I finally conquered my snake fear and got my first snake. He's a September 2015 albino tiger Western Hognose named Renegade (the Danger Noodle). I'm pretty sure he's the sweetest little hog ever, but maybe I'm just biased. He's yet to hiss or bluff, and apparently thinks my fingers, particularly my thumb, make the perfect place to scope out the room and satisfy his curiosity.
He's my first snake, but not my first reptile. My first reptile was a Chinese Water Dragon (Khan) that my ex-fiancé surprised me with. That was definitely a learning adventure, but I became hooked on reptiles. I lost Khan when me and the ex went our separate ways, but I picked up a leopard gecko this past July and rediscovered my love of reptiles. Tohki is now six months old and I've dubbed him the Devil in Scales. He is one massively spoiled gecko for sure. A friend dragged me to a reptile show in October. He made me hold a jungle carpet python, a rock iguana that thought she was a puppy, and then I (sort of unwillingly) held my first hognose. It played dead in my hand, and suddenly, it was over. I knew I wanted a little drama queen of my own. So I came home and did extensive research and decided a Western Hognose was the perfect snake for me, so after four months of searching and a month of adjusting/setting up a tank, I finally found a breeder and here we are. Hah. He's currently still adjusting to his new tank, but so far, no issues. He's docile, curious, and super friendly. I think we both were a bit scared of each other when I opened the box. (I had read so many people's accounts of their hoggies putting on a massive show and playing dead when they first unboxed them.) But I opened the lid and stuck my hand beside the container and out he crawled, like he knew he belonged there. Bam! Goodbye any leftover fears I had. He won me over with his ruby red eyes and puppy dog face.
TL;DR? I used to be terrified of snakes. Went to a reptile show, had a few kind of forced in my hand, fell in love with a Western Hognose. Now I own one. I'll post pictures shortly if anyone wants to see him.
He's my first snake, but not my first reptile. My first reptile was a Chinese Water Dragon (Khan) that my ex-fiancé surprised me with. That was definitely a learning adventure, but I became hooked on reptiles. I lost Khan when me and the ex went our separate ways, but I picked up a leopard gecko this past July and rediscovered my love of reptiles. Tohki is now six months old and I've dubbed him the Devil in Scales. He is one massively spoiled gecko for sure. A friend dragged me to a reptile show in October. He made me hold a jungle carpet python, a rock iguana that thought she was a puppy, and then I (sort of unwillingly) held my first hognose. It played dead in my hand, and suddenly, it was over. I knew I wanted a little drama queen of my own. So I came home and did extensive research and decided a Western Hognose was the perfect snake for me, so after four months of searching and a month of adjusting/setting up a tank, I finally found a breeder and here we are. Hah. He's currently still adjusting to his new tank, but so far, no issues. He's docile, curious, and super friendly. I think we both were a bit scared of each other when I opened the box. (I had read so many people's accounts of their hoggies putting on a massive show and playing dead when they first unboxed them.) But I opened the lid and stuck my hand beside the container and out he crawled, like he knew he belonged there. Bam! Goodbye any leftover fears I had. He won me over with his ruby red eyes and puppy dog face.
TL;DR? I used to be terrified of snakes. Went to a reptile show, had a few kind of forced in my hand, fell in love with a Western Hognose. Now I own one. I'll post pictures shortly if anyone wants to see him.