I’ve also had people argue with me most passionately about how my tarantulas pack fatal venom that will kill me within minutes if they bite me. When I tell them that no human has ever died from a tarantula bite in the history of forever, they accuse me of spreading dangerous lies.
I don’t claim to be an infallible authority on either snakes or spiders, but it’s bizarre to me that some people think they know everything about a topic they’ve clearly not researched…and they’re absolutely convinced they know more than someone who loves these animals and keeps them as pets. Like, don’t you think I did some Google searches before I went out and got these animals? I’m keeping them alive, so maybe, just maybe, I might know more than someone who hates them and has never bothered to learn anything factual about them. Just sayin’!
“They get as large as their enclosure” is weird. Now I have a mental image of a snake that’s the exact size and shape as a 40gal aquarium. Rectangle snake!
So I have actually heard and seen this several times in my life:
This horrible false statement comes from old school pet trade/importation practices, trying to sell wild caught gators, iguanas, ect. to as many kids and people as possible. I have seen 5+ year old alligators just at two feet long, very small(and deformed) adult green iguanas. The nefarious people would say; they are just like fish if you keep them in a smaller aquarium(which almost always was a 10g glass aquarium) they would only grow slightly. This actually worked in some cases! This is because not providing enough uvb, nutrient food sources or any kind of room to move, they developed severe cases of metabolic bone disease, alligators would get what they would call rubber jaw(the jaw would turn upwards due to lack of calcium and nutrients and probably room to use there muscles! Remember I said it only worked in some cases, the rest just plain died! People can be ignorant to the end! Sorry I know this is more of a fun thread, just had to let you know the backstory on this horrible “theory” people came up with! I can’t believe it is still going around!!!
Reminds me of the Snake Discovery gator, Rex, who was kept in a 2 foot wood box for something like 20 years, fed a small rat every 2 weeks or so; she’s stunted and has a duck bill snout, but she’s grown a ton and her snout is a bit more normal now that she has been with the SD crew for many years
You can actually find a lot of crocodilian rescues with some kind of deformities, especially to their jaw. I’ve heard that scientists think crocodilians are certainly more susceptible to MBD because of many factors including their higher growth rate. Sad to see, but I am glad some are finding great homes!
My veterinarian had a rescued alligator named Gates, and he had the problem you posted. He was surrender to my vet after he had the problem. My vet gave him a good home at his clinic. He had free roam of the whole back of the clinic and a pond in the summer. Gates was very tame and loved having his head scratched. Dogs and cats would just walk right over or by him, and he would never go after them. He would only go after the chickens in the barn yard / by the pond. Here are some old pictures of him.
That’s real cool, thanks for sharing that! Those are some great pictures to go along with the happy ending! Looks like gates had a great experience with your vet, as well as anyone who got to interact with him! Magnificent, prehistoric animals for sure!
Ugh, that’s awful. It isn’t even really true for fish, is it? Even if a small tank does stunt their growth, that can’t be good or healthy for them. You can’t just shrink animals down to a “more convenient” size by not giving them what they need to grow. That’s called animal abuse.
Yes you and @lumpy are right it’s complete bull! People see an opportunity and… Unfortunately there are still people like that, that’s why it’s so important to educate yourself and choose the best breeders/keepers/educators/ect. At least we have resources now!
Ok I have 2 funnies to add:
So my physical therapists know I keep ball pythons. I had mentioned the other day that I accidentally left a tub open and one of my gurls went on an adventure for 2 days until I found her (next to her friend in the tub above her by the heat source). “OMG how are you still alive? She didn’t wrap around your neck and try to choke you to death while you were sleeping?”
REALLY FUNNY
My husband, having never owned a snake in his life and just a few weeks in after we had gotten our first ball python and my daughter and I were going on vacation for 10 days. I had asked him to scoop out any nastiness, wet bedding, poops, etc. and clean out water bowls and add fresh water. “So what if it bites me? Will I be able to drive myself to the hospital or do I need to dial 911 for an ambulance?” Wow, I guess I just assumed he knew that we wouldn’t be keeping a venomous snake with a little girl in our house as beginner keepers. I couldn’t contain my laughter though. We still laugh about it and he’s just recently been struck at by a little fiesty guy we have. I told him if he ever gets bitten that it feels like fish teeth when we are fishing and take a hook out of a fish’s mouth lol.
This second one made me lol for real! I’ve been on Craigslist before, and I don’t give my phone number out anymore. Yes because of crazy scammers but also the 2am drunk(I hope!) texts asking me how poisonous ball pythons are! The best part of your husband story though is he was like ok we might have a venomous snake! Oh well I’ll just have to get used to it! When other people would run the other way in a relationship! Great story!
Sorry I know this is more of a fun thread, just had to let you know the backstory on this horrible “theory” people came up with! I can’t believe it is still going around!!!
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