Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'd love to hear how others got into this fascinating but fairly unusual hobby/business. And what kinds of critters you keep around.

Personally, I've always thought snakes were cool and greatly enjoyed the rare occassions to handle one. But my father was dead-set against them, so no pets for me. We caught a small garter snake once but he made us let it go.

Now I'm grown up and married with kids of my own. Maybe its genetic because my daughter (10 years old) is utterly infatuated with herpetology and snakes in particular. After she worked hard on grades at school and saved up a lot of money for a kid, (and a LOT of persuasion with my hubby who is a bit like my dad...*LOL*)...we allowed her to get a snake, which we've just recently gotten. The more research I've done and the more snakes and lizards and turtles I've looked at in the process, the more fascinated I've become with everything.

My hubby's in the military and I don't believe herping is a very mobile hobby, but hopefully we can branch out just a bit more over the years....

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)
0.1 gerbil (Whiskers)

We went to the pet store... saw a snake... went home, looked it up... went back, bought it... boy, that's boring, isn't it? Well, now we have like... 50 herps... oh well...
The snake instigator in question is pictured below

Nice. What sub or subs is that?

The subspecies used to be called Lampropeltis getula goini until everyone decided that it doesn't exsist, so I guess she's just a blotched eastern king. It's a very confusing subject and despite really trying I can't understand it myself. I think half the snakes I own are or have recently been under taxonomic revision and it drives me crazy 8) .

I still see "Goini" being advertised online and in petshops. I think you're safe calling it that. A local bar up the street changed it's name about two years ago from "Packy's" to "Bootlegger Buck's". To this day people still call it packy's.

a blotched king, 'cause no one can say she's not blotched!

Heck, if you ever tried to sell that one, you could call it a " bi-colored salt and pepper jungle blotched" kingsnake. I think nowadays you get an extra ten bucks for every word added to the title of the snake, lol.

These snakes change color as they grow. They're born with red, which leads everyone to sell babies as Flame Kings! High Red Goini's! which is sad because there is actually a 'Blaze Phase' but I bet a dollar most of those aren't it. Not that the yellow isn't lovely... There are also many 'albino goini's' which originated as hybrids. I'm not totally against that except do we need to make this phase any more confusing?
This phenomenon has also hit my favorite snakes, the Kenyan sand boa, leading me to found a watchdog group called Citizens Against Proliferation of Fake Flames and Other Morphs (CAPFFOM). So far no one else cares .
Aren't you sick of squinting at pics in ads and saying 'I don't see it... honey, do you see it? What's 'jungle' supposed to be again?'
But I think the goin's are pretty because every scale has at least two colors on it.

I prefer the normal phases of most snakes myself.

The only morphs I own are kenyan sand boa morphs. I don't know why I like them so much. For the most part, I think normals are better!

For me it's my Stillwater hypo bulls.

>>I'd love to hear how others got into this fascinating but fairly unusual hobby/business. And what kinds of critters you keep around.
>>

Started out with a hamster which then became a hamster and a gerbil and later even more hamsters added to the collection that evolved into acquiring guinea pigs, more gerbils, more hamsters, some parakeets, etc. Then I felt sorry for a tiny runty mouse baby that showed up in a friend's mouse colony mouse and everything went to hell in a handbasket from there. I decided...hey all these rodents I've had over the years, why should I not try breeding some for a change! Yeah sounds like fun. Decided mouse was the newest of the lot..long story short... one mouse became many many mice. Then I got a snake to help control the mouse population . Mice gave way to rats and it was more snakes and more snakes and then started throwing lizards and other stuff into the mix (people learned early on I was into critters...ended up with all kinds of stuff including dumped animals, rescues, injured wildlife, etc.) Hell, I had a baby iguana that came out of nowhere to take up residence on my windowsil in the outside garden one year.

Basically the only 'pets' I've actually had to 'buy' in the traditional sense the last few years are my tarantulas, my mantis, and my european fire salamander (& even it was a unholy steal on the price)...everything else got dumped on me for free in one fashion or another.

The only bad thing about starting out with rodents first in the early years is that I got so used to sleeping through the night with all the 'squeeky wheel' noise. With nice quiet snakes and lizards and spiders, etc. I find I HAVE to put the cd player on auto play every night so I can fall alseep.

My personal (as opposed to work related) 'collection' is currently as follows:

2.1.0 Bearded dragons (father, mother, son)
---- had a lady bring me the eggs which I hatched then a few months later she gives me the parents)

2.1.0 Corn snakes (2 amel, 1 anery)
0.1.0 Emory rat snake (my oldest @ ~11 years)

3.0.0 Red ear sliders (rescues/long term fosters)
2.0.0 Eastern painted turtles (long term fosters)
4.0.0 Eastern Box turtles (long term rehabs possibly permenant)

0.1.0 European Fire Salamander
0.0.28 Spotted Salamanders (captive hatched/raised this year)
0.0.3 Marbled Salamanders (captive hatched/raised this year)
0.0.3 Spring peeper treefrog (captive raised this year)
1.0.0 Common Gray Treefrog
0.0.52 Eastern Spadefoot toads (captive raised this year)

1.0.0 Peruvian/abyssian guinea pig (rescue from humane society)

2.3.0 Ship/plague rats (Rattus rattus)
----not to be confused with sewer rats or their domesticated decendants that people feed to their snakes or keep as pets. One of the females is mean enough she could take on a pitbull terrier and win paws down....put one person in the ER already.

0.0.4 Comet/Shubunkin Goldfish
0.0.1 Channel Cat (that I raised from a tiny madtom)
0.0.1 Rosy red minnow
1.1.? Ivory Snails (I have eggs now just dunno how many are gonna hatch)

0.0.1 Asian Dead-leaf Mantis

0.1.0 Greenbottle Blue Tarantula
0.0.1 Mexican Redknee Tarantula
0.0.1 Mexican Redleg Tarantula
1.1.3 Brazilian Black Tarantulas (2-3 molts left on the male then I can try breeding)

0.1.(dozens) Wolf Spiders (momma spider has had one egg sac hatch and is incubating another)

0.1.(hundreds) Northern widow spiders (I got spiderlings everywhere at the moment)

0.0.(hundreds) Western widow spiders (again spiderlings everywhere)

The widows are much to the dismay of my coworkers as I ain't allowed to keep 'hot' stuff at home ROFL. I'm just bummed I didn't get any southern widows this year.

I've also been hatching and raising a whole bunch of black swallowtails, monarchs, and painted lady butterflies.

Unless I've forgotten something, I think that's all.
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_____

PHWyvern

I've come a long way in getting over my deep-seated fear of spiders. I can look at a trantula in a cage without wanting to run. *LOL* But just reading your list of critters made me shudder all over! I'm still feeling creepy! *LOL*

I lived in Tucson for a long time and we would have to go on "spider hunts" around the yard and house to keep the widows at bay. We'd go out just after dusk with a flashlight and a can of pesticide. I just can't imagine wanting to breed them! Ahhhh, but variety is the spice of life, is it not? Some things are just spicier than others!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)
0.1 gerbil (Whiskers)

I was 12 or 13 (I'm 19 now). I got a trio of clawed frogs, because I needed to keep a herp for 30 days to get my Reptile/Amphibian merit badge for Boy Scouts
Shortly thereafter I started with lizards. I regret to say I started with two anoles, and knew nothing about them. Shortly after though, I learned and branched out. I kept mostly lizards for a while, geckos and some monitors, and anoles. In 94 or 95 I got my first snake, a garter my cat dragged in as a sub adult. It died in 2001. I've actually bred leopard and pictus geckos, and I've gotten some copulation from snakes, but no successfull breedings.
In 2000 I suffered through what I think was a viral epidemic, losing some 15 snakes, mostly colubrids, in 2 months. Also during that time, Mom's cat got into my room and broke some cages and killed some snakes. I kind of burned out after that, and sold/gave away probably another dozen snakes. I had to sell my lizards (college, which I actually hadn't been planning on going to). I still have 15 snakes and one savvana monitor. I've more than recovered from the burnout, and I'm rounding out some breeding groups that got killed in the epidemic (now that I'm sure it's gone).

I keep 1.2 corns,a cal king, one each BCC and BCO, a mexican black king, and sand boas, and some pits (probably my favorite colubrids)--a lone bull and a gopher. I'm getting mates for the mex black, the gopher and the cal king.
I've kept savu pythons (got copulation, never eggs, grrr), ball pythons (rescues), spotteds, tree boas, acanthurus, milksnakes, and frogs (the frogs died in a house fire I had). In that epidemic and cat attack, I lost my female cal kings, several corns, three everglades ratsnakes, the milksnakes, and some other stuff

Paul
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Cornsnakes and kingsnakes and gophers oh my!

A housefire, an epidemic, and a rogue cat??? Wow...you've overcome a lot of obstacles! Just goes to show how truly addicting the creatures are, huh?

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)
0.1 gerbil (Whiskers)

Hi....my name is Paul, and I'm a herpoholic...*sobs and sits down*.
It all started with three clawed frogs, and got out of control...I kept saying I could quit...
*L*
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Cornsnakes and kingsnakes and gophers oh my!

.
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)
0.1 gerbil (Whiskers)

Man I could have had one easy merit badge, maybe I should have read the book of badges better. I had about 40 turtles in the amout on time I was in the scouts and 2 iguanas and 6 anoles.
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http://joshmilliken.tripod.com/

When I was a kid I always wanted a dog but (a) we always lived in apartments and (b) my dad was deathly allergic to any warm blooded animals (including my mother and brother and me, as we were to find out when he flew the coop), so as far as pets went the usual furry things were out, and I had everything, fish, hermit crabs, snakes, lizards (anoles, geckos, curlytails), newts, frogs, salamanders, crawdads, a batallion of box turtles, a gigantic praying mantis for some reason... you name it. Of course eventually just about every land animal got loose in the apartment and lived in the drapes or the sleeper sofa, which led to my mother insisting no more pets but somehow I always managed to talk her into one more lizard. Now at age 30 I have a cat (an unplanned kitten rescue, now going on 7 years), 1 redeared slider and 3 crested geckos, a small family for a small manhattan apt. But someday I might just get that dog, if the rest of the family permits.

I'm what i like to call a reptile enthuisist. I'm still new to the hobby. It got started three summers ago when my wifes sister bought two ball pythons. My wife fell in love. We went to our first reptile show and got hooked. One more ball and a pretty little white snake{snow corn} who escaped never to be seen again. Of course he had to be replaced by four new corns. My daughter decided she had to have a leopard gecko. Who am I to say no. Then a student at the school where I work couldn't take his ball and iguanas to college, so they got added to the collection. More shows, more friends with snakes, a little field herping, and the collection has grown. currently stands at 6 ball pythons, one red tail boa, four corn snake with eggs in the incubator, two Texas rat snakes, two green iguanas,{close to four feet now} one gecko, and a colony of mice and rats. Now i spend any extra time I have tromping through the woods. I've learned to identify many of the local lizards and snake. I ve developed a weird fasanation with the texas rat which is common here. I like the challange of handling a snake that tries to eat you alive but is totally harmless. Needless to say I'm addicted. I can't walk by a rock without seeing what might be under it. Thanks for your post. Its nice to tell my story to someone who might actually care.

Oh I do care! These are such great stories! Even meretseger's brief one.

If circumstances permitted, I could see myself easily amassing similar collections over time. But my husband's career means cross-country (and hopefully someday a cross-global!) moves. And he's getting to the point now where we'll be moving every year or two for a long while. (Good thing I'm the adventurous sort!)

I just can't see us moving huge collections of herps that frequently. And finding a temporary home for them if we go overseas would also be quite a task. But maybe someday, once he's retired and we're settled someplace permanent. And maybe my daughter will truly grow up into the herpetolgist she's convinced she wants to be...I can visit HER collection! *LOL*

Where the heck do you guys keep all those critters???

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)
0.1 gerbil (Whiskers)

Well it all started bringing home animals caught in houstons woods. Bringing home hognose, diamond back water snakes, banded water snakes, texas and black rat snakes, etc all at the age of 8. Then it got so bad my parents had to build a green house and a pond for the red ears, snappers, muds and soft shells. Then it just got worse such as sneaking a prarie rattler home in my luggage from a family trip only to be discoverd on the way home due to a rattle in the car my dad thought was a tire. Had fun explaining that one!. Now it gone to haveing every thing from corns 2.4, green trees 1.3, beardies 2.4, red foot tortise 0.1,Bulls 1.2, cats 2.1, and a wife that loves them all! So it started in the woods, where every one told my parents i would be hurt or killed. So let your kid explor even if you have to go with them! great family times, and herps to go with it! Spread the culture that teaches some reponsibility. scott

I can't wait to get into the woods with my kids! Thanks for this!

Judy

It's an addiction, in case you haven't figured it out already. I have always loved nature, loved to hunt in the woods for slamanders, snakes, frogs, catching tadpoles, caterpillars, you name it, I was out looking for it. As I grew older, and had my own children, We would do the same. One time I left a dead brown snake on the dashboard of my mothers car because i had found it in the parking lot at work and wanted to bring it home to show the kids. My Mom said, "Kathy, you're 35 years old! When are you going to stop this?!?!?!"
Well, we had hermit crabs and the like, and then my oldest found a garter snake. We decided to keep it for a bit. It was a great snake, fed it earthworms that we kept in the fridge (to my mothers dismay when she came over for dinner...). When it passed, we had this tank....and I really missed having a snake....so we started to research a good first snake and after about 6 months, got a baby ball python. It was all down hill from there. Our collection is still small, as we rent, but when we get a house...WATCH OUT! I'd like to try breeding, and expand my collection. Luckily, my husband is getting into the hobby right along with the rest of us! It makes it so much easier when you have a willing partner.
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1.1 Ball Python
0.0.1 corn snake
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish
1.2 cats
3.1 kids
1.0 husband

*LMAO about the snake on the dashboard* That could be a rather startling experience!

I'm hoping my hubby gets into it a little bit more. Right now, I think he's sitting back and waiting to see how serious my daughter and I are...if we're gonna stick with it.

Thanks for sharing!
Judy

PS - I've been meaning to e-mail you back for ages since you wrote to me from the pit forum. I will!
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Lol! Cool.
I think you guys are gonna "stick with it".
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1.1 Ball Python
0.0.1 corn snake
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish
1.2 cats
3.1 kids
1.0 husband

I guess the herp thing started for me when I was eight. I purchased 3 Fire Bellied Newts and an African Clawed Frog from the local bait store. I am 23 now and they are all still alive (Unless people switch them out to not break my heart). I got my first snake (paid to much at that) at the age of 18, she was a Ball Python. Other than those I didn't really get into the herp thing until I was about 21. I saw a few geckos at pet shops, and then heard about reptile shows. Since then it has taken off Basically, I see something, I buy it. It was so bad last summer I actually paid half of someones rent to keep my herps there because I was stuck in a lease in a small apartment. What a pain to drive 1/2hr every day to feed things. Now that I have a much larger place I can keep pretty much anything I would like. My collection has varied greatly with the most emphasis on lizards, specifically geckos. Herps are like potato chips, you can't stop with just one, heck or even twenty. Best of luck to all the herp loving people out there.

My Herps:
9 Leopard Geckos Eublepharis macularius,
6 White-Lined Geckos Gekko vittatus,
2 African Fat-Tail Geckos Hemitheconyx caudicinctus,
3 Central American Banded Geckos Coleonyx mitratus,
3 Desert Banded Geckos Coleonyx variegatus spp.,
4 Crested Geckos Rhacodactylus ciliatus,
1 Pictus Gecko Paroedura pictus,
4 Carrot-Tail Viper Geckos Tarentolepis fasciata,
1 Henkel’s Gecko Uroplatus henkeli,
2 Ocellated Velvet Gecko Oedura monilis,
1 Northern Velvet Gecko Oedura castelnaui,
1 Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma ladicauda,
1 Giant Day Gecko Phelsuma madagascarensis sp.,
6 Bearded dragons Pagona vitticeps,
1 Rankin’s Dragon Pagona brevis,
1 Veiled Chameleon Chameleo calyptratus,
1 Long Tail Grass Lizard Takydromas sexlineatus sp.,
1 Water Dog Xxotyl,
3 Fire-Bellied Newts Cynops orientalis,
1 African-Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis,
5 Fire-Bellied Toads Bombina orientalis,
1 Blue and Yellow Poison Dart Frog Dendrobate tinctorius,
10 Yellow and Black Dart Frogs (Tadpoles) Dendrobate leucomelas,
4 Emperor Scorpions Pandinus imperator.

I got into herps when I was 8. I purchased 3 Fire Bellied Newts and an African Clawed Frog at the local bait shop. I am 23 now and all are still alive. Either I am doing something right or someone is switching out dead ones to help not break my heart. I seem not to follow common care directions, but they have done just fine for years. My first snake came at 18, a beautiful Ball Python. The whole herp obsession didn't kick in until about 21, I started seeing geckos and frogs at pet stores and discovered herp shows, and off I went. It got to the point of, "I see it, I but it". I even had to pay half of someones rent to house my herps there, because I was stuck in a lease in a small apartment. What a pain driving 1/2 hour every day for feedings. My collection has varied somewhat, mainly with lizards, specifically geckos lately. Herps are like potato chips, "you can't have just one, or twenty for that matter. Any gecko lovers out there want to talk, and share info, feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck to all you herp lovers out there.

My Current Herps:
9 Leopard Geckos Eublepharis macularius, 6 White-Lined Geckos Gekko vittatus, 2 African Fat-Tail Geckos Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, 3 Central American Banded Geckos Coleonyx mitratus, 3 Desert Banded Geckos Coleonyx variegatus spp. , 4 Crested Geckos Rhacodactylus ciliatus, 1 Pictus Gecko Paroedura pictus, 4 Carrot-Tail Viper Geckos Tarentolepis fasciata, 1 Henkel’s Gecko Uroplatus henkeli, 2 Ocellated Velvet Gecko Oedura monilis, 1 Northern Velvet Gecko Oedura castelnaui, 1 Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma ladicauda, 1 Giant Day Gecko Phelsuma madagascarensis sp., 6 Bearded dragons Pagona vitticeps, 1 Rankin’s Dragon Pagona brevis, 1 Veiled Chameleon Chameleo calyptratus, 1 Long Tail Grass Lizard Takydromas sexlineatus sp., 1 Water Dog Xxotyl, 3 Fire-Bellied Newts Cynops orientalis, 1 African-Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis, 5 Fire-Bellied Toads Bombina orientalis, 1 Blue and Yellow Poison Dart Frog Dendrobate tinctorius, 10 Yellow and Black Poison Dart Frogs (Tadpoles) Dendrobate leucomelas, 4 Emperor Scorpions Pandinus imperator.

I got into herps when I was 8. I purchased 3 Fire Bellied Newts and an African Clawed Frog at the local bait shop. I am 23 now and all are still alive. Either I am doing something right or someone is switching out dead ones to help not break my heart. I seem not to follow common care directions, but they have done just fine for years. My first snake came at 18, a beautiful Ball Python. The whole herp obsession didn't kick in until about 21, I started seeing geckos and frogs at pet stores and discovered herp shows, and off I went. It got to the point of, "I see it, I but it". I even had to pay half of someones rent to house my herps there, because I was stuck in a lease in a small apartment. What a pain driving 1/2 hour every day for feedings. My collection has varied somewhat, mainly with lizards, specifically geckos lately. Herps are like potato chips, "you can't have just one, or twenty for that matter. Any gecko lovers out there want to talk, and share info, feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck to all you herp lovers out there.

My Current Herps:
9 Leopard Geckos Eublepharis macularius, 6 White-Lined Geckos Gekko vittatus, 2 African Fat-Tail Geckos Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, 3 Central American Banded Geckos Coleonyx mitratus, 3 Desert Banded Geckos Coleonyx variegatus spp. , 4 Crested Geckos Rhacodactylus ciliatus, 1 Pictus Gecko Paroedura pictus, 4 Carrot-Tail Viper Geckos Tarentolepis fasciata, 1 Henkel’s Gecko Uroplatus henkeli, 2 Ocellated Velvet Gecko Oedura monilis, 1 Northern Velvet Gecko Oedura castelnaui, 1 Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma ladicauda, 1 Giant Day Gecko Phelsuma madagascarensis sp., 6 Bearded dragons Pagona vitticeps, 1 Rankin’s Dragon Pagona brevis, 1 Veiled Chameleon Chameleo calyptratus, 1 Long Tail Grass Lizard Takydromas sexlineatus sp., 1 Water Dog Xxotyl, 3 Fire-Bellied Newts Cynops orientalis, 1 African-Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis, 5 Fire-Bellied Toads Bombina orientalis, 1 Blue and Yellow Poison Dart Frog Dendrobate tinctorius, 10 Yellow and Black Poison Dart Frogs (Tadpoles) Dendrobate leucomelas, 4 Emperor Scorpions Pandinus imperator.

I got into herps when I was 8. I purchased 3 Fire Bellied Newts and an African Clawed Frog at the local bait shop. I am 23 now and all are still alive. Either I am doing something right or someone is switching out dead ones to help not break my heart. I seem not to follow common care directions, but they have done just fine for years. My first snake came at 18, a beautiful Ball Python. The whole herp obsession didn't kick in until about 21, I started seeing geckos and frogs at pet stores and discovered herp shows, and off I went. It got to the point of, "I see it, I but it". I even had to pay half of someones rent to house my herps there, because I was stuck in a lease in a small apartment. What a pain driving 1/2 hour every day for feedings. My collection has varied somewhat, mainly with lizards, specifically geckos lately. Herps are like potato chips, "you can't have just one, or twenty for that matter. Any gecko lovers out there want to talk, and share info, feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck to all you herp lovers out there.

My Current Herps:
9 Leopard Geckos Eublepharis macularius, 6 White-Lined Geckos Gekko vittatus, 2 African Fat-Tail Geckos Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, 3 Central American Banded Geckos Coleonyx mitratus, 3 Desert Banded Geckos Coleonyx variegatus spp. , 4 Crested Geckos Rhacodactylus ciliatus, 1 Pictus Gecko Paroedura pictus, 4 Carrot-Tail Viper Geckos Tarentolepis fasciata, 1 Henkel’s Gecko Uroplatus henkeli, 2 Ocellated Velvet Gecko Oedura monilis, 1 Northern Velvet Gecko Oedura castelnaui, 1 Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma ladicauda, 1 Giant Day Gecko Phelsuma madagascarensis sp., 6 Bearded dragons Pagona vitticeps, 1 Rankin’s Dragon Pagona brevis, 1 Veiled Chameleon Chameleo calyptratus, 1 Long Tail Grass Lizard Takydromas sexlineatus sp., 1 Water Dog Xxotyl, 3 Fire-Bellied Newts Cynops orientalis, 1 African-Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis, 5 Fire-Bellied Toads Bombina orientalis, 1 Blue and Yellow Poison Dart Frog Dendrobate tinctorius, 10 Yellow and Black Poison Dart Frogs (Tadpoles) Dendrobate leucomelas, 4 Emperor Scorpions Pandinus imperator.

I got into herps when I was 8. I purchased 3 Fire Bellied Newts and an African Clawed Frog at the local bait shop. I am 23 now and all are still alive. Either I am doing something right or someone is switching out dead ones to help not break my heart. I seem not to follow common care directions, but they have done just fine for years. My first snake came at 18, a beautiful Ball Python. The whole herp obsession didn't kick in until about 21, I started seeing geckos and frogs at pet stores and discovered herp shows, and off I went. It got to the point of, "I see it, I but it". I even had to pay half of someones rent to house my herps there, because I was stuck in a lease in a small apartment. What a pain driving 1/2 hour every day for feedings. My collection has varied somewhat, mainly with lizards, specifically geckos lately. Herps are like potato chips, "you can't have just one, or twenty for that matter. Any gecko lovers out there want to talk, and share info, feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck to all you herp lovers out there.

My Current Herps:
9 Leopard Geckos Eublepharis macularius, 6 White-Lined Geckos Gekko vittatus, 2 African Fat-Tail Geckos Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, 3 Central American Banded Geckos Coleonyx mitratus, 3 Desert Banded Geckos Coleonyx variegatus spp. , 4 Crested Geckos Rhacodactylus ciliatus, 1 Pictus Gecko Paroedura pictus, 4 Carrot-Tail Viper Geckos Tarentolepis fasciata, 1 Henkel’s Gecko Uroplatus henkeli, 2 Ocellated Velvet Gecko Oedura monilis, 1 Northern Velvet Gecko Oedura castelnaui, 1 Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma ladicauda, 1 Giant Day Gecko Phelsuma madagascarensis sp., 6 Bearded dragons Pagona vitticeps, 1 Rankin’s Dragon Pagona brevis, 1 Veiled Chameleon Chameleo calyptratus, 1 Long Tail Grass Lizard Takydromas sexlineatus sp., 1 Water Dog Xxotyl, 3 Fire-Bellied Newts Cynops orientalis, 1 African-Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis, 5 Fire-Bellied Toads Bombina orientalis, 1 Blue and Yellow Poison Dart Frog Dendrobate tinctorius, 10 Yellow and Black Poison Dart Frogs (Tadpoles) Dendrobate leucomelas, 4 Emperor Scorpions Pandinus imperator.

Holy cow! How many rooms do you have to devote to your obsessio....er...I mean hobby?

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

I keep everything in one room. I only keep things in other rooms for quarantine. I have rearranged things a million times. Just wish I had the money I have spent on various shelves. The various geckos don't take lots or space. I have cages stacked from floor to ceiling, which works because Iam on the second floor. Best of luck with your herps.

Well, I have had some herp of some kind ever since I can remember. When I was a small child my grandfather would bring home snappers from the Lake Erie marsh dredge he worked on. We kept them in a 500 gallon trough for a week or so to clean them out then they were food for us LOL. I used to be in charge of changeing the water. I started their by keeping all kinds of various wild caught painted turtles,frogs,toads,salamanders and such. Had a deadly fear of snakes. Well soon life came along and I got out of the herp thing. About 10 years ago then when I was 24 or so I got a few anoles and kept them. Well that went fine till I discovered Kingsnake about 6 years ago. Live out in the sticks and never knew so many cool herps existed. Soon I was breeding Leos. Then my girlfreind wanted a boa like 2.5 years ago so I got a baby red-tail from Bill Cagle nothing special just a nice little purpleish bci. Well I slowly got to be able to handle it and lost my fear of snakes . Now 2.5 years later she is reaching 7 feet I have a male for her. A pair of rainbow boas and 2 corn snakes, so much for being feared of them LOL. I just find herps really interesting. I don't really know what posseses people to own them but I think it is great .
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Even if your on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there
22 leos,1.1 redtail boas,1.1 rainbow boas,1.1 cornsnakes, 1.0 tokay gecko,1.0 veiled cham, 5 dogs and a cat. Oh, can't forget Tater my parrolet.

Oh I love rainbow boas! That's so cool that you were willing to work out that fear...and were able to be successful! (I'm still working on my fear of spiders...but I did hold a tarantula at the MD expo yesterday!)

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Hi. I'm new here and I really enjoyed reading everybody's story. I'm a grad student and I live alone. I have a cat but she lives with my mother 300 miles away as I am not permitted to have furry quadraped pets in my apartment, oh and I'm rather allergic to her. I keep very large ciclids and enjoy them very much but I wanted a pet to interact with a little more physically. I spend almost all my waking hours studying or working in the lab and it would be really nice to come home and have something to feed, water, watch, and maybe hold in my lap. Fish are my first love in life, hence I am working on a degree in aquatic pathology but my fish are mature and require little care from me even if they are large and they are soothing and interesting to watch but......So one night as I was almost asleep it occurred to me that a snake would make a nice pet. I've never been afraid of snakes and a snake can't make me sneeze. I did a lot of research and then found a good herp shop and went and got a baby ball python who is now named Clove and who is quite the "lap snake" I'd like to add that the only things more challenging to care for than large cichlids are children and dogs in excess of 100lbs. I've had my fish, who reside in a 75 gallon tank (80lbs empty about 800 full), all through college and I have brought them everywhere with me (several thousand miles) so this snake is a piece of cake to care for!

Wow...that's some serious devotion to your fish! I'll have to write and ask you for moving tips next time we move!

I think a ball python would make a really cool "lap" pet. My hubby is allergic to cats too (I'm a deprived cat person now!)...but I've yet to convince him of the upside of snake ownership. *LOL* Maybe someday...

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Well, I went to a reptile show about 9 years back and fell in love with a bearded dragon. When the next show came around I bought 3 more babies. Next show I bought 8 more. All were to young to sex. When I could I found out I had 8 boys and 4 girls. Oh joy 8 cages. I needed 4 more girls. Got them and 12 more. That is how Lynn's Bearded Dragons was born. By the way , Bearded dragons are still my first love when it comes to reptiles.
Really though a rescue ball python got me to go to the show to talk to someone about it so I guess it really was the Ball python.

http://www.lynnsbeardeddragons.com

I'm hoping to get a couple beardies someday. I'd love to have a lizard that enjoyed hanging out on my shoulder! They're so sweet!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

My son has asthma, so in 2001, we were looking for a pet that had no fur. We knew nothing about iguanas, but when we went into the pet store, they looked cute. We bought Iggi, and ignored the bogus advice of the pet store. We bought Iguanas for Dummies, and surfed the net too. We didn't know how to raise an iguana, but we did a pretty good job with our son. So we raised Iggi like a human child. We basically held her all day long, putting her into her enclosure to poop, and after she fell asleep on us, to bed on her driftwood branch in her enclosure. She is now about 3 years old, and as far as human daughters go, she still looks just like an iguana. However, as far as iguanas go, she acts like a human daughter. She is a free roamer, that does not bite, scratch, tail-whip, or require a leash when we take her outside for her daily walks. She is good around strangers, too. She is not really a pet, it's more like she's the only family member who doesn't have to dress up for St. Patricks day, as she is already green.
We have no other reptiles. Here is a picture of Iggi and her Mommy.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

ig daddy: Loved your photo. I can see the love! Be careful, don't wiggle your nose or methinks your iguana will turn into a real girl. lol

That has GOT to be the coolest (and happiest!!) iguana I've ever read about! Thank you so much for sharing!!

Judy

PS - I LOVE that picture!!
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Hello Judy;
I'm glad you liked the picture of my wife, "ig_mommy", and Iggi. I have the books "Iguanas for Dummies" and "The Ultimate iguana owners guide", and neither of those books talk about raising your iguana to be HAPPY. I don't think it is right to have a healthy iguana, that sits in an enclosure 23 hours of the day, to come out only when the owner gets bored. I have read numerous accounts of iguanas tail-whipping, and biting their owners. We believe that our way is a better way to raise an iguana. A free roaming member of the family, that we take out several times a day for sun and exercise. Igg is so tame, that all Iggi does with me, is sit on my shoulder, and "kiss" my ear.

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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

Well, I always have been an animal lover. I have had and worked on horse farms, showing Arabian horses. I have had and shown dogs. I always wanted to have my own farm. I have always had an interest in reptiles, but never actually owned any, until my daughter became fascinated with them. (Snakes especially) I guess from watching Animal Planet. I purchaed my first snake from SMR in February 2003, (a beautiful okeetee) and it kind of snowballed from there. I became addicted. I am waiting for 6 & 7 to arrive anytime. I especially love the corns, but if I could, I would probably have many different kinds. (from boas to milksnakes) I am working on converting a spare room in my house to my "snake room" and plan on doing a little bit of breeding in the near future.
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SpardaWolf
1.0 okeetee-Sparda
1.0 pastel motley-Peeper
0.1 anerythristic-Piper
1.0 amel-Stripe
1.0 ball python-Cobra

Well, I always have been an animal lover. I have had and worked on horse farms, showing Arabian horses. I have had and shown dogs. I always wanted to have my own farm. I have always had an interest in reptiles, but never actually owned any, until my daughter became fascinated with them. (Snakes especially) I guess from watching Animal Planet. I purchaed my first snake from SMR in February 2003, (a beautiful okeetee) and it kind of snowballed from there. I became addicted. I am waiting for 6 & 7 to arrive anytime. I especially love the corns, but if I could, I would probably have many different kinds. (from boas to milksnakes) I am working on converting a spare room in my house to my "snake room" and plan on doing a little bit of breeding in the near future.
-----
SpardaWolf
1.0 okeetee-Sparda
1.0 pastel motley-Peeper
0.1 anerythristic-Piper
1.0 amel-Stripe
1.0 ball python-Cobra

*LOL* Yes...I think Jeff Corwin and Steve Irwin are probably responsible for revolutionizing young girls' attitudes about snakes and reptiles. Woe to the little boys who can't chase girls with lizards and garters any more!

And, like you, I think my daughter's interest has turned into MY hobby as well...although we're just barely started...

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

since i could walk, litterally, ive chased all sorts of herps around, some bugs, and even caught some. i got some hermit crabs when i was 6, which lead to some anoles at 8, which lived for quite some time. and id still catch anything i could, but i was only allowed herps with legs, no snakes. didnt stop me from catching all sorts of snakes growing up. my step father got the boot when i was 16, which was the one thing keeping me from getting snakes...and boy did i...almost 10 years later ive had to give up my pretty decent reptile collection, just over 150 or so species, and ive started over, im more specialized now tho, i really only keep pythons these days, and thats really what interests me, i still like other snakes, and lizards, frogs, toads, all of em, but pythons are the only ones im truely passionate about...heres my list

0.1 Apodora papuan - papuan python
0.1 Leiopython albertisii - white lipped python
0.1 Morelia amethistina - manokwari barneck scrub python
0.1 Morelia amethistina - Aru island scrub python
0.1 Morelia clastolepis - Moluccan (scrub) python
1.1 Morelia spilota ssp. - Irian jaya carpet python
1.0 Morelia spilota mcdowelli - Striped coastal carpet python
0.1 Morelia spilota mcdowelli - High contrast queensland carpet
1.1 Liasis mackloti mackloti - Timor island macklots python
0.1 Python brongersmai - Sumatran red blood python
0.1 Python regius - ball python

im working on pairing stuff up,lol, im very female heavy, but alot of people tend to hang onto females and not many, atleast with scrubs, make it into hobbyists hands. the papuan and macklots are up for sale or trade, not an add, due to my wanting to focus on scrubs, white lips, bloods and timor pythons, the ball python is my personal pet, shell only be bred if i find a male that id really like to prove out. everything else will be paired up and eventually be part of various breeding groups. theres still 2 species of scrub i need to aquire, Southerns and Tanimbars. ok ive rambled enough, peace

J
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."

I think the pythons are my favorites too. If I didn't have any other restrictions, I could see myself owning quite a few...although I'm not sure I'd want anything big enough to need its own room! *LOL*

Thanks!
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Well When I was 9 years old, I found a baby box turtle in my friend's yard, and I've been keeping herps ever since.
Now, 6 years later, I currently have 32 Reptiles and I am breeding bearded dragons.

lol, I'm a 'reptile addict' now, and I will definately be keeping reptiles for the rest of my life...

Anyway, that's how I got into herps
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-Lauren

~ Lauren's Lizards ~

groups.yahoo.com/group/LaurensLizards

Do you plan on studying herpetology in school? How did you convince your folks to let you keep so many critters??

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Yes, I am in the 10th grade, and when I 'grow up' I want to work in the Reptile dept. at a Zoo, and have a small business breeding reptiles as well.
(I'm already breeding bearded dragons, and will be breeding Corn Snakes in the near future.)

lol my parents don't really like the reptiles but they don't really mind them either- (except my mom HATES the snakes-- if she didn't hate them so much, I'd definately have more of them...)
The Reptiles have their own room in the basement, and my parents rarley go in there so they never really 'see' the herps and I guess maybe that's why they don't mind them.
Anyway, my parents are really suportive of my passion for herps.

I have been the only one in my family interested in herps for several years now, but recently my younger brother and sister have become interested as well.

lol, reptiles aren't just a 'passing hobby' for me, -they're definately here to stay. I'm sure I'll be keeping them for the rest of my life.

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-Lauren

~ Lauren's Lizards ~

groups.yahoo.com/group/LaurensLizards

I got the rest of my family addicted to them to except my dad who is still scared of them all. I got my 2 little brothers my cousin and step mom into them.
-----
http://joshmilliken.tripod.com/

Well When I was 9 years old, I found a baby box turtle in my friend's yard, and I've been keeping herps ever since.
Now, 6 years later, I currently have 32 Reptiles and I am breeding bearded dragons.

lol, I'm a 'reptile addict' now, and I will definately be keeping reptiles for the rest of my life...

Anyway, that's how I got into herps
-----
-Lauren

~ Lauren's Lizards ~

groups.yahoo.com/group/LaurensLizards

-----
-Lauren

~ Lauren's Lizards ~

groups.yahoo.com/group/LaurensLizards

I got into herps when I was 8. I purchased 3 Fire Bellied Newts and an African Clawed Frog at the local bait shop. I am 23 now and all are still alive. Either I am doing something right or someone is switching out dead ones to help not break my heart. I seem not to follow common care directions, but they have done just fine for years. My first snake came at 18, a beautiful Ball Python. The whole herp obsession didn't kick in until about 21, I started seeing geckos and frogs at pet stores and discovered herp shows, and off I went. It got to the point of, "I see it, I but it". I even had to pay half of someones rent to house my herps there, because I was stuck in a lease in a small apartment. What a pain driving 1/2 hour every day for feedings. My collection has varied somewhat, mainly with lizards, specifically geckos lately. Herps are like potato chips, "you can't have just one, or twenty for that matter. Any gecko lovers out there want to talk, and share info, feel free to e-mail me. Best of luck to all you herp lovers out there.

My Current Herps:
9 Leopard Geckos Eublepharis macularius, 6 White-Lined Geckos Gekko vittatus, 2 African Fat-Tail Geckos Hemitheconyx caudicinctus, 3 Central American Banded Geckos Coleonyx mitratus, 3 Desert Banded Geckos Coleonyx variegatus spp. , 4 Crested Geckos Rhacodactylus ciliatus, 1 Pictus Gecko Paroedura pictus, 4 Carrot-Tail Viper Geckos Tarentolepis fasciata, 1 Henkel’s Gecko Uroplatus henkeli, 2 Ocellated Velvet Gecko Oedura monilis, 1 Northern Velvet Gecko Oedura castelnaui, 1 Gold Dust Day Gecko Phelsuma ladicauda, 1 Giant Day Gecko Phelsuma madagascarensis sp., 6 Bearded dragons Pagona vitticeps, 1 Rankin’s Dragon Pagona brevis, 1 Veiled Chameleon Chameleo calyptratus, 1 Long Tail Grass Lizard Takydromas sexlineatus sp., 1 Water Dog Xxotyl, 3 Fire-Bellied Newts Cynops orientalis, 1 African-Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis, 5 Fire-Bellied Toads Bombina orientalis, 1 Blue and Yellow Poison Dart Frog Dendrobate tinctorius, 10 Yellow and Black Poison Dart Frogs (Tadpoles) Dendrobate leucomelas, 4 Emperor Scorpions Pandinus imperator.

ever since I was 3 or 4 I loved dionosaurs and animals. My mom said once that she told me to go upstairs and watch cartoons and I asked if I could watch Discovery.Every thing started when my hamster died. My mom said I could replace it so I got a fire bellied newt. Soo afet I was finding hatchling read eared sliders and I would keep them for about a week and the releases them. THEN when I was about 9 I baught 2 green anoles. When I was 11 I became facinated by snakes. I begged my praents for a year to let me get one and finaly they let me. Last year my dad became intrested in PDF's. Now I have 1.0 boa constictor, 1.1 emories rat snakes. 1.1 grey banded kings, 0.0.2 D. tinc, 0.0.2 black and green auratus, 0.0.1 green and bronze auratus, 1.1.1 kaluah and cream auratus,1.2 leopard geckos, 2.3.5 pictus geckos some are red normal xanthic, 1.1 beardies, I plan on getting some grandis day gekos tomarow. Hopefully I can do a partial trade for some of my pictus. Later KS

From 3-11 I owned a myriad of Herps most of them my mother got me a few african clawed frogs a few greentree frogs a garter snake and a ton of frogs of which I don't know what they were (got them as tadpoles from an abandoned bathtub) a couple Ballpythons most of the herps either escaped were sold or some died horrible deaths (the garter snake and one ball)
I felt terrible for not knowing as much as I should have about them But there were mostly success stories afterwords I kept a trio of green turtles in Malaysia for three months till I gave them to friend who kept other turtles and I had to leave Malaysia (only stayed there for a year and a half) I returned to my homecity of San Jose and I stopped keeping herps till I was 12 when I had been researching a savannah monitor for 3 months I bought one at the sacramento reptile show and I was dedicated to him he was so cool but then when it was time to move him to a new cage substrate was a problem I wanted a sand/soil mix or even cage carpet but my grandfather said I didn't need it and against my will we bought carefresh which was a fatal mistake
He died of an impaction at night I took him to the vet only to spend $250 on emergency medicine $100 was my own money and the rest had to be earned. (I don't reccommend carefresh for anything except worms and mammals) Afterwords I felt I had to start at the beginning with a cute snow corn which I suprisingly traded away quickly for a HY Lavender female leo Gecko with a 10 gln long cage now 10 months later and only 2 days ago I bought myself a leopard colony of A male rainwater albino 2 het for patternless females and another HY Lavender female they came with a 10 gln for all of them but i'm moving them as soon as I can.

Proud owner of
1.4 Leo Geckos
0.1 Cal King

-----
"Been there done that"
Canrivorous plant and Herp specialist
Ask me a question, I guarantee an answer.
May not be the answer to your question but it will be an answer.

From 3-11 I owned a myriad of Herps most of them my mother got me a few african clawed frogs a few greentree frogs a garter snake and a ton of frogs of which I don't know what they were (got them as tadpoles from an abandoned bathtub) a couple Ballpythons most of the herps either escaped were sold or some died horrible deaths (the garter snake and one ball)
I felt terrible for not knowing as much as I should have about them But there were mostly success stories afterwords I kept a trio of green turtles in Malaysia for three months till I gave them to friend who kept other turtles and I had to leave Malaysia (only stayed there for a year and a half) I returned to my homecity of San Jose and I stopped keeping herps till I was 12 when I had been researching a savannah monitor for 3 months I bought one at the sacramento reptile show and I was dedicated to him he was so cool but then when it was time to move him to a new cage substrate was a problem I wanted a sand/soil mix or even cage carpet but my grandfather said I didn't need it and against my will we bought carefresh which was a fatal mistake
He died of an impaction at night I took him to the vet only to spend $250 on emergency medicine $100 was my own money and the rest had to be earned. (I don't reccommend carefresh for anything except worms and mammals) Afterwords I felt I had to start at the beginning with a cute snow corn which I suprisingly traded away quickly for a HY Lavender female leo Gecko with a 10 gln long cage now 10 months later and only 2 days ago I bought myself a leopard colony of A male rainwater albino 2 het for patternless females and another HY Lavender female they came with a 10 gln for all of them but i'm moving them as soon as I can.

Proud owner of
1.4 Leo Geckos
0.1 Cal King

-----
"Been there done that"
Canrivorous plant and Herp specialist
Ask me a question, I guarantee an answer.
May not be the answer to your question but it will be an answer.

That sounds like a great family affair! Thanks for sharing!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Well I've always loved animals of all kinds. Right now I'm a marine biology major at UC Santa Cruz and I plan on doing this for a living one day. But my interest in reptiles didn't really take off until I was 15. When I was 4 years old my favorite animals were dolphins and lions and tigers and especially DINOSAURS. I liked snakes and lizards but I wasn't super interested in them, cause I never saw any near my house.

I remember my first snake encounter, when I was camping with my cub scout troop in New Jersey, I found a big garter snake. I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw, but some other idiot yelled "SNAKE!" and beat it to death with his hiking stick. I was so pissed, I was like "why'd you do that? it's just a garden snake" and he was like "What if it was a cobra???" and I was like "you idiot those don't live in America."

That snake prompted me to buy a field guide to reptiles, which I studied thoroughly. My mom wouldn't let me buy a snake so when I was 8 or 9 years old, I got an anole. The guys at the pet store gave pretty bad advice on how to take care of it, and so my mom hated it and made me give it away. No one wanted it so I released it in my front yard. I'm sure it didn't last long in the winters of NJ.

And so my herp interest kinda waned for a while, until I was 15 and started watching Crocodile Hunter. And I thought that was the coolest thing ever, that snakes could be considered friendly and beautiful, and how he handled venemous snakes with skill. And when my friend bought an anole, I watched it bask in its cage and eat crickets, and I was determined to get a reptile of my own. But my mom wouldn't let me get a lizard (she remembered that anole) so I got a Russian tortoise instead. I took very good care of it so later that year I got my baby bearded dragon, which I successfully raised to adulthood. By now I was reading tons of info about herps and was amassing quite the knowledge of them.

When I went to college, I couldn't take my lizard and tortoise with me, so my interest kinda leveled off for a bit. Until I went to Mexico, went searching for snakes, and found my first rattlesnakes. Red Diamond rattlers. This totally put me back into the reptile craze and I bought an albino black rat snake. My friends have asked me, "Why do you like snakes so much?" and I couldn't think of a good answer. I guess it's the way they look, feel, and go about their daily lives. The way a snake blends in perfectly with its background, gliding gracefully through the harsh desert vegetation in search of its prey, is just fascinating to me. Their colors and patterns are incredibly beautiful.

Unfortunately, this year my tortoise got a respirtory infection during hibernation and died shortly thereafter. So now I have my beardie, my rat snake, and my brother's leopard gecko. I'm also hiking in the woods and deserts catching reptiles whenever I can, photographing them, and letting go. I'm reading about them all the time and learning as I take care of mine and observe them in nature. I'm going to keep my collection very small for now, since I'm 19 and living in college. I live a mobile life, and I don't want to take on the responsibility of lots of herps. If I go away, I need to have my friends take care of them for me until I go back. I'll be going to Australia for biology research for 6 months next year and I can't take my pets with me. But hopefully in the future I'll be a herpetologist/zoologist/marine biologist and have a little snake breeding project on the side.

Sorry for the long story but I've always wanted to write this anyway. Hope someone reads it...

Must be nice. I spent a few days in Brisbane. You'll like it there. Aussie women like American men. Have a Victoria's Bitter (or 2!). They don't export it.
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Lamar, Debbie, Nathaniel and Iggi :>~

From the time I was old enough to know what it was, I wanted to be a veternarian and my parents completely supported me. I had all the animals I could ever want. Dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, chickens, fish, birds, everything but reptiles. I don't know if there was a particular reason we never had any, but we didn't. When I was old enough to be getting ready for college, I got to thinking more on the vet thing and discovered that it wasn't for me. The first time I had to tell a child that something was wrong with her kitten or puppy and there was nothing I could do, I'd have to throw myself off a bridge. The thought of it still chills my heart. And that worked out because I met my husband and got pregnant and had to get his tail through school first. (he was A LOT closer to being done than I was.) We had 1 dog and 2 cats and our daughter - all of this has bearing on the story, so hang in there. One afternoon, I went to an exotic pet store - I was actually looking for a spike collar for my hubby's cat as a joke and I found leopard geckos. I ended up with Sarah the leo AND the collar and gave them to him for Valentine's Day. (The irony of giving a cold-blooded animal as a Valentine's Day gift has not escaped me.)Shortly after, my mom found a desert king on the farm and asked if we wanted it - sure, why not? We brought her home and discovered she really didn't want to be there, so back to the farm. Empty cage syndrome. Had to have something in there, right?? So off to the pet store. Met a breeder of ball pythons. Perfect. Here comes Beauregard. Lovely animal. Got to researching and discovered burmese pythons. Waited until I was very comfortable in my knowledge and oops! There's Chang. (he was a "rescue" of sorts - rescued him from my little sister's friend when her parents went nuclear after they discovered him hiding in her room.) Went looking for a mate for Beau and discovered Tegus. What do you know?? We have a large lizard named Kitty. My husband has put the brakes on for now - until I'm out of school, or we win the lottery - whichever comes first. So, like most, my herp adventure started with just a general love of animals. There will be an extensive collection one day - as if it wasn't enough now. Luckilly, the hubby and the kiddo are just as fascinated with these guys as I am.

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Lady Stefanie

Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

Beauregard is about the coolest name I've ever heard for a ball! It just seems so perfect!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Thanks! I thought so too.

Brightest Blessings!

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Lady Stefanie

Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.

I started getting into Herps as a kid like most people. I would catch garter snakes, frogs, turtles and anything else I could. My mom wouldn't let me keep them of course and she was deathly afraid of snakes. I begged and begged for a pet snake but I was never allowed. Once I was out of college and in my first real place of my own, I bought my first snake. It was a 3 foot Cal. King. I not only bought the snake but also met my wife that day. She was the woman working at the pet shop and sold me the snake. Several years later our Herp collection just keeps growing. We've added a pair of ball pythons, a coastal carpet python, a spotted python and a pair of blood pythons. We also have a russian tortoise and a Sulcata Tortoise as well as a Veiled Chameleon. We go to every Herp show in the area and seem to come home with something. That's how I got started and I plan on being into Herps for the rest of my life.

Cool story...love at first sight! (Oh, and you met your wife, too! *LOL*)

Thanks for sharing!
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

I first got interrested in herps as a young child it all started with dinosaurs and then it grew on to spotting snakes in the yard (garter snakes),then catching toads to reading books on them and such to where I am now at keeping them and breeding them. I have kept reptiles succesfully for 5 years now and m,any more to come hopefully currently I keep the following 2.1 Green Anoles , 1.2 Leos and 0.1 Madagasacar Ground Gecko. I have 4 eggs in the incubator right know and I hope to have babies in Sept. . I hope to be a zookeeperor a herpotologist as a career. I wish any one else luck who wishes to do this also as a career.Hopefully my herping years will continue till the day I die.
Signed, Adam Bradbury

That's really neat! My daughter has dreams of being a zookeeper and herpetologist as well. She's got a LOT of schooling left to go, but I truly hope this childhood passion of hers continues as so many of you have done!

Blessings to you as you work toward that career!
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

When I was 12 years old my mom took me to the pet store to pick out a bird. We went home with an Argentine Horned Frog (Pacman Frog). It slightly bothered my mother that this little cute frog would end up eating mice and large goldfish. Fast forward 14 years and here I am with Bearded Dragons, Uromastyx, Tarantulas and Tropical Fish. That little Pacman frog is still alive and well by the way, he eats a large mouse once a month and sits in his cage and looks angry. Thanks to him I'm always going to have Herps!!

*LOL* I can picture the angry frog! "Where's my mouse?!?!?"

Thanks!
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

i got my first herp when i was 4 years old, a ball python named King Louie (i got from the Jungle Book), i still have him too, although i'm only 12.i got him as a gift when i broke my arm, we went to a pet shop and i picked him out, he was tiny, now he's about 5 feet.Before him we had a blue and gold macaw and 2 husky's.Until about 2 years ago we haven't really gotten any pets.i have gotten a lot of pets without my parents permission though,but they're cool about it and they tell me not to do it, but i still do.

i currently own:
reptiles:
1 ball python
2 collared lizards (5 eggs due to hatch in october, if fertile)
1 green anole
1 crocidile gecko
1 okeetee cornsnake
2 bearded dragons
maybe a savannah monitor, water dragon, and frilled dragon soon

anphibians:
1 chubby frog
1 grey tree frog
3 firebelly toads
newts and salamanders soon

mammals:
2 rats
15 hamsters
1 husky
1 blue and gold macaw

fish:
3 guppies
5 bettas

tarantulas:
2 curly hairs
2 chaco golden knees
1 antilles pink toe
2 rose hairs (female may have an egg sac coming soon)
1 pink zebra beauty
1 flagstaff orange
1 haitian brown
1 venezuelan red-striped pink toe
1 purpurea pink toe
1 bicegoi pink toe
1 mexican red knee
1 mexican flame knee
6 guyanan pink toes
1 greenbottle blue
1 rose grey
1 mexican pink leg
1 giant white knee

other:
4 hermit crabs

breeders:
madagascar hissing cockroaches
mice

Wow! For going against your parent's permission, you sure have a lot of critters! They must be very tolerant! That's a lot of responsibility for someone your age (Or MY age, for that matter!) I'm impressed. Where do you keep them all? That must make your bedroom a bit crowded!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

I've had every kind of animal known in my area growing up. When I got to college, one of my professors raised snakes. That kind of perked up my interest. Been raising them every since...about 8 years now.

2.2 Kenyans (Both females are hugely pregnant at the moment)
1.1 Borneo Bloods
1.1 DH for Snow columbians (On order from Peter Kahl himself!)
0.7 Ball Pythons

In the past
Western Hogs
Corns
Cal Kings
Rough Scale sand boas
Madagascar blond hog
green snakes
ringneck snakes
yellow anaconda
argentine boas
ect. ect.

Good luck with the Kenyen babies!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Hi Judy,
At age 10 I found a garter snake in the yard. At age 13 I had six snakes in my bedroom. I was only allowed 6 and didn’t understand that logic (my dad was career military). I joined the military and spent 20 years, 8 months, 14 days. I captured and released many different snakes during this time.
While stationed in Panama I would go into the jungle and always come back with something.If someone in the Platoon saw a snake I would be alerted. My main target was the Bushmaster. Never found one. Found everything else.
I looked for and found snakes in every part of the world I was sent to. I’m retired now and my wife and daughter have placed a limit on what I can keep (NOTHING HOT) and how many I can have (don’t understand that Logic either). Like you guys I had to put my love of snakes on hold from time to time due to relocation. It never stopped me from bring home a snake for a while or just holding one in the bush for a few minutes, identify them and then release them.
I have always wanted Eastern Indigos ever since I was a boy. I now have my life long dream. I have E. Indigos, Black Tail Cribos, Black Milks, and another favorite of mine the Durango Mountain Kings.
Good luck in your future with the military. You and your kids are as much a part of it as your husband is. My family knows all to well. (H minus) Dann.

Hi Dann!

Yes, my hubby's military career is very much a family affair. And if he feels a particular assignment would be a long-term detriment to the family, he'd get out before taking it. (Almost did that once when they wanted him to take a job that averaged 200 days TDY each year...but he got a better job instead!)

Anyhow, we're just getting into the herps, but I think moving around the country (and hopefully the world!) will allow us to see and find lots of really great creatures. We haven't tried looking for them in the wild yet, not sure how to start...but I'd like to!

I can understand the limit on Hots. Neither I nor my husband would tolerate anything hot in the house. As for the limits on quantity...well...I can't say I truly understand my hubby's limits either...but I respect them. I certainly understand his need to just wait and see how this new hobby "takes"...if we stick to it and continue to enjoy it long-term...before investing in a lot of other critters.

Thanks so much for sharing this with me! It's good to meet other military folks who understand the lifestyle. By the way...how easy is it to move snakes when you PCS?

Blessings!
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

i got into herp as a kid, my mother was the root of all the evil that has overun my life with them, (a good evil),growing up we had all sorts of animals and reptiles, she (my mom) loved the furry and feathered, she had bred all sorts of birds from finches to macaws, even ostriches,she even bred cats and dogs too, me on the other hand had found the feathered creatures god has blessed this world with hate me, so i loved the slitherly scaley creatures, snakes, frogs, turtles, newt, ect, i had gottin out of them for a while untill a year ago when a friend had bought me a baby ball python, and the fire begun with that little adorable python, now i have a larger collection now wich includes, 1m ball python, 3 australian water pythons 2m & 1f, 2f creamsicle corn snakes, 1m albino motley corn, 1f standard motley corn, 1f amel corn, 1f ghost corn, 1f australian white lipped python,1m indian python, 1f indian/burm python, 1f argentine boa, and 2 borneo blood pythons, and 10 adorable little mice.(which are no longer feeding stock), also i have 3 wonderful children and a understanding and loving wife who also enjoy the pets i enjoy, and a whole lot of friends who enjoy the herps also. jim

That sounds like a fun way to grow up! (But I'll bet you had to help out a lot with all the chores involved, huh? ) And now your kids get to grow up with such a cool menagerie. They'll have great memories that last a lifetime!

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

it has been a blast my son is still a little gunshy on them but his younger sisters are a riot the don't care if it's agressive or not they wanna hold it, unfortunetly a few they can't, and yes the chores,argggggggggg, the chores growin up,thanks for replying i hope your herping goes well and you enjoy many many years of enjoyment with it as i have, jim

My parents wouldn't let me have a monkey.

*LOL*

i grew up on a farm, but rarely ever saw any snakes. my mom always loved snakes, but growing up, i never had the opportunity to hold any or learn about them.
so i end up dating a man, whom i'm now married too, who had a sudan plated dragon, this initially got me into herpetology, mostly reptiles. he wanted to get a snake, i said 'no!'.
but i did some research and learned about ball pythons and grew curious about them. we came across a lady who was selling her son's jackson cham and juvenile ball python. we ended up buying them. the jackson died several months later to a gland problem. shortly after, i fell head over heels in love w/ herpetology and soon began delving into every herpetology website i could find. soon after we adopted another ball python who was in terrible shape. then i bought my very first lizard, an argentine red tegu. now its been three years and i have absolutely fallen in love w/ reptiles, especially snakes.
1.0 albino black ratsnake (Torque)
0.1 everglades ratsnake (Grenadine)
?.? ball pythons (Tribe & Trust)
1.0 gophersnake (Dangerfield)
? western hognose (Baja)
0.1 albino cali kingsnake (Loki)
? red argentine tegu (Brickhouse)
1.1 bearded dragons (Jimi & Bella)
? five-lined (blue-tailed) skink (B.B.)
1.0 veiled chameleon (Spin Doctor)
3 tarantulas (Rosie the chilean rose, Floyd the pink-toe,and Sinister the orange baboon)
? Oscar cichlid (Sage)
0.2 cats (Psyche and Althea)

i wish i had learned of the joy of reptiles sooner. best wishes to all.
-kristin in kentucky

How did the bp do after you adopted him? (the one in bad shape?) I think it'd be great to do some rescues like that, someday in the future.

Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Well I've always loved animals of all kinds. Right now I'm a marine biology major at UC Santa Cruz and I plan on doing this for a living one day. But my interest in reptiles didn't really take off until I was 15. When I was 4 years old my favorite animals were dolphins and lions and tigers and especially DINOSAURS. I liked snakes and lizards but I wasn't super interested in them, cause I never saw any near my house.

I remember my first snake encounter, when I was camping with my cub scout troop in New Jersey, I found a big garter snake. I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw, but some other idiot yelled "SNAKE!" and beat it to death with his hiking stick. I was so pissed, I was like "why'd you do that? it's just a garden snake" and he was like "What if it was a cobra???" and I was like "you idiot those don't live in America."

That snake prompted me to buy a field guide to reptiles, which I studied thoroughly. My mom wouldn't let me buy a snake so when I was 8 or 9 years old, I got an anole. The guys at the pet store gave pretty bad advice on how to take care of it, and so my mom hated it and made me give it away. No one wanted it so I released it in my front yard. I'm sure it didn't last long in the winters of NJ.

And so my herp interest kinda waned for a while, until I was 15 and started watching Crocodile Hunter. And I thought that was the coolest thing ever, that snakes could be considered friendly and beautiful, and how he handled venemous snakes with skill. And when my friend bought an anole, I watched it bask in its cage and eat crickets, and I was determined to get a reptile of my own. But my mom wouldn't let me get a lizard (she remembered that anole) so I got a Russian tortoise instead. I took very good care of it so later that year I got my baby bearded dragon, which I successfully raised to adulthood. By now I was reading tons of info about herps and was amassing quite the knowledge of them.

When I went to college, I couldn't take my lizard and tortoise with me, so my interest kinda leveled off for a bit. Until I went to Mexico, went searching for snakes, and found my first rattlesnakes. Red Diamond rattlers. This totally put me back into the reptile craze and I bought an albino black rat snake. My friends have asked me, "Why do you like snakes so much?" and I couldn't think of a good answer. I guess it's the way they look, feel, and go about their daily lives. The way a snake blends in perfectly with its background, gliding gracefully through the harsh desert vegetation in search of its prey, is just fascinating to me. Their colors and patterns are incredibly beautiful.

Unfortunately, this year my tortoise got a respirtory infection during hibernation and died shortly thereafter. So now I have my beardie, my rat snake, and my brother's leopard gecko. I'm also hiking in the woods and deserts catching reptiles whenever I can, photographing them, and letting go. I'm reading about them all the time and learning as I take care of mine and observe them in nature. I'm going to keep my collection very small for now, since I'm 19 and living in college. I live a mobile life, and I don't want to take on the responsibility of lots of herps. If I go away, I need to have my friends take care of them for me until I go back. I'll be going to Australia for biology research for 6 months next year and I can't take my pets with me. But hopefully in the future I'll be a herpetologist/zoologist/marine biologist and have a little snake breeding project on the side.

Sorry for the long story but I've always wanted to write this anyway. Hope someone reads it...

What an awesome story! Thank you so much! It's great that you didn't let those childhood discouragements completely derail your interests. And what a great idea for "hunting"...to catch, photograph, and release. That way, you can "collect" some amazing specimen, but they get to stay where they belong in their native environment.

It sounds like you're going to have a life of really great adventures as a zoologist/herpetologist/marine biologist!

Many blessings!
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

I was always the odd girl in the neighborhood. I would catch garters in the back yard and show them to mom who would scream. We had 3 cats at the time. I had always wanted a reptile. An Iguana to be specific. I mean every pet store said they were easy. When I was 18 my close friend passed away and I got his iguana. Well the iguana was WAY too sick to make it. It had been feed ice berg lettuce and was kept way to cool for too long and was just a little bitty thing. But in that short time I was hooked. After he died, I found someone who turned out to be a very close friend and over the years has managed to keep me supplied. I have bought only a few things over the years. Now I actually have a small rescue that is always overflowing with iguanas. I also do all breed transport so occasionally I have a cat or another dog crashing the night here.

Lets see what do I currently have here.

Personal Collection
1.1 Green Iguanas
0.1 Cyclura Caymenensis Lewisii hybrid iguana
0.0.1 Leopard Tort
0.0.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Blue Tongue Skink
1.0 Bearded Dragon
around a dozen freshwater fish
Male American Bulldog
Husband

Rescue Animals
1.0.1 Iguanas
0.0.1 Cornsnake
0.0.1 Bullsnake
0.1.0 Russian Tort
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Cindy
PHFaust
Email Cindy
Land of the Outcasts!

I love that you're rescuing animals. I really wish I could get into that, but there are a lot of reasons why we can't right now. But maybe someday in the future. Sounds like you've got a busy place there!

Best wishes...
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

Growing up, my parents bred horses, so we always had 10 or so around, as well as dogs, cats, and one very loud blue and gold macaw (who is now 29 years old). When my brother was 5 or 6 years old (I was about 10 or 11) he and my mom decided to buy a box turtle. Naturally, you can't have just one box turtle ("but Dad, he needs a friend!!", so along came another...and another. Eventually it became a game to see haw many we could get before dad noticed (this was my mothers doing, might I add). Pretty soon my brother decided he needed a snake. I guess I just thought I was not supposed to like snakes or something, but I was very upset at this new development. Go figure. A couple years later I got a job at a local pet store with an extensive reptile section, and it was over from there. Soon I was competing with my boss, the resident reptile expert, for the most pet reptiles. Last year I went away to school and din't take any of my "kids" with me. This year I am taking a few of them along (few meaning 15 or so snakes, my baby uro, and a sulcata hatchling). I have to give credit to my roommates, neither of which like snakes, for putting up with my hobby.
Reptiles have become sort of a family affair around here as my mom and I are know as the tortoise lady and the girl with all the snakes. I think that my brother has pretty much lost interest.
I'm not sure what it is about the reptiles that is so addicting, but I do get a kick out of the fact that a tiny kingsnake can send a man running for his life.

Amy

Currently we have:
1.1 ball pythons
1.1 Dumeril's boas
1.1 eastern chain king
1.1 red milk
1.1 Az mtn King
1.0 Mandarin Rat Snake
2.4 Durango Mtn Kings
0.0.1 Kenyan Snad boa
0.1 Theyeri x pyro king
1.0 bearded dragon
0.0.1 nigerian uro
30 or so turtles/tortoises including sulcatas, leopards, marginateds, stars, red foots, hermanns, greeks
1.1 rose breasted cockatoos
1.0 blue and gold macaw
0.1 African grey
0.0.2 conures
0.0.3 lovebirds
1.0 parakeet
1.0 horse (we lost the mare last week to colic...sad day)
7 dogs
10 cats

Have a great day!!!

Hehe...I can picture a mom sneaking more and more turtles in behind dad's back! What fun! And what a zoo!! It seems like your entire day would be spent tending to the animals! But so much fun. I love animals and would love to have that many (and variety!) around!

Best of all to you in school...
Judy
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1.0 red cape gopher (Caesar)

My older brother was fascinated by all kinds of reptiles when we lived in New Mexico (I was 4) and they were very easy to find there because the land was so barren. I caught my first snake (a garter, of course)hiding under a gutter that had fallen off of our roof, and was immensely proud of myself. (He escaped at show and tell at school- the teacher didn't seem to understand the fact that something had to be on the box lid or he would push his way out.) We had tons of lizards and snakes back then, and I have tons of awesome memories of them.

When we moved to Texas, (when I was 6, we've been here ever since, I'm 13) the reptiles were much less visible in the grass, and we all sort of lost an interest. A couple days ago, my cat almost murdered two garters, and they are now living in the tank I dragged down from the attic. So, I'm not as much as a fanatic as all of you are, but I'm already devising methods of sneaking my 'babies' into my dorm when I go to college in 5 years. =)

When I was about 9 years old I went fishing with my oldest brother. I was sitting on the side of the stream on the grass. I felt something uncomfortable under me and shifted my position. Again I felt a lump like a rock or irregularity in the ground. When I felt this "irregularity" move I stood up and turned around to see a rather large green snake in the grass (ha, ha).
On instinct, I grabbed the nearest stick and beat the life out of that poor guy. My brother came by to see what was going on and proceeded to chastise me for killing a harmless animal. I felt like dirt.

On our way home we pulled off to the side of a dirt road and got out of the car. There was a large black hognose snake. My brother explained to me some of the characteristics of that particular snake. We watched it as it strolled off into the brush.

At that time began reading about reptiles and amphibians. Everything that I could find.

Several years later my family moved from PA to MD. Fishing there in July and August often turned into snake hunting.

Etc.

Kevin

Well before i start some people who are into the hobby may be in disbelief.I started out as one of the first three people to start NIAD National Iguana Awarness Day. So as it was i convinced my mother to let me have an iquana and she did. Then after that came a albino corn,which i had to get rid of.Then came two ball pythons which i worked for at a local pet store. And my mother was ok but then i needed rats to feed to them,right? so she let me get a couple of rats to breed, well they became pets,and then came a huge female iguana.well when the iguana was found out about i had to get rid of everything except my first iguana. Well i got a dog in trade for all that stuff, and my parents got rid of that while i was at school.well a couple of years went by,and i got a great deal, a 16 burmese python and 2 dumerials cages and all for 100$ well i couldnt pass that up.then the guy i bought that from informed me his friend was giving away 2 jungle carpets,a green burmese and a couple of regular burms,so i took the green of his hands.Well i had a hell of a time sneaking that all into my house.well they found out and it was move out with the snakes or sell them.Well i moved out,and my snakes were stolen,but since then i have aquired 5 burmese pythons ranging from 18,12,10,6,2feet long,a 6 foot american alligator a 5foot american alligator and a hatchling,a alligator snaping turtle two pitbulls,2 green anacondas,2 yellow anacondas,5 hatchling reticulated pythons a sulcata tortoise, and a 2 foot albino channel cat. thanks and sorry for it being long

Actually I can't even remember how it started, I just know being told I was catching them as soon as I could walk after them. I know my mom sort of encouraged it with stopping and picking up box turtles off of the road and keeping them for a few days and letting them go. And my yard was always soaking wet with puddles where there were always frogs and toads for me to catch. But as the years went on I kept catching more and more stuff each year and then started getting into the more exotic species. But now at 21 (next month) my collection just keeps growing bigger and bigger, and I'm even attempting to breed some of my animals.
Here's my lengthy list:

Surinam Horned Frogs 2.0.0
Ceratophrys cornuta

Cranwells' Horned Frogs 1.1.3
Ceratophrys cranwelli

Golden Mantellas 0.0.2
Mantella aurantiaca

African Bullfrog 1.0.0
Pyxicephalus adspersus

Green Treefrogs 1.0.1
Hyla cinera

Cane Toad 1.0.0
Bufo marinus

African Clawed Frogs 2.1.2
Xenopus laevis

Dwarf African Clawed Frogs 3.2.0
Hymenochirus curtipes

Crab-Eating Frogs 2.2.0
Limnonectes cancrivorus

Guinet's Tomato Frogs(tadpoles) 0.0.6
Dyscophus guineti

Red Spotted Newt 0.0.1
Notophtalmus viridescens viridescens

Leopard Geckos 1.1.0
Eublepharis macularius

Bearded Dragon 2.2.0
Pogona vitticeps

Yellow-bellied Slider 1.0.0
Chrysemys scripta scripta

Red-eared Sliders 0.0.2
Chrysemys scripta elegans

Midland Painted Turtles 0.0.3
Chrysemys picta marginata

Common Musk Turtle 1.0.0
Sternotherus odoratus

Eastern Spiny Softshell 0.0.1
Apalone spiniferus spiniferus

South American Wood Turtle 1.0.0
Rhinoclemys punctularia

African Helmeted Turtle 0.1.0
Pelomedusa subrufa

Russian Tortoise 0.1.0
Testudo horsfieldii

Bullfrogs (tadpoles)0.0.6
Rana catesbeiana

Goldfish 0.0.4

Catfish 0.0.2

As you can see it's quite large.
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http://joshmilliken.tripod.com/

My earliest memory is when I was about 4. We moved when I was 5 so I can date this pretty close. We had a hedge along the side of our house that was home to a few Garter snakes. I used to go out every day and try to catch one, I used to get bit ALOT. My Mom finally stopped taking me to the hospital when she was convinced by a pretty reliable source (at the local zoo) that the snakes were harmless. Anyone who lives in central Illinois know you have to go VERY far to find a poisonous snake. Every summer, I had snakes (Bull,Water,Garter,Green), toads (my personal fave), and either a baby soft shelled turtle, or baby snapping turtle that I released at the end of the summer. My 5 year old daughter has inherited "the herp gene" and absolutely adores toads. She has a young Ball python that she insists on holding in her lap every day, and we are searching for a Cane Toad to add to our home. (see post in toad section).
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How to get your wife to like toads; 1.Get a male toad. 2.Get him to hug your wifes wrist (amplexus). 3. Tickle him so he chirps in protest. 4.Say "Awww, he likes you". Note; Make sure he pees first or this may lead to bodily injury.

Baahaaahaha!! I love the "how to" sig. Very cute.
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1.1 Ball Python
0.0.1 corn snake
1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish
1.2 cats
3.1 kids
1.0 husband

The real question is how can you get out?
Just kidding!!!
I grew up in and around Pheonix AZ. and had all kinds of herps living all around me, my poor parents garage was wall to wall cages.
when we moved back to Indiana over twenty years ago i was suprised to find that here too were all kinds of awesome reptiles, we had eastern hognose, black rats and tons of water snakes all visiting our back yard.
as you can imagine i was having lots of fun.
after i got married, my wife bought me a single ball python hatchling and made a statement she had read in a snake book "snakes are like potato chips you cant have just one"
well a few years later and our herp collection grows and grows.
Now we spend a great deal of time educating kids about herps in the wild and being a responcible pet owner.
its been a lot of fun!!!!
Chris
Hoosier Reptiles

I've loved herps all my life...much to my mother's dismay! She was constantly catching me with toads in my pockets, smuggling coffee cans full of snakes into the house, putting frogs in my mouth...once she even prevented me from diving into the water fully clothed after a northern water snake! I remember catching tadpoles and new baby toads by the hundred... As a child i wanted to be a paleoantologist, but have decided living reptiles could use my help much more. I am now studying zoology, and have been an educational intern to a herpetologist for three years and going. I'll be heading to grad school after i get my BS, for herpetology. Currently in my collection I have 0.1 anery corn, 0.0.3 eastern garters, 0.1 ball python, 0.0.2 eastern milk snakes, 1.1 arg b/w tegus, 0.0.1 leopard gecko, and 0.0.1 bearded dragon. Hehe, its hard trying to get my ophidophobic mother to come visit!!

One afternoon when I was around 7 or 8 I was playin on the internet and came across a Brazilian Rainbow Boa. Before I saw that snake I like snakes. The were a neat animal that scared other little girls (and some boys) After seeing that BEAUTIFUL animal snakes became a passion of mine. To this day I have not found a Brazilian Rainbow boa that would replace the one I saw so long ago but some day I will. This last year I really began to Buy, Sell and Trade animals and this next season I will begin breeding. Lucky for me I have a pair breeding right now. No work for me at all There a pair of beautiful columbian red tail boas, The female is 10 ft long, had 36 babies her first clutch (she was only 8 ft then) and her boyfriend is 8.5 ft long.
I cant wait to read how everyone else got started, What a great question to be asked!!
Krystle Treadwell
TK Reptile
1.1 10 ft Red Tail Boas
0.0.6 Amazon Tree Boas
1.1 100% het Albino Red Tail Boas
2.3 Black Mexican Kingsnakes
0.0.1 Leucistic Texas Ratsnake
1.1 100% het Leucistic Ratsnakes
0.1 Col Red Tail Boa
1.0 Albino Kingsnake
0.1 03 Burmese

Below is My baby Girl!!