Articles: snakes

I begin my Steve Dale’s Pet World WGN radio show HERE about Illinois House Bill 3390 which just passed the Illinois House of Representatives. This bill, which was supported by Illinois State Representative Diane Pappas (D-45thdistrict) with co-sponsor Allen Skillicorn (R-66th district) and created with Marc Ayers, Illinois Director of the Humane Society of the United States will…

This two-headed snake, a copperhead, was recently discovered in Virginia. The snake survived, at least this long. Which head eats? Which head decides what to eat? If danger appears, how do the heads decide which way to slither away? Are two heads better that one?

Becky Robinson, co-founder, Alley Cat Allies joined us HERE on Steve Dale’s Pet World, WGN radio. Alley Cat Allies is a global advocacy group for cats, and Robinson talks about their new campaign #lovecats. We talk about trap-neuter-return-vaccinate (TNRV), and why these programs effectively save cat lives. Robinson explains what these programs are about. The…

Are you concerned about snakes? If your answer is no, you might want to brace yourself for more rodents. So, which is worse: snakes or rodents? Rodents, because they may cause disease in people. A fungal disease has been found in 23 species of wild snakes in the U.S. and three in Europe. The fungus…

Hard to believe – this isn’t the first interview I’ve done with a snake wound around me. Dr. Laurie Hess, author “Unlikely Companions: The Adventures of an Exotic Animal Doctor (or, What Friends Feathered, Furred, and Scaled Have Taught Me about Life and Love),” says that people can bond with snakes as pets. We talk about…

It was a dark and stormy night. There’s an animal in distress. There’s a loving pet owner also in distress. Dr. Laurie Hess rushes to treat the emergency, and it’s not a sick dog or cat, it’s a sugar glider. Dr. Hess explains in Unlikely Companions: The Adventures of An Exotic Animal Doctor, the human-animal bond…

Snakes can be wonderful pets. And Ashley Glawe of Portland, Oregon, loves to handle Bart, her pet ball python. Even when full grown, these snakes are much smaller than most other pythons. Ball pythons like to slither into and through small openings. Check out the opening Bart chose, and then what Ashley did about her…

Garter snakes are out en force in a Chicago neighborhood, and according to reports some U.S. Postal Service letter carriers won’t deliver the mail because of their fear of the snakes. Of course, they could walk around the snakes, who are typically attempting to hide anyway. It’s a good thing they don’t deliver mail in…

Whatever happened to that old adage, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of  their appointed rounds.” In Rogers Park, an urban north side Chicago neighborhood, there’s what some are calling an infestation of garter snakes. And some postal carriers are refusing to deliver the mail…

Reptiles can be great first pets, or just great pet reptiles – it’s not only about dogs and cats. However, just like dogs and cats, it’s important where you get the pet reptile from, according to Dr. Susan Brown. Some are shipped from overseas, and suffer as a result – more than you know. One…