Hello! My name's Robert. I've been a reptile geek since 1997, becoming inflicted with the "bug" after being introduced to a Red Tail Boa. I own every single issue of Reptiles Magazine, from the very first issue!
I'm currently the owner of The Serpentarium - A Living Reptile Museum, located in Lodi, California. We breed over 50 different species of snakes at our facility and produce 2,000+ snakes every year! We also opened a second store in Elk Grove, CA.
I work with and breed various species of herps; from frogs to newts, geckos to chameleons, dragons to monitors, turtles, tortoises and MANY snakes.
I started out as an extreme hobbyist, buying just about anything that fascinated me and building elaborate/naturalistic enclosures. That eventually turned into me becoming a small time wholesaler, which then led me breeding on a larger scale.
I almost opened my own reptile shop back in 2004, but decided to spend a boat-load of money on the Ball Python market instead and started vending at shows. I picked up Pieds, Albinos, Axanthics, Spiders, Yellow Bellies, Cinnamons, Mojaves, Pastels and a bunch of adult females. Back then these things' prices weren't what they are today (e.g. I paid $10k for a pair of Spider hatchlings - doh!).
I then purchased an existing large-scale Rodent Breeding operation. I ran that operation for about 2 years until finally selling it off in pieces. I produced thousands of rats and mice monthly (a whole lot of work!). Be sure to check out the
video tour of that operation.
After many years of all this fun and experience, my professional life (Technology) inevitably merged with my passion and Reptilegeeks.com was born.
I envisioned a site where enthusiasts could enjoy the hobby for what it's really all about; sharing the love of reptiles. I feel the hobby needs to evolve from the old forum-type sites into a social networking atmosphere. A place that's family-friendly and helpful to all newcomers.
I hope you enjoy the site.