How did you first get interested in reptiles?

I've always loved animals in general. My 8th grade science teacher had 2 pythons (don't recall the exact type), a boa (again, don't recall exact type), 2 adult bull snakes, 2 baby bull snakes, and a baby milk snake. I used to take notes in class with my right hand and have the more docile of the 2 bull snakes wrapped around my left. Unfortunately my mom would not even hear of a snake in her house. I begged and pleaded with her for weeks to let me take the babies home for the winter break. From then on I knew I eventually wanted snakes :snake2: . LOL...Mom still doesn't understand my facination with my serpent pets.

Growing up on a dairy farm in Eastern Oregon, I've always learned to watch out for rattlers, and we'd occas. chase or find a garter snake of some kind.


When I was a soph in college, one of my workstudy jobs was to feed and care for the snakes, rats and mice of the biology prof. He had a small burm, some pythons, a few kings and milksnakes, sidewinder, diamondback, corns, boas. Since then, I had always wanted to continue with that love, but student (no money and always moving), husband (now EX-) prevented me.

Then a friend saw a posting for a BP and complete setup for sale on the BB where she worked at a hospital. I was able to talk down the price, buy it in two pmts to make my budget. That was 19 months and twelve snakes ago! :D

We've lost a couple of our pets since then :tears: despite the vet care and work to save them, but they're all loved and cared for. I'm putting together the necessaries to start a snake rescue in our area. We don't currently have anything like that here for pets. Freddie was the first of what I hope will be many pets that need a new home and then will find their way to our loving care. :) I'm also starting the first steps of eventually breeding boas and pythons. The boa project is a little farther advanced, but I'm looking forward to (down the road a bit) those first wrigglies and the first pippings. :love: :wuv:

I was a pre-vet student who has had to change the dream, and I feel that these wonderful animals will allow me to continue in my love of animals, w/o the major outlay of land and resources right now that horses and cattle would require...even tho' we DO own five horses. hee hee