Jeffrey O'Neil, 28, and Jennifer Kovacs, 26, of Oldsmar, near Tampa, were arrested on Sunday after a family member found their baby daughter crying inside the squalid suburban jungle, local station WTSP-TV reported.
The family member found the child crying and couldn't wake O'Neil, the station said. The relative took the 16-month old and left a note.
The couple reported the child missing, and when Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies arrived, they found the beasts locked inside 88 cages in the home.
In addition to the snakes, lizards and rats, there were mice, birds, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, squirrels, gerbils, and other rodents.
Some were dead, while some had been partially by other animals, the station said.
Cops said the pair bred the animals and sold them illegally over the Internet or at flea markets.
The couple was being held at the county jail. A relative was caring for the child, and the Tampa SPCA took custody of the animals.
The couple was living with Kovac's mother, Joyce, who said she was glad the animals were gone but was upset her daughter was locked up.
"I guess I feel bad for Jennifer and Jeff that they're sitting in jail, and yet they brought this all on themselves," she told the station.
(NY Daily News - Jan 7, 2013)
