Snakes and Stories

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“Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought it would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living.” – Rachel Marie Marten

This past weekend my kids and I went to the Reptile Expo. I know that might be the least appealing hook for a Monday but stick with me.

It was an experience gift that my niece gave us for Christmas. The same delightful niece from whom we got the crested gecko. And guess what? My kids loved the idea. She and her husband made this great bingo card for the cards to help guide the experience.

My niece had given us an extra ticket so I extended the invitation to my friend, Eric. He asked if my niece was mad at me and then humorously declined. But he came over for dinner after we got back and had lots of questions.

And that’s where this got interesting to me. My kids loved the expo and so my off-the-cuff response was that we had a good time. But Eric is a great storyteller and pressed for the details. When he asked all about the show, it elicited stories and information I hadn’t really thought to mine.

Like he asked who went to reptile expos and it made me think of our reaction when we arrived. The show was about an hour south of Seattle and when we neared the fairgrounds, there was a huge line of people at the gate. We thought there must have been something else going on. Turns out the lines were for the reptile expo.” Two hundred people?” Eric prompted. More like two thousand.

And the type of people that attended were mostly families. In the bathroom, we saw a woman helping her grandsons wash their hands. And then she said, “Cmon, let’s go find grandpa and great-grandma.”

The first exhibit near the doors was snakes and the kids wanted to hold one. I stood back to watch until the gentleman that got one out for us explained that the protocol with kids is that he hands the snake to the adult and they supervise the kids holding them. Ugh.

Eric wanted to know whether the exhibitors were just people showing off their pets or if it was a money making opportunity. Most of the animals there were for sale. In one display, there was snake after snake after snake in what looked like cake displays. You know the topper you put on a cake plate? Let’s hope that these had latches to secure them. I didn’t get close enough to check.

There was also a guy who was charging $5 for anyone who wanted to take a picture with his snake around their neck. We passed but I got a picture of him with the snake around his neck. Eric took a lot at that and laughed, “Not surprisingly, he’s got snake tattoos.”

Man with snake wrapped around his neck

And there were also a couple of rescue organizations that had snakes, turtles, and geckos to adopt. I asked how most of their animals come to be in their care. It’s mostly when animal control calls them in. They even have a fostering system just like with dogs and cats.

One of these booths is where my kids got to pet a tortoise named Tate and hold a bearded dragon named Quibble. The volunteer that was helping us said she didn’t really enjoy geckos so I asked if it was bearded dragons she liked. “No,” she replied, “I like snakes.” When I asked, she listed the kind of snakes she had. I confess that I stopped actively listening after the fifth. Yikes.

People also sell the bugs that reptiles like to eat. Five-year-old Mr. D and I were looking into a container that had several geckos and Mr. D said, “Look, there’s a beetle.” And then a gecko noticed. It’s tongue was so fast that it was barely perceptible. It clearly enjoyed a crunchy snack.

Gecko in an enclosure looking like he's smiling after eating a snack.

Which led me to the story about seeing a display with 10 gerbils for sale. There was only one left and I was unclear about whether people were buying them to be pets or…? Eric’s response, “Can you imagine the level of stress for a gerbil at a snake show?”

On the way out, my kids nearly fell over when we came across some axolotls (see featured photo).  These are the Mexican salamanders that are like the pickleball of elementary school kids. In the last few years, it seems like the increase in axolotl merch has been meteoric – stuffies, backpacks, keychains, and more. Eric confessed that until he saw our picture, he wasn’t sure that axolotls were real.

I’ll spare you the stories of the snake throwing up and the snake pooping. Suffice it to say, my kids had a great time at the reptile show. And I got some pretty good stories out of it – because Eric asked for the details.

It makes me wonder if an element of creativity…and life… is having people around us interested in asking. Last question from Eric was, “Did you check your car for snakes when you got home? No? That’s okay – you can just sell it.”

67 thoughts on “Snakes and Stories”

  1. A great experience for kids. And great stories for you. My friend’s son had a large snake for a pet. Sometimes she had to feed it if he was away. She explained to my other dinner guests about feeding it live small animals. I just about threw up.

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  5. Eric is funny, but I’m with him—Sell the car.😂 I would’ve never known so many people were interested in reptiles and amphibians. I also agree with you about needing people around to ask questions about things we may have never considered. It’s also interesting that your niece knows you so well. She knew you’d go. Love it!💗

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  6. It’s interesting your family had this experience just before the lunar new year ( ‘year of the snake’ ) begins on January 29. …”finding joy in the story you are actually living”… is the goal. 😊

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  9. Wowza…I think traveling there virtually with the three of you is as close as I’d want to come…and I chuckled when I read this: …”the protocol with kids is that he hands the snake to the adult and they supervise the kids holding them. Ugh.” A mother’s work is never done, is it? xo! 😜

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  10. I’m very happy neither my daughter or any of the grandkids developed an interest in snakes or reptiles. I think it may stem back to when my daughter was still a kid and we visited one of my friends houses and her son kept a large reptile habitat. When we walked in the room the smell hit hard, and I don’t think we ever got over it. Shuddered every time it was mentioned. Good for you for supporting your kids’ interests, but I wouldn’t be able to do that!

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    1. I’m with you, Belinda. I wouldn’t have been there if not for my kids. But doesn’t that make you wonder about the family with great-grandma? You’d think she’d have ample reason to not join in on the fun! 🙂

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  16. LOL, Eric is a hoot! 🤣 I remember seeing geckos everywhere when we visited Maui, along with albino slugs! UGH! 😫 But it sounds like you and the kids got a kick out of your reptilian adventure! 🦎 But Wynne, a snake regurgitating and pooping? Now that’s one for the books! 🐍

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  17. Why not? Though I’ve never been a snake person, I find reptiles interesting. I got a chuckle out of the stealth photo attack. Wynne Leon—TMZ photographer. 🤣

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  18. What a fun outing and experience for the kids! I’ve never heard of axolotls. I’ll have to ask T about whether it’s come in his conversations at school.

    I’m thinking about those 10 gerbils now with the one left. Oh dear. 😂 Something tells me they weren’t destined to be house pets. 😆

    Enjoy your week ahead!

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    1. Or if one does become a house pet, it’ll live with PTSD for the rest of its life? 🙂 I’m fascinated to hear whether T has heard of axolotls or if it’s just a PNW thing.

      Hope you all have a great week!

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  19. Great educational experience for the kids. Thank you for sharing this, Wynne, because it’s the closest I’m going to get to a reptile expo. PTSD from sleeping in the field in Texas with rattlesnakes. 😬

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  21. Haha “just sell it” 😁 Sounds like a very cool trip! I also love hearing the details of a story. My friends are used to this by now so they know to skip the regular version and give what they call the Todd version.

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  22. What a great story and very brave of you. There is something about nature and animals that captures the imagination of children, they are so full of wonder and curiosity. Oh. how I wish it could last forever..

    Your story makes me think of a story from my childhood about my brothers or brother being allowed to keep a snake in the house when we were growing up… made me smile. My mom even took us to a rattlesnake roundup when we were kids and the Dallas Cowboys backup QB got bit!

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  25. One friend of mine used to have a viper and of course he had to buy live rats or other similar live animals to feed it. After seeing that, I don’t understand how people can have a snake as pet. But your story sound hilarious!

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  27. Oh my gosh, just today our neighborhood had a power outage, but my house was spared. So my daughter and son-in-law came over to work in a heated house and take warm showers after the kids had gone to school. The next thing I know, there friend is calling in a panic, her bearded dragon is cold, and he needs to be in a heated environment. So Tania came over with her lizard tucked in her shirt, warmed up a heating pad in the microwave and sat by the fire with her “pet.” It really is cute but I would have preferred her little friend being confined in some way. It was quite fun having the neighbors drop by one by one for a little companionship and warmth. When the power came back on for everyone else, they slowly migrated back to their houses, and it was quite lonely. Another amazing post, sounds like your niece nailed the gift! Hugs, C

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  30. Eric is such a hoot. Love the ending of this! I’m with him–yuckity yuck yuck. The cake topper snake thing had me cringing as I read. Ugh. But I’m glad a good time was had by all. The stress of a gerbil at a snake show. Haha. Surprised they didn’t die of heart attacks.

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    1. Oh yes – it was creepy! No fuzzy or furry animals there!! Take me to a mammal exhibit anytime. And you are so right. Eric is a hoot — didn’t want to go but wanted to hear all about it. 🙂

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