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PYTHONS ON THE LOOSE : Largest of Florida's pet pests invade Everglades
florida-weekly ^ | August 2, 2007 | ROGER _WILLIAMS

Posted on 08/02/2007 8:26:56 AM PDT by george76

Burmese pythons are particularly popular for about $40 wholesale or just under $100 in a pet store, at about the size of a ruler. You feed a little one mice, and then rats, and then as it continues to grow in size and appetite, you offer up chickens and rabbits, the experts say.

You watch your snakeling graduate in about three years to a length of 10 or 12 feet, or longer. Ultimately it can reach 20 feet, and the heavyweights tip the scales at about 300 pounds, and live to about 25 years. Their defacatory production is renowned.

And while you're raising your young python, plan on accommodating its living needs, which make a teenager's look mild. At first, you can put it in a cage. Then you can put it in a very big cage. And finally, you'd just better give it an entire room, or the guest wing of your home. And if you get tired of feeding it four or five big rabbits at a time, go ahead and provide a small pig (or maybe an unruly child or, well, you get the picture).

Burmese pythons are breeding like rabbits.

Some wildlife biologists estimate their numbers in the park now at about 5,000, most of them wild-born offspring of animals from the pet trade either purposely released or escaped from owners after major storms...

"We had laws to control lions, tigers and poisonous snakes, the class one animals, but we didn't have a category to take care of invasive species - pythons, monitor lizards and iguanas, invasive rats down in the keys - things that are and can be super destructive to Florida's environment," ...

Just how destructive is anybody's guess.

"The devastating effect of the python is probably on the bird populations, young nesting birds,"

(Excerpt) Read more at florida-weekly.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: animals; burmese; burmesepythons; defactory; defectory; environment; invasion; notdefactory; pests; pythons; shootfirst; snakes; wildlife
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To: evets

And in Asian Pacific, there some that still do, in the same way that flying squirrels and flying fish do. They flatten their bodies and glide from tree to tree.


41 posted on 08/02/2007 9:15:27 AM PDT by RoadGumby (Ask me about Ducky)
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To: RoadGumby
I've seen that on film!

42 posted on 08/02/2007 9:19:11 AM PDT by evets (beer)
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To: pepsionice

this idiot couple had let loose out in the Rockies...a bunch of exotic snakes


No doubt a bunch of Earth firster types.

It would’ve been in a Prius if it happened today.


43 posted on 08/02/2007 9:19:48 AM PDT by Senator Goldwater
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To: Hegemony Cricket
defacatory ?

I think they mean defecatory

44 posted on 08/02/2007 9:20:58 AM PDT by edzo4
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To: evets

Go Gators!


45 posted on 08/02/2007 9:23:31 AM PDT by yuleeyahoo
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To: RoadGumby
Gimme a Lab any time.

Snakes will not retrieve waterfowl, especially cripples.
Snakes will not swim through sewage in New Orleans looking for dead bodies (Like my Lab did)
Snakes will not greet you at the door with sloppy kisses after you've had a hard day at work.
Snakes will not bark when someone pulls up in the driveway.
Snakes will not help you pick up chicks.

I can stand a little dog hair in my food for those benefits.

46 posted on 08/02/2007 9:23:56 AM PDT by CholeraJoe (WARNING: Dangerous to pregnant women and small children. May burst into flames at any time.)
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To: Fawn

And people that snatch other peoples animals and has surgical procedures performed without the owners permission are nuts.


47 posted on 08/02/2007 9:25:38 AM PDT by Shyla
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To: CholeraJoe

I’d not want my dog that just swam through sewage to get the bird I shot to give me sloppy kisses either. (Just lightening up a bit).

But, I wasn’t saying that the traditional pets (dogs/cats) are undesirable. I was pointing out that snakes as a pet can be very easy to keep. Just as there are many beautiful colors in cats, snakes are almost literally living jewels with all the different colors.

The scale of the fear or dislike of reptiles in general and snakes in particular is most certainly based exclusively on ignorance of the animal. Oh, and snakes definitely CAN help you pick up chicks. I’ve had Ducky, my Yellow Anaconda in the office of my company several times and the women in the other offices always want to check him out. Seems counter-intuitive, but hey, results speak for themselves.


48 posted on 08/02/2007 9:32:58 AM PDT by RoadGumby (Ask me about Ducky)
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To: george76
Use them as a food source to feed the homeless.

How about visa versa? Could be the solution to the big city bums, er, homeless folks......Offer them an all expense paid bus trip to the Everglades and a case of beer.

49 posted on 08/02/2007 9:35:35 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (If your cat was big enough it would probably eat you)
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To: RoadGumby
I tried not to get real friendly with Midnight when he'd been swimming in sewage. Had to hose him off with bleach solution but he didn't seem to mind.

I suppose there is a subset of women attracted to the mystery of an exotic snake. I'm not sure they would be my type, though.

50 posted on 08/02/2007 9:40:39 AM PDT by CholeraJoe (WARNING: Dangerous to pregnant women and small children. May burst into flames at any time.)
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To: RoadGumby

I don’t fear snakes, I just hate them and kill them where ever I find them. I had the pleasure of killing a copperhead in my flower bed just about a month ago.


51 posted on 08/02/2007 9:43:12 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: Hot Tabasco
Some folks learn to cope:


52 posted on 08/02/2007 9:43:14 AM PDT by Rb ver. 2.0 (eHarmony reject)
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To: Ditter
I had the pleasure of killing a copperhead in my flower bed just about a month ago.

I haven't seen a snake here in Michigan in years. But then again, I don't where I used to go to find them anymore.....I was always catching them when I was a kid, drove my mom crazy.

"No, you are not keeping it!"

53 posted on 08/02/2007 9:47:33 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (If your cat was big enough it would probably eat you)
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To: RoadGumby

If I lived in Fla. my concern would be about walking into the middle of ‘mating’ areas.

IIRC, these large snakes, once they have a large enough population, get together for ‘mass orgies’.

Hundreds and hundreds of pythons, curling and slithering around each other having sex.

uuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhggggggggggg!!!!!!!

Wouldn’t want to walk into that nest. You probably wouldn’t walk out.

Correct me if it is constrictors instead of pythons.


54 posted on 08/02/2007 9:48:38 AM PDT by UCANSEE2
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To: Hot Tabasco
Texas has a lot of snakes, poisonous and non poisonous.
55 posted on 08/02/2007 9:51:17 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: Ditter
I had the pleasure of killing a copperhead in my flower bed

When I was first sent to Panama in the Army, I was stationed on a real small island called Flamenco island. A couple of times I was able to catch small boa constrictors and once an iguana.

There was also a huge boa that every now and then someone would get a glimpse of as it snaked across the road that went to the top of our island.

56 posted on 08/02/2007 9:53:52 AM PDT by Hot Tabasco (If your cat was big enough it would probably eat you)
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To: JulieRNR21; kinganamort; katherineisgreat; floriduh voter; summer; Goldwater Girl; windchime; ...
I love living in Florida. I really do.

Florida Freeper


57 posted on 08/02/2007 10:00:28 AM PDT by Joe Brower (Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
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To: Hot Tabasco

I caught an armadillo by the tail, that is as close as I have come to catching a snake. Yeah, I know, not very close LOL!


58 posted on 08/02/2007 10:01:01 AM PDT by Ditter
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To: Abathar

you underestimate the desire of us hunters. if we had them up in MI, or if i was down there, i’d be all about getting ‘em.


59 posted on 08/02/2007 10:10:42 AM PDT by absolootezer0 (stop repeat offenders- don't re-elect them!)
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To: RoadGumby

Take it easy there big fella, own all the pit-bulls and snakes that you want, I think it’s just peachy.


60 posted on 08/02/2007 10:15:34 AM PDT by tupac
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