Most Unusual Pet

[greencobra]

Truely handsome and worthy of all honors received.

[ghostrider]

A very nice looking animal Doc. Thanks for the pic.

[Andyjd]

Got three cats...

working on a 90 Gallon Reef aguarium :)

[RWL]

Got three cats...

working on a 90 Gallon Reef aguarium :)

that is the size of this aquarium my kitty is watching, he spends many hours sitting there watching the aquarium, it is also a reef tank

[Slvgx]

That's a big snake. Thanks for the picture.

[jaislandboy]

Hannibal, what are Zeus's measurements errr his length/weight? What are you feeding him?

[Hannibal Lecter]

Hannibal, what are Zeus's measurements errr his length/weight? What are you feeding him?

My Dear Friend,

Length approximately 7 feet.
Weight approximately 10 pounds.

He gets two large rats every two weeks. :D

--------
Hannibal

[Andyjd]

that is the size of this aquarium my kitty is watching, he spends many hours sitting there watching the aquarium, it is also a reef tank

Got any advice for a guy new to SW & reef stuff ?

[HoB]

Dear esteemed Dr. Lecter,
I was always wondering about constrictor snakes: Can they bite? I mean they obviously do not have fangs, but do they have regular teeth or jaw bones that they could use to deliver something resembling a bite (I mean, even though a PE Spyder has no teeth it can still bite you....not quite a fitting analogy though I would guess :D ).

[StuntZombie]

Dr. Lecter,

I was about to ask if Zeus had any child shaped lumps in his body when you brought him home, but I see he isn't quite big enough yet :p

RWL,

What kind of cat is that?

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Dear HoB,

Dear esteemed Dr. Lecter,
I was always wondering about constrictor snakes: Can they bite? I mean they obviously do not have fangs, but do they have regular teeth or jaw bones that they could use to deliver something resembling a bite (I mean, even though a PE Spyder has no teeth it can still bite you....not quite a fitting analogy though I would guess :D ).

All constrictor snakes have small teeth, always recurved inwards towards the back of the mouth, the better enabling them to grip and swallow prey whole. Some bird-eating snakes (notably the Green Tree Python and Boa) have greatly enlarged teeth resembling fangs, though they are not venomous.

There are four basic types of tooth structure in snakes: teeth with no fangs]Heterodon nasicus[/I]), but they will never be large enough to envenomate a human, nor do I ever recall of this species ever attempting to bite.

I am preparing to undertake learning to handle the venomous species; time will tell how wise this decision is.

--------
Hannibal

[Hannibal Lecter]

(***WARNING - ENGAGE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR BEFORE PROCEEDING***)

My Dear Chris,

Dr. Lecter,

I was about to ask if Zeus had any child shaped lumps in his body when you brought him home, but I see he isn't quite big enough yet :p

I do not allow my pets junk food... :rolleyes:

--------
Hannibal

[The Deacon]

To amplify on the good Doctor's answer a bit. At one time I had a Boa about 6' long. Nice mellow snake, but it had a vision problem that caused it to strike about 3" to the right of where it wanted to hit. It also would not eat dead food, so, in order to feed it, had to hold a rat by the tail, let it scrabble around on the bottom of the cage, and, when the snake struck, pull it into position. Got distracted at just the wrong moment one day, snake hit the heel of my hand. Series of little pin prick on both the back and palm, slightly deeper on the palm side but not really anything serious. For it's size the jaws were quite strong. Managed to work my hand out of, and the rat into, his mouth, so things worked out ok for the snake.

The teeth serve mostly as miniature meathooks, to grab the now dead prey and move it deeper into the snakes mouth. The lower jaw is hinged in the middle, the two halves can and do move independently of one another. First one side drops down and moves forward, grasping the prey, then as it starts to move back pressing upward so the teeth grab and drag the prey, the other side of the jaw drops and moves forward. Kind of a "hand over hand" action without hands. Fascinating to watch.

[HoB]

Many thanks to both of you, Hannibal and Deacon, for the lecture in zoology(?).

Fascinating to watch.

I am sure, :rolleyes: :D . I think I rather stick to dogs :p .

[Slvgx]

To amplify on the good Doctor's answer a bit. At one time I had a Boa about 6' long. Nice mellow snake, but it had a vision problem that caused it to strike about 3" to the right of where it wanted to hit. It also would not eat dead food, so, in order to feed it, had to hold a rat by the tail, let it scrabble around on the bottom of the cage, and, when the snake struck, pull it into position. Got distracted at just the wrong moment one day, snake hit the heel of my hand. Series of little pin prick on both the back and palm, slightly deeper on the palm side but not really anything serious. For it's size the jaws were quite strong. Managed to work my hand out of, and the rat into, his mouth, so things worked out ok for the snake.

That would be quite a sight to see. Not you getting nibbled on, but having to quickly jerk the food into the right position to help the snake out. Very strange, but interesting, thanks for the anecdote Paul.

[zenheretic]

:D With no disrespect to any pet owner and especially to the snake owners: That tiny reptilian mind sees you as not an owner, friend or provider, but rather waiting with reptilian patience, with as much eagerness of a 5 yr old on a tricycle until the day he is big enough to drive, for the time when growth has enabled it to swallow you as its next, happy, 2 week interval meal. :D

[chinook]

Shiver!!!!

[The Deacon]

That tiny reptilian mind sees you as not an owner, friend or provider, but rather waiting with reptilian patience, with as much eagerness of a 5 yr old on a tricycle until the day he is big enough to drive, for the time when growth has enabled it to swallow you as its next, happy, 2 week interval meal. :D

I would be willing to agree with the first two, but, from experience, less willing to accept the third. After some time, even that tiny reptilian mind reacts differently to the approaching footfalls of whoever feeds it, than to those of any other person who passes its enclosure. Most of the "well behaved" ones also come to see humans, at least at times, as a nice warm resting place, like a sun baked rock.

[zenheretic]

I would be willing to agree with the first two, but, from experience, less willing to accept the third. After some time, even that tiny reptilian mind reacts differently to the approaching footfalls of whoever feeds it, than to those of any other person who passes its enclosure. Most of the "well behaved" ones also come to see humans, at least at times, as a nice warm resting place, like a sun baked rock.

All opinions were placed with half humor and half witnessing "animal planet" specials regarding lucky survivors of large constrictor pet attacks. Luckily I can't think of a better implement than a Harpy to cut a hungry constrictor off a face. :D

[Hannibal Lecter]

My Dear zenheretic,

:D With no disrespect to any pet owner and especially to the snake owners: That tiny reptilian mind sees you as not an owner, friend or provider, but rather waiting with reptilian patience, with as much eagerness of a 5 yr old on a tricycle until the day he is big enough to drive, for the time when growth has enabled it to swallow you as its next, happy, 2 week interval meal. :D

I will point out that your points smack of belonging to someone who has no personal experience in dealing with such animals. I can tell which reptile I am holding while blindfolded based on body language and general personality. I trust them far more than any dog or cat I have yet encountered, and I have encountered a LOT.

--------
Hannibal