JTK Reptiles owner Bryan Cho with Trisha, his pet albino Burmese Python. Photos by Matt Cohn. 

Perhaps the possibility of an encounter with a reptile makes you a little skittish: Scientists explain this as a vestige of our ancient (and frequently up-close-and-personal back in the day) relationship with the cold-blooded, slithery, crawly creatures. But for Bryan Cho and the customers at his cozy shop, JTK Reptiles (2321 East Seventh Street), caring for a reptile as a pet is perfectly natural.

According to Cho, who has been breeding, selling and trading reptiles for 16 years, one regards a pet reptile “just like a dog. You give them their personal space, you let them roam around, you hold them, you feed them, you bathe them……just like any other house pet.” Well, almost.

Asian Water Monitor.

It’s obvious, watching Cho handle Trisha, his 15-foot-long albino Burmese Python, or Hollywood, his 76-year-old Sulcata Tortoise (which gets to walk outside two to three hours a day during the warm months), that the 39-year-old shop owner is completely comfortable with his animals, and that they are quite happy with him. The larger creatures in the shop are his pets.

“Anything giant in here belongs to me,” said Cho.

Phillipine Sailfin Dragons.

Bryan had been doing good business for several years online with his reptiles, and has doubled his income since he opened his Seventh Street storefront in September of 2014. He has over 50 species of reptiles and insects at his shop, and many more at home.

“I collect rare species of animals,” said Cho. “Snakes, lizards, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, millipedes…..you name it, I have it.”

Greenbottle Blue Tarantula.

Cho is meticulous about simulating the proper climate for each species and keeping them all well-nourished. He has raised all of his animals himself. None of them are poisonous.

A baby reptile at JTK sells anywhere from $40 to over $100, and the store stocks terrariums, heating pads (a requirement for snakes), food, lights, temperature gauges—everything necessary for the proper care of reptilian creatures.

Purple Lavender Reticulated Python.

Cho says that even the most enthusiastic reptile fans are stopped in their tracks by his assortment of exotic insects, such as the six-inch long Vietnamese Centipede or the enormous Greenbottle Blue Tarantula.

Cho enjoys being the curator of such an exotic menagerie, but also sees himself playing a larger role in the conservation of rare and endangered species.

“I don’t want my kids to grow up never seeing these species, having them go extinct like the dinosaurs. I want these animals to stay alive, and find a home,” said Cho.

“When people build a house, thousands of animals like these lose their house. It’s my job to find them a house,” Cho said.

Panther Chameleon.

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