Posted on 02/24/2024 6:21:30 AM PST by Red Badger
A Colorado man died after being bitten by his pet Gila monster -- which have been known to deliver a fatal amount of venom. That's why Wyoming exotic pet dealers say that Gila monsters are usually best left in the wild.
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If a pet Gila monster is on your wish list, you should probably reconsider, some Wyoming pet dealers said.
Particularly in light of a Lakewood, Colorado man dying this month after he was bitten by one of his two pet Gila monsters. Keeping those critters in captivity isn’t a good idea, Andrew Jenkinson of Gillette and Kiley Troia of Riverton told Cowboy State Daily.
“I don’t know how well you can even tame down a Gila monster. If they’re anything like monitors (monitor lizards), then no. You can’t tame down monitors,” said Jenkinson, who owns Mr. Critters, a pet store in Gillette.
Troia, who owns Critters, Scales & Tails, a pet store in Riverton, is also against selling and keeping Gila monsters.
“I think some animals just shouldn’t be kept as pets,” she said.
Fatal Bite?
Lakewood resident Christopher Ward, 34, had two pet Gila monsters, named “Winston” and “Potato,” according to news reports.
He was taken to a local hospital immediately after Winston bit him on Feb. 12. He was placed on life support but died on Feb. 16. His girlfriend surrendered both of the Gila monsters to Lakewood animal control.
The Jefferson County, Colorado coroner’s office has not yet officially ruled the bite as the sole cause of Ward’s death, according to reports, but Gila monster venom is known to be fatally toxic.
Gila monsters are a species of lizard native to the Southwestern United States and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. They can grow up to about 22 inches in length and are the only venomous lizard species native to the United States.
Know What You’re Getting Into
Jenkinson and Troia say they don’t know of anybody in Wyoming trying to keep Gila monsters as pets.
But there are some who keep potentially dangerous critters, such as rattlesnakes, Jenkinson said.
Rattlers are fascinating, but people absolutely must know what they’re doing to keep them in captivity, he said.
“The first thing you’ve got to do is get in line with state, federal and local laws. Here in Gillette, you can’t keep anything venomous,” Jenkinson said.
And people should do their research and know the needs, habits, and potential dangers of owning any exotic pets, he added.
Troia said that in general, Wyoming regulations are relatively loose regarding what animals can be kept in captivity. And she’s seen too many instances of people trying to go beyond the usual dog or cat pet options, but then regretting it.
“We get surrenders here at the shop all the time, because people get different animals, but those people don’t realize what they’re getting into,” she said. “We get people surrendering snakes, lizards, Guinea pigs, ferrets and rats.”
Unusual critters, such as boa constrictor snakes, have an enthusiastic customer base in Wyoming, but they’re not a good option for novice pet owners, she added.
In addition to human safety concerns, Jenkinson said he doesn’t like to see novices try to take on exotic pets, because it can frequently end badly for the animals.
There’s a wealth of knowledge available, and experts to consult before taking the dive into exotic animal ownership, he said.
“As long as the person is responsible about it, I don’t have huge issues with it,” he said.
But owning Gila monsters is probably a bridge too far for anybody, he added.
“Some species should just be left in the wild, to live out their lives in the wild,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
I used to work those bombing ranges and one of those things came into our station at the aux range. The roll-up door was open and it just came right on in.
I had seen every kind of lizard or snake in the desert but it was a first for a Gila Monster. I told everyone to leave it alone. It left after a while and found a rabbit hole.
Lots of screaming.
I was kidding. They’re pretty lethargic creatures, and if you don’t mess with them, they’re not dangerous.
One time I was topping a tall fir tree and put my glove on what looked like some kind of weird fungal growth. It was a little bat and I accidentally knocked it loose from its perch. It fell around 80 feet to the ground. Fortunately, it fell into some grass that cushioned the sudden stop.
I climbed back down the tree and took a look at it. It was unconscious but looked like it was breathing. It was a pleasant day; I laid it down in a shoe box with some padding. And left it in the sun on our front porch. When I was done cutting the top off of the tree. I went over and was looking at it. It opened its little eyes and was apparently horrified. It leaped into the air and flew past my head. So I guess it just had the wind knocked out of it with no serious injuries.
The other long rehab project we had was a Mountain Beaver who fell into the lower patio and was attacked by our wienerdogs. While he was still stunned, I washed out his wounds but doubted that he would make it. I called a mountain beaver expert in another state to get advice on how to best help with its recovery.
They are not actually beavers at all, just a really big burrowing rodent. He was very docile, but had big teeth and claws, so I always wore leather gloves when handling him. But he never tried to bite me.
My wife and I were both working at the time, so I took him to the fire house with me during my shift, so that he could be fed. I of course took a lot of abuse from my co-workers. I found a good spot to release him that was a couple miles from the fire house. The guy who had given me the most trouble was with me. I had kept the mountain beaver in a carrier and not let people disturb him. So the guy didn't know what he looked like... I put some lettuce in front of the carrier and opened the door. The mountain beaver came out and was sitting in front of the lettuce on his back legs eating it.
The guy with me squealed, “Oh, he is so cute!” When the mountain beaver was through eating, he wandered off into the bushes, never to be seen again by us.
-I used to work those bombing ranges and one of those things came into our station at the aux range.-
I was in EOD and worked clearing those ranges. That desert was unbelievable hot in the summer and we did come across a couple of remains of migrants who didn’t make it across the desert. It was deadly hot there in the summer.
But when it rained there (very rare) the desert would bloom into a gorgeous wonderland with flowers of all kinds spread as far as you could see. Amazing.
Yeah, I have seen them here!
They will never attack on their own.
But is they feel threatened, they will defend themselves the only way they know. Bite and hold, pumping slightly venomous saliva into their attacker.
apparently, is is very hard to get rid of them when they bite!
Yeah, they hold on. It’s a testament to how low-key they are that they need venom to subdue mice. Even in their warm climate, they brumate through the winter.
EOD had a terrible mishap on NTAC.
I was in charge of all comms 1991-95.
Yes, the old desert can be quite beautiful.
-EOD had a terrible mishap on NTAC.-
What happened? That was a decade after I left.
Racing 5 tons one turned going back to range 1.
First female A-10 instructor also went head first at Range 1.
F-16 down head first on NTAC.
2 F-16’s collide at R-4.
My guys picked him up in a 2 wheel ranger.
Other guy landed GB AFAF with half a right side wing.
Marines came in and shot up all my SAP’s.
Bastards from San Diego. Carrier of course.
(Surveyed Aim Points)
I hated going to plane crash recovery. What a mess.
One A-10 pilot was on his last training flight when he nosed-in. His wife was on the road to their next base in Florida and the AF had to get the state cops to stop her and let her know. What a sad day.
This crash was strange in that the biggest piece of the crash was the pilot who was still in his seat and his oxygon mask was still on. I guess the armor plate below the seat kept him together. Only one I had to cut the pilot out of the seat.
At that time, Luke AFB had a German squadron who flew F-104s. Those F-104s crashed all the time but I didn’t mind going to those crashes as the pilots always got out. If a warning light came on, they would immediately punched-out.
A road was built to get to that NTAC crash.
It took 3 days to find. A-10’s from DM. I was there in a truck.
Just things that do not get talked about.
I never was up close and personal.
The Lady A-10 went in upside down and didn’t know it.
That was Range 1 near Ajo. They asked me for radio comm on
121.5 or 243. I did not have it. They had me install recorders at all the ranges following that event.
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