I got my first snake at 21, when I moved out of my parent's house. Mom wasn't even extremely psyched when I came home from my first couple years of college with a Crested Gecko. (Constantly reminding me that why when she was growing up, there were wild geckos and they were seen as pests. Mind, they weren't quite so pretty as these, but still, she grew up seeing geckos as pets. Why on earth would you want one as a pet?) The only reptiles I had before then were the anoles my school sent home free after a science project in elementary school. I'm really quite sure those poor things didn't live nearly to life expectancy... I didn't know crap about taking care of them, nor did my younger brother, and no one else in our family liked reptiles enough to care. Never allowed to have a snake growing up. Mother would freak out if I even mentioned I had seen a ribbon snake in the yard (it didn't help that it went with out saying I tried to catch it). Somehow we talked her into letting my younger brother have a scorpion. Still convinced magic was involved in this.

Mind, now if I'm coming home for an extended visit, she grudgingly allows me to bring home the whole family if I'm gonna be there too long to leave them (very very rare, I hate traveling, and dislike leaving my territory for long ^.^) I can't take them upstairs (while she's home) and am technically not supposed to have them out of their keeps, in my hands or otherwise, and I can't remind her that they are actually in the house, but she does let them come into the house. So there's that.

But yeah, lol, moved into an apartment for school, and got a snake as soon as I was able. Been wanting one since my friend got a couple ball pythons in 4th grade.