CADILLAC NEWS (Michigan) 25 August 08 Michigan’s own Steve Irwin - minus the Australian accent
Dangling the head of a 5-foot long snake in front of his mouth, Chris Gee of McBain said, "See? They’re not dangerous."
He parts his lips and opens his mouth wide as the red tail boa snake’s head slithers inside - a stunt Chris has performed many times.
"If you respect them, they’ll respect you," he said, taking the rare snake named "Storm" out of his mouth, only to seal his lips around the snake’s body.
"There’s no reason to be afraid - I just got done holding a rat," he added, handing part of the snake’s roughly 20-pound body to his wife, Christine.
Christine tenderly handles the snake saying that she wasn’t always fond of snakes.
"I was terrified to the point where I would cry," Christine said. "But we got her (Storm), and things changed."
When the Gees first got Storm about one year ago, the snake and Christine’s relationship began from opposite ends of the couch.
But today, they’re a lot closer - now they even nap together.
"You can take the snakes out and cuddle," said Christine, noting that the Gee’s relationship with their reptiles is comparable to most peoples’ affection toward cats and dogs.
While a 5-foot snake is a lot to handle, the Gee’s reptile fever doesn’t end there.
The McBain couple has eight snakes, three bearded dragons, one Nile monitor, four rats, a gerbil, some mice - and three kids.
Walking into their McBain home, you may think you have walked into a reptile museum.
About 10 custom-built reptile cages line the walls of the home, giving a new spin to wall art. Desert scenes paint each snake’s native land, bright light bulbs add a warm glow and the living creatures are a moving picture - ever changing.
Chris, who likes to handle the snakes for at least one hour per day, takes each snake out of its cage and hands them to his three children.
"Who wants Montey?" Chris asked, as his oldest daughter, 14-year-old Abby Gee, holds out her hands, saying, "He’s my favorite!"
Abby gives Montey a kiss on his head, then wraps his body around her neck, while 10-year-old Vi Gee takes her favorite snake, Destiny, as the snake wraps around her wrist - both girls wearing their beady-eyed pets like jewelry and showing their affection through soft kisses.
Around the Gee house, the family believes it’s important to give all their animals much love and ¨ attention.
The Nile monitor named "Mr. Niles" is a crocodile-like lizard, who gets to swim around in the Gee’s bathtub.
Christine said her bearded dragon "babies" get a fresh salad every morning and lots of love.
Their rats roam free on the bed - and rat Wiggles even comes, as if his name is being called, when Chris makes a clicking noise with his tongue.
The Gees have so many animals because they rescued most of them.
The Gees recently bought a snake from a woman who was not taking care of it.
"The cage was filthy with mold and feces all over, and the snake was very stressed out," Chris said.
Feeling compelled to nurse the snake back to health, Chris bought the snake. But by the time he arrived home to show his kids, the snake was dead.
"When it comes to reptiles, people think they’re cute when they’re little, but when they get big, many people don’t want them anymore," Christine said.
"People just let them go (into the wild or in terms of neglect) because they don’t know what to do with them. There are no rights when it comes to reptiles being abused - something needs to be done about they way (some) people treat them."
Chris and Christine dream about opening a reptile store in Cadillac called C & C Reptiles, which would sell reptiles and also take in neglected or unwanted reptiles.
Meanwhile, the Gees, who attend reptile conferences, are happy to share their knowledge or take in unwanted reptiles. If you have questions, call them at (231) 883-4477 or (213) 884-3332.
Michigan’s own Steve Irwin - minus the Australian accent