A member is on TV! (Intervention)

Sorraia, very good. Quick witty response! Uncle Skippy, I'm not sure I should thank you or not? You know what, THANKS!
Ok folks, I'm going to stick around a little longer just to give you my point of view. There have been some very good
responses, but, I ain't no Honey Boo Boo, and I ain't no Troll (whatever that is?), and I'm not stupid! I just offer a
different point of view. Have any of you ever ever ever seen or heard of a domesticated snake? One that would respond
to the owners commands? I think not!

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Originally Posted by rick*star

Sorraia, very good. Quick witty response! Uncle Skippy, I'm not sure I should thank you or not? You know what, THANKS!
Ok folks, I'm going to stick around a little longer just to give you my point of view. There have been some very good
responses, but, I ain't no Honey Boo Boo, and I ain't no Troll (whatever that is?), and I'm not stupid! I just offer a
different point of view. Have any of you ever ever ever seen or heard of a domesticated snake? One that would respond
to the owners commands? I think not!

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So, pets that obey commands are the only ones that people should keep? What about fish? turtles? Bunnies? hamsters? rats? birds?

My snake obeys me more than my cat, so maybe it is domesticated!

So, why does an animal need to be "domesticated" and obey commands to be a viable pet?

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Originally Posted by rick*star

Sorraia, very good. Quick witty response! Uncle Skippy, I'm not sure I should thank you or not? You know what, THANKS!
Ok folks, I'm going to stick around a little longer just to give you my point of view. There have been some very good
responses, but, I ain't no Honey Boo Boo, and I ain't no Troll (whatever that is?), and I'm not stupid! I just offer a
different point of view. Have any of you ever ever ever seen or heard of a domesticated snake? One that would respond
to the owners commands? I think not!

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Say genius, how does an animals with no way to hear respond to commands? It's sort of like asking you to pull your head out of your ass long enough to answer the questions I've now asked you twice.

Like Mr. Gump said, stupid is as stupid does.

This is my first time posting on these forums and its mainly due to the subject of this thread. I listened to the radio interview with Danny and was extremely upset with what animal planet did. I have snakes and children as well and I feel so sorry for everything he has gone through due to this. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Danny!

All I can say in response to rick*star is that I have been bit by a ton more "domesticated" dogs than I have "unsafe" pet snakes and I have handled a ton of snakes.

Technically, the fact that dogs CAN be trained yet STILL kill more people in the average year than venomous snakes have in the past 20 proves that dogs are way more dangerous, despite the whole "I can walk my dog!" argument.

And you told a big fat fib. There is not a 100% chance you will be bit if you stick your hand into a venomous snake's cage. Total lie, totally false. Don't think so? Check out ANY reputable venom lab and ANY reputable venomous keeper and see how many times you see them handle their reptiles in a smart, careful, educated manner without getting bitten. Then tell yourself "Wow, I'm a big old liar."

In fact... it's entirely possible to walk PAST a wild venomous snake and not be bitten. There's even a chance that you can handle a wild venomous snake and not be bitten. There's plenty of cases of it happening and I myself once picked up and handled a pygmy rattler in ignorance, and it did not bite me. Do I advocate picking up wild pygmy rattlers? Heck no! But with my own experience, I just proved you're a big liar. Liar liar, pants up in flames that you no doubt wanted from the forum in response to your ignorant trolling posts to get attention you can't get in a responsible adult way.

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Originally Posted by rick*star

Sorraia, very good. Quick witty response! Uncle Skippy, I'm not sure I should thank you or not? You know what, THANKS!
Ok folks, I'm going to stick around a little longer just to give you my point of view. There have been some very good
responses, but, I ain't no Honey Boo Boo, and I ain't no Troll (whatever that is?), and I'm not stupid! I just offer a
different point of view. Have any of you ever ever ever seen or heard of a domesticated snake? One that would respond
to the owners commands? I think not!

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Domestication has nothing to do with an animal being able to listen to a command. A domesticated animal is something that can provide a himan being with a resource essentially. How often do you see a meat cow lovongly obey their master? The ONLY thing domestication does is to provide a human with a benefit. Hell we'll go to an extreme example. Domesticated plants like CORN. Doesnt listen to commands but still provides a lot for people. That's what it is.

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He keeps going back to that training point. Irritating.

So what? I don't care if my pets "like" me back, or live for my attention. The feedback I get doesn't make the animal more or less dangerous. You know what creates dangerous situations with animals? Careless people. That goes for ANY animal. A dog can maul a person to death, a cat scratch can send you to the hospital from the infections, a horse can do massive amounts of physical damage, rat bites are a puncture wound, and the list goes on and on and on.

It isn't a death sentence to simply possess venomous snakes, nor does it put anyone in immediate danger. My distrust of animal planet and their not so subtle anti-exotics keeper views is leading me to believe that Danny probably doesn't handle his collection carelessly. To be honest, I have yet to meet anyone who keeps venomous or giant snakes that doesn't promote safety first.

If you can believe it, we keep these animals because we enjoy them *gasp* even if they don't do tricks! Who woulda thunk it? I like that I can take my ball pythons out to handle, but someday I'd like to have a Gaboon viper. It isn't going to be my buddy, it probably won't give two flying nuggets that I'm there at all outside of feeding time. Turns out, people are capable of enjoying their pets without being so self centered that they need imprinting pack behavior (commonly mistaken for love) first.

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Originally Posted by rick*star

Sorraia, very good. Quick witty response! Uncle Skippy, I'm not sure I should thank you or not? You know what, THANKS!
Ok folks, I'm going to stick around a little longer just to give you my point of view. There have been some very good
responses, but, I ain't no Honey Boo Boo, and I ain't no Troll (whatever that is?), and I'm not stupid! I just offer a
different point of view. Have any of you ever ever ever seen or heard of a domesticated snake? One that would respond
to the owners commands? I think not!

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Honest question - Why is the ability to perform cutesy tricks the only characteristic that makes an animal "suitable" to be a pet?


Speaking for my personal experience and preference:
I honestly don't care if some of my pets can perform tricks or not. There are some animals I keep merely for the enjoyment of watching them. Case in point: Fish. You can't teach them tricks. You can't take them for walks. You can't handle them, pet them, etc. All they do is eat and swim around. BUT they are very enjoyable to just sit and watch.
I have kept many different animals, of different species. My first captive snake experience started when I was a young child, I think 2nd or 3rd grade. It was a ribbon snake. By 4th grade I had a ball python. I was the sole caretaker of that snake, and he thrived. In addition to these snakes, I have had experience with captive turtles and tortoises of several species, lizards, fish, cats, dogs, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, caged birds of different species, chickens, horses, and even an oppossum. I'm sure I'm forgetting something in there... Each animal has its own merits. Each animal has some advantages, but also some disadvantages. Right now I have snakes, cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, horses, chickens, fish, a tortoise, and a lizard. I am really enjoying the snakes because they are fascinating to watch, relaxing even. They require much less attention than a cat or a dog. In fact there are days the cats and dogs are downright annoying and more needy than my 1 year old child! The snakes have fairly basic environmental requirements, and as long as those requirements are met, they are kept cleaned (and they only poop once a week), provided with water, fed once a week, they are perfectly content and happy. Honestly... that to me sounds like a pretty ideal pet right now! My hands are kept full by this child of mine, my full time job, and keeping track of the hubby while helping him to find a job. I love my cats and dogs, but their requirements are so much more intense than the snakes, they can be a little overwhelming on some days!

For that matter, one of my dogs is 2 years old and has refused to be potty trained. She'll hold it all day in her crate, and she's got a clean bill of health, so it is not a health issue. I've tried everything with her, so it isn't lack of trying on my part. Her way of telling me she needs out is to look at me, which is the exact same thing she does when she's hungry or wants attention. If no one is home to let her out, or it's night time, she won't hold it, she'll piddle or poop in the house without regret. Again, doesn't do that in her crate, but will do it if she's left inside the house. She won't even use potty pads any more, she prefers carpet, especially that in the baby room. Her inability to be house trained makes her a pretty poor house pet, despite the fact she's a dog!

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

In fact... it's entirely possible to walk PAST a wild venomous snake and not be bitten. There's even a chance that you can handle a wild venomous snake and not be bitten. There's plenty of cases of it happening and I myself once picked up and handled a pygmy rattler in ignorance, and it did not bite me. Do I advocate picking up wild pygmy rattlers? Heck no! But with my own experience, I just proved you're a big liar. Liar liar, pants up in flames that you no doubt wanted from the forum in response to your ignorant trolling posts to get attention you can't get in a responsible adult way.

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I'll attest to this fact. As a field biologist in Southern California, I have come across my fair share of venomous rattlesnakes. Some of these encounters occurred miles from paved roads without a cell phone signal, where a bite would easily end up a fatal experience. Some of these encounters have been VERY close. One such encounter... following behind a coworker through some brush and up out of a river bed. As I was about to step up the bank, following her footsteps, I looked down and saw a rattlesnake right next to her footstep. My coworker nearly stepped on a rattlesnake, and it did not so much as rattle, nor did it bite. This was a far more dangerous situation than putting your hand in a snake's enclosure. Nothing is ever guaranteed, even when it comes to venomous snakes.

If you're reading this Danny, I'm sorry all this happened to you. I was floored listening to that radio interview. It makes me so angry this was all twisted and warped. There are some really sick people in this world to try to take your kids and pets away when you took the proper precautions for their safety. I can't even image having to deal with a custody battle with your inlaws. I really hope things get better for you from here on out. Too bad you can't sue them for lying and slander.

Edit: As for walking past venomous. Yep I've done it and didn't even know. I was out on a group trail ride with friends and family. My horse and I were up front. At one people they call up to me saying "A little warning would of been nice!" I turned around and my horse and I had walked right past a rattlesnake moving across the trail. Never coiled or rattled at us. And usually when they are defensive they let you know from a WAYS away to stay away. I've been out on rides in AZ and heard three rattlesnakes on one trail ride alone. Only way we saw them was by their noise and they were at least a good 10 feet off the trail.