.
With two million followers on TikTok alone, an Oxelttle Army, and a
highly rated book, she's become aninspiration to gay youth everywhere. I'd like
to welcome Jess Anderson, the creatorbehind at Stress in a Box. Hey,
(01:11):
Jess, how are you doing today. I'm good. That was quite
an intro. Thank you. I'lltry so. Jess and I have been
friends for a little while. Wemet through TikTok and we've had some amazing
opportunities to do collapse together. Jess, you have many talents, but since
this is a pet show, we'regonna start off with the oxelotles first.
(01:34):
Some of you are probably sitting herethinking, what the heck is an axelotal.
I've never heard of this, saynone before. So for those who
don't know, Jess, could youdescribe, to the best of your abilities,
what an axelotle is. I mean, I could just say like water
dragon that you want like more likelike, yeah, I think they look
(02:00):
like water dragons, but they area fully aquatic salamander from Mexico and they
are technically always in their larval stapeso they never you know, become drest
real adults, so they're constantly,you know, just swimming in the water,
so one hundred percent aquatic, andthey're super cute and I think they
kind of look like Whooper the Pokemon, so yeah, they do. They
(02:22):
have the big frills which are actuallytheir gills. Their girls are on the
outside of their head, which ispretty cool. They look very fluffy,
but they're not. I like itwhen people call their gill frills. They
call it hair and I'm like,yeah, yeah, okay, it's on
the side of their head though,so it's kind of like those little just
rounded with a bald spot on top. It feels like they're balding on the
(02:45):
top. Yes, and family,If that sounds familiar, or you've got
little kids, or even play yourself, you've probably heard of the Minecraft acts.
Mottele. I think that's UM introducedpeople to them, and while they're
not I'm very accurate to the reallife. They're very cute and they are
based off the real thing. Sohow many X levels do you have currently?
(03:07):
Does currently? I have nine?On that for a second, no,
I honestly, I was expecting youto say into the twenties. So
that's very um. That was whereit was at for a while. But
I have downsized since I did,Like I moved across country like twice in
the last six months, so Idownsized quite a bit. And my sister
(03:30):
actually has I think about eight ofthem at her apartment. Okay, okay,
that makes sense. Yeah, No, I feel that I'm moving to
DC soon, so I'm gonna haveto do that with my like twenty five
frogs in my house right now,So it's m moving is a lot with
animals, especially at animals. Ohyeah, so yes, And I've kept
(03:53):
X levels before. They're kind oflike frogs, you know, being in
the amphibian family. And the onesyou'll often see and the ones I feel
like get the most representation are thelittle pink ones. But there are tons
of different colors, oh yes,all different colors of the rainbow. And
(04:14):
I swear to you there are newmorphs being found, like every other day.
I will be scrolling through Facebook andI'll be like, I've never seen
that color before, right, Butthere's so many. I couldn't even put
a number on how many colors andcombinations there are. But yeah, the
the lucistics, which are the pinkones, they definitely get the most representation,
(04:35):
like any type anytime you see aplush, anytime you see them in
the media, it's always the pinklucistics. And they're they're not even my
favorite, my favorite of the goldenones. They're so pretty and they're so
spark light. But yeah, Ilove the little black ones a little wild
Morphs or the Melanoid I think they'recalled I love. Yeah, they remind
(04:56):
me of Toothless from How To TrainYour Dragon. And I think that's also
like the number one name Roxletles.Oh for sure, there's so many ex
lettles. I member, my firstone was named Toothless. I don't even
guilt do that, so no,but it's just such a good name because
they look just like Toothless exactly.Yeah, that is definitely I mean,
(05:17):
yeah, yeah, I mean I'vegotten bitten by many of them. They
definitely don't have teeth. It morefeels like velcrow like and if you get
bit in the right spot, reallylike an irritate. It's part like when
you run lt like the hard partof vilcrow over your arm or something.
It feels like that. Yeah,so it doesn't hurt. Um. They're
they're extremely cool animals. And Imean when you look at them and all
(05:40):
their abilities, they really sound likealiens. I mean they look like aliens.
Um, but they're actually native tothis planet and they're found in Mexico.
What is their natural habitat like outthere? Ah? Yeah, they
are actually native to a single lakeoutside of Mexico City, Lake it's the
only place that you would find themin the wild. Unfortunately, they're very
(06:05):
endangered, but that is the onlyplace you'll find them. So anytime someone's
like, oh, I think Ifound them in my backyard, it's normally
like a juvenile native salamand or likea tiger salamander or something. I get
a lot of those in the spring. Yes, yeah, and and so
(06:25):
they're habitat they're endangered right now becauseum Lake Sochi Meco. Again, they're
only found in one lake and it'spretty polluted, isn't it. Or yeah,
it has a heavy pollution going onbecause it's right outside of a major
city in Mexico. And it alsohas a lot of invasive species in it,
so a lot of different types ofcarps just from people releasing them in
(06:47):
there. And yeah, I thinklast I checked, when they tried to
do a m what is the wordI'm thinking of, They tried to do
like a census everybody, It mightnot be the right word. They tried
to do a census of them.They couldn't even find any, but they
didn't want to declare them extinct yetbecause they could still be hiding because the
(07:09):
like you know, lots of placesfor the x lots like to hide,
last places to hide. Yeah,but yeah, with pollution and invasive an
invasive species, they have become extremelyendangered in the wild, but they are
thriving in captivity. So yes,no, that's what I was gonna say.
I mean, I think, um, this is gonna be one of
the cases where you know, thespecies may go extinct in the wild,
(07:31):
but we will have generations of generationsin captivity. Definitely. People are breeding
them all the time. You youdo some breeding as well, don't you.
I did for a while. I'mplanning on maybe doing like one clutch
this year just because my toothless passedaway. Um while I had to put
(07:51):
them down earlier this year due toa tumor. But um, it was
very sad day for everybody. ButI have one of his children that I've
bread a couple of years ago thathe had and its name is Bruney,
and I want to have like athird generation so I can only keep that
line going from like my first axelttlethat I ever had. So I am
(08:13):
gonna do like one at least oneround of breeding this year, and that'll
be That'll be a clutch with bruney. I just have to figure out like
who I'm pairing him with and allthat jazz. It takes a lot of
thought and I have to go througha lot of like genetic paperwork, which
ones I want to put together.So but I'm hoping to do just the
one flutch this year. Okay,Yeah, No, it's it's a lot
(08:37):
of work. I mean I havethought about breeding frogs before, and I'm
like, how many they have?Like almost a thousand eggs in them?
Like, I don't know about that. I end up x lattels will lay
anywhere from like one hundred to likea thousand plus, and I end up
I'll keep like a small amount andthen I'll like sell the rest of him
(08:58):
to another breeder who has the spaceand the ability to take care of that
many. There's like two specific breedersthat always end up with like a majority
of the eggs from every clutch Ihave, because I don't have the space
or the time to take care ofa thousand babies. I think the most
I did it once it was twohundred, and that was like, oh
yeah, yeah, no, that'sa little too much. But that's crazy.
(09:26):
Yeah No, but I think it'sgood that you know you can pass
them on to someone who has morespace and time. That's sweet and okay.
So the one thing that I thinkpeople are going to ask after they
hear that they're in the wild,can you find the pink ones in the
wild? I know that's a littlebit of a ridiculous question, but I've
seen people ask this. No,you cannot. Most of the colors that
(09:52):
you have in captivity you cannot findin the wild. If the only ones
that you'd be able to find inthe wild are the wild type coloration,
which is like that spotty specially greenand brown. All the other ones are
done through specific breeding for specific geneticsand sometimes even cross breeding with other types
of salamanders. So the ones inthe pet trade are not actually like one
(10:15):
hundred percent true axolotls like your DNAwould not be the same as those you
would find in the wild. Soanytime you see like a pink one,
or a golden one, or acopper one, even mellanoid, you're not
going to find those in the wild, and they would have a very maybe
then mellanoids would be okay like inthe wild, but goldens and lucistics like
no they'd be like high predator there. They just you PLoP them in there
(10:41):
and then like two minutes later.No, that was very of it.
But yes, and we'll talk moreabomptist after our little right here, So
we will be right back with JessAnderson, Friend, Stress and a ball
at Nava Pets. We know howimportant your furry companions are, so we
(11:05):
want to help keep them happy andhealthy. Our organic hemp products are especially
formulated to enhance the well being ofyour beloved pet. But don't worry.
Our hemp supplements don't contain any ofthe psychedelic stuff, so your animal will
receive all the health benefits and stillbe the pet you know and love.
Your furry friend is sure to enjoythe organic Pet Hemp Tincture, which infuses
(11:26):
anti inflammatory plant properties and omegafatty acids, providing for a more mobile and energetic
pet, while also assisting with anychronic pain or medical conditions your pet may
be experiencing. Our hemp products alsogive a natural calming effect, perfect for
the continuous barkers or those stressed outcats. We also offer a range of
(11:48):
flavors, including bacon, peanut butter, and salmon what's not to love At
navapets dot com, you can spoilyour pet with goodness, treat your pet
like they treat you. Welcome backthat family. We are back from our
(12:15):
break and work here with Jess Andersonfrom at Stress in a Box that's at
Stress in a Box on TikTok andInstagram, and we are talking about axlotls.
So I want to get a littlebit into their care because I know
the number one question that you probablyget is where do I buy these things?
(12:37):
And how do I care for them? Because I know I get that
like every single day in comments,Instagram, dms, all the whole back
yards. It's all the same questions. But I'm like, there's too much.
I can't tell you it all righthere. And their pretty sensitive animals.
We know, you know, they'reonly found in one lake, so
(12:58):
they need very very certain um watertype and um what's the word? Um?
I forget the word, but theyneed a certain parameters, yes,
water parameters. Yes, you've gotit, um. And I don't want
to say any pets are easy orinner pets, but would you consider accels
(13:20):
to be an advanced pet? Orlike, you know, if you do
enough research, you can get thembecause there are some frogs where I'm like,
you can do research, but youneed a lot of money in time,
and I wouldn't consider them for beginners. I would not consider them a
beginner pet at all. Um.I mean there are people who can jump
(13:41):
into them as like their first aquaticanimal. Um. But I like to
say they're very easy to take careof but also very easy to kill.
So UM, I don't. Iwould like try a beta fish first,
or a goldfish or like some sortof a quat maybe I even a water
bud like uh, something aquatic,keep it alive for its lifespan, and
(14:03):
then get an ax flatle um becausethey they are very sensitive and the temperatures
and everything with their habitat has tobe very specific. Um. And yeah,
like I said, very easy totake care of, but also very
very easy to kill if something youdo one thing wrong like yeah, and
(14:26):
I mean it's it's kind of thesame with frogs. Um. You know,
actually started with beta fish and thengot an xlddle So I feel that
I think you need to understand howto do a water test and like keep
nine breaks down, keep your ammoniadown, um, before you jump into
an axlettle because they're very sensitive toammonia. Yes, I actually get scared
(14:46):
anytime someone buys an aquatic animal anddoesn't know what cycling your tank is.
Yeah, because last episode, alast couple episodes, we talked with Nick
Animalia, we did a Christmas collabwith and he yes, he said the
cycling your tank is important and soI already know this. But for the
(15:09):
people that don't, is cycling importantfor ax levels? Oh yes, very
very very much. So you donot want to put them in an uncycled
tank and you want to maintain thecycle. Yes, And just a jog
everyone's memory for the last couple episode, what is cycling your tank? It's
(15:31):
basically the you got to build upthe beneficial bacteria in your tank so it
can break down the ammonia and turnit into you know, nitrates and nitrites,
and a good, good cycled tankwould have zero ammonia, zero nitrites,
and you know, any I wouldsay, you don't want to get
above twenty ppm on the nitrates,and I mean pH is part of the
(15:54):
water parameters, but I wouldn't necessarilysay it's part of cycling your tank.
But you do need to pay attentionto your pH as well. But yeah,
it's basically just building up your beneficialbacteria so it can break down the
ammonia from any extra food or wastefrom your animal. And axe loddles are
considered a high waist animal, soyou want to make sure you have a
really good build up of beneficial bacteriain that tank. Yes, and so
(16:17):
poor the tank. Let's say we'resending up a tank. What kind of
habitat? Do they need a captivity? Yeah, so for a singular axe
lottle, you need to have atleast a twenty gallon long tank. I'm
going to put emphasis on the long, not tall long. They are a
bottom dweller, so they like tohang out on the bottom of the tank.
They don't I mean they do swim, but they don't really swim.
(16:41):
A whole lot might tend to likesit and stare at a wall for five
hours and make you concern that they'relike, like are they alive? But
they are bottom dwellers. You wantto have a twenty gallon long for minimum
for one, I would say,though, going up to a thirty gallon
long or even a forty gallon breederfor a single ax Lettle would be a
(17:03):
fantastic choice. They also don't reallylike lights, so you can't have a
light in there for when you feedthem, or you know, pictures whatever.
Mine is usually only on for whenI'm filming the tank. A lot
of people ask me that, like, xels don't like lights, what do
you have lights on? Well,I'm filming, so you need to be
able to see them sor right.And also you want to have hides in
(17:25):
there. And they are cold wateranimals, so you don't need a heat
or anything. You actually want tokeep their temperature of their water in the
mid sixties. So if you livein a place that is like a warmer
climate, you might have to investin a chiller for your tank, which
is very expensive. I might actuallyhave to get a chiller because I moved
to Georgia in November, so Imight actually have to get a chiller.
(17:48):
I'm hoping that because a chiller forone hundred and twenty gallon tank, it's
gonna be very expensive. Yes,I remember when I hit my x letels.
I live in very South Texas islike literally on the coast, and
I had those little fans that linedup all across the top and they worked
pretty well, thankfully, so Ididn't have to get a chiller. But
(18:11):
I was like constantly like, Okay, I'm gonna try the tank fans at
the top two and those help becausethey help evaporate the water, which is
what cools it down. So um, I'm definitely gonna try those before I
get all. They went so far, so good. I feel like it's
(18:32):
easier to keep a bigger tank coolerthan a smaller tank because we've been getting
up to like the nineties here.Um, but my tank has been at
like sixty eight, which is likea good, good zone in my opinion.
Yeah, so I haven't I haven'tfelt too worried, but I have
no idea what's going to happen whenwe get into like the heat of summer
and it's like a hundred and tenoutside. Yeah, welcome to the South,
(18:56):
it's oh yeah, um, sookay, So it's there anything that
they cannot have in their tank,Like what when you tell people to stay
away from when they're setting up theirtank, anything they can fit in their
mouth. Do not anything it doesn'trocks, gravel, Do not put that
(19:17):
in there because they will eat it. Even if you say they're not going
to eat it. Oh, theywill eat it anything they can fit in
their mouth. Um. Even likeif you have like weighted fake plants,
um, you need to like payattention to them to make sure those weights
don't fall off because like they popwill try to eat the weights. Um,
any type of decorative stone anything likethat. And then UM, I
(19:38):
also try to push more silk orlive plants because plastic plants can have pieces
break off that they can eat aswell. UM, So pushing towards you
know, the silk and the liveplants is definitely you know what you want
to do. And also with thesilk and live plants, you don't have
to worry about rough edges. Theydo have a very sensitive skin, so
(20:00):
they can rub on pretty much anythingand hurt themselves. Right. So yeah,
rough edges, rough plants, anythinglike that, you want to make
sure those aren't in there. Yeah. No, they're just like frogs and
I don't I don't think they havethe best eyesight either. And with an
opportunistic eater, they will literally eatanything even if it doesn't move exactly it
(20:22):
touches their mouth. You know,exactly are they trying to eat my fingers?
If I wiggle my finger out thetank. Food food, everything's food.
No. Frogs are the exact sameway. Um. I think they
have slightly better eyesight than axolottles,but they literally they don't care. They'll
just eat whatever, even if it'snot moving. I've seen them try to
(20:45):
eat like their water bowl and stuff. So um. Yeah, but we
do have to take another quick breakhere, so we'll be right back with
Jess intersting from stress in a block. We all know that a dog is
(21:07):
man's best friend, won't Why stopthere? We think that all pets make
our lives a little easier, whetherit's a cat, gecko, or even
a horse. We want to learnwhat makes your pets so special to you.
Maybe they have an eccentric personality oreven give good cuddles. Whatever it
is, we want to hear aboutit. After all, our pets deserve
a moment in the spotlight. Whynot share an interesting story about your pet
(21:30):
with our host, pet coach JanelleYoung, No matter how big or small,
we'd love to hear from you onthe Pet Owner Diary Show. We're
looking for the next pet celebrity superstaror that unique animal story for TV and
radio. If you believe your pethas the IT factor, then call our
pet Line at four oh seven nineoh six fifty seven twelve or email us
(21:52):
at pet owner Diary at gmail dotcom. The possibilities are endless. Maybe
you and your pet will be ournext featured weekly guest on TV or radio.
Let's give our pets the attention theydeserve. Welcome back, pet family.
(22:18):
We are still here with Jess Andersonfrom Stress in a Box that is
at Stress in a Box on TikTokin Instagram, and so, Jess,
I want to talk about you aswell because we are honoring our LGBTQI A
Polus listeners and creators this month.So you are ACE and for our older
(22:40):
listeners, they may have never heardabout the sexual orientation. So what does
being ACE mean? Being ACE ora sexual basically means that you don't have
sexual attraction to any one. Doesn'tmean you don't have romantic attraction to people,
but you don't have sexual fraction anybody. It's just like the lack of
(23:02):
it. It's just not there.Um, So that that's what it means.
Okay, Yeah, And I feellike I never see any ACE representation
other than you know, in nichegroups on TikTok and way back in the
day on Tumbler. For those whoremember the fun times on Tumbler, I'm
like, when you came out onTikTok to your audience, what was their
(23:25):
reaction. I was actually surprised athow many ACE people actually followed me for
one that was really crazy, andI kind of did it in like a
nonchalant way, like oh yeah,no type of things. I don't think
I ever actually like didn't tell Ididn't actually like come out in a way,
but I like just strategically wore likean ACE T shirt and then people
(23:48):
were like, are you Ace?They got they got it. And then
I made a video and I waslike, yeah, you didn't know,
um, but there was a lotof people who just didn't know what it
was, and which was kind ofit was surprising but not surprising. But
it was also really cool because Ididn't actually have to answer it because my
followers who did know would go throughmy comments and would answer the question for
(24:11):
me. So it was it wasreally cool like in that aspect that I
didn't have to like make a videoor anything explaining it. I think it
probably would have gotten flagged if Idid but yeah, gotta love TikTok.
So it was really cool, justlike watching other people answer the questions for
me. But for the most part, it was a pretty pretty cool experience.
(24:34):
I obviously being as you don't haveto deal with a lot of like
the political and religious stuff that peoplehave towards sexual orientation. Um so I
will say I'm very privileged in thataspect. But it was more I think
of like an educational opportunity for myfollowers and those who were, um you
know who did who weren't familiar withit. So it was it was it
(24:55):
was very pleasant and cool to likewatch I follow where it's kind of like
educate each other. It was.It was very interesting to watch. Oh
that's so sweet and you and soyou have over two million followers, which
is one insane And I would probablysay that you have a younger audience because
I know I certainly do you knowanimal people? Uh, you know,
(25:18):
children love animals. Um, sohow amazing is it knowing that you are
an inspiration to queer kids everywhere.I never really thought of it like that,
but it is right, you know, yeah, I will I will
say I do have a very largeLGBTQ plus like fan base, I can't.
(25:40):
I can see that like when I'mposting and and um and what I'm
interacting with them, and whether it'sonline or in person. So I never
really thought of it like that though, to be honest. Yeah, no,
I mean, especially when you havetwo millions. Like even for me,
I see, you know, conversationsof young kids in my comments,
(26:02):
and I'm bisexual and non binary,and so you know, I have a
lot of people who are not verynice to me in the comments. But
every time I see that, therewill be someone below them, um,
who's like way younger than than them, just like defending me and being like,
hey, this isn't okay, umand I and I I love that
so sweet that we that we getto, you know, show show the
(26:26):
youth what um, actual gay peopleare like and not you know, whatever
their parents or media says. Ifeel like the animal community too, we
have a lot of we have alot of representation in that aspect. Now
that I'm like sitting here and thinkingabout it, yeah, because I don't.
I'm gonna got don't really think oflike sexual orientation when I meet people,
(26:48):
Like it's not like the first thingthat comes to my mind. So,
like, actually sitting here thinking aboutit, I'm like, you know
what, we do have a lotof representations, a lot of the people,
and the friends I've made through theanimal community are a majority of them
or LGBTQ plass. So that's actuallylike a cool realization I'm having right now.
Yes, it's very nice because Ifeel like we have a bubble.
But then when you step out ofthat bubble and realize, oh, not
(27:11):
everyone is like this, then you'relike kind of scary outside of the bay.
Yeah, it is, um.And speaking of you know, helping
LGBTQ youth, you have a bookout right now called Mercy's Light and there
are multiple queer characters in it,right, yes, actually that is correct.
(27:33):
Yeah, could you give us abrief summary of what Mercy's Light is
about? Just as I hate thatquestion, it's like, so what someone
asked me, like, give mea summary of the book. My brain
just goes blank. There's a millionthings. Yes, yeah, So I
am a lot better with the firstbook that I am with the second book,
though, which is great. So. Um, the first book basically
(27:56):
follows our main character or title character, Mercy, who is actually ace like
Meum, that is Cannon for everybodywho has theorized it. It is Cannon
and his journey into basically kind oflike accepting who he is as as a
person to his community, um,and not so much with that, but
(28:19):
like magic twise, So I'm reallybad at this. Oh my god.
So anyways, So my fantasy novel, it follows the protagonists Mercy, who
is basically the last Keeper of Light, which is a type of magic in
my world that I've created, andhe is basically just trying to save the
(28:40):
world and he does alongside with hisbest friend Silas Um and then a shadow
Keeper who is also um the princeof the dismal system that they're a part
of. So yeah, the maintrio all is some sort of representation of
LGBTQ plus uh Mercy's ace um Coligo, which is the prince of the entire
(29:06):
planet Um. He is by sohe's bisexual. Um, he's also a
double ampute so fun fact um.And then Silas is still trying to figure
out exactly like who he is.All he knows is he likes guys.
He's trying to figure that out,and I'm also trying to figure it out
with him. So I having figuredout where he fits in the grand scheme
(29:33):
of things. But um, Ifeel like we're figuring it out for silence
together as we go. Oh that'ssweet. And you so you have another
book coming out, which is Mercy'sRain and that is a sequel to Mercy's
Light. Yes, correct, andthat is coming out this month. Yes,
I was gonna say. If youguys want to check out and learn
more about Mercy's Light and the Keeperseries, you guys can go to ww
(29:59):
dot Keeper's Series dot com and lookout for Mercy's Right, coming out on
June twenty fourth. The website hasmuch better descriptions of Yeah, someone I
escaped. Yeah, it's really prettytoo, Like the colors are very satisfying.
Um, yeah, I love thecollars for the second book. They're
so pretty. Yes, and youeven died you're here to match the colors.
(30:22):
I think it looks so good.I did so when I was wearing
my Ace shirt I think it wasyesterday in a video, I realized,
like my entire outfit was the Aceflag. Oh, I have the black
and purple hair and then my shirtwas like black. It was I was
like, I'm the Ace flag rightnow? Yeah, I mean, it's
prime month, perfect time to doit. It's perfect, yes, and
(30:44):
and your opinion, I want toknow how important is it for youth in
our community to have these characters andand us influencers in their life. I
think it's it's super important. Um. And I was even talking about this,
uh in like a podcast I didlast week about the representation people like
(31:07):
being able to have other people theycan idolize and like look up to his
role models or even just understand andput like like I don't want to say
put a label, but like puta name to how they're feeling. M
yeah, because that was that washow I thought. I didn't really know
what what asexual was until I thinka couple of years ago when it started
(31:29):
showing up more on like my feeds, and then like I felt so relieving
to like have a word to describethat. And I think that's just really
important, especially with how many differenttypes of sexualities there are now, and
I think it's important to have thatrepresentation so younger audiences can start to understand
themselves a little bit more and realize, like, hey, other people feel
(31:52):
like this, Other people are attractedto these types of people. And I'm
not alone like type of thing,and I think it's really really important for
that, and that was one ofthe reasons I was so like insistent on
having LGBTQ plus rep in my book. I will say, like the main,
the main LGBTQ plus like relationship inthe first book, which I don't
(32:15):
want to say because I don't wantto give out spoilers. Um was like
actually, like I wasn't planning onit to be entirely on this. Um,
it just kind of happened as Iwas writing, like naturally, and
that's like that. I think that'sthe best thing when it's not forced,
it just kind of like naturally happens. Yes, Um, But I do
(32:36):
think it was like one of thebest like natural occurrences to happen in that
book because it just a lot ofpeople really relate to them and love the
characters. So I think having thatrepresentation is just extremely important, especially for
younger people with younger audiences. Ohyes, and we'll be right back to
talk more about Marcy's White and whatit means to be an LGPE creator with
(33:00):
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(34:07):
treat your pet like they treat you. Welcome back, pet family.
We are back again with Jess Andersonfrom at Stress in the Books, on
(34:28):
TikTok and Instagram, and we weretalking about how um you know important it
is to have um lgbc q Iplus influencers and characters and books and movies
and UM. On one thing Idid I did UM realize, you know,
when we were having our conversation aboutwhat it's like to be UM an
(34:52):
influencer in the pet community, especiallybeing um you know, in the in
the queer community. UM is youknow how many people we actually have in
our community that are um, youknow, in the queer community. And
I think I've come to realize thatit's probably because we can relate to these
(35:14):
animals, you know what I mean, Jess, Yeah, I can kind
of see that. I also thinkpart of it's like I don't need like
the animals going to love me nomatter who I am. It's kind of
like, yeah, yeah, Ithink for me, I gravitated towards frogs
because, um, you know,I I was always kind of weird kid,
(35:35):
you know, UM, not reallyunderstanding my gender, not really understanding
UM you know why I liked girlsso much, UM and frogs that you
know, they're weird, they're quirky. People think that they're you know,
ugly, but a lot of peoplethink they're cute. And I found kind
of soulless in the fact that Ithink they're cute, and so that's what's
(35:57):
important to me. Sorry, ifanybody ever called a frog ugly near me,
I'd be really angry. You shouldsee my comments. Frogs are ugly,
they're that That wasn't the point butof me. No, But I
mean, you know, it's like, who would who would think that being
(36:17):
gay is ugly? Like that's true, it's so similar that, you know,
we just gravitate to these misunderstood animalsbecause we feel misunderstood ourselves. Um.
Maybe I'm digging too deep into it, but I feel for myself.
You know, I don't think youare. I don't think you are.
I'm getting into the psychology of it, you know, And I want to
(36:38):
know, Um, what would youtell anyone listening who is maybe stuck in
the closet for one reason or another, or is afraid to come out at
this moment because it may be dangerous. What what would you like to tell
them who? That's a hard one, Uma. I know a lot of
(37:00):
I know a lot of people likethey're not in a good spot or in
a place where they can be honestwith the people around them, or they
don't have the support of their familyor their friends. I mean, I'm
I'm very blessed that I have suchan amazing family and I have such amazing
friends, um that I don't haveto worry about that. Um, but
(37:22):
there are people out there that do. First off, get better friends.
If your friends are gonna judge youfor your sexuality, get better friends.
You know, you choose your friends. You know they don't that that's you
have power over that. Remember that. So if someone's treating you badly for
whatever reason, um, you don'tneed them in your life. As far
as family goes, though, that'sa really, really tough one and I
(37:44):
think, um, some people justaren't in a space where they can feel
safe with that. And if you'reyou know, under the age of eighteen,
you can't really separate yourself from yourfrom your toxic family. And that
is a really tough situation to bein. And I've personally never had to
be in that situation. So Idon't really know what I would say to
somebody in that other than it getsbetter. I Mean, I definitely had
(38:09):
you know, hard time growing up, not for you know, my sexual
orientation, but for other things.I had difficult time growing up. You
know, bullies didn't have the bestfamily life growing up things like that,
and you do feel stuck and itis a very scary feeling and it's not
fun. And just know that youknow it will get better. You will
(38:30):
get out of these situations. Andsometimes you do just have to wait for
the system to allow. You haveto wait till you're eighteen. And when
I was eighteen, I moved outof the house. Within like a month
of graduation from mysel I was goneand I lived on my own for ten
years. And it took me andmy parents some time to kind of you
(38:51):
know, you know, be okaywith each other again. And I'm actually
living with my parents again and theyare fantastic people and we understand each other
a lot better now. But um, yeah, it's it's you just gotta
wait it out and things will getbetter. It's not going to be crappy
forever. I think it is thebest thing I can really say. Yeah,
(39:12):
And I mean, you know,touching on the you choose your friends,
not your family. Um, whenyou come out and when you are
in this community, I feel likeyou you have another family. And you
know, if one family doesn't acceptyou, that's okay, because you know
you'll have another family that will alwaysbe behind you no matter what. Chosen
(39:32):
family. I love chosen family.That's a that's a big thing, and
that's even in my book. That'sa big thing in my book. I
stress chosen family that if you comefrom a crappy family, familiar background,
you can find those people that willunderstand you, um down the road and
they'll help you be a better personand help you accept yourself in ways you
(39:52):
didn't know that you could. Sochosen family is extremely important for everybody,
and U everybody will eventually find thatchosen family. I think, Yes,
that's so sweet. What a whata perfect way to wrap up our show.
Is there anything that you any advicethat you would like to give people
who are, um, you know, going about their sexuality? Um,
(40:17):
you know, I don't know,you're asking the hard questions here at the
end, like all right, allright, um never, I guess just
keep keep exploring, you know.It's like I said earlier, there's there's
so many different sexual orientations and stuffthat you probably don't even know exists,
(40:39):
and um, keep just educating yourselflearning. I need to educate myself at
the time because sometimes people say thatthey're they're sexuality I'm like, what is
that. I've never heard that onebefore? Please please explain. Um.
Like when I was doing the Pridecollection for my Merge store, like if
people were requesting flags, I waslike, I haven't heard of that one.
(41:00):
Someone explained I don't know, um, And that's definitely. I always
always just keep learning because there's differentdifferent types of everything. So um,
keep exploring, keep keep thinking aboutit, and just talk to talk to
your community, and you'll you'll findyou know, you'll find where you belong.
Yes, definitely, Thank you somuch, Jess. Please take this
(41:22):
time to plug whatever you want toplug. Oh I'm supposed to talk.
Sorry, I thought, well,we plug my social media. It's at
stress in a box on literally everyplatform including Twitter that we don't do a
lot over there. Sorry. Anddefinitely check out my book that's coming out
this month, Mercy's Reigned by Jessellam Anderson's coming out June twenty fourth.
(41:44):
So yeah, awesome. Thanks somuch for spending time with us today,
Jess, and thank you so much, pet family. We will be back
here, same time, same placenext week on the pet Owner Diary show.
Goodbye. Thank you for joining uson pet Owner Diary make sure to
visit our website, pet Ownerdiary dotcom, where you can sign up for
(42:06):
our newsletter, view show highlights,and download each episode via SoundCloud. Make
sure to subscribe to the show onyour favorite podcast app too, so you
and your pet never miss an episodePet Family. If you like what you
hear, please share on your socialmedia and tell a friend to tune in
on behalf of America's Pet Owner coach, Janelle Young. We wish you love,
(42:29):
peace and harmony with your pet.We'll catch you in the next episode.
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