#reptile handling

[is-the-reptile-video-cute]

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMYovADa1/

is this video alright? Idk if we're assigning human emotions onto the alligator

Rating: Red

It surprises me how often I get asked about videos that involve alligators as pets. I will say it once again: alligators are not good pets. Reputable zoos are the exception, because they usually have the resources and knowledge to do so properly, but this is the Reptile Zoo, which is not a good source—their husbandry is not good and they often ignore their reptiles’ body language, which is what’s happening in this video.

As I’ve said before, this is very unsafe because the alligator’s mouth is not taped. Even the smallest of alligators can do pretty bad damage if they want to, so their mouths should always be taped when interacting with humans. Also, this one is very clearly uncomfortable. Its eyes are tightly closed, it’s opening its mouth, and it’s even hissing at one point. Many people misinterpret this as relaxation for some reason, but you’re right, they are anthropomorphizing the alligator in this video. The person holding it is lucky he didn’t get bitten.

Honestly, if I get more asks similar to this, I may just start copying and pasting my response to why situations like these are unsafe, because there are apparently a LOT of videos like this.

Thanks for the ask!

[howdoesone]

How does one persuade a Gharial to try a vegetarian diet with that snout?

  Introduction to the Gharial The gharial, also known as Gavialis gangeticus, is one of the most distinctive and ancient crocodilian species, known for its long, narrow snout filled with sharp, interlocking teeth. Native to the rivers of the Indian subcontinent, this unique reptile has evolved to be an efficient piscivore, primarily preying on fish. The idea of convincing a gharial to switch to…

[is-the-reptile-video-cute]

Rating: Red

I’ll be honest, when I made this blog I didn’t expect almost every single ask to be about pet alligators. Apparently people really love anthropomorphizing them. This is a similar situation to most of the other crocodilian posts on my blog. Alligators should not be pets and should not be free-handled. It is absolutely inappropriate and dangerous, plus it’s almost impossible to care for such a huge animal properly. Posts like these are especially bad because it’s clearly making people think crocodilians are similar to cats and can be held/pet/taken care of the same, which is very wrong. All of these clips are bad. The one where there is water being poured on the alligator’s head shows an example of tense body language. The alligator is holding itself stiffly, closing its eyes tightly, and lifting its head up to try to get air. (Why are there SO MANY clips of people pouring water on alligators’ heads?!?) The ones in a bathtub should not be together, or in a bathtub, or being held by a person, especially not without their mouths being taped. And the person holding the giant adult alligator like a baby is just so dangerous. If the alligator got too stressed or scared and freaked out, it could easily injure (or even kill) the person within a few seconds. It’s so irresponsible and bad for everyone involved to do something like that.

If you see more videos like this of anthropomorphizing alligators and making them seem like harmless pets, please let the creator know that it’s actually a really dangerous narrative to spread and that the way they are being treated is completely wrong and harmful. Leave alligators in the wild or to credible zoos that have the resources to care for them properly.

Rule?

[markscherz]

Today I got into the rainforest in Malaysian Borneo (Sarawak), and one of the first animals I found was this incredible turtle, Heosemys spinosa! What an animal!

This is how it was sitting when I found it:

What a privilege to behold such a creature!

I’m here for the tenth World Congress of Herpetology, where about 1500 herpetologists from across the world are assembling in Kuching to talk about reptile and amphibian research! Super excited for the weeks ahead!

[slinkies-and-dragons]

Cali came out for some snuggles today!

She was super spooked about movement around her at first, but chilled out after a few minutes of handling and even met a new person! After exploring my friend's hair and checking out her booty (i think she was interested in the phone in friend's back pocket), she found a nice blanket to curl up under. This is her right before we put her home!

Thanks (again) to @sandelion , we're confident she's a bumblebee morph!

[shrivingtoad]

Some more pictures of freya, because i have about 60 haha

Shes always an angel to handle, and once stayed in my hand completely content for over an hour (we were watching a movie) before i put her back 😅

[is-the-reptile-video-cute]

Rating: Yellow

I’m pretty sure those are real toads. This is not good for them because it’s unsanitary and probably quite stressful. Generally, just don’t handle wildlife without a good reason. However, assuming the toads were immediately put back and the person washed their hands afterwards, there’s not really any danger, so I’m rating this yellow. (Don’t eat that bread.)

Frog :3

[defilerwyrm]

A thing about ratsnakes is they are masters of "I'm not going"

[sandelion]

A rare Cricket!

'21-22 0.1 Anery Kenyan/East African Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus)

[affectionatecorpse]

Kelloggs had a lovely time out in the sun for half hour, and happily had a photoshoot on the cooling tarp when it got a bit too hot for him 🥺

[scary-monsters]

day 5000 of being down so bad for a bunch of lines on a screen

[saltycharacters]

Klavier Gavin owning a ball python named Spätzle he adopted after an animal themed photoshoot for a magazine send tweet

[organicmatter]

cutest creature ever

[internetdruid]

Chinese water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus)

these guys are so sweet <3

[fbwzoo]

Dear fucking LORD I am beyond grateful for the reptile Facebook groups. I was already in most of the needed ones - Advancing Herpetological Husbandry, Reptile Lighting, and How Not to Slay the Dragon. Last one was the immediate care info brush up and getting specifics down for set up. My post is up in there now & already gotten some really nice helpful comments, which made me nearly cry once.

Have joined another group from there, for bearded dragons with muscular dystrophy, as it's possible that's what Ed may have along with MBD. Still relatively new and not much research, but seems to be getting more common in pet store dragons due to poor breeding. So I have that group for info if needed.

And now I have money to finish immediate supply shopping, so I went to get the heat bulbs and UVB light, then wanted to double check that the light would be correct for the usage. Reptile Lighting has all of the mesh screens researched for amount of UVB blocked, which coordinates for a chart to tell you the right bulb strength for distances to ensure the right amount of UVB exposure.

Cue almost crying again bc THANK YOU THAT WAS SO EASY.

Bulbs ordered.

Oh, and Ed has a vet appointment on Monday afternoon, so we just gotta get through the weekend. Focusing on rehydration first, fixing basking spot second, and then we'll try food.

[omg-snakes]

With the handling style you showed off with Lumi - what are some signs that your snake doesn't want to be handled? Sometimes my snake will shove me, and im not sure if it's because he doesn't want to be held or not because he's always fine after I pick him up, but I want to respect his boundaries as much as possible even if he doesn't retaliate when I don't.

Hey friend!

Some of the indicators that a snake isn't feeling it would be huffing or hissing, tail-rattling, flailing (big drama!), leaving the area or retreating to a hide where they feel safe, or a hard and repeated shove with the body. It does kinda seem like your boy is saying, "don' wanna," when he's shoving you, but unless it's accompanied by some other indicator that he's not feeling up to interacting, this may be the snake equivalent of a teenager being asked to get up off of the sofa and do a minor chore. They'll grumble, but it's for their own best interest and overall enrichment. If he's not showing any signs of stress during handling then he's probably getting some benefit and just didn't in the moment want to have to get up for it.

Snakes are natural introverts, and as an introvert myself I know that I benefit from regular social activities even when I'm not necessarily enthusiastic about them. While we don't want to personify snakes with human traits, it does make sense that socialization, within reason, is necessary to maintain the human-friendly nature of a well socialized pet.

An occasional invasion of his personal space will help to inoculate him against future self-isolation. The key is understanding the difference between "ugh, fiiiiiiiiine" and "I'm really not up for being social right now and I need to be left alone."

I hope your grumbly guy is actually having a nice time interacting and just being a lazy snek.