My Rant

[Coils]

I'm not sure if this falls DIRECTLY under this category, but I just can't take it anymore and have to get all of this off my chest.

I hope you people who love ball pythons and general reptiles as much as I do agree with what I have to say. First of all, how many people here who love reptiles ever get a chance to sit down and watch Animal Planet, Discovery, TruTV or other stations that talk about snakes from time to time? Has anyone EVER noticed that when watching these channels snakes always get a really bad reputation?? I'm so sick of hearing how awful snakes are and how "deadly" a creature they can be on these stupid programs. ESPECIALLY when they show like a corn snake or something and say it's capable of being a "killer". Of course they are predatory, but they talk about snakes in the sense that ALL of them are a danger to -humans- and a potential threat to our well being!

I went off the edge last night upon watching a clip of a redtail boa being handled in a bar. Supposedly the owner was showing it off and even let it sniff and tongue flick a baby's face. Why a baby was in a bar I don't know, but even I would never stick a baby with a snake no matter how much I trust the animal. The redtail was a rather large size as well. Amazingly nothing happened with the baby and snake encountering one another; HOWEVER, when the snake was passed to a younger girl the snake bit a man standing nearby in the face when he decided to lean in and give it a kiss. The narrator or host of the show starts laughing and comments, "Oh my god. That right there is why no one should own a -snake-," as if you’d have to be stupid/crazy to love a reptile.

Okay....I was beyond pissed. People are probably ten times more afraid of snakes than they should be because of stupid shows like this. I am not sure why the snake got agitated, but who knows for sure. It probably had just had enough of the excitement and large crowd of people. They are animals after all. A cat can and in fact IS usually prone to attack or bite for no reason! What is the difference then? No one on these shows ever comment on a cat being dangerous or "deadly." Dogs could even be considered "deadly" if you had to go by the amount of times people actually HAVE been bitten or attacked by them and YET they are "man's best friend". No offense my furry friends.

On a previous day I also watched a clip about a snake that was loose in a dorm complex on Untamed and Uncut(Animal Planet). The narrator spoke dramatically about the animal being a huge killer and capable of constricting it's prey to death as pythons do. During this they showed a short video of a huge burmese killing a deer and then more quick shots of retics. When they flashed back to the dorm complex they showed the alleged "killer" snake that had wondered into the bathroom toilet....it was a freakin' BALL PYTHON! For crying out loud it wouldn't even be capable of killing a human. They can bite and what-not, but come on...seriously??

As the narrator continued to talk dramatically about the "killer" snake he said that a special crew had to come in and properly removed the "wild animal" so everyone could be safe in the dorms. Upon saying this they showed the "special" group of people just reach in a calmly grab the snake out of the toilet. It didn't even react or attempt to attack anyone....and yet they failed to mention how it put up no fight once so ever and was a docile creature that was probably someone's lost -pet-.

I am just so sick of snake's getting such a bad reputation on the TV. Everyone out there who doesn't actually OWN one of these amazing animals and has no experience is going to buy right into all this crap. About a week ago they had a 2 hour long special on the Invasive Species in Florida. Can you guess who was the main culprit of it all? Of course, snakes. I understand that it IS a problem and that VERY stupid people out there abuse their right to own these exotics, but the way they spoke about the snakes was the same as any other program. Supposedly every known snake in the entire world is "deadly" and a threat to our lives, capable of killing or seriously injuring us. It makes me sick to my stomach listening to such garbage.

You let me know when a ball python or corn snakefor that matter is responsible for the death of a full grown human being. Sure a large python could do some damage if hungry enough, but again…it’s stupid people who aren’t responsible and stupid TV shows that play up how deadly they ALL are that adds to the entire scare of owning a snake or other reptile in the US.

Thus ends my long rant. Hope you enjoyed if you actually read the entire thing. Now please enjoy some pictures of me and my own tame and lovely redtail boa, Eve that I had to add just to show how much joy you actually CAN get in owning a snake! <3

[SK_Exotics]

Sigh, I don't think anything will ever change.
People would need to quit judging each other before they can quit judging snakes.

[Coils]

Sigh, I don't think anything will ever change.
People would need to quit judging each other before they can quit judging snakes.

I really really wish it WOULD all change...

[SK_Exotics]

Yeah me too. Tv doesn't do snakes much good, and the shows that tell the truth about snakes just aren't good tv I guess.

Sam

[mpkeelee]

ya whenever something involving reptiles comes on TV i usually end up getting pissed off and yelling cuz people are dumb.
Why was that baby in the bar? LOL
i also hate it how cats and dogs can get away with biting and scratching people. the only dog that has a small amount of fear with the breed is pit bulls, and i love them, they are just big babies. i really dont know of a way to change the way people see snakes, its all psychology, and im not very smart. lol we just have to keep doing what the reptile community is doing and keep educating people and fighting for our rights to keep our beloved pets.

oh ya, and watch out for that boa on ur arm, it looks like a killer

[Coils]

ya whenever something involving reptiles comes on TV i usually end up getting pissed off and yelling cuz people are dumb.
Why was that baby in the bar? LOL
i also hate it how cats and dogs can get away with biting and scratching people. the only dog that has a small amount of fear with the breed is pit bulls, and i love them, they are just big babies. i really dont know of a way to change the way people see snakes, its all psychology, and im not very smart. lol we just have to keep doing what the reptile community is doing and keep educating people and fighting for our rights to keep our beloved pets.

oh ya, and watch out for that boa on ur arm, it looks like a killer

Haha, oh yes, she was ready to bite my face right off! And lol I have noooo clue, but they said they were in a bar on the clip and there was a baby! I found that funny also.

I too really like pitbulls, it all has to do on how they were raised and handled. I am actually a fan of the PitBoss show on TV right now because they are working to IMPROVE the reputation and promote the breed unlike these other things always acting way too dramatic and stupid.

That's what really just pissing me off the most with all this....that someday probably in my life time the snakes and reptiles WILL be banned in the US because of crap like this helping to promote it.

[anatess]

You need to quit watching those idiot shows and watch Bindi the Jungle Girl instead. LOL. She has a pet burm that shows up as a guest a lot in her show and she sleeps with a cornsnake in her room - "Snakes, we love them!" - direct quote!

[Russ Lawson]

Yeah, I refuse to watch Animal Planet anymore. I used to enjoy the channel when I was younger, but now at least 90% of their programming seems to be about "killer animals" or "animal attacks." Most of the shows out there on the Burmese pythons in the Everglades just make me angry to watch as well. I've lived in south and central Florida all my life, and it's been a fact of life (albeit unpleasant for me - an individual with a keen interest in biology) that on any given day I'd likely see at least as many exotic as native animals, often more. I find it extremely irritating and hypocritical for people to have only really begun to make a huge deal about invasive species with the Burmese pythons. The one good show I have seen a few episodes of was, of course, Python Hunters on Nat Geo Wild with Shawn Heflick, Greg Graziani, and Michael Cole.

I will tell you, however, that as a biology student at the University of South Florida, most of the people I've talked to majoring in biological fields have had the same opinion of these sort of "shock factor" shows as us, which I see as a good thing. Anyway, I'm sure all of us here share your frustration with this sort of garbage being constantly aired on television, but unfortunately it does feed on the stereotypes people have about these animals. It would be nice to be able to alleviate some of the negative stigma the general population has associated with snakes, and I try to do my part in that by educating any new people I meet about them (showing them pictures of pretty ball python mutations on my phone never hurts). I think any little bit to get people to open their eyes some and not believe everything they see on tv or hear in the news about these animals is helpful.

By the way, beautiful boa you've got there! Can't wait for my Hog Island pair to get around that size in a couple years!

[Falconsmith]

I totally agree, that's ridiculous. When someone I know finds out I keep snakes the first question is about being bitten and then they look at like I'm out of my mind. I like the idea of having pets that most people don't have but just because someone is uneducated on them doesn't mean they have to assume that they're all killers.

[Salem Purrs]

Animal Planet has just gotten to the point where they want to get people to watch, so they show "shocking" videos that catch people's attention. Someone will want to watch a snake go "crazy" and bite someone. You notice they dont show someone's killer pet hamster going wild and attacking a 6-year-old girl... even though I know for a fact it happens. Hamsters really -are- evil little buggers...

Dogs bite their owners sometimes, and strangers more often. Cats bite whenever they feel like it, because they're just contrary that way. Rodents bite ALL the time. Even rabbits bite. Horses do too. Lots of lizards bite, like geckos and bearded dragons. But somehow, none of that is as shocking or "deadly" as a baby burmese bite for example (seen on Animal Planet a while back, was only maybe 3-ft-long baby albino burm). Dont your parents tell you not to go up to strange dogs because they may bite? Same goes for going up to a strange snake and poking it in the face.

Personally, I'd rather be bitten by my ball python or even my boa, than be bitten by my dog.