Reaction of family/friends to your snakes

Reading these are hilarious, everyone but a few were really interested in him and wanted to read all about snakes and watch snake related nature programmes to learn more about them but we had a few... Eg. A freind of mine asked what if he gets out in the night and eats your baby... He's a 2 and 3/4 foot BP and tbh the appetite on my little girl she'd probably eat him lol and then there where a few who simply said why would you get a pet that doesn't show any affection back to you not like it wags it's tail to show its happy, but my sister in law was the best who is almost repulsed by the idea and thinks it's unhealthy and a bit sick to keep an animal that requires feeding of another animal... So in the wild your dog wouldn't eat another animal? It would scavenge for wild pedigree chum. Lol I dgaf what anyone else thinks or say we love him to pieces and he's our noodle baby lol

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Family was not happy, but surprised, thought it was a joke. Now my mum calls my 6 month old python cute names and dad can't say anything bad cause he is to 'blame' I love snakes. He caught me one non poisonous in the forest when I was 5 years old and since I held it was it. They said when you move to your own apartment you can own one and there you go :D

Friends mostly think I am out of my mind. Few of them share my opinion.

The stupid reactions such as 'It will eat you', It will bite you, You are crazy, It is poisonous vicious animal, how can you feed it with poor mice (ya, in nature it eats frozen chicken from a supermarket) ....is best to ignore those, the ones who are open minded, love all animals and are curious will ask normal questions. They don't have to like it, but they don't have to embarrass themselves with such stupidity and ignorance.

Family wasn't thrilled about it, but I've always respected boundaries. I have always made sure my animals can be kept in a space where a door can be closed and people won't be exposed to them unless they ask - with one exception.

I had to move back home for about six months after college. I sold a good portion of my collection except for three animals that had certain special needs. My mother was NOT happy, and my dad less so I think, but they allowed it. They didn't want to see them so I had to be a little creative with where the cages were kept, and I was required to feed frozen thawed - absolutely NO live rodents in the house. It was an interesting summer. The neat thing was, by the end of the it, my parents were slightly more tolerant of at least one of the snakes (she was heavily disabled, a six foot long boa and sweet as could be, but she couldn't move right... I always sort of considered her an ambassador for her species). I got my mother to touch her, and mom said that was the only snake she would ever consider liking.

My brother-in-law is more freaked out by them than my sister, but my nieces are fine with them.

My husband doesn't really like snakes, but he loves me, and he'll tolerate them as long as they don't try to strike... he prefers big lizards (and we plan on getting a tegu when we have the room).

A lot of my friends say they don't like them, but then will ask to see them. Some of them shiver and stand far away, and just want to look. Some of them, when they see how gentle the animals are, they'll ask to touch them. I can't count the number of times I'd heard "They aren't slimy at all... they're really soft!" or "Wow, they're really pretty!" As if I would keep an ugly animal lol

Reactions across the board are scattered, but most people are pretty tolerant as long as you respect their boundaries. I think most of the public is just uneducated about the animals themselves... all they've heard about snakes is the blown-out-of-proportion media stories of giant snakes taking over Florida and trying to eat people, or sensationalized discovery channel "specials".

The reactions I get are all over the place, some are curious and shocked. Some say I don't look like a person that would like snakes. :rolleyes: What is a snake lover suppose to look like? I get the funniest looks when they ask how many I have. I'm doing a head count and say right now. I'm down to about forty something. You should see there faces.:O

Interesting topic:)

My family is really cool with it but that's because they've been long over it, I've been catching and keeping snakes and lots of other animals since I was about 5 lol. So it's been a lot of years in the making, no surprises there. I was lucky to have a father who was interested in helping me and a mother who didn't have the typical fear.

I've noticed with most people, they fear what they don't understand or know. Once they see they are not trying to eat them, lol, most people become interested and and actually like them. In college I converted so many people, even people with the greatest fear. Shockingly two of my buddies that had the worst phobia ended up getting over their fear and ended up getting a snake of their own. Really just a great feeling taking someone that has such a terrible fear and converting them to be another lover of herps.

I definitely would not worry about finding a husband! I've noticed most men, even ones that are not comfortable with snakes, find a woman handling a snake incredibly sexy. I wish my wife would be more involved but I'm just happy she has no fear or issues with me keeping them. The only thing she does not like is me defrosting rodents in our kitchen lol.

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Originally Posted by Tigerhawk

The reactions I get are all over the place, some are curious and shocked. Some say I don't look like a person that would like snakes. :rolleyes: What is a snake lover suppose to look like? I get the funniest looks when they ask how many I have. I'm doing a head count and say right now. I'm down to about forty something. You should see there faces.:O

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I'd say the same as you as regards reactions from others .

Sadly , I'd say a few are intrigued even impressed , the rest are probably split evenly between the shocked /horrified / disgusted / disproving and the rest who stay quiet which kinda ' suggests ' disapproval or possibly a natural unwillingness to show approval in front of so many 'disapprovers' ( if that's even a word lol ) .

Oh and that's all before somebody asks what I feed the names on !!!

I've recently started a thread - Snakes & Celebrities to find as many people in the spotlight who own or are photographed with snakes - I'm just thinking the more non- reptile people who see those images the better .

I've sent a few of the already featured celeb & snake photos to some friends and family and their reactions were rather surprising ... Some who aren't really bothered that I have 20 amazingly beautiful and interesting snakes were really IMPRESSED to see people like David Beckham , Beyoncé and others were happy to be seen holding a snake ..... ....

Here's the thread I mentioned if you want to copy a few images and "impress" your friends and family :)

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https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ies-and-Snakes

My mom hated them, my dad kept telling me to force feed my snake when trying to switch him to frozen and he wasn't taking for awhile (2 months, in winter), so needless to say I ignored both of them when ti came to my snakes lol. But I got a piebald now and they both think he's goregous so.

My friend used to own a retic so when she comes over shes super excited to see my snakes and hold them and stuff. My boyfriend claims he scared of the mbecause he's afraid "they're gonna boop (him)" but he will hold them anyways.

All in all it's pretty positive

Most people do not know I keep my animals. Most are shocked when they find out. Especially at the number. My family is not surprised at much I do, they have known me a long time. The most entertaining reaction I get is when my "Frozen Meat" boxes show up at work. I personally do not think the OP is going to have a problem finding a husband at least by her profile picture.

my mother:

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"why do you have to be so weird?"

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my father:

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"cool."

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my friends:

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"you always have to be so different."

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every friend that has met my snake(s) has realized just how awesome they are. when i got Spaghetti my mom actually posted about it on facebook she was so excited for me (which honestly shocked me! the replies from her friends were not very positive but she would say how cool they are). my dad helps me whenever i need to move enclosures or i need a snake held for a few minutes while i clean.

the bizarre questions i've gotten from other friends and coworkers is hilarious and also a bit sad:

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"WHAT IF ESCAPES AND EATS YOU??"

it won't

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"WHAT IF IT BITES YOU????"

what do you do if your cat/dog bites you?

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"what do they eat? (i give answer)...OMG EW!"

c'est la vie

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i honestly love getting those totally ignorant questions, because they make great teaching opportunities! i never react negatively or make them feel stupid when they ask these silly questions; snake knowledge isn't common, and i do my best to educate and answer their questions. sometimes my coworkers specifically try to rile me up with intentionally dumb questions, but i stay poised and offer my knowledge which usually puts them off of their fun.

being snake people is fun. it's why i love this forum so much; there isn't anyone i know who loves these animals like i do that i get to communicate with, and i appreciate all of you. :D

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Originally Posted by Kira

My grandma said having a snake isn't "lady-like" and that I'll have "a hard time finding a husband". 😂

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:slamhead: *sigh* if anything, at least in my experience, it's actually worked in my favor :P
my grandmother actually calls my snakes her grand-babies, haha! her reaction to them was surprising, but i'm very thankful it was positive!