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Post by WillemsMom on Nov 24, 2004 16:29:36 GMT -8
Well, now I feel like a full-fledged member of the SSIS that Merlin mentioned. Willie eats best if I'm standing near him and singing HIS song. ' You are my Willem' to the tune of 'You are my Sunshine" When I try to stop singing, he soon stops eating. When I begin to sing again..he dives into his food. But I don't care...whatever it takes to get him to eat. And I think it's all because he feels safe then. There'll be time enough to retrain him. But if anyone ever knew this except y'all, I don't want to know what they'd think. ;D
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Post by Merlin on Nov 25, 2004 5:57:58 GMT -8
Thats OK Nance most people think those of us that keep igs are a bit off! You ought to throw snakes into the mix too! They REALLY look at you funny!
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 26, 2004 7:56:49 GMT -8
That picture really IS a postcard pic! And speaking of snakes...I have just been given another. Poor thing's been underfed so he's a bit small at 12 yrs. old. My daughter loves him (her?)! and to keep it on igs...here's Zair escaping and pretending to be a stuffed toy:
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Post by WillemsMom on Nov 26, 2004 10:25:52 GMT -8
LOL Zair pretending to be a stuffed toy is adorable. we went io a reptile farm a while back that was really wonderful! EXCEPT for the snakes!!!! eeeeewww! What is it with snakes? What's their charm? I can't understand it all. They truly do make my skin crawl. I took one picture of a snake pit..so many snakes crawling around. SHUDDER ....If I can find the pic I'll post it. Merlin and Veronica please tell me. And Veronica, your daughter looks so comfortable...How does that happen?
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 26, 2004 11:05:42 GMT -8
I have a love for all animals. I was raised with them. Our first "pet" was 2 boa constrictors...I was 3 yrs. old. We had a caimen...I was 4. My grandmother was very into wildlife and animal conservation. My mother was training to be a wildlife rehabber when she decided to go to nursing school...I was 10. We'd go camping and marvel at the bats. My mother was NOT raised with animal welfare and conciousness. She wasn't even allowed pets as she was growing up. That may be the reason she was in love with animals. She DID have a chicken oven mitt for a pet as she was growing up. She taught us the importance of each animal and the rolls they play. To respect ALL living things...and out of that respect and learning came a love for all of it. We have kept many, many different species in our houses...growing up and on our own. My sister and her family are the same way. They also have a small zoo which includes an ig, skunk, cockatoo and scorpion. Heck...visiting another grandmother in Arizona we tried to hunt tarantulas! They all hid... I think I was about 13-14 then. Snakes have a purpose. They are no different than any other reptile, except they have no legs. There is so much fascination in the way they move feeling the muscles in their bodies shift to move to different parts of me...the way they test their surroundings...the way they can adapt...the sheen on their scales after a new shed...it's like rainbows in oil. The only thing I don't particularly like is the fact that they eat mice to goats depending on the species. Mine won't get big enough to eat anything but a large rat. My first one was eating frozen/thawed, but has gone back to wanting live. In the wild this would not bother me, but I have had rats for pets, too. My children have had an upbringing like few get a chance to enjoy. We have rehabbed baby opossums together, bottle fed orphaned puppies together, learned about each animal's care together, and buried them together. I have instilled that same love for life, no matter the form that life comes in...from animal to plant...within them. No...we're not tree huggers by any means. We eat Bambi (though I could never do the killing), tromp through the woods running over baby trees in the process, but everything has it's place. Respect, rescue, rehab, ...our "3 r's"... ;D. Heh...I just made that one up... Anyway...lol...I think you opened a can of worms with that question. I didn't think it would turn out this long. I don't know what Merlin would say about how his fascination came about, but if it beats mine in lengthy essay form...then I will have a new respect for him... .
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Post by Merlin on Nov 26, 2004 12:30:21 GMT -8
LOL! I don't know about length of essay but its really easy to get me talking about snakes! And for that Ball python to be 12 years old and no bigger than that is incredible! Mine are about 4 years old and right at 40 inches each. I have always loved animals and I have kept just about anything I could figure out how to catch as a pet at one time or another. Looking back on some of the things I handled its a wonder I didn't end up with rabies. I am not really sure when it began but I have been fascinated by snakes for as long as I can remember. Much to my poor mother's dismay. She is one of those people who feel that there is no such a thing as a harmless snake,... They make her run into things! I too am thoroughly entranced by the way snakes move. I like to describe the feeling of a snake moving in my hands as feeling like solid water flowing. across my skin. And having chased them as a small boy I can tell you they can flow FAST! One of our favorite things to do with our pythons is to drape them across the back of our necks. When they flex their muscles its like a shiatsu massage, very relaxing. The natural colors and patterns are very hypnotic and with the new breeding of the color morphs they are like living rainbows. I have trained all my snakes to eat frozen thawed prey so that isn't a concern...at this time. Fortunately my Lady Kathy is also a herper so she doesn't object to the mouse- and rat-cicles sharing the freezer with the ice cream! In fact if she had her way we would have an albino burmese python. I just don't have any place to keep a 20 ft long snake! Of my 11 snakes there are only 2 that I would not allow my grandchildren to handle. I do understand that there are people that are terrified of snakes and duly respect that fear. When we are out with ours and anyone shows any hesitation about them I give a wide berth. I have also worked with people to overcome their fear. Ball pythons are so slow and mellow tht it is easy for snake-a-phobics to approach them. If that little ball python gave you the willies wait till you see Fluffy! have a pic around here somewhere that I will have to post for you Nance! The yellow one is" Buttercup" and the one on the ground is" Fluffy"! Now that we have diverted Tesa's ig forum into a snake discussion I guess I had better get back to topic! I have an iguana named Zok!
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 26, 2004 13:12:39 GMT -8
Perfect!!
And those snakes are AWEAOME!
I, too, chased down snakes as a kid in CA. Mostly gopher snakes (rat snakes here in the south)...the longest being 4'...as tall as I was at 10-11 yr's old. Calif. kings, garter smakes...they can definietly have an attitude! One diamond back rattlesnake. He was relocated to a cattle field when he got booted out from construction.
I took Mojo...my 4 yr. old ball to the "Youth Village" as an appreciation thing for what they gave us at the Humane Soc. last year. A lot of them were afraid...but all it took was just a couple of kids showing how gentle he was...and all 30 kids ended with him around their neck by the end of the session.
Oh...I have an ig named Zair...
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Post by WillemsMom on Nov 26, 2004 13:20:44 GMT -8
Veronica and Merlin, thank you both so much for your replies. I'm a little speechless and at the same time awed by what you both have written. it'll take me a while to let it all sink in. I share your feelings of love for all life. I've been a vegetarian for more than 20 years, would never step on an ant or spider, Always find a way to get them back outside. I am a tree hugger. I love to stand at the base of a tree and look up. I love it when they lose their leaves and the lines of the branches are clear. Merlin, your picture is outstanding! Thank you so much for posting it. Your lady is lovely and you look great together, but the snakes......?? Do you bring them to fairs or do you have your own place folks can come to? Now about Willie....he pooped THREE times today. Thanks for understanding Tesa
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Post by prism_wolf on Nov 26, 2004 14:07:41 GMT -8
If you ever get the chance...go to the Sequoia National Forest in Northern CA. The oldest one has been estimated at 3,200 yrs old. Bases of 38' in diameter. Stand at the base of one of those trees and do that very thing. It is one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had to know I am so small. www.shannontech.com/ParkVision/Redwood/Redwood.htmlWatch for the banana slugs though...the slime is nearly impossible to remove! westbynorthwest.org/artman/uploads/lois_cat_slug.jpgI'm SO glad Will has pooped 3 times today!
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Post by Merlin on Nov 26, 2004 14:23:39 GMT -8
LOL! Those two belong to the famous python breeder Bob Clark. He lives here in OKC, I don't have anywhere NEAR the space to house monsters like that!
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Post by WillemsMom on Nov 27, 2004 6:06:13 GMT -8
Egads! I really thought they were yours, Merlin. LOL I believe what you wrote in your post is true,( about them being hypnotic and gorgeous) but I'm like your Mother with big snakes. They would surely make me run into things. Little ones don't bother me at all.... if they're outside, slithering across the patio or something like that..but I could never pick one up. Veronica, thank you very much for those links. The trees are awesome. I would LOVE to go there! and look up! The slugs make my skin crawl..eeeew! We went swimming in Maine once and came out of the water covered with large black blood suckers. Can't stand the memory of it. Btw, Willie ate on the floor last night. I didn't need to stand there or sing or anything. I think his blood profile will come back very close to perfect!!!
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Post by Diane on Nov 27, 2004 13:25:11 GMT -8
The absolutely huge and beautiful snake named 'Fluffly' is a bit like Hagrid's three headed huge dog being name 'Fluffy' in the Harry Potter series (for those of you who know the series). that was immediately what i thought. . .but what gorgeous creatures.
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Post by SurvivorSteph on Nov 29, 2004 20:17:42 GMT -8
If you ever get the chance...go to the Sequoia National Forest in Northern CA. The oldest one has been estimated at 3,200 yrs old. Bases of 38' in diameter. Stand at the base of one of those trees and do that very thing. It is one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had to know I am so small. When Dom was here in CA, I took him to Yosemite to the Mariposa Grove of big trees... they're HUGE, beautiful, but delicate trees. It would take a lot of people to give one of those trees a hug!
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