William Garland is a “reptile person.”

The Charlotte senior cares for dozens of snakes, turtles and other reptiles as part of a busy day.

“That’s one of the things that got me into reptiles,” he said. “You can have 500 of ‘em, and it’s no big deal.”

Garland, 22, owns about 14 red-tailed boa constrictors, several leopard geckos, a bearded dragon, poison dart frogs and alligators, among others. He is majoring in biology and owns Garland Exotics Pets and Supplies, 1321 S. Mission St.

He also is president of the Herpetological Society at Central Michigan University. His three alligators were rescues from owners who did not want them any more, Garland said.

Garland may be a full-time student and a business owner, but he says his animals are just about the easiest obligation he has.

“Feeding a snake is like $50 to $60 a year,” Garland said.

He compared it the cost of caring for a cat or dog — about $20 a month, or $240 a year. He said he only has to clean cages about once a month.

Garland said he gets bitten far more often by the feeder rats and mice in his shop than by any of his reptiles.

Garland holds a poison dart frog. Garland said because a lot of apartments don’t allow cats or dogs, people look for alternative pets such as snakes, frogs, lizards and spiders. (Matthew Stephens/Senior Photographer)

“I used to have guinea pigs, but I got tired of taking care of them, so I fed them to my snakes,” he said.

Raves for reptiles

Gregory senior Sam Zuccala owns chameleons, geckos, a tortoise and tree frogs. He said he tries to get them out of their cages every few days.

He got his first box turtle when he was 7 years old, and has been an enthusiast ever since.

“I’ve always liked reptiles more than anything else,” Zuccala said.

Jeff Bajena, a 21-year-old Mount Pleasant resident, had long wanted a snake for a fairly simple reason: His mother wouldn’t let him have one, he said.

As soon as she relented, he went overboard, he said.

He now owns several red-tailed boa constrictors, including an 8- to 9-foot-long snake he is thinking of naming “Big Girl.”

“Red-tails are just big babies,” Bajena said, noting he enjoys the reaction people have when they see him with a snake wrapped around his neck.

Garland said many local apartments allow animals as long as they are kept in an aquarium-like environment.

However, Residence Life at CMU forbids any kind of pet other than tropical fish in residence halls, according to the office’s online violations guide.

E-mail the author: Connor Sheridan