Lolly Brown is equally comfortable writing about exotic creatures like the Mexican axolotl or dispensing practical advice to dog owners about kennel cough.

As a child, Brown first learned about fish and aquaria when her father brought home a 10-gallon aquarium as a surprise for his daughter. Within months, the father-daughter team graduated to a 120-gallon tank and were immersed in the intricacies of tank population management.

“We had that go-big-or-go-home mentality common to the hobby,” Brown said. “Now I look back and think about what we did to Mama’s living room! She was very patient with us.”

Brown’s fascination with animals continued in college, where she took numerous field biology and wildlife classes that allowed her to view the behavior of many species in their native habitats.

She calls this period of her life the “rodent years,” since her only apartment roommates were two hamsters, Hemingway and Leo (Tolstoy). “I also adopted a Guinea pig purely because I couldn’t stand the conditions in the pet store,” she said. “Trust me, I was in no way prepared to care for Molly and I had to learn fast!”

“The only other time I went into a pet adoption blind,” Brown added, “I came home with two green anole lizards. Then I found out I was going to have to feed them live crickets.