If you meet Robert Emigh at his jewelry store in the Butler Commons Plaza, he may sell you a brilliant rock, but depending on the right conversation, he may also tell you about his unique pets.

He doesn't name them. He doesn't play with them. He feeds them only once every two weeks, and sometimes in the winter, once every month or so.

“People think you gotta feed your pet every day,” Emigh said. “Nah.”

In the basement of his Center Township home, Emigh pens his snakes in an intricate system of heat-regulated boxes.

Emigh owns two snakes, a black and yellow jungle carpet python, seven feet long, and a red-tailed boa constrictor, eight feet long.

The snakes are placed in plastic tubs that function like drawers, and beneath one side of the plastic tub, there's a heating plate.

The heating plate is controlled by a computerized thermostat that slowly elevates the temperature the plate's to 90 degrees before shutting off and letting the plate naturally return to 80 degrees, where it will turn on once again.

Emigh said keeping snakes comfortable is about keeping the temperature in their bins dynamic and ranging.

In the bins are also a container of water for them to soak and cool and also layers of newspaper, Emigh's favorite bedding for the snakes, which he can demonstrate with a hand-held thermometer aimed between layers of newspaper that show a decrease of 10 to 15 degrees.

“People used to insulate their houses with newspaper,” Emigh said.

Emigh said his role as the owner is to keep the snakes calm. The calmer they are, the easier they are to handle, if he needs to handle them. But for the most part, he leaves them to silently occupy their bins.

“Snakes are docile,” he said. “They don't want to be bothered.”

Emigh began raising snakes a little more than 15 years ago, but he has always been fascinated by the reptile.

“As a kid, if I saw a snake, I'd have to catch it,” he said.

Emigh began with a ball python, which he described as a great snake for children and first-time snake owners. He said he has owned close to a dozen different snakes over the years. One of his favorite snakes didn't even come from a breeder.

Emigh said he once found a severely injured black rat snake, and instead of leaving the animal to its death, he brought the snake home for care. Over a period of a few years, Emigh cared for the snake, and it amazed him with its docile nature.

“He was a wonderful snake,” he said.

He said the rat snake never bit him; that's something he cannot say about many of his other snakes. He said it is common for snakes to bite and nip when they are younger or when their environment changes.

Emigh said he brought home his carpet python eight years ago, and, upon arrival, the snake proved to be feisty. He said he recalls having been bitten quite a few times, and that constrictor snakes bite differently than other fanged species.

Many constrictor snakes don't have fangs, and instead boast multiple rows of tiny hooked teeth that help them latch onto their prey while they work their strong muscular bodies around to begin strangulation.

Emigh said the weapons may be small, but they are many, and they hurt equally as bad.

“It feels like if someone punched you with a handful of razor blades,” he said.

Emigh said after years of experience, he is able to see the signs of a stressed snake. He knows that's exactly when they should be left alone.

“I haven't been bitten in a couple years now,” he said.

Emigh said the main mistake most rookie owners make is not washing their hands after handling the snake's food, which is typically a thawed rat carcass. Emigh keeps the rats frozen nearby and thaws them out when he needs them.

Emigh said when the rat thaws out, its odor will rub onto the handler's hands. Snakes typically have poor eyesight, used merely for sensing motion. And with motion and scent, that is enough stimulus for a snake to strike, thinking its meal has arrived.

When bitten, Emigh is probably thankful that he doesn't own anything he actually considers a threat to his life. He said he thinks most of the constrictors he has owned are quite harmless to most adults.

“I've never kept any poisonous snakes,” he said. “That's too dangerous.”

Emigh said he doesn't shy away from mentioning his snakes in any environment, even to a customer.

“A lot of people think I'm crazy when I tell them I have snakes,” he said.

He said the snakes are a great way to start a conversation because most people love them or hate them.

“Ninety percent of people hate snakes; 10 percent of people love snakes,” he said. “But, everybody is fascinated by snakes.”

Emigh said snakes are a very misunderstood creature that offer a unique perspective and an interesting sight to behold. Maybe not everyone can be a snake owner, but maybe someday people may stop being so afraid of them.

“They're just like every other little creature,” he said. “They just want to survive.”