how did you start?

[hediki]

im just wondering how did you get into herps? i got into them when i when to the zoos reptile house and then i fell in love with snake then i kept goin to my local pet store to look at snakes and thats how i fell in love with them.

 

[Traci1]

I always have loved animals of all kinds and wouldn't hesitate to pick up an anole when we lived in Florida, or a garter snake up here in PA. But during most of my childhood my focus was on horses. Sometime in '93 I met someone who had a pet corn snake and thought that was great. Then in '99 I met a girl whose boyfriend breeds green tree pythons. I saw pictures of his animals and decided I wanted to keep a pet snake. I remembered how much I liked the corn snake I met back in '93, so I researched them for a year before getting my first one at the end of 2001. Now I am drowning in reptiles - mostly corn snakes.

 

[pcar]

Hi there Hediki. Nice to see you over here too. I know that you have already read this, but I thought that I would post it here too.

I was living along in an appartment and needed some company. But, I couldn't have a dog or cat because of the pet deposit, so I went to PetCo to get a small lizard, and ended up with my Snow Corn, Snowie. that was 4 years ago, and since then, I now have 9 cornsnakes, 9 Green Anoles, 3 Texas Spiny Lizards, and 3 bearded Dragons. And, I am still collecting...Picking up two more Corns after this years hatching season...and probably two more next year.

 

[mbdorfer]

Well, about 30 yrs ago, my younger brother caught a black racer and put him in a cardboard box. He left the box on the table in the back yard with a large rock on top of it. I came across the box and of course I had to see what was in it, big mistake, by the time I got the racer back in the box I was pretty chewed up. About a week later, he got a large Florida Kingsnake, total opposite, extremely docile and beautiful, I was hooked. Snakes have been a part of my life ever since.

Regards

Mike B

 

[Tracee]

I also lived on my own in a flat/apartment and wanted a pet. Something a bit unusual n exotic like me lol. A few weeks later after much reading up and not a little bit of luck (a lovely new batch of amel corns ready for rehoming) that was that!

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

Ever since I was little I was out catching frogs, toads and garters on my fathers property. Neither of my parents would allow me to get a snake...but when I moved in with my fiance 3 years ago, he oked me getting my first snake (a ball python). Since then, much to his displeasure, my reptile collection has grown considerably! 14 cornsnakes (with 3 new adults on the way next week!), 3 ball pythons, 2 western hognose, a ca boa, a tokay gecko and 12 leopard geckos.

 

[KatieL]

I've always loved bugs and critters, and when I was little I was forever out catching bugs, frogs, basically whatever I could get my hands on in the yard. I *really* wanted a pet when I was young, but my little sister was allergic to cats and dogs and pretty much anything furry (she was the sissy girl of the family - wearing dresses, not wanting to get dirty, and hating bugs). Well, after approaching my parents numerous times about wanting a pet, they finally agreed, but said it had to be something that wouldn't give my sister any allergy problems, and I had to do lots of research on it first. Well, me and my library card headed to the local library and I found heaven in the reptile section.

My mom's only rule the whole time I had grown up was "no snakes in the house." Between my sister and I (the other, non-sissy, little sister) we had just about every little herp out there...my other sister (yeah, the sissy one) even got involved in the act with a rescued box turtle she dubbed "Jiffy." Over the years our house became a haven for "rescued" herps...mostly turtles. It surprising how many people don't know what they are getting into when they buy them, I would never have guessed it. Anyway, so I was never allowed to have snkaes growing up, and that made me even more fascinated by them!

Jeff and I had been talking about getting a boiid, for quite some time, but I was concerned that the "rescue" one we were looking at right before we got married was more than I could handle (it didn't seem smart to keep a snake that weighed almost as much as I did...I couldn't even lift it!). So we kept looking... then I came across corn snakes, and they seemed like a perfect fit for me! Still a fairly large snake, but a more managable weight and soooo easy to care for, so we thought about it some more.

Anyway, I came across a really awesome job after graduating college and, as most of you know, it was working with massasauga rattlesnakes. Well, I fell in love with the little guys, and after getting used to seeing them everyday during the summer/fall it was a little tough for me when they went into hibernation. I missed hanging out with the little buggers. Well, that did it - I finished up my research on corn snakes and a few weeks later Jeff took me out to get Sienna. Now I'm hooked on corns...we're gonna be picking up a little mate for Sienna soon...maybe at the show in two weeks? *fingers crossed* We'll see...

Anyway, that is my LOOONG story.

 

[Flygning]

All growing up, I wasn't the kinda kid to pick up snakes and bugs and such. I was always a dog/cat type of person, and I loved horses so much. I even owned a horse in high school.

One day I was in class (civics, I think...I never paid attention in there anyway) and one of my classmates had brought her corn snake with her to school. Since we were on the cross country team and she was tired of keeping an eye on the snake and we were watching a movie so the lights were out, she let me hold the snake for the entire class.

I was so intrigued. I thought about it for a few days, started doing a ton of research, learned all I could about keeping a corn snake, and then asked my parents if I could keep a snake in their house. Unfortunately they said no and I had to wait until I graduated and went off to college.

So, off to college I went, and it turned out that I wasn't allowed to keep animals in the dorms (stupid allergenic mammals, ruining all my fun). I knew I would have to wait an entire year to get a snake, but one day I went to the pet store on an urge and fell in love with a little creamsicle corn. Two days later I bought him and snuck him into the dorms, where he happily lived until I decided I could no longer stand living in the most party-oriented dormatory of the most party-oriented school in the southwest and moved out.

Unfortunately, due to the Arizona heat and my lack of knowledge, the poor little guy died and I was devastated. I searched online and figured I could buy snakes from a big breeder, but it was several months before the '04 hatchlings would be ready to sell. I ordered a pair from Serpenco, but while I was waiting for them I went into snake-withdrawl and decided to purchase a pair of hatchlings from a local show, and a guy at the pet store gave me an adult snake. I went from having zero corns to having 5 in the space of about a week (I do nothing in moderation except work ). Now I'm looking at getting a ball python and a bearded dragon, and I plan on growing old and instead of being the "cat lady" that all the kids are afraid of I'll be the "snake lady".

 

[Jason B.]

Like everyone else here I always liked animals. lived in England till I was 12 and had never seen a wild reptile. then in 1985 I moved to maryland and within a week I saw a snake shed on the side of the woods , so I started looking for snakes and found a large lizard. I was hooked , before the end of the summer I talked my parents into letting me get a snake from a petstore. It was a whip snake and it wouldn't eat. took it back to the store and replaced it with a gopher snake bought at another pet store that one did well. throughout my teen I had an average of 20+ reptiles at any given time , but I would buy , sell and trade them because I always wanted something new. Through my 20s I was busy getting married having kids and living in an apartment I could onlykeep a couple at a time. we bought are first house a few years ago. With the extra space now I'm going a bit nut with collecting reptiles.

 

[babbaloo99]

I didn't care much for snakes but my sister bought a corn for her son. My son wanted a pet and we had just given away our indoor dog due to his (my sons) ellergies So I promised him a new pet. I didn't like the thought of having a pet I had to fee mice, but once we researched it the idea became acceptable. Plus snakes seem to be a good pet for someone with allergies.

February will be a year since we picked up our amel Yoshi and I am so addicted to this! I've always loved animals and the biology behind them but I just never knew how fascinating snakes could be.

 

[Jynx]

I was always the wierd person in the family that like snakes and spider5s and lizards and stuff. My family couldn't stand it when I was little. Then my brother got ma a corn snake when I was 12. She was a bloodred, and she's my screen names' sake, Jynx. I named her that after the red girl ninja on GI joes. My brother thought she was cool after she got older and got really red, so he got one too. For the life of me I couldn't remember what kind of corn it was...I think it was an amel, and his name was Caffeine, a very husky male. One day we had a clutch of eggs sitting in the middle of the 55 gallon. I didn't know what to do with them so I wrapped them up in a towel, and put them in my closet close to the heater vent on the floor so they would stay warm. It took about 3 months, and only one of them actually hatched. The rest just didn't make it. I named the snake Link, but he didn't make it past 2 months. I just couldn't get him to eat. Not too long after that, Caffeine died also. I don't think we ever figured out why. I loved Jynx, but I was addicted and wanted more! My friend had an amel female that he couldn't take care of anymore and just gave her to me. WOO HOO! Jynx has a sister! So I named her Prunella (don't ask) It was really cool having both of them, but I wanted to have more babies! So I went out to a pet store and bought a baby amel male. It took FOREVER for him to grow! In the meantime, I read up about them, figured out what I did wrong, and consulted a few herp experts in the area. After 3 years, Vlad (the amel male) was ready. Prunella wasn't into it at all, but him and Jynx got it on like donkey kong. We lived on a farm so I just used my parent's chicken egg incubator. And thats how it started...

Prunella ended up passing away about 5 years later to egg binding. She's buried next to Caffein at my parents farm. I still have Jynx, Who is living out her old age in peace up for display in my living room. No more breeding for her. Sweet retirement. Vlad is at my brothers house. He wanted to get another snake, and I figured what the hey. I have enough, and he knows Vlad well. Since then I've gotten into corns, beardies, ball pythons, burmese pythons, kenyan sand boas, white kneed tarantulas, tokay gekos, gopher snakes, milk and king snakes, and even iguanas for a short time. Corns are still my first love though.

 

[stefmc24]

my story is like a lot of the others....

i have always loved animals. since i was little i had various different kinds. dogs, cats, frogs, turtles, rabbits, the list goes on and on....

when i moved out on my own, i realized just how much i missed having animals in my life. i live in an apartment so i can't have the usual dog or cat, and i've always been intrigued by snakes so i finally decided to get one. after much (much much) research, i finally got my first corn.

now i'm officially addicted.

the thing about my story is that my mother and grandmother are both *deathly* afraid of snakes (my mother can't even see a cartoon snake on tv without having a panic attack). when i told my grandmother i was getting a snake, she cried. when i told my mom, she said "you better take a shower before you come over here!!" lol.

...they just don't understand.

 

[MegF.]

I had always wanted a snake even when I was little but my mom said that the turtles, lizards, mice, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and hamsters were plenty. I went to the trouble of making a snake out of some flowered material that was left over from some sewing project just so I would have a snake of my own. A 5 ft. floral wonder boa of some kind! Finally as an adult, I was able to get my first snake, my cornsnake from a reptile show in Pamona. The rest is all downhill history. We're up to 5 and will start breeding the new hatchlings when they get big enough.

 

[DAND]

Once upon a time...

When I was a youngin' I would catch every little critter I could get my hands on (actually I still do this). My Mom hated doing my laundry not knowing what was living in my room or my pockets. Being a little rebellious (even still) I always liked snakes even know my Mom was scared to death of them. She would be out doing something in the garden and I would hear her scream. That was my cue to go catch the snake that was surely going to attack her. :grin01:

 

[CAV]

I actually developed my herp fascination because of lizards; snakes came later. Wild herping wasn't a big draw for me as a kid in Texas. The likelihood of finding a venomous snake was fairly high so I stuck with lizards.

 

[howiet4702]

About 8 years ago, I used to be a manager at a local pet shop and I just fell in love with reptiles. I did all the purchasing for the store and I kinda got out of hand with buying a lot of herps for myself. (at very, very cheap prices!) At one time I had everything from a African Rock Python to an anole. And pretty much everything in between.

 

[Susan]

My parents are both from NYC, but when they moved onto 100 acres in the Catskill Mts of NY when I was 6, they indulged their love of animals by getting just about every known farm animal at one point or another, as well as a multitude of dogs and cats. I grew up loving all creatures and caught everything I could find on that 100 acres. I was brought up to always put whatever I found back into the wild so it could go on with it's life, so I never actually got to keep a herp as a pet.

After I got married, my husband wanted to get a chameleon. He had had some as a child, but really didn't know how to care for them back then, so they didn't last long. He learned everything he could before-hand so that he wouldn't make the same mistakes and soon enough, we had a pair of veiled chameleons. Then the female laid eggs and we had a bunch of babies. By then, I had gotten hooked on herps as well, and when hubby came home from working at his pest-control job with a wild-caught hatchling cornsnake, we both had to keep it (despite my upbringing). We did a crash course on caring for them, decided to breed them as well, and bought 4 more hatchlings from a local breeder...a normal het snow female, an amel het snow female, an anery A het snow male, and a snow male. The wild-caught hatchling turned out to be a female (I still have her) and in a couple of years, we were breeding them. By then, hubby and I also purchased some red-teil boa babies to raise and eventually breed. After a while, I had a baby myself, which reduced the amount of time I could spend caring for all our herps, and hubby already lost most of his interest in them, so we sold our chameleon colony, but I refused to get rid of the snakes. I have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of my original corns, and my collection is still growing.

 

[Amanda E]

I had always loved animals, but really only just the furry kind until college. I went to get my degree in Zoology and one of the lab TAs had a bunch of snakes that she brought it for us to look at. At first I wasn't too impressed... then I held one. I had never held a snake until then. I was hooked. I really liked the larger snakes that she had, but she told me that they weren't really good beginner snakes. So I asked her what were good beginner snakes. She told me ball pythons and rainbow boas!!! Knowing NOTHING about snakes I fell in love with the idea of a rainbow boa and decided to get one. Then I found out my TA had no idea what she was talking about and I decided to get a cornsnake instead. I still want to get into other snakes, particularly taeniura, and maybe some geckos, but all I have right now in the way of herps are my cornsnakes.

 

[Tim Madsen]

My first experience with herps was in 1956, I was three years old. It had just rained and I was outside our South Dakota farm house playing. I noticed a large amount of toads hopping around and gather up a small bucket full of them. I then proceeded to take them in the house and dump them on my mother who was taking a nap at the time (exclaiming "mommy look what I got"). She loved to tell that story and did at every chance up until she went to be with the Lord. I continued my herping ways when we moved to San Diego. I grew up there collecting snakes, lizards, frogs and of coarse toads. In the early 80s a friend of my wife gave her an albino kingsnake for Christmas. The next thing I knew we had hundreds of snakes and still do. How do you stop these thing from breeding lol.

 

[MegF.]

Ummm, Tim......didn't you get that part in basic health class????