archive The actor, musician and digital influencer, Johnny Klein was born in the neighborhood of Tiradentes, in São Paulo, and became known on social media with his YouTube humor channel “Uatafuke?” with videos of skits and parodies of famous songs.
In addition to his professional vocations, Johnny is still a true “pet father”, having no less than seven pets of different species: two dogs, two snakes, two water tiger turtles and a lizard – and the relationship with reptiles arouses the curiosity of many people.
“My interest in reptiles arose not long ago, about two years ago, when I discovered this universe,” the actor tells Canal do Pet. “First I caught two water tiger turtles, then I caught a snake called Nebula, a Rainbow boa constrictor of the Cerrado. Then I got Carly, who’s a Pogona, and lastly I got a BCI [Boa Constrictor Imperator], her name is Alita. All of my animals come from legal breeders. I even have authorization from Ibama and all the necessary documentation to have them.”
The actor reveals that he was afraid of snakes, and that his inspiration for having such “unusual” animals came from videos he watched on the internet.
“What made me want all these animals was because I saw a video about snakes and I was intrigued, because I was afraid before. I started researching and I fell in love, I understood a little about each species, then it was a path of no return.”
However, the love for animals is nothing recent, being something that has been with him throughout his life.
“I’ve been passionate about animals for as long as I can remember. I used to live in a super small apartment with my family, but I’ve had three rabbits, a quail, a dog, a chick, a turtle tortoise — which was stolen from me,” recalls Johnny who, even with a vast list of animals, says there are still many others he would like to have as a pet. “Currently I really wanted to have a hedgehog, I think it’s a very cuddly animal.”
It
is common for people to have a certain strangeness when it comes to having reptiles as pets, because, theoretically, they do not show the same affection as traditional ones (dogs and cats), which Johnny confirms.
“Really some of these animals don’t show as much excitement, or almost none, like snakes, they are not animals that interact and want affection, but what I like about them is to observe their behavior,” says the owner, adding that these are docile animals and there is no reason to be afraid — in cases of animals born in captivity, It is worth mentioning.
“It’s an animal that people are very afraid of, but believe me, my snakes, for example, are very docile, and not only mine, most of the breeders that sell this type of animal, already send them ‘tamed’.”
He adds: “The turtles and my caterpillar are very interactive, not like a dog, of course, but they are animals that like your presence, what amazes me the most is Carly, she interacts a lot, asks for food, comes close to you, sometimes it even seems that she likes affection like a dog.”
A shock to visitors
Snakes and lizards often cause a shock to those who see them for the first time, even if people are not afraid. So Johnny tries to make them understand that these animals don’t actually do any harm.
“People are always shocked, and they don’t understand why I have this kind of animal or why I like it. I always try to educate on this issue, I’ve even made people who were afraid of snakes lose their fear, I always say that we are afraid of what we don’t know. So when people come to my house and have contact with these animals, I try to make them change their minds,” she says.
With
so many different animals, care must meet the needs of each one, whether with food, hygiene, among others. To attend to everyone, Johnny takes turns taking care of his fiancée, Camila Bertani.
“The feeding of these animals is very calm and easy to do, but it is definitely not for everyone, for example, my caterpillar eats cockroaches, crickets and mealworms, a lot of people are afraid of insects, so they would never be able to have an animal like this”, says the actor, who also likes to vary the diet of the Pogona with leaves, vegetables and fruits.
“[With] turtles the same thing. They eat fruits, leaves, fish, and a feed made for water tigers. As for snakes, I buy rats from vivariums, and offer them already slaughtered, never alive. There are people who like to offer live rats, I personally think it’s unnecessary, and I prefer to avoid the suffering of the rat.”
To keep all the pets healthy, the actor takes them to the veterinarian every six months for a complete check-up.
“My routine with these animals is easy, but I also have help from my fiancée Camila, who loves to take care of my caterpillar. [With] the dogs, the turtles and the caterpillar, the care is daily. I wake up, feed Carly, usually offer some leaves like kale, mustard greens, arugula and change her water bowl. Then I’ll offer food to the turtles, Pepe and Neném.”
“[For] my dogs, my fiancée always puts out food for them in the morning and once in the evening. Snakes, on the other hand, are the easiest animals to care for. I change their water tank every five days, and I feed them every eight days, usually because they’re still small and growing,” she says.
How much does it cost to take care of so many animals?
Johnny reveals that his pet expenses can vary, monthly, between R$ 800 and R$ 600 – just with day-to-day expenses.
“With snakes I spend an average of R$ 50 per month and that’s it, with turtles I have an expense of R$ 70, with my caterpillar R$ 80 monthly, but the animals that give me the most expenses are the dogs, which range from R$ 400 to R$ 600 per month.”
Professional life and plans for the future
In 2023, the actor joined the cast of the Multishow sitcom “No Corre” — which should premiere on TV Globo in the first half of 2024 — alongside comedian Marco Luque. He also had the opportunity to act alongside Mexican actor Edgar Vivar, the Mister Belly in the series “Chaves” (El Chavo del Ocho).
“[It was] the most amazing experience of my life in acting. I’ve always been a big fan of ‘Chaves’ and when I joined the project I didn’t even know he would be,” says the actor about acting with Edgar Vivar. “When I found out, I almost had a chilli, just like Chaves’s.”
“On the first day of the set I even got emotional, many memories of my childhood came to my mind, and Edgar Vivar, as Mr. Belly, was definitely part of my story.”
As his career grows, Johnny intends to expand even further in his career as an actor and musician. “Currently I’m focused on improving my English, I have the dream of acting abroad and I’m also focusing on music. I’m a big fan of Trap, I’ve even I released four songs and later this year I intend to release more new songs”, he adds.
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