How did you start your collection??!!

Tyler99 · 12-07-04, 07:18 PM

The title says it all!!

snakehunter · 12-07-04, 07:27 PM

By showing my parents my responsibility and knowledge. They eventually gave in, AND my mom is hooked almost bought a leaftail for herself with no persuasion on my or my brothers part!

Lindze · 12-07-04, 07:52 PM

I did the same, the responsibility thing. I reasearched king snakes for a year before i was allowed to buy one, i also had to keep my room clean for 6 months (BIG deal on my part) then my mom fell in love and helped me grow my collection to 6 kings.

thunder · 12-07-04, 07:54 PM

my second grade teacher gave me a tadpole of my very own. he is now a frog and i still have him, ten years later. among other beasties. . .

sapphire_moon · 12-07-04, 08:03 PM

I used to collect turtles when I was little, and mother would let me keep them, not realizing it would go on to snakes (took her 3 years to let me get one! from the time I was 13-16, and bought me an entire set up + snake for my 16th b-day)

Bartman · 12-07-04, 08:06 PM

My rents said NO WAY, so I bought it anyway

It was very hard to get the first snake in the house, but the same plan was used

justinO · 12-07-04, 08:16 PM

my captive collection started when i was about 14-15 and I was going through some tough times.. family thought i needed a pet, and i wasn't responsible enough for a dog or anything, so they said i could get a small lizard from the local big-box pet store.

got one, then two then three... and it just grew from there, along with my interest and responsibility.

the rest is history.

peterm15 · 12-07-04, 09:07 PM

well im just startin mine.... it started last x-mas when my g-friend bought me a leo.... i bought the starter kit... ( 10 gal tank sand dish ect) the nextday i bought another... and switched them up to a 25 gal.... a few mnths later i started my cham cage then bought a veild.... now im workin on gettin a snake.... a small python of some sort... but my mom wont let me so im gonna build a vivarium... i told her "its just for looks".... but im gonna get a few cresties..... thatll prob be in march..... then ill work on the snake...

chas*e · 12-07-04, 09:25 PM

With CASH....no really ...I loved reptiles since I was 6yrs old when my sister was taking care of the reptiles from her university biology class for the summer.....that was 39 yrs ago, had reptiles ever since.

Darren179 · 12-07-04, 10:38 PM

it all started with one gecko. and then boom!

Brent Strande · 12-07-04, 10:52 PM

After buying a goldfish and bowl, I thought, "Hmmm, no one stopped me from getting this..." (I was no longer living at home) "So who is to stop me from getting a snake, like I've wanted to do for years?"

I went out and bought an anery corn from a Petco, and a 20L crittercage, carpet substrate, UTH, dimmer, expensive hide and waterbowl, and a bag of pinkies.

Got the corn home and a friend told me about ssnakess. I checked it out and asked some questions, people were great! Nobody jumped down my throat!

I started seeing all of the other snakes that were out there, and that you could buy without being limited to what the petstores in the area had!

I planned on getting more corns, so I began building an enclosure that had 3 separate sections... With research, I found that it would be sufficient to house Jungle Carpet Pythons! With that I ordered a pair.

The next month I added the Brazilian Rainbow boas. Soon after came the Bci, followed by the Chondro.

I was done collecting for awhile, or so I thought, but fate had other plans... The local University was reducing the collection in their herp room, and I wound up taking in an adult female Bci, an adult female Ball Python, and a male whitesided Bull Snake.

Somewhere back there I also got into the cresties... But I've written enough of a book for today...

Dani33 · 12-07-04, 11:11 PM

I started my captive collection with fire belly toads about 5 or 6 years ago. While I was going to school in Toronto, I had the worst, dungeonesque basement apartment. It was dark and cold. I couldn't even grow house plants. I didn't have much time inbetween studying and work either. Just wanted something living in the hole with me besides the mold

BoidKeeper · 12-08-04, 04:03 AM

I've kept herps since I was 13. But my collection started with a normal corn on Novermber 1st 2001.
Cheers,
Trevor

beardieguy · 12-08-04, 05:42 AM

Mine started with a boa when I was 14. Moved to Alberta so I gave him to the zoo where I lived at the time. Started my new collection a year and 10 mths ago with one dragon. Now you can see my collection by the signiture at bottom....lol

Never thought I had that much... Oh yeah I have more beardies coming to me as wel

Collection:
3.4 bearded dragons, 1.0 haitian ground boa, 0.1 jungle corn, 1.0 charcoal corn, 0.1 reg. corn, 1.0 snow corn, 1.3 leapard geckos, 0.1 veiled cameleon, 2.2 cbb's

ssscales · 12-08-04, 08:27 AM

I started when I was about 10, caught my first snake (ringneck) under a rock in the backyard. I convinced my mom to let me keep it, she bought me a 10 gallon tank. I remember the feeling I got filling it up with dirt, rocks and a water bowl. Unfortunately it never ate and I eventually let it free. My mom felt bad for me and bought me a gartersnake for $10.00, I thought it was the coolest! Throughout my teenage years I bought, traded and sold snakes. I remember keeping a BCI, BRB, Ball python, Norm and Albino Burmese and a couple kings. My bedroom looked like a zoo more than a bedroom.

Then it all came to an end...First wife! First real job! Snakes had to go!
I was led to believe this was something you grow out of. Marriage lasted 3 years!

Shortly after the divorce more than 10 years ago, I remember walking into a pet shop and buying a 55gln fish tank for my living room and seeing this kid with a ball python around his neck. Needless to say I bought the fish tank, but it did not house fishes till about 2 years latter when the occupant needed a new home. I had bought a baby female BCI and that was it. The year after buying her, I bought a sub adult male and the very next year they had a litter of 8 live, 3 slugs. I was a proud PAPA! I sold the babies to a local pet shop and went from there!

Today, I've been happily married for a year now and still keep, breed and enjoy snakes! The key is to find a woman who not only puts up with them, but enjoys them as much as you do.