Shadow standing among his sulcata tortoises in Miami

Our story

It all started with a tortoise named Tank

Every tortoise in this photo exists because a grandfather handed a three year old his first sulcata. This is the real story behind Shadow's Reptiles.

100+animals in the family
360+shows performed
1M+followers at our peak

From a five-acre farm to a Miami sanctuary

The whole story

  1. Age 3

    Grandpa hands me a tortoise

    I have loved animals for as long as I can remember. As a kid I was obsessed, especially with dinosaurs, which is probably why reptiles grabbed me so early. When I was three, my grandfather gave me Tank, the now-famous sulcata tortoise. I kept him along with many other animals on my grandfather's five-acre farm. I even had my own reptile room.

  2. 2009

    We lose the farm

    When I was nine, we lost the farm, and with it every animal. Except one. Tank stayed with me.

  3. Age 16

    Tank meets Luna

    I decided Tank needed a companion, so I got him Luna. In the summer of 2018 they had babies, and that is the moment Shadow's Reptiles was born.

  4. 2019

    A million people follow along

    I started sharing the journey online and grew past a million followers. As more people found me, I began rescuing animals that needed new homes. But social media became overwhelming, so I stepped away to focus full time on what actually matters: caring for the animals.

  5. 2022

    The shows begin

    I started doing live animal shows to share these animals with kids and adults across South Florida. Teaching people how to interact with animals the right way, especially the misunderstood ones, became the heart of what we do.

  6. Today

    Rescuing, breeding, and teaching

    We are still rescuing, still breeding healthy captive-born animals, and still doing educational shows all over Miami, Broward, and Palm Beach. And we are working toward the biggest goal of all: buying back my grandfather's farm and turning it into the ultimate sanctuary.

The mission

Buy back the farm. Build the sanctuary.

Every show we perform, every animal we rehome, and every sale in our shop moves us one step closer to bringing the five-acre farm back into the family, this time as a true sanctuary. When you book us or buy from us, you are part of that.

Book a Show Follow the Journey

What that looks like day to day

Three ways into the family

Children meeting animals at a Shadow's Reptiles show Animal encounters Birthday shows, school programs, and events with up to 14 animals. Shadow holding exotic reptiles Captive-born animals Tortoises and reptiles raised by hand, with a one-month health guarantee. A bearded dragon being fed during an encounter Care guides Field-tested husbandry written from daily experience, not copied from the internet.

Say hello

Questions about an animal, a show, or the sanctuary? Email sales@shadowsreptiles.com or call 786-584-0533. We answer personally.