How Did It Happen?

[Mirakuru]

I was a frog & toad-catcher as a kid, but I never kept any, they were quickly released...the snakes were too fast & very scarce (racer types). I just loved playing in
the woods, & snakes never occurred to me until way later. I still love finding frogs & toads in my yard, & I also get a few garter snakes & box turtles. When I mow
the grass, I'm on the look-out...there's a few toads that I've watched grow up, and I move them out of the way for safety...they don't seem to mind either.

I was a toad catcher too!! Best friend used to live in woods with a creek and there were some biiiig bullfrogs. Harmless fun on our, but it's always be a bummer to come across the occasional dead one on nature's part.

I loved spending time at the creek so much that I painted a photo of it in 3rd grade that my teacher ended up submitting to a young artist exhibition little did I know over a decade later I'd be so into herps to own one

My mom is a big animal person. She had 2 adult boas when I was born which she kept until I was like 5 or 6, then she gave them to a breeder. We also had a Uromastyx and several fire-bellied toads at some point when I was little, maybe like 7 or 8. So I was always around herps and never had any aversion.

When I was 11, my mom bought me a baby BCI for my birthday. At that point it was like 2004 and forums were in their heyday. I was a computer kid, so I was online researching the snake and found my way to several reptile forums (including this one). From there I got really interested in the hobby and started discovering other species I wanted to keep. I ended up with 6 leopard geckos, 2 Ball Pythons, 3 boas, a created gecko, and 3 bearded dragons by the time I was 12 or 13.

Over the course of the next five or so years, I was gradually made to part with a majority of those animals in large part due to having to move multiple times. However, to this day I still have my first Beardie, who is now 15.

Anywho, about three years ago my mom’s friend asked her if she wanted a California Kingsnake that had come into her possession. My mom agreed to take it, thinking that it would entice me to move back home I did... and now she is my girl Cleo. When I finally moved out of my parents’ house last summer and was supporting myself, I took the cal king and the Beardie with me. I got my BP at our local Repticon a few months later, and just a few weeks ago, I picked up my Bredli after jonesing for something in the morelia genus for the past 6 months.

I’m trying to take it slow and be responsible with purchases in order to build a collection that will be with me for the long haul.


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I had a similar experience when it comes to research contributing interest, I was also a computer kid but hadn't found the BP community until recently but now that I have I'm falling down a deep hole of love and appreciation for snakes and other herps!