about Andy and animals

I don't really have anything to say so I thought I'd tell you a little about Andy's job feeding the animals in McEver. Every day he waters all of the reptiles and feeds the lizards and geckos. He feeds the snakes (by thawing mice and rats under a heat lamp -- but not too long or they pop when the constrictors squeeze them) every Saturday. I try to help once a week by feeding the reptiles that eat crickets because I refuse to thaw the mice (I have tried to feed a snake a mouse once) and I refuse to touch the roaches, which are the other food source for the reptiles. Grabbing handfuls of crickets are bad enough because they are slightly squishy and sometimes they crawl up my arm. I have to check myself to keep from being grossed out. Also, I have to hold my breath whenever I grab them because a bucket FULL of crickets is one of the worst stenches I have smelled.

This week there was a pleasant surprise. Other students that Andy knows caught an Eastern Red Bat and a Least Shrew. The shrew is adorable and is smaller than a silver dollar. Andy fed it a roach twice its size -- that was a little disgusting, but it is still cute. The cutest, though, was the bat. I couldn't imagine a more amazing creature. I cannot describe it with justice and I know that the pictures I post will not inspire in you the wonder and caring that I had for this creature. The poor thing is dying, I think, and she has escape at least twice from her cage. I hope she makes it. The students aren't harming her, though, so don't worry. (If you click on the images you can see the bat at full size.)