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Reptiles and Amphibians

Anoles, Newts, Tadpoles and Salamanders

Although dogs, cats and parakeets were my first indoor pets, my birthplace was Spanaway, a bedroom community of Tacoma, near Puget Sound in the Pacific Northwest.  I sometimes call western Washington State “the Pacific North-Wet because it’s on the side of the Cascade Mountains where rainfall is usually plentiful (and-then-some).

I lived in Spanaway the first ten years of my life. I spent the second ten years in Cle Elum (pronounced klee el-um, which means ‘swift water’ in the Yakama Indian language), on the dry side of Washington.

Cle Elum bumps up against a national forest, so at ten years old I had to remember that there were additional animals in my back yard—bears, cougars, coyotes, wolves, moose, elk, deer, and other dicey denizens—who would probably NOT take kindly to innocuous inquiries.

While I was growing up in Spanaway there were no creepy crawlies or other kinds of critters native to the area that were dangerous or poisonous. So as a youngster I grew up thinking that anything I could capture and contemplate was fair game. Although the dime-size spotted, big-hump-rear ended spiders that are plentiful during the fall season turned me off—my dad was scared of spiders, so I was, too—nothing else bothered me much. I gleefully corralled garter snakes, toads, bullfrogs, salamanders, tadpoles, and tree frogs whenever I spotted them so I could watch them from the confines of a glass-sided terrarium or aquarium.

I discovered that snake poop is really smelly. I watched tadpoles morph into frogs. All along the way, I read animal care manuals and followed their instructions to the T to make sure I was doing everything right during the times I held these critters.

In those days (the 1950’s) the Puyallup Fair (these days called the Western Washington Fair or just The Fair) was the ONLY place to get anoles—the little green Florida critters that people called chameleons or green lizards back then. You’ve probably heard of the Fair:

You can do it at a trot,

You can do it at a gallop,

You can do it real slow

So you’re heart don’t palpitate;

Just don’t be late!

Do the Puyallup!

So I would “do the Puyallup” chiefly to get my new “chameleon on a leash.” Looking back on those days, I’m appalled that I supported the trade in tethered, touchable “pocket pets”. I’m sure many an impulse buyer got one of these tiny creatures for a youngster who ended up accidentally squashing it on the very next ride they took, or soon after at home.

But my “chameleon” was always treated like royalty. It was coddled, cared for, caressed (definitely not a great idea) and cherished. I watched it eat, drink drops from leaves, poop, climb, display, and sleep. I was enthralled.

A few lost their tails and seemed none the worse for wear. The tails eventually grew back, but they were aesthetically-poor substitutes for the original ones that were lost.

Just thinking about those days makes me want to get three or four anoles again. They’re soothing to watch; real stress-busters! They have special requirements but if you provide those reliably, they appear happy. And the good news is that you’re the only “predator” they will ever meet provided you keep the lid on the terrarium tightly so your cat or dog can’t throw a monkey wrench into their plans!

 

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