# Miscellaneous Herp Interests > Venomous Animals >  Dozier the super reduced pattern reticulated Gila progress thread

## Sauzo

So figure I'll start a new thread since I finally came up with a name. Based on him always digging tunnels, I named him Dozer. He's had 2 meals and we started working together. The little guy is not shy and loves to explore. I put a glove on that I scented with myself and pet his head. He initiated first contact and climbed onto the glove and sat on me. We messed around for about 20 mins and the whole time I would let him climb on the glove, then lift him and put him on his half log. He would then climb down and come back over to the open door to rinse and repeat lol. Now I closed the door and he is all over it wanting out again haha. And I will leave you with a close up of a foot as he moved as I was trying photo him. Hard to photo with a note 9 in one hand and making sure the baby didn't fall with a gloved opposite hand.

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Bluedevil0584 (01-23-2019),*Bogertophis* (01-17-2019),_dakski_ (01-17-2019),_Dianne_ (01-17-2019),_Ditto_ (02-10-2019),dr del (01-18-2019),_EL-Ziggy_ (01-18-2019),_GoingPostal_ (01-19-2019),_jmcrook_ (01-17-2019),_KevinK_ (01-17-2019),_Sonny1318_ (01-17-2019)

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## Dianne

Great photos and impressive claws on that foot!  In regards to the claws, are they continuously growing that they would need to be filed or clipped?

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*Bogertophis* (01-17-2019),_Sauzo_ (01-18-2019)

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## Bogertophis

I sure hope he doesn't need pedicures?  Seems really personable too...you should be ashamed of yourself, Sauzo!   :Very Happy:   Making us all want one!

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_Sauzo_ (01-18-2019)

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## KevinK

If you get smoked, make sure you record the reaction lol. I'm not buying the Coyote Peterson Gila monster bite video, dude has like five cameras on him and all of them "conveniently" missed the actual bite and then the guy is talking pretty casually throughout the whole ordeal....fake as a $3 bill. But, my rant is done haha.

People provide them some kind of gravel to assist in wearing down claws correct?

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## Danger noodles

> If you get smoked, make sure you record the reaction lol. I'm not buying the Coyote Peterson Gila monster bite video, dude has like five cameras on him and all of them "conveniently" missed the actual bite and then the guy is talking pretty casually throughout the whole ordeal....fake as a $3 bill. But, my rant is done haha.
> 
> People provide them some kind of gravel to assist in wearing down claws correct?


Lol u must not know anything about him if u think he faked it! Like him or not but he does a lot of good for us animal lovers. And his pain index chart is insane!!

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## Sauzo

> If you get smoked, make sure you record the reaction lol. I'm not buying the Coyote Peterson Gila monster bite video, dude has like five cameras on him and all of them "conveniently" missed the actual bite and then the guy is talking pretty casually throughout the whole ordeal....fake as a $3 bill. But, my rant is done haha.
> 
> People provide them some kind of gravel to assist in wearing down claws correct?


Not sure about the gravel. I had pieces of slate for my beardie to keep her toe nails down. I'll eventually add a rock or two for him to climb on as it seems he LOVES to climb up stuff. His 3 passions are digging tunnels in the aspen and popping his head up in random places, climbing his half log or giant driftwood, and windshield washing the doors or wedging himself between the door and litter dam sides and inchworm his way up to the top of the cage lol. He definitely has a lot of personality. It's really funny when you walk by and startle him when hes got his head buried in the aspen and digging. He pops out, huffs up and stares at me. Then he must realize its me or something as he calms down and goes back to digging.

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_KevinK_ (01-18-2019)

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## Sauzo

> Great photos and impressive claws on that foot!  In regards to the claws, are they continuously growing that they would need to be filed or clipped?


I used to clip my beardies toe nail ends just to remove the sharp end but I'm not doing that with Dozer, no matter how calm he is lol. Worst case, my vet says she will see my gila and beaded when i get him so I'll have her clip the nails if needed but I'm going to just try with a few rocks so he can climb on them.




> I sure hope he doesn't need pedicures?  Seems really personable too...you should be ashamed of yourself, Sauzo!    Making us all want one!


Lol, i wish i would have pulled the trigger sooner. Little guy is awesome and even though babies are notorious for being bitey and pissy, he is really laid back....but I'm still going to use a glove on the hand closest to the bitey end until he gets bigger so the distance between the bitey end and the spot i hold him is further apart lol.

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*Bogertophis* (01-23-2019),_Sonny1318_ (01-18-2019)

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## KevinK

> Lol u must not know anything about him if u think he faked it! Like him or not but he does a lot of good for us animal lovers. And his pain index chart is insane!!


I'm just saying, if that guy got bit by a Gila then I've survived a Grizzly and Orca attack as well.....come on man, watch that video and tell me it's real lol.

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## Sonny1318

God bless you brother, wish you nothing but the best of luck. Better playing it safe then sorry. Not to cause trouble, but did you ever have a Tegu ? Those are sweet too!

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_Sauzo_ (01-19-2019)

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## MR Snakes

Does he sell insurance?

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## Danger noodles

> I'm just saying, if that guy got bit by a Gila then I've survived a Grizzly and Orca attack as well.....come on man, watch that video and tell me it's real lol.


Mid bet u my kidneys its real. He does crazy stuff. Go watch his other vids and say he is faking it. Thats kind of what he does is get bit and stung and tells u how bad it hurts. U can see the stinger get stuck in his flesh. He stated that he was done now because the pain is real! But its easy to hate from a keyboard.

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## KevinK

> Go watch his other vids and say he is faking it. .


He's faking it. Lol

The Gila video at least.

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## Sauzo

> God bless you brother, wish you nothing but the best of luck. Better playing it safe then sorry. Not to cause trouble, but did you ever have a Tegu ? Those are sweet too!


Thanks and nope. I thought about a tengu but I used to have a Nile monitor and savannah monitors and big lizards need very big enclosures. Didn't want to have to build a 10x4 cage lol.

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*Bogertophis* (01-23-2019),_jmcrook_ (01-19-2019),_Sonny1318_ (01-19-2019)

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## Sauzo

So Dozer was all active the first few days. I think he has settled in as now he lazy after a couple meals. He perks up dhrn I slide a door open but then lays back down all stretched out inside his log on top of his heater. Not the best pic but I didn't want to bug him.

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*Bogertophis* (01-23-2019),_Dianne_ (01-20-2019),_KevinK_ (01-20-2019)

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## Sauzo

For a venomous reptile, they are so cute. He went back to sleep after getting breakfast in bed.

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*Bogertophis* (01-23-2019),_Dianne_ (02-13-2019)

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## Skyrivers

Is great to see how he is doing. Not a lizard guy here but he looks great.

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_Sauzo_ (01-21-2019)

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## Sauzo

Dozer had his first workout day on the bed. Little explored everywhere. Not the best pics but the little booger was on a mission


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*Bogertophis* (01-23-2019),_dakski_ (01-23-2019),_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),_jmcrook_ (01-23-2019)

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## Bogertophis

> For a venomous reptile, they are so cute. He went back to sleep after getting breakfast in bed....


What does venom have to do with it?  Rattlesnakes are cute too, when you get to know them & they relax with your presence...it's just that isn't a good idea 
for most people.  I truly never liked them BECAUSE they were venomous but in spite of it.  Dozier is a very handsome dude & seems quite personable.  His 
colors & marking are amazing.

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## tickyyy

is he aggressive when you handle him

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## Sauzo

> is he aggressive when you handle him


Nope. He did his once when I brought him home. Otherwise the little dude is so curious. Since his time on the bed, he has been windshield wiping the same door lol. I think he wants more enrichment. I do still wear a single glove that I use to guide him and move him though as accidents can happen.

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*Bogertophis* (02-04-2019),_dakski_ (01-23-2019)

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## Skyrivers

> Nope. He did his once when I brought him home. Otherwise the little dude is so curious. Since his time on the bed, he has been windshield wiping the same door lol. I think he wants more enrichment. I do still wear a single glove that I use to guide him and move him though as accidents can happen.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


Love him. How bad are the bites? Don't know much about them.

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## Sauzo

Picked up some new Mopani wood for Dozer. I think he likes it.

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*Bogertophis* (02-04-2019),_Dianne_ (02-13-2019)

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## Sauzo

Dozer after a good meal and a hard night's digging and destroying his house.

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_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),_EL-Ziggy_ (02-10-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-10-2019)

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## MarkL1561

Arent those highly venomous....? Did you need to obtain a permit or anything? How do you handle him, thick gloves or do you like to live dangerously? lol 


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## Danger noodles

> Arent those highly venomous....? Did you need to obtain a permit or anything? How do you handle him, thick gloves or do you like to live dangerously? lol 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Read the entire thread. I posted a video of coyote Peterson getting bitten by one

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## Sauzo

> Aren’t those highly venomous....? Did you need to obtain a permit or anything? How do you handle him, thick gloves or do you like to live dangerously? lol 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Venomous, yes. Highly venomous, no. There has been no recorded deaths from one since i believe 1920s or 1930s and i think that was from a child. While their venom i hear hurts like no ones business and might make you wish you died, a healthy adult should be ok. Still need to go to the hospital though or at least i would. Also should have a bite protocol folder that you can take with you to the hospital as a lot of doctors arent familiar with their bites or venom. You can pick one up from the Florida Snakebite Institute from Joe Pittman. He also has others for all sorts of venomous reptiles.

As for a permit, not where i live. They are legal but i did get paperwork with them stating they are CBB and who bred them and when they were born as they are protected in the wild and collecting or keeping a wild one is a federal offense.

As for handling, right now i use a single leather glove as they are youngsters only about 3 months old and can be unpredictable even though they are laid back. Once they get bigger, I might start freehandling but who knows.

Oh also, the breeder i got Dozer from, Steve Angeli, has taken bites from them and even one from an adult beaded lizard on his side. He says it hurts but he was at the gym working out the same day. What he told me was a lot of people overreact and the key is to get them off you asap as their delivery system is poor and they only get it in you by chewing on you. He also told me gila venom seems to hurt more than beaded venom even though beaded grow to around 3 feet where as gilas grow to about 1.5 feet.

And i do find Coyote's videos entertaining but the thing i dont understand is he doesnt sweat much when in THAT much pain. Maybe its just me but the one time i had to deal with a gall stone, I was doubled over and in so much pain, i actually cried which i never do. During that i was sweating so much, it looked like i was fresh out of a shower. The doctor at the hospital was amazed i drove myself there and that it took 2 full vials of pain killer before i could un fetal myself and talk to the him and the nurses.

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_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),_EL-Ziggy_ (02-10-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-10-2019)

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## Sauzo

Lol just caught Dozer in a crazy sleep pose. I have seen pics of guys with their gilas sleeping on their back like dog. Also heard they can sleep with their eyes open like that and look dead.

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_dakski_ (02-10-2019),_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),_EL-Ziggy_ (02-10-2019),_jmcrook_ (02-10-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-10-2019)

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## EL-Ziggy

Very cool critter Sauzo!

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_Sauzo_ (02-10-2019)

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## richardhind1972

Thats so cool,think he needs a pillow 


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_Sauzo_ (02-10-2019)

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## Sauzo

> Very cool critter Sauzo!


Thanks. They are pretty cool except they sleep as much as BPs.....or more lol. Basically, i catch them at night wandering over to the cool side to poop, then sit in the water dish for a minute, then back over to a log to dig under and sleep. I just lift a log and wiggle a F/T fuzzy at them every 3 days and they go bonkers and eat, then back to sleep.




> Thats so cool,think he needs a pillow 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk


Lol, he does. I'm waiting to catch him sleeping on his back with his little arms crossed across his chest. The other one isnt comfortable enough to sleep on its side yet i dont think. Dozer is so carefree and curious and wants to see whats going on where Tank is kind of the grumpy one.

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_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),_jmcrook_ (02-11-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-10-2019)

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## Sauzo

Dozer is so full of personality. Guy is out like a log.

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*Bogertophis* (02-13-2019),_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),Gio (02-13-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-14-2019)

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## Sauzo

Dozer sleeps like a dog almost lol.

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*Bogertophis* (02-13-2019),_Dianne_ (02-13-2019),_jmcrook_ (02-13-2019),_MarkL1561_ (02-13-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-14-2019)

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## MarkL1561

> Dozer sleeps like a dog almost lol.
> 
> Sent from my IPhone using Tapatalk


Thats pretty freakin adorable 


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_Sauzo_ (02-13-2019)

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## Bogertophis

Does he also kick his legs when he's asleep?   :ROFL:  Either way, he's too darn cute!  And he's obviously not feeling afraid in his 
surroundings...

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_Sauzo_ (02-13-2019)

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## Dianne

How cute!

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_Sauzo_ (02-13-2019)

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## Sauzo

> Does he also kick his legs when he's asleep?   Either way, he's too darn cute!  And he's obviously not feeling afraid in his 
> surroundings...


Havent seen him kick his leg but he did wake up, look around, smack his lips and then turn around and crawl under the log only to slowly 'sleepwalk' his way back out from under it and out in the open again lol.

Then saw Tank poke his head out from under his log and bump his head and get mad and hiss at the log lol. He's completely different than Dozer. We'll see how he turns out since I've only had him 2 weeks now. But he definitely isnt as carefree as Dozer.

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*Bogertophis* (02-14-2019),_jmcrook_ (02-14-2019),_richardhind1972_ (02-14-2019)

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## richardhind1972

That really is so cute


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_Sauzo_ (02-16-2019)

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## Sauzo

Dozer being a lazy sausage.

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*Bogertophis* (03-06-2019),_Dianne_ (03-07-2019),_richardhind1972_ (03-07-2019),_Starscream_ (03-07-2019)

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## Bogertophis

I can't get over how laid back they are...that's really cute.  (unless of course you wanted more active critters...oops?)

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_Sauzo_ (03-07-2019)

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## dakski

So cool, Sauzo. 

Can't to watch Dozier and Tank grow.

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_Sauzo_ (03-07-2019)

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## richardhind1972

They really are cute,love the way they lay on there sides

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_Sauzo_ (03-07-2019)

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## Skyrivers

Supper cute. How is feeding and handling going?

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_Sauzo_ (03-07-2019)

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## Sauzo

> Supper cute. How is feeding and handling going?


They both eat like horses. Dozer is the more friendly of the two and I can just reach in and he will climb up the glove to come out. Tank is coming around and will come to the front to see what's up when a door is opened but she hasn't gotten to fun around yet. I'm breaking her in with head scratching atm. I do give them both weekly soaking which they are getting much more comfortable with.

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_richardhind1972_ (03-07-2019)

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## Sauzo

Had Dozer out for some exercise. Her colors are starting to come in finally.

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*Bogertophis* (01-01-2020),_dakski_ (04-08-2019),_Dianne_ (04-08-2019),_EL-Ziggy_ (04-08-2019)

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## richardhind1972

Great colours, love the banded tail compared to all the spots on the rest

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_dakski_ (04-08-2019),_Sauzo_ (04-08-2019)

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## dakski

> Great colours, love the banded tail compared to all the spots on the rest
> 
> Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk


Looking good!

Rich - good point. The contrast is amazing.

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_Sauzo_ (04-08-2019)

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## Sauzo

Dozer getting some exercise. She is getting big.

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_Dianne_ (05-20-2019),_jmcrook_ (05-20-2019),_richardhind1972_ (05-20-2019)

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## richardhind1972

Just love them. Banded tails 

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_Sauzo_ (05-20-2019)

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## Sauzo

Moved Dozer into an AP T25. He seems to love it.


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*Bogertophis* (01-01-2020),dr del (08-06-2019),_jmcrook_ (08-05-2019),_richardhind1972_ (08-06-2019)

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## Sauzo

And here is Dozer being lazy. She is the friendliest gila Ive seen lol.
[IMG][/IMG]

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*Bogertophis* (01-01-2020),_richardhind1972_ (09-23-2019)

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## Sauzo

New Years update for Dozer!! She has doubled her size in the past year and is now easily 1 foot long. She is still her laid back self who loves to climb on my hand if i open a door. Loves her enrichment times outside.


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*Bogertophis* (01-01-2020),_dakski_ (01-02-2020),dr del (01-04-2020),_jmcrook_ (01-01-2020),_richardhind1972_ (01-01-2020)

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## Bogertophis

Beautiful lizard!  You've done a great job raising them both.   :Good Job:   Does either one ever try to bite your hopefully-still-gloved-hands?

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_Sauzo_ (01-01-2020)

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## richardhind1972

Looks so cool 

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_Sauzo_ (01-01-2020)

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## Sauzo

> Beautiful lizard!  You've done a great job raising them both.    Does either one ever try to bite your hopefully-still-gloved-hands?


Thanks. None of the 3 have tried to bite. Dozer is pretty oblivious to anything now that she is used to me. Reggie has always been laid back. I think I got a hiss from him once but not sure as I only heard a noise and nothing else like movement. Tank aka Mr Grumpy does pop his head up and will hiss if you walk by the cage at night when he is out at the front. Once he sees its me though, he calms down and waddles over to me and climbs on a glove.

The only one I fully freehand is Reggie the beaded. Dozer is half/half. I sometimes freehand her. Tank I still use a glove as he is easier spook and I dont want an accident.


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*Bogertophis* (01-01-2020),_dakski_ (01-02-2020),_jmcrook_ (01-01-2020),_richardhind1972_ (01-01-2020)

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