What got you interested in owning/ herps in general?

[Midnight-Dragon99]

Have you always loved snakes and reptiles?
What got you interested in owning one?

For me personally I've always loved snakes and turtles. I remember being little and my uncle owning two BPs. I found them to be amazing.
I also owned a box turtle that my dad found in the yard (this was before I realized that you shouldn't take wild reps. I was like four and my parents were raised in a time that that was more acceptable. I was like, three.)
I've always loved snakes, I would, before so many stray cats drove them off, handle the green snakes that were around my house. I also owned a cornsake a long time ago, but again I was young and wasn't properly prepared + the breeder was shady. I'm getting my BP soon, everything is properly set up, hours of research went into his home.

So, what got y'all into herps? I'm really interested!

[KayLynn]

I've always just loved wildlife and exotic animals. I grew up with Steve Irwin as my hero and I was constantly outside chasing bugs and toads and snakes and birds when I was a kid. And I'm just more comfortable around animals than people. I'd rather go cage-free, open ocean diving with great white sharks (I would actually do this in a heartbeat) than be with a group of people.

My very first job was at the local zoo before it closed, and I basically put myself in charge of the exotic animals and the birds of prey. No one fought me on it either, and that was that. Within that year I had my first two ball pythons.

Years down the road and now I have nine pet pythons, and a wildlife rehab permit that allows me to work with birds of prey on a regular basis. It was inevitable that I end up owning pythons once I discovered that my favorite kind came in so many different flavors.


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[Sunnieskys]

Work got me into snakes. Not knowing what was wrong with a BP and having it pass away got me into research. I said to my boss, not another animal will pass away if I can help it. I was devastated! Now here I am almost two years later with two BP's of my own. And not one snake has even been sick since I stood my ground. I remember as a kid hunting for the green garters and holding them. I have always had a love for animals. Like kaylynn, I would rather be with animals than people.

[Outlawbp]

Always had them grew up around animals and snakes I have always had snakes same with my other family members first snake of my own was my Burmese and it took off from there

[John1982]

Inherited, my dad was a herper.

[GiddyGoat]

Hmm, hard question!

Might be linked to the fact that I've always loved dinosaurs. Ever since kindergarten I've wanted to be a Paleontologist, discovering and identifying the remains of the giant reptiles that once ruled the planet earth. That's my theory anyway.

Theyve be always just appealed to me. How they survive, adapt, move, hunt, etc. It's pretty cool IMO. I have a thing for wanting to know everything about all the super-weird-but-interesting-at-the-same-time animals. People will come to me and ask me animal questions because chances are I have an idea on what the answer is haha.

as for owning them? Well I'm the first in my immediate family to have owned a reptile, so I didn't get it from any of them. I even had to ease them into it! I think I really wanted to own one around a couple of birthdays ago. My mom, knowing how much I loved reptiles, took me to this awesome place on my birthday where I got to handle 3 snakes (Kenyan sand boa, king snake, ball python), one bearded dragon, pet a tarantula, and watch a snapping turtle feed! The place was loaded with awesome reptiles/other exotics. Since that experience I've always wanted my own scaly friend, and my wish will soon be coming true as I have a beautiful 1.0 fire genetic stripe ball python coming very soon!

Whenever I can I go out and look for herps as well. When I was little and went to Florida to visit my grandparents, I'd always try to catch the anoles. Dang it they're just so fast! Just recently I went out and found 1 garter snake, 4 eastern red spotted newts, and about 7 frogs (different species in the mix). It was awesome, and I can't wait until I get to do that again!

[RickyNY]

When I was a little kid a neighbor had an adult iguana, he was big and tamed. I asked my dad for one, but the one we got was Lucifer himself!!
No more iguanas for me, but it got me interested in reptiles.

[Zincubus]

I like all living things and as such I'd already had virtually all the common pets plus a per pike , two goats , two ducks and a tank of piranhas ..

Anyways I was queuing up in our local pet store buying some live fish food .. I was well known in the shop ..

Anyways one of the guys just handed me a young corn snake to hold whilst he tidied up the vivarium - it was a beautiful yellow Butter Corn snake and about 18" long . Very calm and inquisitive. I was instantly hooked and bought it a few days later .. twenty odd snakes later I'm still hooked


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[Ax01]

herps esp. snakes are just really cool.

[DLena]

Spent the first 7 years of my life in a new subdivision near farms and fields. Caught, observed and released tons of garter snakes, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders... my parents let me have dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, a chicken... nada on the reptiles. Finally have everyone out of the nest (more or less) and can indulge my love of snakes to the max.