Where Do I Take This Hobby?

I say take this hobby to college. If you like it enough to make a career in this general field. You can get a degree in a sort of science, mine is in biology, and work at a zoo, museum, or a college if you get a masters. Just a thought when I see a young herper, to throw the idea out there.

You guys are TOP NOTCH AWESOME!

I just LOVE kids who have the desire to make something of their lives. Too many times, I meet some teen-agers who has no other desire but to troll the malls and play their videogames.

Zinnia got the cool answers, I have to say. Definitely consider her advice. I'm going to give out 2 stories of people I know who started off where you are at about the same age.

First is this guy who owns the Reptile Store close to my house. He has always been a "critter keeper" since he was a kid. His mom tells me that he would hide lizards and such that he brings home from the backyard to keep as a pet. He doesn't have a single favorite. He loves them all! He is now in his late 20's and opened up a reptile store. He knows all about anything in his store. He has all kinds of lizards, spiders, turtles, snakes - including venomous ones, and even pet hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, and a spider monkey in his store! It is a great store and the animals are very well taken care of. His parents work in the store with him. The cool thing about him is he will tell you straight-up - you have to research everything there is to know about owning a monkey before you think of buying this monkey. Or, he would say, that bp hasn't eaten for a month. And all that stuff.

Second is this 12 year old that I got our spider bp from. He specializes in ball pythons and corn snakes. He goes to reptile shows, buys baby snakes that he thinks are awesome, keeps it for a few months, then sells it locally. He gets to have them as pets for a little while and he makes some money from them for his college fund. He doesn't breed them - or at least, not since we last talked.

I know there are some cool teen-agers out here - I know DutchHerp and his friend - can't remember his name - are big into reptiles. I think DutchHerp is going to college for herpetology or something.

Hopefully, that gives you some ideas.