luna.

In our family, when a kid saves up his or her first 100 dollars — from allowance money only; no Christmas or birthday gifts allowed — David matches it. Judah did it a couple years ago, and used a good portion of the money for an epic Lego set. Amelie reached her goal about six months ago, and we’ve been proud to watch her take her time with deciding how to spend it.

She finally landed on buying a pet of some sort, so David helped her research different options.

He and his brother Joe grew up owning reptiles, so I have a feeling that was a big influence on Amie. We even took a family trip to a pet store one evening to check out snakes and lizards.

Another thing you need to know about our family is that we love the twice-yearly reptile show that comes through Columbia, called Repticon. And by “we love,” I mean David and his dad love it and take the kids from time to time.

Well lo and behold, Repticon came at the beginning of May, so David and Amie decided it was time for her new pet.

David took the kids one Saturday, with plans to pick out a garter snake.

 

There’s lots to see at Repticon, which is held at the Jamil Temple in Columbia, including this collection of poisonous snakes (identified by red lids). David told me that when someone purchases one of these, they are immediately escorted to the door.

 

There are also poison dart frogs — only poisonous if they live in the Amazon and eat a certain type of plant.

 

The group of people checking out these turtles were impressed when Gabe correctly identified this one as a Mata-Mata.

 

There’s no shortage of interesting reptiles to behold (and purchase, if you so desire), at Repticon. The breeders are experienced and happy to help. They’ve collected lots of information over the years.

 

Plus a random pig! (which could probably be part of a larger snake’s diet. A lot of the non-reptiles at Repticon are used for snake food)

 

But for our Amie, it was love at first sight.

She found this ball python and never looked back.

David was encouraged by Repticon attenders that ball pythons are the best breed for first-time snake owners, because, unlike garter snakes, they like to be held, and are very mild-natured.

So Amie made her first pet purchase, and became the proud owner of this baby python.

 

The breeders of this snake were delighted to help launch a new young snake enthusiast, and helped David select the materials needed for the python. They included a 10-gallon terrarium, a heating mat, and water bowl. (Amie and Judah collected rocks and sticks later to make the interior more homey, and we also added a succulent for the snake).

Amie named the snake Luna, after Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series. We’re not actually sure of its gender, and won’t be for quite some time.

All I do know is that if it’s a male, it may grow 3-4 feet, and females grow 5-6 feet. Hmmm.

 

And that, my friends, is how we came to be a snake-owning family.

I often get the question: “How do you feel about having a snake in the house?”

And the answer is, “Surprisingly fine.”

I don’t know if my will has been broken by years of Noah’s intense interest in all things creatures, but I’m much less squeamish about unusual animals than I used to be.

At this point in my life, I’m wholly unsurprised to be a ball python owner.

And I have to say that I’ve been as utterly charmed by Luna as the rest of the family. Even Judah, our resident non-animal-lover likes her. Both of us are known to hold her from time to time. It’s very relaxing.

 

She lives in Amie’s room, and the answer to your next question is yes, she eats mice. Who knew that you can know conveniently buy frozen mice at the pet store?

 

I love how much our children adore and appreciate animals (well, three of them at least). Amie told me that the above picture is of her dreams for adulthood, which seems like a good prediction since we’ve recently learned that ball pythons have been known to live up to 40 years. There’s a chance this snake will outlive David and me.

Now, a pretty pet snake and a random snake we may stumble upon in the chicken coop are two very different things …

 

You guys, there’s never a dull moment around here.