Gwangi's Live Reptile Collection

[Gwangi]

I accidentally hijacked Suspsy's collection thread and found that I had generated enough interest in my reptile collection to take the time to share it here. I'll try to post pictures and such of a frequent basis if there is enough interest, and depending on how well Photobucket is working for me.

Starting off with turtles, this is Raphael the red-eared slider. I've had this turtle for 25 years. Who knows how old he actually is, he was an adult when I got him.


Gamera, an eastern mud turtle. I love mud turtles, they're like tiny snapping turtles.


Russell the Russian tortoise. I got him when my daughter was born, she'll probably inherit him.


Now some lizards I guess.

Ogopogo, the Russian legless lizard. Such an awesome animal and a great example of convergent evolution. He has such an intense expression that freaks out a lot of people. I think he looks like a retro stop-motion dinosaur.


Gwangi, a mountain horned dragon. Great little arboreal lizard from south-east Asia.


Big Red, a crested gecko. She produced 6 babies for me this year!


Turok, the chuckwalla. This is the second largest lizard species in the United States, after the gila monster. Mine is not a good indicator of size though, he's quite small still.


And that's all for tonight because it's late, I'm tired, and Photobucket is slow. Hopefully I'll post more soon. Maybe the rest of the lizards (there are many) and then the snakes.

[Jose S.M.]

Those are lovely animals! specially the turtles I love them! and the legless lizard is cute too. I would like to have some reptiles some day.

[Doug Watson]

Amazing collection, more please sir.

P.S. Don't forget those wild snake photos you teased me with.

[suspsy]

What beautiful animals. Before I met my wife, I was dating a girl who, on paper, would have seemed far more compatible. She was even geekier than me, loved scary movies, and had just gotten a baby crestie from a friend. It was immensely fun feeding live crickets to that little guy. Having grown up devouring nature documentaries, I am anything but squeamish about seeing one organism kill and devour another. I find it captivating.

But after only about nine months, our relationship ended, and it was much more to my relief than my dismay. I won't bore anyone with details, but suffice it to say, compatibility is NOT necessarily born out of common interests. I adore my wife with every fibre of my being, regardless of her disdain for reptiles.

Let's see more photos, Gwangi!

[Gwangi]

Thanks guys, glad you like the pictures.

Doug, don't worry, I haven't forgot about the snakes. 

Suspsy, luckily my wife and I share similar interests. She's not as passionate about these things as I am but she's supportive and I think she enjoys my hobbies through me. Not only the reptiles but also scary movies, toy dinosaurs etc. That said, our personalities are quite different. She's much more laid back and optimistic than I am, where as I tend to be more cynical, and high strung. So I suppose opposites do attract, and you and I are both examples of that. And it's probably a good thing, we both function better in the world because we have each other to work off of.

[Archinto]

Wow that Chuckwalla is awesome! I had never seen one before. I have an Iguana that was rescued by a friend from a drug house. Poor thing was so emaciated and had mbd when I got her. My friend said she was even worse when she first saved her, but couldn't keep her so she called me. Shes a fatt happy iggybaby now 4 years later probably about 5-6 years old Id say... She still has yet to drop a batch of eggs. last year she reabsorbed them instead of laying.

Looking forward to seeing more of your critters!

[AcroSauroTaurus]

I love them! And their names! I've always loved reptiles since I was young. Steve Irwin was, and still is, my idol.

[Megalosaurus]

Lovely creatures.
I used to have green iguanas and spike tailed ones, but they scarred away any potential girlfriend 

[Newt]

Nice critters!

I'm largely out of the herp-keeping game (down to one turtle and one salamander), but it stirs my heart to see well-kept pet herps like yours.

[Cloud the Dinosaur King]

I have a Jackson's Chameleon named Zilla. This is what he will probably look like when full grown:

[Cloud the Dinosaur King]

I also used to have two Green Iguanas, a few(too many to count) Green Anoles, a Five-Lined Skink, and a Bearded Dragon.

[acro-man]

Lovely ones.
It would be more fun keeping these live animals than static models.
A few of my sculptor friends keep various reptiles too, and they draw inspiration from them.
If I am going to make a model myself I will definitely keep a reptile in the first place.
After all, how am I supposed to carve the scales without observing them in real life?