When did you start and why?

The other day I was wondering when did someone decide to keep herps as pets? I remember as a kid going to pet shops and seeing only cats, dogs, birds, rabbits and other assorted rodent like critters available as pets.

Now as a youngster I had kept whatever little snakes I go my hands on (with the exception of the rattlesnake my Uncle slapped out of my hands and killed but I'm sure that was due to his fear for my safety) as pets (I made little outdoor enclosures since I had to hide this from my Mother who was extremely afraid of snakes).

So when did you start and why. Did someone bring you into the reptile world or was it seemingly genetically predisposed like I seem to have been since both my parents feared snakes.

I started back as far as I can remember catching snakes growing up in Pennsylvania. There was nothing but a field behind my house and down at the end of the road was a stream and then it was up the mountain. I quickly found out that garter snakes ate frogs when my "pet frogs" were disappearing and my pet snakes were getting fatter. Then one day I witnessed this and then I was hooked more so on reptiles. I'd have to say this happened between the ages of 4 and 6 years of age and I have been flipping rocks and logs ever since and still enjoy doing so.