We have had lots of pets over the years, and here are some of their stories:
Rocky, Methuselah, and Slither
Rocky was a green iguana who lived with two tiny anole lizards to keep him company. Anoles can change color like chameleons, so they were fun to watch. Rocky was fun to watch for a different reason: he hated it. If anyone's face got too near his cage, he whipped his tail against the glass. He especially hated being taken out of the cage when it was time to clean it. My dad would hold him with a thick glove on while he furiously whapped his tail. More than once, Rocky peed down my dad's arm. He wasn't pacified until the cage was clean, and he was inside once again. From the safety of his own territory, he regarded the world with a suspicious glare. He liked grapes, lettuce, and celery, with tasty mealworms for dessert. Alas, he died of kindness. My mom became concerned that he wasn't getting enough sun, so she put him outside. Unaware that for reptiles, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, she left him out there too long. We didn't realize until a while afterward that he had died, because my dad bought another iguana, Rocky II.
We had many goldfish over the years, but Methuselah lived the longest (that's how the fish got its name). He was in a rather small aquarium, but he lived happily for over two years, and got to be pretty big, too. Well, I guess two years is not really that long, but it was long compared with our other goldfish. Goldfish are supposed to live for 25 years, and, if they keep growing, just imagine how big they would be!
Slither was the name of Rebekah's pet snake. She found it slithering in the grass about a block from our house. It was a green garter snake. Rebekah and I thought it was cute, but our mom didn't, 'cause she hates snakes! But it's not fair to be afraid of small, nonpoisonous snakes, is it? Anyway, if any of our friends acted up at our house, one look at the snake quickly made them behave. I petted it once. It was very smooth, and its shiny scales felt nice. It was about as thick as a finger and about a foot and a half long. I don't remember it eating anything. A few months after she caught it, my sister released it.
Rocky, Methuselah, and Slither
Rocky was a green iguana who lived with two tiny anole lizards to keep him company. Anoles can change color like chameleons, so they were fun to watch. Rocky was fun to watch for a different reason: he hated it. If anyone's face got too near his cage, he whipped his tail against the glass. He especially hated being taken out of the cage when it was time to clean it. My dad would hold him with a thick glove on while he furiously whapped his tail. More than once, Rocky peed down my dad's arm. He wasn't pacified until the cage was clean, and he was inside once again. From the safety of his own territory, he regarded the world with a suspicious glare. He liked grapes, lettuce, and celery, with tasty mealworms for dessert. Alas, he died of kindness. My mom became concerned that he wasn't getting enough sun, so she put him outside. Unaware that for reptiles, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, she left him out there too long. We didn't realize until a while afterward that he had died, because my dad bought another iguana, Rocky II.
We had many goldfish over the years, but Methuselah lived the longest (that's how the fish got its name). He was in a rather small aquarium, but he lived happily for over two years, and got to be pretty big, too. Well, I guess two years is not really that long, but it was long compared with our other goldfish. Goldfish are supposed to live for 25 years, and, if they keep growing, just imagine how big they would be!
Slither was the name of Rebekah's pet snake. She found it slithering in the grass about a block from our house. It was a green garter snake. Rebekah and I thought it was cute, but our mom didn't, 'cause she hates snakes! But it's not fair to be afraid of small, nonpoisonous snakes, is it? Anyway, if any of our friends acted up at our house, one look at the snake quickly made them behave. I petted it once. It was very smooth, and its shiny scales felt nice. It was about as thick as a finger and about a foot and a half long. I don't remember it eating anything. A few months after she caught it, my sister released it.