Hiss!

The Northern New Jersey Snake & Reptile Club

Hi, and welcome to the Hiss website! Founded in 2020, Hiss is a new group of like-minded junior high and high school aged reptile fanatics based in Northern New Jersey. We’re down with all things reptiles and meet regularly (usually with our reptile brothers and sisters) to talk reps, learn from each other, watch movies, and have fun. Of course, we also pursue initiatives to support our reptile brethren, and work to educate younger kids about the wonder of snakes and other reptiles. If you slither, have scales, or just own something that does, you’ll find yourself in good company here, and we invite you to join!

Want to promote Hiss?

Download, print, and post our flyer in your school, community center, or wherever!
Click image to download

We share your weird interest!

Let’s face it: most people think snakes and reptiles are gross. And, a lot of people are just plain scared of our scaled friends. But for those of us who have taken the time to understand and get to know the reptilian world, reptiles are not just endlessly fascinating, they’re also the kindest, most gentle, and, well, yeah, coolest creatures around!

Some may say our interest in snakes and reptiles is weird. Of course, it’s those same folks that realllllly want to actually hold our pets. 🙂 They’re slightly put off and at the same time extremely intrigued and drawn to them. So, if you share our weird interest and want to get to know other like-minded, non-boring, reptile-loving kids, think about joining our club.

Become a member!

Misssssion

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To educate

Between misinformation online and general misconceptions about reptiles, the world needs to better understand our scaly friends, so it can love and appreciate them as much as we do! Whether in school, running a snake education class for our fellow students (yeah, we do that), or out in the world in casual conversation with strangers, we're always looking for opportunities to better educate humans about the wonder of reptiles.
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To support

We're a young club, still growing, but part of our Mission is to support reptile-related initiatives in Northern New Jersey and beyond! Whether helping out at a local nature preserve cleaning cages for free, or creating merchandise for sale as fundraisers to support reptile protection agencies and organizations, we strive to help in any way we can. Yes, we're very much about having fun together, but we're also deeply passionate about making a difference.
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To make friends

Originally, Hiss was conceived as an opportunity to bring kids together with a shared interest in snakes and other reptiles, and that's still one of our main goals. We believe that our common passion for these creatures connects us to each other in a way sports or video games or other pursuits simply can't. An interest in snakes and reptiles creates a unique sense of brotherhood (and sisterhood!), and that's just the sort of community we're looking to create.
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To slither

To slither is to have fun. :-) And that's what we're looking to do. Of course, we're interested in finding ways to improve the state of the world for our reptile friends, but on top of that, we use our Meetups as an opportunity to enjoy time with like-minded kids. We share youtube channel recommendations, watch reptile-themed movies, nosh on reptile-themed snacks, get to know each other's reps, and form new friendships. If that sounds like something you might be into, consider joining!

Meetups & Events

Meetups

Hiss tries to meet up once a month. Typically, our club gathers at our founder’s home in Tenafly, NJ, but we’ll sometimes meet at another member’s home. During the warmer months we may meet up at a park or other public space (with our pets!). Contact us to find out when our next Meetup is scheduled!

Argh. On hold until the pandemic is over. Be over!

Events

In addition to club meetups, Hiss also makes trips to nearby reptile events such as reptile shows, wildlife events, speaker series, and other notable happenings around the area. When there are events scheduled we’ll post them here and solicit interest from our members about attending as a group.

What to expect at a Meetup

Meetups are all about getting to know other kids with a shared interest in reptiles and discussing how we can make a positive impact on the reptile world (either through education, fundraising, or other methods). Some of the things we do at our meetups include:

+ Member spotlights

+ YT channel sharing

+ Pet intros and sharing

+ Guest speakers

+ Reptile movies!

+ Photo and video sharing

+ Reptile-themed food!

+ Planning/fundraising

contact us to meet up!

The gallery

Our human and reptile members

Jack & Monty

Pepper

Monty’s bday, 2021

Cinco De Monty

Greg with a Cheerio hat

Anna with baby Gizmo

Geo! David’s Blue Tongued Skink

Orly’s stunning Kenyan sand boa, Tequila!

Mario, just doin’ his thang

Jack & Greg

Young Gizmo, dangerously close to the edge

Python Shade

Pepper

Tequila, exploring new textures

Max’s incredible dragon, Mario

Gizmo getting some love from Anna

Rosy sayin’ hi

Party Monty

Pepper

Monty (Python)

Monty (Python)

Gizmo, scaling Mount Anna

Pepper

Jack & Monty

Pepper

Pepper

Jack & Monty

Pepper

Meet Orly’s adorable Kenyan Sand Boa, Tequila.

Baby Monty staying warm

Anna and Gizmo

Monty’s escaping!

Monty stretching out

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About our founder

"Love is a slithery thing"

Hi! I’m Jack, reptile enthusiast and founder of Hiss. I formed Hiss in order to connect with other snake and reptile lovers in my area (Northern New Jersey), share information, educate each other and the world around us, and make friends with like-minded kids. The club is still young (we just launched our website in January of 2020), but I have big plans and goals for it!

My love of reptiles began a few years ago with the adoption of my Ball Python, Monty. She (yes, she, kind of a funny story) is the love of my life. I spend much of my free time with her on my lap, taking her for slithers, and playing catch (okay, that could be an exaggeration, but I’m certain she’s as capable as our dog). On occasion, she comes with me to school. Raised from a baby, Monty is now about 4.5 feet long and 5 lbs. She’s quite robust, and probably full grown at this point. 🙂

Having Monty in my life has inspired an interest in reptiles more generally. I devour all information (online and in books) about snakes and other reptiles, and I’m always excited to share what I’ve learned about these amazing creatures.

I truly love meeting other snake and reptile lovers, so, if you’re interested in becoming a member of our growing club, send me a note at hissreptileclub@gmail.com or just use the contact form below.

Thanks, and slither on!

Get in touch

The more, the better!

Copyright 2023 Hiss Snake & Reptile Club of Northern New Jersey