Our Cuddly Friends, The Reptiles!

I didn’t used to think about reptiles at any time. That’s to say, I was aware the animals existed and I’d seen some during a zoo visit now and again. Then one day my young son disappeared into the foliage while we were walking in Michigan and came back with a two foot long water snake. He was about 6 years of age! This marked the beginning of a long relationship with ‘slimy’ reptiles.

Another time was during vacation in Italy. He sensed in the undergrowth and plunged in. We were getting used to it after two or three years, after all, he was almost 8 years old. He assured me that he was well aware how to hold them and, even if venomous, he would get hurt. We walked into a corner store, and two people quickly vaulted over the counter and dashed into the rear of the shop, calling out some strange words in Italian.

It dawned on me that the little fella was holding something quite dangerous and told him so. He shrugged, looking about the room with contempt at these cringing adults, walked across the road and threw reptile (gently) into the bushes. This was a normal event throughout Will’s growing years. We would be out in the country side someplace, he may hear something and off he’ll go.

It was a foregone conclusion that he would keep reptiles, starting out with a milk snake0 and leaning towards rather big pythons and constrictors. He liked to keep tarantulas, which he assures me individual personalities, but I could never see this, and didn’t really like spiders at all. Its not that I love snakes, but I know a little more about their characteristics due to his fascination.

I began by handling smaller versions first, such as the garter, milk snakes and corns. Of course, reptiles aren’t cold at all (if housed properly in a heated tank) and certainly not at all slimy. Reptiles bodies are covered in small scales but they are not repugnant to handle. The covering is dry and very flexible. You could say they are quite pleasant to touch. I noticed that the smaller reptiles are quite lively if warm and more sluggish when cold. They have no internal process for warming their blood, and thus need to absorb heat from the surroundings.

The first large reptile I handled was probably about 3 feet in length and 2 to 3 inches across. This being a young constrictor and I was quickly impressed by the strength of the muscles rippling just below the scales, even in quite a relatively little example. It seemed obvious that a bigger reptile must be really strong. We’ve all heard the account about the pet constrictor making a meal the family dog, and it seems obvious that a little dog wouldn’t have much of a chance against a boa six feet long and at a weight of around seventy pounds.

A family member kept a boa larger than this which used to roam around the kitchen. One day it struck out at his dog as it was walking near by, one would think, to try and make a meal of the dog. Luckily, the dog was a powerful variety, so the reptile didn’t get very far, but care should be taken if you intend to keep these large snakes around other pet animals and small children.

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