Old projects

Pam Russell

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53
Location
Holland
I was into reptiles for a long while, nothing real big or wild, garter snakes from all over the US, bearded dragons, Australian water dragons, corn snakes, hog nosed snakes, and brown snakes. I had to cut way back because it became too expensive to care for them all. Now I just have 1 Australian water dragon, but I still have a lot of cages that I built. I was a little proud of the water dragon's cage even though he outgrew it and now runs loose in the house. The one with the baby bearded dragons in it was built from pallet lumber, the others from pallet lumber and melamine boards. Threw in a pic of my little helper, anytime I'm working on something he has to come check it out.

cage1.jpg pallet cage.jpg cage-withdoors.jpg Picture 002.jpg
 
I love your "little helper." Does it help you as much as a two year old child or does it refrain from breaking things?

The favorite book of my oldest son, Greg was a reptile book. I don't remember his age, however the book was one of those soft cloth books they give to very young children. When he was in high school, his favorite book was a beautiful Reptile Book. His room was lined with (Heck, I cannot spell it) snake cages. We had a 5 foot California King that pretty much had the run of the house. One of his favorite perches was the chandelier over the dining room table. It was amazing how far he could climb up using only the wall and the 3/8" thick trim around a door.

I can't remember the King's name. I do not remember the King and George, the pet tarantula having any conflict.

What do you do to keep your little helper where you don't step on him/her?

Greg's mother did make him take a small rattlesnake back where he got it and turn it loose. That was TOO much to have in a house even in a "cage."

Animals, birds, even insects seemed to love Greg. If he was out in the dirt playing with toy cars, or whatever, he would stick his finger out and a nearby butterfly or grasshopper would land on it.

Enjoy your little helper,
JimB
 
Cujo spends a lot of time in the tool room, I built a carpet covered ramp for him up to one of the work tables so he doesn't spend much time in the floor unless I am working on something, then he has to come climb up me to see if it's eatable. Plus his pool and heat lamp are in there. Lizards are generally lazy pets, he only comes looking for me if he wants something to eat or if I'm busy and would rather he stayed away. I would think a rattlesnake would be a very bad pet, how would you dare hold him? He's never broken anything, somehow he manages to get into everything without knocking anything breakable off. I used to have some of the most beautiful garter snakes you've ever seen, it killed me to give them away.

Cali mom&dad.jpg oregonL.jpg blue garter.jpg 9375_20.jpg snakes 009.jpg
 
Some nice looking cages, for sure. I could not have a snake in the house. I haven't been to my brother-in-law's house for over 10 years because he has snakes! Well he tells me he does, maybe not, maybe he just doesn't want me to visit.....

Got to admit that second one pictured is kinda pretty though. Lizards, I like, and would have one if my wife would allow it. How smart are lizards? Do they actually interact with you or are they just, there?
 
Can you say, "gives me the willy's!" (or is it willies?). :huh: Never been a reptile guy. Do appreciate the work on your cages. I did go through a spell where I had a cage of newts. Even flame bellied ones. But that was the extent for me. I prefer my old dogs and horses.
 
nice cages pam but when you come to visit you can leave your snakes and lizards at home:) or you wont see much of me but my back side leaving the other direction:)
 
I love snakes.





as long as they are in strong cages, sedated, non lethal, and in a secure building 8 miles from where I am at any given time.

funny, when I was a kid, my buddy had a few snakes, turtles, lizards, and it never bothered me to hold them or play with them.
 
Got to say I like the cages also. My wife has a phobia of snakes. So nothing like that can enter the yard. But here in the shop I have a few Black Rat snakes. Keep the mice population down.
 
Nice cages indeed, Pam. :thumb: Add me to the list of non-reptile guys. I seem to be a dog and cat magnet, but just never felt comfortable around snakes and lizards. Won't keep me from visiting someone's house or anything, but I'm not real interested in handling them. Not enough fur, I guess. :)
 
Lizards aren't very smart, but the larger they are the larger the brain and the more they can be taught. Monitors and iguanas can be taught tricks some amazing tricks. I met a man at a reptile show that had an iguana that would roll over and sit up and fetch. They are not usually affectionate, they think more along the lines of "food" and "heat". Both of which they love.

The cages were the first things I built after moving to Michigan. Not meaning as soon as I got here, but the first I attempted. I took the back off of the upright one to enlarge it, I built a 1 foot addition to the depth and was going to build a landscaped waterfall on the back wall. While it was apart we bought this house and I never got back to it. Cujo prefers being loose so there is no hurry. Right it is acting as a catch all for building supplies out in the garage. The snakes are gone, but if we ever finish up here I might get a couple of ball pythons. And the snakes were almost always locked up tight, though there are always the occasional escapee.

What I wanted to build on the back wall of Cujo's cage was similar to the photo below, not exactly, but close enough to give you can idea.

goober.jpg Picture 086.jpg dartfrognearlyfinished.jpg
 
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Living here in the desert I've come to love most of my reptilian neighbors. We've got so many lizards around the house it's not funny. I find them to be pretty cute.

I've come to appreciate some of the legless creatures around here. Seems like about once a year I come close to stepping on a 5' gopher snake. I call him goofy.
 
Wasn't going to call any of you any such thing :rofl: not in writing anyways.... Either you like them or you don't and nothing I could say would change that. I have always been fascinated by reptiles and was never allowed to bring them into my parents house or my ex's. When a 6 ft. long black snake got into the house and was found trying to eat my parrots I yelled for help and he wouldn't come past the door. He turned white as a ghost and refused to come any closer. I ended up dragging the snake back out of the bird cage myself. After that he got away but I found him a couple of days later laying on the kitchen table. Finally got him into a bucket and told my son to take him deep into the woods and release him. Instead he took the snake to the town swimming pool and it escaped. My son was banned from the pool for the next 2 years. Most people are scared of snakes. But I spent my youth running loose in the mountains of NC and I loved everything I found there.
 
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