Reptile Gardens

Wow!  I'm a little behind in the posts.  Traveling sure takes it out of you!  We spent some time at Bear Country USA and the Reptile Gardens today.  They are about half a mile apart and are halfway between Rapid City and Keystone (Mount Rushmore).  Both are a bit pricey but we really found them worthwhile!

First we hit the Reptile Gardens.  They are like a mini reptile zoo. 

Big ole Lizard just hanging out!

Who's a pretty bird?

When you enter you first go to a round structure that has two levels.  The first level is crocodiles and lizards, some bugs and some snakes.  The upper level has the venomous snakes. The really really cool thing about this building is that the inside of the circular building is a mini rainforest where quail, parrots and lizards run free and you can view them up close and personal.  There was even a snake hanging out in there. He was a boa and just chilling on a tree branch.  I kept a safe distance. LOL

We are!  We are pretty birds!

I didn't know food grew in blocks... yummy!

Orchids and Lizards!

Mom and Tommy inside the "rainforest"

I snapped the photo of Mom and Tommy and then told Tommy there was a lizard right behind him.  He wasn't enormously pleased to be in there with animals running around.  I had to be the sneaky sis!

Have no idea what snake - pretty stripes though

This one did NOT get taken out of his cage for obvious reasons

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like snakes.  Don't get me wrong, I don't go out of my way to aggravate them and respect their contributions to nature.  But I'll squeal like a little girl and run away if I see one in the wild and don't expect it to be there. So I wasn't real sure about the snake show but put my big girl panties and a figurative "Depends" on and went.  It was actually really informative and I wasn't nervous at all.  Something about the four foot high glass wall made it really okay to watch the snakes slither on the floor when the handler picked them up.  At the end of the show, the handler got out the albino boa again and let anyone who wanted to touch it - touch it.  I've touched snakes before so no big deal right?  NOPE!  When I was petting the snake, (ha ve to admit they are pretty cool feeling), he popped his head up between the handlers arm and rib cage and stared me right in the face.  I have ninja reflexes:)  My hand moved so fast away from that snake it was a blur.  HIIIIII-YA!  Ninja!

Shake, RATTLE and roll- slither- whatever....

Proof that I touched this thing!  I'm in the gray and black.

Anyhow, next on the agenda we went to the prairie dog town in the park.  I had to think what a prairie dog town was doing in a reptile park but the idea I was having was disturbing so I filed it under do not think about!  I only include this cause I'm claiming Barf Vader sighting again.  Besides, where else am I going to see three prairie dogs in a food dish?

Whose the oldest hmmm?

Then we moved onto the giant Tortoises.  I took a pic of Mom and Tommy and told her I was going to ask, "Which one do YOU think is the oldest?".  She was not amused. Turns out the Tortoise was only 50 years old.  I found humor in it and moved away before I got slapped silly.  Still laughing...Mom is still not:)

Dragging one out of the pool

Showing how to close it's mouth

The next show was the crocodilen show! Steve Irwin, you have some competition!  This guy was super and crazy.  You know that's a riveting combination.  He was really funny but he also messed with the alligator and crocodiles with the other ones in the cage.  At one point he was being approached from behind and we all waited with bated breath.  When he noticed it he said, "You people are supposed to tell me when one is coming up.  You're sick".  We were all so concerned not one of the 200 audience members even mentioned it was coming up.   He's right, we all were kinda sick, but that's part of the show right?  Will the crocodile man escape without getting his face eaten off?  Happily or sadly depending on who you were rooting for he did make it out and we got to pet an American Alligator.   Scaly on top.  Smooth and soft on the bottom!

Feeding the critters - Crazy man!

 Next, we went and looked at all the venomous critters and the great big ones!  Tom particularly liked the big boas and anacondas!  I prefer the prairie dogs myself!

Giant Boas... ugh oh and Tommy:)

 The last show we saw was the bird show.  Again... not reptiles but maybe descended from them if evolutionists are to be believed. It was pretty cool.  My favorite was the vulture.  He was really pretty
and intimidating at the same time!  They also had a singing bird competition which was fun to look at. We had planned to spend an hour there.  Got there at 8:00 left at 12:00.  LOVED every minute of it!



Warning Beginning Rant:  They had a sign and I kid you not it said, "Crocodiles are dangerous.  Please do not tamper with." - ummmm what sort of idiot does not realize this?  As a society are we really so dumb that they need to put that sign out?  Pretty soon we are going to be seeing, "Walking on one foot is dangerous, please put one foot in front of another! "  Sheesh!