What got you into reptiles in the first place???

Charlie Fox

Charlie Fox

Member
Ill go first, I was only 8 years old, my dad came home one day with the idea we would go catch my first scaly pet. I remember, he said he knew of a good spot to go catch lizards. We headed up to Eastfield college campus in the very hot part of a Texas summer day. We searched around for hours and hours with no luck, not knowing at the time all the lizards were already hiding from the hot Texas sun. I was disappointed, dad was disappointed we were not successful not one lizard spotted. So he did the next best thing.......he took me to Jerry's Pets and bought me my very first 10g cage and a pair of Anole lizards, and a good reference book. I was ecstatic! I remember taking them home and setting up the cage with things we found out side, it was epic! My first friend came over to hang out, when I answered the door I was so hyper and ready to show off my new pet I slipped from scurrying around to quick. We both ran back up to my room and just watched in amazement as I fed my first feeders to the lil Iguanidae. I never stopped looking into that Terrarium, and from that moment on reptiles have always been a part of me, I am 33 now!!

Thanks Dad, you started the flame and it burns brighter every day!
 
My dad has always had animals and I am family with a Zoo so we have had just about everything yet I still love reptiles over some crazy stuff we have had. I had a chameleon when I was 4 or 5 that I loved and is why I got back into it recently. I also have had 40 Sulcata tortoises (we ran a rescue), a large water monitor and some Aldabra tortoises with some other stuff mixed in. This is just the reptiles and would be considered the smaller list of stuff we have had.
 
FancyRaptor said:
My dad has always had animals and I am family with a Zoo so we have had just about everything yet I still love reptiles over some crazy stuff we have had. I had a chameleon when I was 4 or 5 that I loved and is why I got back into it recently. I also have had 40 Sulcata tortoises (we ran a rescue), a large water monitor and some Aldabra tortoises with some other stuff mixed in. This is just the reptiles and would be considered the smaller list of stuff we have had.
Click to expand...


WOW 40 Sulcata Tortoises! If i ever got one, I would def rescue one before buying. I am sure a lot of people do not know what they are getting into with those animals. Life time buy right there, with plans on where it goes in the will cause they will out live you with proper care.
 
Because the reptile house in the zoo was always where I wanted to go most! So naturally when I found out you can actually own one I convinced my parents to allow me to get one so I bought books and started to read up.

That's quite a while ago now, over 15 years at least.
 
Allergies lol!!I am highly allergic to cats and dogs. Which is heartbreaking bc I LOVE animals. However, growing up I was that strange child that hit the swamps and ponds and chance I got. I went over to my grannies and playing at the pond for hours. My goal every visit was to catch one turtle and ALOT of frogs. I'd catch frogs with my bare hands. Turtles too. I kept a few in my dads fish tanks but that never lasted long. After a few weeks dad would make me put them back into a pond somewhere.
 
BUT I recently in the past year got into reptiles bc I am on my own going for my masters in a different state. SO to fill the need for a buddy...I got a chameleon and now a bearded dragon! Loving it!
 
It was somewhere back in early 2008. I found a local exotic pet shop where I could buy some vitamin powder for my sugar gliders. Went in the shop and the owner had a chameleon out. There was a few kids in there too and when the lady asked if anyone wanted to hold the cham my hand shot straight out! That was it. I became obsessed with them and got mine a few months later. That was my Lily, the reason for my username! Since then I discovered other reps and got crested geckos and my leachianus gecko. I have had several chameleons in the past 9 years!
 
Charlie Fox said:
Ill go first, I was only 8 years old, my dad came home one day with the idea we would go catch my first scaly pet. I remember, he said he knew of a good spot to go catch lizards. We headed up to Eastfield college campus in the very hot part of a Texas summer day. We searched around for hours and hours with no luck, not knowing at the time all the lizards were already hiding from the hot Texas sun. I was disappointed, dad was disappointed we were not successful not one lizard spotted. So he did the next best thing.......he took me to Jerry's Pets and bought me my very first 10g cage and a pair of Anole lizards, and a good reference book. I was ecstatic! I remember taking them home and setting up the cage with things we found out side, it was epic! My first friend came over to hang out, when I answered the door I was so hyper and ready to show off my new pet I slipped from scurrying around to quick. We both ran back up to my room and just watched in amazement as I fed my first feeders to the lil Iguanidae. I never stopped looking into that Terrarium, and from that moment on reptiles have always been a part of me, I am 33 now!!

Thanks Dad, you started the flame and it burns brighter every day!
Click to expand...

Eastfield College??? Are you in Mesquite?
 
I've had various reptiles since I was a little girl. I also was the type of girl who would go out fishing (catch my own bait too, though I always released my fish unless my dad made me keep it though I refused to kill it and he had to do so since we usually ate them), my brother and I also loved to go across the house in the field where we could catch various lizards (fence lizards, alligator lizards, and blue bellies were the easiest) and garter/gopher snakes. That field had the issue of having rattlesnakes so we learned as children how to tell them all apart and what to avoid. I have always been obsessed with insects, I wanted to be an entomologist for the longest time. My first real obsession with reptiles came with my first leopard gecko I think I was like 5? (her name was Leopard... leave me alone XD) She was amazing, super sweet, and she accepted far too much handling considering I was 5. Though I was always super sweet and careful with her, it was just... amazing how much she just accepted being touched. Since about... 6 years ago, I have become once again extremely obsessed with reptiles, probably more than I ever have been. Chameleons probably being at the top. But I also have a tortoise, a blue tongue skink, and 3 leos. All my reptiles are spoiled. I grow something for all of them in some way (whether it's insects or plants) I love them all.
 
I laid eyes on my first chameleon in the summer of 2004 when my daughter came home from college for the summer with one. At first I thought what does she want with that thing????? Then I quickly fell in love with her. By the next summer she came home with several and the summer after so many they wouldn’t all fit in the house. My daughter has always traveled a lot with her boyfriend of 8 years so I was always the cham-sitter. She’s had mostly panthers and Melleri.

I didn’t get my very own chameleon until 2007 when my husband surprised me with Luie.
 
Played with frogs and toads when I was a kid and then hunted for salamanders but never took them home.
Daughter was allergic to furry critters and wanted a pet. She got an Iggie. My son was given a basaliks but it was nasty and we traded it in for a helmeted iguana....awesome critter. When buying insects I found a WC adult male Senegal chameleon in the store and had to have it. Was told they only live 2 weeks in captivity but I had it well over a year. I was hooked.
 
I have always been a dog person and honestly never really into reptiles at all. I do love all animals though. I am a LVT and back in 2012 I started working with an exotic vet. While working there, I gained a ton of knowledge about reptiles and started to see how amazing they really are. We had an abuse case come in with a young Chinese Water Dragon. The whole time he was under our care he was the best lizard. Not once aggressive at all. He had a dislocated hip and mold MBD. Well, once he got the okay to be adopted out, I seriously couldn't part with him. I asked my husband and I was shocked when he said yes. So, now several years later, I have had him, my beardie, a ball python, cornsnake, two blue tongues and now Pascal. Before I think about getting anything new I do my research. I want to provide the best of care I possibly can. My Chinese Water Dragon opened up so many doors for me. I became a board member for our local reptile rescue, an administrator for two bearded dragon Facebook groups, and my goal is to educate as many people as I can on proper care for these amazing reptiles!!!
 
I went to the pet store to buy some fish for the pond in my backyard when I found myself in the reptile section. I was in love. :love::LOL: The water dragon was my first glance at reptile-dom, and I loved it. I turned the corner and saw the chameleon enclosure. After doing research, I realized that it was truly pitiful (no basking spot, standing water, only mealworms...) and there were several small chameleons inside. Veiled chameleons. I watched, entranced, for what seemed like seconds. In reality it was an hour.....I fell in love with the "alpha boss". He was the biggest of them, and so three months later I got him. Reptile-dom is the best!
 
I always used to want to catch all kinds of things when I was a kid - up to and including some rodents which I was forced to release - but everything had to be kept in our carport because we didn't own the house we lived in at the time. When we moved into a house we finally owned we ended up with cats and a dog rather than reptiles. It wasn't until I started working at a local pet store - with very spoiled animals, I might add - that I fell in love with one of our chameleons.
 
It runs in my family. Back in Nicaragua, my grandparents pretty much had a zoo at the house! They had a deers, 2 toucans, 2 tortoises,multiple macaws and parrots, 2 toed sloths, howler monkeys and a kinkaju. Iguanas and boas are delicatessen over there thou :( along with armadillos. As far as I remember when I was growing over there, I would cry when my grandpa would take Iguanas armadillos or snakes for my grandma to cook because I didn't want them to kill them so I guess that's where my love for reptiles started. I would play with the Iguanas and armadillos til it was their time to go and some of the iguanas were monsters! I'm taking about easily 4 feet and over 12lbs. I surely don't miss getting hit by their tails. And as I got older I enjoyed reading about reptiles and other animals. If I had the room I'm sure it would be a jungle where I live.
 
well my dad has always been into reptiles, not so much anymorenow but he used to have a beardie named Rex. ever since i was about 7 (just before rex died) i used to hold him inside of the cage. and i thought it was the coolest thing, and from then on i wanted to try everything. first it was Leopard geckos, then it was snakes, and then chameleons. ends up now i have 2 geckos (not leos) and my best of the best, cooper. i have also been a frog owner in my obsession of amphibians.
 
kelly_girl199 said:
Allergies lol!!I am highly allergic to cats and dogs. Which is heartbreaking bc I LOVE animals. However, growing up I was that strange child that hit the swamps and ponds and chance I got. I went over to my grannies and playing at the pond for hours. My goal every visit was to catch one turtle and ALOT of frogs. I'd catch frogs with my bare hands. Turtles too. I kept a few in my dads fish tanks but that never lasted long. After a few weeks dad would make me put them back into a pond somewhere.
Click to expand...
i may have caught a turtle while fishing once. a pretty big one to. suprised it didnt snap my rod
 
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