It started when he badgered his parents to let him buy a hamster with his pocket money when he was six years old.
Now college student Liam Andrews has more than 300 exotic pets, including tarantulas, snakes, scorpions, lizards, birds and creepy-crawlies living in the family home..
The 16-year-old even shares his bedroom with 60 of the creatures and sleeps alongside 12 tarantulas, eight snakes and five deadly scorpions.
Despite his parents' fears of snakes and spiders, the animals all cram into the modest three-bedroom semi-detached house in Desborough, Northamptonshire.
Liam Andrews, 16, at home in Desborough, Northamptonshire, with one of his pet tarantulas and Sally the corn snake
The college student shares his bedroom in the family's three-bed semi with 60 of the creatures
Liam loves his pets so much he watches TV with his snakes - including Monty, his 6ft-long python - wrapped round his neck, and even takes them shopping.
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He spends two hours a day feeding his menagerie - which cost around £1,300 a year to feed - and reckons he has been bitten or stung at least 200 times.
The college student is allowed to keep the incredible haul of creatures by his long-suffering parents despite his father Nigel suffering from a phobia of snakes and his mother Jayne hating spiders.
This scorpion is one of Liam's more dangerous pets. He has been bitten or stung at least 200 times
As well as his exotic pets, Liam also has three dogs, including cocker spaniel Thornton (pictured)
Liam said he enjoys the company of animals more than people.
He added: 'I much prefer animals to humans - if someone is worried about the health and safety of a person holding a snake, I am much more worried about the snake's welfare.
Liam keeps 12 tarantulas in his bedroom and takes their shed skins to show his mother, whatever the time of day or night
'I have around 60 reptiles and other exotics that sleep in my bedroom with me - luckily so far none of them have escaped.'
But he admitted his passion for pets was not helping his love life and he had never had a girlfriend.
'I don't think many girls would like the spiders in my bedroom so I don't bring many girls home,' he said.
Liam's obsession with animals began when he saved up enough pocket money to buy a hamster when he was just six years old.
Since then, he and his parents have splashed out £8,500 on his staggering hoard of pets which he buys online, from rescue centres and from exotic pet shops.
He has a total of 306 animals ranging from the smallest baby golden knee tarantula measuring just 3mm to the largest exotic corn snake at 6ft 3in long.
The family also have two Labradors called Sam and Max and a cocker spaniel named Thornton.
Liam, who is studying animal management and welfare at Moulton College in Northampton, added: 'I spent four years trying to convince mum to get me a snake and, one year on, I had six snakes, ten spiders, and 200 other animals.
'I always watch TV with a snake around my neck, but I have given our local shopkeeper a real fright by turning up with my python.
'The next time I went into the shop, there were two signs on the shop door, one saying "no dogs" and one saying "no reptiles".
'I think the worst bite I got was from a small galliwasp lizard which latched on to my hand through a glove.
'Most of the bites and stings aren't that bad, you just have to know how to handle the animals.'
His mother, 45, added: 'Liam is totally obsessed with all his animals.
'I hate spiders and would never hold one, yet he wakes me up to bring me the shed skin of a tarantula at midnight.
'Last week, I found a cricket hopping about in the shower cubicle when I went to take a shower - I'm dreading what I might find next.'
And father Nigel, 52, revealed he had the shock of his life recently when he found two king snakes mating in the downstairs toilet.
He said: 'Liam was looking for somewhere warm for the snakes to mate and Jayne had just put the radiator on in the downstairs loo, so he put them in there.
'I was scared stiff when I went to the toilet, sat down and had two snakes looking up at me.
'But Liam loves his animals and despite our reservations, me and his mum support him all the way.'
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL... LIAM'S PET COLLECTION
A green anole similar to the one owned by Liam
12 tarantulas
Two king snakes
Two corn snakes
Two hognose snakes
One milk snake
One royal python
Eight green anoles (small lizards)
Five scorpions
30 giant African land snails
Two leopard geckos
Two Pictus geckos
Three dogs
100 tropical fish
12 golden orfes (fish)
30 goldfish
24 zebra finches
Six Bengalese finches
Two canaries
Eight tropical frogs
Two tomato frogs
Two White's tree frogs
20 leaf insects
30 stick insects
Bengalese finches, left, and a giant African land snail, right, similar to those owned by Liam Andrews