About Me:
I strongly dislike when people unsolicitedly feel the need to talk about themselves, but I feel that this About Me section may give both my customers and visitors to the site a better idea of who exactly I am.
My passion for reptiles and animals started at a young age. At age 6, my grandfather taught me how to find and catch corn and rat snakes, and we kept them for a few days in a giant pretzel jar before letting them go. One day, while reaching into the pretzel jar to remove a corn snake, the snake struck and latched onto my finger. Instead of causing me to fear snakes, I became more and more fascinated by them after my first bite.
I started seriously collecting reptiles and snakes in middle school, and by high school has amassed a collection of around 20 or so odd snakes, and was ready to start my "business". I got the name RepTillis after a high school newspaper article featuring me and my snakes branded me with the name from my last name Tillis. I decided it would make the perfect name for my "business" (at the time more of a glorified hobby), and though I originally started out breeding frogs, lizards, and a variety of other herps (Hince the name RepTillis Herps), I have since narrowed my scope to a wide variety of python species. My first year breeding I produced 20 snakes, and have since doubled that number every year since 2008.
Throughout high school, I worked for famous turtle biologist, Dr. Peter Pritchard. And through his guidance and my own drive, I was able to expand my passion for reptiles through sea turtle volunteer work in Costa Rica, along with trips to Europe, Galapagos, and all over the US to expand my herpetological endeavors. I also did venomous training back at the old Glades Herp Farm.
When I turned 18 in 2012 and was accepted into the University of Florida, instead of living in a dorm, I decided to expand my operations into a 5 acre farm, complete with outbuildings, outdoor pens, and a genuine facility to expand into.
Throughout college, I have continued to grow my business exponentially, along with being a full time Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major at the University of Florida. I also work part time at another reptile facility; Ophiological Services, as a python reproduction manager. In my spare time, I work with a foster agency for unwanted parrots, and work with a variety of Macaw and parrot species as a foster caretaker.
I have used my growing background in conservation to experiment with a variety of green reptile- farming techniques on my tract of land. After several years to establish, I have created what I believe is one of the greenest reptile facilities in the world, by using integrated waste management techniques. Because I breed my own rodents, I have a literal ton of organic waste to dispose of once every three weeks. I use this organic waste as compost, which is used to fertilize and grow grass. The grass in turn feeds my small goat herd, which produce milk and baby goats that I can sell. I also have a semi free-range chicken flock that is supplementally fed using dust at the bottom of rat food bags, supplying me with eggs. Compost is also used in a small garden that is watered using water from changed out water dishes and a small fish pond. This grows vegetables for myself, and my handful of tortoises. All of this is combined with extremely insulated outbuildings, and a variety of natural spaces for native wildlife. This creates a system where I can create the most efficient outputs out of the least amount of input, and utilizes waste products by refashioning them into other uses.
As of 2015, I am entering my last year of college, and plan to continue growing my business with the launch of RedBloodPython.com ; a site dedicated to the information of Red Blood Pythons. In the future, I also hope to use my life science background to help aid, study, and address some of the problems facing the current reptile industry and am currently working on a handful of invasive species projects including a small group of black and white tegus, and some south Florida wild caught burmese pythons.
-Steven "Rep"Tillis
Throughout college, I have continued to grow my business exponentially, along with being a full time Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major at the University of Florida. I also work part time at another reptile facility; Ophiological Services, as a python reproduction manager. In my spare time, I work with a foster agency for unwanted parrots, and work with a variety of Macaw and parrot species as a foster caretaker.
I have used my growing background in conservation to experiment with a variety of green reptile- farming techniques on my tract of land. After several years to establish, I have created what I believe is one of the greenest reptile facilities in the world, by using integrated waste management techniques. Because I breed my own rodents, I have a literal ton of organic waste to dispose of once every three weeks. I use this organic waste as compost, which is used to fertilize and grow grass. The grass in turn feeds my small goat herd, which produce milk and baby goats that I can sell. I also have a semi free-range chicken flock that is supplementally fed using dust at the bottom of rat food bags, supplying me with eggs. Compost is also used in a small garden that is watered using water from changed out water dishes and a small fish pond. This grows vegetables for myself, and my handful of tortoises. All of this is combined with extremely insulated outbuildings, and a variety of natural spaces for native wildlife. This creates a system where I can create the most efficient outputs out of the least amount of input, and utilizes waste products by refashioning them into other uses.
As of 2015, I am entering my last year of college, and plan to continue growing my business with the launch of RedBloodPython.com ; a site dedicated to the information of Red Blood Pythons. In the future, I also hope to use my life science background to help aid, study, and address some of the problems facing the current reptile industry and am currently working on a handful of invasive species projects including a small group of black and white tegus, and some south Florida wild caught burmese pythons.
-Steven "Rep"Tillis
