How long have you loved herps?

[Zoe]

lol :] Not how long have you kept them, but how long have you loved them. Was your interest sparked as a kid, or later in life?

Up until last week I thought my obsession was only a few years old. But I was at my grandparents' place this weekend and I was looking through a drawer with a bunch of my toys from when I was 5-6, and I found a whole whack of plastic snakes, lizards and frogs! Hehe, now my grandparents think I've ALWAYS been a weirdo, not just recently :P

Anyone else have stories to share?

Zoe

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

...Well, since I'm incredably bored and to tired to sleep, here's my prolonged story. Read it..

..."Mom... Mom! C 'mere, help me get this thing out of this rock!" Though my family has been around animals my whole life, I personally never really had a spark for them until my childhood encounter. I was your everyday 5 year old explorer, getting into things I wasn't surpose to and wondering off when my mother had her back turned. Well, one day while I was cutting down a "forest" with my Tonka Truck to provide a clear passage for a select few army men to reach Godzilla and of course save the world, me and the troops came acrossed an unusual boulder in our path. Of course the egar sargent exclaimed the object to be destroyed but I was unfamiliar with such a "rock". As I stared for a short few minutes I noticed it started to move. Levers seemed to drop from the bottom and something started to creep out, quickly grabbing the object I took it to the person who knew everything at the time being. My mother. I exclaimed I had found an odd looking rock and there's something inside that I wanted to get out. She of course didn't understand and denied my request. She started to explain to me what this animal was and before long I was hooked. I made her read everything we could find on these animals. I soon realized I had found an Ornate Box Turtle (T. o. ornata). Now nearly 15 years later I have successfully bred this male Ornate box turtle to many females and hatched out many little miniture ornates. There's no telling how old this particular guy is. My mom said he was a sure adult when I found him and now 15 years later he is still around and going strong. Over these last 15 years I have kept many other herps. I've kept most of the herps that are native to Oklahoma, besides the Broadband copperhead.. Sneaky little creatures.. Ive also kept countless numbers of US residential herps as well as herps from all across the world. At the time being (Tonight) I have 8 or so different species of crocodilians and several hundred turtles that is native to Oklahoma. At the moment I have no snakes, until tomorrow that is.. which I will be getting a Het albino Monocle and a black neck spitter. Like I said, Ive been around herps all my life and most likely will stay with them until I die.. I'm also partial to big cats and other animals as well.. Good story?
Below is a pic of the male box turtle and one of his last years off spring.







http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/503/1227baby_boxie.jpg

[Bryce Masuk]

thats cool you still have your first herp after all that time he will forever live on

[unknownclown]

I have loved them from day one as far as I can tell. There was an area behind our house when I was a kid that I used to catch snakes, lizards, salamanders and frogs. Once I had emptied out my dresser drawers and filled them with snakes lizards and spiders... I'll never forget the look or the screams when my grandma went to put my laundry away, I still feel bad for that one. Poor grandma :(

[skin78]

as long as I can remember I have loved reptiles .. it's like a virus in my life LOL.. can't without them

[ballpython5000]

roughly since i was 3. thats when i discovered we had hundreds of garter snakes hiding in our back yard. i would spend all my free time checking under rocks for new snakes to play with. i caught about 3 a day. every now and then i would catch a few babies or a giant adult. if i was really lucky i would find multiple snakes under one rock, just finding that made my whole day. but of course maine winters are cold so all good things had to end, i got so bored during winter without any reptiles to play with. there was a river behind my house with large ammounts of turtles and frogs also, but i couldn't catch those. so when i was 5 or 6 one day i was trying to sleep when my mom told me to get the hell up and get in the car. i was pissed, i was tryin to take my nap! we shortly arrived at the pet store where i met my birthday present, my first snake. it was a okeetee normal i think maybe albino. ill scan pics for you guys to judge im not good with corn morphs. well anyway i played with that thing for hours. but then when i was 8 or 9 we moved out of that house and into the house i currently live in. snakes here are sparse and hard to find. so for 2 years my reptile interest kinda got pushed aside, every now and then i would buy a gecko or anole or something. but i never really got "into" it until i got a ball python when i was like 10. a ball python brought me back and it keeps me here. but this is probably the time where i have been biggest into the reptile hobby. i dont know just how much further it can go.........
i been into this reptile hobby for a long time i guess. and its the same way for my older sister, so maybe its just in the family. with the internet now my hobby has been really picking up, becuase when i was little all i had was a few reptile books the elementary school had in stock. and middle school had little or none, while the high school has only 1.
sorry i just had a lot of time on my hands :)
this thread really got my thinking as to why im soo big into reptiles. and i traced it back to a few garter snakes :)

[ranmasatome]

Wow cool stories guys!! hahhaha..enjoyed reading them.
As for me, i got into it since young as well. my granma is from malaysia and her family used to have a durian plantation. used to play in there for the longest time catching weird stuff like vine snakes (didn't know they were mildly poisonous then) and some time baby retics...we used to see adult retics as well but grandma always warned us abt. that guy and to stay away. we once caught an adult rectic at night in the chicken coop trying to eat the chickens....and he got eaten by us instead...don't mean to be cruel but is just something to do with medicinal values of snakes in chinese culture...i guess childhood really does affect adult life huh?? guess that's probably why i am becoming a real scientific herpetologist now. hahaha:)

[J_Riley]

My first rememberance was age 5. My grandparents bought me a reptile and amphibian sticker book. You stuck the pictures on to the b&w drawing of the animal, and it had a blurb about natural history for each animal. I was hooked forever after that, suffered @$$ whoopings for wading waist deep into ponds after frogs, coming home smelling like garter snake musk and of course for my snake escaping and getting into the bookcase. Those were all before the age of 12. I wised up a little after that. *sigh* those were the days...

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

About a year for me. I had 100 bux and decided I wanted another friend. The only friend you can buy...A herp! I bought me my leopard gecko and I still have him. Fredrawdico's the name! Hehe. http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1461fredrawdico-hand-med.jpg

[Blackwidow69]

;) :D Ive loved herps and arachnids since i was 5 and im in my 40"s now and still working with them and own them.. I use to go to the swamp at the end of our road and catch all kinds frogs tadpoles and snakes and put wierd looking spiders in jars to keep as pets .. my mom would say gota keep um in the garage, and that would make me mad so i would sneak them into the house when she wasnt around and hide them under my bed .. Then one year i was about 8 or so and she found out i had a garter snake in the house as it got loose and she found it alrighty in the bathroom and that was it for me sneaking things in.. I would trade frogs at school to the boys for there biggest garter snakes, how stupid they were hehehehe!! I got cool snakes for some toads and wood frogs that i could catch a ton of.. :) :) I guess i was the only girl in school that would always bring some kind of critter in stashed in my bags or lunch box.. I have always had reptiles and other exotic animals all my life, they are like my babies and they are my companions and also a major stress reliver.. I did school lectures and would also help others how to properly care for them and to get to know all the critters they have never seen or been close to.. Cant live without um... :) :);)

[XxRachxX]

7 months:) haha. ive always liked animals but none of them really sparked an interest! a few years ago i would watch steve irwin on tv, and think, "how cool would it be to do that!" i never saw myself where i am today! (not that where i am today really counts for anything!)
ive been doing work experience for college at a reptile rescue since september! and since day 1 of that work i was hooked!
im actually surprised at how much ive learned about reptiles in this short time, and never really "known" about them before!
but, im glad to be into such an amazing hobby! it definately beats the pants off of hamster keeping!

[eyespy]

Ever since I learned how to walk! There were woods behind my grandfather's house with 2 creeks running through and I would toddle out there with him to try and catch frogs, garters and turtles. Grandpa would only take sick or injured ones home, heal them up and then release them. Otherwise we'd just enjoy them for a bit and let them go on their way.

When I was 7 Grandpa bought me my first "forever herp", an ornate horned frog I named Captain Crunch. He lived with me for 26 long and happy years. Made the cutest little honking sounds!

[SnowFoxx]

When I was a little kid (probably about six), my mother had a friend who we called "Miss Lisa." Mom thought she was incredibly odd, and was always criticizing her because she had moths and flies loose in her house all the time, and every time we went over there, we could hear crickets in the back room.

Miss Lisa came to my day camp one summer to show off her collection (she had a permit to do education) and brought a *huge* tortoise named Sam, who I got to feed sweet potatoes to. She also brought a whole bin full of recently hatched Hognose snakes. Tht was when my love for herps began. I had never held a snake before - I was always afraid of them - but these little Hognoses were so cute and little, I held two at once!

After that I was always outside catching box turtles and painted turtles. I'd take them home for a few days, then let them go where I found them. I even managed to find a few Hognose snakes in the woods near my house!

Ever since then, that one little snake has been on my mind. I jusr recently bought my first Hognose (last week), fulfilling a dream since childhood. I wish I could find Lisa now and tell her what an impact she has had on my life. I'm even planning on getting a permit to do rehab and education, like she did, so I can teach other little girls (and boys) just how interesting reptiles are.

- Victoria :w

[ballpython5000]

looks like if you start young then you are most likely to become fond of them. a lot of us have started young.........hmmm interesting. maybe thats why people have such a big herp phobia, becuase they never got expose to them when they were kids. way too many fear herps. yesterday at the vet i had my ball python with me, i could instantly tell who was a herp hatter becuase they all jumped up and went to the opposite side of the room. but i was happy to have two 5 year olds approach me and ask if it was real. i showed it to them and let them pet it. they really enjoyed it, maybe this will help prevent them from becoming like the other half of the room.
one of the people went to go pay for their vet bill and the husband was like, come on dear. she goes no no no, im not going anywhere near that damned snake, eww!!! i was pissed, she even gave me and evil look the whole time. like somehow all snakes are evil and vicious. then my dad yelled at me like it was all my fault the lady feared it, come on i wasnt even 10 feet near the damn register. i was happy to see that the kids were interested. heck i sent a few pics to my nephew and him and his sister have been trying to get a python even since. they have to settle for a box turtle though!!!
oh, im rambling again, whoops.
anyone else have crap like this happen???

snow foxx:
we have hog nose snakes in maine?

[SnowFoxx]

No, I grew up in Maryland.

- Victoria :w

[ballpython5000]

ah....makes sense

[Andy_G]

I started to chase around garter snakes at the family cottage at about 3 years old with my dad. That's when I started taking a liking to the lil critters.

[eyespy]

Originally posted by ballpython5000
looks like if you start young then you are most likely to become fond of them. a lot of us have started young.........hmmm interesting. maybe thats why people have such a big herp phobia, becuase they never got expose to them when they were kids.

I'm the second of 8 kids and none of my brothers and sisters like my reptiles or would go into the woods with Grandpa. One of my brothers has a mild interest in my herps and will feed them when I'm away but the others are basically still afraid of them.

Even Jim won't touch them, just change out the water dishes, dole out salads and bugs, or thaw mice and throw them directly into the cages. He absolutely refuses to use feeding tongs or a feeding cage, so I only allow him to feed my snakes if I'm absolutely stuck for help and simply must be out of town.

[Linds]

Well, I can't remember how long ago it was been, but since I've kept them since I was 4, I think it is safe to say that my interest was sparked as soon as I discovered them :p

[J.J.]

Wow everybody...what great stories!! I think yal could write a book! ;) Ha ha!
Well, I guess I started to like reptiles when I was a lil kid, about 5 I would say. I remember I used to go up to this lil camper up in Hesperia, Michigan and catch salamanders like crazy! I had such a good time! I remember we would keep them in a bucket for the night, then let them go in the morning (when we would leave). Then I also remember one of my dad's friends saying they found a snake. It was a garter snake and I held it for a bit and it was really kewl (I think I was about 7 or 8 then). Then I would keep wanting to find snakes and salamanders and things everytime I went up there. I guess I never realized that I had a true passion for reptiles at that age. Then the day came when I was up north at my dad's house, which is also in Hesperia, and I was driving the 4 wheeler and my dad's girlfriend's daughter, Stephanie, was on the back. All the sudden she screamed " A SNAKE, A SNAKE!" I stopped and saw the tiny thing. I still cannot believe that she ever saw that thing... Anyway, it was a baby hognose snake. At the time I didnt know what it was. Then I started to try and catch the snake. I caught it and then it went through the motions of playing dead and trying to get away and all that jazz. I then had Steph drive back to the house and get something to put it in. Since she was taking 4ever I just slipped my boot off and put it in there. She came back shortly after w/o anything because she figured I had been waiting there too long so she didnt even go to the house. We then drove back to the house and I put the snake in a bucket with some leaves and a stick. Then I brought it to my mom's and then I put it in a cage in my science teacher's room. He lived for about a month or 2 then he died. I really regreted ever taking that poor snake outta the wild....:( But the thing is, after it died...I WANTED ANOTHER!!! So I got another snake, Leo, and I now have 3 snakes and I have really explored my true passion for these amazing creatures!! So I guess I found my true passion for snakes when I was 12, so about a year ago! lol..

[Alphonzo]

Since I was a little boy (about 7-8 years, I guess).
Now I am 46 years :p

[Burmies]

I have been interested in herps for about 2 years now. I have never really not liked them.

Burmies

[Lisa]

I don't know how long I've been interested in them, though I did have a bit of a hiatus my late teens and some of my adult years.

[HeatherRose]

I've always been the girl who wasn't afraid of frogs and snakes :P
I've always wanted to keep them as pets and I used to wake up early and save all the frogs from the pool filter lol :D

[AstroZombie]

I used to catch frogs and garter snakes all the time as a kid, it was good for scaring my annoying little sister. At eight I was allowed to bring my first reptile into the house, a pair of red eared sliders, which I still have...Godzilla and Booger will be turning twenty this year:D

:skull: Jenn:skull:

[Aaron_S]

From what my mom tells me I was 3 when i asked for my first pet and she thought it would be hamster fish or someother "normal" animal as she calls em but no I asked for a snake so I guess it was at a real early age. My parents never really were into the wilderness thing so I grew up with books and such until I was about 12 or 13 I really got into them more and when i was 14 my parents let me buy my frist snake,sadly he/she is no longer with us.

[Cold Blooded]

Wow, I must be the weirdo. I hated snakes up until I was 15. I was afraid of frogs until I was like 12. When I was little my uncle, who is only like 5 years older than me used to do all sorts of things with snakes and frogs to scare me. And he used to tell me that they would bite me and such. I grew up thinking that a little old frog would bite my finger off and that a snake was evil and would eat me. But 2 years ago a little ball python found her way into my backyard and I've been hooked ever since.

[Tim and Julie B]

Well, I never knew just how many cool things a person could keep as a pet until I met Tim. Then I saw my first picture of a leo and had to have one(or 2 dozen) so he bought me one for my 22nd birthday(July7) Been hooked ever since.My Mom reminded me that when I was little I used to catch those cute little black and green salamanders and would keep them then let them go after a couple of days-fed them little spiders and such.

[gfisher2002]

I've loved reptile since i could say guana. That's what i use to call an iguana.

[ballpython5000]

i remeber whe i was about 2-3 my mom said i could get a fish. she took me to the store and i got to looking around. i saw an iguana but thought it was ugly, then i cam across this huge ball python, or i think it was. i begged and begged for it. i cried cause i couldnt have it. i wanted it so bad, it was so big and i was so small. she showed me ferretts and chinchillas but i wanted the python!!! i never got my python cause i made a big scene and my mom was scarred of snakes. that was my first encounter with the wonderful ball python. i suppose that is why i still love em. its strange the things a person will remember.