Share your critter pics thread

[CROWB8]

Thought of starting a dog thread because @Guitar God lost a beloved lab and posted such. At the end, some suggested a dog thread. But I thought, we're all crazy musicians and some might have other critters they care for.

So, lets see 'em. Past or present. Dogs, cats, horses, turtles, snakes, fish, spiders,............,

No pet rocks pls.

I'll start traditionally with my newest addition. Missy. Tried to be a calico but me thinks it slipped and fell face first into the palatte.

[SteveFord]

 

 

[CROWB8]

@SteveFord

You don't get off that easy bro. Few words, names n such would be nice.

Fairly untraditional. Bravo sir!

Edit,

And what type they are for those who don't know. Like meself.

Edited February 4, 2023 by CROWB8

[Dave F]

 

 

[SteveFord]

The top tortoise is Tromper, a male Leopard Tortoise I've had since 1993.  He's my buddy.

The second picture shows a big female Boa Constrictor named Big E. and Max, a young female Red Foot Tortoise, is happily shoving her way underneath the snake.  I've had Max since around 2007, the boa since probably 2009.  The boa is full of babies in that picture which was taken 2 or 3 years back.

The lizard is Tail Whip, a male Dumeril's Monitor, who is pretty much king of the roost.  I got him around 2010 and that photo is probably a few years old.  He had a harem but he killed them all so no nookie for him.

Right now there's a couple more: a yearling boa from Big E., a 3 year old from Big E., a male Dumeril's Boa who lives in the kitchen (he will kill other snakes), a large, beautiful red tail boa, a Water Python and a male Red Foot Tortoise.

That's enough to keep me busy but not overwhelmed with animal care.

Here's a shot of the Dumeril's Boa supervising me at work last Summer.  I'm working away and I look to my left and he's got his head on my shoulder, making sure I'm doing things right and am not making any mistakes:

That's the snake that the cops found, sleeping under a neighbor's car, a few years back...

[CROWB8]

@SteveFord

Big E, or is it Max, given birth. Do you sell the younsters to exotic shops? Make some good cash? Er, what do you do? Purdy sure you geta ball of 'em.

Edited February 5, 2023 by CROWB8

[CROWB8]

Sorry, nother Q.

My brother had a small boa when we were young. Fed it "feeder mice".

What on earth do you feed those?

[CROWB8]

3 hours ago, Dave F said:

 

 

Those ones you trapped? They are in traps so......

[CROWB8]

Some of my outdoor ferals. Part of the "Wrecking Crew". Not running down names. Too many.

Edited February 5, 2023 by CROWB8

[Dave F]

6 minutes ago, CROWB8 said:

Those ones you trapped? They are in traps so......

Our yard was getting overrun with the critters so I was trapping them and taking them back to the woods near our house and releasing them. There were a few more than shown. It must had worked because they quit coming around. 

[CROWB8]

8 minutes ago, Dave F said:

Our yard was getting overrun with the critters so I was trapping them and taking them back to the woods near our house and releasing them. There were a few more than shown. It must had worked because they quit coming around. 

Give it time. You and I are in the same state. Not that it's relavent. But I've done the same and they come back. I know this because one I tagged w pantball gun came back. No mistaking that. I now run them miles away down to the mud flats near the missip.

[SteveFord]

12 hours ago, CROWB8 said:

@SteveFord

Big E, or is it Max, given birth. Do you sell the younsters to exotic shops? Make some good cash? Er, what do you do? Purdy sure you geta ball of 'em.

It was Big E, the snake, who had the babies.  The most she's ever had is 50 and I sell them to a wholesaler and let him deal with the public.

For animals her size, it's frozen monster guinea pigs or rabbits.  I thaw them out in a bucket and then use a cement rake as a 6' tong so I can't get grabbed by accident.  She's a gentle animal but accidents can happen and she's incredibly strong.  I'd rather go out like Nelson Rockefeller than be constricted by a big snake.

[fortyearspickn]

I'd love to have a snake or two -   wife would leave me though.  I got attached to a few when I volunteered at our local zoo.  But, yeah, like some dogs who haven't learned to be gentle taking an offered pork chop out of your hand - they don't spend time trying to figure out where the pork chop  ends and your hand begins.  

 

[CROWB8]

4 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

I'd love to have a snake or two -   wife would leave me though.  I got attached to a few when I volunteered at our local zoo.  But, yeah, like some dogs who haven't learned to be gentle taking an offered pork chop out of your hand - they don't spend time trying to figure out where the pork chop  ends and your hand begins.  

 

I only have feral cats. Many bring home kill. Like contributing to the pride. Tossing the kill, I would then share bites of my meals with them. Once, one brought kill home while I was fixin a ribeye steak. Set it on foot stool to get sauce, came back, and that critter had my steak on the floor gnawing away. No ribeye goes to waste in my house. Rinsed it off and shared. Me thinks he liked lemon pepper and garlic. 🙃

[CROWB8]

Got the wifey a pitty lab for christmass. Name is Havoc. Being part pitty, it's all about the mouth.

[Dub-T-123]

Some real cuties here 😍

[Pinch]

Can't see why you'd buy a snake. To each their own, but why not house a homicidal maniac with an axe as well while you're at it. 

[SteveFord]

51 minutes ago, Pinch said:

Can't see why you'd buy a snake. To each their own, but why not house a homicidal maniac with an axe as well while you're at it. 

That would be a hungry monitor lizard.

Snakes are laid back animals (except for dinner time, then they mean business).

What you see on the nature shows isn't what they're like, they mostly just hang out.

Edited February 5, 2023 by SteveFord

[Dave F]

Here's our boy, 14 years old.

[CROWB8]

33 minutes ago, SteveFord said:

....they mostly just hang out.

So be like,

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by CROWB8

[SteveFord]

That's pretty much snake behavior.

They bomb around at night, find their spot and sleep during the day.

The nature shows feature terrified animals surrounded by strangers, lights, cameras and lots of other threatening objects.  They're short and we're like the Empire State Building to them;  they're basically timid animals because everything larger than them is out to eat them because they're so tasty.  

There's exceptions, of course - you've got little weiner dogs and you've got the pit bull that flipped out and killed grandmaw.  Same with reptiles.

Just remember that snakes have eyesight like Mr. Magoo, what eyesight they do have is geared towards movement, they have the best sense of smell on the planet and boas and pythons have heat sensors on the front of their faces.  Be calm, deliberate and wash your hands and face and pay attention to their body language.  You can't make any mistakes with really big ones.  Always have two exits just in case.

Here's that Water Python, this one is really docile:

 

[CROWB8]

1 hour ago, SteveFord said:

That's pretty much snake behavior.

They bomb around at night, find their spot and sleep during the day.

The nature shows feature terrified animals surrounded by strangers, lights, cameras and lots of other threatening objects.  They're short and we're like the Empire State Building to them;  they're basically timid animals because everything larger than them is out to eat them because they're so tasty.  

There's exceptions, of course - you've got little weiner dogs and you've got the pit bull that flipped out and killed grandmaw.  Same with reptiles.

Just remember that snakes have eyesight like Mr. Magoo, what eyesight they do have is geared towards movement, they have the best sense of smell on the planet and boas and pythons have heat sensors on the front of their faces.  Be calm, deliberate and wash your hands and face and pay attention to their body language.  You can't make any mistakes with really big ones.  Always have two exits just in case.

Here's that Water Python, this one is really docile:

 

Cool! That rainbow effect camera er? Oh geeze. I see yellow too.

Edited February 6, 2023 by CROWB8

[SteveFord]

That's iridescence from the way the scales are on that one.

Yeah, cool bellies, they're tangerine.

That snake  doesn't really enjoy being held unless it's inside of your shirt or sweater or whatever and then it can poke it's head out.  Like I said, they're timid animals and this way the entire body is in contact with something (no predators can get them) but they can still see what's going on.  Anything too scary pop the head back in!

Water Pythons are medium size, maybe 6-9 feet total length.  I've found them to be really gentle, a young Steve Irwin had one on a TV show and it decided to bite his neck in the middle of an interview.  Everything seemed to bite that guy, I think he was too hyperactive for them to feel comfortable.

I haven't been bit in years, I'd like to keep it that way.

You can see the elliptical cat eyes, they're geared for movement.    Put them near a plastic lawn chair and they'll spend forever exploring it,  trying to figure out what the hell it is.

While I'm blathering away, snakes  used to be long lizards and they evolved away the limbs and eyelids.  The boas and pythons (boidae) are the oldest living family of snakes and on either side of the anal plate are little spurs which are all that remains of the rear legs.  The males have larger spurs and they pop them sideways and use them to tickle the female to get her to raise her tail up for some room temperature sex, hubba hubba.

They also have two penises (hemipeni) but only use one at a time so no threesomes.  They stay locked  up for days and yes, female snakes  have a ****oris.

The eyelids were replaced with clear scales to keep dirt out.  They evolved the way they did to go underground and clear out rodents in their burrows.   Cats won't take on a big rat, big snakes will eat them like M&Ms. 

The males combat in a wrestling match prior to mating and the winner pins the other snake's head to the ground.  I've had pythons try to combat with me (I always go Eeeek! and run away so they don't get wimped out) so I think they view me as either a warm tree to play with, the big pink thing with the food or a hideously disfigured rival depending on what's going on.

If you work with any of the tortoises, lizards or big snakes you can call them to you - they learn their names fast enough.  They  are much smarter animals than people give them credit for.  Big snakes, for instance, figure out how to work  a doorknob pretty quickly and then it's Party Time, let's go trash something!

Edited February 6, 2023 by SteveFord

[Pinch]

9 hours ago, SteveFord said:

That would be a hungry monitor lizard.

Snakes are laid back animals (except for dinner time, then they mean business).

What you see on the nature shows isn't what they're like, they mostly just hang out.

👍

Bear in mind it wasn't anything against you. 

[Karloff]

15 hours ago, CROWB8 said:

So be like,

 

LOL, one of my all time favorite movies ...