Who We Are

It all started when two six-year-olds fell in love with nature.

From a very early age, Trenton and I were obsessed with animals of all kinds. We spent nearly all of our time outside looking for bugs, snakes, and anything else we could find, or watching Animal Planet together whenever we were inside. We are cousins and part of a large, close family, so we grew up spending a lot of time together. Anytime there was a sleepover or we were anywhere near nature, we were exploring creeks, flipping rocks, or wandering the woods looking for animals.

We are only a year apart, but we both started keeping animals around the same time, when we were about five or six years old. I started with a leopard gecko and soon after added a tarantula. Trenton started with snakes. His parents were definitely more lenient than mine and allowed him to keep all the really cool animals like sugar gliders, flying geckos, and red-eyed tree frogs, so naturally we spent a lot of time at his house.

As time went on, I slowly convinced my parents to let me keep more animals too. House geckos, anoles, and just about anything else I could talk them into. Whenever we were together, animals were all we talked about. We were weird kids and total nerds. We were made fun of at school, but we did not care. We accepted that we were different and leaned into it.

We spent countless hours at zoos, reading books, and learning everything we could from television. Because there was very little accurate information available about exotic animal care in the early 2000s, we learned by observing, experimenting, and comparing notes, constantly sharing what we were seeing with the animals in our care.

Keeping animals as kids was not easy. Our parents could not really guide us, and we did not yet know how to research properly. We did the best we could, and we learned quickly. That early experience shaped how we approach animals today. Proper care goes far beyond a water bowl and a temperature range. Understanding behavior, nutrition, enclosure design, and long term care matters just as much as keeping the animal itself.

Today, education is just as important to us as breeding and keeping animals. We work to be a reliable source for others in the hobby by sharing accurate, experience based information about every species we work with, not just the basics. Helping people truly understand their animals is something we take seriously, because good education leads to better care and better outcomes for the animals.

By the time we were 11 and 12 years old, we were already talking about opening a zoo, charging admission, and starting breeding projects for endangered animals. As teenagers, we discovered reptile expos, and they instantly became our theme parks. We dreamed of the massive shows where animals stretched as far as you could see.

Eventually, we made it to them. When we attended the Daytona Beach NRBE for the first time, we were in shock. It was overwhelming and unforgettable. We talked nonstop about how incredible it would be to one day sell animals there. At the time, though, that dream felt unrealistic. We assumed working with animals would always just be a hobby. Breeding rare and fascinating species and sharing them with others was always the goal, whether we were successful or not.

Right before college, we downsized our collections and tried to be realistic. Our parents encouraged us to focus on traditional careers and move on. That phase lasted about three years. Something was missing. One year into college, we started keeping animals again, and funny enough, we found ourselves right back where we started. Trenton returned to keeping snakes, and I returned to tarantulas.

That is when Exotics Unlimited began.

Not as a business idea, but as a way to live out the dream we had carried with us since we were kids. Nearly a decade later, we now vend at the very expos we once walked through in awe, and we work with many of the animals we used to only dream about keeping, along with countless others we never imagined we would have the opportunity to care for.

What has not changed is the foundation. Hands-on experience, constant learning, and respect for the animals always come first. I am truly grateful and feel incredibly blessed by how far we have come, and I look forward to a lifetime of joy working with these animals.

More than a business. A lifelong passion.

William