Our Story

Mark Spaid grew up in the small town of Rocky Ford in Eastern Colorado. The prairie land of this area is home to many reptiles, some of which can be very dangerous. Like most people in the area, he had a fear of snakes due to the danger that came with certain species in the area. However, as his son Jacob grew up he had the opposite view of them. Visiting pet stores and the zoos in the Dallas, TX area, he was attracted and intrigued by all of the different reptiles. He would spend time in the yard catching anoles and other small lizards and over time Mark began to educate himself on the different types of reptiles and that led to a respect and attraction to them as well. In 1996 Mark and Jake (7 years old at the time) visited their first Reptile show, and came home with a Leopard Gecko (Named Lizzy by Jake). Shortly after this, their family moved to Western NY, and Mark took on the role of a pastor at a small church. The two of them began working with Leopard Geckos, Bearded Dragons, a few different species of Milk Snakes and King Snakes.

As time went on, Mark and Jake transitioned out of all other species to focus on Ball Pythons and in 2005 had started a small Albino project along with Pastel and Cinnamon. Over the years, with the help of good friends like Steve Roussis and Brian Barczyk, they have had the privilege of building a collection of Ball Pythons that is beyond anything they ever expected, and are so blessed to be able to experience the joys of hatching ball pythons. Though they differ at times on the direction to take certain projects, they have grown closer together through this hobby and have enjoyed building something together.

Currently Mark is pastoring the same church that he transitioned to in ‘97, and Jake works full time at a software company. Though time is limited during the week, the animals are able to thrive in the dedicated facility they transitioned to in 2019.

“We have built this collection, and business on a love for reptiles, and hope to spread the understanding of them to people that misunderstand them. These animals are truly fascinating and we hope to communicate that to everyone we are able to reach”.

Thank you for visiting,

Mark and Jacob Spaid