A House Full of Animals

by

Beyond the human variety that is.

I share my living space with a lot of domesticated and semi-wildlife. The current count is something over 38, numbering

• 3 Feline Overlords,
• 1 Giant Dog™,
• 11 Snakes between 2 species,
• 8 lizards across 5 species,
• 11 Forest Scorpions,
• 1 Goliath Bird Eating spider,
• 3 spiders of a smaller but approximately as venomous variety as the Goliath (so not very) and whose name eludes me at the moment,
• An indeterminate number of cherry shrimp, White Cloud Minnows, and snails divided between an aquarium and a palludarium (that was supposed to have tree frogs in it by now except for the pandemic).

It’s less crowded than you think, and maybe a little less work, too. (Depending on which snake we’re talking about, they only eat every 7-14 days. Which means that’s how often you have to scoop most of the time. Some fresh water, a little handling here and there. Low maintenance, and pretty cool, pets.)

My son is fond of saying that we’re a giant snake and a small crocodilian away from having our own zoo. He’s not wrong. Menagerie is probably technically correct, though they’re really only on display for us.

Stay safe and be well, everyone.

by