Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I thought this was post-worthy:

A few days ago we decided to bring a gator inside that hadn't been in the house since spring 2001. Now, she used to live in the house and had her favorite places to go and favorite things to do (like lay under my comp desk in my office, get on the bad in the bedroom, etc) Well,... we gave her a good scrubdown bath to get her dirt and extra skin off to make her house-worthy once again and gave her her run of the house. Now,. after having been outside for over 2 years I was expecting her to have forgotten most of the lay of the house and to be somewhat stressed from the move and to have to go through a reasonable re-adjustment period. No such nonsense. She immediately took a "house romp" as I call it and went from room to room. Probably to take it all in again. This took her maybe 20 minutes. After she was done she was just like she had been 2 1/2 years ago. She got up on the bed and made herself comfortable amidst the pillows and went to sleep. She laid there all day and night as we watched movies and did whatever it is that we do daily. The next day she got down and came into my office and laid under my desk so I could put my feet on her back JUST LIKE SHE USED TO DO every day. She threw her legs back and went to sleep and it was like as if she had never been gone. I must say I was genuinely amazed. Still am. I knew they had decent memories, but I was not prepared for this. I think it's truly incredible. There was much more but I just kind of wanted to sum it up. By the way, she is a 7 foot, adult female A. Mississip. Just so everyone knows the details of what she is.
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Pebbles create ripples.
Ripples can become tidal waves.
Tidal waves sink ships.
The largest ships sink the fastest.
All Titanics are created equally.

brian.........im gobsmacked...is this the same gator youve mentioned in other threds before or is this a differn't one?
it does sound truly amazing..even touching...
is there any way you could video this behaviour i would absolutly love to see it....maybe..put it on disk...heck even save it using your web cam...do it as a download ,if not id pay postage..im in the uk though....please....
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no way the way no limit the limit

It may very well be the same one. I'm not sure which thread you are alluding to, but there are more than just one gator that was raised in such a way to be a house pet. The ONLY problems occur when they top 6 feet and they are just no longer house material. You know, knocking things over, ripping couch cushions due to sharp nails and sheer weight. It saddens me to not have them around me 24/7 anymore, but until I can design and build a gator-proof home,. it's the way it has to be.
I do have OODLES of footage, but I never give it out unless I know a person real well. So there's the rub. Try not to hate me, I'm just a very private person. Why don't you email me from time to time and we'll see if we can't get to know one another a little better and go from there, ok? BrianSmithReptiles@hotmail.com

>>brian.........im gobsmacked...is this the same gator youve mentioned in other threds before or is this a differn't one?
>>it does sound truly amazing..even touching...
>>is there any way you could video this behaviour i would absolutly love to see it....maybe..put it on disk...heck even save it using your web cam...do it as a download ,if not id pay postage..im in the uk though....please....
>>-----
>>no way the way no limit the limit
-----
Pebbles create ripples.
Ripples can become tidal waves.
Tidal waves sink ships.
The largest ships sink the fastest.
All Titanics are created equally.

i think that is the best thing in the world and would like to see pictures if you could post them or have an email if you could get back to me on that and how long have you owned her since she was a baby?? and how much she was handled thanks

crocman

Thanks. Yes, it is the best thing in the world and I really miss it. (she's back outside again) We are in the process of moving and will be incorporating an "indoor-outdoor" environment at the new place which involves a pond that runs under one wall of the house and into at least a part of the house where we can interact with her and others like her without them getting into "trouble". This is still mostly on the drawing table and has yet to be put into construction, but it seems like a very simple concept and so should not be too difficult to accomplish. Yes, I have had her since she popped into my hand out of her egg after having "talked" to me through a dime-sized hole in the shell. I have video footage of her and others squirming about inside the eggs and positioning themselves in such a manner that they could peer out of a little hole that I made as they "ump" back to me after I "ump" to them. It is one of the most fascinating aspects of the whole experience for me. To witness a little baby, yet to be "born" interacting with me on the outside of the only limited world he has known, inside his egg, while still inside,... in an obvious instinctual (though still intelligent) effort to verify that all is safe in the outside world. After speaking with them for a brief time (usually under a minute) they eagerly push out of the egg and into the safety of my hand. To them I am their mother (though I prefer "father" lol) and this is, in my opinion, a crucial step in raising an alligator that will be beyond tame for life. This takes it to a whole other level. Under these circumstances, to them, they are us and we are they. We are the same and not different. And because of this they are one with their keeper from the very start. I know that a lot of learned and experienced members of this forum either do not believe this or think that I exaggerate, but this is how it is. And I would suggest that anyone with the means to try this and then see first hand what it is like. It's a whole different experience than just having a pet in a tank that won't bite when handled.

>>i think that is the best thing in the world and would like to see pictures if you could post them or have an email if you could get back to me on that and how long have you owned her since she was a baby?? and how much she was handled thanks
>>
>>crocman
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Pebbles create ripples.
Ripples can become tidal waves.
Tidal waves sink ships.
The largest ships sink the fastest.
All Titanics are created equally.