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The Reptarium

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Get private access to the zoo available during weekdays and weekends before General Admission hours. 

STANDARD PRIVATE TOUR 

1 Hour Tour - $300

• Maximum of 10 People - Private access to The Reptarium with our Animal Educator on Staff.

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1 Hour Tour with Jessica  our Gecko Breeder - $400

• Up To 10 People  - Jessica will give you a private tour of The Reptarium, and also New Caledonia Gecko room!

JAY PRIVATE TOUR

1 Hour with Jay the Entertainer - $400

• Up To 10 People - Jay will give you a private tour of The Reptarium, and also introduce you to one mammal of your choosing!
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Brian Barczyk, a Reptile Evangelist on YouTube and TV, Dies at 54

A snake breeder, Mr. Barczyk amassed an online following in the millions with cheerful videos that captured his passion for snakes, lizards and other types of reptiles.

By Sopan Deb

Brian Barczyk, a reptile expert whose upbeat videos attracted millions of fans on social media and who starred in the reality TV show “Venom Hunters,” died on Sunday at his home in Michigan. He was 54.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, said Stephanie Kent, a representative of the Reptarium, a reptile zoo that Mr. Barczyk founded with his wife, Lori Barczyk, in Utica, Mich.

Mr. Barczyk’s love of reptiles began when he was a boy. He had said that his earliest memory was coming across a ball python at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit.

“I remember that like it was yesterday, and ever since, I’ve just been obsessed,” he told the online magazine Hollywood Soapbox in 2016 . “No one taught me this obsession. I always tell people, ‘I was born with a reptile gene because it’s just in me.’ I spent every summer catching garter snakes out in the local woods.”

A native of southeast Michigan, Mr. Barczyk spent decades commercially breeding snakes. His company, BHB Reptiles , had tens of thousands of them in a warehouse at any given point, he told The Detroit Free Press in 2015. His customers included Saul Hudson , better known as Slash, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist.

Mr. Barczyk’s rise to prominence began in 2008 with the launch of an educational YouTube channel, SnakeBytesTV , as well as posts on his personal web page. The videos are cheerful how-tos on various snake-related topics, including some in which Mr. Barczyk explains how to safely breed and transport them, how to deal with snake bites and why, contrary to popular opinion, the bites aren’t so bad (depending on the snake).

His following on YouTube had grown to more than five million at his death, while his TikTok account has more than seven million followers. He also had an Instagram account with 1.7 million followers .

Asked once on Reddit to name his favorite python, Mr. Barczyk wrote in response in the Ask Me Anything thread: “I just can’t pick. It’s like asking a Mom to pick their favorite child. I love them all.”

His biggest break came when he was tapped to star in “Venom Hunters,” which ran for six episodes on the Discovery Channel in 2016. In the show, Mr. Barczyk was one of several experts who traveled to far-flung locations to harvest venom from the world’s most poisonous snakes.

He wore his passion on his sleeve. “The whole idea behind it is that interaction, number one, and to also get people super excited about animals,” he told The Free Press in 2018, when the reptile zoo opened .

Brian Henry Barczyk was born on Sept. 6, 1969, and raised by his mother and stepfather, Karen and Mike Miller. He is survived by his wife and their children, Jade Albrecht and Noah Barczyk, as well as two grandchildren.

On Jan. 5, in a video posted on his YouTube page, Mr. Barczyk announced that he was starting hospice care. He titled the video “This Is Goodbye.”

Sopan Deb is a general assignment reporter for The New York Times. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

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Popular reptile expert Brian Barczyk dies after battle with pancreatic cancer

Popular reptile expert Brian Barczyk, known for sharing his passion for reptiles in social media videos, has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer .

The Reptarium, a reptile zoo founded by Barczyk in Utica, Michigan, announced his death on Monday.

“More than the guiding light of our organisation, Brian’s fervent passion for reptiles and wildlife, along with his steadfast dedication to education, has touched innumerable hearts and minds globally,” The Reptarium team wrote on Instagram.

Just over a week ago, Barczyk uploaded an emotional YouTube video titled “This is Goodbye...” to send a farewell message to his five million subscribers and the many fans he has garnered through creating content showing day-to-day life in the reptile zoo, as well as educational reptile videos.

“You guys have followed along, and I appreciate you guys so much,” he said in the video.

“It has been an amazing journey and one that has changed my life; each one of you has changed my life like you can’t believe.”

Barczyk was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer on 27 February 2023. The disease quickly developed to stage 4, he said last year .

He told WXYZ that he was first prompted to go to the doctor after experiencing back pain.

“The pain was abdominal, you know, like from stomach to back,” he said.

Barczyk had kept his fans up to date with his health struggles in his vlogs, letting them know about his pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by B R I A N B A R C Z Y K (@snakebytestv)

His reptile zoo holds around 3,000 animals and is currently completing an extension across from the current building, calling it the LegaSea Aquarium.

However, the expert said in a recent video that he would not be able to see it completed, according to WXYZ.

“We beat a lot of odds in our life; this one we didn’t beat... Please come and see me at the LegaSea; my spirit will be there,” he told fans in his final video message.

“I love you guys. You guys be good, inspire people."

As Barczyk was entering hospice care, he said that his family would continue to complete the aquarium and update his vlog.

Before his YouTube channel became the success it is today, Barczyk was also featured in the TV series Venom Hunters on the Discovery Channel.

His YouTube career has also seen him collaborate with some of the platform’s biggest stars, such as MrBeast and Logan Paul.

He is survived by Lori, his wife of 35 years and their two children, Noah and Jade, according to People.

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'This is goodbye': YouTuber Brian Barczyk enters hospice for pancreatic cancer

L ongtime fans of reptile enthusiast Brian Barczyk are heartbroken after the YouTuber posted a goodbye video as he enters hospice care.

The owner of The Reptarium in Utica, Michigan, posted the 16-minute video titled "This is Goodbye," on Friday after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Barczyk, 54, thanked those who visited his reptile zoo, as well as his over five million subscribers for supporting his work with snakes, geckos, lizards and other reptiles.

"It's been an amazing journey and one that has changed my life. Each one of you has changed my life like you can't believe," he said in the tearful video. "You never die until the last person speaks your name. My hope that the LegaSea Aquarium , my legacy throughout everything, is going to last a long time."

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Barczyk said his team will continue to post videos on the channel after his death and hopes fans will continue show up for the content.

"We're going to tell great stories and we're going inspire people whether it's me or not. I hope you will continue to watch the vlog," Barczyk said. "I wish I was going to be there manning the front of it but let's keep getting people to love animals and wildlife and have experiences and dedicate their life to animals. If that happens I'm happy."

Brian Barczyk races to see dream Aquarium open

Barczyk has long been working to fulfill his dream of opening the LegaSea Aquarium , which will feature an interactive reptile zoo in a 25,000-square-foot former thrift store. The building is currently under construction with hopes to open by March, according to thee The Reptarium's website.

"I hope I'm there to see it open and I'm there greeting you guys. That's the goal but we're a few months off from that. I think I'll be around to see it so I'm excited," Barczyk said. "I want to keep inspiring you guys to follow your dreams. Even in the face in what someone like me is dealing with you can face your dreams and keep going."

The aquarium will also have shark-watching and stingray-feeding attractions in the aquatic area while the land part of the attraction showcases relocated reptiles and intriguing mammals like a two-toed sloth.

Barczyk told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, in June that he wants Macomb County and the broader area community to know that he will always offer a place for visitors to get their hands wet and horizons broadened "regardless of whether I live one year or 25 years."

Fans show support for Brian Barczyk in goodbye video

Barczyk's video was flooded by comments from heartbroken fans.

"I'm sobbing (right now). Thank you, Brian for all that you've done for herpetology! I love you, man. You're an inspiration to us all," one user wrote.

Another user said that Barczyk should not apologize, adding that "we love you and we appreciate the thousands of hours of amazing reptile footage you brought to the world. Thank you for being such a big part of my childhood."

The Reptile Army , a community for reptile lovers, honored Barczyk by releasing #BrianStrong merch to spread awareness about pancreatic cancer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'This is goodbye': YouTuber Brian Barczyk enters hospice for pancreatic cancer