Features Column

Reptile specialist gets to play with newts, frogs and snakes, oh my!

By jennifer priest-mitchell

The Times, Mar 29, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

(Jennifer Priest Mitchell is a writer who lives in Beaverton. She can be reached at jnjmitchell@yahoo.com)

Abandoned bird nests, slithering snakes and rats around the neighborhood— all the makings of a perfect day of outdoor play for many little kids.

In some cases, those lucky children grow up and still get to play with, care for and teach others about the fascinating world of nature in the form of scales, claws and appetites for bugs.

Chris Stenerson was once among the curious children who adored the outdoors and every small creature he could find.

“Like a lot of little boys, I guess, I loved to find snakes and other small animals when I was playing outside. My mom did not like that too much. Sometimes she’d let me keep one, but it was easier to settle on a true pet that everyone in the house agreed on,” shared this Petco employee, who is now the reptile specialist at the store on S.W. 117th, off of Canyon Road.

And just what does it mean to be a reptile specialist?

“Well, you have to earn that title,” he explained. Petco actually has a training program where employees can become specialists in a variety of areas by reading specific books, taking part in the hands-on care of those types of animals and by passing a test.

“Once I passed the test and earned the title, then I began to specialize in the care, maintenance, and upkeep of the reptiles [in the store] and their habitats,” he said.

Stenerson is also the go-to person for would-be reptile owners who come to the store.

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