Reptile & Amphibian Forums

once when i was a child (3-4) my father was outside working on his truck when i waddled up in my osh kosh b'gosh train conductor style overalls... he looks down at me and says something like "hey bud, whatcha doin'"... my sly and grinning reply was "snake huntin'"... not taking me very seriously he asked if i had had any luck. to which my reply was pulling 2-3 (his memory isn't precise) garter snakes out of my overalls (for any of you familiar with garter snakes which i'm sure nearly everyone is, imagine the smell)... needless to say he was astounded and more than a little freaked out... from there i moved on to catching all sorts of herps (frogs, salamanders, baby snapping turtles, more garter snakes) then working my way up from an anole to various turtles tortoises and other lizards... my parents have always been snake haters so i was never allowed to keep one... but today i aquired my first ball python... i have appointed him the name of guiness and he shall reign supreme over my bedroom... he is the only herp i currently own and he's all i'll anticipate needing for quite some time (i'm not one of those freaks like you guys who have to keep a dozen herps in your house to sleep well at night, j/k love ya all)... just thought you might appreciate the cute story frommy herp huntin' childhood... if anyone has experienced anything similiar i'd love to hear about it... i think it's awesome when kids so young aren't indoctrinated with an unjustified fear of all things slimy and scaly... keep up the good work folks and wish me luck with my first snake... ps - since i was never allowed to own a snake i had to make due with studying and reading about them constantly... i have read every care sheet and pet store book on ball pythons as well as most other herps... this being my first experience caring for a snake though i would appreciate any tips and or tricks from those more experienced than i... little tidbits and whatnot that you don't find in the books and care sheets... i know there must be some

Here's betting you have a half-dozen by next Christmas

nice story
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Charles Glaspie

Tanstaafl:
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".
An acronym created by my favorite author Robert A. Heinlein.

Yep, it's in your blood. I also was a critter hunting toddler. Once brought my mom a "worm" which to her horror turned out to be a baby rattlesnake. She put the brakes on my snake hunting after that.

can't say that i blame her in that particular instance. you sure topped me.