When did you start the whole snake game ?

Just curious as to when some of you guys started getting into snakes. For most of us, that is when we got our first snake. Some of us are 10 year old veterans and some are like me.. I am a month old bp owner and I am already flabbergasted by how obsessed I am with these pets (bps and boas in particular). Eventually in my life (when I have a better flow of income), I plan to start breeding, and I wanted to see how long it took from your first appreciation of snakes to now, as a breeder.

Any reponses are welcome.. So yea, how long have YOU been in the snake game ? And what does it take to start breeding (how much knowledge / experience do you need?)

Cheers!
Matt

i started when i was 6-7 by catching garter snakes and frogs in my backyard and chasing my sisters through the house with them lol. i got my first pet snake when i was 10-11, it was a snow corn snake, sadly, it died soon after due to my dad over feeding it while i was gone. then i got my first bp, and i still have him today after 5yrs. ive also owned another bp, a cali kingsnake, a scrub python, red eared sliders, fire bellie toads, a bearded dragon, gerbils, rats, finches, parakeets, and of course, cats. and i just got my first rtb on saturday :D

I have been fascinated by reptiles and amphibians ever since I can remember. I grew up trying to find and catch them all. My Mom refused to let me have a snake in the house. The day I turned 18 I made the choice to get my first slithering reptile, a cornsnake, without my parents consent. Within a month I found a sale on BPs at petco, I had to have one. I have been wanting to breed them ever since. I've been researching and keeping them for 6 years now. I will begin my first pairings within the next month; with 5 females and 2-4 males. It's quite amazing to say the least!

since i was about 10 im now 25

Been keeping reptiles since I was around 8 yrs old.....long long time

27 years... man, I am getting old...

I caught garter snakes, frogs, racers, tadpoles, etc and would keep them for a week or so before letting them go. I started working at a pet store where she had lizards no snakes. I wanted a reptile but didn't want to deal with crickets so I got my first corn snake at 19 years old I still have it but it was to flighty for me I wanted something more relaxed. I got on craigslist found a bp at a rescue. that was 2 years ago I now have 9 snakes total. I have two pairings this year and plan to keep expanding the collection.

as far as knowledge/experience you really don't need any to breed/keep snakes (other then proper temps and two snakes). But to do it the right way is a whole different story. I've literally spent hundreds of hours searching on how to keep them how to breed them, reading info on forums various breeders sites and watching to many youtube videos to count, especially videos from big breeders, love snakebytes lol. I just got my first boa about 5 months ago and plan to get her a mate and try breeding boas if I'm successful with bps.

My first was a black snake i caught all by myself at the prime age of 7 and put it in a shoebox with baseball cards for substrate and a thermos top for a water bowl. Kept it out of site under my bed till it got out and thats the day my moms fear of snakes started as well. So it was a first for both of us lol for me it was love, for my mom it was utter panic.
Started breeding in highschool in the late 80s early 90s. Im 38 now so its been a few years

Reading all your responses has got me so hyped!! I cant wait to get my second snake and start expanding my collection!

The parentals are old school & Chinese and are frowning at the fact that my new amazing black PVC enclosure looks too much like a coffin & they want me to exchange it for something that looks nicer. (LOL) I said "When I move out im gonna have a whole snake room, you know that right?" My mom looked terrified XD

Im only 20 now, still got lots to learn. I guess I have from now until I have a stable career and im out of school to learn about breeding bps, hopefully I'll know everything there is to know by then ^^ Thanks for sharing guys, more responses are welcome too! :)

I first got into reptiles when I was about 14. I was the kid everyone called when they found a snake in their house for removal. My Mother wouldn't let me keep snakes, so I volunteered at the local Nature Society taking care of their animals and doing little shows for schools through them. That was about 26 yrs ago.

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Originally Posted by mattchibi

I said "When I move out im gonna have a whole snake room, you know that right?"

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haha, i said that to my mom too, and her response was "well your gonna have to come here to visit then cause i wont be coming over" lol, she looked even more terrified when i told her about wanting venomous snakes:rofl:, i wish i couldve got it on camera

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Originally Posted by mattchibi

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Im only 20 now, still got lots to learn. I guess I have from now until I have a stable career and im out of school to learn about breeding bps, hopefully I'll know everything there is to know by then ^^ Thanks for sharing guys, more responses are welcome too! :)

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I'm only 22 still in school and I work at a moving theater (not a very stable career lol) As long as you find cheap feeders and can afford the food have the time and space you can expand and breed lol

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Originally Posted by cmack91

haha, i said that to my mom too, and her response was "well your gonna have to come here to visit then cause i wont be coming over" lol, she looked even more terrified when i told her about wanting venomous snakes:rofl:, i wish i couldve got it on camera

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Just don't rush into Venomous, it could be your life. I have owned venomous for 6 years now.

But I have been finding and keeping all sorts of animals since I was a little kid. First animals I ever caught were Frogs and Salamanders. I caught my first snake when I was 10 and it was a Rough Green Snake. I was lucky that my mom complied with it, and supported the idea that I wanted to work with Reptiles.

I got my first Ball Python back in 1999, and that is when the addiction started. Before I went into the Marine Corps in 2007 I had a pretty large collection and had been breeding mainly Albino and Pastel stuff. But over the years I have kept alot of different species of Spiders, Scorpions, Tarantulas, Snakes(Venomous and Non), Lizards, Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders.

I've always had a huge fascination with reptiles (it started with a dinosaurs as a 4-year-old). I got my first snake when I was 12.

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Originally Posted by MidSouthMorphs

Just don't rush into Venomous, it could be your life.

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i definitly wont, i dont feel ready yet, and im gonna make sure i have AT LEAST a couple solid years in with some very aggressive snakes, that way i'll already know how to deal with a "b****"

well i'm 32 now my first bp I got when i was around 12 years old.. I just picked up a new baby last month I was out of the hobby for years but my 2 daughters love herps of all kind so I decided why not pick a baby bp from the reptile show.. I can't believe how fast I fell back in love with these animals and this hobby I'm already planning my list for the next expo coming up next month..:D

I had to wait to really own a snake when I left my mom's house and got out of the military dorms. I had a few snakes that my mom never knew about that I caught in south Texas I had Texas ratsnake and a Texas Indigo. She also surprising caught me a pair Texas swifts and those things were some fun pets. It wasn't until I moved out and got married when I broke the news to my wife I was getting a snake she argued at first but eventually gave in. Since then it's been a fun ride.

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Originally Posted by cmack91

i definitly wont, i dont feel ready yet, and im gonna make sure i have AT LEAST a couple solid years in with some very aggressive snakes, that way i'll already know how to deal with a "b****"

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Lol, a coachwhip is a good choice. Alot of poeple use them as a "lesson" snake.

I first got into reptiles when I was about 9 or 10. My stepfather got a ball python and a boa. When we had to move, he had to re-home them, but when I was 18, I got my first reptile of my own, green anoles. I didn't know how to take care of them very well and within a few months, they were both dead. At 19 (2006) I got a leopard gecko and then later that year I got my first snake, a snow corn female. Thus began my journey into the world of keeping and breeding snakes. In the summer of 2007 I got my first pair of ball pythons, a normal female and a het pied normal male. It has grown from there. I now own 16 ball pythons, 7 corn snakes, a king snake, a boa, and a leopard gecko. I've been breeding since 2008.

ive always wanted a snake but my dad is super afraid of them so he didnt let me have one. i got a few little green lizards at about 13-14 but they all died pretty quickly. i got my first snake in may of this year, a male normal bp who i now think is a female but i cant tell for sure lol. now ive got 4 bps in my closet, one coming in today and 2 coming in tmrw. getting at least one more on each of the 7th and 13th of next month at shows so this hobby definitely blew up real quick for me and im super addicted to it. im also looking into getting a RTB since i got to hold one for the first time yesterday and he was so.....awesome.....i decided i wanted one lol.

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

27 years... man, I am getting old...

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Age is only a number. :P I'm at 25 years, but I got my first pet boa for my fourth birthday - gotta love an understanding mother! ;)

i have been keeping and owning reptiles since i was about 4. started with toads and salamanders. then i got into aquatic turtles. after awhile and before they were illegal i got into box turtles and bred them for awhile. then i moved out and went to school. thats when i was finally able to own my own snakes. i bought a neglected corn snake from a friends brother. then i bought a pair of kenyan sand boas and a cal king. came home from college and didnt tell my mom i had them till i was 10 minutes from home....lol she actually fell in love with them once she got to see and hold them. i then found a snow corn at an agricultural auction of all places and bought it, no intentions of breeding so i didnt care if it was a male or female. well after some research i found out i had a pair. i decided to just go for it. after watching them breed i prepared for eggs and babies. 26 eggs my first go at it. lots of babies, lots of mouths and hard to get rid of at the time. well then i got my own house and it just exploded. soon i had 75 corn,king and milk snakes!!!! well i decided to thin down. got down to about 15-25 animals. then my buddy sent me a free pastel female ball. then it started all over again...
now i have 35 or so balls, 5 corns and hundreds of rats...
im 30 years old now...with 2 kids a wife and a dog and lots of herps...lol

I'm fairly new to the game, I got into snakes summer of 2008. We did have a leopard gecko growing up though! lol

I had been intrigued by reptiles at an early age like most members and purchased my first ball python when I was 13.

Now almost 8 years later I used that very same female I purchased and she laid my first clutch of pastel x normal hatchlings.

I currently have 5 ball pythons after selling hatchlings, 1 blue tongued skink, 1 crested gecko, Rottweiler, and a fat cat haha.

I am the poster child for the kid that always told his parents he'd have a snake room when he moved out, I did exactly that. You can breed with any amount of income as long as you put aside what you're going to need for food/upkeep and can manage your responsibilities. My best advice is don't plan to make any profit your first few years, that way if you do you'll be surprised :) oh and also buy your females early on so you can begin the few years it takes to raise them up. males can always be bought cheaper as ready to breed adults.

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Originally Posted by mattchibi

Reading all your responses has got me so hyped!! I cant wait to get my second snake and start expanding my collection!

The parentals are old school & Chinese and are frowning at the fact that my new amazing black PVC enclosure looks too much like a coffin & they want me to exchange it for something that looks nicer. (LOL) I said "When I move out im gonna have a whole snake room, you know that right?" My mom looked terrified XD

Im only 20 now, still got lots to learn. I guess I have from now until I have a stable career and im out of school to learn about breeding bps, hopefully I'll know everything there is to know by then ^^ Thanks for sharing guys, more responses are welcome too! :)

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Same here...my parents are old fashion Chinese folks. LOL

I was always interested in them as a kid but never could have them. My friend got a blood python and after holding her I had to have one. We went up north and looked at the place he got her but they didnt have anything I was interested in. So my wife told me about the Indianapolis State Fair had a reptile show. Went down there and came back with a spider male and a female pinstripe(my wife had to have her). That is where she also fell in love with the pieds.

We ended up getting 2 more at the tinley show along with my rack. So up to 4 at the moment with many future plans. Hoping to get 2 females from the tinley show in march and another rack. Hopefully a female fire and lesser.:D

Well about 25 years here. Started with slamanders and garters at about 6-8, and progressed to catching big black rats, and then onto a yellow rat, burmese, a few balls up until I was about 18 and didn't have the time or discipline that they required and got out for about 12 years. I've since returned to herps and I'm currently concentrating on balls and I have about 20 and plan on about 7 pairings this year. Can't wait for some of the fire stuff I'm gonna be working on.

Don't let your parents dissuade you, but try to be respectful and informative and you may win them over. I've had my mother snake sit for me a couple of times. Normally when I plan to trade something at the steel city show we'll just stay with my mother ( who lives 15 min away) and she'll watch my son and my snake and loves to do it. I'm sure that your particular cultural issues make it alittle more difficult, but best of luck it is a very rewarding hobby.