Heated Discussion

I went to this park the other day with my niece and father; they'd said it was nice, and had snakes. Perked me right up. They've got a copperhead, a rat snake, a corn snake, a kingsnake...some the native snakes to Fairfax. So...me being me, I had to ask the desk guy(someone who's got a degree in Parks and Management and stuff...) what method they used for feeding. F/T, Pre-killed, or live. I swear, I had a feeling I was getting myself into a minor debate. "We ONLY feed them F/T. Anyone who feeds live is putting their snakes in danger." Oh. Really? So, I told him that I fed all of my kids live. He turned pretty pale. ^_^ He went on to say that he'd seen horrible pictures of what rats/mice can do. I made the comment that the owner probably wasn't being responsible. We dropped the subject.

Then...I asked him why the rat snake and the corn snake were in the same enclosure. "Oh. They're the same species." Really? "Yes." Oh. Well, I've spoken to some prominent people in the herp world, and they've directly stated that keeping multiple snakes in the same enclosure isn't very good. "They're fine. They actually mated and had blind babies." Really? "Yes. Some of the 'best' biologists in Virginia say that it's perfectly fine." Really? "Oh yes. They're fine."

For someone who's so keen on protecting the environment and securing his snakes, he seemed like a bit of an incompetent. -Shrug.- I didn't state that I'd seen pictures of cannabalism, that keeping snakes together caused them stress, etc. I just left, shaking my head.

What do you do in a situation like that?

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Originally Posted by Melicious

What do you do in a situation like that?

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I enjoy looking at the animals and move on ... not worth it.

-adam

yup. everyone has their own way of doing stuff... and IME if someone wants to learn, they will.

otherwise, it's just a waste of breath and time and energy and and and...

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Originally Posted by Melicious

What do you do in a situation like that?

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Personally, I would try my very best to recognize that polarized differences cannot be resolved by getting into heated arguments. If the other party is head strong, obstinate and unwilling to change, then I would just drop it and walk away. If on the other hand the person is willing to concede that they may be in the wrong, then swoop in with strong opinions supported by facts and you may end up making a difference. :)

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Originally Posted by Melicious

What do you do in a situation like that?

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Well, just try and imagine yourself in his shoes. You're moderately well educated...been doing this for awhile....your snakes are healthy and eating....and then someone you don't know comes in and tries to tell you you're doing things wrong. :confuzd:

There are different ways of doing things. Reputable zoos around the world have been housing multiple snakes in the same enclosures for as long as there have been zoos. It may not be ideal....and certainly not something I would recommend to anyone trying to learn the best way to help their snakes thrive....but it's not abusive or neglectful and therefore not worth getting too upset about.

Yes, housing snakes together MAY cause problems, but not all snakes are as inclined to stress out about it as ball pythons are. And feeding live MAY cause problems as well...but many of us do it anyway. It's all a matter of perspective when it comes to these sorts of methods.

(By the way....was that a little nature park in Springfield???...wish I could remember the name of the one I'm thinking of!)

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Originally Posted by JLC

(By the way....was that a little nature park in Springfield???...wish I could remember the name of the one I'm thinking of!)

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It's in Fairfax. About two or three miles from Chantilly High and my current apartment.

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Originally Posted by Melicious

It's in Fairfax. About two or three miles from Chantilly High and my current apartment.

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Do you remember the name of it? This is gonna bug me now.... LOL

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Originally Posted by JLC

Do you remember the name of it? This is gonna bug me now.... LOL

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Eleanor C. Lawerence.

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Originally Posted by Melicious

Eleanor C. Lawerence.

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Meh...that doesn't ring a bell at all. There's a lovely little park in Springfield (which is right next to Fairfax and is in Fairfax county) that sounds exactly like what you're describing. Ah well....maybe there are these little micro-zoos all over Fairfax county? LOL

Mm. He also said that if he had it his way, NO ONE would own ANY kind of snake. -Twitch.-