Reptiles Are Not So Bad When You Get To Know Them
I didn’t had a habit of thinking about snakes at all. Of course, I was aware they lived and I’d watched them during a zoo visit once or twice. Then one fine day my youngest son dived into the undergrowth while we were rambling in New Mexico and re-appeared holding a three foot long snake. He was approximately six years old! That was the birth of a lengthy relationship with ‘slimy’ reptiles.
I remember a time during holiday in Florence. My son heard a noise in the bushes and dived in. We were used to this these days, when all said and done, he was almost eight years of age. He assured us that he knew how to hold snakes and, even if dangerous, he wouldn’t be harmed. We sauntered into a local shop, and three shoppers swiftly jumped over the counter and dashed into the back of the shop, shouting some strange words in a language I didn’t understand.
It quickly came to me that the little fella was brandishing a critter that was very venomous and explained it to him. He shrugged, glancing around with scorn at these wimpish adults, went calmly over the road and flung the offending snake (with care) into the undergrowth. That was an ordinary thing all the way through William’s childhood. We would be out in the country somewhere, he might hear a noise and off he’d go.
It was inevitable that he would become a snake keeper, starting out with milk snakes0 and later preferring rather large pythons and constrictors. He was also fond of tarantulas, which he always told me me have characters, but I could never take that in, and didn’t ever take to the hairy creatures in a big way. I can’t say that I’m passionate about reptiles, but I know something more about their characteristics due to his interest.
I started out holding the smaller varieties to begin with, such as the garter snakes, milk and corns. It goes without saying that snakes aren’t cold a bit (if kept properly in a warm container) and without doubt not at all slimy. Their bodies are covered in small scales but they are not repugnant to touch. A snake’s skin is dry and supple. In fact, they’re quite nice to hold. I observed that smaller snakes are quite active if warm and more sluggish if a bit chilly. Snakes have no internal process for warming their blood, and so have to take heat heat from the external environment.
The first big reptile I held was possibly approximately thirty six inches in length and 3 inches thick. The snake was a young boa constrictor and I was immediately aware of the strength of the musculature moving beneath the skin, even with such a relatively little animal. Obviously, a larger one must be very powerful. Every one has heard the myth about the pet boa overpowering and eating the family dog, and it seems logical that a small dog wouldn’t stand much of a chance against such an animal 6 long and with a weight something like seventy pounds.
A member of my family kept a constrictor larger than that which had the habit of roaming around his living room. Once, it went for his dog as it was walking close by, presumably to attempt to make a meal of it. Luckily, the dog was a strong Alsation, so the reptile didn’t get it’s meal, but caution is needed if you intend to keep these large reptiles close to other pet animals and small children.
Author is an expert writer on reptiles and snakes and amphibians. You can also find more details at http://www.reptilesite.com/
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