It has been said that dog is man’s best friend, but what about reptiles?
To sophomore Desiree Vega, being surrounded by lizards, snakes, and spiders is the norm at home, along with three dogs, four parrots, one rat, and a tub of roaches.
Growing up in a family of animal-lovers, Vega was exposed early on to a variety of creatures. She first grew interest in reptiles when her brother left for college.
“We’ve had almost every type of animal there is, but first I had my brother’s lizard, and I just realized I loved taking care of reptiles,” Vega said. “So, I kept getting more and more, and started studying more about them.”
The various animals in Vega’s house have not only brought in new learning opportunities, but also hilarious memories.
Vega said that her family gathered together to take a picture with all of their pets including her tarantula, Mr. Spider, which she was holding.
With all the commotion of animals and people, Vega grew worried that Mr. Spider might try to make a run for it.
“My dad screamed and the tarantula jumped and fell on the floor, so then everyone scattered out of the room,” Vega said. “I cleared a whole room, and I couldn’t stop laughing.”
Having a range of different pets in her home means that Vega has unique responsibilities for taking care of each kind of animal.
Vega explained that reptiles need heat to survive because they are cold-blooded, and their tanks need to be kept clean along with a lot of water.
“And you only have to feed snakes once a week,” Vega said. “But you can’t forget because if you do, they get angry.”
But Vega said that she can feed her lizards anything.
“I know my lizard likes hot cheetos,” Vega said. “Because he got into a bag of them one time and ate the entire thing.”
Being surrounded by so many animals shaped Vega’s aspirations when she was younger, and she still carries her passion for them.
“For a couple of years, from middle school until maybe freshman year, I wanted to be a zoologist because I love to learn new characteristics about common and rare animals,” Vega said.
Since she was a child, the arachnids and reptiles Vega is surrounded by are family.
“Reptiles are not scary, they are lovable!” Vega said.