Orchid Habitat South Florida

[estación seca]

Alligators are supposed to be easy to keep if you have a large enough body of clean water. One survived for many years in a large pond in a national park near Prescott, Arizona, where winters can be quite cold. The Park Service eventually trapped and relocated it.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Alligators are supposed to be easy to keep if you have a large enough body of clean water. One survived for many years in a large pond in a national park near Prescott, Arizona, where winters can be quite cold. The Park Service eventually trapped and relocated it.

Don't tempt me ES!

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Alligators are supposed to be easy to keep if you have a large enough body of clean water. One survived for many years in a large pond in a national park near Prescott, Arizona, where winters can be quite cold. The Park Service eventually trapped and relocated it.

Huh, that's pretty cool! I believe alligators actually used to range up to New Jersey before Europeans arrived.

[estación seca]

When I was a kid many pet stores sold alligator babies. My parents would never let me have one, for some reason.

Now you can't get them. This was partly because for a while they were protected under the US Endangered Species Act, and partly because people realized they can survive in the great outdoors in so much of the US. They get big fast; and when people don't want them any longer they release them into ponds in local parks. Similar to pythons in the Everglades.

People have a hard time believing it but in the 1960s biologists thought the American alligator was headed for extinction.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by estación seca

When I was a kid many pet stores sold alligator babies. My parents would never let me have one, for some reason.

[WaterWitchin]

I absolutely get this! Yes! Offered in the local pet store, along with those red slider turtles one can't buy now without a lot of other hoops!

A former good friend (passed now) brought back a crocodile/alligator from Florida when he was there on a job (iron worker). It lived in their bathroom tub, graduated to a small kiddy pool in the basement, then when they moved to the lake a few more years. He released it into a nearby pond. It was there for a couple of years, until we had the next "hard winter" then was seen no more. Almost six foot long when that gator disappeared.

[estación seca]

When I was a child we lived in San Diego. My parents visited Tijuana from time to time partly to bring back what was then very inexpensive liquor. They always took my brother and me because the limit was 2 bottles per person, thus our family could bring back 8 bottles. As a reward my brother and I got the plastic bears on chains that were around the necks of the Oso Negro vodka bottles.

Anyway, both alligators and red-eared sliders were sold from markets. The turtle shells were painted with various designs, and you could have one painted with your name. My mom explained to me the turtle's shell was like human skin, and painting it hurts the turtle. I understood and didn't want painted turtles after that. I also developed a concern for the well-being of animals.