Florida dad keeps 200 exotic snakes in converted garage and some of them even sleep with his kids

This family is snake-charmed.A Florida man has transformed his garage into a haven for hundreds of exotic reptiles — and even lets his young kids cuddle with the slithery serpents in bed.“It’s normal for our family,” Socratis Christoforu, of Fort Lauderdale, told SWNS.“The children don’t fear them at all, they’re just curious about them and we’re lucky as a family to share this love for reptiles.”The love for snakes is a family affair for the Christoforus, who own 200 of the serpents — such as rare green tree pythons, Amazon basin boas, Boeleni pythons and two venomous species, including a rear-fanged Bioga.Most are kept in the family’s garage-turned-serpentarium, which is a carefully regulated environment with special heat zones and cool zones in each enclosure for day and night variations, SWNS reported.That means the home is kept at a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the night.Christoforu, 45, said his fascination for snakes sprouted at age 6, when he spent his free time catching venomous copperheads in his New Jersey backyard.His parents were concerned at the time, but his love only continued to grow — he even started his own snake collection in 2001, but was forced to stop due to the 2008 financial crisis.Christoforu credits his 9-year-old daughter, Ariana, with rekindling his fascination in 2016 when he bought her a corn snake — her first pet — named Snowflake.“The moment Ariana held Snowflake, I saw that same spark in her eyes,” Christoforu told the outlet.“From there, our collection just grew.Now we have one of the most unique snake rooms in the world.”Maintaining the massive collection is a labor of love.

The Christoforus spend about $1,300 every few months on food for the serpents, and are required to adhere to strict guidelines.The family has to be specially attentive to its two venomous species.“I hold a venomous license and every cage with venomous snakes is locked and labe...