This family is fascinated by snakes.
A Florida man has turned his garage into a haven for hundreds of exotic reptiles, even letting his young children cuddle with slimy snakes in his bed.
“It's normal for our family,” said Sokratis Cristofor of Fort Lauderdale. told SWNS.
“The kids aren't afraid of reptiles at all, they're just curious. We're lucky as a family to share our love for reptiles.”
For the Christophoros family, who own 200 snakes, including a rare green python, an Amazonian boa, a Boerenian python, and two venomous species, including the hind-tusked biomoth, snakes are a big deal. love is a family-wide relationship.
SWNS reports that most of the animals are housed in the family's converted serpentine garage, a carefully controlled environment with special heating and cooling zones within each enclosure depending on the change of day and night. are.
This means your home will stay at a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 68 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
Mr. Cristofor, 45, said his interest in snakes developed at the age of 6, when he spent his free time catching venomous pit vipers in his New Jersey backyard.
His parents were worried at the time, but their love for him only grew stronger. He started collecting snakes himself in 2001, but was forced to stop due to the 2008 financial crisis.
Cristofor credits his 9-year-old daughter, Arianna, with rekindling her attraction in 2016 when he bought her her first pet, a corn snake named Snowflake.
“The moment Ariana held Snowflake, I saw that same sparkle in her eyes,” Cristofor told the magazine.
“From there, our collection continued to grow. Now we have one of the most unique snake rooms in the world.”
Maintaining a vast collection is a labor of love.
Christophorus spends about $1,300 on snake food every few months and is required to follow strict guidelines.
Families should pay special attention to two poisonous species.
“I have a venomous snake license, so all the cages that contain venomous snakes are locked and labeled,” Cristofor said.
“We have never run away from it. It's hard work, but it's especially rewarding when we see children grow up with respect for nature.”
The proud father describes his daughter and son Maximus, 5, as expert snake charmers, with Ariana reportedly keeping up to 30 of her scaly pets in her bedroom.
The children's favorites are the two Boerenian pythons named Fancy and Megatron, who often cuddle and play together.
“This is to break down the stigma of wanting to show people that snakes are beautiful and not something to be feared,” Cristofor said.
“Snakes are not evil. Snakes are misunderstood.”
