Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum

Help Support Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

alichamp

Active Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2016
Messages
147
Reaction score
69
Location
ACT
Hi everyone,

Thought I'd introduce myself since I'll be lurking for a while.

My 8 yo daughter is in to reptiles in a BIG way and has been for a couple of years. She is a very responsible kid who craves knowledge so I'm doing everything I can to support her in her interest. We are members of the local herp group so becoming more involved there, plus reading, researching, reptile visits etc etc.

We have a beautiful blotched blue tongue skink that she takes great care of and absolutely adores! But ... she really wants a snake (she even knows which one!). Our licensing laws mean we cannot get one for another year (need to have something like a BTS for 2 years first), which gives some reprieve but she knows this and keeps reminding me how long til we're eligible!

Her commitment has definitely converted me, but we've got a while to work out all the day to day practicalities yet. Who knows what will happen by then, who knows with kids, but so far signs are that she is unlikely to let up so in the meantime we are soaking in everything we can and learning as much as we can about keeping.

Obviously the responsibility for these animals and long term care and commitment is mine, so here I'll be here, lurking, reading, learning. But I'm enjoying sharing this interest with her, and the other herpers.

Ali
 
Hi Ali! I think I met your blotchie at snakes alive! Good to have another canberran on board!
 
Welcome! And believe me she won't drop it! At her age I wanted a jungle carpet. I'd get care sheets from all over and spend ages looking at the snakes at the zoo! Five years later, I have one! Nothing will beat the look on her face when she sees a takeaway container and a tiny little worm!

Out of curiosity, what snake does she want?


Cheers,
Herpo
 
Welcome to APS! :)
Your daughter sounds like our nephew. He has always been very keen to hold our snakes, but has also asked lots of questions to learn more. Finally his father said yes, and for his birthday we gave him an enclosure, while his father bought all the fittings. As a test by his father, our nephew was told he had to buy the snake from us, which he gladly did. Nearly 2 years later, his interest is as strong as ever.
 
Thanks everyone. Nice to have such a warm welcome :)

BredliFreak, yes that was us!! We were so happy to be involved in snakes alive (reptile display) and she certainly worked really hard that week! So much cleaning! That was the first time she got to handle snakes so she was absolutely wrapped. She assures me she would be fine feeding a snake so I made her get in there and poke the rats too to see if they were defrosted enough and ready to feed. She did. Haha, it won't be easy for her, she has to earn it!! She said afterwards, "mummy, I have definitely not changed my mind, I definitely want a snake!". I had been reading your posts trying to work out if I knew you. Now I know you were at snakes alive I am trying hard to solve the mystery. ;)

Thanks Herpo! I suspect you may be right. She originally wanted a diamond Python, but came back to me after a few weeks and said maybe she should "start" with a smaller snake so she wants a Stimson (or maybe children's Python). I think they seem good choices.

Yeah pinefamily unfortunately we don't know anyone at all who keeps reptiles hence the reason for making all the connections we can with people who do. Like your nephew, she spent 5 weeks doing jobs around the house to earn money to contribute to costs for her blue tongue. It was so funny when she lumped almost $50 in coins onto the bench!!

Like I said, she has to earn it. I instil that keeping animals is a big commitment and she has to demonstrate she has that as well as the ability to learn about and understand their needs.
 
Hi there [MENTION=42155]alichamp[/MENTION], and welcome to our family, At 8 years old it is a great time for your daughter to start learning husbandry responsibility's as well, it is all very well for her to own the animal but it is important that she learn why we do what we do and the cost to the animal if we fall short in it's care. Don't kid yourself mate, the Reptile bug is very catching, and before long there is going to be fights over who will handle the animal next or what snake will we get next, that's how i got into Reptiles....my son wanted a snake and like you i made him look after a Bluey for at least 12 months and if at the end of that time if he proved his worth with the husbandry and the Bluey remained in A1 condition then we would do a heap of research on the requirements of the animal he wanted (along with other species) and when i was convinced he was ready we went out and Bought a beautiful Port Macqurie Intergrade ( Morelia spilota mcdowelli ). that was 10 years ago, he has long since lost interest but it is now me who has the bug. So good luck with it and hope to see pics of you and your daughter here soon with your first (but not last) purchase, :) ....................Ron

P.S. why don't you post a pic of her Bluey in the meantime, i am sure she would get a kick out of it seeing her pet within the pages of our mighty forum.
 
I'd love to see the bluey!

I dont know if she did it on purpose, but your daughter picked some of the most docile snakes out there! Smart kid!


Ron summed it up well. There is never a better time to learn than at her age. I remember how enthusiastic I was to research. I'd go to the book section in BigW or Kmart when Mum went to buy clothes and I'd read everything reptile related I could. And it took a long time. But in May last year (I was 12) I came home from school with the teen/pre-teen attitude of "life sucks", and my dad told me to go upstairs. So I went in my room, and on my bed sat a little click clack style container in which sat a snake I will love for many years to come.


Reptile keeping instils a sense of responsibility, and of self worth. There is no better feeling than looking over your healthy python and knowing you helped it get here.


Also Ron is right again. Two weeks after I got Popeye, I was already making plans to get him a female XD!


Cheers and good luck,
Herpo
 
Yes indeed, Herpo. We'd always had beardies, and then finally my wife relented and agreed to an unwanted bredli. Now we have 23 pythons of various kinds, as well as dragons, monitors, geckos and a water skink.
 
Herpo it's a good looking blotchie! Did you get your blotchie from Peter alichamp?

- - - Updated - - -

I was there on Saturday, maybe that might help to figure out who I am ;)
 
Welcome alichamp.
Not a bad bunch on here but we can get a bit passionate sometimes lol.
Its great when folks start allowing the next generation of herpers to be active in the hobby. My 3 yo granddaughter regularly handles 6ft BHP's, under supervision of course but she is already a snake nut.
 
I dont know if she did it on purpose, but your daughter picked some of the most docile snakes out there! Smart kid!

Haha yes, absolutely on purpose! Combo of size and recommended first snake. She's been talking to lots of people!!!

- - - Updated - - -

Herpo it's a good looking blotchie! Did you get your blotchie from Peter alichamp?

Awwww, thanks! We love him (her)! Yes, from Peter. We harassed him so much that I think he finally realized we won't go away without a blotchie, so he found us one that season. :)

OK, I will try post some pictures of our "Treasure". Bear with me. I hope this works!

- - - Updated - - -

attachment.php


- - - Updated - - -

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • DSC02700-1.jpg
    DSC02700-1.jpg
    105.7 KB · Views: 748
  • DSC02726-2.jpg
    DSC02726-2.jpg
    471.9 KB · Views: 752
He's gorgeous! I'm just gonna add a bluey to my want list!
 
Hey, the bug has only just bitten me and I've just turned 40 lol. I got my first snake one month ago, he's a yearling woma python and he's a great snake, Im glad I took the plunge. Already I'm thinking of building more enclosure and getting more. Good luck with it all, as a total newb I can definitely recommend Woma's for a first snake. My kids are all under 10 and they love him too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
AdamH Womas are absolutely beautiful, but we can't get one for a first snake in ACT due to licensing. Options for us are childrens, spotted, Stimson, diamond, carpet pythons.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks everyone! Glad you think he's as beautiful as we do :)
 
Yeah ACT licensing sucks. Carpets are a good starter snake and are much prettier than some of the antaresia IMO but there are some stunning ants out there that might take your fancy.
 
While I prefer carpets, I have seen some beautiful ants. The cinnamon stimmies I saw at the Castle Hill Expo and some of the children's are beautiful. And the naturally occuring melanistic morphs of childreni found on Elcho Island are stunning animals.
 
ACT licensing policy doesn't even have the correct scientific names listed alongside common names for some species. They haven't updated since shinglebacks were reclassified to Tiliqua and they still list the ants as liasis. ...

Im sure we will find a beautiful Stimson or childreni when (if) the time comes for us. Plus they also describe stimsons as having "blotches" which is pretty cool comsidering we already have a blotchie skink. Ahh, the stars are aligning, if only the time will hurry. :)

- - - Updated - - -

Wait, I mean, you know, if only time will hurry for my daughter's sake ;)
 
Last edited:
Hey, the bug has only just bitten me and I've just turned 40 lol. I got my first snake one month ago, he's a yearling woma python and he's a great snake, Im glad I took the plunge. Already I'm thinking of building more enclosure and getting more. Good luck with it all, as a total newb I can definitely recommend Woma's for a first snake. My kids are all under 10 and they love him too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You may or may not have witnessed him do it yet but depending on the substrate you are using, Womas will dig and excavate and fuss around their enclosure just like a child playing in a sandpit! They will build mounds and holes to their liking and whats most fascinating is that they will slough inside their hide box and then push the snake skin out of it, all ready for rubbish collection day!

Amazing creatures!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top