Education and Ethical Breeding of Amazing Animals
Mission statement
The 3 E's of Jimmyz Jungle
Here at Jimmyz Jungle we believe that Education is key to understanding, appreciating, breeding, and housing reptiles. We want to dispel any myths and inaccuracies about snakes in general and snakes as companion pets specifically. Through education we can come together and build a better understanding and appreciation for these wonderful animals.
We believe the best form of education is through Entertainment. Here at Jimmyz Jungle we strive to ensure our presentations are fun and accessible to learners of all ages. Through our YouTube channel we work to ensure that our content is accurate, engaging, and impactful. Being fun and enthusiastic ensures viewers are having a good time as well as learning how to care for their animals.
Most importantly, we believe in modeling sound Ethics through implementing safe and humane breeding practices. Our team is trained in caring for and socializing snakes from the moment they are hatched from the egg. We use modern techniques proven to adapt our snakes to being handled in a way that will eliminate fear responses such as flinching, and head shyness; ensuring a fun and relaxed experience for humans and animals alike.
We strongly believe in not breeding any snake that is already known to have neurological issues. Common issues such as head wobble and star gazing do not make for a thriving animal. Choosing breeding pairs carefully to ensure deformities will not be present in the resulting offspring is a point of pride for Jimmyz Jungle. Ensuring breeding pairs are matched according to their strong genes and positive characteristics in temperament and coloring is essential to producing an animal that will make for a great companion. Hearing from our customers about how personable and docile our snakes are has been, and continues to be a wonderful thing.
We are committed to learning as we go. As the industry changes for the better, and more knowledge is brought into the reptile community, we at Jimmyz Jungle strive to expand our knowledge on proper husbandry, training, care, feeding management and overall ways to ensure these animals thrive. Transparency about the evolution of our practices is an important part of the Jimmyz Jungle story. Our evolution from learning the less than ideal care practices of the 90s, to being properly informed of the best practices used today and tomorrow, is an essential part of who we are and what we do.
Jimmyz Origin story
Where It All Began
The Story of Jimmyz Jungle
When I was 8 years old, my second-grade class went on a trip to a place called “Roaming Reptiles in my hometown of Kingston, New York. It was a wonderful place full of animals that would come to make up a fundamental part of who I would grow up to be. This “Roaming Reptile Zoo” had reptiles from all corners of the globe. I was so excited that day as I first learned about eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, Burmese pythons, boa constrictors, alligators, Pacman frogs, king cobras, and so much more.
During the summer of 1993 my father (and namesake) took me to “Roaming Reptiles” every other Saturday. I became a regular and the staff would allow me to handle the more social animals, such as hedgehogs, ferrets, and tortoises. From that summer on, I knew I wanted to have my very own reptile zoo.
After each visit, as we drove home from the zoo, I would describe to my father exactly what I wanted in my reptile zoo. I wanted to create a hands-on educational experience. I envisioned a program where all of my animals would be socialized and be comfortable being handled by students and guests. I described what I would come to know as ethical practices and standards.
I knew I would need to have animals for sale to ensure I was able to continue spreading the love and awareness of how awesome reptiles are. Those afternoons with my dad, I dreamt of a combination of a pet store and reptile zoo that was never far from my mind's goals as I grew up.
My father agreed and supported my idea. He was always game to entertain my then 9-year-old imagination. He drafted me a picture of what it could be, and he called it “Jimmy’s Jungle”. The vision we created that summer carried me through the tumultuous years to come.
When I was 14, I was gifted my first ball python, a classic I named Mozart. He was a gift from my neighbor as a reward for being on the honor roll in school. Mozart was an amazing classic/wild type ball python. I would take him everywhere with me during the summers. He always ate well, and always seemed to be in good health. After having Mozart for a few years, people saw that I was good with him and eventually I was given another ball python from a friend who could no longer care for it. Not long after that, another friend gave me their older boa for similar reasons. This became a lifelong pattern: I eventually just became known as ‘the snake guy’.
Fast forward to 2019; I’d relocated to Portland, Oregon. My life had taken a direction that had made me truly happy and healthy. As I explored my new city, I found a wonderful pet store in my new neighborhood. There, I found my first reptile friend in many years, a Hypo Boa I named Morrison. I went looking for the store specifically because I heard they had different morphs of ball pythons. However, after only 10 minutes of talking with an employee about ball python morphs, I couldn't help but notice Morrison looking curiously at me the whole time. Enticed by his grace and curiosity, I asked to hold him, and I was in love instantly and forever.
As a kid in the ‘90s my animals did well, considering how they were kept. I used glass tanks with newspaper bedding, a water dish, and a heat light on top of the tank. It was a pretty standard home care set up for reptile pets at that time. When I brought Morrison home in 2019 and started researching, I realized how little I previously knew about boas, pythons, and their proper care.
Today, unlike in the ‘90s, I am armed with the internet and its vast stores of knowledge. With all this information at my disposal I began to realize that the way I cared for reptiles in the ‘90s was less than stellar. The improper care was solely due to ignorance, but it was still inexcusable. Once I realized how wrong I had been caring for my previous reptiles, I dedicated myself to learning how to properly care for these amazing animals going forward.
Within two weeks of bringing Morrison home, a coworker asked if I could take over her adult ball python that she could no longer care for, a beautiful and peaceful standard ball python named Hope. True to her namesake, Hope brought with her the reality of a dream, and she moved in with her new roomie Morrison. Each snake was provided with its own comfortable and tailored living space and Jimmyz Jungle, as it is today, began to take shape.
When the pandemic hit, I was frightened by the uncertainty of the future. The world as we knew it was changing and we had very little idea of or control over what tomorrow might bring. I sat in quarantine with Morrison and Hope, along with a growing menagerie of reptiles, watching the world evolve around me.
While watching YouTube videos of knowledgeable and inspiring people such as Brian Barczyk from The Reptarium, Emily and Ed from Snake Discovery, Clint from Clint’s Reptiles, and Kevin McCurley from NERD, I started to realize something: These people had the same dream as I, and more importantly, they were making it happen. The time had come for me to focus on building the jungle that my dad and I had dreamt of, all those summer days ago, into a reality. Seeing these others succeed gave me the confidence to add my name to the reptile community and inspired me to share my knowledge and experience with what reptiles can be. They have shown me the path that I can take to make my childhooddream of educational and ethical reptile care come true.
I decided that to best understand the processes and science behind breeding and caring for these creatures, I would need to start at the very beginning with breeding healthy and interesting snakes. I realized that there would be no perfect time to go forward with my Jungle. No matter what I had or did not have, I just had to get to work; I just needed to get started. I continue toresearch and I’m constantly learning and growing. With so many amazing reptile professionals in this world, it can be intimidating to not have their level of expertise, but I promise that I am not far behind: What I may lack in experience, I make up for with love. I am grateful to have so many great people to learn from as I get started. They too had to start somewhere, andwith hard work like theirs, I know that I too can achieve my dream of “Jimmyz Jungle”. My commitment to myself, my animals, and my dream is unwavering. I only wish that my father was still here to see that his son’s dream is coming true.