“ When I was four years old, I had a somewhat different version of the classic kids’ sandbox than most of my peers. My older brothers had built a little enclosure behind our house that was filled with rich South Florida loam and stocked with the local box turtles that would occasionally wander into our yard. I would collect snails, earthworms and bugs out of our garden, and wile away hours feeding and hanging…”
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Herptiles
“ For many years, the green iguana was the staple of the reptile business. Indeed, the first pet reptile I ever bought with my own allowance was a baby iguana, sold to me by a shop called the Electric Zoo and lost to the wilds of my…”
“ We have a small pond in front of our store that remains active in all but the most dire of winter months. We keep the pond stocked exclusively with red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta), the seemingly omnipresent water turtle of our business. Still, I cannot remember the last time…”
“A common dynamic I see across the counter is that of the family composed of wildly enthusiastic kids and steadfastly reluctant parents. The kids would gladly pack up the entire contents of my store and haul them home Grinch-style, while the parents are suddenly wishing their offspring had developed an…”
“When my wife and I bought our first computer, back in the mid 90s, we went into the local computer store as novices. It was a fascinating experience. The young man who helped us ended up selling us a computer with which we were very happy, but to this day…”