Eric has always been interested in the natural sciences, biology, and zoological fields. In the fall of 2007, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin (now Platteville-Sauk County) with an Associate of Arts and Science degree. Then he attended the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point to obtain a Bachelor's degree of Science with a major in Biology and emphasis in herpetology and business. For him, education concerning the proper care of these animals and promoting responsibility in the hobby in the best ways that possible are of importance. He has also been one of the longest running board members with the Madison Area Herpetological Society (MAHS) since its inception in 2010. It all started at an early age at around 5 or 6 years old, where he caught his first wild garter snake at a petting zoo in Door County Wisconsin. Eric has always liked all animals in general, and can never remember being afraid of snakes or other reptiles. He liked Jurassic Park and dinosaurs, as well as reading every book he could find about reptiles while frequenting every local reptile show and pet store in Wisconsin and Illinois. For six summers in a row, he also attended Swift Nature Camp, an environmental youth conservation summer camp in northwestern Wisconsin, where he loved catching local reptiles, amphibians, and anything else and keeping them up at their nature center for a few days. His first "official" reptile was a California Kingsnake named "Tut" (after King Tutankhamun), and his passion for reptiles continued to expand from there! "Growing up as a kid, he had a number of other family pets as well that he helped care for, including cats, dogs, fish, hamsters, rats, and other small mammals. Outside of reptiles and field herping, Eric also enjoys collecting dinosaurs (especially Jurassic Park), and vintage toy hunting at thrift stores, swap meets, and garage/estate sales, especially if they are toys from the 1990's or early 2000's." He has kept a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians over the years; however, his main interests are various species of boas, pythons, and colubrids.