July 6, 2007

  • I am an animal nut.  I come by this honestly enough, as I grew up in a house that was full of pets.  We had everything, mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, insects... one room in our house (it was called Irving for lack of a better title) was dedicated to the lizards, turtles, snakes and alligators.  The whole room had a construct of plants and ropes against the ceiling for the lizards to crawl around in, a plastic wading pool with the turtles and alligators and an open tank of crickets for self-feeding.  Our house was referred to as the zoo by the neighbors.  I really can't think why!  Before you get weirded out about the snakes, they were all in tanks; poor snakes get such an evil press!  They were at the least beautiful, and very interesting.

    So, my greatest pet stories come from the alligators; doesn't everyone have a great alligator story or two?  These critters were really Caimans, a relative to the alligator, but not as mean.  Our two cuties were 18" when we acquired them and they grew to between three and four feet long, including the tail.  Denny and Corduroy resided in the plastic wading pool with the turtles in the Irving room.  Despite the three-foot barrier they could jump out and would grace us on occasion with their company.

    One such visit was when I had a date over.  The dog came running out from under the couch so I popped my head under to look and was greeted with alligator jaws opened at me.  That's how they greet people.  It is a primitive manner, I know, and being young at the time I couldn't appreciate it.  I ran shrieking up stairs to get my parents, "Mother, your alligator is out AGAIN!"

    I don't think that date ever came over again...

    For some reason my husband doesn't share my enthusiasm for this hobby.  I haven't been able to figure that one out though.  My brother, on the other hand, has a room in his house where the tortoise can roam at will.  I have turned to farming and visiting my brother's house when I can.

    Remind me to tell you about the lamb in the bath later...

Comments (13)

  • That is so great! My house has always been pet-free or nearly so. I would like to change that when I get the opportunity, but now, when I visit pet people, I go nuts over all the dander, fur, smell, etc. Hmm, conundrum. OOH! Good word!

  • I had a lot of pets, but was VERY restricted by what my parents would allow...I'm thinking your parents gave me up for adoption, because I would have fit in at your house WAY better!

  • Brilliant story!!!

    Never will keep snakes, you understand, but I like them pretty well.  Graceful things.  A friend of mine used to watch my rats for me--and she kept an enormous python.  She always bemoaned the fact that she couldn't have pet rats herself, for fear the snake might get out...but she was very, very good with mine, I must say. 

  • *Chuckles* I am so looking forward to the lamb story.  My pet lambs were temporary ~ they gave my cousin and I one each and at the start of the summer our four year old selves were taking them for walks up and down the lane.  By the end of the summer, they were taking *us* for walks up and down the lane, and that was the point when they made a quick visit to the abbattoir on the other side of the paddock, and came back in handy little shrink wrapped packages for the freezer..

  • Hey, I remember that. Only your words (screamed into my sleeping ear at 2 a.m.) were: MOTHER! Get your god-damned alligator out of the living room. Now really, that's a very rude way to wake up your dear sainted mother

  • That is wonderful, that you are an animal lover, animals of all sorts! You're right, reptiles such as snakes and alligators do get a bad rep, and often unfairly. I know any one of these animals is capable of love if given a chance.

    How long do such reptiles live anyways, on average?

    Love the alligator story, and I'm looking forward to reading about the lamb. Just hoping it won't be a bah-a-a-a-ad story! (sorry!.....)

  • I love critters... wish I could have more of them... and I hope I like YOUR lamb story better than I like Heather's...  :  LOL

  • sounds like fun...but um, weren't the alligators a little dangerous. ah well, i think i'm gonna start small with a monkey or two when i get my own house and see where i go from there and i know paul won't complain about that

  • Do you have alligator pictures to share with us?!?! That sounds fascinating! I love animals too, but I do have to admit to being squeamish about snakes. I try to love them for the beauty, but they freak me out. Really.

    Take care!

  • Yeah.  I can relate.  I've got a nine-foot long reptillian intestinal tract called a python that's pretty much insured I don't get many visitors.  And the fact he discovered that his cage was more of a suggestion than a place to live keeps me on my toes as well.

  • Nutter ! I'm a strict cats'n'dogs kinda guy - call me boring if you will

    And do I need an appointment to stalk or can I just do it when I've got a spare ten minutes ?

  • If your date was put off by a little Caiman, s/he wasn't worth worrying about ;) I *love* the description of your home!

    Big giggly hugs from Fi.

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment