Too Scaley Reptiles
When I was five years old, I caught my first garter snake. Since then, there has not been a time in my life when I didn't keep reptiles. My passion for and devotion to these animals permeate just about everything that I do. They have played a significant role in shaping the person that I am today.
I began to work with reptiles and amphibians seriously when I became an employee of the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley in the fall of 1990. I worked there off and on until Early 1997. While at the Vivarium, I was able to work with a wide variety of herps. I gained not only a knowledge of their captive management but an appreciation for their adaptations and their place in the environment. This led me to pursue a degree in ecology from the University of California at Davis. During and after my undergraduate work, I was fortunate enough to partake in several herpetological field studies. One involved surveying the herp communities of the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. I was also involved in a population study of the endangered California Tiger Salamander on the Stanford University campus. I have come to enjoy field work very much. My current career as a high school biology teacher allows me time during the summer months to volunteer on field projects. I have collected data on Sceloporus of the Hayward Hills, American Crocodiles in the Everglades and have even traveled to Africa to work with Nile Crocodiles on the Okavango River in Botswana.
Throughout all of this, I have maintained a reptile collection that has, at one time or another, included garter snakes, fence lizards, alligator lizards, various king and milk snakes, corn snakes, leopard geckos, day geckos, crested geckos, iguanas, uromastyx, bearded dragons, burmese pythons, nile monitors and several species of turtles. Currently, I am only working with brazilian rainbow boas, green tree pythons, and panther chameleons. By focusing on just three species, I find it easier to cover much more depth with my animals.
My vision is to contribute to the field of herpetoculture by offering reliable information and exquisite, captive-born animals. In doing so, I hope to dismantle some of the negative stereotypes associated with these animals, thereby allowing people to see them for the magnificent creatures that they are. Thank you for your interest in my animals and for allowing me to share a little of my passion with you. I hope you enjoy my site. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.
