What got you addicted to herps?

[miley_take]

What started you're obsession?

I'm15 but my snake obsession wasn't brought on suddenly, I've wanted snakes since I was 5 and had a 3m carpet put around my shoulders...and I was given Ram Chandra's book to read when I was 8-9 and that fueled it...used to keep skinks and nursed the odd beardie back to health after they had a cat encounter...mum finally agreed to snakes when she saw me handle a 2m olive python....and saw me fall in love with it and couldn't say no! I love my parents

so what got you started?

 

[disasterpiece7.0]

I've always loved animals in general, particularly reptiles and especially snakes. Wanted a pet snake since I knew I could get one (about 12 - 13) took 5 years of convincing before I got my first for my 18th. Now have 8, with many more to come. Hopefully will be breeding them next year.

 

[bundy_zigg]

as a tinny tot on my step dads farm at cape Jarvis SA we use to have heaps of sleepy lizards and blue tongues, I would attempt to pick them up and was totally facinated in them. It just grew from there.

 

[della91]

I dont want to get all sentimental but, everyone has problems in their lives, and very spontaniously i wanted a snake. So i did all the research. Applied for a licence. And havent looked back. It was an escape from the day to day challenges of being a teenager, plus some other bigger problems. I am now an extremely enthusiastic herper, and looking into volunteering at Taronga zoo this year.

 

[Spikie wanna cricket]

well when i was young i used to keep skinks and feed them i also tired to catch the bluetougue in my granparents shed at the age of 6 and at 14 my ex boyfriends friend offered to sell me his blue tougues and one night i asked mum and to my surprise she said yer since then i got my first bearded dragon and then couldnt stop i just keep getting more my dad just brought me a new lil boy picture will be up soon

 

[Kathryn_]

I always liked bugs and reptiles as a kid, but a couple of years ago in Alice Springs I handled a young Olive python, and s/he was just so gorgeous I decided I really wanted one. ...Then I found out how huge they get, so I settled for a little spotted, and now I've got a coastal.

 

[Tatelina]

Got bitten by a taipan when I was out walking couple of years back.... after spending days in the hospital I knew I wouldn't be the same without snakes ever again.

...just kidding.​

 

[Aussie Python Lover]

I found a injured darwin carpet python at the age of 13 it was hurt bad, and at the time my mum was a wildlife carer and she hates snakes but I love them so I looked after it and cared for it til it got better and I am now 30 and have had snakes ever since then.

 

[pete12]

When i was 10 i went to Lone Pine Sanctuary In brisbane My aunty convinced me to hold a snake so i did It was a BHP thats when it started

 

[callith]

up untill 3 years ago i was horrified by snakes, then my sister got one and i started gettin used to it and then started handleing it and then i was hooked

 

[CassM]

When I was about 6 or 7 my parents took me to QLD for a holiday, at one of the shopping centres they had a reptile display and I held a gorgeous BHP. I fell in love with them after that.

 

[888lowndes888]

I was never allowed cats or dogs as a kid so always kept weird things like hermit crabs and leaf insects etc. Mum and dad hate reptiles but I eventually persueded them to let me get a snake and its gone on from there.

 

[caustichumor]

I started out like most do smoking the occasional gecko, maybe some bearded dragon on the weekends......

 

[RedEyeGirl]

i was 4 at a rep park and held every rep in sight.A carpet,BHP,olive and spotted and the lizards were bluey,BD and a little moniter(cant remember what type.Thats my story!
(Tara)

 

[travie]

when i was about 8 in primary school, my friend william had every reptile you could think of between all the people in his family, he gave me two blue tongues and i loved them, before this i also used to catch skinks in my garden and look after them haha.. then i got another blue tongue, then a water dragon, then a bearded dragon, then my python

 

[W.T.BUY]

i was first into dinosaurs when i was little. Then my dad said having a pet snake would be cool so i got a little stimmie. 5 years latter my uncle gets me into jacky dragons and thats when the lizards started....

 

[Noongato]

When the month or so was up and i got to visit dad for the weekend, he used to take us to "snakeman's" house, which was what we formally called him., hahaha. His real name was Murray Wilkinson or something, and he had many critters......So we had our own personal zoo..
Mum is terrified of snakes and dad's never been too keen. But weve always been a pack of ferals and snakes bred every year in the backyard, and every child ignores what mum says, so we would sit in the yard and watch them for hours on end.....We even had a copperhead that we reguarded as our "pet", he lived under the water tanks and never gave us any worries., We knew he was there....

 

[Stainer]

Ive always wanted a snake but wasn't aloud so i thought of other cool pets and randomly thought of Bearded Dragons I new little about them. Then I got another and another and so on. Funny thing is i ended up getting a few snakes.

 

[elapid@]

Mines bit of a long story.............................
Apart from snake dreams and encounters from when i was very young i saw a red bellied black cut down the middle coverd in salt so that it could be made into a skin belt. (what a waste) . That person had know respect for nature along with alot of others even know that they were protected at the time since (1976) most people didn't no or just didn't care and believed that a good snake is a dead one.
i lived on a property where i saw many wild snakes, tiger snakes ,brown snakes and black snakes were very common in my area. I was bought up on a property of 460 acre's owned by my father and used to look under rocks and logs for spiders, scorpions, reptiles .when i see or hear of someone killing a snake i think back to that innocent red bellied black laying there in front of me and think how can some one be so heartless and crule.
So it makes me more anxious to protect and work with wild life. Steve erwin, harry butler, joe bredl and rob bredl and many other known herpetologists also have made a impact to take my intrest further and becoming a relocator aswell owning reptiles, One day i hope that my fathers property will be a place that will protect and care for injured animals. One of my most favorite pets is a red bellied black. (kit) and he looks awsome. I cant really explain how much i love my obsession , its like surfing to me as i cant just get enough of it.
There has been a lot of work gone into conservation and awareness to convince people the truth about reptiles and there behavour, and with my experience i hope to keep learning and help with a lot more and so far its working.
cheers steve

 

[Bax155]

As long as I can remember Ive always loved reptiles, dad would take me to zoo's and reptile displays, I even had a few blueys and beardys growing up, but my passion to own a reptile started may this year when I got to hold a 3m olive I immediatly bought a book and found the best looking python IMO a Bredli and 2 or 3 months later a had 1, I also have a gecko and looking at getting a BHP when I move to QLD next year or another Bredli!!