Question of the Day: Thurs. Aug 6

Well, for wild reptiles around here we have:
Snakes
Western Diamondback rattlesnake
Mojave Green rattlesnake
Sidewinder rattlesnake
Speckled Rattlesnake
Red Racer
Gopher Snake
Rosy Boa
Mountain Kingsnake
Coachwhip
Common Kingsnake
Glossy Snake
Long-nosed Snake
Night Snake
Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake
Striped Whipsnake
Western Ground Snake
Western Lyre Snake
Western Blind Snake
Western Patch-nosed Snake
Western Shovel-nosed Snake

Lizards
Chuckwalla
Desert Iguana
Collared lizard
Whiptail Lizard
Desert Spiny lizard
Zebra-tailed lizard
Horned Lizard
Mojave Fringe-toed lizard
Side-blotched lizard
Long-nosed Leopard lizard
Long-tailed brush lizard
Desert Night lizard

Turtles
Western Pond turtle
Desert Tortoise

We also have some interesting inverts.
Desert Tarantulas, Pale Windscorpion (a spider), Centruroides Scorpions, and Tarantula Hawk Wasps (which are quite beautiful and very non-aggressive).

I would like to own a lizard or a frog/toad. I could never do a snake, though, sorry!

I do not see any reptiles on a daily basis, but whenever we visit Florida we see Anoles (at least I'm pretty sure that's what they are) all over the place.

I am terrified of reptiles. Turtles and frogs the most. I refuse to touch or come into any close quarters with any turtle or frog-like creature.

I am scared of snakes, but I've held my dad's Ball Python Murphy on several occasions, but only when someone is there to hand him to me and then take him away.

I've also held my brothers Bearded Dragon Spike several times as well, but unfortunately he passed away about two years ago.

I guess I just like the soft and fuzzy. Sometimes I think I'm way too scared of too many things.

This is an old picture of Murphy. Last I heard from my mom he had grown to about 27 inches! :O (I dont know if I have the guts to hold him anymore)



Spike enjoying his lettuce.

I'm not afraid of any reptiles. I think they are amazing and wonderful
I would not own any because I don't believe they should be pets. Please don't yell at me for that

I don't think any manmade habitat in house is anything like what a reptile/snake truly requires. I have seen so many treated poorly just because someone wanted to "own" something "cool".

Even then, being a caged pet .... I imagine my life in a great prison with all the things I need to live well ... and well, it is still a prison. Maybe I'm overthinking it!

Chris - you know my feelings on snakes. They give me the willies but I have a very deep respect for them. Around here, we have lots of snakes, frogs, toads and the occassional snapping turtle. Things you would expect with a lake out back.

Our neighbor found this timber rattlesnake in his yard. He and DH didn't want him harmed, so they relocated him about 1/2 mile away. Turns out its an endangered species and I'm really proud that they took the time to move him rather than kill them. So many people would just kill a poisonous snake without question. Yes, I took this picture with a zoom lens.



Saw the same species of snake laying by our lake about 6 weeks ago. Obviously molting, as when (to my horror), Lola ran over the top of it, it didn't even flinch. It was alive, as we saw it move off later.

The coolest reptile that I've seen in the wild was a Gila Monster - he was under the edge of a creosote bush while we hiked in a canyon in Arizona.

I owned a turtle as a child. I wouldn't own another reptile only because I like the interaction of fuzzy animals.

Originally Posted by Bonnie1965

I'm not afraid of any reptiles. I think they are amazing and wonderful

I would not own any because I don't believe they should be pets. Please don't yell at me for that

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I'm certainly not going to yell at you

We're all entitled to our opinions and may not agree with each others. But I will leave my opposition to your statement for if the topic ever comes up in IMO, then we can debate there.

Thanks to those who posted pics and answered today/yesterday.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

Chris - you know my feelings on snakes. They give me the willies but I have a very deep respect for them. Around here, we have lots of snakes, frogs, toads and the occassional snapping turtle. Things you would expect with a lake out back.

Our neighbor found this timber rattlesnake in his yard. He and DH didn't want him harmed, so they relocated him about 1/2 mile away. Turns out its an endangered species and I'm really proud that they took the time to move him rather than kill them. So many people would just kill a poisonous snake without question. Yes, I took this picture with a zoom lens.

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Makes me glad that we don't have any venomous snakes native to my area. I'm not going to find something like the above in our backyard.

I think they'd be neat to see from a distance..... and I do MEAN a distance (if they are free). I don't know how close you are to the snake in the pic, hopefully its just a zoomed in pic, cuz those babies can leap up to 3x their body length. I have a healthy respect for venomous snakes

The coolest reptile that I've seen in the wild was a Gila Monster - he was under the edge of a creosote bush while we hiked in a canyon in Arizona.

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Wow..... now there's another place I want to go, Arizona Now moreso

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Makes me glad that we don't have any venomous snakes native to my area. I'm not going to find something like the above in our backyard.

I think they'd be neat to see from a distance..... and I do MEAN a distance (if they are free). I don't know how close you are to the snake in the pic, hopefully its just a zoomed in pic, cuz those babies can leap up to 3x their body length. I have a healthy respect for venomous snakes

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This snake had just finished a molt and it was very subdued. Timber Rattlesnakes are the most docile of all rattlesnakes, so I wasn't all that concerned. It was probably close to 4 feet long, and I was about 10 feet away, so it wasn't a super zoom.

Our neighbor told us a story last week of the time when his daughter got bit by a water moccasin while swimming in the lake. They called an ambulance, and while the snake broke skin, it didn't inject any poison. So I know that we also have mocs here, and I saw copperheads at our old house about 60 miles away. Lots of poisonous critters here.

Arizona is awesome! My brother lives out there and was with me when we saw the Gila Monster. He claims that the only time he sees snakes or lizard type critters in the wild is when he is with me. Maybe they are drawn to me?!?!?

We've been blessed to share our lives with an Iguana named Baby. She was unbelievable.

At this time we have 3 sliders, a ball python and one crazy water dragon.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

This snake had just finished a molt and it was very subdued. Timber Rattlesnakes are the most docile of all rattlesnakes, so I wasn't all that concerned. It was probably close to 4 feet long, and I was about 10 feet away, so it wasn't a super zoom.

Our neighbor told us a story last week of the time when his daughter got bit by a water moccasin while swimming in the lake. They called an ambulance, and while the snake broke skin, it didn't inject any poison. So I know that we also have mocs here, and I saw copperheads at our old house about 60 miles away. Lots of poisonous critters here.

Arizona is awesome! My brother lives out there and was with me when we saw the Gila Monster. He claims that the only time he sees snakes or lizard type critters in the wild is when he is with me. Maybe they are drawn to me?!?!?

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I know very little about venomous snakes admittedly.... I never have and never will own one myself. But I think it would be amazing to see them in their natural habitat (I've seen some in the Toronto Zoo).

Guess I'm adding a visit to where you live too, when I tour the US

(yah, I'm kinda serious.....but it won't be for a long time )

Originally Posted by snosrap5

We've been blessed to share our lives with an Iguana named Baby.

She was unbelievable.

At this time we have 3 sliders, a ball python and one crazy water dragon.

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Can I ask, what is Baby's story?

Pics of the others?

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

You are in an area that I would think you would see lizards outside....do you?

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Just bad luck Chris....

since the rain season started around here, not daily fall the rain here, but many places where are dry the earth now are green.... many of our visitants are gone.... in fact just for this thread I paid attention about it and there are non iguanas on my back yard this week... DW said "maybe their food is more close now with the rains so, don´t have the need to come to visit us..."

and I think she´s right!

Originally Posted by CoolCat

Just bad luck Chris....

since the rain season started around here, not daily fall the rain here, but many places where are dry the earth now are green....

many of our visitants are gone....

in fact just for this thread I paid attention about it and there are non iguanas on my back yard this week...

DW said "maybe their food is more close now with the rains so, don´t have the need to come to visit us..."

and I think she´s right!

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I think your DW is right. If its rainy, the food is probally going to them, instead of them going to it

Well, if you ever happen to have a camera near by, please do post some pics. (I'm not going anywhere, so even if its next year my friend )

We've had a lot of snakes on our property in Arkansas. I've never seen a rattler there, although I guess they're around. My brother has seen copperheads, but I haven't.

But when we first bought the property, we were out walking on a trail and we saw what we thought was a branch. Suddenly it moved and came right at us! Dottie backed up in a hurry! It was a blacksnake, about 6 feet long and as big around as your wrist. That may be why we don't have rattlers!

We had a HUGE black snake at our old house - probably about 10 feet long. Found out it was living under the house when we saw it crawl out of there one day. As the feral colony grew at that house, the snake population did decline - the cats moved in the the snake's under house habitat. Good thing, as over the 13 years we lived there, we had 2 litters of kittens from feral moms under the house. I was always so nervous for them - couldn't move them because the space was too short to fit our bodies into, even if we belly crawled.

Originally Posted by Snake_Lady

Well, if you ever happen to have a camera near by, please do post some pics. (I'm not going anywhere, so even if its next year my friend

)

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count with it, the camera is ready!...

Originally Posted by Momofmany

We had a HUGE black snake at our old house - probably about 10 feet long. Found out it was living under the house when we saw it crawl out of there one day..

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on the other hand....
Just wondering,.....someone told me that the cigar smoke don´t like at the snakes... & if you got plant of Tobbaco same reaction,...you got away at the reptiles............Is that true this????...

No reptiles at my place but Kieran & I often babysit one for his brother. Let me see if I can find his link.


His name is Frank and he's a honey. I like looking after him and he is so soft. There's another vid there too of him eating a snail.

We don't have snakes here in NZ but I've seen lots in Aussie!