That's right, a snake! Brett found it when he was at a job site in Pensacola. I love the expression on Todd's face in that middle picture above--the happy excitement. The boys thought it was great. They both touched it and tried to pet it right away.
The boys quickly decided that even Indiana Jones (who hates snakes, of course) wouldn't be afraid of this snake. We had a hard time deciding on a name for the snake. Brett and I were in favor of Dr. Jinks. I just wanted to keep the "Dr." prefix in honor of Indiana. Ryan decided to name the snake Mr. Teddy-Bone (a name he claims he heard from Mickey Mouse on the Playhouse Disney web site).
Todd stuck with the "one-finger-touch" for a while, but it didn't take Ryan too long before he was ready to see if it would climb onto his shoulder. He said it tickled him.
You can tell how much I trust my husband's knowledge of things natural. Brett says that this snake is one of the most gentle snakes you'll find in the wild. And I believe him--no questions asked--enough that I am willing to try hold the snake and let it climb over my arms. Looking at these pictures I think it looks a little crazy. However, I would do it again in a heartbeat. It really was cool. It was neat feeling the snake's body contract and relax as it moved. I also liked feeling it tighten its tail around my finger or wrist as it tried climbing off one limb and moving to another. Awesome.
Todd wouldn't hold the snake in the afternoon with the rest of us. But as soon as Brett said that it was time to let it go that evening, Todd wanted a turn. He didn't want to miss this opportunity. By then he had seen the rest of us handle the snake without any fear or any problems and with great enthusiasm. Todd did great.
We even printed out some pictures for Todd to bring to school for Show-And-Tell. Here are some of the facts that I wrote out for Todd to share with his class:
Todd wouldn't hold the snake in the afternoon with the rest of us. But as soon as Brett said that it was time to let it go that evening, Todd wanted a turn. He didn't want to miss this opportunity. By then he had seen the rest of us handle the snake without any fear or any problems and with great enthusiasm. Todd did great.
We even printed out some pictures for Todd to bring to school for Show-And-Tell. Here are some of the facts that I wrote out for Todd to share with his class:
-corn snake; "red rat snake"
-a constrictor
-a constrictor
-a good climber, but prefers to hide underground
-eats mice, young rats, small birds, lizards, and frogs
We let him loose under the little wooden deck off our bedroom, but I agree with Brett that we probably won't ever see him again. It's a shame. He would be a pretty cool pet. I think Brett's dad will be relieved to hear that we decided not to keep him in a tank in the house (he shares a phobia with Dr. Jones)--don't doubt that we were a little tempted.
We let him loose under the little wooden deck off our bedroom, but I agree with Brett that we probably won't ever see him again. It's a shame. He would be a pretty cool pet. I think Brett's dad will be relieved to hear that we decided not to keep him in a tank in the house (he shares a phobia with Dr. Jones)--don't doubt that we were a little tempted.
Hope to see you again, Dr. Teddy-Bone.
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