Greetings!
Erik and I moved to the Texas Hill Country this summer, and we love it. We do miss the beach and seagulls, but Corpus Christi isn't far away, so we can visit often. We are finding all kinds of critters in our new yard and many striped bark scorpions IN our new house! If you're following us on facebook, you've seen the many scorpion photos! If you don't follow us on facebook, yet,  and get cool photos and more information on critters! ~Courtney |
Corpus Christi Caller Times
Click here to read the article & view photos & video!
Not So Creepy Critters made the front page of the newspaper this week! It was fun having reporters and a photographer come to our house this summer. We want to make a very important comment, though. I don't remember ever saying, "We want teachers to do more than just being behind a desk." I know how hard teachers work! My mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were all public school teachers. I did say that we like to give the teachers a packet with hands-on follow-up activities that they can use with their students if they're interested. We appreciate all teachers!
~Courtney
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 In July when Courtney and I moved to the Texas Hill Country, we were warned by neighbors, friends and our Realtor to watch out for snakes. A rattlesnake was found in our new garden shed last summer. We watch and listen very carefully when we're hiking. We have crossed paths with rattlesnakes in the past, so we're familiar with the sound they make and the feeling of seeing one in the wild. Our goal is to see the snake before it sees us! There are about 45,000 recorded snake bites in the US each year with about 6 resulting in death. Only about 7,000 of these are from venomous snakes. 99% of the venomous snake bites are from pit vipers. Pit vipers include rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cotton mouths. Worldwide there are over 2000 species of snakes. There are 127 snake species in the US and 115 snake species in Texas. So we have a lot of snakes here! Luckily, only 15% of the snakes in Texas are venomous. The 85% that are non-venomous are harmless to humans. King snakes, like the one pictured here, will eat rattlesnakes. Many people kill snakes without considering the fact that snakes are helpful by eating disease-carrying rodents and venomous snakes. Courtney and I keep non-venomous snakes as pets. The king snake in this photo is named Delilah. We have 2 king snakes, 3 milk snakes, 2 ball pythons and a Great Plains Rat Snake. Snakes make great pets and only eat once a week. We keep fresh water in their habitats and handle them regularly- usually when we're watching TV. There will be many snake breeders at the San Antonio Reptile Show in November. If you're wanting a snake or would like to learn more about snakes, I suggest you check out the reptile show! ~Erik |
 Erik and I have always loved tarantulas. Believe it or not, we've never seen a tarantula in the wild! Many of our friends have had the chance to see wild tarantulas, and we've received calls from people who have caught tarantulas. This summer tarantulas were trying to cross Saratoga in Corpus Christi and were getting run over by cars. A nice lady stopped and rescued one of the tarantulas. She called us, and we drove to her house to pick it up. He was dehydrated and drank lots of water when we put him in his new habitat. Most of the tarantulas that people see are adult males out looking for females. The females stay hidden in burrows. There are 3 tarantula species in Texas. The Texas Tan, Texas Brown, and the Oklahoma Tan. Texas Tans are most common in Corpus Christi. Consider yourself lucky if you get the chance to see a tarantula at a park or in your yard. Take the time to watch it! Texas Tans have venom, but the venom isn't dangerous to humans. Tarantulas can't breathe and move at the same time, so they won't chase you, like many people believe. We'll keep watching for wild tarantulas - maybe we'll get lucky and see one..or more!! ~Courtney |
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About Us
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Reptile Show info
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Reptile Show
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If you're wanting to adopt a reptile, amphibian, arachnid or insect colony, check out the San Antonio Reptile show November 5th and 6th. Our good friends, Sally and Don Shores will be there with all their gorgeous snakes. We buy captive bred snakes from Shores Enuff Snakes. Click the photo above for more information. ~Erik
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Shores Enuff Snakes
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Clementine is a Honduran milk snake. Click on her photo to see more snakes from Don and Sally Shore!
~Courtney
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