Vacation With a Reptile!
Are you fascinated with shows on TV that show wrestling, wrestling between man and alligator? Do snakes repel you, but you still dream about them at night? Do you sometimes feel like a turtle coming out of its shell? If so, you might want to head to the southern part of America and visit the alligators, and all of their reptile relatives. The states of Florida and Louisiana have a spectrum of places to visit reptiles - from the traditional alligator farms that have been around for the last fifty years, to modern wildlife refuges with tour guides that have doctorates in ecology.
If you start in Louisiana, here is a sampling of places where you can see reptiles at their largest, best, and most active. You can start with a boat tour given by Alligator Annie Miller Tours, who has been giving tours of the area by boat since 1979. You can stay near Annie's at an alligator bed and breakfast in Gibson, La at Betty Provost's Wildlife Gardens. Each cabin has an attached deck overlooking the water, and a number of reptiles swim up on the chance that you might throw out some small pieces of alligator chow. These reptiles include small alligators, spiny soft-shell turtles, and red-eared sliders. The bed and breakfast also has a mile of nature trails that truly have the sound and feel of a real Louisiana swamp. Near Slidell, La. (close to Baton Rouge) is Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tour, and is run by the wetlands ecologist. He gives tours through a beautiful cypress swamp, and presents so much fascinating information about the alligators, other reptiles, and waterfowl that live in the area.
If you visit Florida, make sure to stop and see the alligators. Two of the biggest and best alligator attractions in the state are Gatorland, and St. Augustine Alligator Farm. The Farm is really a zoo that was started in the city of St. Augustine in 1893. While there you will hear some amazing sounds, like the bellow of a large male alligator. It sounds somewhat like an airplane engine, with a lot of vibration that you can actually feel in the air. Bellowing helps the animals locate each other, and brings males and females together during courtship behavior. The farm is also the only park to have all twenty-three species of the crocodile family, some having come from Asia. One of their showcase reptiles was a crocodile brought from New Guinea who grew to nearly eighteen feet long, and weighed seventeen hundred pounds when he died.
As you go near Orlando you cannot miss the signs for Gatorland. This is also a Florida institution, and has been open for fifty-six years. Gatorland has boardwalks crossing over the area where you can watch alligators in their natural habitat. Nearby is the area where you watch large gators propel themselves out of the water at feeding time to retrieve pieces of chicken. Here you will also see alligator wrestling, which is something that was supposedly started by the Seminole Indians. After selecting and wrestling his opponent, the gator handler asks the visitors which is the most dangerous part of the alligator. It is a split decision between the tail and the teeth, but remember which part of the alligator the wrestler is holding shut!
Take a vacation with the animals and see reptiles like you never have before. See them in their power, in their distinctive beauty, and take time to experience their native habitats, the ancient feel of the southeastern swamps.
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Dangerous Reptiles When people decide to buy reptiles for pets, some inevitably cross the line of safety and wisdom. Although ...
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Setting Up A Terrarium for Your Reptile A terrarium is similar to an aquarium except that it isn't full of ...
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Watch out for Reptiles! Reptiles seem more like creatures from another planet than any other animal, and snakes even more ...
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Gigantic Reptiles! Of all the reptiles, we are usually most interested in the largest ones - alligators, crocodiles, komodo dragons, ...
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Choosing A Vet for Your Reptile Carefully research your options for proper veterinary care before you decide to purchase a ...
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Searching for Small Reptiles Lizards are one of an interesting group of animals that you might not think about too ...
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A Lizard's Eye View of Life as a Reptile If you think of lizards at all, you think of those ...
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Learning about Reptiles Children often, at one time or another, will have an interest in learning about reptiles. Even if ...
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Reptile History Many people overlook that dinosaurs were reptiles, as are tortoises and turtles. Frogs are often lumped into the ...
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What Types of Lizards Make Good Reptile Pets? There is nothing wrong with wanting a reptile for a pet, provided ...
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Vacation With a Reptile! Are you fascinated with shows on TV that show wrestling, wrestling between man and alligator? Do ...
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Where to Buy a Reptile to Keep as a Pet Reptiles can be intimidating. They can also be great pets. ...
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Introducing the Reptiles! The family of reptiles is made up of turtles, lizards, snakes, different kinds of crocodiles, and a ...
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Rattlers - The Dangerous Reptiles! Snakes are probably the reptiles that fascinate and repel us the most. One of the ...
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Reptile Diseases Dangers exist when keeping reptiles as pets, but not just as bites and scratches. You can also contract ...
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Understanding Reptiles Did you think a frog is a reptile? Maybe it would help to learn the difference in reptiles ...
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A Day in the Life of a Fascinating Reptile, the Alligator Let's travel to Florida to meet one of the ...
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Reptile Accessories and Supplies Large reptiles need large cages or other enclosures. They will also need bedding, a water source, ...
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Safety With Reptiles Reptiles are animals to be respected. Many people think it's funny to irritate a reptile to get ...
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Snakes As Reptile Pets Most common snakes kept as pets in the reptile category are the corn snakes and the ...
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The Responsible Reptile Owner Many people think reptiles are cheap pets, easily accessible and easy to care for. However, after ...
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The Slow and Steady Reptile: the Turtle Of all the reptiles that can be found in an average neighborhood, turtles ...
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Reptiles Have Special Needs People have all kinds of different pets. Some people only feel safe with what is considered ...
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Raising a Reptile as a Pet You may have admired the unusual looking lizards at your local wildlife center, or ...
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Which Reptiles Do Not Make Good Pets? Basically, any reptile that is caught in the wild is discouraged for use ...
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Disclaimer
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site is a common sense guide to Vacation With a Reptile!. In practical advice websites, like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made. Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
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Dangerous Reptiles
Setting Up A Terrarium for Your Reptile
Watch out for Reptiles!
Gigantic Reptiles!
Choosing A Vet for Your Reptile
Searching for Small Reptiles
A Lizard's Eye View of Life as a Reptile
Learning about Reptiles
Reptile History
What Types of Lizards Make Good Reptile Pets?
Vacation With a Reptile!
Where to Buy a Reptile to Keep as a Pet
Introducing the Reptiles!
Rattlers - The Dangerous Reptiles!
Reptile Diseases
Understanding Reptiles
A Day in the Life of a Fascinating Reptile, the Alligator
Reptile Accessories and Supplies
Safety With Reptiles
Snakes As Reptile Pets
The Responsible Reptile Owner
The Slow and Steady Reptile: the Turtle
Reptiles Have Special Needs
Raising a Reptile as a Pet
Which Reptiles Do Not Make Good Pets?
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