Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Something I've been thinking about a lot this week is how much my tortoises motivate me. I've been working full time this week because school is out for a month, and I've also been teaching drum lessons and playing up to 8 gigs a week, so my schedule has basically been hell, and I've been thinking a lot about my career choice (what I'm going to school for right now). I want to be a full-time music teacher (preferably instrumental) in a public school, and one of the main reasons I have decided that I might want to teach in a school (instead of teaching privately and stringing together gigs to try to make a living) is my reptile collection.

Taking care of all of my reptiles brings me so much happiness, and it's been a real bummer lately not having much time to spend with all of them. But this has been great motivation to do well in school, because I may some day be in a position where I can have all weekend and all summer to spend with my reptiles every year...and I think tortoise keepers can attest to how great a summer with no commitments except spending time with the torts would be.

Has anyone else found that keeping reptiles has motivated them to do well with something? This semester I managed to balance 12 courses and attain a GPA of 3.41, and next semester I am shooting higher (since my tortoises are offering so much motivation ). It's funny though that my motivation has nothing to do with making money, but more finding a better balance between music and my passion for reptiles. Granted, I plan on playing gigs and teaching private lessons for the rest of my life... I just hate having to depend on it for money.

So let's hear how everyone else here is motivated by their tortoises/reptiles.

I couldn't put it in any other words man.

My animals motivate me to finish things faster so I can spend more time with them.

Hi Ryan and All,
I too am a drummer, who finially graduated with my masters in art therapy. I remember those long days of school and work- with the anticipation of free time to just chill'n out with my torts outside in the yard! Friends would call only to have my mom tell them I was walking the tortoise, "too busy to come to the phone!" When I finially landed my full time job as a recreation therapist, I am fortunate to bring my Sri Lankan and Leopard tort to work for pet therapy. So yeah, "my boys" as I often refer to them, has helped paved the way to a certain healthy and good life style; they still motivate me and now my clients to live better. I aspire to soon build a bigger ultimate outside enclosure upon a small farm in the future. Good luck with school and your lil'retile kids. I promise your hard work will pay off!

Mine motivated me to get a degree in veterinary technology. The reason for that is I was tired of not getting any answers I could understand from vets, I was failing at pet care because I didn't know enough correct information. I knew hearsay that was nothing but balony.
I was tired of reading misinformation in pet store books. I NEEDED to KNOW how to properly care for ALL my pets & then one day near the end of 1994 I read an article in the local newspaper about the local college offering a new degree program in veterinary technology. I'd never heard of veterinary technology but I called the contact person named in the article & got the ball rolling. I began the program in the fall of 1995.

I didn't do this so that I could work for a vet, in fact I'd rather not work for a vet because the hours are long, the work is physically hard, a little too hard for me. It's rewarding but I don't have time to devote most of my life to practically living in a clinic 6 days a week.
I'm not a large person-not that young anymore either & I find it very difficult to work with large dogs that weigh more than I do. The day I found myself lying on top of a rottie with cancer to try to restrain him- he weighed 20lbs more than I do- I thought what am I doing???
Even with herp vets their bread & butter comes from the dog/cat patients. I'm allergic to cats btw.

I graduated in 1997, passed the state & national board exams, went to work for the only herp vet there was at that time living here in this town... then quit about 6 months later. Turned out he was a suicidal vet addicted to his own stash of animal drugs and an alcoholic too. pffffffft.
He didn't succeed at suicide when he tried it but he's not in this town any longer.
Today I work as an adjunct in the vet-tech program I graduated from and I rescued all but 2 of the herps I have and am THRILLED to know how to care for them so that they not only don't die, they thrive.
The day our sulcata arrived here she was supposed to be a temporary guest. She'd been dumped at a local pet store after someone found her dumped out in the middle of nowhere. I was going to keep her until a home was found but my husband took one look at her & it was love at first sight for him. He wanted her to stay so I didn't argue because I was 100% confident that I knew enough to make her well again (she was sick) & I did it. She's doing wonderfully today, 4 & 1/2 years later.
So yes my pets did motivate me to strive to do something better for them and for me. I did something I didn't even know existed until I read a newspaper article.
I adore them all, almost all of them have or had a health problem of some sort but I love having every single one of them here.
-----
PHRatz

I was a typical 16 yr old always getting into fights doing drugs and skipping school. I dropped out even and become known in a small time gang. Small time gangs are actually the worst as they always have some problems with other gangs trying to become bigger and have more area they can keep people out of. Its really retarted and one day i bought a green iguana offline. Well from the day i got him i never talked to anyone of my gang buds. I stopped doing drugs ( Meth, Ex, Coke, Weed ). I know am proud to say i am doing my own thing and doing what i like to do. I enjoy my pets and would never go back to where i was. I have a record in juvenile hall and a felony charge but its all behind me know. I currently keep 1 Male Green Iguana, 2 boa's, and hopefully a spur thigh tortoise this christmas. I have my father to thank for paying for my pets but whenever i make a little money here and there i save it and spend it wisely on herp related things. My little green Ig saved my life and we are both happy and healthy now. Thanks if you read this i hope its kinda inspiring.

>> My little green Ig saved my life and we are both happy and healthy now. Thanks if you read this i hope its kinda inspiring.

I find it inspiring! I think what animals can do for us is give us something to think about other than ourselves. When you put them first, you don't have time to dwell on yourself and when you are responsible for another life even though it's not human or maybe because it's not human... you really learn the lesson that it's better to give than to receive.
That's one thing having animals in my life has done for me.
I used to be the most impatient person- but I am not like that at all today- it's because of them.
I find myself being kinder to humans than I used to be too.
Seeing what they've done for you is terrific! You'll be successful in life because you've learned early in life- they need you to do well for them so you will.
-----
PHRatz

This is about the whole 'it's better to give than to recieve'. That's one of the reasons I often think about quitting my job (at a large chain pet shop). So many of the people that come into that place don't care about their animals. They only care about what their animals can do for them. They give me crap when I tell them that reptiles shouldn't be handled often ("Why would you buy it if you can't enjoy it!?". I just don't get people like that. I don't keep reptiles so that I can play with them and enjoy them. I love taking care of them and trying to give them the resources they need to survive.

What I like to compare the reptile hobby to is the saltwater/reef tank hobby. For some reason people have an easier time understanding why someone would put so much time and money into a fish tank. It's the same thing though. Most of the serious saltwater gurus do it because they enjoy the process, not just the end result.

Sorry to go off topic... I've just been thinking about this a lot. On one hand, I do like my job...on the other hand I am counting down the days until I'm out of college and can get a better job. In a way, I guess this job is also motivation for me.

When I was around 19 years old I worked in the pet dept. at K-Mart. That's going way back because I think they dropped pet selling years & years ago. I dunno we don't have K-Mart's here any longer but.. anyway...I got a taste of what it's like to sell animals to people who viewed them as toys. That is why I never tried to work in that type of job ever again.

10-12 years ago Pet's Mart opened here, I knew several of the employees personally.. they told me stories that literally can curl a person's hair. I'd ask them how can you STAND this job? Well apparently they couldn't because none of them work there anymore. They were very frustrated with the customers, I could never do that job.

On it being better to give than receive.. once I learned that years ago, I see how other people who don't get it also don't have much happiness in their lives. I've had enough of turmoil, my goal in life has been & still is to have stability that leads to happiness. I think I've become what some other people think of as dull & boring but ya know... I'm a happy person, those who have crisis all the time aren't. My happiness began with learning how to make the pets happy.
It's hard to get non-pet people to grasp the concept.
-----
PHRatz