Dozens of exotic pets were rounded up by Animal Control Monday from a home on the northeast side, officials said.
Animal control said there were dangerous rhino viper snakes in the house near Overlook and Weidner. The viper snakes are thought to be several times more poisonous than rattlesnakes. A special snake expert from Boerne was called in take care of them.
Several huge dogs and a virtual zoo of other creatures were inside the house, officials said. Sugar gliders, also known as flying squirrels, and tortoises, one estimated to be more than 100 years old, were also found.
Mike Bishop, an amateur herpatologist, lived at the home, but he died last summer. Bishop's relatives say his wife did not know how to take care of the animals.
"Wall to wall animals were living in their own filth, and a lot of them didn't have water," Mike Taylor, Bishop's son-in-law said.
Taylor says his nephew noticed a bad smell while mowing the grass and made his discovery.
Moving the animals was tricky, even for the experts.
"All of these reptiles will be taken to the humane society to an undisclosed location for examination," Ed Wright with the Humane Society said. That will determine their health and where they may ultimately end up, officials said.
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So Many Alleles, So Little Time...! 
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~~The Gecko Barn~~
