20 Years or More

CDN_Blood · 07-26-12, 07:09 AM

Another thread mentioned keepers with 20 or more years experience and I'm wondering how many of those there actually are. I'm only aware of 2 and 1 of those happens to be myself, so if you have 20 years or more working with herps, I'd love to hear from you.

NOTE: I'm kinda looking to hear from 20+ year veterans with good track records, not those who can mark the decades by the number of reptile corpses they've left behind, so to speak - those are a dime a dozen, but if you've got that much experience and have successfully kept things alive for many years, be proud of your accomplishments and let it be known to the rest of us

Someone has pointed out that I'm likely going to hear from a few people who's responses I won't even see, but those are commercial types and I'm looking to hear from private individuals who are committed and responsible with their animals, not large-scale breeders or commercial types. Oh, I know it's a tall order, but let's see where it goes...

LISA127 · 07-26-12, 10:39 AM

I don't quite make 20 years, but I've definetely been keeping herps for well over 15 years. And with no corpses.

CDN_Blood · 07-26-12, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LISA127

I don't quite make 20 years, but I've definetely been keeping herps for well over 15 years. And with no corpses.

That's awesome, Lisa! Congratulations on a job well done and kudos to you for sticking with it so long. 15 years is certainly nothing to sneeze at

LISA127 · 07-26-12, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDN_Blood

That's awesome, Lisa! Congratulations on a job well done and kudos to you for sticking with it so long. 15 years is certainly nothing to sneeze at

I wouldn't think of not sticking with it. I love reptiles too much!

and yes, I'm talking consecutive years when I've had at least one herp the whole time. There was a few years there when my kids were little that I was down to only two reptiles, but never less than that.

CDN_Blood · 07-26-12, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LISA127

I wouldn't think of not sticking with it. I love reptiles too much!

and yes, I'm talking consecutive years when I've had at least one herp the whole time. There was a few years there when my kids were little that I was down to only two reptiles, but never less than that.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, right there

As for being a long-time member here, for your years of dedicated service to the group, you get this:

I make them myself ya know, and I don't go around handing those out to just anyone - you gotta *earn* one of those babies

MDT · 07-26-12, 10:57 AM

Def more than 20 yrs...My first snake was a Lined snake that I caught in 1975. "her" name was Margo (after the lady whose backyard I found it in!). I had it for prob 2 yrs before it passed. A lot of the husbandry was very fly by night.

Back in the mid to late 70's, the husbandry for reptiles seemed sketchy at best. As a grade school kid who fell in love w snakes, I must admit, there were several Lined snakes (V. striatula), Garters, rough green, etc...that didn't fare well....they were part of the "learning curve" unfortunately. Moving into the 80's, and the use of "hot rocks" etc., seemed to improve things (a little)...

Now, it is really awesome how much the science of keeping AND actually breeding reptiles has advanced since then...Heat tape, actual molded cages (not just aquariums or slapped together wooden boxes), temp guns, learning and applying genetic principles to breeding.

Things have come a LONG way. I do have my share of corpses starting out, though thankfully, none in a very very long while.

StudentoReptile · 07-26-12, 11:02 AM

My first "official" herp was a green iguana I got in 1991. I was 11 at the time. That is more or less when I consider my hobby began.

In Jan 1995, I got my first issue of REPTILES magazine.

When I was 16 (1998), I started working at our LPS and continued to work there off and on until 2010.

Sometime either in 2000 or 2001, I bred my first corn snakes.

Somewhere during my later years of college (2003-2004), I really started entering the internet aspect of the herp industry, joining forums, browsing Kingsnakes everyday, etc.

In 2008, I started to get into seriously breeding African house snakes and building my collection. This was also around the same time USARK was founded and herp-themed media such as Reptile Radio and SnakeBytesTV was taking off, stimulated a renewed interest in the hobby in general.

In 2010, I founded a herp society in our area.
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Now....I say all that to say this. IN all that time, I kept a wide variety of different species. One could say that I know a few things about a lot of species, and a lot about a few species. I have also had more than a handful of animals die or escape while in my care, simply due to improper housing or husbandry.

I don't necessarily think that if someone has ever killed a herp, that detracts from their experience or their "herpetoculture resume." Every mistake or loss is an opportunity to learn. However, if someone is repeating the same mistakes over and over, then thats a different story. The key is keeping an open mind and always be learning. That is how you move forward.
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To those with a "spotless" record (no corpses), fantastic. I applaud your success. I'm pretty sure that's everyone's goal. It certainly is mine!
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One thing I can say is that I also have my original snake, a ball python since 1993.

Robin.M · 07-26-12, 10:43 AM

Great thread topic, Todd!

I haven't been keeping reptiles on a large scale for 20 years, as I am only 25 years old! Haha... but I got my first turtle (Eastern Red Eared Slider) when I was 4 years old at a Pet Shop in Corner Brook, NL, and I've been keeping reptiles ever since.

I immediately fell in love with reptiles of all kinds and started talking about getting a boa with my step-father, but my mother would not have it (she did not want to feed rats). So it was just the turtle!

Then when I was 8 or 9 we got a Western Painted Turtle, and we fashioned an awesome set up for her. And at 12 I got one more Red Eared Slider and that was it for turtles... I left home at 19 to join the Navy and my turtles fell under the care of my little brother (Who still has the Western Painted, and the second Red Eared Slider... the first Red Eared Slider sadly passed away when it was 19 years old)

My first year in the Navy I got my first ball python (and only), and became obsessed with all things snakes. 3 months later I got my first boa, and then my snake obsession turned into a boa obsession and became my passion, and now 5 years later my snakes have their own room, and I custom build them all their own enclosures which give them the most space possible.

I hold onto all the values that were instilled in me as a young 4 year old boy with his first turtle. My Mom said, "This is a life that you have to care for. Try to give it the happiest life possible". Nothing is nicer than seeing an 8 foot boa climbing around in an enclosure that is fitting for a snake that size!

Rob

CK SandBoas · 07-26-12, 10:49 AM

This is a terrific thread Todd! I still have a long way before i reach 20 years, but i've been keeping my own snakes for 8 years now, with no illnesses or deaths, so i feel incredibly blessed to still have my 2 original snakes i started out with, my Royal Python and My BRB.

I have been around reptiles for more than 30 years, thanks to my fathers own collection, but i don't thin that counts

MoreliAddict · 07-26-12, 10:54 AM

I kept a couple Corn Snakes when I was a kid for 4-5 years. I just got back into it after college, I'd say collectively I have 7 years. No repti-corpses.

I'd love to see your enclosures, Rob!

CDN_Blood · 07-26-12, 11:57 AM

Interesting read so far

I'm happy to report that I've only left 2 repti-corpses in my wake in all this time, and one was old age. I'm not sure what took the first one about 20 years ago, but for all I know she was an old broad too because she never really grew in all the years I had her, so she clearly wasn't any spring chicken, so to speak.

Just to clarify, we're talking *consecutive* years, as in we've had at least 1 herp the entire time, right? That's what I'm counting, anyhow

MoreliAddict · 07-26-12, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDN_Blood

Just to clarify, we're talking *consecutive* years, as in we've had at least 1 herp the entire time, right? That's what I'm counting, anyhow

Learning with and taking care of Corn Snakes for a few years did not teach me nothing

So, consecutively I have about 2 years. Collectively I have about 7.

StudentoReptile · 07-26-12, 12:20 PM

I have a spreadsheet that I started a while back that listed every single herp I ever owned, where I got it from, where it went, if it died in my care, what was the cause, etc. I need to take a gander at it and update it.

Lankyrob · 07-26-12, 12:46 PM

I have had 7 snakes for 2 years so can i count that as 14years experience??

CDN_Blood · 07-26-12, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

I have had 7 snakes for 2 years so can i count that as 14years experience??

Haha, a valiant effort, Rob, but even being terribly dyslexic I can tell that your unique perspective on mathematics doesn't quite add up to 20

Dyslexics UNTIE!