This is the second installment of my introduction to the members of the Snakes and Ink family. Meet the furry and scaly creatures I love. They will probably make many appearances in this blog, so I figure it’s best to put a face to a name upfront!
This is Chester, one of Guitarman’s two miniature schnauzers. He’s got an epic personality. He’s super snuggly, and a bit of a spaz. He’s scared of a lot of things (stairs, heating vents, walking down narrow hallways), but he’s got a big heart. I love coming home to his awesome cuddles after a long day.
This is Baby Girl, Guitarman’s second miniature schnauzer, and she’s a huge sweetheart. She’s full of kisses, and loves cookies and snuggles. She’s an energetic girl with an adorably waggy tail.
The most important critters in my life though are my snakes. Everyone seems to have a story about how they came to love reptiles, so I will tell mine. I have loved reptiles ever since I was a little girl. My first experience was with a huge albino python when I was about 4 years old. (Looking back, I’m guessing she was a Burmese Python.) I was at a birthday party, and the main focus of the party was a reptile education show. The handler had a variety of small critters that he brought out and talked to us about to help us learn what wonderful creatures they are. He then had all of us (about 6 or 7 girls between the ages of 3-5) sit in a row on a long couch, and took out this monstrous python and laid her across our laps. She was the most amazing creature I had ever seen, and from that moment on, I was fascinated by critters of the scaly variety.
After that first experience, I always had it in the back of my mind that one day I would own my own reptile. I had friends that owned bearded dragons, and I loved them, but I always looked back on my first experience and knew that what I truly wanted was to own my very own snake. As a teenager, I pestered my mom about letting me own a corn snake. Despite spending hours researching the species and finding local breeders, my mom was not keen on the idea. (When I asked her about it recently, she said she knew she would end up having to take over for its care when I went to university, which is an understandable explanation for her hesitation.) As much as I hated not getting a snake at the time, I know now that I wasn’t ready for real pet ownership at that point in my life.
I recently went to a small local summer festival where a reptile educator had a large booth set up. There I had another encounter with some beautiful reptiles, and I fell in love again. I had the opportunity to hold a baby ball python and a monstrous female ball python as well. It was a great experience, and after that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about owning my own snake. I was about to finish my first degree at The University of Western Ontario, and with my graduation fast approaching, I knew that I wanted to treat myself to something special as a reward for my hard work getting through my degree. This was when I knew, it was time for me to take the plunge and purchase my first snake.
Meet Loki, my beautiful Pastel Ball Python. I bought him from a local breeder on the day of my graduation (June 15, 2015.) He’s almost 1 year old now, and he’s my pride and joy.
I met Loki the day I bought him, just hours after walking across the stage at Western to receive my degree. I was still wearing my pretty turquoise dress and nude pumps that I had bought for the auspicious occasion, and as I walked up to the house of the breeder from whom I was purchasing my new friend, I felt a flutter of joy (mixed with a touch of anxiety) in my heart. This was going to be my very first reptile! I was still a tad nervous about handling reptiles, but I wanted very badly to feel confident about it, as I had done plenty of research, and knew that the worst that could happen would be to receive a little nip from one of the snakes. The breeder was extremely professional in showing off his snake room, and his collection, but was also a really relaxed and easy-going guy to talk to, which was a huge help to me in that moment. Guitarman was there with me, but because he had nowhere near my confidence level when it came to dealing with these animals, he kind of kept out of the way as the breeder pulled snakes from the racks to show me some of the breeding projects he had been working on.
I was shown both the dam and sire of Loki’s clutch, although I was so excited to meet my new baby that I can honestly say I don’t remember what kind of genetics they had going on. When we moved on from looking at the big guys, the breeder took me over to the juvenile tubs and opened up Loki’s, and for the first time I saw my little ball of joy with my very own eyes. He was amazingly gorgeous (although he was about to go into shed, so his scales were a little dull), and the breeder pulled him out of his tub, and carefully passed him off to me. I was so in awe looking at my little noodle for the first time that I was a bit taken aback when he went to strike at the breeder from my hands, mouth wide open. The breeder, knowing that I had had limited experience with snakes up to this point, congratulated me on keeping my cool. I was shocked by the force of Loki’s strike! Snakes are such awesome and powerful creatures, and I think the most important thing I took away from my first time handling my baby was a great level of respect for these amazing animals.
Since that first experience with Loki, I have taken him out and handled him as often as I can, and he has become incredibly tame and docile. As you can see in this picture, he is often happy to just be draped around my neck and looking out at the world, keeping me company while I study or watch TV. Other times, he is very inquisitive and likes to check out his surroundings. He is a HUGE sweetheart and I adore him. You’ll hear lots more about this guy in upcoming posts for sure.
These are the only critters I have at the moment, but I recently put down a deposit on a new baby who I will be picking up at this year’s Canadian Reptile Breeders Expo in Toronto. She’s a 2015 Mexican Black Kingsnake, and although I’ve already picked out a name for her, I’m going to keep that to myself until I have her home and can take pictures of her and properly introduce her to you guys. As I learn more and more about keeping reptiles, I’m learning how common it is for people to become very attached to their animals, but also to develop a bit of an addiction for the hobby, and I think it’s rubbing off on me! This girl is going to be my second reptile of many, and I simply can’t wait for my little family to get bigger!
Whew! This has been a long post! Thanks for reading guys! Hopefully this has been a good introduction to me, my life and my animals. Stay tuned for future posts from me featuring these little rascals, as well as some other non-animal topics.
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