You know, it's pretty tough to take a picture of a snake like that. They're always moving and you only have one hand to hold the camera steady. The end result can be a little blurry, as seen here. But that's my girl, nonetheless.
So, what got me into reptiles, anyway? I'm not really sure. I can remember exposure to snakes when I was in elementary school. The principal, Mr. Kent, had something of a reptile collection. Mr. Kent would bring a snake or lizard out sometimes and let us look at it while we were waiting for the bus. He would always answer questions and let us touch the animals, probably to prove that there was nothing to be afraid of. I'm sure that had a big impact on me.
The first time that I wanted a snake for a pet was also in elementary school. I saw a mom waiting for her kid to get out of class and she was holding this garter snake. She was showing it to the children and other moms and talking about how she got it a PETCO or something. She had a little carry case for it and everything. At that moment, owning a snake became a very attractive idea to me. I'm still not sure why. My mother's exact word were "Not while you live in this house."
When I was a sophomore in high school, I got straight A's for the first, and only, time. My parents asked me what I wanted as a reward. I said I wanted a snake.
Mom had to cave in.
Dad made me research several types of snakes before he let me make a purchase. I thought that a ribbon snake would be cool since they eat guppies which can be purchased for, like, 75 cents. The other part of the deal with my dad was he had to see me handle the snake before it was brought home. That's when I found out, in the middle of the store, that ribbons aren't too keen on being held and spray when they're picked up. Boo.
A customer in that pet store gave us the name of another store that had, supposedly, a good reptile selection. We trekked over there and zeroed in on a rough green snake. Rough greens eat crickets, stay small and don't have teeth. It seemed like a good match. I picked it up and we headed home with my new pet in a brown paper bag. This was just the beginning of strange things being brought home in brown paper bags.
Pandora was pretty cool, but she didn't last long. Actually, she died a month after I got her. I was young, inexperienced and maintaining a tropical humidity level in Tucson's climate was far harder than I expected. I was devestated, but determined. Pandora's legacy lived on.
I got Marc Anthony on sale for $45 from a more reputable in-town reptile store. He was a California kingsnake that I brought home as a hatchling in a deli cup. Marc had a bit of an attitude. I was still young and inexperienced, so handling him was no easy feat. I learned a lot from Marc, but it was not meant to be. I had been using my chem book to hold down one side of his cage and I turned it back in at the end of my junior year. Lo and behold, Marc escaped, but before I could find him, my brother's cat ate him. I was devestated, but still determined.
Though I was still learning loads about reptiles, keeping them wasn't working out. I let it go until last year when I got the itch...and bad. I cleaned up my old terrarium and tried to keep the set-up a secret from my mom, who still didn't like the idea. I anxiously awaited the reptile show and dragged Mike along with me.
I'm like a kid in a candy shop when I go to a herp show. It's almost embarassing. Finally, I picked out a breeder that I liked and settled on a beautiful baby cornsnake. I quized the breeder: "When was she born? Has she eaten yet? Frozen or live?" and gave the snake a good once over. I was inexpirenced no more. In fact, I knew exactly what I was doing. After I made the purchase, the breeder commented that I was the most prepared person he'd seen all day. Oh, hell yeah.
So, that's how I got Nora. I know a ton about reptiles now and I'm a member of the Tucson Herpetological Society. I love learning about herps and would like to increase my collection, but that's just not a possibility right now. Someday, I'll have a snake room with iguanas and boas and a gorgeous milksnake. Until then, I have my beautiful little Nora to dote on and that's plenty fine with me.
*On a side note, I'm big on herp issues. Reptiles should not be bought from pet stores! If you ever have questions about reptile care or keeping, please contact me or check out Kingsnake.com.*
Marc Anthony
"A reptile to Remember"
This is a tribute to my snake
Who, in the sunny month of June
Did from his charmers cage escape.
Not being satisfied with that,
He sped away with snake-like haste,
And was promptly eaten by the cat.
