Eric LeBlanc, who lives in California (USA), is an avid reptile hobbyist and has a collection of hundreds of different species of snakes and lizards. Recently, Eric’s reptile shop suffered a fire, causing a lot of damage, so he made an extremely “crazy” decision: to bring them all back to breed in his own home.
Although he seems comfortable letting children play with dangerous reptiles, Eric always makes sure they are very safe and almost never lets children play with them alone.
Although these dangerous creatures can threaten the lives of family members at any time, Eric feels there is no problem in letting them play with his three young children, Erica (3 years old), Larry (4 years old) and Katie (7 years old).
Eric said: “My daughter was once attacked by a bearded dragon. It was the most painful bite she has ever suffered.” “My son, when he was only 2 years old, was once bitten on the forehead by a ball python. That time, he mischievously opened the lid of the container and unfortunately scared the python, so it suddenly jumped out and gave the baby a painful bite on the nose.”
Now 43, Eric plans to renovate his shop, while continuing to educate his children so that they are no longer afraid of reptiles, especially now that they have become pets and are close to the children.
Erica, 3, cuddles with her python.
“They are actually quite easy to breed. They don’t have fleas, they don’t require much grooming and you don’t even need to take them to the vet as often as dogs and cats.”
“I am currently raising a 7-year-old albino python named Shelby, she is one of the largest snakes in the world. “Usually the bigger a snake is, the bigger its teeth are and the more dangerous it is. But with Shelby it is different, she has a very gentle personality. Right now she is about 5.7 metres long and you don’t know what she is capable of.”
“Holding it in your hand, it feels like a giant mass of flesh is moving. When playing with children, it often tends to cause them to tangle. Children also feel the power that comes from this python, which is a completely normal survival instinct, and I completely respect that.”
Eric’s family with their “pet collection.”
Although he seems comfortable letting children play with dangerous reptiles, Eric always makes sure they are very safe and almost never lets children play with them alone.
“In this country, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Many people think that teaching children to shoot guns is the right thing to do. I don’t want my children to learn how to use guns, but if they like playing with snakes, I don’t see anything to worry about. How you teach children depends on each person’s perspective.”
“When I was a child, I was bitten by a snake, a dog or a lizard, but the most painful feeling was when I fell from a tree. Honestly, I can’t predict what might happen. Just let the children live their innocent lives as they are.”
This python measures up to 5.7 meters long!
Erica, Kate and Larry also loved this somewhat “unique” living environment and showed no fear.
Kate jokingly replied: “I like snakes because they are very gentle and friendly. They are very docile and never turn around and bite my hand. You have to be very gentle with them and let them crawl around freely.”
“It’s best to just relax and pretend that they won’t hurt you. They might want to bite you at first, but then, if they know you don’t mean to hurt them, they won’t bite you anymore.”
