Been just over 5 years since I got into this hobby. My wife had always had a "no spiders, no snakes" policy. And that was fine, as I wasn't THAT drawn to it before, and there were all kinds of other creatures to dabble in. But a friend of a friend who is REALLY into snakes came over, and by the end of the evening my wife said, "To hear Peter talk about snakes, they really don't seem all that bad." The rest is history!
I did my research, and decided on the North American Ratsnakes. Seemed to have the qualities that I was looking for (and it turns out that Peter was breeding Corns and Texas Rats at the time). Got all my snakes as babies (eating pinkies or maybe fuzzies...or in a few cases, GIVEN to me because they were not eating at all). Alway liked to get pets when they are little and watch them grow.
So, five years and a couple of months later...I find that I REALLY like my modest collection. All North American Rats, except for one little King that I got in one of Peter's famous, "If you can get him to eat, he's yours!" deals. My wife actually helped me build a snake room in our basement. Truth is, she suggested it (I think she wanted them out of the dining room). 15 snakes, ranging from a few of last year's baby corns to a nice heavy six-foot black that I've had for 5 years now. Oh, and my once-again-missing-in-action Baird's that I hope to see again this year (That will be 16 if he shows back up!).
Thanks, all, for all the good ideas and advice. These ratsnakes, man they really rock! ENjoy! Duffy
