Reptile & Amphibian Forums

the ed. program is doing great...ive done 4 or 5 volunteer shows and one paid one. i mostly just do snakes, because have 5 now.. but occasionally i take the other herps...

its taken a lot of work to get people's respect. i know it has a lot to do with my age, im only 16...and i realize that a lot of people feel that teens are immature, and to a point i agree.

ive done my homework, researched, put hours, days, weeks, and even months into setting up shows, getting my website together, answering questions, and building up trust with people.

its been a long, hard road...but the effort is paying off. i've had people call me from out-of-state to do shows for them.

i just want to thank all the people that have helped me through the forums, and i'd also like to thank the ones that put me down, because that just gave me that much more incentive to keep going!

if you'd like, check out my site:

www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears
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0.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.0.1 Aberrant California Kingsnake
1.0.0 Greek Tortoise
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1.0 Argentine Black & White Tegu
1.0.0 Leopard Toad
0.1.0 Wolf Spider
1.2.0 Dogs
1.2.0 Cats
2.0.0 Rats
1.0.0 Rabbit
1.0.0 Gerbil
0.0.1 Golden Snail

Wow, that's so cool ^^. I'd love to do that, but I don't have enough reptiles, lol. Good Luck ^^

I'm sure your age is a factor, but as you get older, you'll also have more experience. So when you're 26, you'll already have 10 years of experience. I don't know what all you've done, but you'll gain more credibility by tackling all of your legal issues. If you're required to have a wildlife permit to exhibit reptiles, then you need to get one. If you're accepting money, then you need an occupational license. Keep records so that you can file taxes and deduct expenses. Best wishes and have fun!

thanks for the advice!
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0.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.0.1 Aberrant California Kingsnake
1.0.0 Greek Tortoise
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Leopard Toad
2.2.0 Dogs
1.1.0 Cats
1.0.0 Rabbit
1.0.0 Gerbil
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
http://www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears

Way to go! It sounds as if you've done a lot of good preparatory work and I wish you continued success. I think you'll be a very good reptile ambassador.

In addition to Laura's good advice, I'd like to caution you about something. You may have thought of this before, but please keep a close eye on your audience as well as on your animals. Learning to work with your audience, particularly kids, is just as important as working with your snakes.

I just did a show yesterday at a library and, after giving the children my rules and cautions, one of the kids (probably 9 or 10 yrs old) waved his hand right in front of my carpet python... a snake that I had told the kids shouldn't be approached (unlike most of the calm snakes I brought). I'm a nice guy and I enjoy teaching kids about snakes but, as I had warned the kids I would do, I had the librarian escort that boy out of the program room immediately. The rest of the kids were really well behaved after that. LOL!

yeah, that is always a concern with me...

the problem i've run into is that the people i do the shows for, don't realize that my exhibit contains REAL LIVE UNPREDICTABLE animals.....because of that, i get a lot of kids that are completely out of control, and its a handfull.

i think it needs to be stressed that all living creatures are unpredictable...it doesnt matter whether it is a dog, cat, hamster or a snake. if conditions change, and put the animal under stress, it is likely going to react with unfavorable behaviours.

on one occassion...i had just warned the kids NOT to touch my hogg island boa because i could read that she was feeling stressed and potentially going to strike.
not 2 seconds after i had said that, the kid they gave me to be a "helper" grabbed her mid body. luckily she didnt react.

i know that they are just trying to help, but i dont trust anyone with my snakes,unless they have experience with snakes, and know defensive gestures. especially a 10 year old that has never held a snake in his life and doesnt listen. especially with my most "aggressive" snake...she's got the most attitude.

sometimes the programs are more stress than it seems worth...but i think that the more people out there trying to help, the more people will get the idea that snakes arent so bad...
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0.1.0 Hogg Island Boa
0.1.0 Albino Columbian Boa
1.0.0 Carpet Python
0.0.1 Red Albino Cornsnake
0.0.1 Aberrant California Kingsnake
1.0.0 Greek Tortoise
1.0.0 Normal Leopard Gecko
1.0.0 Leopard Toad
2.2.0 Dogs
1.1.0 Cats
1.0.0 Rabbit
1.0.0 Gerbil
....................................

Shed Your Fears!
http://www.freewebs.com/ShedYourFears

I always pick my own helper and it's not usually not a 10yo boy (no offense to all the guys!) Pre-adolescent boys are just chomping at the bit to get their hands on a snake! Actually, my daughters are usually my helpers unless I'm doing a birthday party.

When I take the snakes around for petting, I position the snake so that the head is turned away from the kids and they are petting the mid section. Just one or two hands at a time is enough. If the kids don't behave, I take a step or two back until they behave. I'm very nice about it, but they MUST understand. I have a lot invested in my business, I love my business, and I won't let anything jeopardize my business. Plus, my mission is to help people overcome their fear of snakes. Witnessing a bite would be disastrous! Kids do crazy stuff and you have to be prepared for anything. I've also been a K-8 classroom science teacher for 8 years, so I really think that kid experience helps just as much as animal experience.

As for the animals, they are very carefully selected and I won't bring anything out (or close to people) if I think there's a remote chance it will strike. An animal that bites is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I don't want to be all negative, though. Enjoy what you do, teach the kids well, but be careful.. If you think it's stressful then that's a good sign that you're thinking.