GREENVILLE NEWS (S Carolina) 10 July 08 For some, creepy crawlies hold exotic appeal - Bugs, snakes, lizards can make better pets than dog, cats (Angie Campbell)
When Randy Miller of Greenville brings his animals to a child’s birthday party, there’s a sense of nervous excitement in the room.
When he introduces Cleo, parents squirm. A collective gasp is heard. A few children shrink back, but most can't wait to touch the small boa constrictor.
Never mind the tarantula resting on Miller's hat.
Miller, who turned his love for exotic creatures into a part-time job as the Critter Keeper, said he's always loved creepy crawlers -- mainly reptiles and bugs -- so much so that he now owns a large collection of exotic creatures. Among his brood are scorpions, giant millipedes, hissing cockroaches, turtles, a bearded dragon and various species of snakes.
"As a child, I was different," Miller said. "I like all animals, but reptiles in particular just fascinated me. I always liked the odd animals just because everybody has dogs and cats, and it was a pretty good conversation starter if anyone found out you had lizards or snakes."
Miller isn't the only owner in the Upstate to appreciate the charm of unique pets.
Shawn Mastroni of Travelers Rest shares his home with two black-throat monitor lizards. Cinder, a 30-pound, 6-foot long male, and Remara, a 4-foot long female, are relatives of Komodo dragons, Mastroni said.
"They could be dangerous if somebody didn't know what they were doing with them, but they're not venomous," he said, describing Cinder and Remara. "They've got claws. They've got very strong claws and they've got a very strong tail they use in defense, but that's the worst they're going to do to you."
Mastroni, who also owns dogs, said his lifelong love for reptiles led him to research and buy Cinder almost three years ago. He also rescues unwanted reptiles for Foothills Wildlife Rescue and believes people like to own exotic pets because of their rarity.
"It's something completely different," he said. "For the same reason a person might like a bird, it's something different from dogs and cats, but there are also a lot of wrong reasons people might want to own one. A lot of people like to own big lizards and big snakes just for the novelty of it."
He said responsible owners don’t use exotic pets to scare others or show them off in public.
"When I bring my monitors out in public, it's to help raise money for wildlife rehabilitation or just to educate the general public that there are some reptiles that can be good exotic pets," he said.
As for the personalities of such pets, William Rosser of Mauldin said people own them mainly for their looks, not because the animals are cuddly.
"A lot of the ones I keep don't make good hands-on pets," he said. "You can't play with them and I don't trust any of them not to bite me, but if you want something you can look at and enjoy, they're also clean, quiet and they don't meow. They don't bark.
They don't require as much physical attention as a cat or a dog."
Rosser owns many creatures, including cats, dogs, carpet pythons, iguanas, rat snakes, monitor lizards, bearded dragons, African gray parrots and white-spotted bamboo sharks.
Like Mastroni, he encourages potential owners to first do research before committing to such an animal, which are available for purchase at reptile shows, pet stores and online.
"I was at a reptile show this past weekend, and I bumped into someone I know who is only 15 years old," Rosser said. "He was buying a copperhead, which is a venomous snake, and his mom asked me if it was something that would be good for him to start off with. They knew nothing about it."
Mastroni said people should also research whether permits are needed to own certain animals and finding veterinarians who can treat them.
"It requires just as much consideration as a dog or cat, no matter how small it is," he said.
For some, creepy crawlies hold exotic appeal