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[house_cat]

When we first moved to California from NYC, I was freaked out by all the unfamiliar wildliffe - actually, it's been almost 20 years and it still freaks me out.  However, the first month we lived here I spotted what I was certain was a poison lizard in the driveway.  It was green with yellow spots and about the size of a rat.  I squirted it with the hose and it didn't budge. I was terrified it would make it's way into our garage, so I called the animal control number. They said they couldn't come, because it was Sunday. I don't think that was true - I think my NY accent and my description of the lizard probably tipped them off that I was a lunatic. Well, it's a good thing they didn't come, because it turned out to be a toy that belonged to my neighbor's little girl.

[faeriemoon]

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@house_cat wrote:

When we first moved to California from NYC, I was freaked out by all the unfamiliar wildliffe - actually, it's been almost 20 years and it still freaks me out.  However, the first month we lived here I spotted what I was certain was a poison lizard in the driveway.  It was green with yellow spots and about the size of a rat.  I squirted it with the hose and it didn't budge. I was terrified it would make it's way into our garage, so I called the animal control number. They said they couldn't come, because it was Sunday. I don't think that was true - I think my NY accent and my description of the lizard probably tipped them off that I was a lunatic. Well, it's a good thing they didn't come, because it turned out to be a toy that belonged to my neighbor's little girl.

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That's a riot!!!! @house_cat  Made me LOL!! 

[house_cat]

@faeriemoon

I'm glad it made you chuckle.  You can see why DH and my kids have never let me live it down.

[faeriemoon]

@house_cat  I would have never lived that down in my house either!

[lucymo]

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@faeriemoon wrote:

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@house_cat wrote:

When we first moved to California from NYC, I was freaked out by all the unfamiliar wildliffe - actually, it's been almost 20 years and it still freaks me out.  However, the first month we lived here I spotted what I was certain was a poison lizard in the driveway.  It was green with yellow spots and about the size of a rat.  I squirted it with the hose and it didn't budge. I was terrified it would make it's way into our garage, so I called the animal control number. They said they couldn't come, because it was Sunday. I don't think that was true - I think my NY accent and my description of the lizard probably tipped them off that I was a lunatic. Well, it's a good thing they didn't come, because it turned out to be a toy that belonged to my neighbor's little girl.

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That's a riot!!!! @house_cat  Mad me LOL!! 

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@house_cat  The look on their faces would have been priceless if they had come to retrieve this dangerous creature.  Funny story. 

[Kitty Galore]

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@house_cat wrote:

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@lucymo wrote:

A snake is a snake and can cause me to have a heart attack.  I bet that one was pretty though with the color.

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@lucymo

I disagree about it being pretty... pretty snake is the ultimate oxymoron in my opinion! However, I do agree about the heart attack.  I've always said that it wouldn't matter if it were venomous or not - if I ever encounter one I will drop dead on the spot

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OMG !  Me too ,  I say they all the time !  I would literally drop dead on the spot !!!!  I cannot even look,at a picture of one ,  I skipped by the photos here on this very post eek 

we live outside the city , in a rural area so we do have garter snakes ,  mind you I have never seen one , thank goodness,  but my husband has told me he has when mowing the lawn or back by the creek.  I never go back there needless to say .  It is a phobia I've had since a childhood.

[Tigriss]

How hilarious @house_cat !!!! Some of those toys are very realistic.

[house_cat]

@Tigriss

Thanks for trying to make me feel less foolish, lol.

@Kitty Galore

When we were kids, my brother and I had a set of encyclopedias with glossy, colored photos in some of them.  The 'S' edition had several very realistic pages full of snake photos.  I was absolutely terrified of it. 

     The science teacher on my teaching team years ago kept a boa constrictor in her classroom.  We shared a common core area, so our classroom doors were adjacent to one another. She kept the snake in a glass tank, with a cover, and a couple of heavy textbooks on top to make sure it didn't get out.  Since I get to school early, I'd peek in her room every morning to be sure that Scarlet was still in her tank.

     One morning, I peeked in and the tank was empty. The cover and the textbooks were askew, so there was a good size opening at the top.  Needless to say, I went into panic mode.  I was sure it was slithering about and probably had made its way into my room.  I was terrified to open a draw or cupboard. When my colleague got to school, she told me that she had taken it home for the weekend.  We made a bargain that if she ever did that again she'd have to warn me.  I'm not exaggerating how horrified I was.

  Once or twice, between classes, our students would stroll into my room carrying the snake.  They just LOVED it!  Can you believe that?  While I kept my distance and politely told them to bring it back to the science room, I never showed my terror. I was concerned that if they knew how freaked out I was they'd play some kind of joke on me. That's twisted thinking, but that's how afraid I am.

[faeriemoon]

@house_cat  I would be exactly the same way as you.

[DottieBlue]

I don't think non-native animal species should be allowed into our counry to be used as "pets".  Keeping a boa constrictor in a glass tank or roaming around a house, for that matter, is cruel, IMO.  These animals should be in their native habitat and able to roam naturally.

That is why Florida has a python and boa constrictor problem, they are killing native species of deer, etc., even domesticated dogs and cats.

I have enjoyed reading all of your posts.  If I came across a snake that close to me, you'd be able to hear me screaming in the next county!

To the poster who was the student teacher:  boy, were you BRAVE!!!