Reason You Started Keeping Snakes

i was thinking why i wanted a snake and just wondered what got you lot started on snakes :D :confused:

i got into them when watching the big squeeze (an old old show on animal planet) it intreaged me so i did some reasearch on it and convinced my parents a few years later to get me a bp

my son wanted one so i did the research before allowing him to get one. while checking out what kind of snake would be best for him... i fell in love with balls.

he changed his mind on getting a snake and i got one anyway!

Years ago my sister was given a male ball Python from a friend. I would sneak into her room and hold him. At first she was really into him but then she became "to busy" to care for him. So she resulted, once a week for me to clean his cage for $10. Which in the end I would buy him food with it.

Then around 7 years ago...she asked me if I wanted him. OF course I took him...I still have him..me and that little guy grew up together...He is the one who started it all for me.

I lived the first few years of my life in Michigan and our house was right next to a large state forest...so I spent my yougest childhood roaming and collecting snakes, lizards and any critter that I could catch. My first pet was a garter snake at age 5.


I then moved all over the US as my step father was a military contrator and whenever I went I always hunted out the wildlife, especially reptiles.

I guess it just been with me all my life...all the interesting colors, patterns, great community of people (and their perfect size) is what turned me totally to Balls.

i've loved snakes since i was 4 years old trying to catch garter snakes before they went into the blackberry bushes! just always been fascinated i guess! fast forward about 16 years- going into petco to get dog food and always stopping to check out the snakes before finally deciding that i NEEDED one of my own... which very shortly turned into two! lol

I as well as a child always had and wanted herp pets(Lizards, frogs, toads, turtles, snakes). Now I'm just a big kid and have lots of herp pets and plants.

BP's are the friggin coolest! :carrot: that's why I have so many of them and need many more!LOL :rolleye2:

I've always loved animals, but could never own any as a kid except the two family cats. Then, about ten years ago, I started volunteering at the zoo to get the experience and training started and fell in love with the 7 snakes in the education department...especially the female ball python, she started it all.

My ex didn't really want snakes in the house, though, and barely accepted my red checkered garter which was my first snake pet. Then finally, after years of not having something (money, space, permission :)), I got a thousand dollar scholar award from school this summer and was able to get my BP. Only a few months later, I picked up my corn. :D But that's it for me...no more space.

I was terrified of them as a kid. Mom took me to a pet store to hold one and show me there was nothing to be afraid of. I fell in love after that but was never allowed to have one growing up. Once I got married my (ex) gave in and allowed one. Since he moved out a few years ago, I have finally gotten to the point where I can have what I want!

I've always loved reptiles and have been keeping them since I was 6 or 7.

i was always terrified or disliking of them until a friend of mine was telling me about her dad's 'dog tame' burm he kept for like.. for ever until she was about 8.

i was so bemused by the fact they kept such a massive snake that i looked them up, found nerd's site and saw a bumble bee and fell in love.

when i finally got crowley, i just couldn't explain to people who aren't into snakes why he makes me so happy.

I was a kid and we had a fieldtrip at a zoo where a zoo keeper was holding a Ball Python, I fell in love immediately, I was so fascinated by them, of course I did not get one than my parents were against it, after that when I grew up I traveled a lot (country to country) so it was not compatible with my life style.

I finally settled down, convince my hubby and there I am with 19 snakes.

Well i was NEVER aloud to have snakes when i was growing up, because my mom hated them... just to give you an example- she was in the garden and a gartner snake slithered by and she freaked, and chopped the poor snake up into a million peices with a gardening hoe.... so i would have never dreamt of having one in her household, but after i joined the Navy, i wanted a pet. Something different. So i went to a local Reptile Store, and looked around to see what i liked. I was so facinated in the Retics, and i did my research before purchasing, and found out how BIG they can get... so i figured being in the Military and moving around alot, a BIG snake was out of the question. So limited my search to size, and i came up with a Ball Python, and have LOVED them ever since.

I always wanted a snake but was never allowed one. I have always loved animals in general and growing up on a farm I begged for several lives. :O Anyway a friend of mine got gifted a bp. He had it for about 8 months and only feed it 1 small mouse every 3 weeks. Bad husbandry blah blah. He decided to move and gave us the snake. We LOVE him. :carrot: He is a very good eater and just a sweet snake in general. He has never hissed or tried to bite. My bassetthound loves him and the cat is mesmerized by him. Hardeen is a super addition to our household and we are very happy to have him/her.

grew up in a concrete jungle so the only moments with snakes was in grade school. Each year this guy would come to school with a bunch of snakes to educate us kids about them. He had everything from garters to a huge burmese python (which he didn't bring to school but had pictures of). When he asked if any one was interested in holding the snakes I was the only girl that ever raised my hand :D. They were so neat to hold and that just hooked me. Its been downhill (or uphill depends on how you look at I guess :D) ever since.

My story began at the pet store where my youngest daughter who has a significant speech problem got very "verbal" around the snakes. It seemed anytime she saw a snake she became very talkative (although not making any sense) I researched all I could and settled on a BP.


My oldest daughter who is deaf seemed to like the idea that snakes didn't have ears and couldn't hear like her either so we were all hooked.

i was just looking at my threads i started and thought that this didnt get enough replies imo

which was probably due to my lack of replies of thank you

well im more in tune of what people expect and would like to get some more replies on this subject

so for al the people who replied and i didnt say thank you to im sorry and thank you for the replies and more replies would bbe great

just felt i had to say sorry and thanks

I just wanted a pet at the time and thought a snake would be cool. Now I feel in love with all reptiles!!!

I don't have a snake yet, but will be getting my first bp in the next couple weeks. I do however have a 5 yr old bearded dragon. I have always been fascinated by reptiles. I caught a garter snake in my front yard when I was in 3rd grade, but my mom made me let it go. (She said it was because it would be happier in the wild, but I know now that she was just afraid of him.) In high school, I was in an environmental education class that gave tours and animal presentations to groups of 2nd graders. I fell in love with Billy, our school's bp. Since I couldn't have a snake in my mom's house, I started researching other reptile options. One of my friends had a plethora of animals and was getting rid of some, and one just happened to be the bearded dragon. I brought him home and my mom was ok with that. Now that I don't have to live under mom's roof, I am going to finally get the bp I've always wanted! Now I just have to get my gf over her fear of snakes and we'll be great!

thanks for your experiences

ink that sound like wots going to happen to me becuase my mum doesnt like snake so ill have to wait untill ive got me own house like you :(

unless i can persuade my mum by then :D hopefully

I'd always thought snakes were kind of cool, but never owned one until I was about to finish college. I happened to go to a park where a woman was walking around and she had a couple of ball pythons with her. After observing hers, I was instantly fascinated and decided to do the research on them. I was lucky enough to find this site before I bought my first (who is my avatar).

Years ago, I caught garters and green snakes and kept them because as a kid, my friends and I were tomboys (by 1980's standards!) and interested in reptiles and amphibians. We kept frogs and toads too and would build elaborate terrariums for them using things we found outdoors; moss, rocks, etc. It was a cheap but cool hobby for us since our families were not that well-off.
Then a few years ago, me and Mark (now husband, then fiancee) went into a Petco to check out fish (I am an aquarist also.) We like tattoos and Mark does them, and got to talking to this heavily-tattooed girl there. She says out of nowhere "I have this ball python that you could have for free; it is aggressive and always gets bought and returned to us." We went home, researched online, and got the snake a few days later. From there, the BP hobby for me (and yes, him.. a little :) has just grown and I love keeping them because they are awesome animals.. not as much work as our other pets and livestock.. and just cool to own, breed, and have in general.

I have always loved animals, grew up around many german shephards and used to raise/breed gerbils as a kid. I also used to catch a bunch of turtles and small fish and catfish out of a neighborhood lake that we used to keep in my mom's aquarium. I didn't have a great interest in reptiles (outside of the wild turtles that we kept) as I was growing up though, loved all the little furry critters that could play and cuddle back, have kept everything from dogs and cats to all kinds of rodents, rabbits, and now my 3 cockatiels. It wasn't until more recently that I have come into a great interest in reptiles, not too long after my sister in law got her 6' Burmese Python. After seeing how neat it was, did quite a bit of research and held a few different types of snakes at a local family run petstore. My kids and I really fell in love with our first BP (Sunny...my daughter picked out her name) and since then have brought home a corn (Makisig) and our newest BP, Sehana. I have also fallen in love with lizards as well, and getting a beardie as well as a tegu are pretty high on my list of future "Must Haves"!!

I also grew up with animals.. and I think this is true of most if not all snake owners. We always had 2 dogs, and 2 cats. As a kid I'd catch frogs and keep em for a few days before letting them go. My mom hated snakes and refused to let me get one. So the next best thing was a hamster (cheap and easy to care for). Got a few hampsters when I was around 12 or so. I bought a turtle and converted my entire side yard into a sanctuary for him.. but about 1 week later my dog Mikey got to him and I found a hollowed out shell on my lawn.. pretty gruesome sight when you're 13 or so. My buddy always had snakes, and I loved helping him feed them and handle them.

Fast forward 10 years.. and I now own my first ball python, with another one on the way very soon. These are such wonderful animals, and I don't think I'll ever be "snakeless" again. :P

as a kid, i was always in the woods, i caught all kinds of things and brought them home. it just grew from there. but i like all kinds of critters and have kept so many things over the years...i an old guy!!

Our son who turned 6 at the end of August wanted a pet for his birthday. He wanted a pet he could handle that "did something." We had taken care of a friend's frog, and he found that too "boring," since "all he did was sit there," when he held him. Personally, I never knew a frog could be so charming, but....

Anyway, we knew it would be a small pet - we already have a dog, fan tailed goldfish, and an adopted outdoor stray cat. I have allergies to fur and feathers. So gerbils, etc. were out. Ryan said he was OK with feeding mice to a snake. Thus, the BP we now have!

The funny thing is that we ALL love Mr. Snake, not just Ryan! I'm so glad we chose him for a pet!!

Well, I'm still young but I fell in love with them when I went to a circus, I got a picture with a burmese (I was 5 then). I just thought they were cool. Then I came to the U.S, I saw a corn snake and had to had him! I then lost him but now I have 4 more snakes and more to come! :)

thanks for all the replies sorry i didnt reply earlier i was ill and had a migrane so a computer wasnt the best thing for me


but great reasons you started mine is sort of similar to most my sisters partner bought 1 about 3 months ago now.

i always thought i was scared of snakes but i just decided on the car journey i wanted to hold it but by the time i got to the house i started to think that i didnt want to hold it but didnt tell nobody

but when i did hold it its silkiness and the way you could feel it breathing and contracting and relaxing as it moves

i was just captivated now my mu is doing the you only want 1 because he has 1. also the famous what will happen when you dont want to look after it anymore

i have explained and answered all the questins she got but as you can see it has got me no closer to getting my first snake/BP.

anybody want to add a reason even if its been mentioned?

Thread moved to General Herp forum! :colbert2:

I was raised to appreciate all animals. Growing up we always had an assortment of dogs, cats, birds, and fish. My mom had a large snake in college, but couldn't keep it after she married and started breeding Yorkies.

I married a man who is very allergic to cats, birds, etc. Then I had kids, one of which is allergic to dogs. Feeling a desire to have a pet of some sort, I looked into getting a snake. At the time I ended up getting a Bearded Dragon. She's been such a pleasure for the whole family. Even my dh likes her. I thought about getting another BD, but opted to look at snakes again. First I thought I'd get a corn, but after holding one I didn't like how jumping they were. Then I held a BP and knew it was right. [My dh still isn't a fan of snakes though.]

Now I have my BP, and an planning on getting another BP and some geckos next fall. That's my story. :)

I got mine because I am studying to be a high school biology teacher. I think it would be neat to have a couple different exotic species in the class to help spark interest in students and to use as a learning tool. Reptiles are really good for classrooms because they do not have furr so there is no risk of allergies. I started doing research for easy reptiles to take care of and everything pointed in the direction of ball pythons. I had just finished taking a class on vertebrate zoology and we spent some time talking about the characteristics of snakes so thats why I chose to get a ball python. I will be getting a leopard gecko soon as well. I want to develope good husbandry skills myself before I start teaching and move them into my future classroom. I just like being over prepared probably cause of my biology background lol. So far its been loads of fun owning one.

Well... they're cute! 'Nuff said! ;):D:P

i caught a garter snake in utah and ever since then i have wanted one for keeps. i went to petco and saw the bps and was in love. hahaha

I just thought that they were amazing- a creature with no limbs that can successfully live with no problem. So I did alot of research about them, and went out and got my girl an it went on from there :)

I started keeping snakes because i wasn't allowed to lol...my mom hated snakes and i did so much research about them this was when i was in 9th grade and my mom would never let me get one, so i went to college and got one when i was here, went home with a snake and my mom didn't even care...she was like, you're responsible enough now you just have to take care of it...and ever since then i've had them, it went from 1 to almost three when iget my new caramel albino, and i've had the other two since last sept...

ps- my mom even plays with the snake every now and then when i'm home she's so intrigued by it, she would never keep one herself but she's learned to appreciate them.

good luck with getting youre snake!

My husband had a burm 12 years ago and 7 years ago he wanted another one-I bought him one and he bought me a diamond necklace (we both had something to wear on our necks). Now we have 13 burms and only one necklace. I fell in love with the burms and our collection just keeps growing.

thanks for all the replies

sorry i took so long couldnt find thread after it got moved

i wish i could just go away come back with a snake and me mum be ok with it

ps what age is 9th grade

(english could you tell)

anybody?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martyb

ps what age is 9th grade

(english could you tell)

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15 y/o.... 9th grade
I'm only in 7th :( :(

thank you so bout my age then thank you and anymore reasons for keeping snakes would be welcome :weirdface

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Originally Posted by martyb

thank you so bout my age then thank you and anymore reasons for keeping snakes would be welcome :weirdface

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My son is 13-2 years younger than you are and 2 years ago he wanted a snake. My husband and I keep burms and a retic so we talked about it and then contacted the man who owns our local reptile shop (we had become good friends with him) he allowed our children to volunteer at his shop a couple of hours on the weekends as long as their grades were good and they respected him and the shop. They both earned credit at the shop and they earned money doing odd jobs in the nieghborhood (cut grass, clean gutters, helping etc...) Well they each saved enough money to purchase their own ball python but before they did my husband and I made them write an essay on ball pythons-the husbandary, care ,etc......they finally each got one and were able to purchase the food and supplies with their credit at the reptile shop. They are responsible with their snakes and have done a great job. So good luck.

Straight out fascination!!

hmm i started with snakes because my aunt had a boa constrictor and we couldn't get one for the fact that my dad was afraid of them so after a summer camp i bought a longtailed lizard to warm my dad up to snakes it worked and i started with corns and moved on to bp's

I started keeping snakes because I was afraid of them. I always was, I always panicked when I saw a snake outside. And then... Year and half/two years ago, I saw a guy with a kingsnake around his neck in a pet store. I don't know what came over me, but I went right up to him and asked if I could touch his snake (sounds dirty ;)). I was instantly fascinated and hooked. I went home and immediately began researching snakes. I have not looked back :).

cool i will ask around see if there a pet store nearby that would let me do some work at weekends Great idea thanks

i widh my mum would get a snake to get over her fear/dislike

anybody?
:gj::gj::gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martyb

thank you so bout my age then thank you and anymore reasons for keeping snakes would be welcome :weirdface

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I'm 13... and I got more snakes than you!!! :neener:
6 total this weekend
Well... it didn't take my mom a long time to get me a snake...
I had to ask her for 3-4 months straight...
Don't expect to get a snake right away... raise the money for all the stuff then just politeley ask... stating all the facts on how they are educational, cool and nice AND how they will not bite or kill you.
Also, NEVER let your mom watch the feedings...

[QUOTE=BallPythonsRule;651386]I'm 13... and I got more snakes than you!!! :neener:
6 total this weekend[/qoute]
6:O
jelous :oops:

Quote:

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Well... it didn't take my mom a long time to get me a snake...
I had to ask her for 3-4 months straight...
Don't expect to get a snake right away... raise the money for all the stuff then just politeley ask... stating all the facts on how they are educational, cool and nice AND how they will not bite or kill you.
Also, NEVER let your mom watch the feedings...

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i have tried most of this now ive moved on to going through her heart to get a snake

wish me luck :D:D:rolleye2:

plz im really getting into this

many many more wanted