90 replies to this topic

[Paddy]

Dear All,

I was moving my gas bottles around yesterday and apart from the large number of toads I have running around my forge, I saw this ugly looking lady offering security to my oxygen bottle.

What interesting wildlife is crawling, running or flying around your forge?.

Cheers,

Paddy

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[poleframer]

Yup

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[Harley]

I had some plans left on my welding/layut table one evening . Upon returning in the morning there were multiple racoon tracks on the plans.......no work done though .

[ThomasPowers]

mice and so bullsnakes, black widows---quite a few, probably a tarantula or two wandering through, I've chased a couple of humming birds out when they come in the shop and get confused by the fiberglass panels in the roof---sorry no exit that way!

I check my gloves and hearing protectors before putting them on---I want to make a screened in container for them so they can dry out after use but not get buggy...I am also careful *NOT* to reach where I cannot see---black widows and the possibility of rattlesnakes. I took a 12 button rattle off a road kill rattlesnake within sight of my house a week ago.

Living in the desert!

[Cavala]

I have geckos running around wich is not normal for Nashville. The first I took home for my step son thinking it was an escaped pet but since then I've seen several all different sizes. They scatter when I turn off the lights.

I also keep a 4.5' tegu, its like a south American monitor lizard. He out grew our apt. So my wife asked (made me) move him to the shop. Clients get a kick out of him.

[edge9001]

the only critter I've seen inmy shop are my two dogs. they have found a way into my shop, and I have yet to figure out how. of course with as many small holes as my shop has it doesn't supise me much.

[hildenmw]

Spiders brown recluse and black widows. Mice and milk snakes. Mice like to build nests with the door insulation of my gas fprge. I'm half decent throwing a chisel. Surprised myself and a couple of mice.

[chyancarrek]

Cats . . . lots and lots of cats . . .

A Polydactyl momma and 5 mutant babies showed up about 5 weeks ago . . . My GF is a cat whisperer so I was doomed from the start.
My shop is now a feline halfway house - the only satisfaction I get is watching them scatter when I fire up the power hammer

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[Dan P.]

I have some very small, very strange and rather ugly red worms living in my front bosh (quench tank). With the amount of toxic nastiness that's in there I'm surprised they can survive, but they seem pretty happy boogying around down there, so I just let them be.

[Spears]

This thing was trying to get into the shop so I got a rake and tossed him in the woods. A bit bigger than the average of his kind.

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[Phil Krankowski]

I get bull frogs (really loud!), butterflies, large common orb spiders (bodies about a nickle), and an occasional worm snake or garter snake. If one of the neighbors ducks or chickens get in, they will be dinner, but they do not follow trails of old french fries.

Phil

[edge9001]

hildenmw, on 09 September 2010 - 11:52 AM, said:

Spiders brown recluse and black widows. Mice and milk snakes. Mice like to build nests with the door insulation of my gas fprge. I'm half decent throwing a chisel. Surprised myself and a couple of mice.

now that you mention mice and their nests, I've had a mouse build a nest, get this, inside the tuyere of my solid fuel forge. I went to crank up the heat the other day and I noticed my fan wouldn't turn. i reached in an turned it by mand a time or two and it started right up. then I saw there was still not very much air flow. I took the fan off and saw the pipe was full of little mouse nesting fluff. I've made sure I fire up that thing once a week now that I now it;s prime realestate for critters

[Sam Falzone]

Paddy, on 09 September 2010 - 07:45 AM, said:

Dear All,

I was moving my gas bottles around yesterday and apart from the large number of toads I have running around my forge, I saw this ugly looking lady offering security to my oxygen bottle.

What interesting wildlife is crawling, running or flying around your forge?.

Cheers,

Paddy

WHAT THE XXXX IS THAT !!!

... and where do you live ?!?!

The only critter I've had to deal with in my shed/shop was a opposum who decided to get comfy under my work bench.

[Sam Falzone]

poleframer, on 09 September 2010 - 09:39 AM, said:

Yup

Now that's what I call delivery !!!

I love quail.

[Sam Falzone]

chyancarrek, on 09 September 2010 - 12:06 PM, said:

Cats . . . lots and lots of cats . . .

A Polydactyl momma and 5 mutant babies showed up about 5 weeks ago . . . My GF is a cat whisperer so I was doomed from the start.
My shop is now a feline halfway house - the only satisfaction I get is watching them scatter when I fire up the power hammer

I have lots of friends who have barn cats - I'm seriously thinking of keeping a shop cat, specifically to keep the critters at bay.

[John B]

We had a mouse nest inside the electric motor on our Blacker, according to the newspapers it had used for its nest it had been there for a number of years, and we were working it throughout that time.

[ThomasPowers]

I don't consider a shop cat as "wildlife" they are more like wildlife prevention and/or search and destroy units.

My cat likes to lay on the concrete floor in the way; or if I'm in the extension, up on a table so he can keep an eye on what I'm doing. But he's not a full time shop cat. I've been thinking of building a shop door for him; just got to do it so the local skunks can make use of it. I was thinking of having it high and making a set of "jump steps" to get to it.

Oh I also have sparrows in nesting in the eves and had a dozen barn swallows on the roof a couple of mornings ago---they nest on our house porches. We also have a local roadrunner but I chase him away as I like the lizards and snakes!

[chyancarrek]

Sam Falzone, on 09 September 2010 - 02:34 PM, said:

I'm seriously thinking of keeping a shop cat . . . .

What's your address Sam and how many do you want? I'll pay the shipping!

[Bentiron1946]

Spears, That sure is a nice Rat snake you got there, it'll keep the mice out of your shop and house, it's a keeper.
The only real problem I had in the shop was Black Widows and scorpions, that's bad enough! Where I am now we get lots of stuff around the equipment and steel, rattlers, spiders, scorpions, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, owls, gila monsters, if it's wild it's around the stuff.

[ThomasPowers]

"rattlers, spiders, scorpions, javelina, bobcats, coyotes, owls, gila monsters" and you just *know* they were all shaking their heads and saying "there goes the neighborhood" when a blacksmith moved in...