How long have you been with reptiles

[xxbad]

hey ppl how long have you been caring for reptiles i have been since i was in kindergarten ive owned a lot of reptiles it seems like. so far my favorite is a chinese water dragon

[LISA127]

about 7 years

[snakehunter]

a year in about two months

[m1k3_88]

about a year and a half:)

[Dani33]

I've been interested all my life. I used to temporarily keep WC anything when I was a kid. As an adult, I'd say 4 or 5 years. Frogs for the first couple of years, geckos and than snakes in the last year or so.

[JeffT]

9 years, and my first leo is still alive.

[Turtle Matt]

About this long |--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|.

[elevation24]

Coming up on 4 years.

[Removed_2815]

Coming up on 11 years, my first Leopard Gecko is alive and well in my collection too....
R

[Stockwell]

I've been breeding them for a quarter century
and been keeping them for about 35 years

[Dani33]

Holy Roy, what an accomplishment. Was it difficult socailly back than? Most of my relatives now have a poor opinion of my keeping them. Even with the herp hobby having grown so much. Just curious.

[latazyo]

I got my first RES in fourth grade...so 11 years

[Youkai]

My entire life, thanks to my parents.
We had newts and an old red eared slider when I was little, that had belonged to my parents long before I came along! My dad would also set up terrariums for garter snakes for a few weeks during the summer, so I could watch them for a bit.
....they never knew what it would lead to. :D

[Bighead]

My whole life. I grew up in California. My first herps were Fence lizards or swifts or something. When I was 9 or 10 I started keeping snakes. I caught a couple garter snakes and my brother brought me a 4ft. gopher one day he found outside a friends house. Lots of fun. Before I moved to Washington when I was 17 (and then BC) I released them all back into the wild. I don't know if that was the right thing to do, but I did. I never lost a snake (well, I LOST one, but I mean that literally). The lizards weren't so lucky as I thought they ate grass for the first couple years. Lucky the little buggers were usually a lot faster than a 10 year old. My coolest one was a California King I found while I was skateboarding to work at Carl's Jr. one day (best fast food ever). I can't wait to actually own a captive bred one soon- hopefully making a trade for one in the next few days.
Sorry for babbling.. lets hear some more stories!

[Linds]

I got my first reptile when I was about 4, and she passed away this year at a the old age of 20.

[susan]

i have been for 27 yrs

[HeatherK]

Since I was 9 or 10 I believe. Always had a huge interest in all animals for as long as I can remember.

[Oliverian]

Bighead, how do you find the herping there compared to here? I'd probably donate a lung or something to be able to live there and go out herping. :D Although our herping isn't bad either. ;)


I just 'officially' started this hobby last year, but I've been temporarily keeping all sorts of things since I was walking. I used to spend hours playing with little plastic animals and feeding colonies of woodbugs. Then last year I walked by a reptile display (fine, more like stayed there for hours, but still) and something just clicked. It's just gone from there. :) Honestly, animal raising has got to be one of the best hobbies around. :)
-TammyR

[xtgrovex]

i have for 10 years

[Nicky]

2 years and bit

[urd]

7 years for me

[Bartman]

bout a year and a half..not to long..

[snakegal12345]

6 month on April 2nd and I still only have 1 reptile so far

[XtremeReptiles]

All my life....but I've owned for 4 years

[XtremeReptiles]

Bartman you have a ton for only a year!

[CONCEPT03]

about 6 years, i started with frogs, i got my first one when a tadpole got into a bag with some fish i bought, it turned out to be an american bullfrog and i kept it for about 3 years, ive been hooked on frogs ever since i also have a snake and bearded dragons though

[Bighead]

Originally posted by Oliverian
Bighead, how do you find the herping there compared to here? I'd probably donate a lung or something to be able to live there and go out herping. :D Although our herping isn't bad either. ;)

The herping was WAY better down there. You could keep reptiles outside year round, way more shows, more availibility of captive bred animals, more (and cooler) wild herps than up here, etc. My girlfriend will probably be going to grad school at Berkely in 3 years. We are getting married next year, so I will get to live in California again. I'm so excited!

[bubba]

About 46 years. I caught my first snake when I was 6 years old. I guess I'm from the "good ole days" when everything was wild caught and there were very few books on the subject of husbandry. At 16 I bought a wild caught 8' green anaconda. Not a good idea. Got bit in the stomach first 10 seconds outta the bag. Things got nasty after that.

[Sean_.E.]

I've kept herps for as long as I remember (and before), well, at least I've had them in my house as family pets. I became serious about the hobby just over 3 years ago.

[ChokeOnSmoke]

1 year

[crossley]

I've been keeping,breeding and observing reptiles since 1963. Grant

[DNA Reptiles]

Well the "cat is out of the bag".... we've been involved with this hobby for the last 40 years approx. - the first 16 or so in the UK. Can you imagine there were no such things as heat tapes, basking spot lights.
Obviously back then much was wild caught and David has incredible experience with venomous - although we choose not to own then now.
We have also worked with all the big cats in England - don't think we would have the energy now or would want to!
It really is a pleasure to own and work with captive bred reptiles.

D 'n A.

[Oliverian]

D n A, that's a lot of experience! :) Congrats!

Ok bighead, but before you move we should meet each other. The more herpers we get to know, the better. :) Sounds awesome. I hope to take a vacation there at least once in my life. Either there or Florida.

-TammyR