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Clint's Reptiles
Clint of Clint’s Reptiles has become one of the most popular reptile-focused content creators on YouTube, amassing over 340,000 subscribers. We spoke with him about his YouTube videos and what he believes everyone should do before buying a reptile.
When did you begin your YouTube channel?
A friend approached me about starting a channel in 2017. I assumed there would be a ton of channels that do it, but there were not at the time. Now I get to educate people on a scale I never imagined. My biggest passion is learning and sharing what I’ve learned with other people.
What was your first video?
One of the first videos was ‘Top Five Reptiles for Beginners’. It is still one of the most watched with over 1.2 million views.”
What are other popular videos?
There are a number of newer videos getting a lot of views. ‘Five of the Best Pet Lizards You Could Possibly Get!’, ‘King Cobra, the Best Pet Snake?’ and ‘Argentine Tegu, the Best Pet Lizard?’ are others that have been very popular.
Do you have a favorite video?
I have a few that I like a lot. There are some that I am very passionate about and get excited about when I find someone that has seen them. I really like the four-part series on Ball Python genetics. I created them and tested them as part of my PhD coursework. Not many people have watched them.
Will you explain the reptile scoring system you use?
There are five categories we use when we rank an animal – handleability, care, hardiness, availability, and upfront cost. Looking at these five areas and total score can help determine if a pet is right for you…that’s just an average, though.
So you can use the scoring system as a guide?
You need to pay attention to each of these five things but figure out which of them matter to you most. For instance, you can have an animal that is basically the perfect pet but completely not handleable. If you want to hold your pet than it’s complete deal breaker and that’s not the animal for you.
What advice do you have for someone trying to decide on a pet?
“The main thing I would encourage people to do is sit down and be very honest with themselves about having a reptile. Get a feel for the reality of what owning this pet would really be like. I think there are a lot of animals that people want to interact with, but only for a couple of hours.”
Do you have advice for parents that want to get a reptile for their children?
“I think it is very important to understand that, unless your child is older or exceptionally responsible, you are really the one getting the pet. You are responsible for its survival. The pet does present the opportunity to teach some level of responsibility, but the child is not going to be totally responsible for it.”
Any other tips you can share?
“I think one of the things we often overlook are the expenses aside from the cost of the animal. You should purchase your enclosure, and anything else that the animal is going to need and set it up before you buy your pet. Everything else is going to cost considerably more than the pet.”
Do you have other resources you recommend for people who want to learn more?
“There are really good YouTube channels out there that teach different things than we do. Our focus is to help you figure out if an animal is a good fit, not really to give you a ton of detailed care information. Snake Discovery and Dãv Kaufman offer a lot of really good information on the care of specific animals. I also recommend going on social media and joining groups dedicated to the animal that you want. Find out what care sheets they recommend. If there’s a source that is pretty much a consensus in the group, read those care sheets and a few others.”
