Lions and Tigers and Snakes, Oh My!

Guess what I did yesterday? I held 3 snakes! Ahhhh! No, not all at the same time. I held a Western Hog Nose, Eastern Hog Nose, and a scarlet king snake (I think that's what it was, it's the "fake" coral snake thingy).

Not only that, but I touched a Copperhead (not the head!) and a Gila Monster lizard. I also actually was feet away from numerous (caged) Western Diamond Back Rattlesnakes, a baby Viper, a newborn rattlesnake, garter snakes, and a freakin' Cobra!!!

I had fun though! It definitely helped squash my fear of snakes (but I still don't want one!). This all occurred at a meeting of the Austin Herpetological Society which was held in a private home. The house was filled with so many herps I can't list them all.

I did not bring Willie to this outing. Because this was at a private home and the homeowners had a dog, I chose not to bring Willie. Mainly, because I know Willie doesn't get along with others and that to bring him into another dog's territory would put him at a big disadvantage. Just another instance where a Wheelchair Service Dog handler sometimes has to decide whether or not to work their dog.


PS. Surprisingly, I dreamt about snakes and lizards all night. Whatdya know!


Gila Monster










Western Hognose











Eastern Hognose (very soft snake)













Scarlet King Snake

Comments

Carpediemgal said…
Creepy!
8:44 AM
Katy said…
I have held a few snakes at the snake farm in New Braunfels and I will be the first (wait, you were the first) to say, I do not want to own any either.
10:04 AM
The WillaWoman said…
Oops, I fixed the picture! Thanks!

The WillaWoman
1:41 PM
dorna! said…
They're truly gorgeous.
1:49 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workers free dog trapped in sewer pipe

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- The sound of barking underneath a street Tuesday led a team of city workers to a dog trapped in a narrow culvert - and you might say they used a backward approach to rescue the mutt. The sickly, scared dog was about 50 feet from the nearest entry point, but since the culvert was just 15 inches in diameter, the workers couldn't fit into it themselves. Not even offers of food could draw out the dog. "He was exhausted," said Tony Talamantez, a public works foreman. Then Talamantez and his colleagues had an idea. They rigged up a long video camera used to inspect drain pipes, and approached the dog from the back. They used the camera to nugdge the dog forward until he reached an entry point big enough for a person to pull him out. The camera recorded the rescue, showing the dog scampering ahead in fits and starts as the camera pokes him in the rear end. The dog wore no tags, only a worn collar. But Julia Gosen, animal control officer for the city, said ...
Read more

Crested Geckos - great pet for the disabled

Image
A few weekends ago at the Austin Reptile Expo, I had the opportunity to meet a really neat woman who breeds and sells Crested Geckos. Since I have lizards as pets and have written before about how great they are as pets for disabled folks, I thought I'd write about the Crested Gecko in particular. The woman I speak of is Kati of Kati's Crested's . She's here in Austin, TX. I had never held a crested gecko before this Expo, but I had seen them in a tank at a local reptile store. They are very kewl lizards! Soft to the touch, almost like suede. The one I held jumped from one hand to the other and held on with it's prehensile tail! The crested gecko originates from New Caledonia (an island east of Australia). Adults range from 6-9" in total length. In the wild, they are nocturnal, arboreal animals living in the forests. Most wild specimens are tail-less, presumably because they dropped their tails while escaping from a predator. All of Kati's cresteds are c...
Read more

Axe Me A Question

Go ahead and ask. Ask the questions you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair. Nothing is too embarrassing. You might as well ask me on this blog since you are somewhat anonymous and don't have to look me in the eye. What have you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair? Here, I'll start: Q: "Hi, my name is LaLaundria! I wanted to know how do you take a shower?" A: Well, LaLaundria, I sit down. On a shower chair. I have grab-bars installed in my shower/tub and my commode rooms to give me extra balance. A shower chair is a hard plastic chair made to fit in showers and tubs. I have a shower massage type shower head that helps get the water closer to my hair. Howze that? Ask away, no question is off limits! (Oh Jeez, what am I getting myself into!)
Read more