Juliana Stapleton (11) has always loved animals. As a kid, she felt an unwavering connection to them and has since dreamed of a career working with creatures big and small. So, for the past five months, Stapleton has been spending her Sunday mornings tending to the reptiles in the Reptile Department at Helen Woodward Animal Shelter.
Stapleton said her duties consist of feeding, cleaning, and giving water to the 25 animals she cares for. She also gets to play with them, a task she said she finds therapeutic and comforting.
Her days often look like showing up, setting up, performing her tasks, and then getting free time to spend with the animals.
“The first thing I do when I get there is set up all my cleaning stuff–water, towels, that type of thing,” Stapleton said. “Then I go through every single enclosure, and I spot clean. It’s basically cleaning any food, dried food, or feces. Then I fill up their water–they always get new water once or twice a day. For the hissing cockroaches and the death feigning beetles, they get a salad every time. The other ones don’t. The bearded dragons pretty much always get fed as well. Sometimes I give the turtles a soak, like a bath, and sometimes the bearded dragons too.”
Not only this, but Stapleton monitors the humidity levels in each enclosure, making sure each animal is comfortable and safe. The humidity allows certain creatures to regulate their internal body temperatures, fight infections, and help their bodies perform at their best and regulate themselves.
“For the reptiles who need higher humidity, like the tree frogs, they have to get misted,” Stapleton said. “ So for their whole enclosure, I spray them with a spray bottle to keep the humidity levels good. For all the enclosures, they have a thermostat that measures the humidity and the temperature, because it has to be within a certain range. And so I help make sure that the humidity and temperature is the same.”
But her journey to this position wasn’t all smooth, she said. Stapleton had to face rejection and a multi-step interview process before she stepped into the role.
“I had applied when I was younger, because they first start taking volunteers at 14,” Stapleton said. “But at the time, there weren’t that many opportunities, so I didn’t get it. When I didn’t get in, I was pretty upset—so when I turned 16, literally two days after my 16th birthday, I reapplied.”
This time around, Stapleton said she felt prepared for both her interview and the potential duty. In her free time, she also volunteers with horses–a hobby that helped prepare her for animal care.
“I didn’t really have to prepare for the interview that much because I really like reptiles, so I knew a lot about them already just because I liked them,” she said. “During the interview, they ask you some basic stuff about animal care, but you’re not expected to go in knowing everything. They ask stuff like, ‘What’s a mistake you’ve made and how did you fix it?’ They want to see how you’ll deal with [making a mistake with the animals]. Because it’s their life, and it’s really important.”
Stapleton said another thing she enjoys about the job is forming connections with the reptiles and watching them slowly warm up to her the more she spends time with them.
“One of the blue-tongued skinks was really, really scared of me,” she said. “But over time, they’ve started getting used to me. One time, instead of hissing at me when I opened the enclosure, he approached me––and then hissed—but he approached me. Being able to see them start recognizing me is amazing.”
By tending to the animals every week, Stapleton said she’s loved observing the reptiles’ behaviors and habits.
“My favorite part about being there is just interacting with them, because unfortunately, I cannot own every reptile in the world,” she said. “I don’t own a snake, but I get to interact with one [on a weekly basis]. I love petting them, taking care of them, and seeing the way they live. My favorite is this African Ball Python named Fizzy, and I really like the bearded dragons—especially KJ. They’ve gotten really excited to see me, but I think it’s just because I bring them food.”
In her future, Stapleton said she has an interest in veterinary and biological sciences, so she is excited to see how this opportunity will help develop her passion even further.
“I’m not super sure what I’m gonna do with my life, but I like things with science—either medicine or veterinary research,” Stapleton said. “I’ve always [been interested in] environmentalism and animals, or something that has to do with that. I love what I do.”
Stapleton said that her experience tending to the reptiles has helped her overcome fears and deepen her passion for veterinary medicine.
“[This experience has] really solidified for me that somehow in my life, I want to have my [own] animals and reptiles,” Stapleton said. “It also taught me a lot that you’re gonna make mistakes, because I have definitely made a few mistakes—I forget what to do, or I spill a lot of water. I used to be deathly afraid of snakes, but it’s also helped me get over my fear.”
The biggest takeaway Stapleton has learned, she said, was the ability to pay attention to the little details and appreciate the beauty of reptiles.
“With reptiles especially, they’re very shy, everyone is scared of them,” she said. “Reptiles are very misunderstood, but they are the most frightful beings I’ve ever met, truly. The most vicious animal that I’ve had to work with is a hissing cockroach. That was the only thing that’s ever been annoying to me, and everything else is so chill. And also, they’re very subtle with their body language, so you just kind of have to tell or see how they’re acting and how they’re behaving. It just helps you notice the little things.”
