“Come see,” our grandson called from the screen door.  “I found a snake outside.” He was so excited that we couldn’t disappoint him.  So four adults rushed to the side yard of the house.
A garter snake slithered through the greenery and among the stones.  “He’s so long,” Alex said.  He didn’t want to pick up the snake, but watched until it disappeared.
He has the same fascination with salamanders and will pick them up.  He and his cousins spend a vast amount of time looking for these under stones in the area around our house.  The turn over stones and …read more

Snakes don’t frighten my son. This may be because my husband and I have made great effort not to let the unexpected sight of snakes startle him. We want him to have a fascination with nature and not immediately kill what he presumes is dangerous. That said, we also tell him if he ever sees a snake to immediately tell Mommy or Daddy and by no means should he touch it or get near it. (Nothing infuriates me more than to see someone kill a snake just because it’s a snake. If it’s a water moccasin in a swimming pool…then …read more

It’s been many years since I’ve had hands-on experience with snakes and I’ve never actually owned one (though I’ve wanted to!), so I found this neat series of videos by Holli Friedland, Reptile Rescue Coordinator at the Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show.
The videos walk you through every step of set-up, care, maintenance and even troubleshooting in corn snake ownership!
I love snakes and the only thing that’s kept me from having one myself is that I’m squeamish about feeding time. Though I’ve (live- and dead-) fed many snakes (my first job was at a small pet store, and I was at the bottom …read more

The Home & Dining channel decided our theme this month should be ways to keep warm during the autumn months. Of course, we can’t forget our pets!

Give them their own radiator
Or let nature do the work
Keep their paws warm and dry
A soft glowing light for dogs…
…and don’t forget the cats…
…and birds and lizards
Try some interspecies snorgling
Learn about keeping follicly challenged rats warm…
…and the hedgies
Make warm cat treats…
…and dog treats
And don’t forget the rodents
Floor heating for snakes
A luxury bed
Make sure they can get into the bed
…read more