Bye, Fluffy!

Fluffy moves out tomorrow. He's not going back to camp yet, but someone else is going to have him while we're out West. Believe it or not, I'm actually going to miss having him around. It's been cool watching him. Plus, he's a great icebreaker for visitors, and his heat lamp is great for reading by. :)

Yes, that's me holding him. He feels like a muscular, boneless, jointless human arm... except for the scales, of course. Surprisingly heavy and eerily strong. I like him better in the cage.

Thanks for the memories and the educational experience, Fluffy!

Our winter boarder

We have a new guest in the house. His name is Fluffy. Or maybe it's a her, I don't know. He/she/it is an animal from the Nature Center at the camp that Chris works at, but we were offered a chance to have it during the winter. What? Did you ask if it was a rabbit? No, it's not a rabbit. A hamster? Nope, not a hamster. A gerbil? No. A guinea pig? No. A chinchilla? No. It's not a mammal. A... um... bird? Nope, it's not a bird, either. It's a snake, a very large (9 foot long) red-tailed boa. I have no idea who named it.

It's been a neat experience so far. He's quiet and easy to take care of (because that's Chris's responsibility, lol). And he can be fascinating to watch. Sometimes when he is stretching out he seems to defy gravity. The other day he curled up in his water bucket, with even his head submerged.

He only bites things he knows he can swallow, so as long as your hand doesn't look like a gerbil, he won't bite you. But I don't think anyone besides Chris has been brave enough to hold him. (Of course the little kids can't by themselves even if they wanted to because he's so heavy.)