# What got you into reptiles?



## Varanoidea (Jul 15, 2013)

Curious to see how everyone ended up with scalies in their house and at what age.  For me it is how ancient and different they are, and how successful they have been over millions of years.


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## NickGeee (Jul 15, 2013)

When I was about 5 years old I came home from school to find my grandfather had found a little marbled gecko in our backyard. We let the little guy go but that weekend I went with my dad to a petshop and purchased a little gecko.
Afew years later my uncle gave me a bluey who I still own to this day, and from then I got a license and ever since loved these guys


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## wildthings (Jul 15, 2013)

My dad kinda got into them, I'm a Kiwi, and my dad made a foray to a place called Nhulunbuy in the NT in 1979, when he came back to NZ he brought a book all about the NT and it's inhabitants, and the first page I opened the book too, had a photograph of a beautiful Python and a Gecko on the other page, had seen neither in NZ, thats what started me off, I was 9 years old


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## HerpNthusiast (Jul 15, 2013)

When I was 3 and saw my uncle's huge collection of snakes, water dragons, angle heads, olive pythons, frogs and heaps others.
When I was 5 we rescued an injured Jacky Lizard we cared for it then released it when it was healthy.
And when I was 9 and got my first Bluetongue and that finally sucked me in


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## phatty (Jul 15, 2013)

reptiles 
when i was younger we used to feed monitors eggs when camping
but i love all animals but believe they should requirement to keep eg cats in a cage


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## RedFox (Jul 15, 2013)

I've always had an interest in animals, including reptiles. And when I was really young, about 3, and lived in VIC we had a blue tongue that lived near our lavendar bush, I used to sneak it food I didn't want to eat, when my parents weren't looking. When we moved up to QLD I used to catch a few tree snakes that occasionally visited my primary school. 

What made me want to own one though was when I was 12, when our cat came face to face with a young Scrub python. Neither were hurt. I ended up with a couple of cat scratches but it was love at first sight and even now at 20 years old, scrubbies are my favourite reptile. 

I only got my first python a bit less than a year ago though. I never could convince mum to let me have one, due to her massive phobia and country Victorian upbringing.


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## Brycerider (Jul 15, 2013)

Had aquariums for years and got fed up with the intensive maintenance but still wanted to keep some interesting pets. So settled on snakes.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk 2


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## ReptileMad_98 (Jul 15, 2013)

Iv'e always loved animals and i had been asking since i was five to keep reptiles. last year my birthday was coming up and i asked to go down to the reptile shop, and saw the beardies and asked to have one, finally mum let me. now have 2 beardies and a gecko


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## BDkeeper (Jul 15, 2013)

When i was younger (about 5) i used to always love going to the zoo and looking at all the reptiles and loved them all. And also loved watching steve irwin (could say hes my hero) but yeah then i got a scorpion 2 years ago at the newcastle reptile expo and it went from there and like reptilekeeper32 i now have two *pygmy* beardies, a thick tailed gecko and soon an ackie


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## damian83 (Jul 15, 2013)

catching them, or trapping them as a kid, kwept a bluie in a bowl for a while back when i was bout 10, never really thought about it till i was bout 15, mum wouldnt let me, a few years ago i got rid of aquariums and said right thats it im getting a cbd, then 2, then 3, then a childrens, and coastals and bluie and gecko


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## Red-Ink (Jul 15, 2013)

Chicks and money....


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## hnn17 (Jul 15, 2013)

snakes - low maintenance and they have an interesting way of eating.


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## GeckoJosh (Jul 15, 2013)

Always kept herps as soon as I was quick enough to catch them lol (I buy them legally now).
I remember a kid bringing in a frog for show and tell when I was in Kindy, it was the 1st one I had ever seen, I swear he was lucky I didnt mug him for it lol, I was so frigging jealous!! From that day I spent every spare min in the bush catching frogs, lizards and yabbies


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## Rogue5861 (Jul 15, 2013)

Used to catch local blue tongues when I was a kid, dad made a massive pit for them. When I was around 10 we got a rescued beardie that we keep in a 6ft aquarium. Had a lot of animals when I was a kid- magpies, crows, pink an grey galahs, fish, rats, chickens and turkeys.

Brought my first reptile around 2 years ago (central beardie) an have added to my collection quite quickly, the mrs keeps me in check with any additions to the collection though. Currently have 11 frogs, 3 geckos, 1 central beardie and 3 ridge tailed monitors. Can't really expand my collection unless I breed them or we buy a house first, hopefully the bank allow us to finally buy a house.


Rick


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## emmalene_bunny (Jul 15, 2013)

I used to catch lizards and frogs while I was younger, I grew up in a bush area and ive always loved animals. I thought I could take are of them better than how they lived in the wild (let's just say that stopped very quickly when my mum found a huge container in my cubby house with around 10 skinks that I was hiding from her)

With snakes, when I was 7 I went to my best friends house and they had just bought two children's pythons, a male and female and kept them together, I fell in love instantly, nothing had ever changed my mind since then


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## jedi_339 (Jul 15, 2013)

When I was a kid we used to have a big colony of land mullets behind the chook pen, I used to stand half crouched over for what seemed like hours, but could well have been only 15 minutes or so waiting for them to re-emerge to bask (after getting into position and scaring them all initially) then I'd try and dive on them or grab them to pick them up. Then after a while I used my dads landing net from the boat with a bit of meat on top and wait for them to crawl on top then try and lift it up with them still inside (for all the effort I put in, I only remember catching one).

I always loved animals and used to collect tadpoles and take them in for show and tell and raise them up in the classroom.

A trip to the pilbara where I found Banded knob tails in the wild was the point where I decided to start keeping and breeding different reptiles.

And here's a picture of one of my little guys which I really enjoy going home to every couple of weeks


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## Skeptic (Jul 15, 2013)

The first time I went around to my wife's place I noticed a fish tank with no fish in it. Instead there was a juvie coastal. Turns out when she and her ex broke up 6 months before, he left his snake with her. I was smitten. I didn't mind my wife to be either  She wasn't really into snakes and didn't know what to do with it so I took over looking after it. 13 years later and I've still got it plus 27 more  Funny thing is, the snake is an absolute psycho! A bit like my wife i guess


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## spud_meister (Jul 15, 2013)

I'd catch anything that wriggled or crawled when I was a kid. I have distinct memories of trying to rescue a frog and a snake out of a flooded drain when I was a kid, I got the frog out, but my mum intervened before I could get to the snake. (It was probably a tiger snake, so that was smarter on her part). I kept wild-caught reptiles until I was old enough to understand how cruel it was. Then, when I could afford to, I got a Childrens Python, then a Bluey. Now I'm looking at getting frogs, or a Tree Snake, but I think I'll go for the snake. And have a shot at breeding them.


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## greggles91 (Jul 16, 2013)

Dinosaurs!  obsession with Dino's as a kid developed into a love for reptiles (and all animals) and got my first beardy at 10 years old..

Oh and I was just like a lot of people above who caught anything that moved, I lived on the garden.... Found out I was allergic to caterpillar..


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## spida_0000 (Jul 16, 2013)

I used to be petrified of snakes but after a massive drinking session with a few friends we were walking home and stopped into one friends house as it was on the way to mine... he got his carpet python out and being as drunk as I was, got the guts to hold it and I fell in love! 

I got my partner into reptiles, he grew up in country QLD.. so wasn't a massive fan, but he has come around nicely

Sent from my GT-N7000


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## caliherp (Jul 16, 2013)

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by life in general. I have always been into dinosaurs. The first book I ever read was called Patricks Dinosaurs. Sense then I wanted to keep my own dinosaurs. When I was 4 I saw my first green tree python. It was love at first sight. When I was 5 I got my first red tail boa. 17 years later hear I am today with no sign of slowing down. 

Regards, Patrick


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## Pizzalover (Jul 16, 2013)

I grew up in the NT catching lizards for a bit of fun, beardies and netted, the beardies if they were adults we left alone, they got a bit angry 
Several times we were able to come across Thorny Devils ( my fav ) we released them knowing they loved ants. As kids we used to admire them then release. 
Now I have a Juvie Woma and a few young beardies, my son has it in his blood and is i love with his Beardie Milo


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## SteveNT (Jul 16, 2013)

I found the creek when I was 4 and I never really stopped exploring since. My parents were very pet friendly (except for the redbacks and a juvie eastern brown) and cultivated my interest by buying me lots of books. 

My first was the How and Why Wonder Book of Reptiles and Amphibians circa 1960. My original was worn out in no time but I picked up this first edition in reasonable nick on Ebay recently for $2.


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## Tinky (Jul 16, 2013)

*It's Zac's Fault*

My youngest son caught a delicate skink and wanted to keep him. We set up an enclosure and had him for about six months before releasing him back into the yard. We then went to the Newcastle SOFAR Expo and came home with a couple of bearded Dragons. Was never really interested in snakes. Then one night at a SOFAR meeting I handled a little coastal python, which wrapped himself around my fingers and around my heart. Bought the little guy and have not looked back. My son named him Tails and he is now a sweet 2.5m.


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## happynagini (Jul 16, 2013)

Finally found an animal im not allergic too! That and they are low maintenance, was appealing to me because i can hardly take care of myself haha


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## Becca-Marie (Jul 16, 2013)

I grew up in the country with the mindset “kill it, kill it before it kills you“ i remember bringing all the dogs inside and crying as a baby carpet climbed the brickwork outside until a neighbour removed it and even brought my show filly onside our garage as a bigger carpet took residence in the stable lol it wasnt until my uncle got a spotted (a snappy one at that) and educated me a little. From there i convinced my mum to let me have my first snake. Once i understood them a little better my fear subsided. Plus its nice to have pets im not allergic too.

Sent from my LG-P690f using Tapatalk 2


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## A1SNAKETRADER (Jul 16, 2013)

I only got into snakes 2 1/2 years ago after a lifelong fascination with them. When I advised my wife that I was getting 2 pair of Windorah Stimsons there was a pretty fair meltdown. Her comments were "if you get snakes I'm leaving" to which my reply was"is that all I have to do". However on a more serious note she now has really fallen for one of the stimson males,her favourite water python. Uluru woma and a few other specials.We now have over 90 snakes and soon to relocate to Toowoomba from Mackay and hopefully expand that even more. Of course we breed and feed a huge number of rodents for ourselves and other keepers in Mackay. When handling anything for the first time she always asks"does it bite?' to which my reply is "Tell you shortly". This probably isnt the answer she wants as she is yet ti recieve her first bite. Waiting with bated breath for that one.


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## Leasdraco (Jul 16, 2013)

I always had an interest in reptiles, as well as other animals.i don't know where I got my love of snakes from as my parents both loathe them. My fascination only grew as I got older, moved out and got my Beardie and my MD carpet python. I'm sure there will be more in future...


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## Jacknife (Jul 16, 2013)

Was watching the footy and thought, "there's gotta be a better way to waste my time and money..."


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## Stickman (Jul 16, 2013)

I was 5 when I started to keep and breed the little skinks in my backyard. I got my legal reptile 1 year later and I got 2 blue tongues. I guess it was by accident ,but I have always had a thing for reptiles.


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## saintanger (Jul 16, 2013)

i was 4 wen i was given 3 blue tongues that were rescued from the back yard of a house that was being knocked down, dad was working at the site and was worried they would be crushed. i loved them and became more obsessed with reptiles. before that i use to collect bugs and keep them as pets. 

as i got older i bought many more reptiles and am still buying more now.


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## Zipidee (Jul 16, 2013)

For me it was watching Harry Butler in the Wild. I always kept critters of some kind; lizards and birds mainly. I wanted to keep a python for years, but the NSW laws used to be really prohibitive and then I had other things to do - like pay a mortgage. Now, well, now I can!!!


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## Rowie (Jul 16, 2013)

Always loved and respected reptiles. I grew up on acreage near Darwin and before the cane toad invasion we used to have all sorts of herps through our yard, from frillys, blueys and bearded dragons to western browns, tree snakes, mulgas, pythons and much more.
I also grew up with a friend whose dad had heaps of blueys, several snakes and at one point a crocodile as pets and I loved them all. It wasn't until I was 21 though that I got my first reptile, my turtle. Last year I got my first 2 snakes and now I have 2 more! My partner doesn't want me to get anymore herps for at least a year, though I really want to get either a frilly or a boyds.


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## MethViper (Jul 16, 2013)

I have always had a fascination for all living things, I would go to the back of my property and be gone for hours, searching for critters and things of wonder. I also used to love creepy crawlie insects, When I thought I was going to get some pet scorps at the pet store,I saw this beautiful little spottie and asked to have a look. From then own I own one snake and three lizards with many more to come!


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## princessparrot (Jul 17, 2013)

I got no idea


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## dragondragon (Jul 18, 2013)

I have always loved animals since i can remember. My first pet was a goldfish i was around 5 or 6 i got a 2 foot tank and had a couple goldfish and some axolotles. Ive been keeping fish for almost 20 years now ive kept many diffrent species of fish from fresh water to marine. I started to breed cichlids when i was 14 and for about three years i had 2 4ft tanks and 1 3ft and a coulple small ones for raising fry around the same time i was breeding budgies and cockatails then when i was 17 i got my first scorpion it died within two weeks of me getting it so i had a spare tank so i decided ill get some turtles. That's when i got hooked with in a few months i had 2 bluetounges a shingle back and two leaf-tailed geckos i kept those for a while and didnt get anything else for a few years as i was working two jobs and was finding it hard to care for all the fish tanks plus the herps. I eventually gave my friend the two blue tounges and the shingle back and sold my geckos the turtles died after two years in their first winter i didnt keep any herps for about 2 years. then i went to the zoo and went into the reptile section and ive been hooked since then i got 4 ewd a few months later and kept them for a couple years in the last two years i have grown my collection to over 15 animals and 7 different species im now addicted to reptiles and i dont know if I'm gonna be the same again. I've kept many different animals over the last 20 years and nothing compares to reptiles. Oh i also collected bugs and lizards from my garden and watched documentaries since i can remember.


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## dragondragon (Jul 18, 2013)

My mums friend calls me harry butler till this day lol


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## Misnomer (Jul 18, 2013)

Guess it was a progression from a very early fascination with dinosaurs.


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## DaReptileBoy (Jul 18, 2013)

I was asking for a snake from the age of 4 since I always loved all the scaly stuff  mum said no and I kept asking till the age of 8 then I finally compromised on a bearded dragon, im now 14 and I keep over 5 reptiles (still no snakes  ) and 9 inverts


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## DaReptileBoy (Jul 18, 2013)

greggles91 said:


> Dinosaurs!  obsession with Dino's as a kid developed into a love for reptiles (and all animals) and got my first beardy at 10 years old..
> 
> Oh and I was just like a lot of people above who caught anything that moved, I lived on the garden.... Found out I was allergic to caterpillar..


same with the dinosaur part I got my beardie at 8 years old


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## Bluetongue1 (Jul 18, 2013)

I can certainly relate to a number of comments made, like chasing anything that moved, time spent in the garden, catching lizards and bugs around the yard, discovering the creek and been exploring ever since... 

I have had a fascination with all things biological for as far back as my memory will stretch. I can remember mum telling me one day that she wasn’t sure were she got me from as I was chasing things in the yard before I could even walk. Reckoned I would want to bring in worms and anything else that wriggled or moved so she had to empty my hands when the washing was hung out and it was time to go back in the house. The only one of seven kids that was like that.

We had tons of garden and grass skinks around the yard and a resident bluey or two most of the time. I collected bird’s eggs with mates for a while, but didn’t like that. I’d still climb trees but in order to observe the birds or just to inspect the nest. I tried raising tadpoles a few years but the mozzies bred in the baby bath and dad tipped the lot out. We used to catch eels with our bare hands – slippery suckers plus! Cultivated silkworms, collected Wanderer caterpillars and fed them on privet until they pupated etc. Never missed Vincent Serventy’s Nature Walkabout or Marlin Perkin’s Wild Kingdom. Regardless of what else I did, reptiles were always the mainstay of my interest.

I used to take my lizards to school and was given the nickname “Lizard”, which my mates just shortened to “Liz”. That’s OK when you are at school but it sure turned some heads in a busy shopping centre or a crowded street when someone would yell out “Liz?” and I would yell back: “I’m over here!” One time the school bully meandered over to where I was showing some kids a full sized Eastern Bearded Dragon. “What ya got Lizard?” came the cocky question. I replied: “A Beardie” and thrust the lizard quickly and roughly within a few centimetres of his face. I knew it would arc up with that treatment and it didn’t let me down – full blown black beard, bright yellow mouth wide open, pitch black throat and a multitude of sharp white teeth. The manner in which the fellow went weak at the knees as he staggered backwards, suggested he was not far off requiring a change of underwear. He never bothered me or my mates from that day forward...


Blue


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## Venomous_RBB (Jul 18, 2013)

When I was a kid, we always got warned about RBB's and Brown's (Live in Brissy and had sheep living at the back of us). We had a frilly that used to come and sit on a rock all the time, just chilling out (The neighbours dog got him) but I always love seeing him, I used to have a pet frog (wild green frog) that used to always come and sit at my window. My Aunty and her family lived up on the north coast of QLD, so we went up there to see them for 3 weeks. So many awesome Gecko's but the noise kind of annoyed me when I was a kid but they looked cool lol. I like Gecko's noise now.
Mum was petrified of snakes so was never allowed one and she thought that having a lizard in an enclosure was cruel. We used to see many different lizards, beardies, waters and frillies all running free and wild and thats how mum liked it. So was never able to get one.
Finally started to coax her into owning one but she still said no. Then the 2012 SOFAR expo came, we went there as a family and she looked at me and my dad and said OKAY you can get one each, but only 1 each. lol
I now have 6 snakes and 1 Beardie. Dad owns 1 snake and my brother owns 1 snake.
Pretty funny.

Edit: Yes and I used to catch garden skinks, bugs etc from the garden. Everyone thought I was weird because I wasn't doing girly things. Girls would scream because there was a Mantis and I would go and pick him up, play with him for a bit then let him go on a tree. lol

And yes I too had an obsession with Dinosaurs and still do.


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## dragonlover1 (Jul 18, 2013)

my story is similar to most,I spent most of my time in the bush as a kid in the 60's catching lizards,turtles etc. we had an old pool we kept them in,then I found girls and forgot lizards till my kids discovered dinosaurs in the early 90's and so we started catching,studying and releasing reptiles again so I got a license and bought a pair of CBD's (lost 1 in a heat wave at 3yo)then 5 years later all of a sudden I went from 1 to 8 in less than a year.
More to come;-What a great addiction


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## skittles-1994 (Jul 19, 2013)

I think my obsession began when I was around 5 or 6, when a reptile show came to my preprimary class and I got to hold (with assistance) the biggest olive python I have ever seen in my life! I just remember just being in complete awe of its beauty and grace and the elegant way it slithered around. I guess you could say I fell in love c; hahaha.


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