How Do You Feel About Tarantulas? Meet Olivia’s Animal Menagerie
Olivia Houck isn’t your typical headshot kinda gal. She loves bright colors, breaking the traditional, often stodgy mold in the healthcare industry.
Throughout the project planning process, my clients and I connect online. Olivia followed me on Instagram, and naturally, I crept on her feed.
And then I saw her pet tarantula.
And her pet snake.
If we’re being perfectly honest, the animal menagerie Olivia has acquired is off-color for most people. But for Olivia, it’s totally on point with her funky, vibrant and curious personal brand. Learn more about Olivia and her personal life.
What would people find interesting about you?
Whenever my little menagerie of animals comes up in my work or volunteer life, it always surprises people. I'm pretty quiet and reserved, and people don't seem to peg me for someone with pet pythons and tarantulas.
I always love to get the opportunity to educate people on misunderstood animals, whether it be pit bulls (I rescued a “pittie” from City Dogs Cleveland at the start of quarantine), snakes, or spiders. It's such a great feeling when people start to let go of fear and get interested enough to ask questions about my animals.
Photo courtesy of Olivia Houck.
What made you get into this new venture? What's something interesting about you/your life?
I've been an animal lover my entire life. I spent a lot of time as a kid begging my parents for a snake. I finally got my first snake a few years ago, and things took off from there.
The world of exotics quickly opens you up to other animals, and I found myself researching tarantulas. There are many, many species of these animals, with so much to learn about each one. It’s actually amazing what you learn about climate types and ecosystems around the world as you learn about these animals and their native environments.
What's your hope or vision for the future? What are you dreaming will come to fruition?
I would love to see the world of reptile rescues expand. I volunteer for a local animal shelter, and I love getting to help the dogs and cats in need.
With many reptiles having a lifespan of about 20 years, it is not uncommon for people to need to re-home their reptiles. I absolutely love that Cleveland is home to a wonderful reptile rescue called Herps Alive. I adopted my boa constrictor, Franklin, from them a couple of years ago. Thanks to them, so many reptiles get the care they need until they get a new home.
Photo courtesy of Olivia Houck.
do you feel like there's something the world needs to understand?
People seem to be freaked out most often by my tarantulas, which is understandable since most people either don't know much about them or have gotten incorrect information. They're actually very gentle creatures and have many behaviors that are fascinating to watch.
For example, they do a "happy dance" after you feed them where they basically dance around in circles before settling down to eat. They're very clean, and can often be seen cleaning off their feet by preening, especially after a meal. They truly make wonderful, low-maintenance pets.
You can follow Olivia Houck and her fascinating reptiles by heading over to her Instagram account.
