Special delivery!

You may know (should know) by now that we are crocodilian happy!  We love 'em!  So when our Morelet's passed away earlier this year, we were devastated.  At the time we knew them to be unavailable to the average collector.  Recently they were taken off Appendix 1, and our friend, Bob Clark, imported a group that were "farm-raised."  Of course we were on the phone ASAP and ordered one (or 2 or 3...)

 

They came on a Saturday (God love you Fed Ex!)  We told the driver what they were but he didn't stick around to see for himself.  Probably on a tight schedule, but it does give him something to tell his friends and co-workers about!  Then we slowly opened the package...

 

Well packed, in a bag of shredded newspaper, inside the styrofoam box, inside the Fed Ex box.  The way we should all send out animals!  Safe, sound and protected.  And voila...

 

 

Cute?  We think so.  They were a bit shy at first, when we tried to feed them, but they are now quite voracious.  We have them all in separate tubs, eating newborn pinkies.  They are growing and thriving.  Why three?  Well, we wanted to guard against any unforeseen mortality!  It should take them a while to get to the size where we have to build those rediculous large enclosures, but we're happy to wait!

 

 

 

 

"Come on in," I said!

"Don't mind if I do,"  said the copperhead at my doorstep!

NO, this is not how the scenario went, but it could have.  I came home from work, walked in to the house to unwind, get something to drink, perhaps a small snack, and then go back out to the shop to take care of the animals (herps.) 

I opened the door, and the dog went out first.  For some reason I looked down, and there was a copperhead.  Not just in my way, but at the very edge of the doorstep.  Now was it there when I went into the house?  Did it crawl over in the short time I was in the house (less than 10 minutes?)   I debated on what to do, decided to go out the other (front) door, got my camera which was in the car, went back around to the door I saw it at, and took this pic.  It had not moved.  I then got a hook, and moved it out of the way, towards a small garden patch next to the house.

In hindsight, I should have moved it a bit further from the house as now I'm constantly looking for it to reappear.  I know I also had a large speckled kingsnake living near that garden patch, so who knows, their paths may cross.  I hope not, for the copperhead's sake, but that is what nature is all about.

As for the "why" this animal appeared where it did, I can only assume it's because we have a drain near there for the air conditioner.  We have seen lizards attempting to drink out of this small run-off.  In this intense drought, any water is better than no water.

Death from a copperhead bite

Alas, it's true, or so it would seem.  The article was recently splashed across the front page of the local newspaper.  Until a week or so ago, there had been no fatal bites since the 1930s I believe.  The unfortunate victim was bitten by a copperhead, and did indeed pass away.  But there may have been extenuating circumstances. 

Although I did not read this, the victim allegedly had a heart problem, and had been drinking.  He also went unconscious after about 15 minutes.  This alone, to me, would indicate anaphylactic shock, such as one experiences if you're allergic to peanuts, or bee stings, or shellfish.   Anaphylactic shock is usually countered by a hit with an "epi pen" (epinephrine), but if you don't know you're allergic, there would be no reason to have such a device with you.  Of course you do not want to give someone a shot if you do not know their medical history.

In this same vein, a co-worker's wife was bitten by a copperhead, and was quite pregnant at the time (think 8 months pregnant!)  She was not given any antivenin since she was pregnant.  She was watched closely.  She had all the symptoms of envenomation, including the swelling, and pain, but weathered it all, and gave birth to a healthy baby at full term.

So is a copperhead bite dangerous?  The immediate answer is yes.  But will a person die from it?  Not very likely, although obviously it can happen.  The bottom line is: get help, as soon as possible.

False alarm

When we went for our morning coffee, we saw something, across the road,  at the end of our driveway, that looked very suspicious.  Notice the spot in the road, in almost the immediate center.

So we got a bit closer, and it was looking even more ominous!

Now it's looking as though it has color, like a light belly, and a black back...oh no!  Hate when we have casualties so close to the house, even though it's bound to happen.  After all, we live in the country and we have no control over all the wild animals.  So of course we have to get closer for an appropriate identification, and...it's the dreaded...

FAN BELT SNAKE!!!!! 

(Bet the vehicle's owner hated when THAT happened!!!)

Finally finished...

It all started out almost 20 years ago, that we acquired this little girl. We've always been partial to crocodilians, of all kinds.   This was traded to us, as a Nile-Cuban hybrid, by a breeder in Florida.

We kept making larger and larger enclosures for her as she grew.   The last time we made an enclosure, we bought a 1000 gallon water tank, and built the enclosure around it.  We used flooring that is made from recycled materials, and is virtually indestructible.  We also designed it to have a feed door in the top, a wash-out in the side (for changing the water), and a door that could be opened out for when we built an outdoor enclosure for her to enjoy.  The more enclosures you make, the more you learn, and improve.

I wish we had a video camera for when we attemped (and eventually succeeded) to move her from the last enclosure to where she is now.  I'm sure now that a lot of what Steve Irwin did was staged, as it just is not that easy!   And after you move an animal from what seemed to be a large enough enclosure, you wonder how she ever managed in what now appears to be a rather tight space.  Our Yacare caiman is now enjoying that old pond, etc.

So the newest (and hopefully last) enclosure was incorporated into the side of the building with the idea that we would eventually build an outdoor spot for her to bask, etc.   That was about 8 years ago, and we've finally gotten around to getting the ouside done. We did toss around several ideas, and the final solution now seems so simple, we might have done it sooner.  But finances are always a concern, and none of this was inexpensive.   

I had thought of writing about this in stages, but if you saw the last photo, you might not have bothered with the original blog.  So here's the start of something big, and I do mean big.

I'm the one on the ground.  We're digging holes for the fence posts that will eventually hold up the platform, etc, for the croc to get out on and sunbathe.  Behind my "stand-up" help, you can see the hole that is the opening for the croc's indoor enclosure.  We had it sealed off with insulation, etc.  You can also see we have lots of rocks to contend with, when digging these holes, and one must get on their bellies to fish them out!

We had 5 holes to dig altogether.  We also had to get a jackhammer to chip away at part of the foundation that stuck out too far, and was in the way of the post holes next to the building.  Truly an all-day or two-, or three-day project!   We decided to make it a bit over 6 feet tall, so an average person could stand upright, and get in there if the need arose, and not be cramped. 

Then the flooring.  We decided that rather than have an outdoor pond too, we'd just have the one pond, in the shade, so she could adjust her body temperature as she saw fit. 

We elevated the floor because we have an outside drain for the inside pond, and this allows us easy access.  The two posts that you see close together are for the eventual gate that we put on, again for access.    The two pens you see in the background are for some small alligators that we also house.  They work out very well in the summer time.   Obviously they are not nearly as big as the croc.  Then we put on the chain link.

Travis puts up fence for a living.  We had nothing to do with that except bring him a cold drink now and then.  He also put up chain link across the top of the enclosure.  This is heavy duty chain link too, not what you'd find between your neighbor's house and your own.  Then he installed a gate.

We had a professional welder come and fix latches that would not be opened easily by anyone or anything.  But how cool would it be to put "professional builder of croc enclosures" on your resume?

If the next owners of this place want to keep a gorilla in this enclosure, they might be able to!  Or a rock band that needs to be kept safe from overzealous fans.    The floor is approximately 10 feet by 12 feet. 

Checking us out!

So now, the big day. We gathered around, took down the insulation and plywood door cover, opened up the plexiglass window from the inside...and waited...and waited...and waited... I hosed down the floor as I thought it might have been too hot for her, and thought running water might make her take notice and want to investigate. 

Half out!

The croc is totally enjoying her new enclosure, and she freely goes in and out during the day to cool off, warm up, whatever she wants.  She never went off feed, does not charged the chain link, and seems totally oblivious to our presence, although she does watch the dog intently, when the dog passes by!

I have to thank Travis, Shane, and Denney for all their hard work, and thoughtful suggestions.  And how do we know it's a female?  Our caiman, and alligator are large enough to bellow when she comes into heat.  Every spring.   Meanwhile, she never makes a sound.   

Siesta time.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Year of the turtle

Yet again, we find another baby turtle on the highway. 

This time it was a llittle common snapper,  and that's a quarter beside him...didn't have a 50 cent piece handy.   He's a killer feeder on pellets and meal worms!

This guy was the closest we've found to a body of water, but still about a football field away.  The mild winter must have spurred early breeding, or early hatching of eggs that may have been laid last fall.   If we keep finding these guys on the road, how many more are crawling through the grass looking for a place to live.  And how many are becoming road kill and/or food for predators? 

It's all a cycle but, it's making us look intently at every little speck in the road for movement! 

S*S*D*D

Same situation, different day.

(Maryann here.)  If you've read all the other posts, you may remember last fall when I came home from work to find a snake bag on my desk.  It happened again today.  Of course I knew it wasn't venomous, because Dennis is not that careless to leave me a "present" which could hurt me.

The critter inside was this nice little Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer.  It was crawling around in the "sales area" of the shop.  Funny how these guys get in.  We always think we have all the holes in the building secured, but then we find an escapee outside, or something like this inside.