237: The Viral Dad Who Trusted a Giant Snake with His Toddler | Ed Taoka - AAH

Ed Taoka of “Sonny and Cher Reticulated Pythons” joins today’s episode to discuss his experience with Reticulated Pythons, and more specifically, in handling and socializing with them and his daughter. We discuss how he began his journey in keeping retics, feeding moments vs handling, their high level of intelligence, and more! Ed shares his knowledge of snake body language, being in tune with animals, and the process of taming an animal, leading to how he keeps retics around his child.SHOW NOTES: https://www.animalsathomenetwork.com/237-ed-taoka/JOIN US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/animalsathomeLINKS FROM THE EPISODE:Ed’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonny_cher_retics Ed’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SonnyandCherReticulatedPythonsWe Discuss: 0:00 Introducing Ed Taoka 2:27 Welcome Ed + How Did He Start Keeping Reticulated Pythons 10:27 Worries In Starting With Retics 12:42 Socializing + Interacting With Ed’s Snakes 18:39 Feeding vs Moments of Handling? 21:55 How Intelligent Are Reticulated Pythons + Body Language 27:28 Beginnings In Interactions With Snakes and His Daughter 34:45 His Daughter’s Reaction to Snakes 35:45 Animals At Home Patreon 36:06 Snake Precautions Around Children 38:22 Social Media Perceptions 41:03 Retic With His Cat? 42:36 Inspiration To Start Social Media + More Perceptions 55:10 How Has Internet Fame Affected Ed? 59:22 Ed’s Daughter’s Relationship with Snakes Now 1:02:51 Future Enclosure Plans 1:06:16 Closing Thoughts