A Not So Cuddly Pet

For most people, snakes are terrifying creatures. They are not soft and cuddly and of course do not come off as being friendly. When thinking of a house animal, snakes do not typically come to mind first. Owning a snake seems unusual, but they do not require a lot of maintenance which makes them a great pet. For Danny Lee, snakes have become his passion and pride and joy. 

Danny with a
boa constrictor 

Danny is the owner of DTMG Pythons. He first fell in love with snakes and created the business about three years ago. He started this as a hobby and purchased one snake. After looking at the business side of it, Danny realized what he could achieve and how much he could make in profit. Over the past three years, Danny's business has grown drastically, and he owns 180 snakes. With each snake being unique, Danny and his family have named every single one. Starting this business, Danny did not know much information about breeding snakes. He learned everything he knows now from researching on the internet and watching YouTube videos. Danny has become very educated in this business. 

    Walking into the area where the snakes reside, three of the four walls have containers that go from the floor to the ceiling which hold all of the snakes. Danny labeled every single container with the name of the snake, the last time they were fed, and if they are currently shedding. He keeps everything extremely organized so that he can easily keep track of all of the snakes. Large thermometers sit on top of the shelves to help maintain the perfect temperature for the snakes. The wall has a large, circular thermometer that ensures the temperature of the room remains at the right temperature. One of the most crucial things in the room is the sink, as Danny must wash his hands after handling the snakes and their food. Danny created the ideal space for his snakes. 

Reptile Show 

Danny has expanded his business so incredibly much. To expand his business and make a profit, Danny goes to reptile shows. At reptile shows, Danny presents his snakes with the intent of customers purchasing them. He also goes to the shows to find snakes that other people are selling that he could use for his business. When he would go to reptile shows two years ago, he would put the containers of snakes in his car. Now, he owns so many snakes that he purchased a van that has the sole purpose of transporting the snakes. By having this van, it proves to buyers that Danny is the real deal and knows an abundance of information about breeding snakes. Danny must ensure the presentation of his table and snakes at the shows appear perfect, or else customers won't take him seriously and won't buy from him. He needs to have a tough mentality when going to the reptile shows because customers will try to rip him off and low-ball him. On one occasion at a show, someone wanted to purchase a snake from Danny but did not have a snake to trade. Danny, being as educated as he is, made a deal with the customer. Danny explained, "I will give you the snake for free, but in return you have to give me 50 rats every two weeks." Danny uses the rats to feed his snakes. With the market constantly changing, Danny makes more with the deal he made because of how expensive the rats cost now versus a year ago when he made the deal. Danny strives to continue to grow his business more and more every year. 

This business has a good side to it, but also a challenging side. Explaining his favorite part of the business, hatchling season, Danny shares, "It's like Christmas morning." This is the time of year when the eggs begin hatching and new snakes hatch every day. Hatchling season beings in springtime and lasts 2-3 months. On the contrary, Danny explains the most difficult part is not being able to meet his expectations. Danny's goal with this business is to create a snake that does not exist yet. He attempted to create a unique snake multiple times but has not been successful. Last year, Danny made a new snake, but it unfortunately passed away. This was tremendously frustrating and discouraging for him. While this business has successes and failures, Danny has a great amount of ambition and will continue to aim for his goals. 

Except for one, Danny owns ball pythons. He owns a 7-foot boa constrictor. Danny paid $2600 for the boa constrictor which seems like a lot, but she will have many babies next year which will help Danny's business tremendously. When handling the boa, Danny must be extremely careful as she will start to slither up by his neck. Once she reaches his neck, she will try to wrap herself around him and eventually start to squeeze his neck. Danny must make sure he washes his hands after feeding other snakes as she can smell the rat scent on his hands and will try and attack him. Danny explained that he purchased this boa because he likes black snakes. While this snake can be extremely dangerous, it is a crucial piece to Danny's business. 

This business has become Danny's life, even though he still works a full-time job he makes this business his number one priority. Danny has become incredibly successful over the past three years with his business. His passion and love for the snakes goes beyond words can describe. 

Danny's first snake

DTMG Instagram