Wow, just..... Really?!

[SnakeKittyFishy]

Hey everyone, I haven't posted in awhile but I need to vent.

Ok, so a new exotic animal store opened here. I found out via my Facebook aquatics group. It was a very positive article which was refreshing. I was excited to check the place out. Now, I notice that the person who posted it accompanied it with a statement bashing the owners for having alligators available. Then another comment arose from someone claiming the owners "aren't right in the head".

I just HAD to ask... Why?? And here is the lovely reply I got....
"well, for one thing, an alligator is under no condition a suitable "pet" neither is a python. that alligator has a brain the size of a pea. it does 2 things in life, eats and make baby alligators. period. they don't ever become tame, they don't understand that a human is its source of food, it is potential food. if they are taken care of properly, in less than 2 years, they will be large enough to eat the cat, then the dog, then the kids, by 4 years they are large enough to eat you." And then... "unless you can handle a python each and every day, they become hostile and aggressive with age, and do sometimes any way. again, this is an animal that will get large enough to eat the cat, then the dog, and then the kids. its brain is even smaller than the alligator, and they can be just as dangerous."

I honestly didn't know what to say... I feel bad for not saying anything to defend our pets, but I got the feeling that whatever I said wouldn't make a darn difference.
So that's my rant, I just can't believe some people and coming from another not necessarily normal pet owner, it was kind of shocking and disheartening. I just need some comforting words from those who understand to make me feel better now lol

[Valley]

Some people are just hard headed and won't listen to reason. They don't understand BPs are gentle and loving pets each with their own personality. Those people sadly will almost never see how tame and loving they can be.

[SnakeKittyFishy]

Ok I was forced to respond. This was my statement:
"I believe that if you're responsible you can own them without worry of it becoming a monster and eating your family while you sleep. I don't think sane people would buy a snake or alligator and let it roam around the house. Most people would likely house them in enclosures even if they didn't do enough research. That's the problem... When people just buy it and don't think. That's when accidents happen, but if you're responsible I believe you have the right to have them. My 2 cents..."
Good?

[sorraia]

Some people have their opinions and that's all they'll listen to...

Dogs can be downright dangerous pets. They have teeth, and the bigger they are the harder they can bite. An improperly trained, improperly housed, and improperly cared for dog can be a time bomb waiting to explode. A dog is capable of taking down a full grown adult, even more so a child or baby. Yet how many people let dogs play unsupervised with children?

(Not saying there's anything wrong with keeping dogs as pets, have two of them myself. )

[SnakeKittyFishy]

Some people are just hard headed and won't listen to reason. They don't understand BPs are gentle and loving pets each with their own personality. Those people sadly will almost never see how tame and loving they can be.

I don't think he was referring to bps, but its all the same. So many people don't know the difference -.-

[Annarose15]

I think you answered the best that you could in the scenario. It probably won't change that one ignoramus's opinion, but at least you posted a dissenting, rational view for anyone who might still have a half-open mind.

[OctagonGecko729]

Yeah, ask them if they think dogs that are over 20lbs are ok as pets. Then when they say yes you can point them towards the overwhelming amount of dog attacks and fatalities. Even when you account for less people owning pythons the statistics still pan out that dogs are 2x more likely to kill you. With that said though, getting killed by a dog is just about as likely as getting killed by lightning. If they think people shouldnt own certain animals because they are dangerous, ask them if they also think people shouldnt own cars as that is your best chance for suddenly dieing not due to health.

[wolfy-hound]

You did better than I would. My post would have ended with "You moron"

Horses kill something like a hundred people a year. Dogs kill average 20 per year. A medium to large dog can kill an adult, much less children. All horse(even ponies) can kill humans of all sizes.

The average housecat kills more people per year. Cat bites almost automatically become infected, many people have severe allergies to them and they can carry/harbor several parasites and diseases that humans can become sick/die from.

Reptiles are not more dangerous when properly kept. The person is speaking out of ignorance, and if they deny the facts they're given, it's willful ignorance.

[Rob]

Well I guess ignorance is not always bliss.

[SnakeKittyFishy]

Thanks everyone. I feel a lot better now and I'm going to make plans to go see that new store because a lot of other people are giving good reviews