Anyone else have curious helpers?

My cats love when they get to explore and play in the snake room. Scully has to get to the highest spot of course. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...02b9466d.plist




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My German shepherd goes bonkers when I feed the snakes. I think he's jealous that they're getting the rats and rabbits, and he isn't.

My dogs like to be near me, but none of the four seem to care at all about the reptiles. I often sit in my reptile area, even if I don't have any of the reptiles out, as it's kind of my spot in the house other than my office. The dogs love to come cuddle on the big chair, etc.

When I walk around with the reptiles, the dogs don't get jealous, or even seem to register the animal I am with. When I first moved in, the littlest dog, Moxie, who is 10 pounds, wanted to meet everyone. He would go nuts and try to guard the reptiles from the other dogs. I showed him, carefully, Frank the Blue Tongue Skink, who also could care less, and let him smell Shayna, the BP. After that, he didn't seem to care either. It's now anticlimactic for him.

A lot of people say other animals and reptiles should not be mixed. I agree, in many circumstances, especially if they are alone together or one can eat the other easily :). However, letting Moxie sniff the back of Shayna and Frank didn't do anyone any harm. In fact, it got him to chill out and calm his curiosity. In that instance, with both me and Katie there, and in control of the situation, I think that was okay.

I never leave reptiles and dogs alone and wouldn't. I also have no intention of letting the Boas, when full grown, near my little dogs (10 pounds, and 2X 15 pounds). There is risk for instinct to kick in and the dogs to get hurt, although probably a small risk, why take it?

Anyway, I digressed.

Very cute cat, GoingPostal, and nice of you share.

I think it's good for people to see that in many circumstances, having them in the same area is harmless.

I will add that I never leave the dogs in the reptile area unattended or while feeding. The former, because I have 3 males who like to mark, and I've had snakes in the past freak out because of the urine smell and get very defensive. The latter because I don't need to be tripping on them while trying to feed snakes!

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but cool thread.

Beautiful cat, sweet Dumeril. ✌️

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

My German shepherd goes bonkers when I feed the snakes. I think he's jealous that they're getting the rats and rabbits, and he isn't.

---

I've learned my lesson on thawing feeders, make sure the door is securely closed and they are in a container just in case. My Bengal won't generally eat rodents but she does want to and will steal them, chew them to grossness and then leave them. Ugh. Thankfully my dogs are not picky because I couldn't offer them to the snakes like that lol. I used to feed the big breeder rats to my dogs when I bred them as I don't have anything large enough to handle ones that size. They don't seem thrilled but they eat them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dakski

I think it's good for people to see that in many circumstances, having them in the same area is harmless.

I will add that I never leave the dogs in the reptile area unattended or while feeding. The former, because I have 3 males who like to mark, and I've had snakes in the past freak out because of the urine smell and get very defensive. The latter because I don't need to be tripping on them while trying to feed snakes!

---

There is definitely a line between safety and stupidity when it comes to animals. I'm pretty cautious with my crew but it's easy enough to successfully keep many different pets happy and healthy. If I'm taking the snakes out or feeding, the door is closed and no kitties allowed. Since my reptile room is heated and humidified, the door is closed by default most of the year but the cats like the windows in the summer and ignore the snake cages, I think that they are raised up with inactive snakes in the lower cages helps. Weirdly enough my Bengal is super interested in snake urates though, she'd eat them if I let her. My dogs don't really seem to notice the snakes as living things but they've never seen them down on the ground either and they don't go in the snake room ever really.

My 2 dogs seem to be "on the same page" as dakski's dogs in that they're not very interested in my snakes. Both of my dogs are old & have been with me a long time-
so they're used to living with snakes, especially since my snakes are housed throughout my house, not just in one room that is closed off. Now & then when I hold a snake
my dogs show minor curiosity, at which point I'll let them sniff the snake (not near their face) & that's it...they're not impressed. If I'm not home, my larger dog (who has
been with me since she was 6 mos. old) has the run of the house: she's the sort of dog that never even gets into trash, much less a snake cage. My smaller dog is in his
crate if I'm away, just because he's less trustworthy (trash would be most interesting to him) but I'm usually home & the presence of snakes is nothing "new & exciting"
to either of my dogs. You really have to know your dogs well though- many dogs (& cats) are not trustworthy with other pets.

My dogs show no interest in my snake in his cage, but I don't take my ball python out around them. My dogs have a high prey drive and I don't trust them to not go for the kill.