My kids are absolutely obsessed with reptiles. I have two daughters Rain and Heidi who are 12 and 5 And love to help around the House on cleaning day! Is that how it is with your guys kids? I have had reptiles since long before they were born And I think that maybe the fact that they have grown up with reptiles and spiders in there lives, they aren’t afraid of what other kids tend to be afraid of. My 5 year old asks every morning to go see Ernie our albino Argintine Tegu. It is seriously the cutest thing ever. I was just wondering if you guys think about the same thing or maybe my daughter’s just learned from me and my husband that reptiles and other common fears are not scary after all.
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My daughter turned 6 last month and she’s mad on them all! She helps with feeding the Crested Geckos, dart frogs, Panther Cham, fat tails etc. She holds the hatchlings when I clean them out, she also helps clean. She gets so excited when more hatch too 🥲
She’s been handling since she was 2-2 1/2 so she’s grown up with them also.
I think it’s wonderful, it teaches our children to be compassionate towards animals, we also have dogs, quails and she has her own guinea pig, getting 3 more (his brothers from another litter) this week so she’ll have 4 then, but she does everything for them and helps with cleaning also!
It’s really lovely, she’s also a Vegan, by choice too! I’m a Vegan, was a vegetarian since I was 10, been 3 years this year of me being one fully, and been 2 years for Emily who said she didn’t want to hurt animals and thinks it’s horrible to eat them. (Partner is mad on meat so it’s not forced I tell you, he’d rather she ate bacon with him) 
But it’s made me so proud that she’s like she is and so for them! She’s even having ‘Pumpkin’ the Crestie in her room as her own personal gecko when I get a viv. Proud mum 🥲
Your daughters sound amazing too! They’ll grow up and take over! That’s what I’ve told Emily, she’ll have all the Reptiles to look after when I’m not around! Long time yet hopefully I’m only 27 
But she’s fine with that apparently, said she’s keeping all the babies too 
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Yes, my oldest is an amazing handler and she loves to take care of new arrivals and make sure they feel at home. She loves the reptiles more than my dogs,cats,horses I think. Both of the girls take after their mama. Very proud as well. I think my five year old and your six hear old would get along great! The other day my daughter walked up to me in our large lizard room and said, “mommy, don’t worry I’ll take care of all the animals for you. And sissy will help me by cleaning all the poop up!” it genuinely brought tears to my eyes it was so sweet. I just love how she wants her sister to take care of cleaning and she takes care of the actually animals . My kids have also been handling all kinds of animals (lizards,geckos,snakes) but not the tarantulas till a little later since they are more delicate since age 2. My kids hate the idea of eating meat, so my whole family has been officially vegetarian for 4 years! I know they will take great care of my little zoo someday!
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Oh bless her, she sounds brilliant! Has she fed the snakes yet? 
My daughter keeps asking to feed our Royal, he’s an aggressive eater though and just darts, but getting a young one in a few weeks or so, so may let her have a go then…
Haha love that, atleast she’s offering to help… Funny character!
If they’re willing to even handle the tarantulas that’s amazing, we had a jumping spider, sadly passed but she was so cool, Emily liked her but didn’t want to handle. We’ve also had an obt and a dwarf blue, shes Bristol not keen on spiders, but will go out and pick up bugs from outside and brought me over a slug last week!!
They’re going to be expanding for sure! Anything they personally want reptile wise themselves? Emily would love a Basilisk😅
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She is really smart and is always open to feeding/handling anything I let her. Rain my older daughter just got an ackie monitor a few months ago and loves her bumble dearly. She never tires to clean poop make meals and help with house chores. Rain really is my little helper and mini me. Heidi my five year old really is hoping to get a tarantula of her very own, I’m not to sure about that yet. She handles them great but there is always the worry if it were to bite her and maybe she drop it. I doubt that but my husband probably won’t let me get that for her just in case. I’m probably going to end up getting her a hognose for her next pet. She loves to feed all the animals and especially the snakes. She loves to say hi to each and every very snake enclosure when I go into the snake room. Even if that means making me lift her to see the enclosures she is too short to see😂. She loves to find little critters outside like lizards beetles and frogs! I love jumping spiders and used to have one, passed too. Your daughter sounds awesome! Very adventurous little kid
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I have twin 4 year old girls and a 3 year old girl. All of them love the snake room. They all have a favorite that changes every time. Every snake is named either Sherman, Norsha, or Hearty. Every snake. It is pretty cool seeing someone so young handle the snakes. Sometimes they even take bites like champs. Lol. They try to help me, but you can imagine how that goes. I’m sure in a couple more years they’ll be picking up poop with me.
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There was a similar thread posted a while ago: Junior herpers are the future, let's see those kids with reptiles
My two sons are 2 and almost 4. They both like my reptiles, but my 2 year old in particular really loves my snakes. Whenever he sees one out with me, he comes running over saying “pet?”. And he is very gentle with them. He knows to only use one finger and to not touch their heads. My 4 year old likes my crested gecko better than the snakes. The two year old is a bit freaked out by the jumping!
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Wow, good on you for two sets of twins! And all girls. My five year olds favorite changes frequently too, it’s great that they are taking bites and trying to help. My kids laugh when they get Bitten. 
My daughter’s have been able to handle the snakes since age 3. They could pet them carefully around 2 1/2. That’s awesome that your 2 year old is petting snakes gently! J don’t have a creastie so I can’t tell you how my kids would react. I took my 12 gear old to a reptile expo when she was 10 and she handled a few and fell in love. But j think my five year old would hold them, and when they jumped, laugh hysterically for a few seconds and say something like “that was fast!”
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My daughter and her family lived with us for awhile. When they got a new apartment, my 4yo grandson said it’s not home without glass stuff (enclosures) and told his mother he needs a white snake, a white leopard gecko and a spider like Papaw’s spider.
So guess what I’m buying. Luckily the apartment complex won’t count these as pets.
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That is adorable that be wants both animals in white, he has already chorus favorite morph! I’m with on the white Leos, stunning animals. And he us right it isn’t home without the “glass stuff”!
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We have 5 little wild ones here 
… help!
This is Grace, my oldest. She absolutely loves any animal… especially pixel ones on roblox 
Here’s Holly, she is by far the kindest human on this planet!
She loves snakes but frogs and geckos are her favourite.
This little worm is Alice. She lives in her own fairy world 90% of the time but I’m sure there are reptiles there I can’t touch the snakes without her popping out from somewhere saying “Can I hold it while you clean the tub?”
My two boys are always interested in them but it’s hard to get a picture with any as they are so young…
Here’s one of Edward from years ago that I like… he’s got chocolate all over his face 
And another oldish one
Then finally we have Oliver, who I’m pretty sure is a baby assassin with a hit out on me 
, which is why there is a window between him and the Boa
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That is awesome that they are all interested in reptiles.
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I don’t have kids and am certain I never will but if I did I would make sure to instill a love of nature and its creatures including reptiles. I would show them the fascinating nature of other biological lifeforms and maybe even get them to share my interest in science and biology.
Its great that you all have seemed to pass your love of these often underappreciated and misunderstood critters to the next generation.
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I said I’d never had kids. Didn’t want them at all!
I was always adamant since I was young I was only ever going to keep animals.
Well long and behold Emily happened
And luckily I still have all my animals too and she’s just as mad on them! 
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It’s perfectly fine to not have children, and thank you for your kind words. I agree I never wanted kids, used to say I would have animal babies. I hope that with the right amount of knowledge, lots of love and guidance, my two girls will become amazing adults with a sense if passion for reptiles. I know they will take care of my zoo for me. Hopefully they won’t have to for a while though, seeing as I’m only 30 right now . My kids are very happy to have all the animals they do, and they tell me how grateful they are every night when I say goodnight to them. Even my five year old. It is simply precious.
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I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to care for their own animals. My parents were pretty strict about the number of animals in the house and the species. I was allowed to get a turtle, but other than that, we usually had one dog and one or two cats. I’m actually worried that as soon as my kids show any interest in owning their own reptile (or other animal), I’ll be so eager to get them started that I won’t ensure they’re truly committed to taking care of something! Gonna have to rein in my animal loving instincts!
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I was the same way with my oldest, but I managed to hold it In Until she was 8 and truly prepared to have her first Animal. My youngest will probably get a pet of he down when she is 6 but it will not be a snake, something smaller, like a lizard, but I don’t know what yet.
My mum was same. We had dogs and cats and that’s it until she met her more ex husband and we got 2 beardies and terrapins.
When they split up and we moved they got rehomed and I wasn’t allowed anything as she wasn’t keen lol. Until college when finally I was allowed fire belly newts! I had a colony of them and they were amazing, always loved reptiles. When I finally moved out with the other half we had a big marine tank etc and dogs and cats, but no reptiles until we moved to where we are now. Started with a Crestie and now we have a mini zoo! And my Nan loves visiting and holding them all My mum also now thinks they’re amazing, apart from the snake lol, she’s not keen on him!
Worth the wait, and my daughter is mad on them. The other half keeps telling me I can’t get her a basilisk though… But she wants one!… 
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Just keep trying for that Basilisk . Your family sounds seriously awesome. I could never have more than one pet at a time, because I had 5 brothers. I’m the only girl in my family, and third oldest. I was always alone in my family, with nobody to relate to, having my mother pass when I was 9, and a stepmother who never truly loved me until I went off to college. I always found peace in my animals, and loved that I could find ways to express my love to my cousin who was born the same week as I was, though she lived a little to far away for regular communication with each other. I managed to have two daughters though, somehow, even though I had so many brothers . When I met my husband I finally found someone to relate to for the first time really in my life, he understood and shared my love for reptiles. I always had a ball Python or sand boa in my hands growing up, loved those two types and still own them today. Sand Boas not until I was around 17 though. Named My older daughter rain because for years after my mother passed every time it rained I would go sit on my curb and cry, thinking of all the times we used to dance together in the rain. My five year old is named Heidi because that was my mom’s middle name. Sorry for the downer, just felt like opening up a bit on here. It’s really nice to have people who can relate. Thanks so much guys.
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