Recognizing Addiction

[T&KBrouse]

Since everyone is so absolutely crazy-nuts about their animals, I thought this may be a fun thread to start. Please add to the list.

Hi. I'm K, and I'm a herp addict. I started recognizing I had a problem when:

-My mother came over and yelled, "Theres a mouse on your counter!" and I yelled back, "Its not thawed out yet!"

-I don't have to use central heat in the winter as the amount of flexwatt in my house keeps the ambient temperature about, oh, 80 degrees.

-When standing in line at the pet store buying a rat, someone asks if they make good pets and I realize I never really thought of that before.

-Also, while in line at a pet store, someone says, "Oh how cute! How long do rats live?" and before I realize what I'm saying, I respond with, "If traffics good, about another 10 minutes."

-When I watch my cat tip-pawing around the same darn piece of furniture.

-My neighbors think I may be running a brothell due to the red light coming through the front window at night.

-I spent 20 minutes moving rats in my freezer to find the ice cream.

Whos next?

 

[techgirl]

Hi, I'm Jess, and I'm a herp addict. I started recognizing that I had a problem when:
-I woudn't even think of feeding my crickets or mealies any sweet potatoes with brown spots on it or gutload meal that didn't smell right, but I'll be debating that the chicken in the fridge that's been thawing for a week and a half is ok for the family to eat.
-I'll clean the tanks and racks religiously every week, but can hold off on cleaning the house for as long as possible.
-people ask me how many pets I have and I have to think for about 2 minutes to tally up the number.
-I go to the pet store for feeder rats and actually think "Aw that one's cute, so and so is going to enjoy eating you"
-People at the supermarket see me buying baby food and ask how old my child is and I reply "3 yrs old, the baby food is for my gecko"
-I am more tolerant of my female hogg island's attempts to kill me on a weekly basis, but can't stand my dog licking my face.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Hello. My name is Marcia and I'm a gecko addict. I recognized I had an addiction problem back in 1995 when:

- every single plastic container in my cabinets had holes in them
- when the only social life I had was on gecko forums like this one
- when I started going home for lunch to check the hovabator
- when I started picking up gecko poop with my bare hands
- when I could say 'hemipenis' without blushing

 

[mynewturtle]

Hi my name is Kaleb and I'm addicted to reptiles. I recognized this problem when:

When I bought a tortoise back in' 99 for 500$,
My back yard has no garden space/barely any walking space, its full of tortoise pens/turtle ponds,
Before I bred my feeders I was paying 200$ feeder bills a month,
I passed the 60 mark a few months ago,
During hatchling season this year I predict I'm going to have to take time off work,
I'm saving up for a 1000$+ gecko,
I have a hole mini fidge/frezer for my feeder rodents,
:main_thumbsup:

 

[paulnj]

Hi my name is Paul and I am cross addicted I recognized this problem back in 1991 when....

-I had to buy a new freezer for my food

-When I bought a house with a huge basement,and stupid floorplan for the reptile space.

fast forward to 2007..

- When I threw out a 3 year old bed that had been slept in 5 times to make room for more racks.

- When my mealworm bill exceeds my own food bill some weeks.

- When my GF asked me when will a marry my geckos?

- When I got a $500 cell bill from talking geckos

- When the guys at home depot would ask me "14 inches or 17 inches this time"

- When my girlfriend told me I talk about geckos in my sleep(no kidding!)

It may be a costly addiction, but I have never gone to jail for possession with the intent to distribute:main_thumbsup: :main_laugh:

 

[Double LY]

When my GF asked me when will a marry my geckos?

When you have to re-read this line 5 times to realize "GF" means girlfriend and not geckoforums you know you're an addict :main_laugh:

 

[paulnj]

When you have to re-read this line 5 times to realize "GF" means girlfriend and not geckoforums you know you're an addict :main_laugh:

When you are Bipolar and obsessive/compulsive enough to type poorly like me..... :main_rolleyes: Good thing my speech isn't that bad :main_thumbsup:

 

[LadyGecko]

I have been a gecko addict for at least the past 10 years

:main_yes:

I am guilty of most if not all of the above mentioned things-lol



Sandy

 

[T&KBrouse]

ROFL :main_laugh: This is just too funny...

You know, I just realized I have 47 containers in my kitchen and nothing to put left overs in because all the containers have air holes.

I did, accidentally, refer to my daughter-in-law as being "gravid" when she was pregnant with Pheonix. But I only did it once!

I did once have to call all of my family and friends over one night for a rousing game of "catch the crickets" after the cat knocked over a new box of 1000 of the little chirping buggers.

I have pictures of my herps in my wallet and on my cell phone and no picture of my kids or grankids.

 

[Ccrashca069]

I am John and I been addicted to Leopard geckos the minute I held the first one May of 2007. I bought 2 that day. Next day I bought a 3rd. As of right now I have 25 leopard geckos and 2 more eggs. And plans on buying more lmao
My wife also tells me I spend more time reading in GF and feeding and cleaning the leopard geckos then I spend with her. My wife has threatend to send a pic of one of the leopard geckos to a friend of ours and have her head PhotoShoped to the Leopard Gecko body so I will look at her more lmao.

I also have a stack of about 30 pics of about half my leopard geckos next to my computer that are wallet sized to show them off to people.

 

[Airilith]

My name is Jessica, and I'm a herp addict. I came to this conclusion when I realized that ...

- I (a girl who still occassionally screams about a bug in the house) can pick up mealies with her bare hands without screaming
- everytime I walk past Sterlites, or other such containers, I wonder if my geckos would like to live in one (they're currently in 10 gallon tanks)
- I am constantly on the hunt for the mealie bowls that are 100% unescapable
- if someone gave me $1000 to spend on myself I would buy an enigma
- when I'm asked if I will ever have kids I reply that I already have 4 with 2 on the way (3 leos, 2 eggs, and 1 dog)
- I get excited when I get sent bugs in the mail
- I constantly daydream about making my own racks and designing the 'perfect' reptile room

 

[RocksMama77]

Hi, my name is Alaina and i am a herp addict. I realized this when:
I decided to breed roaches on purpose.
I realized I don't mind getting bitten a million and one times
I worry more about my scaley babies than my real baby.(she never gets sick)
My family has decided I am crazy because I have creepy critters
When I get excited about going to the pet store to buy things that will only get eaten.
I realized i spend more time on my scaley babies than my house or school
My hubby takes all my money away so we don't end up rescuing any more animals

 

[T&KBrouse]

Hi, my name is Alaina and i am a herp addict. I realized this when:
I decided to breed roaches on purpose.

When I get excited about going to the pet store to buy things that will only get eaten.

That is just priceless! :2thumbsup:

 

[THE WHISPERER]

Hi My name is Rick, and I realized I was addicted to reptiles when:

-I replaced the Playboys in the bathroom with reptile magazines.
-When I realized I've owned thousands of rodents, Crickets, and Super worms and I have no clue what there life span is.
-I started buying Healthy Habitat by the gallons.
-I started collecting Gatorade lids for water dishes for hatchlings.
-I was praying for somthing to hatch because I had no room left out of 4 hovabators

 

[Riyo]

Hi, my name is Kasey and I am a herp addict. I realized this when:

-When people started calling me "gecko lady" or "the lizard queen"
-When I start prattling on about my reptiles and people aren't sure how to respond
-When I come home after a rough day and my spirits are lifted by my little scaly beasts staring at me for food.
-When I start saving plastic containers and eyeballing the tupperware at the store for reptile use
-When I spend my money on my reptiles rather than myself
-When my animals are the best remedy for my depression than any medication ever will

 

[2bacop]

Hi, my name is Katelyn and I am a herp addict. I realized this when:

-I hear my mom yelling down the stairs saying "You left your crickets on the table"
-When have to call mom to kill the fly in my room, but I pick up a mealie w/ no problem
-When I went to the lowes tile section and asked the employee if he thought the tiles would slide around in the tank cause I didnt want my leos toes pinched, and he walked away
-When I went to the other end of lowes to find "great stuff" and he asked me if I was using it for a window or door
-When I decided yesterday that I am taking out my stereo, so I can put another tank on top of my dresser
-When I drove 4 1/2 hours to pick up a free tank and stand, just to have a spare
-When I am thinking about taking a semester off of school so I can buy a "black pearl" instead

 

[crotaphytidae]

Hi my name is Cameron and I'm addicted to reptiles, I realized this when I....

-realized I knew exactly where the tupperware aisle was in all the stores in my area.
-looked at a room and began drawing up plans in my head to figure how I could use all the space for reptiles.
-constanly draw up cladistics and systematics for lizards and snakes.
-look at any and everything to judge it's potential use for reptiles.
-keep 6 containers of mealworms.
-go on vacation so that I can go out in the desert to catch lizards.
-always think of how certain morph combos will turn out.
-check my incubator right when I get up, get home from work, and just before I go to bed.
-talk about the geckos with my wife and she tunes me out, and says,"What were you saying I wasn't listening"

 

[2bacop]

Hi, my name is Katelyn and I am a herp addict. I realized this when:

-I hear my mom yelling down the stairs saying "You left your crickets on the table"
-When have to call mom to kill the fly in my room, but I pick up a mealie w/ no problem
-When I went to the lowes tile section and asked the employee if he thought the tiles would slide around in the tank cause I didnt want my leos toes pinched, and he walked away
-When I went to the other end of lowes to find "great stuff" and he asked me if I was using it for a window or door
-When I decided yesterday that I am taking out my stereo, so I can put another tank on top of my dresser
-When I drove 4 1/2 hours to pick up a free tank and stand, just to have a spare
-When I am thinking about taking a semester off of school so I can buy a "black pearl" instead

Forgot to add

-When you go to the craft store and look at the already built bird houses to see if they could be used as a hide

 

[EchoPet]

Hi, my name is Janna, and I'm a gecko addict. I realized this when:

- I spent most of my one hour therapy session this week discussing geckos and teaching my therapist about how incubation temperature affects sex, color, and temperament.

- I created a MySpace for my geckos. Meanwhile, I haven't even logged into mine in days.

- I have a whole bunch of fruits and veggies in the fridge... for the feeders.

- I bought so much baby oatmeal and wheat bran that the cashier at the supermarket asked me if I would be paying with WIC. I told her that it'd be nice if the government would give me money to take care of my pets, but for now I'll just be using VISA.

- The last five books that I read were all about geckos.

- I'm planning a get-together with some co-workers, and although this'll be the first time we've ever hung out outside of work, the social gathering will be to make cage furnishings for our reptiles. Normal people go out for drinks or a movie or something, I think.

- I pay more attention to what sort of vitamins my geckos are getting than what sort of vitamins I should be getting.

- The thought of having a baby doesn't appeal to me at all, but I can't wait to have baby geckos.

 

[T&KBrouse]

Oh good Lord, now that was so true, it was hilarious!

I did my weekly grocery shopping and always got one jar of baby food. After seeing this week after week, the cashier got up the courage to ask if I had a baby at home. When I explained it was a treat for my bearded dragon, she was so relieved. She thought I was starving a baby to death...