First Time Stories

[jjspirko]

Ok here is a cool idea for a thred. Think back, way back to the first snake you ever got to handle and/or the one that got you hooked. What was it about it that did it for you. What made you become one of us? What made you a snake person?

For me I was I think 5 years old, we had just moved to Florida and there was a fishing pier where my Grandparents lived. My dad and I were fishing and a guy walked out on the pier with a baby red tail boa in his shirt pocket. Cute bugger and my dad was scared of it. I however, was curious but afaid it would bite the guy held it and showed it would not and then just handed it to me. I was totally hooked and have been ever since. I realized right then snakes were something special.

For me that was thirty odd years ago. By the age of ten I had a real herp mentor that taught me even how to deal with and handle hots by the age of 12, I have never stopped since.

OK, now lets hear your stories,

[hoo-t]

Most of my life, I've had that ingrained fear of snakes. But I've always been fascinated by them. Overcoming the fear has been a gradual process which I'm pretty much over, but still not completely. I'm still nervous handling my sub-adult wild caught bull. As a small child, I was always catching herps, primarily Texas Horned Lizards and box turtles, but the occasional snake also. The first snake that I had that I handled with any frequency was I think a Rough Earth Snake. A VERY small snake that never attempted to bite. Ringneck snakes were also a favorite. I did have a water snake that scared me to death, and a bull snake that I was also afraid of. Fast forward to about 10 years ago. I was at a family reunion at a lake in northern Oklahoma. My uncle was ferrying family members across the lake to a picnic area. I was already across the lake, wading in waist deep water when he pulled up with another load of family. I heard him shout my name. I turned just in time to catch a snake that he had thrown to/at me! I immediately dropped the snake into the water, looked at it and realized that it wasn't "dangerous", and picked it back up. It was a Rough Green Snake. I kept that snake for about a year. But it never calmed down, trying frantically to escape every time I handled it. I found a hatchling corn snake at the store where I bought crickets for the green snake, and had to have it. The corn snake was the first "BIG" snake that I handled without fear of being bitten, although it did bite me once due to a stupid feeding error. That bite did a lot to help me overcome my fear! Those two snakes got my kids hooked, too! I eventually released the green snake and sold the corn snake. A couple years later, my daughter wanted a snake, so I got her a ball python. "Dutchap" has lived either at the high school or with me ever since, as he's not allowed to live at my daughter's mom's house. My daughter graduated from high school last year, so now "Dutchap" lives with me full time. Since acquiring "Dutchap", my son's and my collection has expanded to include 57 snakes, including "Dutchap", one bull snake, one rat snake, 13 spotted pythons, and 41 additional ball pythons!

Sorry, didn't mean to write a novel!
Steve

[frankykeno]

Hmmm well I grew up in the country and always liked all sorts of creatures so I guess it started there but my true snake fascination came about through a school trip with my older son when he was about 7. This lady at a kid's science center brought in some ball pythons and some adult corn snakes. Now I have to admit it was the corns that grabbed my attention back then....lovely big adult corns with the most amazing colors.

Fast forward to a couple of years back and Mike wanted to buy me a snake for Mother's Day from the kids (I think he just wanted a snake and that was his sneaky way to get one...heck I've done it to him since then LOL). I walked into the pet store determined to pick a nice cornsnake but while I was looking at corns he had the employee get out a little hatchling normal ball python. He put her in my hands and well....I feel fast, hard and forever in love. One peek of that darling face out of her coil and I found my snake and my life's passion for ball pythons.

It's been a wonder to watch our whole family become involved with the bp's, with the boa's and with the colubrid. Snakes gave us a wonderful gift when they brought together a blended family that sometimes struggles over "issues" with this one common focus.

Oh btw, had you asked me before we got our first bp to describe one I would have said..."well nice snake but all they do is ball up and they aren't all that pretty...kinda boring really". How little did I know, eh? LMAO