Resistance is Futile

[MedusasOwl]

Maybe you guys are the wrong people to ask, but... how do you resist the lure of yet another snake?? There are temptations at every turn! I find myself peering about the apartment thinking "If we threw away all those VHS we could maybe put something on that shelf..." and so forth. Karen's a bit worried. It's easy to get greedy. Despite eyeing the apartment like a Tetris game, I've been a very good girl for the moment as a couple people on this forum well know.

So far I've been able to restrain myself in a few ways...

1) No matter how gorgeous and tempting the RTBs are Karen and I have agreed that anything that could outgrow rats is too big for us. Especially with my back problems. Biggest we're going to go is BPs, so we've pretty much put on availability blinders to the bigger species. BPs and ratsnakes for us, which is fine because we luv them muchly!

2) Space. It's not a big apartment, and we have 8 animals as it is. We just got a Herpstat which has plugs for 3 UTIs. Which means we *could* potentially hook up 3 more tubs eventually that have the same heat requirements (aka, more BPs, YAY) but even if there was room plugging anything else in the bedroom is out. We already have to turn off the space heater to use the hairdryer or the whole back room/bathroom shorts out. So... BP plans ONLY after we move which has to wait a couple of years for business school reasons.

3) Speaking of moving, still not sure how we're gonna get all our babies from point A to point B when we *are* ready to flee the Valley of the Sun. Easier to wait and get new babies when we're settled, even if we have to wait a few years for that to happen.

4) Should we get a blue beauty ratsnake, I'd like a nice sized tank for her to cruise around in and they're expensive. They're very active snakes.

Here is now I am sabotaging my good girlness.

1) With the new Herpstat we now have an extra t-stat... extra things are bad. Extra things give Sheree ideas.

2) We have a BP so we can wait on a BP... but I'm also longing for a baby blue beauty. Birds suddenly appear every time a pic of one is near. And based on the info we have so far on their care, they fall within the "We can totally do that" parameters.

3) Tanks are expensive, but I bet I could find one cheap/free on Craigslist or something.

4) 2 years or so is a LONG time when you're waiting...

I'm weakening and Karen keeps giving me the "don't talk me into it, I know you'll talk me into it, don't you do it" look. Help! Discourage me, people! What do you guys do to fight new snake/herp rationalizations?

[ddbjdealer]

2) Space. It's not a big apartment, and we have 8 animals as it is. We just got a Herpstat which has plugs for 3 UTIs. Which means we *could* potentially hook up 3 more tubs eventually that have the same heat requirements (aka, more BPs, YAY) but even if there was room plugging anything else in the bedroom is out. We already have to turn off the space heater to use the hairdryer or the whole back room/bathroom shorts out. So... BP plans ONLY after we move which has to wait a couple of years for business school reasons.

Space really isn't that big of a deal... You could get a Boaphile or AP rack and have room for 5 adults without much a space consideration... and only ONE thermostat per rack... plus.. they're stackable... So you could get the 5 drawer sideways rack from Boaphile that Christie has, and you could get 10 babies and still have room for 5 adults all in about a 2ftx3ft area (up to the cieling).

1) With the new Herpstat we now have an extra t-stat... extra things are bad. Extra things give Sheree ideas.

I got a Boaphile 6 drawer sideways rack when I made my first "additional" purchase. I only got 4 snakes, and had room for 12... this was also bad for Kenny! I made plans to get 5 more normals immediately, and then after they were paid for.... realized... oops.. what about quarantine.. so I ordered another rack... (bad idea again... oops) So I changed the 5 normal order to 10 normals, and have another 3 snakes paid for, and waiting to ship out, and another 4 planned for...

3) Tanks are expensive, but I bet I could find one cheap/free on Craigslist or something.

Tubs are SUPER cheap at Target or Wal-Mart!

4) 2 years or so is a LONG time when you're waiting...

Yup... super long! Just think.... hmm.... lol

I'm weakening and Karen keeps giving me the "don't talk me into it, I know you'll talk me into it, don't you do it" look. Help! Discourage me, people! What do you guys do to fight new snake/herp rationalizations?

Did this help? I'm so bad!

[jglass38]

Also, there is no need to feed any BCI (or even BCC) anything bigger than the largest rat. My big BCI gets a jumbo every 2 weeks and she is 37 pounds and somewhere between 7 and 8 ft (I originally was told she was 9 when I got her but it doesnt look like she is). I say keep getting more snakes!

[kavmon]

i want alot of snakes too. i really keep in check what i can feed and take care of everyday. you would be surprised how fast the food bill ads up and the cleaning time increases. now i'm not saying "don't buy" just think about it clearly. personally i'd rather have 30 snakes well cared for than 100 that are kept so-so. spare time is different for everybody.


vaughn

[ARamos8]

I'm with Ken on the space issue. I on the other hand favor the Ball Room Rack (at 120 watts total) I can wire up to 3 racks per channel on a Herpstat II (so it doesn't run to hot). That's 12 snakes in a smaller footprint than my kids foosball table - sweet. No help here Medusa?? LOL

As far as moving the clan around when time comes (BP's anyway). Since we're off the gulf coast we have no choice but to have a contingency plan. I have larger tubs (Wal-Mart all the way), zippered pillow covers (name labled), 3 regular heating pads and a power converter for the truck to haul the gang off in the event we need to. Umm, no help here again Medusa??

TEMPTATION - This is a good one. Ummm, well I have to say this is hard. I give myself a reality check from time to time before I release the compulsive side of me. Vaughn said it best, if I can't provide the best care at the moment of purchase then the wallet is checked at the door (actually, my honey will hide it from me LOL). Umm, this might be helpfull - but in no means to discourage you...LOL

2 years is a long time away. Plenty of time to formulate a shopping spree plan.. Muaaa haaa haaa.

Good luck Medusa!!!! LOL

[jglass38]

i want alot of snakes too. i really keep in check what i can feed and take care of everyday. you would be surprised how fast the food bill ads up and the cleaning time increases. now i'm not saying "don't buy" just think about it clearly. personally i'd rather have 30 snakes well cared for than 100 that are kept so-so. spare time is different for everybody.


vaughn

Words of wisdom right there. The costs do add up quickly!

[JLC]

If I had the freedom to get whatever I wanted whenever I wished it....well.....the house would be overrun with reptiles, kitties and maybe a cool bird or two. And eventually, all those things may come to me....but that eventuality is many years in the future (not until hubby retires from the military and we find the right home to finally settle into).


But we have a LOT of years ahead of us....and when the time finally comes, I will have SO much fun making that dream a reality!! Just thinking about it makes it ok to wait. A few years of waiting now...for a lifetime of living out a dream. Not so hard to do...

And think about it this way...there's always going to be something you want that you can't have. You want more space? Can't have it right now. You want more money? You want to eat more cookies and icecream every day? There will always be limits....but knowing that those limits can be expanded someday as you work towards your goals.....it's tolerable and even fun sometimes!!

If I were in your shoes....I'd probably go ahead and look for that blue beauty, because fulfilling a certain kind of longing (if you have the ability) is a good thing. I'm finally to the point where I can fulfill that longing to own a bp....but that sweetie is gonna have to hold me for many years, and I know that and accept it. I think you can, too.

[adizziedoll]

"eyeing the apartment like a Tetris game...."

LOL, you funny lady you.

And from my experience, thats exactly how it is!

[cassandra]

The only thing that keeping me from totally convincing Rick that Yes, We NEED more snakes nownownow is that I keep telling myself we're still too inexperienced and we need more time to make sure we know what we're doing.

Unlike so many folks here, we didn't grow up having reptiles (heck, I grew deathly afraid of snakes), <tells herself> we need time to gain experience before we add to our animal family.

("But corns are so little!")

/sigh

[Johar]

lol, my wife hates animals, 1st she got turtles then got bored from them after a year and she was like "thats it, i dont wanna have them anymore"
then she found hamsters, she got them for 3 months and got bored from them
so i gave those animals to people who love them and care about them.

well, whenever i look at my BP "even though i just had it for almost 2 weeks now" im like "honney!, if i get to live for 2 years and my BP is still healthy and nice, i'll probably get another one. and if i see myself doing ok with that, i might as well breed some!!" then she gives me the look , where you know "ok you crossed the line MR.!!" then i'll be like "its just a day dream, who knows what happens in 2 years"

lol, she's enough to let me think twice, but to be honest, if i had more space. i wouldn't hesitate to get another one, and another, and another.....