Awsome real-life pets you seen

Mania
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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

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zedxrgal wrote:This may also call for my story when I was pulled over for swerving because my 3.5 foot monitor was trying to crawl into my jacket. :lol:
Trade stories? ;)

....

So when I was in college I lived at my mother's house in Titusville and drove to classes at UCF, about 60 miles away. Much of the distance was through a swamp known as the St. Johns River.

One evening when I was driving to my Intro to Discrete Mathematics course, a smallish alligator pops up over the bank at the side of the road and tries to dash across. It was terrible timing, though -- I was in a small block of cars and while I swerved, the car beside me didn't. Thankfully the gator wasn't run over, but he did take a knock to the tail and ended up stunned in the middle of a highway.

I pulled over immediately, u-turned to go the wrong way down the highway, then pulled over again into the median. I jumped out, ran in front of oncoming traffic, grabbed the gator in both arms (little bugger weighed a ton) and ran back to my car.

I looked him over as well as I could while I was holding him -- he'd taken some damage to his tail, he was missing several scales by his right ear hole, and it looked like his left rear foot might be broken. He was bleeding a little. But at least he wasn't smooshed! Luckily he was still out cold so he didn't object much.

One of the oncoming cars pulled over into the median next to me. It was ... a state trooper! Now at the time there was a $5000 fine for molesting gators, and here I am with a stunned gator in my arms. The cop pulled his car beside me -- notice that he didn't get out -- and asked me what the hell I was doing.

I explained that the gator had run in front of some cars, including mine, that he was injured and that I was taking him to the vet. The cop looked doubtful, but apparently the tears streaming down my face helped convince him. So he points out that my vet won't be able to help -- by law he couldn't touch the gator either -- and that there was a gator farm/rehab place a few miles down the road. He'll give me an escort, he says, and make sure I'm going where I say I am going -- and not, for instance, home to butcher me a gator.

I didn't expect an escort with sirens and lights, but that's what I got .. well, the lights anyway. It was only maybe five miles or so. When I pulled over at the gator farm, the cop pulled up beside me again and suggested that I unload the gator and pretend he had never been in my car. ;) Then he took off.

It was during that drive, by the way, that the gator woke up. And he was not a happy gator. Since I'd put him with his head towards the middle of the car without thinking, and since my car was a manual transmission with the gear shift in the console between the seats, this was a problem. In order to shift, I had to use my right hand to tease him (wiggling my fingers above and behind his head) until he snapped at me, then dart my hand as quickly as possible to the gear shift. I knew this was a stupid plan -- gators are fast -- but he was still sluggish from the accident. And anyway I didn't have much choice.

To make the rest of this long story short, when I unloaded him at the gator farm and carried him inside, they freaked out and sent me back outside. (Okay, I had a writhing 4-foot gator in my arms. So?) I stashed him back in the car (running, with the A/C on slightly so he didn't fry) and went back inside, where they had me call Fish & Game. It took me 10 minutes of begging and sniffling to get Fish & Game to agree to come and another 45 minutes for them to show up, during which time the gator and I sat by the side of the road under a bush. The gator farm people brought me a bottle of water which I used on the gator to keep him cool and hydrated.

I never did make it to Intro to Discrete that day. And my professor wouldn't accept my homework because he thought I was lying. Hmph.
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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

Unread post by Vephriel »

That is an amazing story Mania. Wow...I just adore crocs and gators...wish I lived somewhere where I could view them in the wild.
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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

Unread post by Saturo »

Hehe, good story. :)
Is the 'gator okay nowadays?

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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

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Oh yeah, I should have added that. Fish & Game looked him over, said he might have a broken foot and he should be just fine once that healed.

This was all about .. err ... 12 years ago. I assume that he is a much longer gator these days.
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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

Unread post by Gala »

This conversation literally just happened

Veph: "Wow, Mania just posted an awesome story of a time she had to drive with a 4 foot gator beside her in the vehicle"
Me: "the fact that your brain goes 'cool' and not 'why the hell was a gator riding shotgun' says a lot about you"

cool story though
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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

Unread post by zedxrgal »

Mania wrote:Trade stories? ;)
Yes. Let's. :D

--------------------

Many many moons ago I got a baby, 4 inch long hatchling Savannah monitor and raised him basically almost as you would a dog. He's was given all sorts of privileges that my other reptiles were. He also became 'bonded' to me and me only. I named him Gator because as a tiny wee baby that's what he looked like. Fast forward two years later and he'd hit 3.5 feet long. He went with me to as many places as would allow.
One night I'd gone to visit my boyfriend and had taken Gator with me. (He didn't like him) It had got to around 11 PM at night so I decided was time to head home. Gator would either sit on my lap and look out the window or sit on the dash. I guess it was to cold for him or something so he decided to crawl into my jacket. Well I really didn't want him in there so I was a bit of a fight. I finally gave up and said "FINE. Big baby." Not a minute later and I see the disco lights in my rear view mirror. I knew I wasn't speeding or anything. So I pull over, turn the car off and roll down the window. Just my luck the cop is a guy. I said 'crap' and just waited. He gets to my window and asked that same dumb question of did I know why he pulled me over. I told him no. He said "well you were swervin a bit back there. Have you had anything to drink tonight?" That's when Gator started to move around and made a pretty loud hiss. At first the cop was caught off guard but dismissed it. I said no and told him I was on my way home from my boyfriends house. Apparently this officer was lingering at my window just way to long for Gator's comfort. Another hiss came but this one was really long and really loud and now he's fighting to get out of my jacket. Not wanting to make any quick moves I reach up to the top of my jacket (it was zipped up) and pressed down to keep him in. The cop somewhat startled at this point said "Do you have a dog or something?" and shined the flashlight right at my jacket. This really made Gator angry and he was coming out of my jacket one way or the other. I told the officer it was a monitor lizard pet and it seems he's unhappy. Needless to say I couldn't hold him anymore and he got out of my jacket. :o Damnit. He immediately puffed up, made another really long deep his and started gaping his mouth open. At this point the officer is very startled and wants to just let me go and hand me my license back. Gator wants to bite him so this creates a problem. He was to fast for me to set him somewhere else in the car and I sure as hades didn't want him biting a cop. Well the cop decided to be stupid and be faster then Gator and tries to hand me my license very quickly. At this point things happen VERY suddenly and Gator went for him. I don't know how he missed but the officer got scratched on the hand and it was from his nails. I apologized emphatically just praying I wouldn't be arrested. Cop said it was his fault. I now had Gator pinned under my legs and was fighting to keep him there. The officer set my license on the roof of my car and backed up. I reached up and grabbed it. The officer let me go. :lol: As soon as the officer got 5 feet from the car Gator relaxed and acted as though nothing had just happened. Back on my lap staring out the window.

So yeah. That's my story.
:D

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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

Unread post by Saturo »

A lizard that prevents arrests... ME WANTIE!

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Re: Awsome real-life pets you seen

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Or causes it ... ;)

That's an adorable story, zedxrgal! I can just imagine your Savannah getting all protective of you (or at least his warm spot in the jacket) and hissing at the big mean cop!
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