On this page you will find information about Christine Archer and Marc Jenchura, the co-owners of Earthbound Exotics.

Christine Archer

I was raised in an environment where I was taught to love and respect all animals and nature. My parents taught me very early about the many responsibilities of pet ownership, and to extensively research the husbandry of any animal I wanted to have as a companion. Having the opportunity to go to the Toronto Zoo at least weekly as a child also helped to foster my fascination with animals.

My love of reptiles specifically also started at a young age. I've loved dinosaurs for as long as I can remember, so a fascination with the reptiles of today was just natural. I spent many a summer day catching (and releasing!) native snakes and amphibians, as well as working to protect amphibian habitat and snake hibernacula in my community. The late Steve Irwin was another huge influence for me. His passion for creatures hated and feared by so many really had an influence on me growing up. I can only hope to achieve even a small fraction of what he did in his too-short life: educating the public about the plight of reptiles and other animals worldwide. He is still my hero and I miss him dearly to this day.

After seeing my first bearded dragon at a pet expo in Toronto as a teen, I knew that one day I would have one. Not wanting to cause issues with leaving behind animals when I went away to university, I resolved to wait until I had a stable living situation on my own to make one my own. I spent many years researching bearded dragon and other reptile husbandry, I finally got my first bearded dragon, Loki, in 2003. Since then my fiance Marc and I have grown our reptile collection with boids, colubrids, and more lizards. We have big plans for the future, and will only continue to grow and learn more about reptile husbandry.

Marc Jenchura

Growing up, I had very little exposure to animals. My parents were opposed to the notion of animals in the house, thinking they were dirty, dangerous or otherwise unsuitable to have in the house. As such, the only pet I had growing up was a lone goldfish. Because of this, I had an apprehension towards reptiles, especially snakes -- they were often portrayed as slimy, dangerous creatures, and I had little knowledge or experience to counter this misconception.

When I met Christine, this rapidly changed. She exposed me to reptiles, first through bearded dragons and eventually through snakes. The first exposure was when she got Loki; he's such a character! He was always interested in seeing what we were doing, following us around and climbing on our shoulders. He wasn't scary at all, despite looking it. Later, she got her first snake, a ball python named Nathan. This was my first exposure to a snake that wasn't behind glass; he wasn't slimy, wasn't terrifying at all.

My exposure to reptiles continued and I came to love them. So much so that, when we went to a friend's place and I saw their Kenyan Sand Boa, I absolutely adored it. Sand boas are so cute! I just knew that was the type of snake I wanted. Fast forward to today, where we now have many sand boas, crested geckos and other reptiles, and I love them all. Reptiles are truly fascinating creatures, and to me, they are just the greatest.