By Alec Carlson
Staff Writer
Reptiles are not the typical creatures that come to one’s mind when searching for a new house pet, especially in regards to snakes. However, one Mira Costa senior feels otherwise.
Ivy Dawson has been involved with caring for reptiles since the age of three. Her passion for these animals started when her mother took her to Petco and purchased her very first Leopard Gecko, a crepuscular ground-dwelling lizard that is naturally found in the deserts of both Asia and Pakistan.
“The leopard geckos are pretty hardy to keep in captivity, which makes them the good first-time reptile because there is room for error when caring for them,” Dawson said. “I did eventually end up getting two more when I was four years old but I did not get any snakes until I got into middle school.”
Since that first gecko, Dawson has taken her love for reptiles to new heights. She now owns a large collection of reptiles at her house, consisting of 11 snakes, two geckos and several other unique creatures.
“I also adopted several different Ball Python morphs, which have genetic pattern mutations, because they all come in hundreds of different varying colors, and they are all very cool looking,” Dawson said.
Before taking in a cold-blooded creature, Dawson spends a lot of time researching the specific reptile to ensure that she is capable of properly caring for the creature.
“I always research for weeks or months before getting a new species so I can be better prepared for any common issues that they may have,” Dawson said. “There are so many different and unique species out there to learn about.”
Caring for such a diverse and extensive collection of reptiles can be a very time-consuming and stressful endeavor. Dawson, however, never fails to manage both her reptiles and her academic career at Mira Costa.
“Sometimes, I get stressed out when I have more than one enclosure which the animals live in to clean, but that doesn’t happen often,” Dawson said. “I would not keep more animals than I can manage to take care of.”
After high school, Dawson plans to attend Santa Monica College for two years and then is considering attending University of California, Davis or California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in an effort to become a herpetologist, a scientist who specializes in the study of reptiles as well as amphibians.
“This summer, I am getting my own apartment so that I can have more room for my reptiles,” Dawson said. “As far as school is concerned, I intend to study reptiles further.”
In addition to dreams of becoming a herpetologist, Dawson hopes to open her own zoo of reptiles.
“I know I want my future to involve working with and studying reptiles and amphibians,” Dawson said. “There is absolutely nothing else I would rather do in the future.”
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