12 Aug 03
My name is John Gibeau, and many know me on FrogNet as the guy that it is really easy to add inflection to his writing while reading, and most of that inflection is loud. (It has been described as a train wreck before - You have to read it, even if you don't like it, you just can't help but look ) I am 34, and have kept just about everything from cobras, to geckos, to pythons, to turtles, and bred most of them to some degree. I have finally settled on the darts as a specialty, though I am expanding into some different tree frogs as well. I have been into them ( poison frogs) since about 89, when I saw them for the first time in the wild, while training during my military service in Central and South America during the ongoing drug importation wars. I actually saw azureus in the wild. (whoo hoo!)
Many years later, after leaving the military, (about 1996 or so) I met Todd and Christina, and after seeing a setup of D reticulatus, that was all she wrote. There were still animals that I liked, but I moved more and more into the direction of the darts, until I am where I am now; over 30 species of poison frog, a room that is nothing but frogs and frog food, as well as display tanks throughout the rest of the house.
My life used to be very violent and bloody, with my release being my animals, and my imagination wondering how easy it must be to be a captive raised python or poison frog, fed constantly and never know predators. Amazingly, I consider myself lucky because now I can live that release, and wonder that to my hearts content.
I am due to get married this next April, and my up-coming wife will post her own intro, as her story of getting into the frogs is different than mine of course, and the pick-up line of "Want to come back to my place and see my frogs?" would work every time on me, but is not a real lady killer I found out.
Jennifer and I co-own the "company" www.Tincs.com, and while it is not profitable by any stretch, we sure do have a blast with it. Our mutual love of the frogs, and the release for our own creativity with the tanks and their design and construction has actually worked massively to our advantage, because I am not the easiest guy to get along with 100 percent of the time.
These introductions are kindof an on-going thing, and improve with age; as we all do - My first intro was probably more of a political rant about the logging industry vs. the pet trade, rather than an actual intro, and was more because I did not know what I was doing otherwise, other than talking. (I still don't know what I am doing really, but hide it well by pointing out I have been here a long time - hoping that will mean to the person reading it that I am capable of learning.)
John Gibeau
www.Tincs.com
The Fattest, Healthiest Poison Frogs on the 'Net!
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