Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have come across quite a few e.box turtles during my amateur attempts at field photography. Unfortunately, I am about to give up forever since I rarely see any snakes and no matter what repellant I use...I always manage to get ticks. Well, here are some pics...How anyone can remove these beauties from the wild is beyond me.

A different one...

They clam up pretty darn good! I'm sure that means they're healthy?

A third one...

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Sincerely,
Jason
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0.2 Green Tree Pythons
2.2 Bismark Ringed Pythons
2.3 Ball Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
1.1 Argentine Boas
0.1 Solomon Island Ground Boa
1.2 Hogg Island Boas
1.1 Sonoran Desert Boas
2.2 Nicaraguan Boas
7.8 Cornsnake morphs
1.1 Northern Pine Snakes
2.2 Bairds Rat Snakes
1.2 White-Sided Black Rat Snakes
My Website & Pics (click here)

I try to get out as much as I can but don't seem to make it as often as I use to. For snakes though you have to go out when they are out, during most summer months, the snakes here in S. FL are either active at night or very early in the morning, otherwise it gets too hot, it was 98 degrees yesterday. Road crusing in the spring is a productive way to find snakes, I just don't think that there is much fun in sitting in a car waiting for snakes to cross the road. I would much rather be walking in the woods and stumble accross them. I am a total wildlife lover though and I like seeing and watching insects and birds as much as snakes and herps.
Those photos of the the Box Turtle are great!
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

Sure, I see snakes all the time. here's a few from a recent trip to Miami:

Florida Cottonmouth

Another Cottonmouth (biggest one I've ever seen)

Eastern Diamondback

Everglades Rat

Dusky pigmy rattlesnake

And a Miami phase Corn snake (we are in the corn snake forum after all)

Here's a totally wild Burmese Python we found wandering around in the Everglades. People have been releasing them into the 'Glades for at least 20 years now and a wild population has taken root. This guy's around 12', I saw some bigger ones in the water (including an Albino Burmese)but couldn't get a shot with my camera.

I would probably have a stroke if I came across a snake that large in my back yard. Makes ya wonder how some of the larger n.american colubrids (pits and drys) are dwindling in numbers when prey and hiding locations are obviously abundant enough for a 12 ft burm to survive. Unless it was a recent release...that really blows my mind. btw, I love your everglades pic in the other post.
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Sincerely,
Jason
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0.2 Green Tree Pythons
2.2 Bismark Ringed Pythons
2.3 Ball Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
1.1 Argentine Boas
0.1 Solomon Island Ground Boa
1.2 Hogg Island Boas
1.1 Sonoran Desert Boas
2.2 Nicaraguan Boas
7.8 Cornsnake morphs
1.1 Northern Pine Snakes
2.2 Bairds Rat Snakes
1.2 White-Sided Black Rat Snakes
My Website & Pics (click here)

very rarely, my dad and i go to ellensberg and catch what little herps i find. there are tooooooons of fence lizards, and once i saw a cute rattle snake! usually i keep one thing from there, then release it next time i go back.

They have bug suits,socks and boots in almost any hunting catalog,Cabela's,Gander Moutain,Bass Pro.I borrowed one from an outfitter in northern Minesota and it kept there 3 pound mosquitos and 4 pound black flies from eating me to death.I got caught at dusk 7 miles up Big Elbow lake when my outboard died.My brother and I are pretty sure we lost 2-3 pints of blood rowing back.The 100% deet bugspray did nothing for us.I would have sprayed my body with raid if I had a can with me.When I go deer/turkey hunting I wear bugproof gaiters and I havent had half as many ticks crawling on me.

Paul,
I really, honestly hate all insects and spiders and all other bugs. I quickly walk past them at herp shows. I think insect dealers/breeders should do separate shows!

Aren't mosquitos attracted to oxygen? I always get eaten alive by them when near water/lakes; even more so if I'm out just after taking a shower...(if you shower, your pores are more open and therefore release more oxygen? just a guess) who knows? I am very uneducated about bugs...and I guess I like it that way.lol. I have major phobias about them. Plus, all my knowledge is based on old wives tales.lol.

I also thought that ticks were attracted to heat. What really gets me is how you can be in the most remote part of the wilderness and BAM, out of nowhere, ticks are on you... I'm not sure about their life cycle but it sometimes seems that they spend an infinite amt of time on a blade of grass waiting for a mammal to stroll by. Do they die otherwise?seems they don't.lol.

I wouldn't mind dealing w/ticks if it weren't for Lymes disease being such a risk. I actually thought I had lymes last week b/c I had some symptoms (except a bullseye) 7 days after finding a tick on me. Last year was a first for me...I got eaten alive by chiggers...those are worse than mosquitos...the itching lasted forever...but not as bad as ticks. I have little faith in all bug repellants, since I always figured as long as we give off oxygen or maintain body temps higher than ambient temps, we'll always be food to them. Well, I guess it could be worse...i could live in the south where fire ants also reign.
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Sincerely,
Jason
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0.2 Green Tree Pythons
2.2 Bismark Ringed Pythons
2.3 Ball Pythons
1.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boas
1.1 Argentine Boas
0.1 Solomon Island Ground Boa
1.2 Hogg Island Boas
1.1 Sonoran Desert Boas
2.2 Nicaraguan Boas
7.8 Cornsnake morphs
1.1 Northern Pine Snakes
2.2 Bairds Rat Snakes
1.2 White-Sided Black Rat Snakes
My Website & Pics (click here)

Hey, how about those vendors who have the super giant insects mounted and framed? Those things give me the creeps BIG TIME! UGH, can you imagine one of those things crawling on you? I really am freaked out by bugs, all except for lady bugs and lightning bugs. Those don't bother me. What I often find here in my home are house centipedes. They move like lightning and have all these long hair like legs. Blah yucko.

Traci

...just got back from vacation on captiva...didnt get to do any "hunting" on the way down from indy, but found a few snakes anyway....mostly DOR....

*3 DOR corns...one one hwy 51, one on 19, and one of the prettiest corns ive iver seen DOR on sanibel island....

*DOR black rat

*AOR white oaks phase grey rat...saved him from being squashed by a truck !

*2 AOR gopher tortoises...i just "shooed" traffic around them till they finished crossing the rOAD

*DOR cottonmouth...hwy 41 in the glades

all in all, lots of fun, even though i didnt really get to go "hunting"...just observing the gators, etc was fun