Posts tagged "snake"

The Occupy Wall Street movement has a lot of beef with the banks, but on the list of OWS grievances, you'll find nothing about snake-infested ATMS.

Take a trip to Spain, however, and that's just what you might find if you need to grab some quick cash. This video shows a small serpent hiding emerging from a Caja Madrid cash machine to frighten the holy bajeezus out of unsuspecting patrons. Somebody's Halloween trick, or a symbolic omen warning against the sin of avarice?

Hey, do you like snakes? You do? Cool! How about if you were driving and a snake slowly emerged from under your hood onto your windshield? Still OK with it? What if the snake slithered over to your driver's-side window and tried to get into the cab? You'd like that? Suppose the snake is a deadly poisonous water moccasin. No problem? Your blood must run as cold as that snake's.

After the initial shock of this video, we started to feel badly for the snake. Hitching a ride on a car that's barreling down the freeway at 70 miles per hour can't be a pleasant experience for the poor guy. As sketched out as the human passengers were, the snake must have been as confused and terrified as a reptile can be. And there's little hope that he met a safe end once he fell to the road. R.I.P. little one.

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the Web each week!

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  Slithery Surprise

  A woman finds a three-foot python in her hotel bathroom. This is the story of how it got there. Remember when they just left you chocolates? [via Omaha.com]

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  Dog Runs for Governor

  A dog is running for Governor of Texas. And why not? We've made govs out of wrestlers and action heroes. [via Tonic]

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  Internet Loves Vulcan Cat

  Spock, a cat whose oddly shaped paw looks like the Vulcan greeting from "Star Trek," is gaining great popularity on the Internet. Meow long and prospurr... [via AOL News]

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  Rabbit Whisperer

  Okay, he may not have the charisma of Cesar, but when was the last time you saw Cesar hypnotize a poodle? [via Dailymail.co.uk]

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  Beautiful Bulldog

  The Most Beautiful Bulldog competition is back with a brand-new, beautiful winner. The other bulldogs will just have to settle for adorable. [via AP]

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  Sssstunning Snake

  For those of you who like your beauty contestants a little less furry, a yellow anaconda won the Hiss America pageant. Who owns the snake? A little girl who loves Harry Potter. [via Ledger-Enquirer]

Families all over the world are enjoying exotic monkeys, birds and reptiles as pets, not realizing that criminal gangs may have taken these animals from Asia illegally -- leaving some forests almost completely empty of natural creatures.

According to a report by the UK newspaper The Observer, countries in Southeast Asia are being drained of their wildlife species to fuel the exotic-pet trade, particularly in Europe and Japan.

'Empty forest syndrome' is what researchers are calling the damaged habitats left behind by the exotic animal business. "There's a lot of forest where there are just no big animals left," Chris Shepherd, of the wildlife trade monitoring group Traffic, told The Observer. "There are some forests where you don't even hear birds."

Criminal gangs control a lot of the wildlife trade, Shepherd said, and the kidnapped creatures often wind up in cages or aquariums in the homes of European families who are unaware of how they were acquired.

While hundreds of millions of these exotic animals may be have been taken illegally, they aren't the only threat to these natural habitats. There is also a brisk legal trade in exotic pets contributing to this empty forest problem. More than 35 million animals who were lawfully exported out of Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries in the last ten years, The Observer reported. Of those, 30 million were taken from the wild.

Turtles, lizards, snakes, birds and macaque monkeys are among the most common species plucked from the forests of Southeast Asia. Seahorses and coral are removed in great numbers from the region's oceans.

In the U.S., responsible pet owners are (rightfully) quick to condemn puppy mills and other unsavory sources of dogs and cats. But few probably realize where their exotic snakes, geckos and aquarium fish may be coming from. It's time to start paying attention.

What do you think Paw Nation? Do you believe exotic animals should be pets? Or should they be left in the wild?

Name: Garter Snake

Personality: These small snakes are calm and docile.

Care: This is a fairly low-maintenance snake. Because they're small, they don't require a huge tank (one about twice the snake's length should do), and in fact, a tank that's too large can make the snake feel exposed, according to gartersnake.info. While there should be water available, the tank should not be too wet. Make sure to provide areas for the snake to hide as well, and keep the tank a little warmer than the air temperature. Unless your garter snake eats mice, you'll need to provide a varied diet of earthworms, feeder guppies and platies.

Common Health Issues: Intestinal parasites are a common problem for garter snakes which relates to their diet, says gartersnake.info. Live fish contain lots of parasites that can be damaging to your snake's health. Vitamin B1 deficiency is another problem stemming from a diet containing thiaminase, also found in fish. Blister disease, snake mites and shedding problems are other issues you'll need to watch out for.

Training Tips: With consistent handling and proper support, your garter snake will likely learn to tolerate it, though it may continue to be nervous, according to PetPlace.com. They don't grip like a constrictor, so you must let the snake slide through your hands easily. If you hold the snake too tightly, it might musk (smelly and unpleasant, but not dangerous) or bite (again, not terribly serious, but something you want to avoid as it can cause a bit of itching and swelling), according to gartersnake.info.

Name: Ball Python

Personality: These snakes are generally docile and easy to handle.

Care: Ball pythons are not very active so they don't need huge enclosures -- a 30 gallon tank is appropriate for an adult python -- but the tank must be secured tightly or the snake can escape, according to About.com. These pets require an ambient temperature of around 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and a basking temperature close to 90 F. A large, sturdy dish of water should be kept inside the tank to allow the snake to soak and rehydrate itself. Every five to seven days, a young snake will need to be fed several small mice. An older snake requires larger prey, such as rats, every 10 to 14 days.

Common Health Issues: A ball python can live up to 50 years if its cage is kept at a correct temperature and it is fed properly -- though 20 to 30 years is more common. However, these snakes can suffer from several health problems, including malnutrition (they sometimes simply refuse to eat), burns from bulbs in their enclosures, ticks, mites, worms, abscesses from an injury to the skin, salmanellosis (you can catch this, too, so always wash your hands after handling your snake), respiratory infections, mouth rot and stomach rot, according to Associated Content.

Training Tips: Focus on making ball pythons comfortable with being handled rather than trying to teach them tricks, suggests Pet University. One thing to keep in mind is that these snakes do make note of repetitive behavior and start acting on it. For example, if you always drop food in through a particular opening in their enclosure, they'll begin to strike at the first thing that comes through that opening. You'll want to feed them through one opening (or put them in a separate enclosure for feeding) and reach in to handle them through another, according to About.com.

Name: Boa Constrictor

Personality: Most owners find their boas to be quite docile.

Care: Boa constrictors require a large, secure enclosure with a warm end (82-90 degrees Fahrenheit), and a warmer end for basking (90-95 F), according to About.com. They must be provided a couple of hiding spots, as well as a water dish large enough to soak in. You'll need to feed them every five to seven days while young, every 10 to 14 days at an intermediate age, and every three to four weeks when fully grown. The size, amount and type of food (mice, rats, rabbits) will increase as the snake grows. You never want to feed your boa anything bigger than the widest part of its body.

Common Health Issues: A healthy boa constrictor can live more than 20 years, growing to a length of more than eight feet. There are a couple of things you can do to keep your snake healthy: Keep those ambient and basking temperatures in the correct range, and make sure their food is never cold or partially frozen. Boa constrictors are rather susceptible to disease, including respiratory tract diseases, snake mites, internal parasites, scale infections and inclusion body disease (IBD), a fatal disease, that, according to eHow.com, is thought to be caused by a retrovirus.

Training Tips: As long as you don't try to handle them while they're in a shedding stage or shortly after feeding, a captive-bred boa should be amenable to handling without any additional training, as long as you're handling them correctly (supporting the body with both hands and allowing the head freedom to move). However, if you're attempting to tame an adult boa who hasn't had any adult contact, you might want to seek out expert help for safety's sake. About.com recommends that, for any constricting snake over six feet or so, you have a second person on hand in case you need assistance.

Rounding up our favorite animal stories, photos, and videos on the Web each week!

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  Cease Snake Smuggling

  "Okay, so the feds are really breathing down our necks. That's why you're going to have to swallow this nineteen-foot python." [via New York Times]

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  Rhinos Are Cute?

  It's 2010 already, and finally they have invented baby rhinos. These things are gonna catch on.[via People Pets]

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  I Can Haz Worship?

  Recent hieroglyphic translation: "lol!! omg kittehs r so cute!! rofl!! livn n ancnt egypt ftw!!" [via Discovery.com]

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  OCD D-O-G

  Before you read this article about OCD dogs, make sure to wash your hands seven times. [via New York Times]

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  Cat Convo Vids

  Our sister site has compiled some a-meow-sing videos of talking cats. [via Urlesque]

Name: Corn Snake

Personality: Corn snakes are docile and easy to handle.

Care: Corn snakes are great at escaping, so you'll need to provide a proper enclosure, according to About.com. A 20-gallon tank should work. They also need hiding spots, access to a heated area, and clean water. You'll have to feed them mice, which can be the most challenging part of ownership for some people.

Common Health Issues: Corn snakes can develop a parasitic or bacterial infection, according to Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection. Your snake will be listless and either not eat or regurgitate their food. Get it to a reptile vet as soon as you can. Watch for ectoparasites like ticks and mites. Finally, wrinkles and puckers around the neck are a visible sign of dehydration.

Training Tips: These snakes don't mind being handled, so no real training is required, according to PetPlace.com. However, you'll want to avoid handling for a day or two after introducing them to a new environment or feeding them.

Best For: Because they're easygoing, corn snakes can be a good starter snake. However, you must remember that a snake is just like any other pet; once you bring it home, it relies on you. Pet snakes can't be safely released into the wild any more than your pet dog can be.

What Corn-Snake Owners Say: David E. Coursey of Tracy, Calif. tells Paw Nation, "Corn snakes are an excellent first reptile pet. They are hardy, require little in the way of special care, are easy to feed, and come in a variety of attractive color forms. They also stay small enough to be manageable, seem to enjoy handling, and aren't very expensive." He also cautions potential snake owners, "Don't buy a snake you will be afraid of when it's grown, or requires three people to handle."

What do you do if you're a wildlife biologist trying to track an elusive snake inside a vast swamp? You call in the dogs.

Researchers in Georgia's Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge recently employed a dog named C.J. to help sniff out threatened indigo snakes inside the refuge, the (Georgia) Cherokee Tribune reported.

Reaching seven feet in length, indigo snakes are the longest snakes in North America, according to the University of Georgia. Once common in the southern U.S., the snakes have become threatened with extinction due to habitat loss.

Refuge scientists knew that the slippery black snakes make their homes in the swamps of Okefenokee, but they weren't sure how many were there or where they were living, wildlife biologist Sara Aicher told the Cherokee Tribune. To help them with their reptile census, Aicher and her colleagues called in C.J., a 7-year-old chocolate Labrador, to sniff out the snakes.

C.J., who was rescued from a shelter, has had lots of experience locating wild creatures, the Cherokee Tribune reported. He's also sniffed bats in New Mexico, monkeys in Nicaragua, and big cats in Brazil. But he's not the only dog with a nose for wildlife. Conservationists are increasingly turning to sniffer dogs to help them track wild animals.

In New England, researchers studying endangered whales have even brought in dogs to sniff out whale poo, the Boston Globe reported. That's right -- whale poo. Scientists collect the dung to study what parasites and toxins might be harming the endangered whales.

Snakes, bats, monkeys, whales... what's next? When it comes to protecting wildlife, it seems, the dog's nose knows.

Beware the squirrel! Those fluffy-tailed, acorn-loving rodents aren't all sugar and spice. Squirrels were among the top five animals to attack and injure companion pets in 2008 according to a survey released by the Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI).

VPI reviewed reports of more than 500 wounded pets to figure out which wild animals are most likely to attack cats and dogs as they roam the 'hood.

Top 10 Animals To Attack Pets
1. Snakes
2. Coyotes
3. Raccoons
4. Squirrels
5. Scorpions
6. Javelinas
7. Porcupines
8. Groundhogs
9. Skunks
10. Rats

Pets ambushed by wild critters typically need treatment for lacerations, bite wounds, and soft tissue trauma. Poisonous snake bites can require treatment with antivenin to counteract the toxin.

Attacks by javelinas (pig-like mammals also known as peccaries) and scorpion stings were isolated to the state of Arizona, but between snakes, skunks, rats and raccoons, curious pets can get into trouble with wildlife just about anywhere.

"Whether in urban or rural areas, pet owners should be aware of the danger posed by wild animals," Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI, said in the report. "Always make sure that a pet's rabies vaccine is up to date. And if you know that potentially dangerous wild animals are present or you're in an unfamiliar area, take extra care to keep your pet close and secure."

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An all-out snake hunt for the 6" pencil-thin baby Stimson's pythons delayed passengers and canceled two flights. A reptile expert suggested the baby pythons had eaten each other. (Ew!) But when the eight remaining snakes were weighed, none had gained weight. (Whew!)

"The only conclusion we could draw was four of them had broken free of the packaging," David Epstein, corporate manager for Qantas, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

A wildlife expert was hastily summoned to determine if the baby pythons were an endangered species. With the news that they were not, the airplane was taken out of service and thoroughly fumigated. "If these snakes ever turn up on one of our aircraft, they will be very much dead snakes," proclaimed Mr. Epstein.

So, what would be worse? Finding a live baby python under your seat cushion, or a dead one?

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It was staring and waiting for someone to eat," said Jay Johmar, who was celebrating his birthday coloring with his friend Danny Yustella. He told the New York Post "I was a little scared, and we were screaming. I called my mom, who was in the kitchen."

Sophie, who had emerged from a half-zipped cushion, waited calmly as Jay's 28-year-old mom, Danielle, bundled the boys out of the apartment. She flagged down a patrol car, and cops were able to bag the snake into a pillowcase before taking it to Brooklyn's Animal Care and Control Center.

A police spokesman told the Post the snake's owner was unlikely to come forward as boas were illegal to keep as pets.

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