I wondered about that too. It's gigantically expensive to keep exotic animals alive and healthy and it's a pretty common geek hobby; I know lots of socially-acceptable people who keep reptiles and/or insects, some of them venomous. (The animals, not the people.) Obviously he wasn't that much of a recluse--people knew his pets' names. If I had black widows, I wouldn't let people in to the apartment either, for liability reasons. Hell, when our turtles got full grown, we locked the room in which their tank was located, on the the very slight chance that a small child dangled fingers in the water and a turtle said, "Feeshie for me?" and bit it. And pet turtles are just so well known for their *cough* evil and bloodthirsty behavior.
If I ever drop dead in my house, the local rag will say, "Her giant bloodthirsty goldfish obviouslyleapt out of their tanks and suffocated her, then flew back to their tanks to await the next full moon--and new victims!"
"Hell, when our turtles got full grown, we locked the room in which their tank was located, on the the very slight chance that a small child dangled fingers in the water and a turtle said, "Feeshie for me?" and bit it. And pet turtles are just so well known for their *cough* evil and bloodthirsty behavior."
Well, if you had pet snapping turtles... *shiver*
As for the expense... I dunno, not necessarily. I mean yeah, you've got the initial outlay for tanks and heat rocks and lamps and stuff, but for upkeep you've got... well, depends on the critter. Special feeder mice (around here at least) aren't all that expensive, nor are crickets and mealworms. And it sounds like he bred his own food for some of the critters at least.
And as for the fish... yup, I just know my neon tetras and guppies have it in for me. *looks nervously over shoulder at tank.* I think the only thing saving me thus far is that they can't agree which species gets the honor.
No, just your average red-eared sliders and Mississipi maps. :-) I'm not into keeping dangerous animals. But any animal, even one that's not particularly dangerous, can bite you by accident or in a moment of pique.
Expense--well, maybe I just spend too much on my critters. :-)
I think the only thing I got that would eat me would be my rats, and that would be out of respect, not because they were hungry. But I guess it could be that too... I don't have to worry about salamanders jumping ANYWHERE, hehe.
well, with kids you do actually have to be careful of salmonella. If they're young enough, they can get pretty damn sick from turtle water. Liability is indeed an issue, despite turtles not being aggressive animals. :S
Ours go to the vet and get tested for it. They've never carried it. Still, there are still all kinds of reasons for not letting little kids play with foot-long turtles, especially if they're not your kids. :-)
Hell, we bring our goldfish to the vet. It just needs a vet who does "exotics." Once you get past the living-in-water part, they are treatable like any other animal--you look at their wastes or whatever under a microscope and see what's living in it, and then use whatever drug works on that microorganism.
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Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-03 09:50 pm (UTC)If I ever drop dead in my house, the local rag will say, "Her giant bloodthirsty goldfish obviouslyleapt out of their tanks and suffocated her, then flew back to their tanks to await the next full moon--and new victims!"
Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-03 10:03 pm (UTC)Well, if you had pet snapping turtles... *shiver*
As for the expense... I dunno, not necessarily. I mean yeah, you've got the initial outlay for tanks and heat rocks and lamps and stuff, but for upkeep you've got... well, depends on the critter. Special feeder mice (around here at least) aren't all that expensive, nor are crickets and mealworms. And it sounds like he bred his own food for some of the critters at least.
And as for the fish... yup, I just know my neon tetras and guppies have it in for me. *looks nervously over shoulder at tank.* I think the only thing saving me thus far is that they can't agree which species gets the honor.
Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-03 10:10 pm (UTC)Expense--well, maybe I just spend too much on my critters. :-)
Yeah, gotta watch those killer gups.
Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-03 11:05 pm (UTC)Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-04 06:47 am (UTC)Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-04 08:58 am (UTC)Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-04 10:38 pm (UTC)Re: Vampire Dandelions Suck Baby's Breath
Date: 2007-08-05 01:56 am (UTC)