"In the Beginning"
I was first exposed to Crotalus lepidus klauberi during my venomous training with Matt Crews, owner of Victory
Reptiles. Though they were non-locality specific, they were still magnificent specimens. The more opportunity to work with them,
the more fascinated I became, and over time I realized that I wanted to specialize in klauberi. I soon found myself endlessly searching
the internet for any information I could find, though not much was available. Even to this day, detailed information on klauberi can
be scarce, of which most of this scarce information is limited to range, diet, and insufficient reproductive behavior. Nevertheless,
I still read and studied anything I could get my hands or eyes on. To this day, I still see Matt every two weeks when I pick up mice
from him. Matt is probably the most "legitimate" person I've met, very pragmatic and detail oriented. Simply put, he's an upstanding
individual and a great ambassador for the venomous community, particularly in the state of Florida. I've never hesitated calling Matt
for advice because I know from firsthand experience that he's above and beyond expectations.
In the summer of 2004, I was perusing
the classifieds on venomousreptiles.org and found what would eventually launch the start of a very strong passion: the Banded Rock
Rattlesnake. A person named "Solenoglyph" had some Magdalena Mountains, Organ Mountains, Black Range, and Tularosa Mountains
localities. So, after a very lengthy phone conversation, I opted to buy a pair of Magdalenas. I can't describe the joy when
I saw them for the first time - other than to say I stared at them all night. Simply beautiful and extremely clean markings. Soon
after acquiring the Magdalenas, I added Black Range, Organ Mountains, Florida Mountains, and Peloncillo Mountains (New Mexico) localities.
By the way, the man named Solenoglyph was Cliff Lindberg - one of the nicest, most ethical & honest people I know. Cliff
was instrumental in igniting the passion I have for klauberi. He was forthcoming with advice on klauberi husbandry and extremely generous
with his vast knowledge of this spectacular species. To this day and beyond, I owe Cliff an enormous amount of gratitude - he is soley
responsible for all my klauberi successes.
"Continuing the Journey"
Over the next several years I accumulated several
localities, with 90% of those being "captive bred & born" (CBB). In 2005, I had the honor of meeting Tim Cole, owner of Designer
Atrox. He too, has a lepidus passion: Crotalus lepidus lepidus. That year, I received from Tim two pairs of CBB Sutton County lepidus.
Over the next two years, I picked up River Road, Val Verde County, Juno Road, Edwards County, Davis Mountains, Hueco Mountains, and
Loma Alta localities, thus bulking up my C. l. lepidus stock. However, in 2007 Tim and I entered into a partnership agreement, wherein
he would breed C. l. lepidus and I would breed C. l. klauberi exclusively. We also agreed to help build each other's breeding
programs. I don't think I could trust anyone more than I trust Tim. He's very honest, possesses the highest of integrity, unimpeachable
character, & will do anything to lend a helping-hand. He's truly my best friend. Tim's facility is absolutely first-class and
second to no other in the hobby. At some point, I will update the website with my journal notes pertaining to my highly successful
2006 Texas lepidus trip with Tim. The best vacation I ever took, with some very bizarre stories and some awesome photos.