I got an assistant

[PythonWallace]

I have a friend whose 12 year old daughter always wants to see my snakes when they come over, and now she's been asking her mom if she could get a ball python as a pet. We worked out an arrangement that she will bring her over once a week to help me clean tubs, feed, change water dishes, and more importantly, learn about husbandry, genetics and breeding, through hands on experience. She will be working for credit for my website, so after a while, as long as she is still interested in balls, she will earn herself a snake and a tub setup for it. She's excited about it, and I'm excited about having someone to help me clean tubs!

[Shadera]

Excellent idea, you both win.

[stratus_020202]

That's awesome!! It's always exciting to see the younger generation interested in the snake business.

[Patrick Long]

hahaha thats actually a great idea!

[PythonWallace]

It was her mom's idea, and I jumped at it. She will have a full understanding of what's involved in caring for a ball python, so if she ends up getting a snake she will have more respect and knowledge, and will not be likely to get bored of it. She has a little sister who likes the snakes, but is a little hesitant to hold them. I'm hoping she can spend enough time around them as well, to the point where she loses her hesitation and starts to appreciate them more, and maybe even get on board herself.

I think the best part is that she is a very smart kid who is interested in learning about the genetics. It will be nice to have someone around who appreciates how ball python genetics work. I love talking genetics, but every time someone comes over who wants to go back and see my snake room they all lose interest when I start trying to explain basic genetics of an albino or pastel. I'd love to see her learn a lot and stay interested and start a small breeding project herself.

I'm going to tell her about HR669, and tell her that if she ever wants to own a snake her first job will be to sign a stack of letters for me to mail out to help keep her pets and future pets legal.

[cinderbird]

thats such a great idea!

I want a little munchkin to talk snakes too. ..too bad i dont have enough tubs to need help cleaning...yet *wink*

keep us updated on this.

[mechnut450]

PythonWallace I beat you to that help part lol I got my 11 year old niece and her younger brother to help me when they come over, they help clean rat tanks, snake tubs what ever i ask them too. I don't talk the genetics with her but she helps clea and all the cages and understands that she can't have a snake until she 1 proves she understands the care required and I have an extra snake hatched out ..
LPus she got in a pet shop (owner ) face about the poor care the snakes he had and said they get fed every week not 1 in 3weeks among other things .. I was tryingo t okeep a straight face and all the entire time.

[PythonWallace]

PythonWallace I beat you to that help part lol I got my 11 year old niece and her younger brother to help me when they come over, they help clean rat tanks, snake tubs what ever i ask them too. I don't talk the genetics with her but she helps clea and all the cages and understands that she can't have a snake until she 1 proves she understands the care required and I have an extra snake hatched out ..
LPus she got in a pet shop (owner ) face about the poor care the snakes he had and said they get fed every week not 1 in 3weeks among other things .. I was tryingo t okeep a straight face and all the entire time.

That's great. It must be a lot harder for a store to kick out a little kid for being boisterous about the poor care of animals in their possession than it is for them to kick out an angry adult. My friend's daughter is very opinionated and has no problem disagreeing with people who are wrong. I'm sure she will be doing the same thing your niece did, once she has a good grasp of the care and husbandry of reptiles, and sees the condition of them in most pet shops.

[Jsh]

What you described is exactly how I got started with snakes! I cleaned mice/rats for my first corn snake! Jack, taught me so much at a young age about the hobby and I was grateful to have such an awesome neighbor! This is going to work well for the both of you!

[PythonWallace]

What you described is exactly how I got started with snakes! I cleaned mice/rats for my first corn snake! Jack, taught me so much at a young age about the hobby and I was grateful to have such an awesome neighbor! This is going to work well for the both of you!

That's cool. My main goal is to make sure this is a fun and interesting thing for her. I've always loved reptiles, so it would have been awesome for me to have someone who let me work with a cool collection of them and taught me some stuff. I'm hoping she sticks with it and comes to have a favorite morph that she'd really like to own, and that it's one I am working with, or at least one I have some of the ingredients for. I'm not telling her since I want to make sure it's something she's genuinely interested in after cleaning a few dozen tubs, but I'd like to hook her up with a cool morph once she's put in her time. There's nothing like a long term project with an awesome possible outcome to keep someone enthused and motivated.