Wayne
I grew up wanting to be a herpitologist and had a cage full of snakes. When I was 11, my grandfather gave me $10 for my birthday. I sent off to Ross Allen's Snake Farm for a catalog. Back then he sold yellow rat snakes for $2.00/foot including postage. I sent all $10 for a 5 footer.about 2 weeks later, this plywood box with screened openings on 4 sides showed up. The outside of the box said live reptile inside, and our normal black postman wouldn't deliver it. The Postmaster came to deliver it. Once opened, which took a claw hammet,the snake was in a cloth bag. The instructions said to have a bowl of water available. Sure enough, once in the cage, it found the water and had a long drink.

There was a chicken hatchery in town, and any deformed chicks were destroyed, so yo could get them for free. I had 2 black rat snakes and the yellow rat snake. Every month, my mother would take me to the chicken hatchery and i would get a dozen deformed baby chicks. Throw them in the cage and watch the fun begin.

I never did pursue herpetology, but went for a forestry and animal science degree, but still knew a lot about reptiles.

Pap