new addition to the family

[laurence]

having bought a Royal Python last year i have been getting ore and more into reptiles and last weekend i had the realisation that i am a reptile person, deep down. i spent saturday taking pictures of common lizards and sunday i went to the Kempton park reptile show. Dogs make me nervous, people i hate and insects are just too creepy. When i'm around reptiles i relax and feel calm.

anyway... at said show i got some nice bits for my Royal's viv and then spotted this wee chap.

he's an african house snake and is not much bigger than a worm at the moment.

and he is very very cute.

my first love is my royal though. he's just moved into his new viv and i felt like a parent watching their kid go to school when he went in last night.

 

[Aperitif]

I look forward to your excellent photos laurence - it has been a while since you scared us with snakes posted a nice series!

"Asp my boy!"

 

[Crackle]

I was looking at your Flickr feed of the reptiles, some good shots. Now you see reptiles make me nervous, I can read dogs but not reptiles. Any tips? I once found some sloworms in the Highlands but that's about it on the reptile front apart from keping French lizards out of my salad.

 

[Wigsie]

Deep down reptiles make me nervous, but i do have a bit of a long running curiosity with them... My BIL has Chameleons, many friends keep snakes and a one has a bearded dragon that acts more like a lap dog!!

My eldest lad would love a snake, but the Mrs is fearful of disease around the babies (we keep having them), so we have settled for Guinea Pigs which are really funny... am sure your Royal would love them too!

Love the Pics BTW

 

[laurence]

reptiles are basically afraid of humans... common lizards can be approached, that's how i got hooked. you just need to be slow and steady, no rapid movements. most snakes don't like open spaces, so if you find one and do get to pick it up, try to cup your hands over it, it should calm down... don't try that with an adder though! slow worms are similar, they usually hide in the undergrowth, so being in the open makes them nervous.

most 'pet' snakes are used to humans. royal pythons are more docile than any dog or cat. they only go into food mode when they smell a mouse or rat (i feed them defrosted meeces). i doubt my royal could deal with a live rodent.

i can't read dogs at all. cats, yes. snakes (especially royals) are much like cats, if they want to come and see you, they will. they won't bite unless really threatened. most lizard species are totally tame too.

just slow down and relax when near reptiles. they need to trust you and then they're no threat at all. my royal has spent many an hour asleep on me, usually making me doze off too.

 

[longers]

Great new addition! Will they ever play together or will they need to be kept separate even once the little one has grown?

I ended up with a baby snake, a found garter snake was given to me and I came down one day a good few weeks later to find a very tiny snake just pottering around the tank as well.

It made a break for it one night and had got out the through the ventilation holes via a branch and was found very flat under the address book that was kept near the phone and mainly used for leaning on while making a call. A real shame as it was a fascinating little thing.

They're gorgeous creatures.

 

[laurence]

ooooh, i hanker after a garter snake. poor little thing - why do snakes just want to escape? there were no Garters at the show, but i did get to handle a Kenyan Sand Boa, which was very nice.

Henry and Fuzzy won't get to play - Henry could well try and eat Fuzzy as House Snakes eat a wide range of stuff (alas, not quiche) whereas Royals are rodent only.

i have found, through extensive testing, that reptiles like being stroked under the chin.

 

[Aperitif]

ooooh, i hanker after a garter snake. poor little thing - why do snakes just want to escape? there were no Garters at the show, but i did get to handle a Kenyan Sand Boa, which was very nice.

Henry and Fuzzy won't get to play - Henry could well try and eat Fuzzy as House Snakes eat a wide range of stuff (alas, not quiche) whereas Royals are rodent only.

i have found, through extensive testing, that reptiles like being stroked under the chin.

Ah! I knew there was a way around our departed friend Crankarm... ( no offence to your baby snakes laurence BTW)