Jose Alberto Delgadillo dreams of having a reptile display store in Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, although for now he just lives in his house with 45 snakesfrom the most harmless to the most poisonous, which he cares for as if they were his children, in order to demonstrate, among other things, that these animals are not dangerous if they are not bothered.
Delgadillo, a 27-year-old veterinarian who lives in Matagalpa, a city in northern Nicaragua, lives in his home with 45 snakes of 15 species —some very poisonous like the yellow beard (Bothrops atrox)—, which he considers his “pets”.
The young reptile collector explains to Efe that he welcomes snakes into his home in an attempt to end the prejudice and stigma suffered by these exotic, even biblical, animals.
In its collection it has, among others, false coral, boa constrictor, rattlesnakes (Crotalus), pythons (Pythonidae), Green snakes (Oxybelis fulgidus), all species that exist in Nicaragua, and that have been rescued, given away and others bought. in hatcheries.
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Your house is a reptile shelter
Delgadillo says that eight years ago he discovered his love for reptiles without suspecting it, when he had an iguana as a pet and could not find, in the place where he lives, who could take care of it when it was sick, which motivated him to study veterinary medicine and specialize in snakes. .
Now, in addition to serving clinical cases in reptiles and domestic animalshas a collection of 45 snakes that they try to keep in an environment similar to their natural habitat, in terms of temperature, humidity, adequate lighting, as well as live foods that are typical for these species.
The living room of his two-story house is full of terrariums, glass boxes and wooden boxes that he opens without problems to be able to clean or feed the snake that is inside.
In addition to him and his unusual companions, the house is inhabited by a tenant, a dog, twelve tortoises, six iguanas and three bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), which are totally harmless and which he caresses as if they were cats.
The house has now been converted into a small reptile shelter, for which a symbolic price is paid to enter and see.
If you are allergic to dogs and cats, adopt a snake
The place regularly receives visitors, especially on weekends, and its purpose is to show the “goodness” of these animals, since, he says, they are calm and only attack when they feel threatened.
“They are animals that are really demonized. The animals (snakes) are there, they don’t move, they don’t make noise, in a certain way they do tend to be boring animals,” he says.
Delgadillo recommends that people adopt them as pets, in case they are allergic to dogs or cats.
“Reptiles are a very good option,” says the veterinarian, who regrets that snakes are unreasonably killeddue to ignorance and lack of animal education.
He celebrates, however, that although there are “many people” who do not like snakes “for religious reasons, for taboo reasons, or because of what our grandparents taught us”, there is a small part of the population that accepts them and Mark the difference.
Delgadillo, in addition to collecting reptiles, is also sought by the residents of northern Nicaragua to release the snakes found in the city to a safer place.
He dreams of having a hatchery in Managua
That experience, in his opinion, means that a part of Nicaraguans “is learning that these animals are not bad,” which, he says, “feels quite good, it’s gratifying.”
His fame as a snake breeder in Nicaragua has led him to dedicate himself to selling live food, such as rats, mice or worms, to other people who have the same hobby.
He keeps the rodents and insects in an isolated room in the same house that houses the snakes, and he vitamins and feeds them with a special concentrate.
In the future, the young wants to set up a store-farm somewhere in Managua, where people can get to know the different species of snakes without fear of being bitten, because, he insists, these animals only attack if they are disturbed.
According to a study carried out by the Nicaraguan biologist, herpetologist and naturalist Milton Salazar-Saavedra, there are 107 species of snakes in Nicaragua, of which only 13 are poisonous.
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