What got you started?

I think the first time I ever paid any attention to reptiles was when I was 3 or 4 years old and was playing in our side yard and was scared to see my mother running toward me with the garden hoe raised above her head. She stopped a few feet from me and chopped an eastern diamondback to kebab bits. A year or so later, I was in the backyard and my brother was playing in the tree that overhung the creek, and got bitten on the elbow by a water moccasin. Another year or so went by and my mother stunned a water moccasin in our yard and took it up to the elementary school for the science teacher, Mrs. Pugh, to put in her collection of jarred critters in formaldehyde, but the principal wasn't quite prepared to have a live moccasin dumped on his desk in a paper grocery sack (the only kind, back then).

When I was about 7, I got a cat who would bring me live snakes -- all non-venomous, thank goodness -- and I'd keep them as long as I could get away with, the longest being maybe two weeks. I also caught frogs, toads, salamanders, lizards, etc., at every opportunity, and was always the one to save the squeamish girls from the scary snakes. I had a friend that I actually had to carry past a snake the size of a #2 pencil, she was that terrified (and about 30 at the time).

I got my first ball python in 1995 from a friend who worked for animal control and had been called out to a motel to get a "giant snake" that a maid found in a bed after checkout. She kept her for a couple weeks and got the setup right, then turned her over to us and we had her for a couple of years before moving someplace they weren't allowed and turning her over to the kids' teacher for a classroom pet. I still regret that to this day, but I am sure she took good care of Timba Lou.

I think I've always been fascinated with snakes. It's something about them. I think it's because I have arachnaphobia, and the legs on a spider are the thing that creep me out the most. So whats the farthers from a scary leggy spider? A legless herp known as the snake. :)

Anyway, I think I first really got into snakes when I was in grade 6 and had to do yet another speech(hated those things), and I was thinking "I need a subject that would scare a lot of people.." and the first thing that came to mind at the time was snakes. So I went to the library and grabbed up all the books I could on snakes. While researching in a book, I discovered one certain snake that peaked my interest, and to this day is still my favourite snake. I discovered the sidewinder. I was in awe of how the snake moved side to side like it did. And the beautiful pattern it made in the sand. In the end, 90% of my speech was all on the sidewinder. So a while after that, when my interest in the snakes were put on the back burner of my mind, my mom and sister and I were up town doing some shopping, since it was those sidewalk sales days. And we went by a clothing store, which had a handful of people crowded in an area in the parking lot. I bugged my mom to go there to see what was up, so we walked over. I squeezed through the small crowd and seen a man pulling out a beautiful 8-10 foot burmese(at the time I had no clue what it was. Just knew it was damn big for me, lol). Anyway, the man and his helpers were setting up a little booth where for 5 dollars, you can have your picture taken with the snake. Some could only stand next to it and hold the head up, others could sling it on their shoulders. I was a big kid at the time(always have been) so the man helped the snake up onto my shoulders, then snapped the picture. I only got to hold the snake for a mere minute, but in that time, I had got to feel the power and strength of the snake, and I was in awe. That, again, peaked my interest in snakes.

So, to cut this down so I don't end up writing a book here...skip ahead about 10 years, and we're at present year. About 4 months ago. And I'm bored as hell while sitting online...with nothing to do. So I decide to look up some stuff. I seen a picture of a corn snake, and remembered "whoa, forgot...I love snakes.:o" and started researching on them. I had always wanted a snake, but never even gave it a second thought because I always assumed an exotic and beautiful creature such as the snake must be way too expensive for my budget. The caviar of the pet world, I assumed. But then I looked deeper into it and discovered that you can get your hands on a corn snake for a mere 20 dollars. So for a few weeks I was all into corn snakes. Bugging my mom about how when I get some money in a while, I'm getting one. She wasn't pleased, since she's had a fear of snakes ever since years and years ago some loser in high school shoved a garden snake down her back. So I was looking at the corn snake pics online, and thought "those look pretty and colorful...but I don't know if colorful is for me. I just want an averaged patterned snake". So I did a search for other snakes that make good pets, and came to the ball python. Ever since then, I've been wanting one. I did allll the research I could for 3 months, and even went to my next door neighbours house to hold his BP(and fell in love) after finding out he owns one(and doesn't properly care for it :( I'm getting up the nerve to go over there and try to give him some "advice" on keeping "Monty"). So anyway, now we're at present day, and I'm just counting down the days until I can get my tank and everything, set it up, and bring home my snakey.8)


If you liked this exerpt, and are interested in more, you can purchase the paper back copy of "My Life- The Cody Campbell Story" at Amazon.com

Cool Cody, good for you! Just tell you neighbor you found a really cool site and he should check it out. Then write him down the URL for the ball python care sheet ;)

I'd do that, but not too long ago their computer broke down and they haven't bothered to fix it up yet. The thing that bothered me about the way he was keeping the snake was that it was a big 30 gallon tank, with a small drinking bowl on one side, and on the other side he had two decorative skulls positioned a bit away from eachother, and a flat piece of wood over the skulls to make one crappy hide, lol. The poor snake must be so stressed out. :( But he says the snake eats regularly. So I dunno. Thing that also worried me is that the snake is about a year old now(he got it when it was about 6 months old from a local pet shop that has since closed down) and it's still real tiny. Maybe two feet long. And the thickest part of the snakey is only the size of my wrist, which didn't seem too thick. I asked him what size rodents he's feeding it, and he said smallish adult mice. I asked him if he's tried to do the mouse-rat transition, and he said he wasn't gonna go to rats at all because the guy at the pet shop told him rats are fatty and not very protein-rich. :?

I loved snakes as a kid, but had a father that didn't want anything to do with them, so it wasn't anything that ever got nurtured. I grew up and pretty much forgot about them, except I've always enjoyed watching them in zoos and such.

But a couple of years ago, my daughter began to show an avid interest in snakes. Her interest re-sparked my own and we began looking at snakes every chance we got, in stores, zoos, or what-have-you. Since then, my own interest in snakes in particular and reptiles in general has blossomed far beyond my expectations!

Hey kids,
I was about 8 years old.
I absolutely LOVED every type of animal in the world.
Except those stupid lions for eating those poor zebras.
Heh.
We had just got a new pet store, so I went to take a look one day.
And I saw the prettiest lizard in the wolrd.
It was a 10" Tokay gecko.
I was 8, so research didn't matter, I didn't even know what research was.
I went to go ask the store people if I could buy him (my mom had said it was okay).
But when I went up to the backroom door, an employee walks out with the particular tokay gecko attatched to his right hand.
So, I sort of walked to the other side of the room, forgetting about getting a tokay.
And I saw a really pretty (he was colored up) golden gecko.
There was only one in the cage, so I just nought the whole thing (when I say "I bought it", I mean my mom did, thanks mom!), cage and all.
I still have that same water dish to this day...
Any way.
I went home with a golden gecko, gello ulikivoskii.
I put the cage in my room, threw some crickets in the cage, and went out side to play, I'm guessing that's what I did.
Anyway.
About a year later, i went back to that same pet store to see about 5 goldens in a big 30 gallon.
I was like..."Ooh, he looks like Geico", so I got another one, and put him in the 10 gallon with Geico (my 'clever' name for my golden).
I loved my two geckos!
But they never colored up after I bought them, I was so sad.
And the year I got the second one, I walked into my room, to see my poor Geico without a tail!
My brother and his friends claimed that they walked in my room and saw about 30 crickets chewing on his tail that was on the other sde of the cage.
He could be telling the truth, i mean, there WERE a lot of crickets in there.
But i think a ceratin person named Ryan (one of my bro's friends that had a week ago, squished a garter snake's head, and threw it in a tree).
Before my gecko's tail had gone missing, he had the greatest personality.
I loved him so much.
Everyday I would get ready for school, and hold Geico for about 10 years, it was the greatest.
But then when his tail waas gone, I couldn't hold him anymore, he kept trying to bite me (if not for his bad aim my mom might have made me get rid of him).
I mean, I used to be able to hold him, and let him crawl on my shoulders, and even the curtains!
But now, he's just almost unholdable.
He bit at me again yesterday.
While I was trying to get him to clean his cage.
Oh, and a year before I got my second gecko (Godzilla) me and my brother went to that store and got about 6 green anoles.
They lived for a while (in their own cage thankfully we had at least that much brains).
But eventually all died.
Oh, and one day, I walked into my room and sat Geico and Godzilla runnning around their cage biting at eachother, Godzilla got nipped on the back once, but Geico was untouched.
I seperated them that day after getting another 10- gallon from the pet store (petmania, out of business for animal uncleanliness, and overcrowding of animals, go figure).
About two years ago, I learned a new word...'research'...
I researched for hours, but I still wasn' getting any better with my geckos.
Until about a year ago, they were in bad shape, but I couldn't tell.
Since then, they've been doing much better.
I've determined they are both males, because of the fighting, and because females don't color up, and lately my geckos have been coloring up better infront of a window.
I have purchased night light bulbs for them.
And they are doing a lot better.
Both geckos were almpst unholdable.
But I can hold Godzilla almost anytime.
but Geico is still angry or something I suppose.
By the way I am 14.
But lately...tey haven't been eating... :cry:
I'm extremely worried.
They go for the wax worms, but not crickets, or mealworms, but stupid PETCO never has wax worms...
And I am afraid to ask my parents to order me some offline.
But I will.
So um...
Wish me luck I suppose.
Goodbye.


-collin

Ironhead, I love that photo! I hope my kids feel "lucky" that their parents (me and Smulkin) kept snakes when they are 43.

Smynx....I have no doubt whatsoever that your kids will grow up and consider themselves lucky to have you two as parents, with or without snakes!

I got into herps as many kids do, when I was young. My family had a cabin in Rushford, NY and every weekend the family and a few friends would go out there to get away from the city. My best friend and I would find a plethora of frogs, snakes, salamanders, newts and toads to catch and observe. Since my mom rarely went to the cabin, my dad was responsible (or not, lol) for the animals we brought home. I remember sneaking toads home in mcdonald's cups. Once home, my mom would have ultimate say over what I could keep and what I had to let go the following weekend.
My first snake was a big preggo garter who had babies right before my eyes. I had to be about 13 or so at the time. I let them all go in a nearby park where garters were regularly sighted.
Now that I have moved out, I can have all the herps I want. But I still look back with a smile on those days of sneaking a snake home and keeping them in secret in yer bedroom. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLC

Smynx....I have no doubt whatsoever that your kids will grow up and consider themselves lucky to have you two as parents, with or without snakes!

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Judy, that is sooo sweet! I'm all teary-eyed now. And I hope that after a couple years of intense therapy, my kids might feel that way.