Am I the only one that gets upset about this?

[BeccaBurrr]

So, my roommate's parents came to visit him today and he asked them if they had seen my snake yet. His mom instantly freaked out, as if she was out of the cage and wandering around the apartment. He calmed her down and took her into the room where her cage is set up. She could barely even stand in the room when the snake was just chilling under her hide in the cage. I tried telling her that ball pythons are pretty darn harmless and that she's a sweetheart that couldn't hurt a thing....except maybe a mouse or rat. She just wasn't having it. She was squealing and was so shocked when she found out that her very SON has held her! As if it was something to be ashamed of.

I can respect that people are afraid of snakes, but it just upsets me sometimes. I feel like they have such a bad rep and people don't realize that a lot of them are really just harmless little creatures. Sure, they aren't furry and cuddly like cats or dogs, but that (in my mind anyway) doesn't make them any less adorable. A lot of the time, I feel like people who are so badly afraid of them won't even give them a chance to realize their true beauty as an animal.

[carlson]

I deal with it all time I just laugh, my house has bout 100 rats, 100 roaches, 5 balls a 7 foot carpet python an a pit bull that was rescued from a fighting ring and tarantuals haha I got most people's animals phobias covered under one roof

[BeccaBurrr]

I deal with it all time I just laugh, my house has bout 100 rats, 100 roaches, 5 balls a 7 foot carpet python an a pit bull that was rescued from a fighting ring and tarantuals haha I got most people's animals phobias covered under one roof

Ever had somebody walk in and see all of this, only to turn away saying "NOOOOPE!....NOPE NOPE NOPE!" bahahaha

[carlson]

Yep my buddies wife she got in said how nice the place is looking made it into my rat an snake room seen the rats looked into the carpets tub. Screamed an was out the back door before my carpet even realized someone was looking at her lol she won't come over now

[Luciferskeeper]

You can't fault someone for their fears, just educate them. We all fear something that another person looks at as ridiculous.

[kitedemon]

You can't fault someone for their fears, just educate them. We all fear something that another person looks at as ridiculous.

Well said! It is distressing when a family member is upset and fearful of something we love. My sister and I share a common feeling she does not like snakes at all, I am not very comfortble around horses. She has horses I have snakes. WE deal, I wish she will come over and at least look at them but it is not going to be anytime soon. I love her with all my heart and wish she would at least see the animals I care about. I understand the fear I have met her horses and have touched the nose and such but go riding with her... I am not ready yet. I am fine as long as there is a fence between us. (not a fan of the eletric fence she comprimised and build a 20 foot section of post and rail for me...)

Sad yes but fear is fear and I cannot make her over come it she will have to do that on her own.

[Darkbird]

I've got a cousin that's very afraid of snakes, but keeps lizards as pets. I'm trying to het her to let me work with her on getting over that somewhat so she can go to expos with me, but she had a bad fright by one of her brothers involving a snake, so it will take time. Some people just don't see the problem with thier irrational fears and won't see a reason to try and change no matter what you do. All you can really do is respect it and try and move on.

[scooter11]

At this point in my life I've realized that a good majority of people have an irrational fear of snakes. No matter what anyone does some people cannot be changed. I'm the one that owns the snake and it's my responsibility to respect their wishes. The one thing you cannot do, is let it bother you. People are going to make up their own mind regardless of our efforts. You can't force someone to think a certain way. It's like politics or religion. Inevitably, they well make up their own mind and you can't beat yourself up about what they decide. All you can do is relay the information to them and hope they consider what you say. We will never be afforded the luxury of dog owners or cat owners. Sad but true.

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[MrLang]

People are idiots.

[gsarchie]

At this point in my life I've realized that a good majority of people have an irrational fear of snakes.

This is what gets me, that their fears are irrational. My mother, if she sees a snake in close proximity, will jump back and move away from it. This will cause her heart rate to elevate a good bit and cause her a great deal of stress. She has always disliked snakes but the reaction that I just described is from when she was bitten by a baby Crotalus atrox over 20 years ago. She spent a full week in the hospital and none of her medical providers thought that she was going to survive the bite. That said, her reaction to snakes is not irrational, it is from, quite literally, a near death experience.

So, my roommate's parents came to visit him today and he asked them if they had seen my snake yet. His mom instantly freaked out, as if she was out of the cage and wandering around the apartment.
I can respect that people are afraid of snakes, but it just upsets me sometimes.

This type of reaction tells me that this woman is not a rational person in the first place. This fear is not based in ANYTHING and I fully believe that reaction is something that is learned. When you are shown evidence of something being not like you had thought it to be, and you still refuse to change your beliefs and actions towards the source of your fear, that by definition is irrational. Americans are good at this, though. Just look at the percentage of faithful here vs. every other developed nation in the world! I believe that our fear of snakes is up there with those numbers, with religion being a big source of that fear (fable of eve and the serpent).

You can't fault someone for their fears, just educate them. We all fear something that another person looks at as ridiculous.

I agree with your first part, and education is EXACTLY what the OP tried to give. In this case, as in all cases dealing with snakes and religion in the States, you simply cannot reason with someone to get them to change their view. As to the second sentence in your post - please speak for yourself and not the human race as a whole in matters like that. You can say that all humans are mammals or that humans give live birth, but you're not the authority on everyone's fears.


In regards to everything that I've said, I view this kind of reaction to snakes and fear of snakes in the same regard that I view peoples' belief in a creator; you are entitled to believe in whatever you want, but I DO NOT have to respect those beliefs when they are not based in any science what-so-ever! There is talk in this thread about respecting others' wishes, but if you are in you own home with your pets being kept responsibly then no one can tell you a damn thing! I only have to respect your fear of snakes as much as I have to respect your opinion that blue is the greatest color in the world and that 311 and Incubus are the greatest bands of all time (though I will be inclined to respect that last bit ).