# Tell us about your first time



## Fuscus (Apr 2, 2006)

OK - tell us about the first time you met a particular herp species. Any species preferbly an unusual one.

I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.


Me and a Olive :twisted: 

IN the early 80s, way before I kept herps, I was diving in Harvey Bay in about 3 meters of water off the northen tip of Goat Island. I glanced up and saw something swimming straight towards me. I thought an eel and it was funny, because you do not normally see eels in mid water. I realized - its a snake, an Olive sea snake. At that time diving was still considered a macho sport and everything in the sea would attack you. I even heard of divers carring hedge clippers to deal with snakes. However, I knew ( thought? ) that the snake was only being curious and anyhow, its fangs were to short to peirce the wetsuit. What I didn't know how miopic the animal was. It swan straight up to me and proceded to check me out from only a thumb width away. Couple of loops around my
torso, quick check of my arm pit then a check of the area where I sometimes wore a Doogie Howser. Boy, was I glad of the thick wet suit them.
The animal then got bored and swam away.

I saw two others that day and dispite thousands of dives in tropical waters I havn't seen another one since.

whos next?


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## cris (Apr 2, 2006)

Not really a match for your story but anyway...
The first time i saw a wild eastern brown snake was when i was around 10 or so. I was out at wivanhoe dam(bigest dam in bris) fishing and i was walking along though a rocky area when i spotted a medium sized adult water dragon on a rock i started getting closer to it when suddenly a brown snake charged out at great speed and bit and wrapped around it. I wasnt too far away and the snake noticed me and left as quickly as it came. I went over and picked up the dragon as it died, I was suprised at how such small holes kill so quickly.
I learnt a very valuable lesson that day, dont be a water dragon :shock:


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## herptrader (Apr 2, 2006)

Up until the age of 6 I lived on the site that is now the Glen shopping center south east of Melbourne. Some of the site was vacant land, mostly abandoned orchards.

Before I can remember aparently we had a tiger snake visit our back yard and our corgi barked and barked causing my parents to come and "save me". The snake got away (yeah!) and I lived to tell the tail.

The next encounter, this one I can remember, was after they had started construction on the first bit of the shopping center, mostly a Woolworths where the Safeway now is. We were forever playing in the tall grass and on the building site. One day I was walking along a very narrow path (single track) and what I now believe was a tiger snake crossed the path in front of me. It happend rather quickly but I could only see about a foot of the the snake at any one time as it went out of the grass on one side and into the grass on the other side. It was the first time I had ever seen a snake. I think from that time on I was always destined to become a herper ;-)

Now that whole block is shopping center and car park including a number of streets with lots of houses. Near High Street there was a creek where we used to catch frogs. Now a David Jones is over this spot. The whole area is totally unrecognisable but I remember it like it was yesterday.


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## purplefunkything (Apr 2, 2006)

funny how you can take a heading the wrong way.......


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## RevDaniel (Apr 2, 2006)

Okay i am unsure is the love of reptiles was somehow passed onto three of my borthers and my sister and i or it is pure coincidence. I have loved reptiles since birth.
Always catching deadly snakes and scaring everybody when i come home with them.
I spent most of my childhood in France {i would have been around 9 or 10}, one time i caught a snake, knew nothing about it. Didn't know if it was a venomous snake or not but was just careful not to get bitten. I took my new snake to my piano teacher's class. I for some unkown reason decided to put the snake outside to give it some fresh air inside a bag. Little did i know that the bag was slightly open and when i came back the snake was not there. My piano teacher freaked and refused to take me home until i caught the snake. When she realized that i wouldn't be finding it she took me home. That was the last time i ever touched a piano as i was no longer welcomed to her classes.
Coming back to Australia my love of reptiles could not be over powered by cars, motorbikes, surfing etc. I would be too interested being out in the dunes catching jacky lizards or black snakes rather than being out in the surf. I don't think my old minister appreciated the fact that i would bring my carpet snake to church. One way to get a good offetry plate or to get plenty of people coffessing sins. But hey it wasn't a catholic church i went to though.
I had a freak car accident and have been left unable to work. I have always believed that there are to sides to every coin. I couldnt work any longer but i could still take care of reptiles though. Actually my injury left me with a memory like a gold fish but the reptiles are what pulled me through. I had always talked about getting a snake tattoo across my back. One day i was waiting for the train and since i had a couple of hours to spare i thought why not get this tattoo started. Rather spontaneous decision but one that i will never come to regret.
Now i have two Tiger snakes tattooed across my back. My tattoo is still a working progress but will be able to afford to get it worked on when i can pry myself away from buying more reptiles.
I Got married a year ago at the Nowra animal park so that i could be closer to the reptiles. If you remember Jezza put up the thread for me.
I bought myself a house at the start of this year and have it filled with reptiles.
Anyway this is my story.


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## aussiesnakelover (Apr 2, 2006)

sounds like were i used to live in melbourne i live in melton and apparently its all constructed now but i woudnt noe haven been there since i moved here 4 years ago


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## Saz (Apr 2, 2006)

Mine is more ironic than interesting. As a kid we used to go to Devon every year for a holiday (I was brought up in the UK), and one year I decided that it would be my goal to try and find a slow worm (Anguis Fragilis), as my Grandad had talked so often about seeing them in Devon. 

They are a very secretive animal and are rarely seen. I looked and looked all holiday and couldn't find one. On the last day I went out with my Dad on a long walk around the village in which we were staying, checking the grassy banks and stone walls at the side of the little roads. Eventually we had to admit defeat and I dejectedly walked back to the holiday cottage. As we were walking up the path to the front door a slow worm was sitting perfectly still in the open on the path!! He even let me pick him up!!

I swear the little fella was waiting for me on that path! The chances of seeing one was slim enough as it was, but to find one sitting out in the open like that, especially in an area where there was a lot of human activity was incredible! 

You've got to wonder if things like that are actually a coincidence, hehehe!!

:0)


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## africancichlidau (Apr 2, 2006)

It was on the Gold Coast, up in the hills around Mudgeeraba. It was a beautiful sunny day and just a little humid. Little beads of sweat were forming on my forehead as I sat there in the middle of the bush, no-one around for miles, reading an old copy of the " Monitor" magazine. The article I was reading was about fierce snakes and it was causing me to occasionally look around with a certain amount of fear, and at the same time wondering if they were found around the area I was in. The bush was quite coarse and I remember thinking to myself that I probably wouldn't know if one was "coming for me" until it was too late! As I got more and more worried and scared about this prospect I was overcome by a very eery feeling and, almost afraid to look up from my magazine, I forced my self to look over to my right and there it was! My first Australian herp!! My mouth went dry and my knees knocked together with fear as I saw it, there, only about 5 feet away, emerging from a small mound of loose rocks was a garden skink!!!! Most exciting day of my life


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## Morelia_Hunter (Apr 3, 2006)

Thanks for that afro, I will add it to the editorial!


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## NinaPeas (Apr 3, 2006)

umm, I was about 5, and we were sitting around a campfire, and someone moved a big log, and underneath was a massive beardie all huffed up and angry, so the parents were trying to pick it up with sticks etc, I just dived in, picked it up and begged mum to let me take it home lol


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## RevDaniel (Apr 3, 2006)

Okay here's another story for when i was 18. I was at Kapooka running traning to be a soldier. This particular day the platoon was doing an execrise in the bush. We where doing the assault course, i remember seeing the biggest Bearded dragon as i was walking with my riffle in my hands. I Wanted to stop the whole army thing and just go back to being a reptile keeper but don't think my C O's would have seen it that way.he he


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## TrueBlue (Apr 3, 2006)

I won my first one in a game of 500, during my school holidays a few years back.
oooh, sorry you mean snake experiance.


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## BeardyBen (Apr 3, 2006)

I am originally from New Zealand so we dont have too many common herps around apart from small skinks. I went to Oregon USA when I was 11 to visit my cousins, pretty much the only thing I wanted to do was catch a snake while I was there (apart from going to Disneyland  ) we went up to one of my cousins auntys place in the mountains and went into the redwood forest to see if we could find one. I prayed my little heart out that we would find a snake. Me and my 10 yr old couisn ended up coming out with 13 garter snakes, some adults and some juvies. Everyone was freaking out that we actually found some and the aunty had never seen any the 25 years she had lived there. we released them later that evening.


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## TrueBlue (Apr 3, 2006)

beardyben, what part of the mainland are you from.
NZ also has some of the worlds most amazing and sort after geckos.


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## BeardyBen (Apr 3, 2006)

Im From Hamilton, Yeah we do have some awesome geckoes, i will post some pics of some I took in FEB when I was back home when i get home this evening. awesome green tree geckos


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## waruikazi (Apr 3, 2006)

My first time with venemous snakes....

I was about eight or niine and one of my friends at school said he knew how to catch dangerous snakes. So not to be out done i said i did too and another mate chimed in agreeing that he knew also. Anyay along came lunch time and we decided to go on a herping expidition, we sneekily traversed the the school ground being careful not to be discvered by the teachers out on yard duty, until we came to the out of bounds area at the back of the little kids oval. There was a bit of scrub down there and the teahers couldn't see, so we thouht this would be just about perfect. 

Once we got into the scrub and started searching it wasn't long before my two friends managed to find a couple of brown snakes. It didn't take them much longer to get tagged either :? . Any way we got into heaps of trouble and my two mates had to go to hospital for a couple of days. It really sucked cause they got to be in the news paper and on Today tonight and i got nothing.


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## TrueBlue (Apr 3, 2006)

Hamilton?, I went to school in hamilton. Thats were IT happened.


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## BeardyBen (Apr 3, 2006)

hehehe IT  he said IT  what school did you go to???


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## TrueBlue (Apr 3, 2006)

fairfield primary and intermediate then boys high.


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## soulweaver (Apr 3, 2006)

my first real encounter was in bush land up the back of frankston. i sat down on the path to do my shoe laces up and was resting leaning back on my hands as we had been chasing blue tongues all day. Then my friend got up and started to continue walking down the track, it was at this point a copperhead came out of the bushes. Flicked its tongue in my general direction, i just kept still and didn't move. It crossed the path in front of me, and at one point crossed my shoe. After it disappeared i crapped myself got to my feet and got the hell out of there lol 


the funniest thing i ever saw was one day we were out collecting garden skinks. A mate had half a dozen or so in jar and was walking ahead as we looked for a jacky dragon that had ran off. Then we hear this girlish scream and a jar go flying into the air. skinks everywhere, he then came bolting around the corner, right past us and contiuned down the track. Wondering what had happened i slowly walked up the track and sunning itself on the side of the track was a adult brown snake. My mate never went into the bush again lol


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## AntaresiaLady (Apr 3, 2006)

Aside from your average garden skinks....my love of herps came from catching large skinks with my cousins in Bellambi NSW (I believe I've told this story elsewhere in this forum). I have a particular fondness for geckos (gonna get some someday), and I have two tattoos of geckos. (One the size of an A4 peice of paper on my left shoulderblade, the other about 10cm X 5cm on my left breast)

We used to get them and make them bite us on the arm. The last person with a lizard attached to their arm was the winner. I was the undefeated champion! Although we made them bite us, I always respected the lizards, and loved finding them with my cousins...we ran into a few snakes along the way- none I remember though. 

I had another encounter when out with a boyfriend and some friends up on the Water Board property on Mt. Keira one night. We were standing at a lookout, and a barefooted mate looked down when something touched his foot. He screamed and ran to his car like a flash. 

I grabbed the big torch (I was the adventurous one of the bunch) and looked for what he'd freaked at. From memory it was a lovely little red belly...ssooo cute....it was maybe 15 cms long at the most. It just sat there looking at me...it didn't seem intimidated at all. I remember that night well, as everyone but me was in a car hiding from this tiny snake....they all were worried that there was gonna be a giant mama snake come out and attack them. 

It was funny seeing grown men crapping themselves! I grabbed my collapsible shovel, (didn't have any gloves, and I wasn't going to risk getting tagged- my bf probably would have killed us hammering down the winding roads to the hospital-he wasn't the best of drivers!) and I lifted the little snake up and put him down in some bush across the road. My mate was lucky he didn't get tagged- being barefoot and all! 

My recent herp experience that lead to me getting herps was an encounter with Brian Bush, who was at our local shopping centre. We went up 3 days in a row to play with his snakes, and my daughter decided she wanted frogs when Brian told us we could get licenses here in WA. 
And so it started. 

For my daughter, it started with my love of herps, and an encounter with a beautiful BHP at Nowra animal park. My sister and BIL took her, and she wanted a photo. Apparently there were a lot of other kids getting pics taken. My sister said that most of the kids looked terrified...while Rhi just sat there with a HUGE smile on her face, talking to the snake, and she even asked if she could kiss it! 
My sister was apparently crying- she was so touched at Rhi's love for the snake. 
Can you tell I'm a proud mum? Rhi wants a Bluey next, then when she's old enough- she wants a snake of her own.


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## AntaresiaLady (Apr 3, 2006)

Sorry for the loooonnnggg post.


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## africancichlidau (Apr 3, 2006)

> My mate never went into the bush again lol



So, you actually had mates at one time Souly?


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## dino (Apr 3, 2006)

i can't remember my first time but my foster parents do they used to tell me all the herp stories when they discovered my interest in it ,the house i grew up in was the first in the street to be built all the others were still just vacant lots with a dirt road this backed on to a national park the one they filmed the show Skippy in ,i was always bringing home tiger snakes and red bellies and mum hated even the site of them she was scared of the little skinks and to my discust would kill them with fly spray if they wandered in the house, on one occasion she was sunbaking on a folding chair in the backyard she would just sleep out there for hours on this day she woke to the sound of rustling leaves she turned on her side and was face to face with a big perentie flicking its tonge at her face she tried shooing it away but it just stared at her so she backed into the house called dad at work (these calls would become a regular event) he called eric warrell his reptile park wasn't too far away and was in desperate need for herps this being over 30 years ago ,he came out to the house a few times to pick up snakes and funnel webs as well and each time dad asked about the big goanna ,he was at the park for over 12years and we were welcome to visit any time for free but parents just didn't care about herps and were conserned about my interest in them (like it was a mental problem) .


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## cris (Apr 3, 2006)

> he was at the park for over 12years and we were welcome to visit any time for free but parents just didn't care about herps and were conserned about my interest in them (like it was a mental problem)


Are you saying it isnt a mental problem? :shock: :lol: :evil: :x   :cry: :mrgreen: 

I got another story too,
I was camping with my family near stanthope Qld, we were near a creek and my mum and bro were sitting on some chairs faceing the creek when a largish monitor(v. panoptes) came wandering up behind them i watched for a couple of minutes until it was within 2m or less, I then asked "whos ya mate?" mum got a good shock although unfortunately she knew it wasnt too dangerous and simply walked away.


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## dino (Apr 4, 2006)

Are you saying it isnt a mental problem? Shocked Laughing Evil or Very Mad Mad Very Happy Sad Crying or Very sad Mr. Green

no im sayinmg that had nothing to do with the problem.


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## AntaresiaLady (Apr 4, 2006)

That reminds me of my dear dear mother. (Note of Sarcasm). My family went on holidays with my aunt and her children (I didn't go). They went 'bush' somewhere, apparently to a camping ground where large monitors of some descript were very prevalent. In fact- mum said they'd been warned by the ranger type dude that came by the campsite to not stand still for too long, as the monitors might 'run up them' like they were trees. 
After I stifled my laughter, my mother then proceeded to show me what she did every time she remembered she was standing still. This then led to me on the floor, laughing so hard I almost wet myself. It was the funniest thing I ever saw.
It was a bit like the thrusting dude in someones avatar, mixed with an electric shock of some heavy wattage, all wrapped up in a 'you're the one that I want' style sway. 
Funny, Funny, Funny. 
Needless to say, she wouldn't go back there. But I sure would. Even if it was just to offer counselling to the poor monitors, after them watching my mother move like that- they'd sure need it. 
If anyone comes upon a whole lot of traumatised monitors, give me a holler- they can charge the psych to my mum. 
LMAO!


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## Reptilegirl (Apr 4, 2006)

well i would have been about 10 years old.. it was the school holidays.. me and a friend of mine were just sitting around in the front yard playing when our next door neighbour saw something strange on the road... (at the end of the road and the surrounding area there is a rainforest) anyway it turned out to be a 7 or 8 foot long coastal carpet slithering its way up the road (away from the forest).. it would have been twice the lenght of me.. plus some :lol: we were amazed!! it ended up in a big fig tree across the road.. so the snake catcher came out and took him back down to the forest.. the road next to ours is one of the bussiest around and we didnt want him getting hit..
two weeks later we had to call out the snake catcher again as this time there was a red belly under the neighbours wheelie bin.. beautiful animal..
Megz


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## nvenm8 (Apr 4, 2006)

My first time, 
Quite a few years ago I met fordy (nickname) in the army. He had children’s, water pythons, red bellies, spotted blacks, collets and etc etc etc .
The venomous gave me the heebee geebee’s . Handled all of them (nervously) and was bitten for the fist time too (juvenile childrens). 
I got an infection from the bite causing a clinical obsession to become a herp .
Yep like all here I have an incurable love of reptiles.
Thanks fordy,


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## waruikazi (Apr 4, 2006)

Those big monitors are whilley old things. I was out on a picnic when i was about 14 with my familly and one of mum's friends form adelaide. I think we were at buely rock hole national park. Anyway we were sitting down eating lunch and mum's friend (she was a crazy old bat, couldn't stand her) just dropped a chicken bone on the grass next to her. Well would you beleive a monitor, around the 6' mark, sniffed it out and wandered over to eat it. At this moment the crazy old bat started screaming and ran away. To this day i haven't seen this happen again, the monitor stood up on its back legs, looked around, dropped back to the ground and started chasing the old bat around!!!!!! 

It was one of the funniest things i ever seen!!!!!

PMSL


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## soulweaver (Apr 4, 2006)

africancichlidau said:


> > My mate never went into the bush again lol
> 
> 
> 
> So, you actually had mates at one time Souly?



you got me there, i never paid for him to be my mate again


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## cris (Apr 4, 2006)

It just isnt a real campisite without a big lacey and/or yellow spotted monitor to monitor your activities.


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## olivehydra (Apr 7, 2006)

My shameful story  
The turtle story..... It was around 1978-1979, disco was still king and I was yet to discover the joys girls. I had been dropped off at a farm by the old man and was given permission by the farm owner to look for and catch a few turtles in his dam. I was turtle mad and had gone off lizards for a while. Turtles were my new passion.They were all I thought about thanks to my little John Cann turtle book I carried everywhere. It was a hot day so I stripped off to my shorts (back when shorts were short) and entered the water. The cool water chilled my nubile young body, but I was warmed with the excitement of finding turtles. 
I waded slowly and quietly toward the reeded area which contained perfect basking logs. I heard the tell tale splash of reptile hitting the water, and I homed in on it. I saw ripples on the water surface, and then a dark reptilian head surface to breath. It was within reach so not seeing its carapace grabbed it behind the head.My first wild caught turlte that had not been trapped. I raised it from the water with glee, but was astonished at its size. About 4ft of what I thought was turtle neck appeared above the water level. It is then I saw two things..... a forked tongue and a bright red belly My monster long neck turtle and transformed into a very surprised and angry rbbs It seemed like ages but it must have been no more than a second or two before I released, or should I say, "threw" the snake back into the water. I was lucky, it shot off in one direction and I the other. This was my first wild ven caught, but I thought it was a turtle I dont think many herpers, young or old would have made such an error in identification. I now know the difference. Oh the shame.


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## soulweaver (Apr 7, 2006)

ahhhh what a virgin you were  lol j/k


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## africancichlidau (Apr 7, 2006)

> ahhhh what a virgin you were lol j/k



Not in shorts like those he wasn't!


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## africancichlidau (Apr 7, 2006)

> It just isnt a real campisite



So, you like Campi sites eh?


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## olivehydra (Apr 7, 2006)

africancichlidau said:


> > ahhhh what a virgin you were lol j/k
> 
> 
> 
> Not in shorts like those he wasn't!



Do you remember them? Little button up pocket on one side, elastic waste band, those were the days. Choccy paddlepop cost 10c and 20c could cause an OD on mixed lollies.
None of these fancy herp shops where you could buy food. You had to catch it yourself in one of those bug catchers, and in 10ft of snow and driving winds. Kids these days have it easy. :wink:


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## africancichlidau (Apr 7, 2006)

> Do you remember them?



Of course I remember them, still wear them under my mini skirt on weekends!


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## pixie (Apr 8, 2006)

my story isnt very exciting.(and has nothing to do with wild animals). but nevermind. here it is:
i grew up in or around lorne in vic.. my dad had a place in the bush so there were always snakes around but me being very young dad never let me near them.. then when i was in primary school (grade 4 i think) we had a reptile show type thing come to the school and during the show the guy asked for volunteers, my twin and best mate at the time nominated me.. so i walked up the front of the room... the guy then brought out a hessian bag and took out (what seemed to me at the time) a very big carpet python.. after freaking out i was brave enough to have a pic taken of me with it... since then i was nagging my parents for a snake... THE END =)


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