Cats and dogs and birds, sure, they’re fun. Pet possum? Well, my wife once had one. And I smuggled a baby possum into my bedroom once, but my mother thought it was a large rat and that was the end of that. Even pet raccoons–it can be done.
But this video also contains footage of a guy with a pet crocodile. I’ve seen it, but I still don’t believe it. Although I did once know a man who had a large rattlesnake in his house…
It would seem that almost anything can be tamed. I saw the crocodilian with my own eyes, it must feel safe with its human. I can only surmise that we are seeing a glimpse of the future when all it restored.
I have heard tales of old guys living alone in these parts that are friendly with the rattlesnakes on their property. One tale was of a guy that lived with a Mojave Rattler in his yard and never had a problem. For the record, a Mojave rattler is probably the deadliest snake in North America, at least venom-wise.
Years ago, while still a mere lad in my early twenties, I was working at a remodeling job at someone’s house. I asked to use the phone and found myself face to face with a caged prairie rattler. Come to think of it, a boyhood chum kept one as a pet for quite a while. You don’t actually pet a pet rattlesnake, but they can be controlled easily with the right equipment.
The guy I mentioned had had his whole house remodeled for reptile-keeping. Patty and I went there because my monitor lizard, Spot, couldn’t stand me anymore. She had had fatty degeneration of the liver, and was egg-bound (requiring surgery); and the treatment for the liver, albeit completely successful, was kind of rough on both her and me. She didn’t like us anymore. Our vet, who was also the reptile vet for the Staten Island Zoo, recommended this man who took in all kinds of reptiles. He agreed to take Spot, and had a place all set up for her. If a monitor lizard could purr, she would’ve purred when she met him: made me feel about two inches tall.
Anyway, he had a whole house full of snakes and lizards, including this enormous deadly rattler. And while I was there, one of his gecko eggs hatched and I had the rare privilege of being threatened by a new-born Madagascar day gecko.
“I had the rare privilege of being threatened by a new-born Madagascar day gecko.”
Nothing in the reptile world threatens quite like a Gecko. If you aren’t careful, they’ll try to sell you some car insurance too. 🙂
This one came out of the egg without his briefcase.
Does he have the phony accent? 🙂