Why did YOU start?

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Originally Posted by JenH

Right, it's all Drew's fault. And yes I do spend more time with the snakes then he does.....:D

Now I'm even starting to breed a few mice. Don't know about rats, they are too smelly!

I've always been an animal nut, keeping box turtles for a season or two and letting them go, catching snakes and lizards. Drew says his friends think I'm the coolest mom (since none of his friends are allowed to keep snakes as pets). And I'n sure his friends' parents think I am truely weird, but oh well.....;)

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Jen, I'm the crazy mom that gets the halloween stories.....until just this year did I invite the kids in and they say me as "cool"...LOL....my own kids think I have ruined their lives (both girls...go figure)

Try ASF rats....no smell...I swear...and if you're close to CT, I can help you out!

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Pics tomorrow when I pick them up! :P

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Very much looking forward to pics!! Thanks!:)

The high school I went to had an ecology club. The kids in ecology club got to take care of all these really cool animals and once a month they would miss most of a day on Friday to take the animals to elementary schools and to educational presentations to the kids. I really wanted in but the clincher was you had to be able to handle and feed the snakes.

For a week every day after school I would go to the biology teacher’s class room and he would take out the adult corn snake and let me hold him. Man was I scared. I can still remember my heart pounding and sweat pouring off of me as that snake slithered around in my hands. It took a week before I was no longer afraid.

Right after high school I went to Tiger's Eye Productions and did shows with the big cats and some HUGE burms, balls, iguanas ect.. at the long gone Splendid China amusement park in Orlando. I purchased my first ball python shortly there after. Her name was Cecilia. "She" was great but at one point I moved back in with mom and she wouldn't let me bring her so I gave her to the pet store that I bought my feeders from and they found her a good home.

Fast forward 7 years later my crazy brother is telling me that people can actually make a living breeding and selling ball pythons. Well I love all animals and really missed having Cecilia around so I went with him the Orlando Fire show in 06 and I bought a CH 05 female (Mona) with the intent of purchasing a male pastel and breeding her.

I now know that breeding ball pythons is a labor of love, and not a lucrative as my brother made it out to be. I don't mind I love Mona and all of the rest of the snakes. Turns out my favorite part of breeding is the Genetics. We are in our 2nd breeding season and now have 52 ball pythons, a rat farm in the garage and great family time taking care of all of them!

I never wanted a snake, but as I tried to talk my daughter into a Sweet 16 birthday party - she just kept saying, "I don't want a party. I want a ball python". Fast forward to two years later. She leaves for college and now that same ball python is my obsession. I started the addiction wanting everything to be absolutely perfect so I never had to touch him - perfect sheds - no need for vet visits, etc. But, with the help of a lot of people on this forum, I've gotten to know Dakota quite well. We live in relative harmony and really like each other. (I know, I know - snakes don't care about us, but this is what I like to believe). Now when my daughter comes home from college, she asks me about his care, when to do what, etc. She thinks he's mine now. But she still threatens to take him away some day!

This is an awesome thread. Keep the stories coming!

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Originally Posted by cheryls

I never wanted a snake, but as I tried to talk my daughter into a Sweet 16 birthday party - she just kept saying, "I don't want a party. I want a ball python". Fast forward to two years later. She leaves for college and now that same ball python is my obsession. I started the addiction wanting everything to be absolutely perfect so I never had to touch him - perfect sheds - no need for vet visits, etc. But, with the help of a lot of people on this forum, I've gotten to know Dakota quite well. We live in relative harmony and really like each other. (I know, I know - snakes don't care about us, but this is what I like to believe). Now when my daughter comes home from college, she asks me about his care, when to do what, etc. She thinks he's mine now. But she still threatens to take him away some day!

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Just start talking about his poop schedule and those threats will stop...lol...great story, thanks for sharing it

my husband had his first ball when he was 12 or 13.. his name was bitten, he was stolen a few years later (before me) and he just always loved the snakes... it wasnt until we got together and i moved out of my parents house did we get our first snake together when we got our own place, i always thought they were fascinating creatures and wanted one of my own but my parents werent as understanding while i lived there sooo we got one together. We have been hooked ever since.

besides, ive always been an animal lover!!! my parents knew it was bound to happen, now when they find out about our latest critters they just roll their eyes.