Meet Connor and Whitney

Connor’s passion for reptiles started early. With family involved in the pet industry and reptile keeping, caring for these incredible animals became second nature. As a kid, he created his own field guides and spent countless hours learning about the animals he loved. That curiosity eventually led him to study Fisheries and Wildlife at Arkansas Tech University, where his passion for reptiles continued to grow. What began as a college elective eventually became the Arkansas Tech Herpetological Society, a club Connor helped establish so students could come together to learn about and share their interest in reptiles. His experiences in college further deepened his interest in wildlife, conservation, and responsible animal care.

While Connor has been a reptile keeper since childhood, one particular reptile helped spark the next chapter of that journey: Montie, his ball python. What began with Montie and an unexpected ball python breeding project eventually grew into a passion for learning how to breed reptiles intentionally and responsibly. From those early beginnings, Russ Vegas Reptiles grew into what it is today, with a variety of reptile species and a focus on responsible care, husbandry, and education.

Today, Russ Vegas Reptiles is a family business built around our shared love of reptiles and the natural world. While Connor is usually the one you'll see working directly with the animals and introducing them to audiences, his wife Whitney is an important part of what happens behind the scenes. She helps bring everything together and you'll occasionally see her behind the camera at events, capturing the moments that make Zoo To You special. She may not always be the one holding the snake, but she's every bit a part of the adventure.

But for us, it's about more than keeping reptiles.

One of our favorite parts of what we do is introducing people to animals they may have never had the opportunity to see up close.

That's where Zoo To You comes in.

Through hands-on educational programs and live reptile encounters, we bring the animals directly to schools, libraries, birthdays, community events, organizations, and audiences throughout Arkansas. We want people to leave not only having had a memorable experience, but having learned something new and seeing reptiles in a different way.

Whether someone already loves reptiles or is a little nervous around them, we believe that meaningful experiences can create curiosity, understanding, and respect.

Our hope is to inspire people of all ages to appreciate reptiles and the natural world, and to help create a future generation that cares about these animals and the environments they call home.