Why Do We Have Collections?

I was recently down at the Reptile World Serpentarium in Florida ( BTW, if you have a chance to go, it is well worth the money!) and I was talking to a staff member about snake teeth and they asked something to the effect of, "What's in your collection?" referring of course to my pet snakes, not a collection of teeth.

So why do we, as herp keepers, usually have more than one? Or do we? Maybe I'm totally off base and most herp keepers have just one?

It seems to me, based on my first assumption, that most pet owners have 1 dog, or 2-3 cats, or maybe a a bird, or pair of small birds. But the reptile keepers have much larger numbers. We have rack systems designed to keep dozens of snakes! I remember as a kid getting one, then two, then 3, and by the time I had to leave for college I had 6 different snakes all in my room. Empty top bunks without a mattress make for a great space for herp tanks :)

Here I am now with 3 (2 corns and a BP), and wanting a 4th and my wife doesn't want it or understand why I want it. Heck, I'm not even sure I understand why I want it. We have the room, and I feel like we have the time and money.

I think many people keep multiple pets because they are relatively low cost and low maintenance. Compare the space, money, and time needed for 4 dogs vs. 4 snakes. But there has got to be something more than that!

So has anyone else self analyzed the desire to amass huge numbers of pet herps?

because they are like pokemon and i gotta catch them all!!!!!!!!

Because they are so awesome. ;)

Because they're addicting! It helps that they're relatively easy to care for, don't need tons of space, and aren't as expensive to keep in larger numbers as other animals like dogs and cats would be.

Because it's an addiction.

So why are they addicting? And not any other pet? Or would people have dozens of dogs or cats if they could? Animal hoarders?

The requirements of multiple snakes is very easy even for the average person to meet. Heat and food once a week, it relatively cheap to keep multiple snakes. They take up a small foot print in the room and require no extra activities. They don't require interaction either besides cleaning and feeding. It's about as low maintenance as it gets for a pet.

My dog takes up more time than 30 snakes I have... a lot more time. When she was a puppy and getting all her shots, she cost a lot more money also. Shes all over the house, and requires a backyard, take her for walks, brush her, hair is all over the house, feed her 3 times a day ect. The requirements of a dog are so much greater than a snake or even 30 snakes.

Maybe because they're so variable? Especially ball pythons, with all the morphs available these days. You can have a dozen snakes and not one of them would look or act the same. :)

I really don't think it's a hoarders thing. I think it really does mostly have to do with the fact that you can take care of many of them without having an overwhelming vet/food bill and a messy house.

Their requirements are nowhere near cats and dogs, so having 36 cats vs. having 36 snakes is hardly a comparable subject!!

There's also the fact that our furry animals tend to be a bit more demanding.. Not just with the care, the cleaning, feeding and walking, but attention-wise as well. Don't get me wrong, I love my dog and my cats, but occasionally I get exhausted by being bombarded by all three of them looking for cuddles, belly rubs and chin scratches.

I love that with my snake I can take him out for 15-20 minutes a few times a day, play with him, admire him, and put him back - and not feel like I'm neglecting him in any way. I'm already looking at purchasing two more snakes this summer, and I've only had my guy for about three weeks ^.^

The variety of reptiles in general, not just ball pythons, and rather undemanding requirements (once you get them set up, of course) is a part of it, I think. You can have several species or several animals of one species and it'll generally take less time and effort to care for them than a mammal or bird. You can see the same pattern with inverts as well, those are even easier to care for than reptiles. I've also yet to hear of someone having a snake allergy :P There's practically an animal for everyone in this hobby with a huge amount of creatures to chose from.

For me, I love keeping animals in general. For each one I keep successfully I get a very strong feeling of pride and satisfaction, and for not so successful attempts (recent tarantula experience) it motivates me to educate myself and try again, correcting my mistakes. Biology being one of my favorite subjects it also gives me an opportunity to watch animals I normally wouldn't be able to see locally, and I can learn more about them. Being pets, after a while I get pretty attached to them too :D But those are my own personal reasons for growing a collection, along with the fun of breeding. Not to mention captive breeding relieves some of the demand for wild caught animals, and nothing is more fun than sharing my pets with friends and family members who would otherwise have very little interaction or experiences with the species I keep and will keep in the future