How did you first get interested in reptiles?

My fascination with snakes began when I was about 6 years old and in bed with measles. To start with I was quite ill, but as time went on I started to recover - and so did my energy. I was still confined to bed in a darkened room (this was over 40 years ago) and was getting increasingly bored with all my toys and games. In a desperate attempt to get me to stay in bed my Dad bought me a rubber snake (he'd run out of ideas by this time, I was driving my Mum up the wall and he saw the rubber snake and thought it was something different away from the loads of dolls and games I had). It was about 2ft long. I loved that snake. First its tongue fell off, then the rubber began splitting and its tail fell off, then finally it's head fell off and that was the end of that but it gave me a fascination for snakes that never went away and any time my parents took me to the zoo, they literally had to drag me out of the reptile house.


40 years later, I got my first snake, my Pueblan Milksnake, Ringo. I now have 14 snakes:D

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Originally Posted by Lady Python

My fascination with snakes began when I was about 6 years old and in bed with measles. To start with I was quite ill, but as time went on I started to recover - and so did my energy. I was still confined to bed in a darkened room (this was over 40 years ago) and was getting increasingly bored with all my toys and games. In a desperate attempt to get me to stay in bed my Dad bought me a rubber snake (he'd run out of ideas by this time, I was driving my Mum up the wall and he saw the rubber snake and thought it was something different away from the loads of dolls and games I had). It was about 2ft long. I loved that snake. First its tongue fell off, then the rubber began splitting and its tail fell off, then finally it's head fell off and that was the end of that but it gave me a fascination for snakes that never went away and any time my parents took me to the zoo, they literally had to drag me out of the reptile house.


40 years later, I got my first snake, my Pueblan Milksnake, Ringo. I now have 14 snakes:D

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Wow, that's an interesting story. I love how your fascination with snakes endured such a long period of time.

I'll never forget that rubber snake:D I was so sad when I had to put the bits of it in the bin:(


Now that I've got real snakes, I become more fascinated and captivated by them every day. They are truly lovely animals:D

I've always been an animal person. My favorite presents as a kid were animal encyclopedias, and when I was in kindergarden, I told my teacher I didn't need anymore schooling because I already knew everything I needed to know to be a zookeeper. :rolleyes: Kids.

Snakes have always been my favorite reptile though, and my Mom had always vetoed my having one. Love everything about them. Then I growed up, and got my first snake... well, you know how addictive it is. It was all downhill from there! Now I'm obsessed! ;) Or more so anyway, as my Medusa obsession was already growing, lol.

My mother did it to me. She always drug us to the zoo and told sroties of all the critters she kept as a kid. Then one day my friend got a RTB while her hubby was deployed and I loved it. So I went downtown to the pet store at the mall. I asked lots of questions and got no answers. I wanted one so bad though, and of course mom wasn't answering her phone. So I remembered something she had said before about BPs curling up when they get scared. I had a choice between a RTB, a Burm and a BP. I took the BP home and named her Salina. She probed out to be a girl. She is the first of 10 snakes and now the whole family loves them.

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Originally Posted by mr~python

now thats what im talking about! extortion by venomous pit viper! LOL

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Found an old aquarium and wanted to get a real pet (all we had were fish). So I decided I wanted a reptile of some sort, and I've always wanted a snake. So I got a baby Ball and since then have been interested in keeping reptiles. :D

As a child bull snakes (thats what my dad called them) were always getting in the garage and I saved many of them from the shovel treatment, but never was interested in keeping any as pets. My wonderful 12yr old daughter had been begging for a snake since about age 5 but I always replied "NO!". I didn't know enouph about them and didn't want to get stuck feeding it "icky" mice. I am sure most of you parents know when the child gets a pet you are the one caring for it most of the time. I finally gave in a little more than a year ago to a cornsnake that my poor little daughter hardly gets a chance to care for (it began living in my room as soon as it arrived!). And just like that I now have 2 corns, a RTB and a BP.

I took the snakes to her school last year to aid in a report she was giving and it was so neat. The kids that were petrified when I brought them in soon became curious and by the end wanted to touch.

I really enjoyed reading all your stories!

I first got interested in snakes about a year ago. My friend Matt is an NYPD officer and had arrested a person who had a snake on them. The snake was very sluggish and he feared that it would die if he left it at the precinct (sp?) so he brought it home. Up until that time I had never handled a snake nor did i really fear them but I guess I was a little apprehensive until after the first 5 minutes when it coiled around my hand and just sorta hung out there, I was hooked from that moment. I believe the snake must have been a kingsnake of some sort, but regardless I went home and did what i always do with a new obsession... googled the hell out of it. After researching the best beginner snakes i opted for a bp because I wanted a smaller yet thick bodied snake. Went to the local petstore and luckily got a healthy snake, 3 months later I bought another 100% Het Albino male for a future breeding project. And since I've been trying to save up enough money to buy a female pastel.

I have never had a friend or relative who kept reptiles. If I had I am sure I would have become a herper much sooner!

I have always loved birds, snakes, and reptiles. Birds are too noisy for my spouse to tolerate (I sold my birds some time ago), and I have had a major aquarium obsession for about 10 years now.

I have always loved snakes - I was always the kid at the reptile shows who wanted to touch or hold the animal.
Anyway, the other day I rescued a large black garden-variety snake from - of all places - a Sears department store! It had managed to find its way into the store and was pressed up against one of the walls doing his 'If I don't move no one can see me!' trick. The air conditioning was not doing him much good.
Anyway, I scooped him up and took him outside and released him in a much more suitable area. Handling it and observing it was a real treat and I found myself thinking....hey! I should really set up a snake cage in my house!

so here I am making sure I know what I am getting myself into before I jump off the proverbial cliff.

Turns out, by coincidence, I sort of know Kevin McCurley through fish (cichlid) circles. I toured his new shop right when it opened and thought to myself 'gee whiz this fish guy has a lot of reptiles in his store' but never put two and two together until this week. d'oh!

I was raised in one of those households where the parents didnt even want to talk about the idea. I would have gotten one once I moved out but I was with a girl (for years) who was completely against it. Once she was out of the picture I bought one (and then another). My current girlfriend thinks they are cool as heck. Hence, the collection will be growing very soon.